Active Tectonics of the Pyrenees: A review

Lacan, Pierre; Ortuño, María

doi:10.5209/rev_jige.2012.v38.n1.39203

Cited by 64 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 82 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Extension events are also recorded during the Holocene; nevertheless, the youngest erosion surface of late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene age observed in our study area shows no tectonic-related deformation and reworking, suggesting that tectonic activity is reduced here (Gutiérrez-Elorza and Gracia, 1997). This is also consistent with the relative scarcity of seismic activity observed in our study area, compared, for instance, to the Pyrenees, or to the Betics (Herraiz et al, 2000;Lacan and Ortuño, 2012). We consequently propose that local tectonic activity is not the main driver of the capture histories documented here, as most capture events postdate the cessation of tectonic activity and occur during periods of quiescence (Gutiérrez-Santolalla et al, 1996).…”

Section: Long-term Trend Of Divide Migrationsupporting

confidence: 90%

Drainage reorganization and divide migration induced by the excavation of the Ebro basin (NE Spain)

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Intracontinental endorheic basins are key elements of source-to-sink systems as they preserve sediments eroded from the surrounding catchments. Drainage reorganization in such a basin in response to changing boundary conditions has strong implications on the sediment routing system and on landscape evolution. The Ebro and Duero basins represent two foreland basins, which developed in response to the growth of surrounding compressional orogens, the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian mountains to the north, the Iberian Ranges to the south, and the Catalan Coastal Range to the east. They were once connected as endorheic basins in the early Oligocene. By the end of the Miocene, new post-orogenic conditions led to the current setting in which the Ebro and Duero basins are flowing in opposite directions, towards the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Although these two hydrographic basins recorded a similar history, they are characterized by very different morphologic features. The Ebro basin is highly excavated, whereas relicts of the endorheic stage are very well preserved in the Duero basin. The contrasting morphological preservation of the endorheic stage represents an ideal natural laboratory to study the drivers (internal and/or external) of post-orogenic drainage divide mobility, drainage network, and landscape evolution. To that aim, we use field and map observations and we apply the χ analysis of river profiles along the divide between the Ebro and Duero drainage basins. We show here that the contrasting excavation of the Ebro and Duero basins drives a reorganization of their drainage network through a series of captures, which resulted in the southwestward migration of their main drainage divide. Fluvial captures have a strong impact on drainage areas, fluxes, and their respective incision capacity. We conclude that drainage reorganization driven by the capture of the Duero basin rivers by the Ebro drainage system explains the first-order preservation of endorheic stage remnants in the Duero basin, due to drainage area loss, independently from tectonics and climate.

show abstract

Section: Long-term Trend Of Divide Migrationsupporting

confidence: 90%

Drainage reorganization and divide migration induced by the excavation of the Ebro basin (NE Spain)

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In this domain, active tectonics in the Western Alps and Pyrenees mountains are revealed by a moderate level of seismic activity, geological evidences for Quaternary deformation, and sparse geomorphological observations of recent deformation (e.g., Alasset and Meghraoui, 2005;Chardon et al, 2005;Chevrot et al, 2011;Lacan and Ortuño, 2012;Larroque et al, 2009). Global Positioning System (GPS) data show that central Europe east of the Rhine Graben and north of the Alps behaves rigidly at ∼ 0.4 mm yr −1 and defines a stable European reference frame (e.g., Altamimi et al, 2011;Nocquet and Calais, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3-D GPS velocity field and its implications on the present-day post-orogenic deformation of the Western Alps and Pyrenees

Nguyen¹,

Vernant²,

Mazzotti³

et al. 2016

Solid Earth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. We present a new 3-D GPS velocity solution for 182 sites for the region encompassing the Western Alps, Pyrenees, and southern France. The velocity field is based on a Precise Point Positioning (PPP) solution, to which we apply a common-mode filter, defined by the 26 longest time series, in order to correct for network-wide biases (reference frame, unmodeled large-scale processes, etc.). We show that processing parameters, such as troposphere delay modeling, can lead to systematic velocity variations of 0.1-0.5 mm yr −1 affecting both accuracy and precision, especially for short (< 5 years) time series. A velocity convergence analysis shows that minimum time-series lengths of ∼ 3 and ∼ 5.5 years are required to reach a velocity stability of 0.5 mm yr −1 in the horizontal and vertical components, respectively. On average, horizontal residual velocities show a stability of ∼ 0.2 mm yr −1 in the Western Alps, Pyrenees, and southern France. The only significant horizontal strain rate signal is in the western Pyrenees with up to 4 × 10 −9 yr −1 NNE-SSW extension, whereas no significant strain rates are detected in the Western Alps (< 1 × 10 −9 yr −1 ). In contrast, we identify significant uplift rates up to 2 mm yr −1 in the Western Alps but not in the Pyrenees (0.1 ± 0.2 mm yr −1 ). A correlation between site elevations and fast uplift rates in the northern part of the Western Alps, in the region of the Würmian ice cap, suggests that part of this uplift is induced by postglacial rebound. The very slow uplift rates in the southern Western Alps and in the Pyrenees could be accounted for by erosion-induced rebound.

show abstract

“…Various existing structures were reactivated as normal faults in present-day stress conditions (Lacan & Ortuño, 2012;Ortuño et al, 2008), and available earthquake moment tensor mechanisms show a clear predominance of normal faulting, with strike parallel to the chain (Braunmiller et al, 2002;Chevrot et al, 2011;Dziewonski et al, 1981;Martín et al, 2015;Stich et al, 2006Stich et al, , 2010Figure 1). Postorogenic collapse of a mountain range is predicted when vertical gravitational forces from topography and crustal root are no longer compensated by active tectonic shortening (Molnar & Lyon-Caen, 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Normal Faulting in the 1923 Berdún Earthquake and Postorogenic Extension in the Pyrenees

Stich

Martín

Batlló

et al. 2018

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The 10 July 1923 earthquake near Berdún (Spain) is the largest instrumentally recorded event in the Pyrenees. We recover old analog seismograms and use 20 hand‐digitized waveforms for regional moment tensor inversion. We estimate moment magnitude Mw 5.4, centroid depth of 8 km, and a pure normal faulting source with strike parallel to the mountain chain (N292°E), dip of 66° and rake of −88°. The new mechanism fits into the general predominance of normal faulting in the Pyrenees and extension inferred from Global Positioning System data. The unique location of the 1923 earthquake, near the south Pyrenean thrust front, shows that the extensional regime is not confined to the axial zone where high topography and the crustal root are located. Together with seismicity near the northern mountain front, this indicates that gravitational potential energy in the western Pyrenees is not extracted locally but induces a wide distribution of postorogenic deformation.

show abstract

Active Tectonics of the Pyrenees: A review

Cited by 64 publications

References 82 publications

Drainage reorganization and divide migration induced by the excavation of the Ebro basin (NE Spain)

Drainage reorganization and divide migration induced by the excavation of the Ebro basin (NE Spain)

3-D GPS velocity field and its implications on the present-day post-orogenic deformation of the Western Alps and Pyrenees

Normal Faulting in the 1923 Berdún Earthquake and Postorogenic Extension in the Pyrenees

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About