The Miocene basins of Greece (Eastern Mediterranean) from a palaeoclimatic perspective

Abstract

The Miocene sedimentary sequences of Greece are represented by both continental and marine deposits and present an intense synsedimentary tectonism. The continental sediments predominate mainly in the eastern part of Greece, consisting of dark marls with important lignite deposits, clays and conglomerates. The marine sediments, outcropping mainly along the Western Greek coastal zone and the nearby Ionian Islands, consist of limestones, marls, clays and gypsum. The Miocene basins are usually bounded by major normal faults while minor faults affect basin infillings. In this work, the most extended and significant Miocene deposits of the Greek territory have been studied, using a number of 1230 rock samples collected from outcrops and boreholes drilled during lignite investigations. An effort is made to specify more precisely the vegetational development during the Miocene and the changes due to climatic fluctuations reflected in the pollen records.