European Cenozoic Rift System Research Articles

CO2 flux from the French Massif Central groundwaters: Modelling and quantitative estimation of the degassing process

Passive rift systems are often characterized by CO2 degassing, witnessed by the presence of mineral and thermal springs, bubbling pools, mofetes. Despite these field manifestations, the quantitative estimation of the CO2 budget released to the atmosphere from these geodynamic structures is not well constrained. Here, we examine the chemistry of 169 springs, the isotopic composition of the dissolved carbon (δ13CTDIC) of 33 springs and the dissolved gases composition of 6 springs from the French Massif Central, part of the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS), in order to describe the CO2 degassing process and to compute the CO2 emission rate released from groundwaters at regional scale. Water-gas-rock models reveal that the separation of gas from the liquid phase occurs at P-T conditions between 10 bar-180 °C and 1 bar-10 °C. The carbon mass and isotopic balance of spring waters of the French Massif Central allow us to compute a total deeply-sourced CO2 emission rate of 1.52 ± 0.14 × 109 mol yr−1, suggesting that the CO2 release from passive rift systems is significant at global scale and should be considered in the present-day global Earth degassing budget. The comparison of our data to other continental rift systems shows a high variability of CO2 emission rates, highlighting that more detailed studies are needed to constrain the CO2 flux from this geodynamic setting that, at present, is likely underestimated.

Mineral chemistry and thermobarometry of the pre-rift Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene melilite-bearing dykes from the northern part of the Bohemian Massif (Ploučnice River region): Implications for compositional variations of spinels from ultracalcic melts

The Ploučnice River region (polzenite group) is uniquely characterized by its melilite-bearing subvolcanic rocks located in the northern section of the Bohemian Massif. They are the crystallization products of ultracalcic melts during the pre-rift evolution of the Ohře/Eger Rift, which is the easternmost part of the European Cenozoic Rift System. The melt was produced by low-degree partial melting of carbonate-bearing garnet peridotite and pyroxenite at a depth of approximately 100 km (P ~ 3.0 Gpa). The rapid ascent of the ultracalcic melts through the lithosphere was accompanied by fractional crystallization of olivine + spinel ± clinopyroxene mainly within the upper to middle crustal storage zone at depths between 12 and 24 km (0.3–0.6 Gpa). Notably, olivine crystallized generally at higher temperatures (1257–1356 °C) compared to clinopyroxene (1156–1203 °C) and plagioclase (1099–1112 °C). The calculated oxygen fugacity during fractional crystallization (perovskite, −4.8 to +3.9 ΔNNO) decreases at the late-stage of crystallization due to residual magma exsolving oxidizing fluids and decreased fO2 (oxygen fugacity) of the magmas from which monticellite was crystallized (ΔNNO −6.0 to −3.9). The rounded shapes and chemical composition (Cr/(Cr + Al) 0.52–0.82) of partially resorbed chromite xenocrystic cores in subhedral to euhedral spinel grains indicate that they originated in the mantle. The first stage of magmatic evolution for the studied rocks is related to the Cr-spinel (Cr/(Cr + Al) 0.35–0.50) crystallization, which successively changed to a high-alumina composition (Cr/(Cr + Al) 0.25–0.30). Magnetite (magnetite–ulvöspinel solid solution) forms an atoll texture or small euhedral crystals in the groundmass. Both textural types of magnetite crystallized during the late-stage magmatic evolution of the ultracalcic melt. Carbonate or quartz-rich xenoliths were incorporated during magma emplacement under the upper crust. Sr-Nd isotopic data, mineral composition, and whole-rock chemical composition all verified that the assimilation of the xenoliths only affected the chemical composition of the host magma in the immediate neighborhood of the contract (up to a few millimeters around the xenolith).

