Analogue modelling of Late Miocene–Early Quaternary continental crustal extension in the Tunisia–Sicily Channel area

Belguith, Youssef; Geoffroy, Laurent; Mourgues, R.; Rigane, Adel

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2013.08.023

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…This system connects southeastward to the Sirte and Tripolitania basins of Libya (Capitanio et al, 2011) and was interpreted to result from renewed late Miocene and younger NE-SW extension between Adria (and the Ionian Basin) and Africa. This extension was likely caused by slabpull forces of the subducting African plate (Argnani, 1990;Goes et al, 2004;Civile et al, 2010;Capitanio et al, 2011;Belguith et al, 2013).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did Adria rotate relative to Africa?

et al. 2014

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Abstract. The first and foremost boundary condition for kinematic reconstructions of the Mediterranean region is the relative motion between Africa and Eurasia, constrained through reconstructions of the Atlantic Ocean. The Adria continental block is in a downgoing plate position relative to the strongly curved central Mediterranean subductionrelated orogens, and forms the foreland of the Apennines, Alps, Dinarides, and Albanides-Hellenides. It is connected to the African plate through the Ionian Basin, likely with Lower Mesozoic oceanic lithosphere. If the relative motion of Adria versus Africa is known, its position relative to Eurasia can be constrained through a plate circuit, thus allowing robust boundary conditions for the reconstruction of the complex kinematic history of the Mediterranean region. Based on kinematic reconstructions for the Neogene motion of Adria versus Africa, as interpreted from the Alps and from Ionian Basin and its surrounding areas, it has been suggested that Adria underwent counterclockwise (ccw) vertical axis rotations ranging from ∼ 0 to 20 • . Here, we provide six new paleomagnetic poles from Adria, derived from the Lower Cretaceous to Upper Miocene carbonatic units of the Apulian peninsula (southern Italy). These, in combination with published poles from the Po Plain (Italy), the Istrian peninsula (Croatia), and the Gargano promontory (Italy), document a post-Eocene 9.8 ± 9.5 • counterclockwise vertical axis rotation of Adria. Our results do not show evidence of significant Africa-Adria rotation between the Early Cretaceous and Eocene. Models based on reconstructions of the Alps, invoking 17 • ccw rotation, and based on the Ionian Basin, invoking 2 • ccw rotation, are both permitted within the documented rotation range, yet are mutually exclusive. This apparent enigma could possibly be solved only if one or more of the following conditions are satisfied: (i) Neogene shortening in the western Alps has been significantly underestimated (by as much as 150 km); (ii) Neogene extension in the Ionian Basin has been significantly underestimated (by as much as 420 km); and/or (iii) a major sinistral strike-slip zone has decoupled northern and southern Adria in Neogene time. Here we present five alternative reconstructions of Adria at 20 Ma, highlighting the kinematic uncertainties, and satisfying the inferred rotation pattern from this study and/or from previously proposed kinematic reconstructions.

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Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did Adria rotate relative to Africa?

et al. 2014

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“…At the western Mediterranean scale and based on tectonic, seismological, geodetic, tomographic, and seismic reflection data, several geodynamic models have been proposed (e.g., Billi et al, 2011, Belguith et al 2013. Regionally, the Southern Tunisian Atlas and the Gulf of Gabes were usually examined independently in previous studies (e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

Recent spatial and temporal changes in the stress regime along the southern Tunisian Atlas front and the Gulf of Gabes: New insights from fault kinematics analysis and seismic profiles

et al. 2014

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Tectonic deformations in the Southern Atlassic Front of Tunisia (SAFT) and the Gulf of Gabes result from the Nubia-Eurasia convergence. This study, based on the inversion of geologically determined fault slip vectors, presents evidences for spatial and temporal changes in the stress state. Fault kinematics analyses reveal a temporal change in states of stress during the late Cenozoic. A paleostress (Miocene-Pliocene) state is characterized by a regional compressional tectonic regime with a mean N134±09°E trending horizontal maximum stress axis (σ 1 ). A modern (Quaternary to present-day) state of stress also corresponds to compressional tectonic regime with a regionally mean N05±10°E trending horizontal σ 1 . The SAFT corresponds to two distinct domains: a far-foreland Atlassic front related to contractional deformation associated with southward propagate thrusting, and eastward, the Gulf of Gabes characterized by normal component NW to WNW trending faults at the crustal margin scale probably related with a transtensional tectonic regime. We propose that the spatial and temporal changes in the stress during the Miocene-Pliocene and Quaternary may result from the geodynamic evolution of the Tunisian Atlas in relation to the rotation of Corsica-Sardinia blocks and the separation of the Sicilian continental lithosphere from the Ionian oceanic lithosphere.These temporal and spatial stress changes along the SAFT and the Gulf of Gabes are probably the engine behind the moderate seismicity, leading at the same time to a reactivation of the inherited major structures created during the evolution of the Southern Tethyan margin.

