A new conceptual model for the deposition process of homogenite: Application to a cretaceous megaturbidite of the western Pyrenees (Basque region, SW France)

Abstract

The north Pyrenean megaturbidite is a 19–63 m exceptional thick bed deposited during the Late Turonian and extending over more than 90 km in the Basque region Country (SW France). Its thickness varies from more than 63 m to about 19 m from east (Mauléon area) to west (Basque coast). It represents a total compacted volume of about 90 km 3 of carbonates. On the field, rare sedimentary structures are visible in the turbidite bed. They consist of laminar planar lamination and rare cross laminations in the eastern region and antidune-like structures in the western region. Five sites have been sampled with a vertical step of 50 cm to 1 m. Thin sections have been quantitatively analyzed for counting the terrigeneous fraction, the quartz grain size and the mineral orientation. The deposits fine westward, which suggests a source located in the east of the Mauléon Basin. This is consistent with the quartz grain orientation in the lower part of the megaturbidite. The deposits fine upward from medium sand to clayey-silt. This is consistent with the classical definition of homogenites and suggests that these kinds of deposits are turbidites. These observations also suggest that the term “megaturbidite” is appropriated for these deposits. The sedimentary analysis indicates that the deposit results from a single event. The volume of sediment involved in the process, as well as the quartz grain orientation indicating flow motion in the opposite direction of the initial flow and the antidune-like structure suggest the formation of reflected flows and the formation of standing waves over the complete water column in the Basque flysch sub-basins corresponding to a “Seiche effect”. The origin of the megaturbidite is probably an earthquake-generated collapse on the carbonate platform. This example allows providing a new conceptual model for the process of homogenite deposition. This model explains the deposition of thick, fine-grained, crudely-graded megaturbidites.