The origin of the Basse Normandie duplex, Boulonnais, France

Abstract

Two Hercynian duplexes are developed in Viséan limestones in the Basse Normandie quarry. The lower duplex is completely exposed in a subvertical quarry wall; the partially exposed upper duplex lies immediately above the lower duplex. The duplexes are both located in the footwall of the Hydrequent thrust which emplaced Devonian clastic sediments above the Viséan limestones. The lower duplex exposes all the internal thrusts, a reference bed of chalky limestone, the roof and floor thrusts, and the duplex tip. The duplex has been graphically restored to its pre-deformation geometry by line-length and area balancing and its resultant geometry is close to the model of Boyer & Elliott. The lower duplex shortened by two different mechanisms, an initial phase of layer-parallel shortening which produced no cleavage, followed by thrust imbrication. The average contraction of the front portion of the duplex was −49% (natural strain) of which −27% is layer-parallel shortening and −22% is thrust imbrication. However, locally the bulk shortening increases from zero at the duplex tip to over −120% in a down-dip direction. The area balancing provides the most accurate estimates of bulk shortening; line-length balance calculations give minimum estimates only. An area balance on the whole of the lower duplex gives a bulk shortening of −84%. An area balance of the upper duplex yields an average contraction of −75% and the total contraction produced by both duplexes is −92%.