The Subhercynian Basin: an example of an intraplate foreland basin due to a broken plate

Abstract

Abstract. The Late Cretaceous intraplate shortening event in central western Europe is associated with a number of marine basins of relatively high amplitude and short wavelength (2–3 km depth and 20–100 km width). In particular, the Harz Mountains, a basement uplift on a single, relatively steeply dipping basement thrust, have filled the adjacent Subhercynian Cretaceous Basin with their erosive product, proving that the two were related and synchronous. The problem of generating subsidence of this general style and geometry in an intraplate setting is dealt with here by using an elastic flexural model conditioned to take account of basement thrusts as weak zones in the lithosphere. Using a relatively simple configuration of this kind, we reproduce many of the basic features of the Subhercynian Cretaceous Basin and related basement thrusts. As a result, we suggest that overall, it shares many characteristics with larger-scale foreland basins associated with collisional orogens on plate boundaries.

The Manantiales Basin, Southern Central Andes (∼32°S), Preserves a Record of Late Eocene–Miocene Episodic Growth of an East‐Vergent Orogenic Wedge

“…Whereas the modern foreland basin is underlain by rigid cratonic lithosphere, the late Paleogene foreland basin was underlain by relatively thin, extended crust (e.g., Alvarez & Ramos, 1999; Carrapa et al., 2022; Ramos, 2010). These attributes may have contributed to low flexural rigidity and/or broken plate behavior, promoting a short flexural wavelength (e.g., Brotchie & Silvester, 1969; Hindle & Kley, 2021; Turcotte & Schubert, 1982).…”

A corrected finite-difference scheme for the flexure equation with abrupt changes in coefficient

“…In such cases it may well be necessary to look for solutions incorporating variable elastic thickness, especially around mountain fronts in foreland basins. Flexure models may also be used to study the dynamics of past flexural events (Burkhard and Sommaruga, 1998;DeCelles and Giles, 1996;Horton and DeCelles, 1997;Beaumont, 1981;Hagen et al, 1985;Hindle and Kley, 2021) for which they are often used to model subsidence patterns and explain basin formation. In many of these cases too, variable elastic thickness is likely to need taking account of.…”

Calculation Concept for Wood‐Based Components in Mechanical Engineering

“…This was taken into account in the calculation by using the finite difference method. [ 40,41 ] For this purpose, the load‐handling device was divided into 1500 areas with a width of 1 mm across its span. Then, the local area moments of inertia and the cross‐section areas of the whole cross section and the single elements were calculated in the middle of each area and used in the formulas of the finite difference method.…”