Multiphased tectonic evolution of the Central Algerian margin from combined wide‐angle and reflection seismic data off Tipaza, Algeria

Leprêtre, Angélique; Klingelhoëfer, Frauke; Graindorge, David; Schnürle, Philippe; Beslier, Marie‐Odile; Yelles, K.; Déverchère, Jacques; Bracène, Rabah

doi:10.1002/jgrb.50318

Cited by 69 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…It was firstly recognized on Kabylie basement through the deposition of the syn-rift "Oligo-Miocene Kabyle" dated from Late Oligocene to Burdigalian (Aïte and Gélard, 1997;Géry et al, 1981). These ages of rifting agree with seismic interpretations by Leprêtre et al (2013) and Arab et al (2016) for areas along the Algerian margin where tilted blocks are preserved. Recent seismic studies in the West Alboran Basin have also evidenced this large-scale extensional event.…”

Section: Extensional Deformation In Alkapeca Far Effects In the Foresupporting

confidence: 86%

“…12-14). After the counter-clockwise rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia that opened the LiguroProvençal Basin, the Algerian Basin resulted from the dislocation of the Alboran-Kabylie following N-S to NW-SE trends (Arab et al, 2016;Booth-Rea et al, 2007;Leprêtre et al, 2013;Mauffret et al, 2004 and references therein).…”

Section: Extensional Deformation In Alkapeca Far Effects In the Forementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Tell-Rif orogenic system (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the structural heritage of the southern Tethys margin

Leprêtre

Lamotte

Combier

et al. 2018

BSGF - Earth Sci. Bull.

101

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-The Tell-Rif (Tell in Algeria and Tunisia; Rif in Morocco) is the orogenic system fringing to the south the West Mediterranean basins. This system comprises three major tectonic-palaeogeographic zones from north to south: (1) the internal zones (AlKaPeCa for Alboran, Kabylies, Peloritan, Calabria) originating from the former northern European margin of the Maghrebian Tethys, (2) the "Flyschs zone" regarded as the former cover of the oceanic domain and (3) the external zones, forming the former southern Maghrebian Tethys margin more or less inverted. The Tell-Rif is interpreted as the direct result of the progressive closure of the Maghrebian Tethys until the collision between AlKaPeCa and Africa and, subsequently, the propagation of the deformation within Africa. This gives a consistent explanation for the offshore Neogene geodynamics and most authors share this simple scenario. Nevertheless, the current geodynamic models do not completely integrate the Tell-Rif geology. Based on the analysis of surface and sub-surface data, we propose a reappraisal of its present-day geometry in terms of geodynamic evolution. We highlight its non-cylindrical nature resulting from both the Mesozoic inheritance and the conditions of the tectonic inversion. During the Early Jurassic, we emphasize the development of NE-SW basins preceding the establishment of an E-W transform corridor connecting the Central Atlantic Ocean with the Ligurian Tethys. The Maghrebian Tethys developed just after, as the result of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous left-lateral spreading between Africa and Iberia. By the Late Cretaceous, the occurrence of several tectonic events is related to the progressive convergence convergence between the two continents. A major pre-Oligocene (pre-35 Ma) compressional event is recorded in the Tell-Rif system. The existence of HP-LT metamorphic rocks associated with fragments of mantle in the External Metamorphic Massifs of the Eastern Rif and Western Tell shows that, at that time, the western part of the North-African margin was involved in a subduction below a deep basin belonging to the Maghrebian Tethys. At the same time, the closure of the West Ligurian Tethys through east-verging subduction led to a shift of the subduction, which jumped to the other side of AlKaPeCa involving both East Ligurian and Maghrebian Tethys. Slab rollback led to the development of the Oligo-Miocene back-arc basins of the West-Mediterranean, reworking the previous West Ligurian Tethys suture. The docking of AlKaPeCa against Africa occurred during the Late Burdigalian (17 Ma). Subsequently, the slab tearing triggered westward and eastward lateral movements that are responsible for the formation of the Gibraltar and Tyrrhenian Arcs respectively. The exhumation of the External Metamorphic Massifs occurred through tectonic underplating during the westward translation of the Alboran Domain. It resulted in the formation of both foredeep and wedge-top basins younger and younger westward. The lack of these elements in the eastern part ...

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Section: Extensional Deformation In Alkapeca Far Effects In the Foresupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Extensional Deformation In Alkapeca Far Effects In the Forementioning

confidence: 99%

The Tell-Rif orogenic system (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the structural heritage of the southern Tethys margin

Leprêtre

Lamotte

Combier

et al. 2018

BSGF - Earth Sci. Bull.

