Paleomagnetic study of the curvature of the Segre oblique zone (Southern Pyrenees)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1344/GeologicaActa2024.22.14Keywords:
Paleomagnetism, Pyrenees, Tectonic rotation, Oroclinal bendingAbstract
The origin of the obliquity of the structures at the eastern end of the central South-Pyrenean salient is investigated by means of Paleomagnetism. Earlier paleomagnetic data in the area are poorly distributed and insufficient to describe in detail the amount and age of vertical axis-rotations affecting the region. This work aims to address this issue by focusing on the Palaeocene rocks, whose magnetization if primary would record the entire rotation during the emplacement of the thrust sheet units, improving our understanding of the history of deformation and the paleogeographic implications during the Eocene. In addition to Palaeocene Garumnian facies, late Cretaceous and early Eocene marine facies were also sampled. The characteristic components of the magnetization were obtained after progressive demagnetization of the NRM of a minimum of 10 samples per site. The mean site direction, and the mean direction of groups of sites from the same structural unit were calculated. The fold test applied to a set of sites located on the Montsec thrust sheet gave positive results, indicating an age of the magnetization prior to deformation. However, evidence of postfolding magnetizations were found in other sites. The results of this study indicate significant counterclockwise rotations of the Cadí, Port del Comte, and the eastern termination of the Montsec thrust sheets, developed during the Mid Eocene to Oligocene times. These results are intended to contribute to the restitution of the initial geometry of the structures and to contribute to the paleogeographic reconstruction of the sedimentary systems of the eastern and central Pyrenees.
References
Apotria, T.G., 1995. Thrust sheet rotation and out-of-plane strains associated with oblique ramps: An example from the Wyoming salient USA. Journal of Structural Geology, 17(5), 647-662.
Arriagada, C., Roperch, P., Mpodozis, C., Cobbold, P.R., 2008. Paleogene building of the Bolivian Orocline: Tectonic restoration of the central Andes in 2‐D map view. Tectonics, 27(6), TC6014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2008TC002269
Bayona, G., Thomas, W.A., Van der Voo, R., 2003. Kinematics of thrust sheets within transverse zones: A structural and paleomagnetic investigation in the Appalachian thrust belt of Georgia and Alabama. Journal of Structural Geology, 25(8), 1193-1212.
Beamud, E., 2012. Paleomagnetism: Principles and applications. In Handbook of instrumental techniques for materials, chemical and biosciences research. Centres Científics i Tecnològics, Universitat de Barcelona, 9pp.
Beamud, E., Garcés, M., Cabrera, L., Muñoz, J.A., Almar, Y., 2003. A new middle to late Eocene continental chronostratigraphy from NE Spain. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 216(4), 501-514. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00539-9
Burbank, D.W., Puigdefàbregas, C., Muñoz, J.A., 1992a. The chronology of the Eocene tectonic and stratigraphic development of the eastern Pyrenean foreland basin, Northeast Spain. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 104(9), 1101-1120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1992)1042.3.CO;2
Burbank, D.W., Vergés, J., Muñoz, J.A., Bentham, P., 1992b. Coeval hindward- and forward-imbricating thrusting in the south-central Pyrenees, Spain; timing and rates of shortening and deposition. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 104(1), 3-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1992)1042.3.CO;2
Butler, R.F., 1998. Paleomagnetism: Magnetic domains to geologic terranes. Blackwell Scientific Publications, University of Portland, 238pp.
Cámara, P., Klimowitz, J., 1985. Interpretación geodinámica de la vertiente centro-occidentalsurpirenaica. Estudios Geológicos, 41, 391-404.
Choukroune, P., ECORS Team, 1989. The ECORS Pyrenean deep seismic profile reflection data and the overall structure of an orogenic belt. Tectonics, 8(1), 23-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/TC008i001p00023
Clavell, C., Martínez, A., Vergés, J., 1988. Morfologia del basament del Pirineu oriental: Evolució i relació amb els mantells de corriment. Acta Geològica Hispànica, 23(2), 129-140.
Coll, X., Roigé, M., Gómez-Gras, D., Teixell, A., Boya, S., Mestres, N., 2022. Interplay of multiple sediment routing systems revealed by combined sandstone petrography and heavy mineral analysis in the South Pyrenean foreland basin. Minerals, 12(2), 262. DOI: 10.3390/min12020262
Demarest, H.H., 1983. Error analysis for the determination of tectonic rotation from paleomagnetic data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 88(B5), 4321-4328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/jb088ib05p04321
Dinarès, J., 1992. Paleomagnetisme a les unitats sudpirinenques superiors: Implicacions estructurals. Doctoral Thesis. Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, 447 pp.
