Morphotectonic implication of the Paleoproterozoic Mid-Lithuanian Suture Zone

Abstract

The Paleoproterozoic Mid-Lithuanian Suture Zone represents one of the major structures of the crystalline basement of Lithuania, separating the West Lithuanian and the East Lithuanian domains. This zone has shown persistently low tectonic activity during the Phanerozoic. The Mid-Lithuanian Suture Zone is marked by a distinct Middle Lithuanian topographic low underlain by a trough in the sub-Quaternary surface that suggests the morphotectonic nature of this depression. This is supported by high-precision geodetic levelling data that has unravelled the subsidence trend of the Middle Lithuanian trough. The zone is also distinct in its pattern of topographic lineaments. The persistence of the tectonic activity of the Mid-Lithuanian Suture Zone suggests that it represents a large-scale mechanical boundary of the Earth’s crust, resulting in increased accumulation of tectonic strain.