Eric S. Cowgill Dylan A Vasey Nathan A. Niemi Charles Cashman Trexler 2023 <div id="summary" class="article-summary"><div class="article-abstract"><p>The Greater Caucasus orogen forms the northern edge of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone. Although the orogen has long been assumed to exhibit dominantly thick-skinned style deformation via reactivation of high-angle extensional faults, recent work suggests the range may have accommodated several hundred kilometers or more of shortening since its ~30 Ma initiation, and this shortening may be accommodated via thin-skinned, imbricate fan-style deformation associated with underthrusting and/or subduction. However, robust shortening estimates based upon surface geologic observations are lacking. Here we present line-length and area balanced cross sections along two transects across the western Greater Caucasus that provide minimum shortening estimates of 130-200 km. These cross sections demonstrate that a thin-skinned structural style provides a viable explanation for the structure of the Greater Caucasus, and highlight major structures that may accommodate additional, but unconstrained, shortening.</p></div></div> application/pdf 10.55575/tektonika2023.1.2.50 en Tektonika Total shortening estimates across the western Greater Caucasus Mountains from balanced cross sections and area balancing article