The Western Alps, from Rift to Passive Margin to Orogenic Belt

429 Pages·2011·36.71 MB·English

by  Pierre-Charles De Graciansky

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AN INTEGRATED GEOSCIENCE
OVERVIEW
PIERRE-CHARLES DE GRACIANSKY
Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris (France)
DAVID G. ROBERTS
University of London, Egham, Surrey (United Kingdom)
PIERRE TRICART
University of Grenoble (France)
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First edition 2011
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CONTENTS
Foreword xiii
Acknowledgements XV
Lisotffi gures xix
Par1t: Introduction
1. GeosyncliPnaesss,i Mvaer ginFso,r elaBnads inasn dF olded
BeltAsn: I ntroduction 3
1.P rologue 3
2.O rogeneRsoicsDk,e formataindoD ne velopmoefnt th eT hruCsotn cept 4
3.M ountaBienl atnsd t heG eosyncTlhienoarl(y 81 5 99-615 ) 7
4.G eophysaincdaG le ologiExcplaolr toain int heO ceanF:i rSstte ps
andR esults 9
5.C ontineDnrtiaaflnt d P laTteec tonPircisn:c iples 11
6.S edimentaint Oicoena nic BaansdPi rnosb leimnPs a laeodepth
Reconstruction 23
7.T heW ilsCoync lMeo:u ntaBienl tPsa,s siMvaer giannsd F oreland
Basin-FoBledletds 24
2. TheA lpsP:r eseDnaty S tructure 29
1.T heA lpMsa:i Snu bdivisions 30
2.T heC entraanldW esteArlnp Msa:j oSrt ructTurreanld s 34
3.A lpiMneet amorphism 42
4.T heA rc tohfeW esteArlnp Cso mparetdot heC entrAallp s 44
5.D eepS tructouftr heeA lpFsr omG eophysSitcuadli es 45
3. On theO rigionft heA lps: The Vanished Oceans 55
1.N appSet ratigarnadpt hhyeE xisteonftc hee P re-AlTpeitnhey an
OceanDiocm ain 56
2.O rigionfts h eT ethys 58
3.T heD evelopmoefnt th eT ethiynst heC retaceous 65
4.E volutoifto hne L iguro-PieTmeotnhtyaTsei:ts h yaannd A lpiPnhea ses 70
5.A lpiPnael aeogeogDroampahiincisn t heC onteoxftt heL iguro-Piemontais
Oceaann dC ontineMnatragli n 73
6.T heA lpiPnhea sLea,t Cer etaceaonudTs e rtiary 74
vii
viii Contents
4. HercyniIannh eritaTnecteh,y aRni ftianngd A lpinNea ppes 77
1.T heA lpifnoel dbienlcto rporpaatroetfs t heH ercynfioladnb elt 78
2.R elatiBoentsw eeHne rcynTieatnh,y aannd A lpiSnter uctUunriatls 81
3.C onclunss io 94
ParItI :T heT ethyPsh ase 97
5. TheA geo ft heO nseotf T ethyan RiifntW iensgt erEnu rope 99
1.T hep re-ranidfs ty n-prhiafstoe fst heJ urasTseitch ys 100
2.T heT riastsriacn sgressive-regorfWe essstievEreun r coypacet l:ue r ning
poinitnt her edevelopomfTe entth ys 101
3.C ompariosfot nh eT riasmsaijcot rr ansgressive-cryecglfrere osms ive
theB riancontnota hieRs h onvea lley 108
4.R elatioonfst hhieMp i ddlTer iassiCca ranniedax nt ensieovneanltt os
riftoiftn hge L igurTieatnh ys 1 1 1
5.T riaspsailca eogeogarnadpt hhyel inoefo penionfgt heL igurTieatnh ys
int heJ urassic 1 1 2
