Lithospheric Folding Research Articles

Does folding accommodate Europa's contractional strain? The effect of surface temperature on fold formation in ice lithospheres

On Europa, the mechanism by which contractional strains are accommodated remains a mystery. Subtle folds have been observed in the polar regions, but if folding is a dominant accommodation mechanism, ubiquitous large‐amplitude folds might be expected across Europa's surface. Here we use finite element modeling to show that fold growth rates are a strong function of surface temperature: warm temperatures result in lower rates, whereas cold temperatures result in higher rates. Combining diurnally averaged Europan surface temperatures derived from Galileo photopolarimeter‐radiometer data and new numerical simulations, we show that forming moderate‐amplitude folds requires roughly twice the contraction, or shortening, in Europa's equatorial latitudes relative to polar latitudes. Relatively large contractional strains in Europa's equatorial and midlatitudes can therefore be accommodated primarily through passive shortening without producing obvious folds. Lithospheric folding and/or passive shortening therefore remain plausible mechanisms for strain accommodation on Europa.

Basin evolution in a folding lithosphere: Altai–Sayan and Tien Shan belts in Central Asia

Central Asia is a classical example for continental lithospheric folding. In particular, the Altay–Sayan belt in South-Siberia and the Kyrgyz Tien Shan display a special mode of lithospheric deformation, involving decoupled lithospheric mantle folding and upper crustal folding and faulting. Both areas have a heterogenous crust with a long history of accretion–collision, subsequently reactivated as a far-field effect of the Indian–Eurasian collision. Thanks to the youthfulness of the tectonic deformation in this region (peak deformation in late Pliocene–early Pleistocene), the surface expression of lithospheric deformation is well documented by the surface topography and superficial tectonic structures. A review of the paleostress data and tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the Kurai-Chuya basin in Siberian Altai, Zaisan basin in Kazakh South Altai and Issyk-Kul basin in Kyrgyz Tien Shan suggests that they were initiated in an extensional context and inverted by a combination of fault-controlled deformation and flexural folding. In these basins, fault-controlled deformation alone appears largely insufficient to explain their architecture. Lithospheric buckling inducing surface tilting, uplift and subsidence also played an important role. They form typical basins in a folding lithosphere (FLB). Their characteristic basin fill and symmetry, inner structure, folding wavelength and amplitude, thermal regime, time frame are examined in relation to basement structure, stress field, strain rate, timing of deformation, and compared to existing modelling results.

Thermo-mechanical controls on intra-plate deformation and the role of plume-folding interactions in continental topography

Thermo-tectonic age and inherited structure exert the main controls on the bulk strength of the lithosphere in intraplate settings. Mechanical decoupling within the lithosphere strongly affects the interaction between deep Earth and surface processes. Thermo-mechanical models demonstrate the particular importance of the rheological stratification of the lithosphere in the preservation of ancient cratonic blocks, in the surface expression of plume- and mantle lithosphere interactions and their impact on the “dynamic” topography in general. The same is true for the effect of large-scale lithospheric folding on intraplate basin formation and associated differential vertical motions. Initiation of continental lithosphere subduction, crucial for linking orogenic deformation to intraplate deformation, appears to be facilitated by plume–lithosphere interactions. We present a discussion of these aspects, focusing on better process- understanding of continental deformation, in the context of a number of well-documented cases of intraplate deformation.

Interference of lithospheric folding in western Central Asia by simultaneous Indian and Arabian plate indentation

Abstract Large-scale intraplate deformation of the crust and the lithosphere in Central Asia as a result of the indentation of India has been extensively documented. In contrast, the impact of continental collision between Arabia and Eurasia on lithosphere tectonics in front of the main suture zone, has received much less attention. The resulting Neogene shortening and uplift of the external Zagros, Alborz, Kopeh Dagh and Caucasus Mountain belts in Iran and surrounding areas is characterised by a simultaneous onset of major topography growth at ca. 5 Ma. At the same time, subsidence accelerated in the adjacent Caspian, Turan and Amu Darya basins. We present evidence for interference of lithospheric folding patterns induced by the Arabian and Indian collision with Eurasia. Wavelengths and spatial patterns are inferred from satellite-derived topography and gravity models. The observed interference of the patterns of folding appears to be primarily the result of spatial orientation of the two indenters, differences in their convergence velocities and the thermo-mechanical structure of the lithosphere west and east of the Kugitang–Tunka Line.

