@article{DielforderFrascaBruneetal.2019, author = {Dielforder, Armin and Frasca, Gianluca and Brune, Sascha and Ford, Mary}, title = {Formation of the Iberian-European convergent plate boundary fault and its effect on intraplate deformation in Central Europe}, series = {Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems}, volume = {20}, journal = {Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems}, number = {5}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1525-2027}, doi = {10.1029/2018GC007840}, pages = {2395 -- 2417}, year = {2019}, abstract = {With the Late Cretaceous onset of Africa-Iberia-Europe convergence Central Europe experienced a pulse of intraplate shortening lasting some 15-20 Myr. This deformation event documents area-wide deviatoric compression of Europe and has been interpreted as a far-field response to Africa-Iberia-Europe convergence. However, the factors that governed the compression of Europe and conditioned the transient character of the deformation event have remained unclear. Based on mechanical considerations, numerical simulations, and geological reconstructions, we examine how the dynamics of intraplate deformation were governed by the formation of a convergent plate boundary fault between Iberia and Europe. During the Late Cretaceous, plate convergence was accommodated by the inversion of a young hyperextended rift system separating Iberia from Europe. Our analysis shows that the strength of the lithosphere beneath this rift was initially sufficient to transmit large compressive stresses far into Europe, though the lithosphere beneath the rift was thinned and thermally weakened. Continued convergence forced the formation of the plate boundary fault between Iberia and Europe. The fault evolved progressively and constituted a lithospheric-scale structure at the southern margin of Europe that weakened rheologically. This development caused a decrease in mechanical coupling between Iberia and Europe and a reduction of compressional far field stresses, which eventually terminated intraplate deformation in Central Europe. Taken together, our findings suggest that the Late Cretaceous intraplate deformation event records a high force transient that relates to the earliest strength evolution of a lithospheric-scale plate boundary fault.}, language = {en} } @article{LescoutreTugendBruneetal.2019, author = {Lescoutre, Rodolphe and Tugend, Julie and Brune, Sascha and Masini, Emmanuel and Manatschal, Gianreto}, title = {Thermal Evolution of Asymmetric Hyperextended Magma-Poor Rift Systems: Results From Numerical Modeling and Pyrenean Field Observations}, series = {Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems}, volume = {20}, journal = {Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems}, number = {10}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1525-2027}, doi = {10.1029/2019GC008600}, pages = {4567 -- 4587}, year = {2019}, abstract = {We investigate the thermal and structural evolution of asymmetric rifted margin using numerical modeling and geological observations derived from the Western Pyrenees. Our numerical model provides a self-consistent physical evolution of the top basement heat flow during asymmetric rifting. The model shows a pronounced thermal asymmetry that is caused by migration of the rift center toward the upper plate. The same process creates a diachronism for the record of maximum heat flow and maximum temperatures (T-max) in basal rift sequences. The Mauleon-Arzacq basin (W-Pyrenees) corresponds to a former mid-Cretaceous asymmetric hyperextended rift basin. New vitrinite reflectance data in addition to existing data sets from this basin reveal an asymmetry in the distribution of peak heat (T-max) with respect to the rift shoulders, where highest values are located at the former upper- to lower-plate transition. This data set from the Arzacq-Mauleon field study confirms for the first time the thermal asymmetry predicted by numerical models. Numerical modeling results also suggest that complexities in synrift thermal architecture could arise when hanging-wall-derived extensional allochthons and related T-max become part of the lower plate and are transported away from the upper- to lower-plate transition. This study emphasizes the limitations of the common approach to integrate punctual thermal data from pre-rift to synrift sedimentary sequences in order to describe the rift-related thermal evolution and paleothermal gradients at the scale of a rift basin or a rifted margin.}, language = {en} } @article{CausFrijiaParenteetal.2016, author = {Caus, Esmeralda and Frijia, Gianluca and Parente, Mariano and Robles-Salcedo, Raquel and Villalonga, Raquel}, title = {Constraining the age of the last marine sediments in the late Cretaceous of central south Pyrenees (NE Spain): Insights from larger benthic foraminifera and strontium isotope stratigraphy}, series = {Cretaceous research}, volume = {57}, journal = {Cretaceous research}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {London}, issn = {0195-6671}, doi = {10.1016/j.cretres.2015.05.012}, pages = {402 -- 413}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The uppermost Cretaceous (upper Campanian-Maastrichtian) marine deposits of the central south Pyrenees host a rich larger benthic foraminiferal fauna and several rudist-rich levels. These marine deposits are directly overlain by the continental facies of the Aren and Tremp Formations, which are famous for their fossil dinosaur remains. Larger benthic foraminiferal distribution documents an important faunal turnover in all the carbonate platform environments within the photic zone, from