6.E ndo ft heT rias(sLiacNt oer iaannd R haetiaanndo) n seotfr iftiinn g
theL igurTieatnh ys 112
6. TheP re-LiguTreitahny Rsi fPth asoen t heE uropeaMna rgin 115
1.S tructfuorremseb dy r ifting 11 7
2.S tructfurraamle woorft kh eE uropemaanr gionfT ethiynst heA lps 131
3.E videnocfee x tensainodpn u lserdi ftdiunrgi tnhge L atTer iassic
andJ urassic 137
4.M odeosf s ubsidednurciegn rifting 142
5.S ummarTyh:e f utuEruer opecaonn tinemnatraglii nnt heW estern
andC entrAallpd su ritnhge r ipfhta se 144
7. LatJeu rassaincdE arlCyr etaceoDuesv elopmeonftt he
EuropeaMna rgiSnp readionftg h eL igurPoi-emontOaciesa n 147
1.T hea geo ft heo nseotft hep ost-prhiafstae n ds prdeiagn oft he
Liguro-piemOcoenatna is 148
2.O rganizaotfti hoeEn u ropemaanr gionft heT ethiynst heL atJeu rassic
andE arClrye taceous 148
3.I nterpreotfat thieVo anl aziosn ea:n oceanico fEb aarsCliryne taceous
ageo ra failreidsf utp erimpoonst ehdeT ethymaanr gin? 150
4.T heb ehavioofut rh eS ainBte rnard-MRoonst(ae' SBbRl'o)cd ku ritnhge
LatJeu rassicC-rEeatralcyer oiupfsht a se 162
Contents ix
5.R iftoifnL ga tJeu rassicC-rEeatralcyea ogueis n t heW esteArlnp s 163
6.S ummarayn dC onclusiDoenfso:r matoifto hneE uropeMaanr gin
DurinSgp readoifnt gh eT ethys 166
8. TheL atCer etaceoPuhsa saen dt heO nseotf t heA lpine
Shortening 169
1.E volutoifto hne E uropemaanr gionft he Teithnty hseL atCer etaceous:
earAllyp idneef ormation 169
2.T heP elag'iGci obigerinimdu-dbseo'af tr hieWn egs tearnnd C entrAallp s
anda ssocicaltaesdt ic sediments:o fde exmtoennsstitroeanctatiloo nni c1s7 5
3.E volutoifto hne d eformaftiioeinln dt heC entraanldW esteArlnp s
duritnhgeL atCer etaceous 179
4.C ompariwsiotnth h eP yreneaensdP rovendcoem ains 179
5.K inemataincdus p lidfutr itnhge L atCer etaceous 182
9. TheT ethyan MairngC ionr sica 183
1.H ercynainadnA lpiCnoer sica 183
2.T heI nitPioasli toifCo onr siDcuar intgh eM esozoic 185
3.T heT ransiftriootmnh eC orsica-PrPolvaetnfctoeor t mh e
Liguro-PiemOocnetaani s 186
4. . Summary: Charaocftt heeTr eitshtyiMacansr giinnC orsica 188
10 .T heA pulia-AfMriacragnio nf t heL iguro-piemoOncteaains:
TheT ransitfiroonmC ontinetnotO cean 189
1.S outheArlnpT sr anseNcotr:t heIrtnat loyS outheSrwni tzerland 190
2.T heG riso(n=Gs r aubi:ntdreann)si enec ats teSrwni tzerland 196
3.S ummarayn dC onclusion 203
11.L iguro-piemoOnpthaiiosl iatnedst heA lpinPea laeo-Ocean 205
1.O phiolites 206
2.O ceanSiecd iments 235
3.S ummarayn dC onclusions 239
12.R ecapitulaatnidCo onm parisoOncse:a nasn dC ontinental
Marginisnt heA lpsa,n O verview 243
1.A shorpta laeogeogrraepmhiincd er 244
2.R ifticnogm:p arisaonnds reflections 245
3.C ontinernutpatlu arnede xhumatoifot nh eu ppemra ntle 254