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The presence of extensional volcanic basins along a transpressive bend: a case of extension-transpression co-existence from the Lebanese Restraining Bend

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Abstract

The Lebanese Restraining Bend is 170 km long and lies obliquely along the N-S trending Dead Sea Transform Fault, which is the continental plate boundary between Arabia and Africa. Of particular attention about the Lebanese Restraining Bend is the presence of two basins in its southern and northern bounds that are bordered by basalts; these are the Hula basin and the Bouqayaa basin, respectively. These two basins and the presence of basalts in their vicinities raise questions about (1) their locations in the immediate proximity to a transpressive bend, (2) the tectonic interrelation between the formation of the basins and the emplacement of the basalts, and (3) the timing of the formation of the basins relative to the prevailing regional transpression. In this paper, the author sheds light on these aspects and proposes a simplistic kinematic model of the tectonics behind the transpressive regime, the formation of the basins, and the emplacement of the basalts. The presented model highlights the tectonic interrelation between the formation of the basins, their bordering basalts, and the deformation of the transpressive bend. The regional strike-slip movements along the faults outside and within the transpressive bend seem to have caused co-existing extensional and compressional regimes, and they suggest that the formation of the basins may be contemporaneous with the regional transpression. The results can serve as a conceptual model for more advanced boundary-element modeling and finite-element modeling of the tectonics of the Lebanese Restraining Bend, with potential broader insight into the understanding of the tectonics of transpressive bends and their interrelation with adjacent extensional basins, worldwide.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a seed grant from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. A. Abdel-Rahman is thanked for valuable discussions. Editor-in-Chief Al-Amri, Editor Roure, and two reviewers are thanked for their helpful reviews and suggestions that improved the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Geology, American University of Beirut, P.O.Box 11-0236, Riad El-Solh, Beirut, 1107 2020, Lebanon

    Tony S. Nemer

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Responsible Editor: François Roure

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Nemer, T.S. The presence of extensional volcanic basins along a transpressive bend: a case of extension-transpression co-existence from the Lebanese Restraining Bend. Arab J Geosci 16, 129 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11236-0

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