Morphostructural evolution of the Luberon since the Miocene (SE France)

Clauzon, Georges; Fleury, Thomas-Jules; Bellier, Olivier; Molliex, Stéphane; Mocochain, Ludovic; Aguilar, Jean-Pierre

doi:10.2113/gssgfbull.182.2.95

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In contrast, high percentages of Abies pollen grains (∼31%) in the middle Tortonian (∼9 Ma) Vaugines site, at the base of the Luberon Massif, show that high topography existed in the source area of this site, which is situated within a syncline filled by Miocene sediments derived from erosion of the Luberon anticline crest . Thus, our data is consistent with structural and topographic development of the Luberon Massif by south-directed thrusting during the time interval 10-6 Ma, as suggested by Clauzon et al (2011). The site of Vaugines is today at 430 m elevation, whereas during the middle Tortonian it was near sea level (Table 2).…”

Section: Evolution Of the Western Flanksupporting

confidence: 90%

Quantifying the Eocene to Pleistocene topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps, France and Italy

Fauquette

Bernet

Suc

et al. 2015

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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We evaluate the topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps using Eocene to Pleistocene pollen data combined with existing sedimentological, petrographic and detrital geo-and thermochronological data. We report 32 new pollen analyses from 10 sites completed by an existing dataset of 83 samples from 14 localities situated across the southwestern Alps, including both the pro-and the retro-foreland basins. The presence of microthermic tree pollen (mainly Abies, Picea) indicates that this part of the mountain belt attained elevations over 1900 m as early as the Oligocene. Inferred rapid surface uplift during the mid-Oligocene coincided with a previously documented brief phase of rapid erosional exhumation, when maximum erosion rates may have reached values of up to 1.5-2 km/Myr. Slower long-term average exhumation rates of ∼0.3 km/Myr since the Late Oligocene helped maintaining the high Alpine topography of the southwestern Alps until today. The relative abundances of meso-microthermic tree pollen (Cathaya, Cedrus and Tsuga) and microthermic tree pollen (Abies, Picea) in the pro-and retroforeland basin deposits, indicate that the present-day asymmetric topography, with a relatively gentle western flank and steeper eastern flank, was established early in the southwestern Alps, at least since ✩ Author contributions: All co-authors participated in writing the paper, in which S. Fauquette, J.-P. Suc, M. Bernet, S. Guillot and P. van der Beek took the lead. S. Fauquette performed the climatic and paleoelevation quantification based on pollen data; J.-S. Suc performed pollen counting on mosses and sediments and participated in field campaigns; A.S. Grosjean participated in field campaigns and worked on sediment provenance data; M. Bernet, S. Guillot, P. van der Beek, S. Jourdan, B. Pittet, P. Tricart, S. Schwartz participated in field campaigns; S.-M. Popescu performed pollen counting on mosses and participated in field campaigns; G. Jiménez-Moreno, A. Bertini and E. Roche performed pollen counting on sediments; Z. Zheng worked on the distribution of the taxon Cathaya and its ecological preferences; G. Pavia participated in field campaigns and sampling of mosses for modern pollen data; V. Gardien participated in sampling of mosses for modern pollen data.S. Fauquette et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 412 (2015) 220-234 221 the Early Miocene, and possibly since the Oligocene or Late Eocene. Therefore, the high topography and asymmetric morphology of this part of the Alps has been maintained throughout the past ∼30 Ma.

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Section: Evolution Of the Western Flanksupporting

confidence: 90%

Quantifying the Eocene to Pleistocene topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps, France and Italy

Fauquette

Bernet

Suc

et al. 2015

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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“…Several studies have attributed the fold setting to the Late Cretaceous [ Corroy et al ., ; Leleu , ], and the north‐verging thrust to the Eocene [ Bertrand , ; Haug , ; Guieu , ; Tempier , ]. Some studies have indicated south‐verging thrust reactivation (i.e., Luberon, Costes, and Eguilles) that was related to the Alpine deformation spread [ Clauzon , ; Villegier and Andrieux , ; Blès and Gros , ; Clauzon et al ., ; Molliex et al ., ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three-dimensional structural modeling of an active fault zone based on complex outcrop and subsurface data: The Middle Durance Fault Zone inherited from polyphase Meso-Cenozoic tectonics (southeastern France)

et al. 2015

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The objective of this study was to realize a three-dimensional (3-D) geological model of the deep basin structure of the Middle Durance region (of folds and faults) by integration of geological and geophysical data, and to evaluate its fault geometry and tectonic history. All of the available geophysical and geological data were compiled in three dimensions using the gOcad geomodeler. The geological and geophysical data were used to build a 3-D geological model of the Middle Durance region. The data on the 3-D geometry of fault surfaces and stratigraphic horizons and the thickness maps of the main stratigraphic units are supported by the 3-D geological model. We show that the Middle Durance Fault cannot be interpreted as a single fault plane that affected the entire Meso-Cenozoic sedimentary layers and the Paleozoic basement but as a listric segmented faulting system in sedimentary layers, rooted in Triassic evaporites and a normal block faulting system in the basement. This decoupling level in the Triassic layers reveals thin-skin deformation, formed by strong mechanical decoupling between the Mesozoic sedimentary cover and the Paleozoic basement. This study also confirms that the Provence geological structure has resulted mainly from Pyrenean deformation, which was partly reactivated by Alpine deformation. We demonstrate that the Middle Durance Fault Zone is a transfer fault that accommodates deformation of the sedimentary filling of the South-East Basin through modified fold geometry over a zone of 7 km to 8 km around the main segment of the fault zone.

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“…The square indicates the location of the Petit Luberon. (b) Geological section S1 through the Grand Luberon mountain (modified from Clauzon et al., )…”

Section: Geological and Geomorphological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Luberon range, Clauzon et al. () recognised the imprint of two Miocene tectonic phases. In the early Miocene, a first phase induced additional shortening across the Eocene anticline of the Petit Luberon (Langhien, c .…”

Section: Geological and Geomorphological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological controls on the dynamics of carbonate landscapes under a mediterranean climate

et al. 2017

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Morphostructural evolution of the Luberon since the Miocene (SE France)

Abstract: International audienc

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

Quantifying the Eocene to Pleistocene topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps, France and Italy

Quantifying the Eocene to Pleistocene topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps, France and Italy

Three-dimensional structural modeling of an active fault zone based on complex outcrop and subsurface data: The Middle Durance Fault Zone inherited from polyphase Meso-Cenozoic tectonics (southeastern France)

Morphological controls on the dynamics of carbonate landscapes under a mediterranean climate

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