Lithospheric‐folding‐based understanding on the origin of the back‐arc basaltic magmatism beneath Jeju volcanic island

Compression near collisional plate boundaries causes lithospheric folding which results in the decrease of the pressure beneath the ridge of the fold while the pressure beneath the trough increases. The decompression beneath the lithosphere is likely to bring on basaltic magmatism along and below the ridge. We investigate the subsurface structure beneath Jeju (Cheju) volcanic island and its vicinity, and propose an alternative hypothesis that the basaltic magma beneath the island could be caused by (episodic) lithospheric folding. Unlike the prevailing hypothesis of the intraplate basaltic magmatism that requires extending lithosphere, our hypothesis can explain how the basaltic magma could be generated at the back‐arc regions without the extension.

Late Palaeozoic to Cenozoic Evolution of the Black Sea-Southern Eastern Europe Region: A View from the Russian Platform

A synthesis of the Late Palaeozoic to Cenozoic evolution of the Black Sea region and the southern parts of the East European Platform (EEP) is presented. During Carboniferous to Early Permian times the Cordillera-type Euxinus Orogen evolved along the southern margin of the EEP in response to progressive closure of the Rheic and Palaeotethys oceans and the accretion of Gondwana-derived continental terranes. Permian development of the north-dipping Palaeotethys subduction system along the southern Pontides margin of these terranes was accompanied by important compressional intraplate deformation on the EEP. The Mesozoic to Palaeogene evolution of the southern parts of the EEP, was goverened by closure of Palaeotethys, accretion of the Gondwana-derived Cimmerian terrane and gradual closure of the Neotethys, involving repeated opening and closure of back-arc basins. Five discrete tectonic subduction-related cycles are recognized, each commencing with back-arc extension and terminated with back-arc compression. The timing of these cycles is: (1) latest Permian to Hettangian, (2) Sinemurian to early Callovian, (3) late Callovian to Berriasian, (4) Valanginian to Paleocene and (5) Eocene to Recent. The duration of the individual cycles was of the order of 30-50 My. During back-arc extension, rifted basins developed along the southern margin of the EEP whilst during back-arc compression compressional stresses were exerted on it, albeit at varying levels during the different tectonic cycles. On the EEP, Late Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic intraplate tectonics are expressed by such phenomena as rifting, extrusion of plateau basalts, inversion of pre-existing tensional basins, gentle lithospheric folding, regional uplift and subsidence.

Destruction of the North China Craton: Lithosphere folding-induced removal of lithospheric mantle?

High heat flow, high surface topography, and widespread volcanism indicate that the lithospheric mantle of typical cratonic character of the North China Craton has been seriously destroyed in its eastern half. However, the mechanism of this process remains open to intense debate. Here lithosphere folding-induced lithospheric mantle removal is proposed as a new mechanism for the destruction of the craton. Four main NNE–SSW-striking lithospheric-scale anticlines and synclines are recognized within North China east of the Helan fold-and-thrust belt. The lithosphere folding occurred possibly during the Late Triassic through Jurassic when the Yangzi Craton collided with the North China Craton. It was accompanied or followed by lithospheric dripping, and could have possibly induced the lithosphere foundering of the North China Craton. The lithosphere folding would have modified the lithosphere morphology, creating significant undulation in the lithospheric base and thus causing variations of the patterns of the small-scale convection. It also could have provoked the formation of new shear zones liable to impregnation of magma, producing linear incisions at the cratonic base and resulting in foundering of lithospheric mantle blocks. Furthermore, it generated thickening of the lithosphere or the lower crust and initiated the destabilization and subsequent removal of the lithospheric mantle.

Elevated, passive continental margins: Not rift shoulders, but expressions of episodic, post-rift burial and exhumation