open marine to littoral areas. Biostratigraphy indicates that this turnover occurred close to the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary. This is also confirmed by strontium isotope stratigraphy which indicates an earliest Maastrichtian age for the appearance of the larger benthic foraminiferal assemblage constituted by Lepidorbitoides socialis, Clypeorbis mammillata, Wannierina cataluniensis, Orbitoides gruenbachensis, Siderolites aff. calcitrapoides, Fascispira colomi, Omphalocyclus macroporus and Laffiteina mengaudi. In particular, a numerical age of 71 Ma is obtained for the Hippurites radiosus level, just a few meters below the first continental deposits of the Aren sensu stricto Formation. The youngest marine sediments of the central south Pyrenees are early Maastrichtian in age. This is also an important constraint for the age of the end-Cretaceous dinosaur fossil localities of the Tremp basin. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{BoixFrijiaVicedoetal.2011, author = {Boix, Carme and Frijia, Gianluca and Vicedo, Vicent and Bernaus, Josep M. and Di Lucia, Matteo and Parente, Mariano and Caus, Esmeralda}, title = {Larger foraminifera distribution and strontium isotope stratigraphy of the La Cova limestones (Coniacian-Santonian, "Serra del Montsec", Pyrenees, NE Spain)}, series = {Cretaceous research}, volume = {32}, journal = {Cretaceous research}, number = {6}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {London}, issn = {0195-6671}, doi = {10.1016/j.cretres.2011.05.009}, pages = {806 -- 822}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The Upper Cretaceous La Cova limestones (southern Pyrenees, Spain) host a rich and diverse larger foraminiferal fauna, which represents the first diversification of K-strategists after the mass extinction at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. The stratigraphic distribution of the main taxa of larger foraminifera defines two assemblages. The first assemblage is characterised by the first appearance of lacazinids (Pseudolacazina loeblichi) and mean-dropsinids (Eofallotia simplex), by the large agglutinated Montsechiana montsechiensis, and by several species of complex rotalids (Rotorbinella campaniola, Iberorotalia reicheli, Orbitokhatina wondersmitti and Calcarinella schaubi). The second assemblage is defined by the appearance of Lacazina pyrenaica, Palandrosina taxyae and Martiguesia cyclamminiformis. A late Coniacian-early Santonian age was so far accepted for the La Cova limestones, based on indirect correlation with deep-water fades bearing planktic foraminifers of the Dicarinella concavata zone. Strontium isotope stratigraphy, based on many samples of pristine biotic calcite of rudists and ostreids, indicates that the La Cova limestones span from the early Coniacian to the early-middle Santonian boundary. The first assemblage of larger foraminifera appears very close to the early-middle Coniacian boundary and reaches its full diversity by the middle Coniacian. The originations defining the second assemblage are dated as earliest Santonian: they represent important bioevents to define the Coniacian-Santonian boundary in the shallow-water facies of the South Pyrenean province. By means of the calibration of strontium isotope stratigraphy to the Geological Time Scale, the larger foraminiferal assemblages of the La Cova limestones can be correlated to the standard biozonal scheme of ammonites, planktonic foraminifers and calcareous nannoplankton. This correlation is a first step toward a larger foraminifera standard biozonation for Upper Cretaceous carbonate platform facies.}, language = {en} } @article{CausParenteVicedoetal.2013, author = {Caus, Esmeralda and Parente, Mariano and Vicedo, Vicent and Frijia, Gianluca and Martinez, Ricard}, title = {Broeckina gassoensis sp nov., a larger foraminiferal index fossil for the middle Coniacian shallow-water deposits of the Pyrenean Basin (NE Spain)}, series = {Cretaceous research}, volume = {45}, journal = {Cretaceous research}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {London}, issn = {0195-6671}, doi = {10.1016/j.cretres.2013.08.002}, pages = {76 -- 90}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The Upper Cretaceous shallow-water carbonates of the Pyrenean Basin (NE Spain) host rich and diverse larger foraminiferal associations which witness the recovery of this group of protozoans after the dramatic extinction of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval. In this paper a new, large discoidal porcelaneous foraminifer, Broeckina gassoensis sp. nov., is described from the middle Coniacian shallow-water deposits of the Collada Gasso Formation, in the Boixols Thrust Sheet. This is the first complex porcelaneous larger foraminifer of the Late Cretaceous global community maturation cycle recorded in the Pyrenean bioprovince. It differs from the late Santonian-early Campanian B. dufrenoyi for its smaller size in A and B generations and the less developed endoskeleton, which shows short septula. Broeckina gassoensis sp. nov. has been widely employed as a stratigraphic marker in the regional geological literature, under the name of "Broeckina", but its age was so far controversial. Its middle Coniacian age (lowermost part of the Peroniceras tridorsatum ammonite zone), established in this paper by strontium isotope stratigraphy, indicates that it took about 5 My after the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary crisis to re-evolve the complex test architecture of larger foraminifera, which is functional to their relation with photosymbiotic algae and K-strategy.}, language = {en} }