Neotethys

There are still some confusions about what Tethys existed at what time. A consensus exists regarding the presence of a mainly Paleozoic ocean N of the Cimmerian continent(s), the Paleotethys, a younger late Paleozoic-Mesozoic ocean located S of this continent, the Neotethys, and finally a middle Jurassic ocean, the Alpine Tethys, an extension of the central Atlantic ocean in the western Tethyan regions. Additional late Paleozic to Mesozoic oceans complicate somewhat this simple picture.

Permian-Triassic boundary (250 Ma) reconstruction: The slab roll back of the whole Paleotethys induced the opening of back-arc oceans in the active Eurasian margin (Meliata, Karakaya, Ka and Agh-Darband, Ag) and the strong slab pull force is opening the Neotethys ocean. This opening is separating the Cimmerian superterrane from Gondwana and appears clearly on subsidence curves.

See previous figures for legend (Prototethys, Paleotethys). Do, Dobrogea; eP, east-Pontides; Is, Istanbul; Sk, Sakarya.

The legends of these maps are on this page

Stampfli, G.M. and Borel, G.D., 2002. A plate tectonic model for the Paleozoic and Mesozoic constrained by dynamic plate boundaries and restored synthetic oceanic isochrons. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 196: 17-33.

Stampfli, G.M., Mosar, J., Favre, P., Pillevuit, A. and Vannay, J.-C., 2001. Permo-Mesozoic evolution of the western Tethyan realm: the Neotethys/East- Mediterranean connection. In: P.A. Ziegler, W. Cavazza, A.H.F. Robertson and S. Crasquin-Soleau (Editors), PeriTethys memoir 6: Peritethyan rift/wrench basins and passive margins, IGCP 369. Mém. Museum Nat. Hist. Nat, 186: 51-108.

Stampfli, G.M., 2000. Tethyan oceans. In: E. Bozkurt, J.A. Winchester and J.D.A. Piper (Editors), Tectonics and magmatism in Turkey and surrounding area. Geological Society of London, Special Publication, 173: 1-23.