The Italian contribution to the study of the Intra-Pontide suture zone in Central Turkey

This paper presents the results of multidisciplinary studies performed on the Intra-Pontide suture zone (Central Pontides, Northern Turkey) by an Italian-Turkish team. The investigations started in 2010 thanks to the funds provided by Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (prin) project, provided by Italian Ministry of Education, University and Scientific Research (Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca scientifica, miur), and by Darius Programme, sponsored by a network of oil companies. All the data collected during these researches indicated that the Intra-Pontide suture zone preserves remains of an oceanic basin, known as Intra- Pontide oceanic basin, probably opened in the Middle Triassic. Since Late Jurassic, the basin has experienced a subduction-related tectonics until its final closure in the Middle Paleocene. On the whole, the main results of these researches are the assessment that the Intra-Pontide suture zone really derived from the closure of the Intra-Pontide oceanic basin. This basin represents a paleogeographic element that has played an important role in the geodynamics history of the Eastern Mediterranean area.