Neogene exhumation and relief evolution in the eastern Betics (<scp>SE</scp> Spain): Insights from the Sierra de Gador

Janowski, Marianne; Loget, Nicolas; Gautheron, Cécile; Barbarand, Jocelyn; Bellahsen, Nicolas; Driessche, Jean Van Den; Babault, Julien; Meyer, Bertrand

doi:10.1111/ter.12252

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…It is also evidenced in the Betics (e.g. Do Couto et al, 2014;Janowski et al, 2017). Paleomagnetic measurements performed on volcanic rocks younger than 8 Ma show that they suffered systematic clockwise vertical axis rotations in agreement with right-lateral movement along E-W faults (Derder et al, 2011(Derder et al, , 2013.…”

Section: The Late Tortonian-pliocene-to-present (R) Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 70%

The Tell-Rif orogenic system (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the structural heritage of the southern Tethys margin

Leprêtre

Lamotte

Combier

et al. 2018

BSGF - Earth Sci. Bull.

105

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-The Tell-Rif (Tell in Algeria and Tunisia; Rif in Morocco) is the orogenic system fringing to the south the West Mediterranean basins. This system comprises three major tectonic-palaeogeographic zones from north to south: (1) the internal zones (AlKaPeCa for Alboran, Kabylies, Peloritan, Calabria) originating from the former northern European margin of the Maghrebian Tethys, (2) the "Flyschs zone" regarded as the former cover of the oceanic domain and (3) the external zones, forming the former southern Maghrebian Tethys margin more or less inverted. The Tell-Rif is interpreted as the direct result of the progressive closure of the Maghrebian Tethys until the collision between AlKaPeCa and Africa and, subsequently, the propagation of the deformation within Africa. This gives a consistent explanation for the offshore Neogene geodynamics and most authors share this simple scenario. Nevertheless, the current geodynamic models do not completely integrate the Tell-Rif geology. Based on the analysis of surface and sub-surface data, we propose a reappraisal of its present-day geometry in terms of geodynamic evolution. We highlight its non-cylindrical nature resulting from both the Mesozoic inheritance and the conditions of the tectonic inversion. During the Early Jurassic, we emphasize the development of NE-SW basins preceding the establishment of an E-W transform corridor connecting the Central Atlantic Ocean with the Ligurian Tethys. The Maghrebian Tethys developed just after, as the result of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous left-lateral spreading between Africa and Iberia. By the Late Cretaceous, the occurrence of several tectonic events is related to the progressive convergence convergence between the two continents. A major pre-Oligocene (pre-35 Ma) compressional event is recorded in the Tell-Rif system. The existence of HP-LT metamorphic rocks associated with fragments of mantle in the External Metamorphic Massifs of the Eastern Rif and Western Tell shows that, at that time, the western part of the North-African margin was involved in a subduction below a deep basin belonging to the Maghrebian Tethys. At the same time, the closure of the West Ligurian Tethys through east-verging subduction led to a shift of the subduction, which jumped to the other side of AlKaPeCa involving both East Ligurian and Maghrebian Tethys. Slab rollback led to the development of the Oligo-Miocene back-arc basins of the West-Mediterranean, reworking the previous West Ligurian Tethys suture. The docking of AlKaPeCa against Africa occurred during the Late Burdigalian (17 Ma). Subsequently, the slab tearing triggered westward and eastward lateral movements that are responsible for the formation of the Gibraltar and Tyrrhenian Arcs respectively. The exhumation of the External Metamorphic Massifs occurred through tectonic underplating during the westward translation of the Alboran Domain. It resulted in the formation of both foredeep and wedge-top basins younger and younger westward. The lack of these elements in the eastern part ...

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Section: The Late Tortonian-pliocene-to-present (R) Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 70%

The Tell-Rif orogenic system (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the structural heritage of the southern Tethys margin

Leprêtre

Lamotte

Combier

et al. 2018

BSGF - Earth Sci. Bull.

