Work Description

Date: 5 November, 2019

Dataset Title: Eastern Greater Caucasus, Azerbaijan, geological swath mapping data

Dataset Creators: Tye, Alexander R, Niemi, Nathan A, Safarov, Rafig T, Kadirov, Fakhraddin A, Babayev, Gulam R

Dataset Contact: Alexander Tye (alextye@umich.edu)

Funding: EAR-1524304 (NSF), University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan International Institute, University of Michigan Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Key Points:
- new geologic mapping was conducted in the Eastern Greater Caucasus mountain range of Azerbaijan
- several range-perpendicular swaths were mapped that together span the entire range across strike
- presented data include strike and dip of bedding and cleavage planes, lithologic contacts, faults, and fold hinges

Research Overview:
Geologic mapping was undertaken in the Eastern Greater Caucasus in order to better understand the tectonic evolution of the mountain range and the deformation of an active accretionary prism. Though geologic mapping in the range was conducted previously by Soviet geologists (Golubjatnikov and Kubogryzova, 1959; Voronin et al., 1959; Khain and Shardanov, 1960; Nalivkin, 1976; Bairamov et al., 2008), structural data is often not reported on these maps with enough density to inform structural interpretations. In addition, the scientific consensus on plate tectonics and mountain belt structure have shifted considerably since previous mapping efforts were conducted, creating the potential for significantly different interpretations by modern workers. Here, we present the structural and lithologic data collected from the range, which is interpreted in a forthcoming publication, Tye et al., in prep. Geologic mapping was conducted in two field seasons in August-September 2016 and 2017.

Methodology:
Standard geologic mapping methods were employed. Strike and dip measurements of bedding planes and cleavage planes at outcrops were made using the app Clino on a GPS-enabled smartphone. The observed and inferred extents of lithologies, faults, and fold hinges were mapped in the field manually using printed maps and later digitized in ArcGIS.

Ages of observed lithologic units were inferred based on the use of previous geologic maps and unit descriptions (Golubjatnikov and Kubogryzova, 1959; Voronin et al., 1959; Khain and Shardanov, 1960; Nalivkin, 1976; Bairamov et al., 2008).

Instrument and/or Software specifications: The data were analyzed and compiled using ArcMap 10.5.

Files contained here:

Three sets of files are contained.

Five ArcGIS Layer files (bedding.lyr, cleavage.lyr, foldhinge.lyr, faults.lyr, lithologic_units.lyr) contain the locations of bedding planes, cleavage planes, and fold hinges, as well as mapped extents of faults and lithologic units, respectively. These files were created in ArcMap 10.5 and use the WGS1984 geographic coordinate system. Standard symbologies are used.

Five ZIP (bedding.zip, cleavage.zip, foldhinge.zip, faults.zip, lithologic_units.zip) files contain shapefiles (.shp) and ancillary files that contain equivalent data to the ArcGIS Layer files. These shapefiles do not contain symbology information and are provided for use of the data by users of GIS platforms other than ArcGIS.

One high-resolution PDF (Plate1.pdf) contains the printed map we constructed using the data. The map is at 1:50,000 scale, and the datasets, which were collected at scales finer than 1:50,000 in some areas, were altered slightly for visual clarity on the map. Such alterations were not significant enough to affect geological interpretations. The map also contains a correlation of lithologic units and lithologic descriptions, as well as sample locations for thermochronometry data that are presented and discussed in the accompanying publication, Tye et al., in prep.

A slightly reduced filesize version of the map (Plate1_reduced.pdf) is also included, and it runs more smoothly than the full size version in Acrobat.

The column headings for the shapefiles are as follows:
***
bedding.lyr/shp
---
x - X coordinate of the measurement in UTM38N projection of WGS84 geographic coordinate system
y - Y coordinate of the measurement in UTM38N projection of WGS84 geographic coordinate system
planeType - type of geologic planar feature measured (all bedding for this file)
unitId - lithologic unit measured (these unit designations were assigned in the field)
overturned - marked 1 if the bedding plane is inferred to be overturned from sedimentary structures or angle of intersection between bedding and cleavage planes; marked 0 if the bedding plane is inferred to be upright
sighted - marked 1 if measurement was sighted from a distance rather than directly measured from placing a compass on the outcrop; marked 0 if measured from the outcrop
wavy - marked 1 if bedding is variable at the outcrop scale; marked 0 otherwise
Dip - dip angle
Strike - strike angle (azimuthal)
DipDir - dip direction (azimuthal)
Elev - elevation of measurement (meters)
unit_pub - lithologic unit measured (these unit designations are publication names consistent with the lithologic_units.lyr labels and the Plate 1 geologic map