Sp converted waves reveal the structure of the lithosphere below the Alps and their northern foreland

SUMMARY The structure of the lithosphere is reflecting its evolution. The Moho of the European lithosphere has already been studied intensively. This is, however, not yet the case for the lower boundary of the lithosphere, that is the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB). We are using S-to-P converted seismic waves to study the structures of the Moho and the LAB beneath Europe including the greater Alpine Area with data from the AlpArray project and the European networks of permanent seismic stations. We use plain waveform stacking of converted waves without deconvolution and compare the results with stacking of deconvolved traces. We also compare Moho depths determinations using S-to-P converted waves with those obtained by other seismic methods. We present more detailed information about negative velocity gradients (NVG) below the Moho. Its lower bound may be interpreted as representing the LAB. We found that the thickness of the European mantle lithosphere is increasing from about 50°N towards the Alps along the entire east–west extension of the Alps. The NVG has also an east dipping component towards the Pannonian Basin and the Bohemian Massif. The Alps and their northern foreland north of about 50°N are surrounded in the east, west and north by a north dipping mantle lithosphere. Along 50°N, where the NVG is reversing its dip direction towards the north, is also the area along which the volcanoes of the European Cenozoic Rift System are located. Our results possibly indicate that the Alpine collision has deformed the entire lithosphere of the Alpine foreland as far north as about 50°N.

Time-variable strain and stress rates induced by Holocene glacial isostatic adjustment in continental interiors

In continental interiors, tectonically-driven deformation rates are low, often to the point where they are undetectable with modern geodesy. However, a range of non-tectonic surface processes, particularly relating to hydrological, cryospheric, and sedimentological mass changes, can produce strain-rates which on geologically-short timescales are substantially greater than those produced by tectonics. Here, we illustrate the problem that such transient strain rates may pose in low-strain environments by considering the impact that the growth and decay of the Fennoscandian and Laurentian ice sheets over the Holocene had on Europe and North America respectively. Induced deformation extended far beyond the periphery of the ice sheets, with the potential to impact on seismicity rates thousands of kilometres south of the maximum ice extent. We consider how the modelled non-tectonic deformation would have interacted with several known active fault systems, including the European Cenozoic Rift System and the New Madrid fault system. In low strain continental interiors, seismic hazard assessment – crucial for the long-term planning of critical infrastructure, including nuclear waste disposal – is often dependent on sparse information from observational and historical seismicity, and from paleoseismological studies of surface fault systems. We recommend that for a more complete seismic hazard assessment, the impact of non-tectonic transients should be considered – both in the context of the role such transients may have played in recent seismicity, and the role they may play in seismicity to come. Whilst such consideration has previously been given to the direct impact on glacial loading in areas directly glaciated, we show that it should also be considered much more broadly.

Stratigraphy and eruptive history of the complex Puig de La Banya del Boc monogenetic volcano, Garrotxa Volcanic Field

The Puig de la Banya del Boc volcano is located in the southern sector of the Garrotxa Volcanic Field in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula and is part of the European Cenozoic Rift System. This monogenetic volcano was constructed on a hard basement of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks and shows a complex eruptive succession with phreatomagmatic, Strombolian, and effusive phases. Similar to other volcanoes of the same volcanic field, the succession of deposits of the Puig de la Banya del Boc volcano reveals the influence of the substrate, upon which the volcano forms, on eruption dynamics. In this case, the Paleozoic basement and its particular hydrodynamic properties controlled the way in which magma/water interactions occurred throughout the eruption. This volcano is coeval with the Clot de l'Omera, a small maar-type edifice that was emplaced on a conjugate fault, which belongs to the same fault system.

Impact of Late Cretaceous inversion and Cenozoic extension on salt structure growth in the Baltic sector of the North German Basin

