Deep structure and crustal configuration of the Jeffara basin (Southern Tunisia) based on regional gravity, seismic reflection and borehole data: How to explain a gravity maximum within a large sedimentary basin?

Gabtni, Hakim; Jallouli, Chokri; Mickus, Kevin L.; Zouari, Hédi; Turki, Mohamed Moncef

doi:10.1016/j.jog.2008.07.004

Cited by 62 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Therefore previous authors proposed contrasting structural history for the Jeffara deformations, which seems complex and poly-phase, since the cretaceous (Burrolet and Desforges 1982;Ben Ayed 1986;Bouaziz 1995;Bouaziz et al (1999Bouaziz et al ( , 2002Rabia 1998;Touati and Rodgers 1998;Gabtni et al 2009Gabtni et al , 2011Gabtni et al , 2012.…”

Section: Structural Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the presence of various studies (Perthuisot 1977(Perthuisot , 1985Bouaziz 1986Bouaziz , 1995Bouaziz et al 2002;Rabia 1998;Touati and Rodgers 1998;Jedoui 2000;Deffontaines et al 2008;Gabtni et al 2009Gabtni et al , 2011Gabtni et al , 2012Bodin et al 2010), the structure of the Jeffara is still subject of conflict. Besides, the authors do not all agree about the history of the deformation of the region, as the neotectonic context seems complex and multi-phase since the Lower Paleozoic (Burrolet and Desforges 1982;Ben Ayed 1986;Bouaziz 1995;Bouaziz et al 1999Bouaziz et al , 2002Gabtni et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Structural and Geodynamic Coastal Jeffara Model (Southern Tunisia) and Engineering Implications

Ghedhoui

Deffontaines

Rabia

2014

Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 6

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Thanks to its geographical position in the western Mediterranean domain, Tunisia faces, since mid-Cretaceous (Aptian/Albian time period), to the inversion of the Tethys due to the northward African plate motion toward Eurasia. The coastal Jeffara is a part of the southern zone of deformation witness of the eastward migration of Tunisia to the Mediterranean Sea. We focus herein following Perthuisot (Cartes géologiques au 1/50.000 et notices explicatives des feuilles de Houmet Essouk, Midoun, Jorf, Sidi Chamakh, 1985) and others on the neotectonic of the coastal Jeffara (southern Tunisia) and its engineering implications. Based on the results of previous studies and new evidences developed herein, we propose a new structural and geodynamic coastal Jeffara model, influenced by the continuous post lower cretaceous northward migration of northern African toward the Eurasian plates. We herein study the Digital Elevation Model (issued from SRTM), which was checked with field surveys and 2D numerous seismic profiles at depth both onshore and offshore. All data were, then, integrated within a GIS Geodatabase, which showed the coastal Jeffara, as a part of a simple N-S pull-apart model within a NW-SE right lateral transtensive major fault zone (Medenine Fault zone). Our structural, geological and geomorphological analyses prove the presence of NNW-SSE right lateral en-echelon tension gashes, off shore NW-SE aligned salt diapirs, numerous folds offsets, en-echelon folds, and so-on… that are associated with this major right lateral NW-SE transtensive major coastal Jeffara fault zone that affect the Holocene and the Villafrachian deposits. These evidences confirm the fact that the active NW-SE Jeffara faults correspond to the tectonic accident, located in the south of the Tunisian extrusion, which is active, since mid-cretaceous, as the southern branch of the eastward Sahel block Tunisian extrusion toward the free Mediterranean sea boundary. Therefore this geodynamical

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Section: Structural Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Structural and Geodynamic Coastal Jeffara Model (Southern Tunisia) and Engineering Implications

Ghedhoui

Deffontaines

Rabia

2014

Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 6

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“…In the present work only three provinces are analysed ( Fig. 1): (1) the Dahar upland which consists of a N-S-trending, in Tunisia (Zargouni et al 1985;Bouaziz 1995;Bouaziz et al 2002;Gabtni et al 2009), (2) the Draa Djerid Ridge which consist of a NE-SW-trending formed during the Alpine (Late Cretaceous-Early Eocene) tectonic phases (Zargouni et al 1985) and (3) The Jeffara coastal plain which consists of a NW-SE-trending (Bouaziz 1995;Bouaziz et al 2002;Gabtni et al 2009). Within the Dahar monocline there is almost a complete stratigraphic sequence from Late Permian to Upper Cretaceous.…”

Section: Geological and Hydrogeological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These faults are part of a complex called the South Tunisian Accident (Castany 1954). The effect of several tectonic phases on the Jeffara area seems to have controlled the production of a large sedimentary basin (Gabtni et al 2009). Within this coastal plain, geologic formation consists of a sedimentary succession extending from Lower Cretaceous to Quaternary, with a sedimentary gap from Palaeocene to Eocene.…”

Section: Geological and Hydrogeological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4) and the high-temperature recorded in the Upper Cretaceous aquifers of El Hamma region (Table 2) suggest a recharge of the coastal plain of Djeffara from the CI aquifer through deep faults. The hydraulic head differences in these aquifers at the El Hamma sill zone (SASS 2002), and most importantly tectonic activity (Bouaziz et al 2002;Gabtni et al 2009) seem to be the main causes of this upward leakage of the deep groundwater to the shallow aquifers of Djeffara basin.…”