101

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…3). [Gallart et al, 1994;Vidal et al, 1998], Meteor profiles [Hübscher et al, 2010], and Spiral profile (black stars on-shore) [Lepretre et al, 2013]. The shallow structure in the models was constrained by our interpretations of seismic profiles, as well as by previously published seismic data.…”

Section: Datasets and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 79%

Evidence for transform motion along the South Balearic margin and implications for the kinematics of opening of the Algerian basin

Driussi

Briais

Maillard

2015

Bulletin De La Société Géologique De France

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Two major types of kinematic models have been proposed to explain the opening of the western Mediterranean basins (Liguro-Provençal and Algerian basins, and Valencia trough). In one type of models, all continental blocks bounding the basins drift to the southeast, driven by the rollback of the Tethys subduction slab. In the other type of models, the Alboran domain drifts to the southwest, implying a westward rollback of the broken subducting slab and a NE-SW opening of the Algerian basin. In most models, however, the structure of the Balearic promontory was not taken into account, despite its key location at the boundary of the three major basins. We used the interpretation of a large seismic database coupled to gravity and magnetic anomaly analyses to characterize the nature and structure of the South Balearic margin. The constraints brought by the new analyses allow us to suggest a new scenario for the opening of the Algerian basin.Seismic profiles show that the South Balearic margin is composed of four segments with different morphologies and crustal structures. Two segments, the Mazarron and the Emile Baudot escarpments, are characterized by steep scarps and sharp crustal thinning. Two other segments, the South Ibiza and South Menorca margins, have a smoother bathymetry and crustal thinning. We interpret the former in terms of transform margins, and the latter as divergent margins. The distribution of faults on the passive margin segments suggests that they have recorded at least two phases of deformation. A first phase of opening, probably in a NW-SE direction, affected the south Balearic margin, and possibly created some oceanic floor. The existence of the transform margin segments and the prominent NW-SE orientation of the magnetic lineations in the eastern Algerian basin suggest that most of this basin opened in a NE-SW direction, in different oceanic corridors. The two eastern corridors formed by the southwestward drift of the Kabylies. The western corridor, bounded by the transform segments of the South Balearic margin and the Algerian margin, results from the southwestward drift of the Alboran domain, as suggested by previous studies.Résumé. -Deux grands types de modèles cinématiques ont été proposés pour expliquer l'ouverture des bassins de la Méditerranée occidentale (bassins Liguro-Provençal et Algérien et fossé de Valence). Dans un type de modèles, tous les blocs continentaux limitant les bassins dérivent vers le sud-est, tirés par le retrait de la subduction de la plaque téthysienne. Dans l'autre type de modèles, le domaine d'Alboran dérive vers le sud-ouest, impliquant un retrait vers l'ouest de la subduction d'une partie de la plaque téthysienne déchirée. Dans la plupart de ces modèles, cependant, le promontoire Baléares n'est pas pris en compte, et ce, malgré sa position clé à la frontière des bassins majeurs. Nous avons utilisé l'interprétation d'une large base de données sismiques couplée à une analyse des anomalies gravimétriques et magnétiques pour caractériser la nature et la structure de ...

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“…They can be explained by the existence of small pockets of serpentinite in the lower crust. Similarly, high velocities have been found on the southern Moroccan Margin and the Mediterranean Basin (Leprêtre et al, 2013) and explained by the presence of some small amounts of upper mantle material added to the oceanic crust during its accretion. An alternative explanation could be that the crust in this domain was produced during a magma rich phase of the spreading center where more mafic volcanics were produced.…”

Section: The Oceanic Domain West Of the Wacma Magnetic Anomalymentioning

confidence: 94%

Deep crustal structure of the North-West African margin from combined wide-angle and reflection seismic data (MIRROR seismic survey)

et al. 2015

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International audienceThe structure of the Moroccan and Nova Scotia conjugate rifted margins is of key importance for understanding the Mesozoic break-up and evolution of the northern central Atlantic Ocean basin. Seven combined multichannel reflection (MCS) and wide-angle seismic (OBS) data profiles were acquired along the Atlantic Moroccan margin between the latitudes of 31.5° and 33° N during the MIRROR seismic survey in 2011, in order to image the transition from continental to oceanic crust, to study the variation in crustal structure, and to characterize the crust under the West African Coast Magnetic Anomaly (WACMA).The data were modeled using a forward modeling approach. The final models image crustal thinning from 36 km thickness below the continent to approximately 8 km in the oceanic domain. A 100 km wide zone characterized by rough basement topography and high seismic velocities up to 7.4 km/s in the lower crust is observed westward of the West African Coast Magnetic Anomaly. No basin underlain by continental crust has been imaged in this region, as has been identified north of our study area. Comparison to the conjugate Nova Scotian margin shows a similar continental crustal thickness and layer geometry, and the existence of exhumed and serpentinized upper mantle material on the Canadian side only. The oceanic crustal thickness is lower on the Canadian margin

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Multiphased tectonic evolution of the Central Algerian margin from combined wide‐angle and reflection seismic data off Tipaza, Algeria

Cited by 69 publications

References 93 publications

The Tell-Rif orogenic system (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the structural heritage of the southern Tethys margin

The Tell-Rif orogenic system (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the structural heritage of the southern Tethys margin

Evidence for transform motion along the South Balearic margin and implications for the kinematics of opening of the Algerian basin

Deep crustal structure of the North-West African margin from combined wide-angle and reflection seismic data (MIRROR seismic survey)

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