A mountain front model for the Variscan deformation of the South Wales coalfield

Jones, Julie A.

doi:10.1144/gsjgs.148.5.0881

Cited by 35 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…They represent the southern part of the North Variscan foreland (the North Variscan Foredeep) located along the active northern margin of the Armorican plate assemblage. 5;Jones, 1989Jones, , 1991Hartley & Warr, 1990;Hartley, 1993a,b). The paralic and continental parts of the basin fill consist of coal-bearing strata.…”

Section: B Foreland Basinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative analysis of some Late Carboniferous basins of Variscan Europe

Opluštil

Cleal

2007

Geol. Mag.

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Vegetation diversity and pattern changes, and their relation to tectono-sedimentary histories are compared between selected Euramerican Late Palaeozoic coalfields, to understand better the controls on the dynamics of the Pennsylvanian terrestrial ecosystems and to demonstrate the problems with comparing data from various basins. The analysis is based on data from the following basins of different geotectonic and palaeogeographical positions: the cratonic Pennines Basin, the foreland South Wales and Upper Silesia basins, and the fault-related Intra Sudetic and Central and Western Bohemia basins. The analysis indicates that complex factors are responsible for changes in plant diversity and vegetation patterns. These are related to climate, tectonics, preservation potential, sampling biases and the current state of revision of the flora in each basin. Plant diversity patterns in the basins differ because of local controls and/or the character and detail of the available data. Maximum diversity varies among the basins within the Langsettian and Duckmantian substages. Two apparent step-like drops in diversity were detected within coal-bearing strata of most basins: at the Duckmantian/Bolsovian boundary and at the Bolsovian/Asturian boundary. Further and more prominent falls are related to transitions from coal-bearing to non-coal-bearing (mostly red bed) strata or vice versa during Stephanian times. Interpretation of climatic signals recorded in the sedimentary successions indicates that Westphalian and middle Stephanian times were wet intervals, whereas early and late Stephanian times were drier.

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Section: B Foreland Basinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative analysis of some Late Carboniferous basins of Variscan Europe

Opluštil

Cleal

2007

Geol. Mag.

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“…However, South Wales thrusts are commonly concentrated in the more argillaceous parts of the succession (Frodsham & Gayer, 1997), that is, below the main mined horizons in Kent. The regional setting of the Kent Coalfield, and similarities with South Wales, suggest that the Variscan mountain front model of Jones (1991) may be applicable to Kent.…”

Section: The Regional Setting: Comparisons With South Walesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variscan structures in the Kent Coalfield, southeast England, and their regional significance

1997

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The Upper Carboniferous Kent Coalfield lies concealed beneath various Mesozoic formations, its southern areas lying about 20 km north of the commonly accepted position of the main Variscan Deformation Front. However, despite intense intra-coal deformation, the existing literature is ambivalent about compressional Variscan features in Kent, the general view being that coal deformation is largely the product of the depositional environment. The main deformation is interpreted here as the result of Variscan compression, the structural style being imposed by the sandstone-dominated lithology. This conclusion is necessitated by the regularity of deformational structures revealed by mine workings, and supported by coal sequence irregularities suggestive of thrusting, especially in the lower Westphalian strata, all of which is paralleled in parts of the South Wales Coalfield. The Kent data indicate that, as in South Wales, a zone of thrusting many tens of kilometres wide lies in advance of the main deformation front. Structural trends are consistent with an overall swing in the front from east–west across much of central-southern England, to more northwest–southeast across northeastern France. This swing may represent a transpressional transfer zone, within which stress deflection and block rotation produced thrust vergence oblique to the overall direction of maximum compression.

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“…In the eastern parts of the foreland basin (north and east of locality 12, Fig. 3b) NE-SW trending fold axes and NW-SE striking crossfaults (dextral strike-slip faults), interpreted as lateral thrust ramps by Jones (1991), are oriented perpendicular and parallel respectively to the regional Variscan convergence vector (Fig. 3a) and suggest no rotation in this area.…”

Section: Palaeostress and Strain Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Transpressionally driven rotation in the external orogenic zones of the Western Carpathians and the SW British Variscides

Gayer

Hathaway

Němčok

1998

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Analysis of two examples Of obliquely convergent external orogenic zones, the western part of the Western Carpathians and the northern Variscan margin in southwest Britain, indicates the operation of two dominant stress rotation mechanisms in the transpressionally deformed thrust wedge: (1) the rotation of an inferred stress field; (2) the rotation of a deforming body within a constant stress field. In the thinnest, external parts of the thrust wedge, % stress trajectory rotations of up to 90 ~ occur with deformation having a relatively small component of pure shear. Towards the hinterland, ~r 1 stress trajectories in thicker parts of the wedge are progressively less rotated but develop a larger component of pure shear. Resultant cr 1 trajectories are curvilinear, lying parallel to the orogenic convergence vector in the hinterland but diverging progressively from this direction towards the foreland, where they lie at high angles to the external margin in frontal parts of the thrust wedge. It is argued that balanced cross-sections should be constructed parallel to the curved trace of the ~1 stress trajectories.

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A mountain front model for the Variscan deformation of the South Wales coalfield

Cited by 35 publications

References 16 publications

A comparative analysis of some Late Carboniferous basins of Variscan Europe

A comparative analysis of some Late Carboniferous basins of Variscan Europe

Variscan structures in the Kent Coalfield, southeast England, and their regional significance

Transpressionally driven rotation in the external orogenic zones of the Western Carpathians and the SW British Variscides

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