Numan 2001

Journal of Structural Geology 23 (2001) 2033±2034
www.elsevier.com/locate/jstrugeo
Discussion on ªDextral transpression in Late Cretaceous continental

collision, Sanandaj±Sirjan Zone, western Iranº
[Journal of Structural Geology, 22(8) (2000) 1125±1139]
Nazar M.S. Numan
Department of Geology, Mosul University, Mosul, Iraq
Received 17 November 2000; accepted 12 June 2001
The NW±SE trending Alpine Zagros Thrust Belt passes the western and southern deserts of Iraq. This haitus was in
from southwest Iran into northeastern Iraq. Mohajjel and our view induced by the additional compression on the
Fergusson contend in their work in Iran on the Sanandaj± passive continental margin of Arabia due to the `roll-
Sirjan Zone (with a consistent Zagros trend) that collision of back' mechanism of the subducted slab underneath the
the Afro±Arabian continent and the Iranian microcontinent active continental margin of Iran, together with the ensuing
took place in the Late Cretaceous. It seems that tectono- back-arc spreading in the manner described by Uyeda
stratigraphic evidence from the neighbouring Iraqi terri- (1983) and Otsuki (1989), i.e. transformation from Chilean-
tories, namely the Zagros Thrust Belt in the northern part, to Mariana-type subduction.
the Foreland Belt and the Quasiplatform of the north and the Prevalence of subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic
Platform in the western and southern deserts (Fig. 1), crust over generation of new oceanic crust led to narrowing
chronicles the subductional history in this part of the of the Neo-Tethyan ocean (Stonely, 1981). Uplifting of the
world to a fair degree of accuracy. It rather provides for Iranian and Turkish plate margins by the incessant under-
an Eocene age of the continental collision between Arabia riding of the oceanic crust led to the deposition of the Red
and the Iranian microcontinent. Bed Series in the subduction zone.
The ®rst phase of folding in the Cretaceous succession in The tectonic facies of the Naopurdan Group (marly
Iraq is related to the beginning of subduction beneath the shales, conglomerates, limestones and lava ¯ows), the
Turkish and Iranian plates. It is marked in the northeastern Walash Volcanics (shales, red mudstones, phyllites and
part of Iraq by the Qulqula radiolarites, the Khwakurk Series basaltic pillow lavas together with agglomerates) and the
(cherts with volcanics) and the Penjwin±Shlair Valley Gimo±Qandil Group (phyllites, marbles, calc schists,
complex (pyroxene±biotite and tuffaceous schists together pillow lavas and conglomerates) represent the fore-arc, arc
with amphibolites, andesitic porpherites and silty±clayey and back-arc depositions, respectively, throughout the
schists). Widespread Early Cretaceous folding has also Paleocene and in the Eocene. The sedimentary record of
been recorded in Iran (Stocklin, 1968). This folding phase the Foreland Belt of northern Iraq suggests that the Neo-
in north and northeastern Iraq and in Iran corresponds to the Tethys ocean was ®nally closed in the Eocene, marking the
Berriasian±Aptian haitus in the platform area in the western beginning of the continent±continent collision, which was
and southern deserts of Iraq (Tamar Agha et al., 1997). It also coeval with the opening of the Red Sea (Bermert and
also corresponds to the young Kimmerian orogenic phase of Ormond, 1981). The rock successions on the active conti-
Stille in Europe (De Sitter, 1964). The obduction of the Iraqi nental margins of the Turkish and Iranian plates and those
suture zone ophiolites in the Aptian±Cenomanian interval on the passive Arabian continental margin were thus juxta-
(Numan, 1997) was concurrent with two phases of folding in posed both sedimentationally and tectonically (Numan,
the Late Albian and the Late Cenomanian. These two phases 1997). During the Eocene, the continental Gercus Red
of folding correspond to the ®rst and second Alpine orogenic Beds swept over from the overriding masses of Iran and
phases of Stille in Europe (De Sitter, 1964). Evidence from Turkey onto the Arabian margin. Epicontinental seas and
sedimentary breaks in the Quasiplatform and Platform areas lagoons prevailed in the Foreland Belt of Iraq. The lagoonal
in Iraq suggests that the Late Cenomanian movements Pilaspi Limestone Formation of Eocene age in the Iraqi
continued to the Early Campanian and were responsible Foreland Belt inter®ngers towards the suture zone with the
for the Coniacian±Santonian haitus in the Platform area of continental Gercus Red Beds.
0191-8141/01/$ - see front matter q 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0191-814 1(01)00075-X
2034 N.M.S. Numan / Journal of Structural Geology 23 (2001) 2033±2034
Fig. 1. Cretaceous outcrops and major tectonic divisions in Iraq.
Tectonically, it is interesting to note that Mohajjel and Numan, N.M.S., 1997. A plate tectonic scenario for the Phanerozoic
Fergusson's dextral transpression in the Iranian hinterland succession in Iraq. Iraqi Geological Journal 30 (2), 85±110.
Numan, N.M.S., 2000. Major Cretaceous tectonic events in Iraq. Ra®dain
mirrors across the subduction zone into sinistral trans-
Journal of Science 11 (3), 32±52.
pression in the Iraqi foreland as a result of oblique collision Otsuki, K., 1989. Empirical relationships among the convergence rate of
(Numan, 2000) and anticlockwise rotation of Arabia plates, rollback rate of trench axis and island-arc tectonics: ªlaws of
(Hancock and Atiya, 1979). convergence rate of platesº. Tectonophysics 159, 73±94.
Stocklin, J., 1968. Structural history and tectonics of Iran Ð a review.
Bulletin of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists 52 (7),
References 1229±1258.
Stonely, R., 1981. The geology of Kuh±Dalneshin area of southern Iran and
Bermert, G., Ormond, R., 1981. Red Sea Coral Reefs. Keegan International, its bearing on the evolution of the southern Tethys. Journal of the
London 192pp. Geological Society, London 138, 509±522.
De Sitter, L.U., 1964. Structural Geology. McGraw-Hill, New York 551pp. Tamar Agha, M.Y., Numan, N.M.S., Al-Bassam, K.S., 1997. The Gaara
Hancock, P.I., Atiya, M.S., 1979. Tectonic signi®cance of mesofracture anticline in western Iraq, a structural ®asco. Ra®dain Journal of Science
system associated with the Lebanese segment of the Dead Sea transform 8 (2), 56±70.
fault. Journal of Structural Geology 1 (2), 143±153. Uyeda, K., 1983. Comparative subductology. Episodes 2, 19±24.

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Journal of Structural Geology 23 (2001) 2033±2034

Discussion on ªDextral transpression in Late Cretaceous continental

Fig. 1. Cretaceous outcrops and major tectonic divisions in Iraq.

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