Los grandes sinformes del Mesozoico en el Gofo de Valencia y del Messiniense en el Golfo de Cádiz

Abstract

Two seismic programs allow to interpret two local and notable synform geometries, which as far as we know have not been described in the numerous bibliographic references that can be consulted in their areas of existence: Mesozoic of the Gulf of Valencia and Messinian of the Gulf of Cadiz. Since they were not drilled by any well, the conclusions of this work have to be taken as interpretations derived from the seismic images and the very different lithostratigraphic and structural contexts of both areas. 1) The Gulf of Valencia syncline is characterized by a thick (6500-7500 m) paraconformity set of materials deposited between the salt of the Triassic and the regional discordance of the Lower Miocene, which by its thicknesses and location is attributed to the southern extension of the Iberian Mountain Range. 2) The Gulf of Cadiz syncline is attributed to an inter-olistostromic sub-basin filled with facies equivalent to the so-called limestones and shales of Carmona, which are covered by a mild erosive discordance of the Upper Messinian-Lower Pliocene age. Both examples suggest that two very different structural and stratigraphic contexts lead to the creation of large sub-basins with synformal geometry.