AbstractThe Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic is known for its multiple inversion events, which affected Central Europe's intracontinental sedimentary basins. Based on a 2D seismic profile network imaging the basin fill without gaps from the base Zechstein to the seafloor, we investigate the nature and impact of these inversion events on Zechstein salt structures in the Baltic sector of the North German Basin. These insights improve the understanding of salt structure evolution in the region and are of interest for any type of subsurface usage. We link stratigraphic interpretation to previous studies and nearby wells and present key seismic depth sections and thickness maps with a new stratigraphic subdivision for the Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic covering the eastern Glückstadt Graben and the Bays of Kiel and Mecklenburg. Time‐depth conversion is based on velocity information derived from refraction travel‐time tomography. Our results show that minor salt movement in the eastern Glückstadt Graben and in the Bay of Mecklenburg started contemporaneous with Late Cretaceous inversion in the Coniacian‐Santonian. Minor salt movement continued until the end of the Late Cretaceous. Overlying upper Paleocene and lower Eocene deposits show constant thickness without indications for salt movement suggesting a phase of tectonic quiescence from the late Paleocene to middle Eocene. In the late Eocene to Oligocene, major salt movement recommenced in the eastern Glückstadt Graben. In the Bays of Kiel and Mecklenburg, late Neogene uplift removed much of the Eocene‐Miocene succession. Preserved deposits indicate major post‐middle Eocene salt movement, which likely occurred coeval with the revived activity in the Glückstadt Graben. Cenozoic salt structure growth critically exceeded salt flow during Late Cretaceous inversion. Cenozoic salt movement could have been triggered by Alpine/Pyrenean‐controlled thin‐skinned compression, but is more likely controlled by thin‐skinned extension, possibly related to the beginning development of the European Cenozoic Rift System.

The Limagne Basin: a journey through modern and fossil microbial deposits

The Limagne Basin (Massif Central, France) originated during a major, European-scale, extensive event (European Cenozoic Rift System), which led to the formation of several rift systems in the foreland of the Alps between the Upper Eocene and Pliocene. A fluvio-lacustrine system emplaced in the basin and resulted in a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentation in which microbial and metazoan buildups occupy an important place. However, microbial deposits are not exclusive to the Cenozoic history of the Limagne Basin; nowadays, in the basin, they still form in association with thermal spring systems. A fieldtrip was carried out in the Limagne Basin as part of the Microbialites: formation, evolution and diagenesis (M-Fed) meeting (October 2019). The objective of this excursion was to assess the diversity of modern and fossil (Chattian to Aquitanian) microbial sediments and structures in three prime locations (the Jussat and Chadrat outcrops and the Grand Gandaillat quarry). A detailed description of the morphologies and fabrics of the buildups and their associated biotic components can be used to discuss the spatio-temporal distribution pattern. Different basin margin models are proposed based on the changes in the distribution, morphology and size of the microbial and metazoan-rich deposits through time. The Jussat outcrop offers novel perspectives to unravel the evolution of the lacustrine/palustrine cycles over time and to establish a long-term paleoenvironmental history of the western margin of the basin during the Aquitanian. These cycles are composed of (i) lacustrine sedimentation comprising microbial and metazoan buildups and organic matter-rich marls reflecting a period of high accommodation, and (ii) palustrine deposits made of mudstones and clayey paleosoils, indicative of a period of low accommodation. It is suggested that climatic, tectonic, volcanic and local parameters (physiography, substrate) control the deposition of the buildups in each of the different cycles. In addition, the modern microbial mats of the Sainte-Marguerite and La Poix outcrops offer an opportunity to constrain the controlling processes at the origin of the mineralization involved in the formation of the microbialites and their preservation in the fossil record.

Influence of Lithosphere Rheology on Seismicity in an Intracontinental Rift: The Case of the Rhine Graben

The Upper Rhine Graben (URG), as a part of the wider European Cenozoic Rift System, is a tectonically active area that has been extensively investigated for its geothermal energy potential. In this study, we carry out a first investigation of the present-day thermo-mechanical stability of the area as based on a detailed 3D geological and thermal model. The overall goal is, therefore, to assess how the lithospheric strength varies within the URG in response to the natural tectonic setting as well as the internal thermal configuration, and how those variations can be related to the recorded seismicity. The results from the modelling indicate that there is a spatial correlation between the predictions for the graben-wide rheological configuration with both the deep thermal field and the configuration of the crystalline crust. We find that the regional characteristics of the long-term strength of the lithosphere match the spatial distribution of seismicity, indicating that the mechanical stability of the area is primarily controlled by resolved strength variations. By cross-plotting the modelled strength distribution with available seismicity catalogues, our results suggest that seismicity in the graben area is shallower and of lower intensity due to a hotter and weaker crust compared to its surrounding areas. In contrast, seismic energy release appears to occur at deeper levels and being of larger magnitudes east of the graben and in the adjacent Lower Rhine Graben to the north. These results demonstrate the relevance of a proper quantification of the lithospheric rheological configuration and its spatial variability in response to its tectonic inheritance as an asset to interpret the pattern and distribution of seismicity observed in the area.

