Pre-Cainozoic tectonics of the southern Baltic Sea

Abstract

Tectonics of the western part of the Polish Baltic sector resulted from several stages of deformations. The Caledonian folding front being in the Polish territory connected with the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone (TTZ) separates from it at the Baltic coast, running toward WNW. The Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone runs farther in the NW direction being within this sector the rejuvenated Precambrian intracratonic deep-seated fracture. The Caledonian deformation might have been the result of the oblique collision of small crustal blocks (terranes?) of Baltic or Gondwana provenance with the East-European craton. The division of the area into faulted blocks took place at the turn of the Carboniferous and Permian probably also in transpressive conditions. After the Early Mesozoic period of tension and transtension connected with the opening of North Atlantic some of these faults were rejuvenated also in the transpressive environment. The strike-Slip component decreased distinctly with the passage of time.