Vestiges of a fore-arc oceanic crust in the Western Mediterranean: Geochemical constraints from North-East Algeria

Fernandez, Laure; Bosch, Delphine; Bruguier, Olivier; Hammor, Dalila; Caby, Renaud; Arnaud, Nicolas; Monié, Patrick; Abdallah, Nachida; Verdoux, Patrick; Ouabadi, Aziouz; Laouar, Rabah

doi:10.1016/j.lithos.2020.105649

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 82 publications

(179 reference statements)

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“…First, our model predicts that the southern segments of the Alpine Tethys began to close due to comparatively much slower eastward displacement of Adria. We found indeed tectonic arguments in support of an early Cretaceous closure based on shear zone geochronology and geochemistry from the Kabylides (Cheilletz et al, 1999;Fernandez et al, 2020), and this is indirectly supported on the Adria margin. Northward along the segment of Sardinia-Corsica and Peloritani-Calabria (Fig.…”

Section: Early Cretaceous Reactivation Of Tethyan Rifted Margins: En-échelon Opening and Contraction In The Alpine Domainsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Such Early Cretaceous contractional event implied by the model seems supported by data from the Kabylides, as there are some evidence of ductile shearing in the gneissic rocks of the paleozoic Kabylides basement dated at 128 Ma (Hauterivian-Barremenian) (Cheilletz et al, 1999). In addition, intra-oceanic subduction associated with emplacement of mantle materials from the Edough Massif of the Kabylides has been suggested (Fernandez et al, 2020). Moreover, geological constraints from the Ligurian units of the North Apennines (Marroni et al, 2017) indicate a limited sedimentary thickness (estimated at 500 m) on the Adria margin from Late Jurassic to Santonian that can hardly be accounted for by postrift subsidence.…”

Section: Lower To Middlesupporting

confidence: 58%

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Evolution of the Alpine orogenic belts in the Western Mediterranean region as resolved by the kinematics of the Europe-Africa diffuse plate boundary

Angrand¹,

Mouthereau²

2021

BSGF - Earth Sci. Bull.

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The West European collisional Alpine belts are the result of the inversion, initiated in the middle Cretaceous, of the complex western Neotethys and the Atlantic continental rift domains and closure of remnants of Tethys between North Africa and European cratons. While the kinematics of Africa relative to Europe is well understood, the kinematics of microplates such as Iberia and Adria, within the diffuse collisional plate boundary, are still a matter of debate. We review geological and stratigraphic constraints in the peri-Iberia fold-thrust belts and basins to define the deformation history and crustal segmentation of the West European realm. These data are then implemented with other constraints from recently published kinematic and paleogeographic reconstructions to propose a new regional tectonic and kinematic model of the Western Europe from the late Permian to recent times. Our model shows that the pre-collisional extension between Europe and Africa plates was distributed and oblique, hence building discontinuous rift segments between the southern Alpine Tethys and the Central Atlantic. They were characterised by variably extended crust and narrow oceanic domains segmented across transfer structures and micro-continental blocks. The main tectonic structures that are inherited from the late Variscan orogeny localized both rifting and orogenic belts. We show that several continental blocks, including the Ebro-Sardinia-Corsica block, have been key in accommodating strike-slip, extension, and contraction in both Iberia and Adria. Its existence further allows refining the tectonic relationship between Iberia, Europe and Adria in the Alps. By the Paleogene, the convergence of Africa closed the spatially distributed oceanic domains, except for the Ionian basin. From this time onwards, collision spread over the different continental blocks, allowing an efficient transfer of the deformation from Africa to Europe. The area was eventually affected by the West European Rift, in the late Eocene, which may have influenced the opening of the West Mediterranean. The low convergence associated with collisional evolution of Western Europe permits to resolve the control of the inherited crustal architecture on the distribution of strain in collision zone, that is otherwise lost in more mature collision domain such as the Himalaya.

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Section: Early Cretaceous Reactivation Of Tethyan Rifted Margins: En-échelon Opening and Contraction In The Alpine Domainsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Lower To Middlesupporting

confidence: 58%

Evolution of the Alpine orogenic belts in the Western Mediterranean region as resolved by the kinematics of the Europe-Africa diffuse plate boundary

Angrand¹,

Mouthereau²

2021

BSGF - Earth Sci. Bull.

