The Miocene-to-Present Kinematic Evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East and Its Implications for Dynamics Xavier Le Pichon 1 and Corn ´ e Kreemer 2 1 Coll` ege de France, Europ ˆ ole de l’Arbois, Aix-en-Provence, 13545, France; email: lepichon@cdf.u-3mrs.fr 2 Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, and Seismological Laboratory, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557-0178; email: kreemer@unr.edu Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 2010. 38:323–51 First published online as a Review in Advance on February 8, 2010 The Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences is online at earth.annualreviews.org This article’s doi: 10.1146/annurev-earth-040809-152419 Copyright c  2010 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved 0084-6597/10/0530-0323$20.00 Key Words Hellenic subduction zone, GPS, North Anatolian Fault, Levant, Afar plume, mantle flow Abstract The present kinematics in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East is now well constrained by GPS measurements and dominated by a circular coun- terclockwise motion. While Arabia rotates rigidly, the rotational velocities increase from the Levant to Aegea, causing extension in western Anatolia. We place the present pattern in light of the post–Middle Miocene geological history and propose that in addition to the effects of the Hellenic subduc- tion and Zagros collision-subduction zones on driving the surface motion, an underlying asthenospheric flow is also required. This counterclockwise toroidal flow is expected to exist around the eastern edge of the African slab owing to subduction rollback, and it helps explain the initiation of the North Anatolia Fault, the extrusion and uplift of Anatolia, and the Mid-Miocene to Recent volcanism in eastern Anatolia. The Afar plume had a similar effect on the acceleration of Arabia at 40 Mya. 323 Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 2010.38:323-351. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org by Rice University on 03/08/11. For personal use only.