Javakheti volcanic highland neotectonics

Author: Aleksandre Gventsadze
Keywords: volcanic, Pliocene, lavas, tectonic, folding
Annotation:

Abstract. Our study object is located of southern slope of Javakheti Ridge and is represent by intensive deformed volcanic rocks. They are the analogues of the Upper Miocene-Lower Pliocene Goderdzi suite. Folding of these lavas is indicative of the tectonic activity of the region at the Late Neogene stage of its development. Especially, “Kamarlo” lavas are intensively folded in contact with Middle Eocene rocks. The folds are of fault-related type. The contact is tectonic and it verifies to the activity of the Dmanisi fault. The version that folding of these lavas is flow-induced has been rejected. Seismological and seismotectonic investigations show that the Javakheti and Dmanisi faults belong to the sub-vertical right -lateral strike-slip faults. Investigations of distribution of depth by magnitude (M≥4) have shown that earthquake depths mostly change from 8 to 15 km. The orientations of maximum horizontal stress are North-South that reflects the orientation of acting regional compression.