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“…Normal faults active during the Plio‐Quaternary, producing NE‐SW directed extension are described in central Tunisia and in the Sicily Channel (e.g., Belguith et al, , ; Civile et al, , ). These faults seem still active in the Sicily channel and with normal‐oblique kinematics in the Pelagian foreland (Soumaya et al, ).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Under this convergent setting the Tellian nappe stack developed, supposedly, together with important elongated diapiric structures cored by Triassic rocks parallel to NE‐SW strike‐slip and reverse faults. Normal faults in this setting are interpreted as subsidiary structures formed under SW‐NE extension during the Pliocene‐Quaternary or as very shallow extension affecting the Numidian units, related to FTB dynamics (Belguith et al, , ; Bouaziz et al, ; Khomsi et al, ; Ramzi et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the characteristic geological processes associated with lithospheric mantle delamination like extension, volcanism, and topographic uplift have not been described before in northern Tunisia, within this delamination scenario. Normal faults produced under an extensional regime are described in the Sicily Channel and in Central Tunisia (Belguith et al, , ; Tricart et al, ). Furthermore, thinner crust is observed towards the northern and eastern coast of Tunisia where the Moho depth decreases to 25 km from depths around 35 km in central Tunisia (Research group for lithospheric structure in Tunisia, ), suggesting some crustal extension of a previously thickened orogenic crust or shallowing of the Moho by some other tectonic cause.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Late Miocene Extensional Collapse of Northern Tunisia

et al. 2018

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Two orthogonal extensional systems produced the extensional collapse of the Tell and Atlas thrust belts in northern Tunisia during the Late Miocene to Pliocene in a context of NW-SE plate convergence between Africa and Eurasia. The older extensional system shows several low-angle normal faults (LANFs) and associated high-angle faults with ENE-directed transport that produced half-grabens and hanging-wall syncline basins during the late Tortonian to Messinian. The direction of extension swinged towards the SE during the Messinian, cutting into, and tilting the previous detachments. Extension was accompanied by the extrusion of 8-Ma rhyodacites and Messinian basalts, together with the development of mineralized fault breccias. Plio-Quaternary NW-SE directed shortening formed inversion arrowhead structures, reverse faults, refolded extensional rollover anticlines and folded the LANFs. ENE-directed extension is concomitant with the opening of the Tyrrhenian basin. We consequently think that both processes are related and that tearing of the Calabrian slab along the northern Tunisia coast drove the ENE-directed extension. Meanwhile, the SE-directed extension that followed was probably related to SE-directed peeling back of the Tunisian continental lithospheric mantle during NW subduction of the Maghrebian margin. This extension propagated eastwards from the late Tortonian until the Pliocene following the SE migrating subduction front and favored by lateral slab tearing along the Tunisian Atlas dextral Subduction Transfer Edge Propagator boundary. This new hypothesis for the tectonic evolution of northern Tunisia shows for the first time the importance of crustal extension in the denudation of the Tunisian Atlas and Tell foreland thrust belts and its relation to deep mantle tectonic mechanisms.

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Analogue modelling of Late Miocene–Early Quaternary continental crustal extension in the Tunisia–Sicily Channel area

Cited by 19 publications

References 53 publications

Did Adria rotate relative to Africa?

Did Adria rotate relative to Africa?

Recent spatial and temporal changes in the stress regime along the southern Tunisian Atlas front and the Gulf of Gabes: New insights from fault kinematics analysis and seismic profiles

Late Miocene Extensional Collapse of Northern Tunisia

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