Past hot fluid flows in limestones detected by Δ47–(U-Pb) and not recorded by other geothermometers

Abstract Geothermometers are commonly used to reconstruct the diagenetic and thermal history of rocks. However, characterizing the timing, origin, and temperature of paleofluid flow remains challenging because it must be assessed indirectly through the analysis of microscopic cements that precipitate and fill intergranular spaces during fluid circulation. Here, we measure both the clumped isotope (Δ47) temperature and in situ U-Pb age of individual diagenetic calcite cements within a sedimentary section of the Paris Basin (France), whose thermal history has been previously inferred to be <60 °C. We show that cementation occurred during two stages associated with major events at the western European lithospheric scale: (1) the Bay of Biscay rifting (Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous), and (2) north-south Pyrenean compression (Eocene) followed by east-west extension during the European Cenozoic rift system event (Oligocene). Related to both events, we report unexpectedly hot fluids, up to 110 °C, contrasting with the lower temperatures inferred from other geothermometers (e.g., fluid inclusions, clay minerals, apatite fission tracks, maturity of organic matter by Rock-Eval pyrolysis, or vitrinite reflectance). These high temperatures (>70 °C) have been measured for calcite cements containing single-phase aqueous fluid inclusions, challenging the commonly accepted assertion that the absence of nucleation of a vapor phase indicates crystallization at low temperature (∼<70 °C). We suggest that the kinetics of mineralization events prevented the recording of short-lived hot fluid flows by other geothermometers.

CO2 degassing and melting of metasomatized mantle lithosphere during rifting – Numerical study

Reactivation of metasomatized mantle lithosphere may occur during continental extension, which is an important component of plate tectonics. The lower most part of the metasomatized domains in the subcontinental mantle lithosphere can be locally enriched in CO2. Therefore, partial melting of these metasomatized domains may play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. However, little is known about this process and up until now few numerical constraints are available. Here we address this knowledge gap and use a 2-D high resolution petrological-thermomechanical model to assess lithospheric rifting, CO2 degassing and melting. We test 4 lithospheric thicknesses: 90, 110, 130 and 200 km with a 10 km thick metasomatized layer at the base using CO2 of 2 wt.% in the bulk composition. The carbonate enriched layer is stable below ∼3 GPa (>110 km) for a temperature of 1300 °C; therefore, we only observe degassing patterns for lithospheric models that are 130 km and 200 km thick. The metasomatized layer for the 130 km thick lithosphere mostly comprises carbonatite melting, whereas in the 200 km thick scenario propagation of melt development from kimberlites to carbonatites occurs as the metasomatic mantle is exhumed during extension. The numerical models fit well into natural rifting zones of the European Cenozoic Rift System for young (shallow) and of the North Atlantic Rift for old (thick) lithosphere.

Impact of rift dynamics on palaeoenvironmental conditions and hydrocarbon system development (northern Upper Rhine Graben, SW Germany)

The Upper Rhine Graben (URG), a classical hydrocarbon (HC) province, is part of the European Cenozoic Rift System. The rift graben development has led to a complex basin fill of terrestrial and marine Cenozoic deposits, providing several HC source and reservoir units. The aim of this study is the multidisciplinary analysis of the palaeoenvironmental conditions and source-rock development within the transgressive marine intervals, and the palaeothermal history of the graben system to improve the understanding of the HC system development. Palaeoenvironmental conditions are strongly influenced by rift-related tectonic activity. Transgressive marine intervals in times of major subsidence show high terrestrial input from the graben shoulders, leading to mainly terrigenous gas-prone kerogen, while transgressive marine intervals during weak tectonic activity are dominated by marine–brackish palaeoenvironments and oil-prone kerogen. This differs clearly from the previously suggested HC potential of these intervals. Thermal maturation analysis shows nearly constant maturation with depth, which is atypical for burial-controlled maturation. It indicates significant secondary thermal overprinting related to long-lasting very hot hydrothermal fluid systems, concentrated along fault zones. Therefore the development of the depositional setting, kerogen composition, thermal maturation and the HC potential is directly linked to the dynamics of the rift system development. Supplementary material: detailed results of all three wells are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4183106

