The geometry and nature of the eastern segment of the Cyprean Arc are
little understood. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain
the tectonic situation there. Recent marine geophysical data for this
region mapped several deep and shallow structural elements. The most
prominent element is a ridge, the Latakia Ridge, which extends from th
e Syrian coast near Latakia south-westward, to meet with an east-west
trending bathymetric escarpment east of the Hecateus Ridge. The new se
ismic profiles suggest that these two elements mark the present plate
boundary along the eastern Cyprean Arc. The Latakia Ridge is a young a
nd still active feature. It was formed by southward migration of the p
late boundary. The ridge probably originated as a large thrust sheet,
which later, when the convergence direction was changed, became a zone
of wrench faulting. The ridge is still forming today and serves as a
dam to the sediments north of it. The wrench faulting activity is more
pronounced in the eastern segment of the ridge.