Section: Groundwater Sampling and Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identification and characterisation of hydrogeological relays of continental intercalaire aquifer of southern Tunisia

Abid

Zouari

Abidi

2010

Carbonates Evaporites

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In southern Tunisia, the major aquifer system is characterised by the superposition of two principal levels; the ''complex terminal'' (CT) which forms the surface aquifer and the ''continental intercalaire'' (CI) which constitutes the deep aquifer. The hydrodynamic functioning of this aquifer system is largely influenced by tectonics, lithologic variation and recharge conditions. The tectonics has contributed to the discontinuity of the aquifer levels by creating some barriers which play the role of hydraulic sills. A study of the CI potentiometric map shows three principal flow directions. These flow directions converge at the Sill Zone. The total mineralisation evolution shows an increase from the periphery of the basin to the discharge area. Dissolution of halite, gypsum and/or anhydrite-bearing rocks is the principal source of the salinity of the groundwater. The dissolution of these evaporitic rocks is confirmed by mineral saturation indices, which show an under-saturation of water samples with respect to the mentioned minerals. Moreover, the insulation of certain compartments of the reservoir and intercommunications between the aquifer levels seem to play a principal role in the deterioration of chemical quality of water. In this study, the isotopic tools have been applied to understand the hydrodynamic functioning in the region. These techniques have confirmed the results of the hydrogeologic and hydrochemical studies concerning the interconnection between the different aquifers. They indicate also the recent local recharge of the CI reservoir throughout Cretaceous outcrops, and the older origin of all groundwater in the aquifer system.

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Control of Hercynian Orogeny on basin evolution on the southern margin of the Tethyan region: A review and new insights

et al. 2023

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The Hercynian Orogeny was caused by the collision of Gondwana and Laurussia in the Mid‐/Late Carboniferous–Early Permian. This orogeny strongly influenced the pattern and evolution of basins and hydrocarbon accumulation on the southern margin of the Tethyan region (i.e., North Africa and the Middle East). Research on the Carboniferous–Early Permian Hercynian Orogeny is of great value in both plate tectonic reconstructions and hydrocarbon exploration. For its influence on basin evolution, some previous studies have considered the modification of the early Palaeozoic basins, but there has been less work on the evolution of the post‐Hercynian Mesozoic basins. We review the available data and re‐analyse the spatiotemporal impacts of this key tectonic event on the evolution of the basins in this region. The Carboniferous–Early Permian Hercynian Orogeny was an important turning point in basin evolution in North Africa and the Middle East. It interrupted the stability of the Gondwana platform and heralded a huge change in the pattern of basins from the uniform pre‐Hercynian Palaeozoic basins to the post‐Hercynian Mesozoic basins characterized by strong segmentation. The Carboniferous–Early Permian Hercynian Orogeny not only modified the pre‐Hercynian Palaeozoic basins but also controlled the distribution and evolution of the post‐Hercynian Mesozoic basins. Large‐scale uplifts were generated among the basins through modification of the inherited palaeohighs and five large NE‐trending arches were newly formed. These uplifts divided the early unified basin into multiple separate basins. Five large‐scale, almost equidistant, NE‐trending arches were generated on the northern margin of Gondwana (the Allala, Sirte, Levant, Al‐Batin and Oman arches), forming the present‐day Palaeozoic Basin pattern with an alternating distribution of uplifts and depressions. The northern part of the large, NE‐trending Hercynian arches collapsed as a result of the extensional stress caused by the opening of the Neotethys Ocean in the Late Permian–Triassic and formed Mesozoic basin depocenters (the Oued Mya–Pelagian basins, the Sirte Basin, the Eastern Mediterranean Basin and the Central Arabian Basin). These depocenters are important oil and gas enrichment zones. The NE‐trending Hercynian arches, the Mesozoic basin depocenters, the opening of the Neotethys Ocean and the segmentation of the basins by the Alpine Orogeny all show relatively consistent east–west‐directed segmentation on the northern margin of Gondwana. This shows that they may have a unified dynamic genetic background. The zone of structural weakness formed by the collision of multiple terranes during the Pan‐African Orogeny may have controlled this segmentation. The inheritance between reformation of the pre‐Hercynian Palaeozoic basins and influence on the post‐Hercynian Mesozoic basins by Carboniferous–Early Permian Hercynian Orogeny, is the result of the tectonics repetitively focused in pre‐existing weaker domains, under the lithospheric mantle modification in the polyphase assembly and break‐up of the supercontinent.

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Deep structure and crustal configuration of the Jeffara basin (Southern Tunisia) based on regional gravity, seismic reflection and borehole data: How to explain a gravity maximum within a large sedimentary basin?

Cited by 62 publications

References 20 publications

New Structural and Geodynamic Coastal Jeffara Model (Southern Tunisia) and Engineering Implications

New Structural and Geodynamic Coastal Jeffara Model (Southern Tunisia) and Engineering Implications

Identification and characterisation of hydrogeological relays of continental intercalaire aquifer of southern Tunisia

Control of Hercynian Orogeny on basin evolution on the southern margin of the Tethyan region: A review and new insights

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