Monitoring of helium and carbon isotopes in the western Eger Rift area (Czech Republic): Relationships with the 2014 seismic activity and indications for recent (2000–2016) magmatic unrest

Abstract We report new data of the regional distribution pattern of total gas compositions as well as He and CO2 isotopic compositions from 25 gas exhalations in the western Eger Rift and its surroundings. Additionally, the first time-series data from gas exhalations in a clay pit within the Cheb Basin (CB) are given. At 21 degassing locations, the first data were obtained >20 years ago. From 7 locations within the degassing center CB and from 3 degassing sites belonging to the Marianske Lazně (ML) degassing center, neon and argon isotope compositions were determined also. CO2 is the major component at all degassing sites. The δ13C values display a small range (−1.7 to −5.1‰) and the 3He/4He ratios vary from 1.9 to 5.9 Ra. The highest 3He/4He ratios are found at locations along the Pocatky-Plesna Fault Zone, followed by the degassing site in the clay pit on the Nova Ves Fault and the locations on the ML fault at the edge of the CB. Although gas flow and CO2 concentrations in all degassing centers are very high, the fractions of mantle-derived helium are different, with presently up to 94% (in relation to the SCLM 3He/4He of 6.32 Ra) in the CB, up to 73% in the ML and up to 35% in the Karlovy Vary degassing center. At the locations in the eastern part of the CB a clear, progressive increase of the 3He/4He ratio has been observed since the first sampling campaigns there in 1993 and 1994, whereas at the other degassing sites the helium isotope ratio remained essentially the same. The progressive increase of the 3He/4He ratio in the eastern part of the CB, together with further short-time increases up to 6.3 Ra at one location (Bublak) before both the 2000 and 2008 earthquake swarms, indicate an ongoing magmatic process beneath this area, which seems to be associated with the occurrence of seismicity. The CB is located close to the Nový Kostel focal zone where since the beginning of our investigations four strong periods of seismicity (with magnitudes >3) occurred. The latest gas data confirm our earlier findings: time-series studies showed that in relation with seismic events, decreased 3He/4He ratios were repeatedly observed due to admixed seismically released crustal helium. Presently, the eastern part of the CB is the most active non-volcanic region in the European Cenozoic Rift System, with gas signatures similar to those found in free mantle-derived gases from the East African Rift system.

Active Magmatic Underplating in Western Eger Rift, Central Europe

AbstractThe Eger Rift is an active element of the European Cenozoic Rift System associated with intense Cenozoic intraplate alkaline volcanism and system of sedimentary basins. The intracontinental Cheb Basin at its western part displays geodynamic activity with fluid emanations, persistent seismicity, Cenozoic volcanism, and neotectonic crustal movements at the intersections of major intraplate faults. In this paper, we study detailed geometry of the crust/mantle boundary and its possible origin in the western Eger Rift. We review existing seismic and seismological studies, provide new interpretation of the reflection profile 9HR, and supplement it by new results from local seismicity. We identify significant lateral variations of the high‐velocity lower crust and relate them to the distribution and chemical status of mantle‐derived fluids and to xenolith studies from corresponding depths. New interpretation based on combined seismic and isotope study points to a local‐scale magmatic emplacement at the base of the continental crust within a new rift environment. This concept of magmatic underplating is supported by detecting two types of the lower crust: a high‐velocity lower crust with pronounced reflectivity and a high‐velocity reflection‐free lower crust. The character of the underplated material enables to differentiate timing and tectonic setting of two episodes with different times of origin of underplating events. The lower crust with high reflectivity evidences magmatic underplating west of the Eger Rift of the Late Variscan age. The reflection‐free lower crust together with a strong reflector at its top at depths of ~28–30 km forms a magma body indicating magmatic underplating of the late Cenozoic (middle and upper Miocene) to recent. Spatial and temporal relations to recent geodynamic processes suggest active magmatic underplating in the intracontinental setting.

