An Early Triassic evolving erg system (Iberian Chain, NE Spain): palaeoclimate implications

Abstract

Terra Nova, 23, 76–84, 2011 Abstract The Triassic Buntsandstein facies in the north‐eastern Iberian Chain (central eastern Spain), previously considered to be fluvial in origin, is shown to contain an evolving erg system. The preserved erg accumulation comprises a succession that represents the transition from a wadi belt via inner erg‐margin to a central‐erg system. This study supports Early Triassic (Olenekian) palaeoclimate models for Western Europe, which predict (extremely) arid conditions for Iberia. The two main easterly and southerly palaeowind directions are in accordance with data from other Triassic dune fields in Europe and corroborate the influence of monsoonal circulation, which affected precipitation in the Variscan Massif to the south and west.

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“…Arche & López-Gómez, 2006). Nonetheless, it should be noted that recently the red Buntsandstein sandstones of the south-eastern Aragonian Branch of the Iberian Chain have been reported as an evolving erg system (Soria et al, 2011), in accordance with the highly arid conditions predicted by paleoclimatic models for Western Europe during the Early Triassic (Péron et al, 2005).…”

The beginning of the Buntsandstein cycle (Early–Middle Triassic) in the Catalan Ranges, NE Spain: Sedimentary and palaeogeographic implications

“…However, the middle Spathian also shows an arid to hyper-arid episode in Central-Western Europe interrupting the general cooling tendency (Röhling, 1991;Bourquin et al, 2006Bourquin et al, , 2009Ghinassi et al, 2009;López-Gómez et al, 2012). This arid episode is well recorded by the development of dune field deposits in the southern Catalan Basin which was coetaneous with other similar aeolian dune fields in Central-Western Pangea as described by Geluk (1998), Cassinis et al (2003), Bourquin et al (2007), Durand (2008, Linol et al (2009), McKie andWilliams (2009) and Soria et al (2011).…”

Aeolian construction and alluvial dismantling of a fault‐bounded intracontinental aeolian dune field (Teruel Basin, Spain); a continental perspective on Late Pliocene climate change and variability

“…1A). In this way, the aeolian sandstones of the Early Triassic Buntsandstein (Soria et al. , 2011) and the mid‐Cretaceous desert system (Rodriguez‐López et al.…”