Dinarès, J., McClelland, E., Santanach, P., 1992. Contrasting rotations within thrust sheets and kinematics of thrust tectonics as derived from palaeomagnetic data: An example from the Southern Pyrenees. In: McClay, K.R. (ed.). Thrust Tectonics. Springer, 265-275. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3066-0_24
Eldredge, S., Bachtadse, V., Van der Voo, R., 1985. Paleomagnetism and the orocline hypothesis. Tectonophysics, 119(1-4), 153-179.
Enkin, R.J., 2003. The direction-correction tilt test: An all-purpose tilt/fold test for paleomagnetic studies. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 212(1-2), 151-166. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00238-3
Fondevilla, V., Dinarès-Turell, J., Oms, O., 2016. The chronostratigraphic framework of the South-Pyrenean Maastrichtian succession reappraised: Implications for basin development and end-Cretaceous dinosaur faunal turnover. Sedimentary Geology, 337, 55-68.
Garcés, M., García-Senz, J., Muñoz, J.A., López-Mir, B., Beamud, E., 2016. Timing of magnetization and vertical-axis rotations of the Cotiella massif (Late Cretaceous, South Central Pyrenees). Geological Society Special Publication, 425(1), 213-232. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP425.11
Garcés, M., López-Blanco, M., Valero, L., Beamud, E., Anton, J., Oliva-Urcia, B., Vinyoles, A., Arbués, P., Cabello, P., Cabrera, L., 2020. Paleogeographic and sedimentary evolution of the South-Pyrenean foreland basin. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 113, 104105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2019.104105
Garrido-Megías, A., 1972. Sobre la colocación del manto de Pedraforca y sus consecuencias: una nueva unidad tectónica independiente, “el manto del Montsec”. Boletín Geológico y Minero, 83(3), 242-248.
Garrido-Megías, A., 1973. Estudio geológico y relación entre tectónica y sedimentación del Secundario y Terciario de la vertiente meridional pirenaica en su zona central (prov. Huesca y Lérida). Doctoral dissertation. Granada, Facultad de Ciencias, 395pp.
Gómez-Gras, D., Roigé, M., Fondevilla, V., Oms, O., Boya, S., Remacha, E., 2016. Provenance constraints on the Tremp Formation paleogeography (southern Pyrenees): Ebro Massif vs Pyrenees sources. Cretaceous Research, 57, 414-427.
Grool, A.R., Ford, M., Vergés, J., Huismans, R.S., Christophoul, F., Dielforder, A., 2018. Insights into the crustal-scale dynamics of a doubly vergent orogen from a quantitative analysis of its forelands: A case study of the eastern Pyrenees. Tectonics, 37, 450-476. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017TC004731
Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), 2014. Mapa estructural de Catalunya 1:250.000. Last accessed: October, 2024. Website: https://www.icgc.cat/Administracio-i-empresa/Descarregues/Cartografia-geologica-i-geotematica/Cartografia-geologica/Altres-mapes-geologics
Juvany, P., Garcés, M., Lopez-Blanco, M., Martín Closas, C., Beamud Amorós, E., Tosquella, J., Bekkevold, S.E., 2024a. Chronostratigraphy and tectono-sedimentary history of the eastern South Pyrenean foreland basin (Ripoll Syncline, North-East Spain). Depositional Record, 10(3), 338-363. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/dep2.287
Juvany, P., Garcés, M., López-Blanco, M., Valero, L., Amorós, E.B., Poyatos-Moré, M., Rius, A.M., 2024b. Unraveling the sediment routing systems evolution of the South Pyrenean foreland basin during the lower to middle Paleogene period. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 167, 106913. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2024.106913
Keller, P., Lowrie, W., Gehring, A., 1994. Palaeomagnetic evidence for post-thrusting tectonic rotation in the Southeast Pyrenees, Spain. Tectonophysics, 239(1), 29-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(94)90105-8
Langereis, C.G., Linssen, J.H., Mullender, T.A.T., Zijderveld, J.D.A., 1989. Demagnetisation. In: James, D.E. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 201-211.
Martínez, A., Vergés, J., Muñoz, J.A., 1988. Secuencias de propagación del sistema de cabalgamientos de la terminación oriental del manto del Pedraforca y relación con los conglomerados sinorogénicos. Acta Geològica Hispànica, 23(2), 119-127.
Martínez, A., Berástegui, X., Losantos, M., Schöllhorn, E., 2001. Estructura de los mantos superior e inferior del Pedraforca (Pirineos orientales). Geogaceta, 30, 183-186.
