The Subhercynian Basin: An example of an intraplate foreland basin due to a broken plate

Abstract

Abstract. The Late Cretaceous, intraplate shortening event in Central Western Europe is associated with a number of marine basins of relatively high amplitude and short wavelength (2–3 km depth and 20–100 km width). In particular, the Harz Mountains, a basement uplift on a single, relatively steeply dipping, basement thrust, have filled the adjacent Subhercynian Cretaceous Basin with their erosive product, proving that the two were related and synchronous. The problem of generating subsidence of this general style and geometry in an intraplate setting is dealt with here, by using an elastic flexural model conditioned to take account of basement thrusts as weak zones in the lithosphere. Using a relatively simple configuration of this kind, we reproduce many of the basic features of the Subhercynian Cretaceous Basin and related basement thrusts. As a result, we suggest that overall, these basins share many characteristics with larger scale, foreland basins associated with collisional orogens on plate boundaries.

Dawn and dusk of Late Cretaceous basin inversion in central Europe

“…Instead, the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean caused a northward drift of the African Plate and led to a transfer of compression via the Iberian Peninsula to the European Craton and its foreland. Voigt (1963) first recognized the formation of Late Cretaceous "marginal troughs" or thrust-load basins (compare Nielsen and Hansen, 2000;Hindle and Kley, 2020) in central Europe and found their development to be frequently related to the inversion of former basin structures. Nielsen and Hansen (2000) explained the formation of primary marginal troughs through loading by the thickened lithosphere of the inverted structures.…”

“…Flexure and subsidence of an elastic crust under a tectonic load immediately create new accommodation space (Nielsen and Hansen, 2000;Hindle and Kley, 2020). If this space is completely filled by deposits, enhanced sediment thickness directly reflects the onset of loading and, thus, basin inversion.…”

Reply on RC1

“…In such cases it may well be necessary to look for solutions incorporating variable elastic thickness, especially around mountain fronts in foreland basins. Flexure models may also be used to study the dynamics of past flexural events (Burkhard and Sommaruga, 1998;DeCelles and Giles, 1996;Horton and DeCelles, 1997;Beaumont, 1981;Hagen et al, 1985;Hindle and Kley, 2020) where they are often used to model subsidence patterns and explain basin formation. In many of these cases too, variable elastic thickness is likely to need taking account of.…”

Together but separate: decoupled Variscan (late Carboniferous) and Alpine (Late Cretaceous – Paleogene) inversion tectonics in NW Poland

“…Increased Late Cretaceous subsidence, related to flexural bending of both flanks of the uplifted Mid-Polish Anticlinorium (cf. Hindle and Kley, 2020) and combined with globally high Cretaceous sea level, created relatively large accommodation space filled by syn-kinematic Upper Cretaceous strata. On the other hand, progressive growth of particular inversion structures, including also compressionally -reactivated salt diapirs, led to localised reduction of accommodation space and erosion, associated with formation of growth strata characterised by thickness reductions, progressive unconformities and facies changes (Leszczyński, 2012(Leszczyński, , 2002Krzywiec, 2002aKrzywiec, , 2006bKrzywiec, , 2012Krzywiec and Stachowska, 2016;Krzywiec et al, 2009;.…”