Many studies of elevated, passive continental margins (EPCMs) assume that their characteristic, large-scale morphology with high-level plateaux and deeply incised valleys has persisted since rifting and crustal separation, and that the absence of post-rift sediments is evidence of non-deposition. The high mountains in West Greenland, however, expose evidence of km-scale, post-rift subsidence, and recent studies showed that typical EPCM morphology with elevated plateaux formed c. 50Myr after breakup through a process of uplift and dissection of a regional, post-rift erosion surface. Since the West Greenland margin shares all the morphological characteristics of EPCMs, the results from West Greenland lead us to question the common assumption that EPCMs have remained high since the onset of continental separation. We present published evidence of post-rift burial followed by uplift and exhumation from a number of EPCMs and their adjacent basins to support the notion that EPCMs are not permanent highs and that their morphology is unrelated to rifting and continental breakup. Geodynamic models that explain EPCMs as permanent highs since the time of rifting require either no lithospheric mantle extension below extending crust or effective elastic thicknesses >100km. Such models are, however, not consistent with the subsidence history inferred from actual rifts and their margins. Geodynamic models using low elastic thicknesses and a much more uniform distribution of strain within the lithosphere are more consistent with observations of early post-rift behaviour, but some additional process is needed to uplift the margins later. We suggest that EPCMs represent anticlinal, lithospheric folds formed under compression where an abrupt change in crustal or lithospheric thickness occurs between cratons and rift basins. We propose that EPCMs are expressions of episodes of post-rift burial followed by compression-induced uplift and exhumation; one episode of uplift results in erosion of the region to produce a low-relief surface near the level of the adjacent, opening ocean, and a second (or more) episode(s) raises the plateau to its present elevation, after which the plateau is dissected by fluvial and possibly glacial erosion.

Cenozoic deformation of Iberia: A model for intraplate mountain building and basin development based on analogue modeling

Inferences from analogue models support lithospheric folding as the primary response to large‐scale shortening manifested in the present day topography of Iberia. This process was active from the late Oligocene‐early Miocene during the Alpine orogeny and was probably enhanced by reactivation of inherited Variscan faults. The modeling results confirm the dependence of fold wavelength on convergence rate and hence the strength of the layers of the lithosphere such that fold wavelength is longest for fast convergence rates favoring whole lithosphere folding. Folding is associated with the formation of dominantly pop‐up type mountain ranges in the brittle crust and thickening of the ductile layers in the synforms of the buckle folds by flow. The mountain ranges are represented by upper crustal pop‐ups forming the main topographic relief. The wavelengths of the topographic uplifts, both, in model and nature suggest mechanical decoupling between crust and mantle. Moreover, our modeling results suggest that buckling in Iberia took place under rheological conditions where the lithospheric mantle is stronger than the lower crust. The presence of an indenter, inducing oblique shortening in response to the opening of the King's Trough in the north western corner of the Atlantic Iberian margin controls the spacing and obliquity of structures. This leads to the transfer of the deformation from the moving walls towards the inner part of the model, creating oblique structures in both brittle and ductile layers. The effect of the indenter, together with an increase on the convergence rate produced more complex brittle structures. These results show close similarities to observations on the general shape and distribution of mountain ranges and basins in Iberia, including the Spanish Central System and Toledo Mountains.

Lithospheric folding and sedimentary basin evolution: a review and analysis of formation mechanisms

Lithospheric folding is an important mode of basin formation in compressional intraplate settings. Basins formed by lithospheric folding are characterized by distinct features in subsidence history. A comparison with extensional basins, foreland basins, intracratonic basins and pull-apart basins provides criteria for the discrimination between these modes of basin formation. These findings are important in deciphering the feedbacks between tectonics and surface processes. In addition, inferences on accommodation space and thermal regime have important consequences for hydrocarbon maturity. Lithospheric folding is coupled to compressional reactivation of basins and faults, and therefore, strongly affects reservoir characteristics of sedimentary basins. © 2010 The Authors. Basin Research © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers and International Association of Sedimentologists.

Spectral analysis of the gravity and elevation along the western Africa–Eurasia plate tectonic limit: Continental versus oceanic lithospheric folding signals

