Ascription of the island of Ibiza to the Prebetic of Alicante (Betic Range, Spain) after correlation of Lower Cretaceous sedimentary successions

Depositional characteristics and constraints on the mid-Valanginian demise of a carbonate platform in the intra-Tethyan domain, Circum-Rhodope Belt, northern Greece

“…Sediments of the Circum-Rhodope carbonate platform display depositional characteristics that conform well to the outlined general models for Berriasian and Valanginian carbonate platforms from the Western Tethyan realm in terms of fossil assemblages, encrusting organisms, allochem composition, and microfacies types (Masse, 1993;Hillg€ artner, 1999;Shebl and Alsharhan, 2000;F€ ollmi et al, 2007;Koch et al, 2008;Krajewski, 2008;Gr eselle and Pittet, 2010;Jamalian et al, 2011;Krajewski et al, 2011;Bonin et al, 2012;Díaz de Neira and Gil-Gil, 2013). Thus, predominant skeletal sediments with diverse biota including boundstones with various microencrusters were formed along with considerable precipitation of lime muds and peloids.…”

“…Constraints on the mid-Valanginian demise of the CircumRhodope carbonate platform 6.3.1. The Valanginian carbonate crisis in the Western Tethys Progressive decline and subsequent demise of carbonate factories along the northern Tethyan margin and elsewhere took place during the Valanginian (Masse and Philip, 1981;Schlager, 1981;F€ ollmi et al, 1994, 2006Weissert et al, 1998;Gr eselle and Pittet, 2010;Díaz de Neira and Gil-Gil, 2013) implying important changes in the palaeogeographical, palaeoceanographical and palaeoenvironmental conditions. A global mid-Valanginian perturbation of the carbon cycle recorded by a positive d 13 C excursion in marine carbonates and in terrestrial organic matter, so called Weissert event, was roughly concomitant with a salient crisis of carbonate-producing biota both in the neritic and pelagic domains Weissert and Erba, 2004;Gr€ ocke et al, 2005;Duchamp-Alphonse et al, 2007;Gr eselle et al, 2011;Barbarin et al, 2012).…”

“…Some authors assumed that a major transgressive midValanginian event drowned the Western Tethys and Central Atlantic carbonate platforms (Masse, 1993;F€ ollmi et al, 1994;Weissert et al, 1998;Bosellini et al, 1999;F€ ollmi et al, 2006;Bonin et al, 2012;Díaz de Neira and Gil-Gil, 2013). Contrariwise, other studies indisputably reveal a sea-level fall involving progradation of sedimentary systems or subaerial exposure of shallow platforms (Funk et al, 1993;Sahagian et al, 1996;Rojay and Altiner, 1998;Altiner et al, 1999;Reh akov a, 2000;Wortmann and Weissert, 2000;Minkovska et al, 2002;Vilas et al, 2003;Husinec and Jelaska, 2006;Gawlick et al, 2008;Ivanova et al, 2008;Gr eselle and Pittet, 2010).…”

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

“…During the Cenozoic, it recorded a succession of extensional and contractional events in relation with complex interactions between the European Cenozoic Rift System, the Pyrenean orogenic system, the Betics and the subduction of the Alpine-Maghrebian Tethys (Fontboté et al, 1990;Gelabert et al, 1992, Maillard et al, 1992, Roca and Desegaulx, 1992Acosta et al, 2002). It is classically considered that Ibiza, as the other Balearic Islands (Majorca and Minorca), belongs from a paleogeographic point of view to the external part of the Betics namely the Prebetic and Subbetic Zones (Fallot, 1922;García-Hernández et al, 1976;Azéma et al, 1979;Díaz de Neira and Gil, 2013). These zones consist of Triassic to Paleogene deposits belonging to the South-Iberian paleo-margin of the Alpine-Maghrebian Tethys.…”

“…Previous studies on Ibiza were either focused on the Mesozoic and Cenozoic stratigraphic and lithostratigraphic successions with the problem of its paleogeographic ascription (Azéma et al, 1979;Díaz de Neira and Gil, 2013) or on the architecture and geometry of the Miocene contractional deformations (Rangheard, 1971;Fourcade et al, 1982;Durand-Delga and Rangheard, 2013). However, less attention has been paid on the Cenozoic pre-and post-contractional evolution of the island and the inferences for the formation and evolution of the West Mediterranean.…”