105

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“…Thus, the He-PRZ for each sample can range from 40 to 120°C depending on each crystal (Flowers et al, 2009;Gautheron et al, 2009) and direct comparison with eU content should be taken cautiously. In addition, alpha-implantation from neighbor minerals and undetected rich U-Th inclusions can also increase AHe ages significantly and increase dispersion (e.g., Janowski et al, 2017;Murray et al, 2014;Spiegel et al, 2009). To show the effect of alpha implementation and variety of sources, AHe single grain ages were plotted as a function of the eU content for samples of similar stratigraphic age and formations ( Figure 11).…”

Section: Tectonicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tectono‐Stratigraphic and Thermal Evolution of the Western Betic Flysch: Implications for the Geodynamics of South Iberian Margin and Alboran Domain

et al. 2020

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The Betic‐Rif orogen is a key region to understand the evolution of the plate boundary between Africa and Iberia/Europe. This study focuses on the Flysch Complex, which is considered the sedimentary cover of a domain originally positioned between the Iberian and Alboran margins. Based on stratigraphic and depositional evolution constraints, evidence for salt tectonics, combined with new apatite fission‐tracks (AFT) and (U‐Th‐Sm)/He ages from the Flysch Complex and the Subbetic Zone, we propose a geodynamic interpretation for the formation of the Betic Cordillera, accounting for moderate N‐directed transport of the Flysch Complex and synchronous exhumation between External and Internal Zones of the Betic. Early contraction between Africa and Iberia/Europe is reflected in the Cretaceous Flysch basin by a prolonged period of residence in the partial annealing zone for AFT and onset of foreland subsidence at 50 Ma. This stage lasted until the Early to Middle Miocene (20–15 Ma), marked by the rapid succession, in less than 5 Ma, of the deposition of Cenozoic flysch and their rapid exhumation. This event is interpreted to reflect the W‐directed retreating mantle delamination between Africa and Iberia margins at the origin of the collapse of the proto‐Betic orogenic domain and formation of the Alboran domain.

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“…In the western Betics, NW‐SE directed shortening is recorded in intramontane basins (Jiménez‐Bonilla, Expósito, Balanyá, Díaz‐Azpiroz, & Barcos, ) and along the coast of the Gulf of Cadiz. In contrast with the western Betics, the N‐S to NW‐SE shortening of the eastern Betics was coeval with considerable uplift (Janowski et al, ) and with the formation of late Miocene extensional basins, regionally controlled by large fault systems, such as the SW‐NE striking Alhama de Murcia fault that acted as normal fault in the late Miocene and changed into a transpressive fault as part of the Eastern Betics Shear Zone during the latest Miocene—early Pliocene (Meijninger & Vissers, , ). The NW‐SE to NNW‐SSE shortening remains active today in the west (Ruiz‐Constán et al, ) as well as in the east where it leads to distributed deformation superposed on SW‐NE aligned crustal motions that are accommodated by the left‐lateral transpressive Eastern Betic Shear Zone (Borque et al, ).…”

Section: Geodynamic Control On the Evolution Of The Atlantic‐mediterrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mantle resistance against Gibraltar slab dragging as a key cause of the Messinian Salinity Crisis

et al. 2019

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The Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.97–5.33 Ma) was caused by the closure of the Atlantic‐Mediterranean gateways that cut through the Gibraltar orogenic system. The geodynamic drivers underlying gateway closure and re‐opening are still debated. Here, we interrogate the gateway successions to find the imprints of surface deformation, infer the timing and nature of associated geodynamic drivers, and test such inferences against numerical simulations of slab dynamics. We find that since the latest Miocene, a tectonic framework was established in the gateway region dominated simultaneously by (a) relative plate convergence, (b) slab tearing under the eastern Betic Cordillera and (c) mantle resistance against north‐northeastward dragging of the Gibraltar slab by the African plate's absolute motion. We propose that mantle‐resisted slab dragging and slab tearing operated in concert closing the gateways that caused the Messinian Salinity Crisis, whereas sinking of heavy oceanic lithosphere located between buoyant continental plates re‐opened the Strait of Gibraltar at 5.33 Ma.

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Neogene exhumation and relief evolution in the eastern Betics (SE Spain): Insights from the Sierra de Gador

Cited by 26 publications

References 40 publications

The Tell-Rif orogenic system (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the structural heritage of the southern Tethys margin

The Tell-Rif orogenic system (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and the structural heritage of the southern Tethys margin

Tectono‐Stratigraphic and Thermal Evolution of the Western Betic Flysch: Implications for the Geodynamics of South Iberian Margin and Alboran Domain

Mantle resistance against Gibraltar slab dragging as a key cause of the Messinian Salinity Crisis

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