U/Pb dating of geodic calcite: new insights on Western Europe major tectonic events and associated diagenetic fluids

This study presents the first application of the U/Pb dating method to highly Pb-depleted diagenetic geodic calcites of the Jurassic formations of the Paris Basin that leads to a reappraisal of the palaeohydrological history of this region. Composite U/Pb ages from multiple geodes, combined with δ 18 O analyses, reveal two main phases of diagenetic fluid circulations linked with major regional tectonic events. Dogger formations recorded a first diagenetic fluid episode at 147.8 ± 3.8 Ma, i.e. at the very beginning of the emersion of the basin during the Tithonian period and 30 Ma earlier than previously assumed. δ 18 O results confirmed that most of the calcitic cement phases that closed the porosity of these formations precipitated at the beginning of the Cretaceous period. Oxfordian formations recorded another major meteoric fluid circulation at 33.5 ± 2.8 Ma related to the initial stage of the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS). Consequently, the porosity of the Mesozoic formations of the studied area may have been closed sooner than previously thought, before the main ECRIS rifting phase of Oligocene age. This study shows that U/Pb dating of secondary geodic calcite offers a new powerful way for reconstructing the coupled palaeohydrological and diagenetic history of sedimentary basins. Supplementary material: Pb/Pb diagrams, 238 U and 235 U series isochron diagrams and effect of blank correction on U and Pb isotopic compositions and on ages calculation are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3886885

Climatic instability before the Miocene Climatic Optimum reflected in a Central European lacustrine record from the Most Basin in the Czech Republic

The work investigates the extensive freshwater lacustrine deposits of the Most Formation, which formed in the period between 17.7Ma and ca. 15.9Ma, in order to describe climate changes just before the Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO). The Most Basin, an incipient rift within the European Cenozoic Rift System, exhibited a sedimentary environment that was sufficiently stable to preserve orbital signatures of environmental changes. Changes in the mineral composition of the sediments were characterised in terms of variations in their elemental composition, particularly their Al/Si and K/Ti element ratios and Fe, Sr, and Zr elemental abundances, which were efficiently obtained using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy with a density of 3–4 samples per metre of core (approximately 15–20 samples per precession cycle). The sediments are distinguished by the presence of distinct and correlated horizons (1–10cm thick) containing Sr, Ba-rich crandallite, a mineral from the aluminium-phosphate-sulphate (APS) group. Chemo-, magneto-, and cyclostratigraphy were used to correlate eight cores with lengths up to 240m and to date the sediment; discrepancies at scales of up to two precession cycles (each ca. 20kyr, typically ~4m per cycle) were observed. The primary age model was based on magnetic polarity analysis (5 reversals) and later refined at the metre scale using cyclostratigraphy. We interpret the onset of the basin-wide lacustrine phase in the Most Basin as being a consequence of the enhanced input of fluvial clastic sediment to the former peat swamps during the high-eccentricity period at 17.7–17.55Ma, i.e., immediately after the initial decay of the East Antarctic ice sheet according to Levy et al. (2016). The most important environmental change recorded by the lacustrine interval in the Most Basin occurred at 16.44Ma during an eccentricity maximum and is nearly coeval with further shrinkage of the East Antarctic ice sheet. The second stage of monotonous lacustrine deposition, which exhibited enhanced precession-controlled compositional variability in 16.1–16.0Ma witnessed the onset of the MCO. Sediments younger than 15.9Ma are missing due to erosional removal after subsequent basin inversion. The sediments of the Most Formation represent an archive of environmental change in central Europe during the early stages of the MCO and have a temporal resolution ca. 5kyr.