Large-scale folding is a key mechanism of lithospheric deformation and has been described in many parts of the Earth, both for the continental and oceanic lithospheres. Some aspects of this process such as the presence of coupling/decoupling between the crustal deformation and the mantle lithosphere, or between different lithospheres, make it necessary to accurately control the periodic characteristics of the elevation and of the gravity signal. 1D spectral analysis of gravity and topography profiles is sensitive to a series of factors: the location, length and orientation of the profiles, as well as the number of samples taken. We carry out a systematic analysis of the periodicities in the topography and gravity, both 1D and 2D, along the western border of the Africa–Eurasia plate tectonic boundary. We analyze the sensitivity of the 1D and 2D spectral analysis in order to compare the results along a plate boundary where oceanic and continental lithospheres are in contact with different tectonic, kinematic and rheological aspects. Our 1D spectral results indicate that the greater the profile length, the longer the wavelength peaks that are found. Nevertheless there are some periodic signals that appear in almost all the analyzed profiles: 100–250 km for the N–S profiles across oceanic plate boundary and 150–250 km where the plate boundary is developed over continental lithospheres. The 2D spectral analysis avoids the problems found in relation to the particular location of the profile but the resulting wavelengths are slightly higher than those obtained from the 1D spectral analysis. The wavelengths estimated for both oceanic and continental lithospheres at the Africa–Eurasia boundary (> 250 km) show low values of mean mantle strength (< 10 13 Pa m). The presence of lithospheric folds means that the continental and oceanic lithospheres are mechanically coupled. This had previously been suggested for Iberia but not for the limit between S Iberia and the Terceira Triple Junction. The orientation of the lithospheric folds is NW–SE at the contact between continental lithospheres and NNE–SSW at the contact between oceanic lithospheres. This difference is also reflected in the signal anisotropy and must be related to the rotation of the tectonic stresses in the same direction. A large periodic signal (wavelength > 600 km) was also detected both in 1D and 2D spectral results. After drawing the filtered values, the resulting maps indicate that this signal is related to the transition between continental and oceanic lithospheres and to the significant changes in crustal and/or lithospheric thickness from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the continental margins of western Eurasia.

Crustal Configuration of the Northwest Himalaya Based on Modeling of Gravity Data

The gravity response and crustal shortening in the Himalayan belt are modeled in detail for the first time in the NW Himalaya. The Bouguer gravity anomaly along a ~450-km-long (projected) transect from the Sub-Himalaya in the south to the Karakoram fault in the north across the Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone is modeled using spectral analysis, wavelet transform and forward modeling. The spectral analysis suggests three-layer interfaces in the lithosphere at 68-, 34- and 11-km depths corresponding to the Moho, the Conrad discontinuity and the Himalayan decollement thrust, respectively. The coherence, admittance and cross spectra suggest crustal shortening because of convergence compensated by lithospheric folding at 536- and 178-km wavelength at the Moho and the upper-crustal level. An average effective elastic thickness of around 31 km is calculated using the coherence method. The gravity data are modeled to demarcate intracrustal to subcrustal regional thrust/fault zones. The geometrical constraints of these faults are obtained in the space scale domain using the wavelet transform, showing good correlation with the major tectonic boundaries. The crustal configuration along the transect shows how the Moho depth increases from 45 to 80 km towards the north with the locus of flexure of the Indian crust beneath the Higher Himalayan zone. The combination of forward modeling and wavelet analysis gives insight into the subsurface extent and geometry of regional structures across the NW Himalaya.

Mechanics of basin inversion: Finite element modelling of the Pannonian Basin System

This finite element modelling study addresses the contraction of rheologically layered and laterally heterogeneous lithosphere representative for the Pannonian Basin and its surroundings. The time interval and strain rate adopted in the experiments reflect the Pliocene–Quaternary inversion of the basin. Several sets of fully coupled elastoviscoplastic thermo-mechanical, plane strain 2D models explore the evolution of buckling, and stress/strain changes across the lithosphere. The viscous rheology of the asthenosphere allows for a detailed simulation of isostatic rebound during deformation. The numerical models predict the successive development of surface undulations, caused by crustal and/or lithosphere folding, at three different characteristic wavelengths. Among these, the longest wavelength folds occur systematically at the rim of the basin as marginal bulges, while the short wavelength folds overprint the earlier folds and are observed at a later stage during compression. The thermo-mechanical evolution of the lithosphere in response to progressive horizontal contraction is described in terms of a characteristic delay of the changes in the stress regime and a reduction of elastic strain in the strong crustal layers. The models predict a change in stress state along the flanks of the basin, caused by the development of weak basin lithosphere in their vicinity. Comparing the modelling results with tectonic features of the Pannonian Basin has resulted in the identification of three different stages in the Pliocene–Quaternary basin inversion of the Pannonian–Carpathian system.