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“…Late Oligocene extension, around 25 Ma, is likewise described in the Kabylies (Saadallah & Caby, 1996). Furthermore, Eocene to Aquitanian (40–23 Ma) depleted gabbros are described in the Kabylies, having formed either backarc or forearc oceanic crust of a proto‐Algerian basin (Abbassene et al., 2016; Chazot et al., 2017; Fernandez et al., 2020). Such Oligocene extension in a back‐arc type setting is described for the entire Mediterranean realm, and attributed to a decrease in absolute northward motion of Africa triggered by the Africa/Arabia‐Eurasia collision that slowed down Africa (Jolivet & Faccenna, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This Early Miocene shortening phase also affected the Oligocene proto‐Algerian basin, inverted and incorporated into the newly developed orogenic wedge, its vestiges now present as amphibolites in the Kabylies or as extremely thinned sub‐continental mantle emplaced in the crust as in the Ronda peridotite of the Western Betics (Booth‐Rea et al., 2005; Fernandez et al., 2020; Garrido et al., 2011; Hidas et al., 2013; Marchesi et al., 2012) and the Collo peridotites in the Kabylies (Bouillin & Kornprobst, 1974; Laouar et al., 2017; Leblanc & Temagoult, 1989). Part of the proto‐Algerian basin presently occupies the Western Alboran basin, since it drifted westwards hundreds of km in a forearc position behind the retreating Betic‐Rif slab (Booth‐Rea et al., 2007, Figure 15).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two Cenozoic Extensional Phases in Mallorca and Their Bearing on the Geodynamic Evolution of the Western Mediterranean

et al. 2021

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We study the structure of the Llevant ranges in Mallorca with special emphasis on the Cenozoic extensional evolution of the island, which we integrate in a new geodynamic model for the Westernmost Mediterranean. Mallorca underwent two Cenozoic rifting phases in the Oligocene and Serravallian, before and after the development of its Foreland Thrust Belt (FTB). The first extensional event produced Oligocene semigrabens (≈29–23 Ma) that were inverted during the Early‐Middle Miocene (19–14 Ma) WNW‐directed FTB development. The second rifting event produced the extensional collapse of the Mallorca FTB during the Serravallian (≈14–11 Ma). This later rifting was polyphasic, with two orthogonal extensional systems, producing first NE‐SW, and then NW‐SE extension. The Oligocene extension affected a major part of the Western Mediterranean, opening the Liguro‐Provençal and other basins after the collapse of the Palaeogene AlKaPeCa orogen, and Mallorca, its former hinterland. Continued plate convergence nucleated a new subduction system in the Early Miocene that initiated along the Ibiza transform, producing the Mallorca WNW‐directed FTB and subduction of the South‐East Iberian passive margin. This process individualized the Betic‐Rif slab and initiated its westward retreat. Serravallian extension occurred at the northern edge of the subduction system coeval to the Algero‐Balearic basin opening. Extension initiated toward the SW direction of slab tearing and later rotated to a NW‐SE direction, probably in response to flexural and isostatic rebound. Through these processes the Alboran domain archipelago was driven toward the southwest until the Late Miocene, contributing to the present isolation of Mallorca from its Betic hinterland.

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“…Relationships between microplates and basins, tectonic transport, and opening and closing of basins are also shown (data from [9,21,31,37,69,77,78]). In the reconstruction the Tethyan oceanic branch recently recognized in the External Domain of the Rif Chain ( [35,[79][80][81]) was interpreted as an oceanic branch sector located between the External zones of the Mesorif and Intrarif Domains connected to the Maghrebian Flysch Domain [82].…”

Section: Discussion and Final Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary Models of the Cenozoic Basins of Central-Western Mediterranean Area: A Review of Methodological Approaches

2020

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In the last 40 years, several models based on very different methodological approaches have been proposed to interpret the complex geodynamic evolution of the central-western Mediterranean area and, in particular, of the Cenozoic basins. The persistence of numerous interpretations and still-open problems resulted in the proliferation of very different models. The reconstructions presented are highly influenced by difficulties often encountered in considering constraints introduced by models built by means of completely different methodological approaches. For example, major difficulties can arise in integrating data from individual classical disciplines (i.e., geology, stratigraphy, geophysics, tectonics, magmatology and plate kinematics) with those resulting from the use of modern technologies (i.e., digital processing, uses of software, field observations using drones, etc.) and generally aimed to support specific topics. These considerations lead researchers to believe that a multidisciplinary approach would always be auspicious for these studies, because a greater control of the reconstruction of geologic and geodynamic events, and, therefore, for resulting models, would be ensured. After some considerations about different types of literature models based on specific investigation methodologies, the updating of a recently presented evolutionary model is proposed by attempting to integrate as much data as possible about the Cenozoic basins of the central-western Mediterranean area.

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Vestiges of a fore-arc oceanic crust in the Western Mediterranean: Geochemical constraints from North-East Algeria

Cited by 5 publications

References 82 publications

Evolution of the Alpine orogenic belts in the Western Mediterranean region as resolved by the kinematics of the Europe-Africa diffuse plate boundary

Evolution of the Alpine orogenic belts in the Western Mediterranean region as resolved by the kinematics of the Europe-Africa diffuse plate boundary

Two Cenozoic Extensional Phases in Mallorca and Their Bearing on the Geodynamic Evolution of the Western Mediterranean

Evolutionary Models of the Cenozoic Basins of Central-Western Mediterranean Area: A Review of Methodological Approaches

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