***
cleavage.lyr/shp
---
x - X coordinate of the measurement in UTM38N projection of WGS84 geographic coordinate system
y - Y coordinate of the measurement in UTM38N projection of WGS84 geographic coordinate system
planeType - type of geologic planar feature measured (all cleavage for this file)
unitId - lithologic unit measured (these unit designations were assigned in the field)
overturned - can ignore (all values 0)
sighted - marked 1 if measurement was sighted from a distance rather than directly measured from placing a compass on the outcrop; marked 0 if measured from the outcrop
wavy - can ignore (all values 0)
Dip - cleavage plane dip angle
Strike - cleavage plane strike angle (azimuthal)
DipDir - cleavage plane dip direction (azimuthal)
Elev - elevation of measurement (meters)
unit_pub - lithologic unit measured (these unit designations are publication names consistent with the lithologic_units.lyr labels and the Plate 1 geologic map

***
foldhinge.lyr/shp
---
anticline - marked 1 if the fold is an anticline; 0 if the fold is a syncline
overturned - marked 1 if the fold is overturned; 0 if the fold is upright
inferred - marked 1 if the fold is inferred from bedding geometries rather than directly observed; marked 0 if directly observed in the field
minor_para - marked 1 if the fold is a minor/parasitic fold with a short wavelength that does not reflect broader structure; marked 0 otherwise

***
faults.lyr/shp
---
interforma - marked 1 if the fault is interformational (juxtaposes two different lithologic formations on either side of the fault); marked 0 if the fault is intraformational (the same lithologic formation is present on both sides of the fault)
dip - fault dip angle, if an exposure of the fault surface could be measured in the field
dip_dir - fault dip direction (azimuthal), if an exposure of the fault surface could be measured in the field
normal_fau - marked 1 if the fault is a normal fault; marked 0 if the fault is a thrust fault (a significant component of strike-slip was not inferred for any fault based on field observations)

***
lithologic_units.lyr/shp
---
Ncontactob - marked 1 if the northern contact of the unit polygon is observed in an outcrop; marked 0 if the contact is not observed in outcrop
Scontactob - marked 1 if the southern contact of the unit polygon is observed in an outcrop; marked 0 if the contact is not observed in outcrop
Unit - field lithologic designation (if applicable)
unit_pub - lithologic unit, pre-publication
fault_goug - marked 1 if the lithologic unit is inferred to have been highly deformed due to proximity to a major fault; 0 otherwise
Vandam - marked 1 if the unit is part of the Vandam Zone stratigraphic package; 0 otherwise
final_pub - lithologic unit, as appears in Plate 1

Related publication(s):
Tye, A. R., Niemi, N. A., Safarov, R. T., Kadirov, F. A., and Babayev, G. R., Structural and thermochronometric data provide insight into strain accommodation within an active accretionary prism, the Eastern Greater Caucasus. In prep.

Use and Access:
This data set is made available under a Creative Commons Public Domain license (CC0 1.0).

To Cite Data:
Tye, A. (2019) Eastern Greater Caucasus, Azerbaijan, geological swath mapping data [Data set]. University of Michigan - Deep Blue. https://doi.org/10.7302/gc06-q290

References:
Golubjatnikov, V. D. and Dubogryzova, A. G. (1959). Geological map of the USSR, Caucasus series sheet K-39-XIX, scale 1:200,000. Ministry of Geology and Mineral Protection USSR, Moscow.

Khain, V., Shardanov, A., (1960). Geological map of the USSR, Caucasus series sheet K-39-XXV, scale 1:200,000. Ministry of Geology and Mineral Protection USSR, Moscow.

Nalivkin, D. V. (1976). Geologic map of the Caucasus. Ministry of Geology, USSR.

Voronin, M. P., Gavrilov, M. D., & Khain, V. E. (1959). Geological map of the USSR, Caucasus series sheet K-39-XXXI, scale 1:200,000. Ministry of Geology and Mineral Protection USSR, Moscow.

Bairamov, A. A., Aliyev, G. I., Hasanov, G. M., Hasanov, H. Y., Hasanov, T. A., Ismail-Zadeh, A. J., ... & Mustafayev, H. V. (2008). Geological Map of Azerbaijan Republic. Baku: National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Republic, Geology Institute.