Detrital zircon and micropalaeontological ages as new constraints for the lowermost tectonic unit (Talea Ori unit) of Crete, Greece

Kock, S.; Martini, Rossana; Reischmann, T.; Stampfli, G.M.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.08.006

Scientific article

English

Detrital zircon and micropalaeontological ages as new constraints for the lowermost tectonic unit (Talea Ori unit) of Crete, Greece

Contributors

Kock, S.; Martini, Rossana

; Reischmann, T.; Stampfli, G.M.

Published in

Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology, vol. 243, no. 3-4, p. 307-321

Publication date

2007

Abstract

The Talea Ori unit is the lowermost known tectonic unit of Crete and the most external part of the Hellenides. Its stratigraphy ranges from Late Carboniferous to Oligocene and outcrops of the lower part are only known in the Talea Ori mountains (central Crete). In this area, a black sandstone at the base of the Galinos Beds, thought to be the oldest formation, contains zircons which were dated using the single grain evaporation method. The majority of these grains yielded Late Carboniferous ages (Variscan), while a small group yielded Early Proterozoic ages. The age distribution of these zircons suggests that, at the Carboniferous–Permian boundary, not much of the older North Gondwanan basement was exposed and that a river system carried detrital material from the Variscan belt towards the forming Neotethyan rift. Additionally, higher up in the stratigraphy benthic foraminifers (miliolids) were found in clasts from a conglomerate which was so far thought to be of Early Triassic age [Epting, M., Kudrass, H.-R., Leppig, U., Schäffer, A., 1972. Geologie der Talea Ori/Kreta. N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh. 141, 259–285.]. These miliolids belong to the species Hoyenella inconstans [Michalik, J., Jendrejakova, O., Borza, K., 1979. Some new foraminifera species of the Fatra-Formation (Uppermost Triassic) in the West Carpathians. Geol. Carpath. 30 (1), 61–91.], thus attributing a Late Triassic (Carnian–Norian?) maximal age to this conglomerate. The carbonate platform from which the miliolids-bearing clasts come is not known. The presence to the north of a continuous hemipelagic record from the Carboniferous to the Triassic (Phyllite–Quartzite and Tripali units), attributed to the Palaeotethys realm, allows the Talea Ori unit and its lateral equivalents (the Ionian zone) to be assigned to the westward continuation of the Cimmerian block and therefore to the northern margin of the East Mediterranean Neotethys ocean.

Keywords

Crete
Detrital zircon
Foraminifera
Permian
Triassic
External Hellenides

UNIGE affiliation entities

UNIGE research groups

Sedimentology, Biostratigraphy and Micropaleontology

Citation (ISO format)

KOCK, S. et al. Detrital zircon and micropalaeontological ages as new constraints for the lowermost tectonic unit (Talea Ori unit) of Crete, Greece. In: Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology, 2007, vol. 243, n° 3-4, p. 307–321. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.08.006

Article (Published version)

Identifiers

PID : unige:4135
DOI : 10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.08.006

Journal ISSN

0031-0182

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26/11/2009 11:35:00

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29/10/2025 13:55:21

Detrital zircon and micropalaeontological ages as new constraints for the lowermost tectonic unit (Talea Ori unit) of Crete, Greece

Contributors

Published in

Publication date

Abstract

Keywords

UNIGE affiliation entities

UNIGE research groups

Citation (ISO format)

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Creation

First validation

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Status update

Last indexation