Modelling recent deformation of the Pannonian lithosphere: Lithospheric folding and tectonic topography

We investigated the role of lithospheric folding in the Quaternary inversion of the Pannonian basin by a series of analogue models. To this aim, build-up of stresses due to intraplate compression in the hot and weak Pannonian lithosphere, changes in the style of deformation and related surface processes were modelled. The primary response of the lithosphere to compression appears to be deformation in the form of large-scale folding. As a consequence of the folding, differential crustal motions occur, affecting present-day surface morphology and landscape processes. The analogue experiments examined folding mechanisms of the hot Pannonian lithosphere characterised by extremely low strengths except for a thin layer of brittle upper crust. Modelling results confirmed the existence of a large wavelength (∼ 350–400 km) component of deformation accounting for large-scale vertical crustal motions. The amplitude of folding is sufficient to generate the amount of observed uplift and subsidence. Our analogue models, supported by the results of stress analyses, suggest that despite the low rate of convergence between the Adriatic microplate (“Adria-push”) and the European plate, the weak Pannonian lithosphere has been an efficient transmitter of compression during the basin inversion. Crustal thickness variations are of key importance in governing regional deformation pattern and influence the timing and extent of the basin inversion. Effects of alternating strong and weak units in the brittle crust were also examined by means of two series of conceptual models, in which the order of thin and thick crustal blocks was opposite. Strain localisation in the brittle crust was strongly controlled by the moderate initial thickness variations. The concept gives a plausible explanation for the presence of anomalous rates of uplift and subsidence and multi-wavelength folding inside the basin. Models taking into account horizontal movements due to lateral extrusion were constructed with an oblique face of the indenter. This kinematic boundary condition resulted in a complex internal structure of the folded layers. The presented analogue experiments, together with previous numerical modelling studies, demonstrate the link between large-scale lithospheric folding and topography evolution in the Pannonian basin system.

Controls of mantle plumes and lithospheric folding on modes of intraplate continental tectonics: differences and similarities

SUMMARY Mantle plume activity and lithospheric folding by far-field stresses exerted from plate boundaries are two important end-members as mechanisms for continental intraplate deformation. The topographic expression of mantle plume impingement on continental lithosphere and lithospheric folding has some striking similarities. Observations from a number of areas in Europe’s intraplate lithosphere demonstrate that these mechanisms commonly interact in space and time. We present the results of thermomechanical modelling addressing the role of factors such as the presence of a hot upper mantle, the spatial dimensions of the plume and the time constants involved in the temporal succession of plume activity and lithospheric folding by stress accumulation in intraplate continental lithosphere. The results demonstrate that both the processes, plume–lithosphere interactions and folding may interact resulting either in strong amplification, attenuation or modification of their surface expression. These inferences are compatible with a number of key observations on the nature and the temporal succession of topography evolution in the Alpine foreland, the Pannonian Basin, the Scandinavian continental margin and the Iberian Peninsula.

Shape and amount of the Quaternary uplift of the western Rhenish shield and the Ardennes (western Europe)

A good evaluation of the Quaternary uplift of the Rhenish shield is a key element for the understanding of the Cenozoic geodynamics of the western European platform in front of the alpine arc. Previous maps of the massif uplift relied on fluvial incision data since the time of the rivers' Younger Main Terrace to infer a maximum post-0.73 Ma uplift of ~ 290 m in the SE Eifel. Here, we propose a new interpretation of the incision data of the intra-massif streams, where anomalies in the terrace profiles would result from knickpoint retreat in the tributaries of the main rivers rather than from tectonic deformation. We also use additional geomorphological data referring to (1) deformed Tertiary planation surfaces, (2) the history of stream piracy that severely affected the Meuse basin in the last 1 Ma, and (3) incision data outside the Rhenish shield. A new map of the post-0.73 Ma uplift of the Rhenish shield is drawn on the basis of this enlarged dataset. It reduces the maximum amount of tectonic uplift in the SE Eifel to ~ 140 m and modifies the general shape of the uplift, namely straightening its E–W profile. It is also suggested that an uplift wave migrated across the massif, starting from its southern margin in the early Pleistocene and currently showing the highest intensity of uplift in the northern Ardennes and Eifel. These features seem to favour an uplift mechanism chiefly related to lithospheric folding and minimize the impact on the topography of a more local Eifel plume.

