Abstract
The E-trending Pyrenean orogen results from the inversion of the mid-Cretaceous rift structures responding to an overall N-S extension, as suggested by the balanced and restored cross-sections oriented normal to the orogen. However, oblique convergence/divergence that involve strain partitioning and arcuate segments of the orogen prevent simple tectonic restorations. The Languedoc region (southern France) provides a case study of a complex polyphase deformation involving a range of reactivated structures and cross-cutting relationships, acquired in response to varying tectonic stresses with different orientations. We analyze and correlate the onshore-offshore structures of the Languedoc region, based on reassessment of existing and newly acquired subsurface data. New results in the poorly documented coastal area point to the existence of unrecognized major structures that improves onshore-offshore correlations. Our results show: (i) the part played by the Mesozoic (Early Jurassic, then mid-Cretaceous) extensional phases in the development and the localization of Pyrenean-related contractional structures; (ii) the control of inherited crustal structure on the later Oligocene rifting of the Gulf of Lion. This restoration of the Pyrenean shortening and Oligocene rifting, constructed along sections (approximately perpendicular to each other) indicates minimum shortening of 28 km and extension of 14 km, respectively, in the Languedoc foreland. Integration of the Pyrenean structural framework of Languedoc reveals a wide, NE-trending transfer zone linking the eastern Pyrénées to Provence.
Highlights
The Pyrénées provide a much-studied example of inversion of a rift into an orogen
Geological cross-sections normal to the strike of the orogen display the compressional structures and allow to decipher the pre-orogenic extensional structures that have been inverted (Gomez-Romeu et al, 2019; Jammes et al, 2009; Lescoutre and Manatschal, 2020; Saspiturry et al, 2020; Teixell et al, 2016, 2018) Inversion of rifted margins during later convergence is controlled by the inherited lithospheric structure (Espurt et al, 2019a; Jourdon et al, 2019; Lacombe and Bellahsen, 2016; Lacombe and Mouthereau, 2002) and lithosphere thermal state (Dielforder et al, 2019)
Syntectonic sedimentary sequences preserved in upper crustal structures and in forelands provide insights into the kinematics of rift basin formation and their subsequent inversion during later contraction (Christophoul et al, 2016; Ford and Vergés, 2020; Ford et al, 2016; Lagabrielle et al, 2010; Lopez-Mir et al, 2016)
Summary
The Pyrénées provide a much-studied example of inversion of a rift into an orogen. Geological cross-sections normal to the strike of the orogen display the compressional structures and allow to decipher the pre-orogenic extensional structures that have been inverted (Gomez-Romeu et al, 2019; Jammes et al, 2009; Lescoutre and Manatschal, 2020; Saspiturry et al, 2020; Teixell et al, 2016, 2018) Inversion of rifted margins during later convergence is controlled by the inherited lithospheric structure (Espurt et al, 2019a; Jourdon et al, 2019; Lacombe and Bellahsen, 2016; Lacombe and Mouthereau, 2002) and lithosphere thermal state (Dielforder et al, 2019). Syntectonic sedimentary sequences preserved in upper crustal structures and in forelands provide insights into the kinematics of rift basin formation and their subsequent inversion during later contraction (Christophoul et al, 2016; Ford and Vergés, 2020; Ford et al, 2016; Lagabrielle et al, 2010; Lopez-Mir et al, 2016). These 2D analyses based on structural sections parallel to the direction of shortening and extension assume coaxial rifting and shortening (Espurt et al, 2019a; Teixell et al, 2016, 2018). Oblique convergence/divergence with related strain partitioning, evidenced by strike-slip faults and lateral ramps, are difficult to constrain (Angrand et al, 2020; Olivet, 1996; Tavani et al, 2018; Vissers and Meijer, 2012)
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