Mochales, T., Casas, A.M., Pueyo, E.L., Barnolas, A., 2012. Rotational velocity for oblique structures (Boltaña anticline, Southern Pyrenees). Journal of Structural Geology, 35, 2-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2011.11.009
Muñoz, J.A., 1992. Evolution of a continental collision belt: ECORS-Pyrenees crustal balanced cross-section. In: McClay, K.R. (ed.). Thrust tectonics. Springer Netherlands, 235-246. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3066-0_21
Muñoz, J.A., Beamud, E., Fernández, O., Arbués, P., Dinarès, J., Poblet, J., 2013. The Ainsa Fold and thrust oblique zone of the central Pyrenees: Kinematics of a curved contractional system from paleomagnetic and structural data. Tectonics, 32(5), 1142-1175. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tect.20070
Muñoz, J.A., Mencos, J., Roca, E., Carrera, N., Gratacós, O., Ferrer, O., Fernández, Ò., 2018. The structure of the South-Central-Pyrenean fold and thrust belt as constrained by subsurface data. Geologica Acta, 16(4), 439-460. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1344/GeologicaActa2018.16.4.7
Oms, O., Canudo, J.I., 2004. Datación magnetoestratigráfica de los dinosaurios del Cretácico terminal (Maastrichtiense superior) de Arén (Huesca, Unidad Surpirenaica Central). Geo-Temas, 6(5), 51-54.
Oms, O., Dinarès, J., Vicens, E., Estrada, R., Vila, B., Galobart, À., Bravo, A.M., 2007. Integrated stratigraphy from the Vallcebre Basin (southeastern Pyrenees, Spain): New insights on the continental Cretaceous−Tertiary transition in southwest Europe. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 255(1), 35-47. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2007.02.039
Pastor-Galán, D., Mulchrone, K.F., Koymans, M.R., van Hinsbergen, D.J., Langereis, C.G., 2017. Bootstrapped total least squares orocline test: A robust method to quantify vertical-axis rotation patterns in orogens, with examples from the Cantabrian and Aegean oroclines. Lithosphere, 9(3), 499-511.
Pedrera, A., García-Senz, J., Pueyo, E.L., López-Mir, B., Silva-Casal, R., Díaz-Alvarado, J., 2023. Inhomogeneous rift inversion and the evolution of the Pyrenees. Earth-Science Reviews, 245, 104555. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104555
Puértolas-Pascual, E., Arenillas, I., Arz, J.A., Calvín, P., Ezquerro, L., García-Vicente, C., Canudo, J.I., 2018. Chronostratigraphy and new vertebrate sites from the upper Maastrichtian of Huesca (Spain), and their relation with the K/Pg boundary. Cretaceous Research, 89, 36-59.
Pueyo, E.L., Millán, H., Pocoví, A., 2002. Rotation velocity of a thrust: A paleomagnetic study in the External Sierras (Southern Pyrenees). Sedimentary Geology, 146(1-2), 191-208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0037-0738(01)00172-5
Pueyo, E.L., Pocoví, A., Parés, J.M., Millán, H., Larrasoaña, J.C., 2003. Thrust ramp geometry and spurious rotations of paleomagnetic vectors. Studia Geophysica et Geodaetica, 47, 331-357.
Pueyo, E.L., Beamud, E., Muñoz, J.A., Rodríguez-Pintó, A., San Miguel, G., 2016. Remagnetización alpina en la Serra del Cadí (Pirineo Oriental). Huelva, IX Congreso Geológico de España, 869-872.
Pueyo, E.L., Rodríguez-Pintó, A., Serra-Kiel, J., Barnolas, A., 2022. The chronology and rotational kinematics in the South-Eastern Jaca Basin (Southern Pyrenees): Las Bellostas section. Geologia Acta, 20(12), 1-29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1344/GeologicaActa2022.20.12
Puigdefàbregas, C., Muñoz, J.A., Vergés, J., 1992. Thrusting and foreland basin evolution in the southern Pyrenees. In: McClay, K.R. (ed.). Thrust tectonics. Netherlands, Springer, 247-254.
Ramón, M.J., Pueyo, E.L., Briz, J.L., Pocoví, A., Ciria, J.C., 2012. Flexural unfolding of horizons using paleomagnetic vectors. Journal of Structural Geology, 35, 28-39.
Ramón, M.J., Pueyo, E.L., Caumon, G., Briz, J.L., 2016. Parametric unfolding of flexural folds using palaeomagnetic vectors. London, The Geological Society, 425(1, Special Publications), 247-258.
