Troodos Massif Uplift

Troodos Uplift Timing

Plio-Pleistocene sediments evince remarkable uplift

Age model for Troodos uplift based on

Lithostrat, biostrat & remnant magnetisation polarities in

  • Upper Pliocene succession of Pissouri & Mesaoria Basins
  • Pleistocene marine terraces bordering Troodos Massif

Field observations support this

Ilustrate the nature of

  1. Transition from shallow marine to fan-deltaic to terrestrial
  1. Subsequent formation of 4 marine terraces

--> Demonstrating Pleistocene uplift of Troodos

--> modified by orbital cycling controlled sealevel changes

Uplift driver?

Doming resulting from serpentinisation of harzburgite

Underthrusting of Eratosthenes Seamount beneath Cyprus

Mesaoria Basin

Chryssospiliotissa

Shallow marine, fossiliferous sand with

  • fossils that are broken up
  • hummocky cross beds

Fluvial conglomerate unconformably overlies

Interp

Rapid ∆ from shallow marine (Nicosia, 3.04-2.58) --> terrestrial

Disarticulated fossils & hummocky cross-stratification
--> sand deposited in high energy envmt

M-scale rootlets penetrating into sandstone

Athalassa Fm, Lachia

Hiatus before fanglomerate deposition

∴ Uplift must've started < 2.58 Ma

Palaeo-oyster reef patch underlain by chalky bioclastic sandstone

Sstone

has shell fragments, marble clasts, concretions

Large foresets suggesting N to S palaeoflow

= Athalassa ~2.58 - 1.07 Ma

Sstone
Interp

High terrigenous input suggests basin sufficiently shallow
--> to be affected by winds blowing off Kyrenia

Mega-sandwaves prograding S

Oyster interp

Last part of basin infill

Turbulent, hypersaline lagoonal envmt before Mesaoria basin formed

Apolos Fm, Xeri

Weakly imbricated conglomerate lens

Upper ophiolitic clasts found in
--> resistant silty/sandy seds either side of sstone unit

Apolos ~ 1.20-0.78 Ma

Interp: Non-marine deltaic system w overbank sediments

Mesaoria Basin emerging by this time

Pissouri Basin

Exposure @ Vasiliko records strong Troodos uplift (analogues in Mesaoria)

Thick massive marl unit

abundant shallow marine fossils
e.g. bivalves, gastropods, scaphopods

gives way to ophiolite-derived conglomerates

Interp:

Nicosia Fm unconformably overlain by Fanglomerates

Kakkaristra

Ophiolite-derived fan deltas ( not observed )

Age ~ 2.58 - 1.98 Ma

Further support uplift of Troodos

Fanglomerate

= main feature of drainage catchments

Conglomerates appear abruptly atop Pliocene

= planar/cross bedded

Erosion evidence often --> since they are non-marine

Regional Picture

Pleistocene

Eratosthenes Seamount arrives @ Cyprus SZ trench

Underthrusting - Seamount dives beneath trench

Drives uplift of Cyprus (Troodos/Kyrenia)

Why dome shape ?

Troodos would be deep marine if weren't for ES continental block subducting

Thought to represent serpentinite diapir

Serpentinite = hydrated ultramafic rocks risen from upper mantle exposed beneath

Cause Troodos Uplift

Result of both:

  1. Underthrusting of continental block (Eratosthenes Seamount)
  1. Focussed diapirism
    (water input to SZ, hydrates mantle --> serpentinisation)

Summary

End Miocene

Seas flood back