Evolution of basin architecture in an incipient continental rift: the Cenozoic Most Basin, Eger Graben (Central Europe)

ABSTRACTThe Oligo‐Miocene Most Basin is the largest preserved sedimentary basin within the Eger Graben, the easternmost part of the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS). The basin is interpreted as a part of an incipient rift system that underwent two distinct phases of extension. The first phase, characterised by NNE–SSW‐ to N–S‐oriented horizontal extension between the end of Eocene and early Miocene, was oblique to the rift axis and caused evolution of a fault system characterised by en‐échelon‐arranged E–W (ENE–WSW) faults. These faults defined a number of small, shallow initial depocentres of very small subsidence rates that gradually merged during the growth and linkage of the normal fault segments. The youngest part of the basin fill indicates accelerated subsidence caused probably by the concentration of displacement at several major bounding faults. Major post‐depositional faulting and forced folding were related to a change in the extension vector to an orthogonal position with respect to the rift axis and overprinting of the E–W faults by an NE–SW normal fault system. The origin of the palaeostress field of the earlier, oblique, extensional phase remains controversial and can be attributed either to the effects of the Alpine lithospheric root or (perhaps more likely because of the dominant volcanism at the onset of Eger Graben formation) to doming due to thermal perturbation of the lithosphere. The later, orthogonal, extensional phase is explained by stretching along the crest of a growing regional‐scale anticlinal feature, which supports the recent hypothesis of lithospheric folding in the Alpine–Carpathian foreland.

Controls of mantle plumes and lithospheric folding on modes of intraplate continental tectonics : difference and similarities

Controls of mantle plumes and lithospheric folding on modes of intraplate continental tectonics : difference and similarities

Post-rift compressional reactivation potential of passive margins and extensional basins

Abstract Poly-phase deformation of a compressional nature is a common feature in the post-rift evolution of passive margins and rifts. The compressional mode of deformation in these sedimentary basins, originally formed by extension in an intraplate setting, is characterized by a spectrum of spatial wavelengths spanning several tens of kilometres up to several hundreds of kilometres. The actual mode of compressional deformation appears to be strongly affected by the rheological structure of the underlying lithosphere, the level of the regional intraplate stress field, and the geometry of the rifted basin configuration prior to late-stage compressional reactivation. The interplay of plumes and intraplate compressional deformation can lead to temporal transitions from basin inversion to lithospheric folding. These modes of deformation lead to substantial differential vertical motions, late-stage anomalies in subsidence and uplift patterns. The development of innovative combinations of numerical and analogue modelling techniques is the key to differentiating different modes of compressional deformation of passive margins and extensional basins.

Separation of rifting and lithospheric folding signatures in the NW-Alpine foreland

The development of the Alpine mountain belt has been governed by the convergence of the African and European plates since the Late Cretaceous. During the Cenozoic, this orogeny was accompanied with two major kinds of intraplate deformation in the NW-European foreland: (1) the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS), a left-lateral transtensional wrench zone striking NNE-SSW between the western Mediterranean Sea and the Bohemian Massif; (2) long-wavelength lithospheric folds striking NE and located between the Alpine front and the North Sea. The present-day geometry of the European crust comprises the signatures of these two events superimposed on all preceding ones. In order to better define the processes and causes of each event, we identify and separate their respective geometrical signatures on depth maps of the pre-Mesozoic basement and of the Moho. We derive the respective timing of rifting and folding from sedimentary accumulation curves computed for selected locations of the Upper Rhine Graben. From this geometrical and chronological separation, we infer that the ECRIS developed mostly from 37 to 17 Ma, in response to north-directed impingement of Adria into the European plate. Lithospheric folds developed between 17 and 0 Ma, after the azimuth of relative displacement between Adria and Europe turned counter-clockwise to NW–SE. The geometry of these folds (wavelength = 270 km; amplitude = 1,500 m) is consistent with the geometry, as predicted by analogue and numerical models, of buckle folds produced by horizontal shortening of the whole lithosphere. The development of the folds resulted in ca. 1,000 m of rock uplift along the hinge lines of the anticlines (Burgundy–Swabian Jura and Normandy–Vogelsberg) and ca. 500 m of rock subsidence along the hinge line of the intervening syncline (Sologne–Franconian Basin). The grabens of the ECRIS were tilted by the development of the folds, and their rift-related sedimentary infill was reduced on anticlines, while sedimentary accumulation was enhanced in synclines. We interpret the occurrence of Miocene volcanic activity and of topographic highs, and the basement and Moho configurations in the Vosges–Black Forest area and in the Rhenish Massif as interference patterns between linear lithospheric anticlines and linear grabens, rather than as signatures of asthenospheric plumes.