Spatial patterns of Mesozoic facies relationships and the age of the Rhenish Lineament: a compilation

Abstract

The age and the southern continuation of the Rhenish Lineament, and its relation to the Bressegraben has been an elusive problem for a long time. Sedimentological data are presented in this paper, which show that a major fault zone associated with the Rhenish Lineament extends southwards underneath the Jura Mountains of northern Switzerland. Mesozoic facies boundaries occur along this lineament and indicate that the Tertiary Upper Rhinegraben may be an ancient inherited structure, which was repeatedly reactivated during Mesozoic time. While reactivated Paleozoic faults seated in the basement are now known to play an important role in defining east–west trending facies boundaries and depocenters, north–south facies boundaries were attributed to autocyclic effects. This north–south component found in facies boundaries is now attributed to subsidence variations, which took place along the Rhenish Lineament. To distinguish increased local subsidence from eustatic sea level rise (i.e. development of accommodation space) it is necessary to reinterpret the sedimentary record accordingly. This study demonstrates that some sedimentary facies boundaries follow the Rhenish Lineament over the Paleozoic basins of northern Switzerland into the Bressegraben, thereby indicating an ancient structure, which had been reactivated during Mesozoic time. Sedimentological analysis shows that there is a relationship between facies boundaries, isopach anomalies, and basement structure.