The transition from Alboran to Algerian basins (Western Mediterranean Sea): Chronostratigraphy, deep crustal structure and tectonic evolution at the rear of a narrow slab rollback system

Medaouri, Mourad; Déverchère, Jacques; Graindorge, David; Bracène, Rabah; Badji, Rabie; Ouabadi, Aziouz; Yelles-Chaouche, Karim; Bendiab, Fethi

doi:10.1016/j.jog.2014.01.003

Cited by 71 publications

(119 citation statements)

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“…The westward propagation of the slab tearing allowed the opening of the West Algerian Basin from Burdigalian to Tortonian times, in relationship with the westward motion of the Alboran block, bearing the already formed West Alboran Basin (Booth-Rea et al, 2007;Do Couto et al, 2016;Medaouri et al, 2014;Spakman et al, 2018). The precise kinematics of the West Algerian Basin opening remains unclear because of the complexity of the associated processes.…”

Section: "Collision" and Lateral Slab Tearing Along The African Marginmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…14 and 15). In between these two steps, the emplacement of the Gareb-Kebdana Chaotic Unit likely marks a period of rapid translation, coeval to the E-W opening of the Algerian oceanic basin (Mauffret et al, 2004;Medaouri et al, 2014).…”

Section: The Tell-rif: a Fundamentally Non-cylindrical Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…À the strong palaeogeographic affinities between Alboran and the Kabylie during the whole Mesozoic, especially during Triassic time, these two domains being characterized by "Alpine" facies contrasting with the "Germanic" facies which characterize both African and Iberian margins (Bouillin, 1986;Durand-Delga, 1969); À offshore data (Booth-Rea et al, 2007;Medaouri et al, 2014), suggesting rather WSW than NW movements of the Alboran Domain; À seismic data showing that Kabylie-like terranes can be currently followed offshore up to the Oran meridian , i.e. in the assigned root zone of Alboran in the Vergés and Fernàndez (2012) model.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

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.

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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: "Collision" and Lateral Slab Tearing Along The African Marginmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Tell-rif: a Fundamentally Non-cylindrical Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

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.

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“…At the end of the Eocene, the Kabylies were adjacent to the Balearic Promontory and subsequently thrusted over the African Margin during the Langhian (Vergés and Sàbat, 1999a,b;Frizon de Lamotte et al, 2000;Rosenbaum et al, 2002;Medaouri et al, 2014) (Fig. 14).…”

Section: The Evolution Of the Balearic Promontory In The Frame Of Thementioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other side of the Algerian Basin, this period marks the onset of slab tearing, which led to slab detachment migrating westward and eastward and ultimately to the formation of the Gibraltar and Tyrrhenian Arcs respectively (Spakman and Wortel, 2004;Mauffret et al, 2004;Medaouri et al, 2014;Van Hinsbergen et al, 2014a,b;Bouyahiaoui et al, 2015;Do Couto et al, in press) (Fig. 15).…”

Section: The Evolution Of the Balearic Promontory In The Frame Of Thementioning

confidence: 99%

Extensional vs contractional Cenozoic deformation in Ibiza (Balearic Promontory, Spain): Integration in the West Mediterranean back-arc setting

et al. 2016

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Compressional tectonic inversion of the Algero-Balearic basin: Latemost Miocene to present oblique convergence at the Palomares margin (Western Mediterranean)

et al. 2015

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Interpretation of new multichannel seismic reflection profiles indicates that the Palomares margin was formed by crustal-scale extension and coeval magmatic accretion during middle to late Miocene opening of the Algero-Balearic basin. The margin formed at the transition between thinned continental crust intruded by arc volcanism and back-arc oceanic crust. Deformation produced during the later positive inversion of the margin offshore and onshore is partitioned between~N50°E striking reverse faults and associated folds like the Sierra Cabrera and Abubacer anticlines and N10-20°E sinistral strike-slip faults like Palomares and Terreros faults. Parametric subbottom profiles and multibeam bathymetry offshore, structural analysis, available GPS geodetic displacement data, and earthquake focal mechanisms jointly indicate that tectonic inversion of the Palomares margin is currently active. The Palomares margin shows a structural pattern comparable to the north Maghrebian margins where Africa-Eurasia plate convergence is accommodated by NE-SW reverse faults, NNW-SSE sinistral faults, and WNW-ESE dextral ones. Contractive structures at this margin contribute to the general inversion of the Western Mediterranean since~7 Ma, coeval to inversion at the Algerian margin. Shortening at the Alboran ridge and Al-Idrisi faults occurred later, since 5 Ma, indicating a westward propagation of the compressional inversion of the Western Mediterranean.

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The transition from Alboran to Algerian basins (Western Mediterranean Sea): Chronostratigraphy, deep crustal structure and tectonic evolution at the rear of a narrow slab rollback system

Cited by 71 publications

References 80 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

Extensional vs contractional Cenozoic deformation in Ibiza (Balearic Promontory, Spain): Integration in the West Mediterranean back-arc setting

Compressional tectonic inversion of the Algero-Balearic basin: Latemost Miocene to present oblique convergence at the Palomares margin (Western Mediterranean)

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