Regional distribution pattern of carbon and helium isotopes from different volcanic fields in the French Massif Central: Evidence for active mantle degassing and water transport

We report new data of the gas and isotope (δ13C and 3He/4He) composition of 26 free gas emanations escaping from bubbling springs and mofettes in six different Cenozoic volcanic areas of the French Massif Central, which belongs to the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS). In all six units the CO2 concentrations in the free gas phase are >96vol% throughout, at most locations even >99vol%. The δ13C values range between −3.6 and −6.3‰ (relative to PDB) and the 3He/4He ratios between 1.05 and 6.36Ra (Ra=3He/4He in air). These isotope signatures indicate an origin of helium and CO2 predominantly in the subcontinental mantle. In addition, the gas composition and the isotope ratios of C, N, He, Ne, and Ar were monitored approximately once a year at two locations in the Mont-Dore Massif during a time span of five and twelve years, respectively. As a result robust data have been obtained, suggesting mixing of variable fractions of atmosphere-derived and sedimentary nitrogen. 3He/4He ratios overlapping the characteristic range of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) indicate fluid transport in deep reaching faults from the magmatic reservoir to the surface and suggest that minor fractions of mantle-derived nitrogen are present also. In comparison with MORB (Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt), the CO2 is slightly enriched in 13C, confirming the findings in the Eifel area (Germany) and the western Eger Rift (Czech Republic), two other regions of the ECRIS where SCLM–derived gases escape at the surface.

Deformation and seismic anisotropy of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle in NE Spain: EBSD data on xenoliths from the Catalan Volcanic Zone

Mantle xenoliths in Neogene-Quaternary basaltic rocks related to the European Cenozoic Rift System serve to assess the evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Catalan Volcanic Zone in NE Spain. Crystallographic preferred orientations, major element composition of minerals, and temperature and pressure estimates have been used to this end. The mantle consists of spinel lherzolites, harzburgites and subordinate websterites. Protogranular microstructures are found in all peridotites and websterites, but lherzolites also display finer-grained porphyroclastic and equigranular microstructures. The dominant olivine deformation fabric is [010] fiber, but subordinate orthorhombic and [100]-fiber types are also present, especially in porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites. The fabric strength (J index=10.12–1.91), equilibrium temperature and pressure are higher in xenoliths with [010]-fiber fabric and decrease in those with orthorhombic and [100]-fiber type. Incoherence between olivine and pyroxene deformation fabric is mostly found in porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites. Seismic anisotropy, estimated from the crystal preferred orientations, also decreases (AVp=10.2–2.60%; AVs max=7.95–2.19%) in porphyroclastic and equigranular lherzolites. The olivine [010]-fiber fabric points to deformation by simple shear or transpression which is likely to have occured during the development of late-Hercynian strike-slip shear zones, and to subsequent annealing during late Hercynian decompression, Permian and Cretaceous rifting. Also, it cannot be excluded that the percolation of mafic magmas during these extensional events provoked the refertilization of the lithospheric mantle. However, no clear relationship has been observed between fabric strength and mineral mode and composition. Later transtensional deformation during late Alpine orogenesis, at higher stress and decreasing temperature and pressure, transformed the earlier fabric into orthorhombic and [100]-fiber type.Comparison of seismic anisotropy estimates with the available SKS-wave splitting data suggests that most of the measured seismic anisotropy would be explained by the lithospheric contribution, if the lithospheric mantle fabrics record mainly transpression and transtensional deformation.

The geometry, distribution and development of sand bodies in the Miocene-age Frimmersdorf Seam (Garzweiler open-cast mine), Lower Rhine Basin, Germany: implications for seam exploitation

