Sedimentary markers in the Provençal Basin (western Mediterranean): a window into deep geodynamic processes

Estelle Leroux (1, 2) , Daniel Aslanian (3) , Marina Rabineau (1) , Maryline Moulin (3) , Didier Granjeon (4) , Christian Gorini (2) , Laurence Droz (1)

1 LDO - Domaines Océaniques
2 iSTeP - Institut des Sciences de la Terre de Paris
3 GM - Unité Géosciences Marines
4 IFPEN - IFP Energies nouvelles

Deep Earth dynamics impact so strongly on surface geological processes that we can use sediment palaeo-markers as a window into the deeper Earth. Derived from climatic and tectonic erosive actions on the continents, and related to eustasy, subsidence and isostasy, the sediment in a deep basin is the main recorder of these processes. Nevertheless, defining and quantifying the relative roles of parameters that interact to give the final sedimentary architecture is not a simple task. Using a 3D-grid of seismic and wide-angle data, boreholes and numerical stratigraphic modelling, we propose here a quantification of post-rift vertical movements in the Provençal Basin (West Mediterranean) involving three domains of subsidence: seaward tilting on the platform and the slope and purely vertical subsidence in the deep basin. These domains fit the deeper crustal domains highlighted by previous geophysical data. Post-break-up sedimentary markers may therefore be used to identify the initial hinge lines of the rifting phase and the subsidence laws.

Domaines: Géophysique [physics.geo-ph]; Stratigraphie

Estelle Leroux, Daniel Aslanian, Marina Rabineau, Maryline Moulin, Didier Granjeon, et al.. Sedimentary markers in the Provençal Basin (western Mediterranean): a window into deep geodynamic processes. Terra Nova, 2015, 27 (2), pp.122-129. ⟨10.1111/ter.12139⟩. ⟨hal-01136100⟩