Rosell, J., Robles, S., 1975. Le Paléogène marin de la Catalogne. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 7(XVII), 2, 195-198.
Rosell, J., Linares, R., Llompart, C., 2001. El “garumniense” prepirenaico. Revista de la Sociedad Geológica de España, 14(1-2), 47-56.
Séguret, M., 1972. Étude tectonique des nappes et séries décollées de la partie centrale du versant sud des Pyrénées. Publications de l'USTELA, Montpellier, Série Géologie Structurale, 2, 155pp.
Simó, A., Puigdefàbregas, C., 1985. Transition from shelf to basin on an active slope, upper Cretaceous, Tremp area, southern Pyrenees. Lerida (Spain), Excursion guide-book for the 6th European Regional Meeting, 63-108.
Souquet, P., Peybernès, B., Bilotte, M., Debroas, E.J., Rey, J., Canerot, J., 1977. Nouvelle esquisse structurale des Pyrénées. Toulouse, Publications de l'Université Paul Sabatier, Série Géologie, 8, 1-16.
Sussman, A.J., Butler, R.F., Dinarès, J., Vergés, J., 2004. Vertical-axis rotation of a foreland fold and implications for orogenic curvature: An example from the Southern Pyrenees, Spain. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 218(3), 435-449. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00644-7
Sussman, A.J., Pueyo, E.L., Chase, C.G., Mitra, G., Weil, A.B., 2012. The impact of vertical-axis rotations on shortening estimates. Lithosphere, 4(5), 383-394.
Tarling, D.H., 1971. Principles and applications of palaeomagnetism. London, Chapman and Hall, 160pp.
Teixell, A., 1998. Crustal structure and orogenic material budget in the west central Pyrenees. Tectonics, 17, 395-406. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/98TC00561
Teixell, A., Labaume, P., Ayarza, P., Espurt, N., de Saint Blanquat, M., Lagabrielle, Y., 2018. Crustal structure and evolution of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian belt: A review and new interpretations from recent concepts and data. Tectonophysics, 724-725, 146-170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2018.01.009
Vergés, J., 1989. Estudi de la sedimentació i de l'estructura en el davant del mantell del Pedraforca: Evolució de la conca de l'Eocè sud-pirinenc. Doctoral dissertation. Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, 180pp.
Vergés, J., 2003. Evolución de los sistemas de rampas oblicuas de los Pirineos meridionales: fallas del Segre y Pamplona. Boletín Geológico y Minero, 114(1), 87-101.
Vergés, J., Muñoz, J.A., 1990. Thrust sequence in the southern central Pyrenees. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 6(2), 265-271. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2113/gssgfbull.VI.2.265
Vergés, J., Millán, H., Roca, E., Berástegui, X., García-Senz, J., García-Vila, M., Santanach, P., 1995. Eastern Pyrenees and related foreland basins: Pre-, syn- and post-collisional crustal-scale cross-sections. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 12(8), 903-915.
Vergés, J., Fernández, M., Martínez, A., 2002. The Pyrenean orogen: Pre-, syn-, and post-collisional evolution. Journal of the Virtual Explorer, 8, 55-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3809/jvirtex.2002.00058
Weil, A.B., Sussman, A.J., 2004. Classifying curved orogens based on timing relationships between structural development and vertical-axis rotations. In: Sussman, A.J., Weil, A.B. (eds.). Orogenic curvature: Integrating paleomagnetic and structural analyses. Geological Society of America, 383, 1-15.
Wilkerson, M.S., Apotria, T., Farid, T., 2002. Interpreting the geologic map expression of contractional fault-related fold terminations as a function of fault geometry and displacement distance. Journal of Structural Geology, 24(4), 593-607. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8141(01)00108-5
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright
Geologica Acta is the property of the UB, GEO3BCN, IDAEA and UAB. Geologica Acta must be cited for any partial or full reproduction. Papers are distributed under the Attribution-Share Alike Creative Commons License. This license allows anyone to reproduce and disseminate the content of the journal and even make derivative works crediting authorship and provenance and distributing possible derivative works under the same or an equivalent license.
Author Rights
Authors retain the copyright on their papers and are authorized to post them on their own web pages or institutional repositories. The copyright was retained by the journal from the year 2003 until 2009. In all cases, the complete citation and a link to the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) of the article must be included.
The authors can use excerpts or reproduce illustrations of their papers in other works without prior permission from Geologica Acta provided the source of the paper including the complete citation is fully acknowledged.