AbstractThe Cenozoic-age Lower Rhine Basin is located in the NW part of the European Cenozoic Rift System. In Miocene times, a combination of warm climatic conditions and basin subsidence resulted in the deposition of up to 100m of lignite (i.e. Main Seam of the Ville Formation). The Main Seam can be subdivided into the Morken, Frimmersdorf and Garzweiler seams, separated by two intercalated transgressive sand units, namely the Frimmersdorf and Neurath sands, deposited in a shallow-marine, tide-dominated environment. The lignite seams of the Ville Formation are currently worked by RWE Power AG, in the Garzweiler II open-cast mine. In the Frimmersdorf Seam (between the Frimmersdorf Sand and the Neurath Sand), the presence of small-scale sand bodies, together with their variable dimensions, affects the industrial exploitation of the seam. Moreover, their irregular distribution complicates their precise and early recognition. Indeed, so-called barren lignite (≥ 17% of sand) and completely clean units can occur within a few metres of each other. Initial classification of these highly variable sand bodies suggests a variety of both pre- and post-depositional causal mechanisms, providing evidence of an extremely complex depositional and post-depositional system. Syn-depositional sand bodies were deposited in a swamp area that was located in the fluvial-dominated sub-environment of an extended tidal estuary. The post-depositional formation of sand bodies is related to the intrusion of fluidized sands from the underlying Frimmersdorf Sand. These sand injectites within the Frimmersdorf Seam are considered to be linked to seismic activity within the Lower Rhine Basin.

Cenozoic volcanism in the Bohemian Massif in the context of P‐ and S‐velocity high‐resolution teleseismic tomography of the upper mantle

AbstractNew high‐resolution tomographic models of P‐ and S‐wave isotropic‐velocity perturbations for the Bohemian upper mantle are estimated from carefully preprocessed travel‐time residuals of teleseismic P, PKP and S waves recorded during the BOHEMA passive seismic experiment. The new data resolve anomalies with scale lengths 30–50 km. The models address whether a small mantle plume in the western Bohemian Massif is responsible for this geodynamically active region in central Europe, as expressed in recurrent earthquake swarms. Velocity‐perturbations of the P‐ and S‐wave models show similar features, though their resolutions are different. No model resolves a narrow subvertical low‐velocity anomaly, which would validate the “baby‐plume” concept. The new tomographic inferences complement previous studies of the upper mantle beneath the Bohemian Massif, in a broader context of the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS) and of other Variscan Massifs in Europe. The low‐velocity perturbations beneath the Eger Rift, observed in about 200km‐broad zone, agree with shear‐velocity models from full‐waveform inversion, which also did not identify a mantle plume beneath the ECRIS. Boundaries between mantle domains of three tectonic units that comprise the region, determined from studies of seismic anisotropy, represent weak zones in the otherwise rigid continental mantle lithosphere. In the past, such zones could have channeled upwelling of hot mantle material, which on its way could have modified the mantle domain boundaries and locally thinned the lithosphere.

Extensional vs contractional Cenozoic deformation in Ibiza (Balearic Promontory, Spain): Integration in the West Mediterranean back-arc setting

Based on field work and seismic reflection data, we investigate the Cenozoic tectono-sedimentary evolution offshore and onshore Ibiza allowing the proposal of a new tectonic agenda for the region and its integration in the geodynamic history of the West Mediterranean. The late Oligocene–early Miocene rifting event, which characterizes the Valencia Trough and the Algerian Basin, located north and south of the study area respectively, is also present in Ibiza and particularly well-expressed in the northern part of the island. Among these two rifted basins initiated in the frame of the European Cenozoic Rift System, the Valencia Trough failed rapidly while the Algerian Basin evolved after as a back-arc basin related to the subduction of the Alpine–Maghrebian Tethys. The subsequent middle Miocene compressional deformation was localized by the previous extensional faults, which were either inverted or passively translated depending on their initial orientation. Despite the lateral continuity between the External Betics and the Balearic Promontory, it appears from restored maps that this tectonic event cannot be directly related to the Betic orogen, but results from compressive stresses transmitted through the Algerian Basin. A still active back-arc asthenospheric rise likely explains the stiff behavior of this basin, which has remained poorly deformed up to recent time. During the late Miocene a new extensional episode reworked the southern part of the Balearic Promontory. It is suggested that this extensional deformation developed in a trans-tensional context related to the westward translation of the Alboran Domain and the coeval right-lateral strike-slip movement along the Emile Baudot Escarpment bounding the Algerian Basin to the north.