A.J. Sussman
Department of Geology, Bryn Mawr College, PA 19010, Bryn Mawr. USA. [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Paleomagnetic samples were collected from 51 sites in the upper Eocene-Lower Oligocene continental synorogenic strata of the Oliana anticline, a foreland fold along the eastern margin of the South Pyrenean-Central Unit. Site- mean characteristic remanent magnetization directions were determined from 17 sites through thermal demagnetization and principal component analysis. In addition, 72 samples were collected from 39 stratigraphic levels spanning the Upper Eocene marine marls and treated with thermal and AF demagnetization techniques. Of these, 53 samples yielded demagnetization trajectories that further constrained the rotation. Comparison of the observed mean paleomagnetic direction from the Oliana anticline with the expected direction indicates a counterclockwise rotation (R ± D R) of 20.3° ± 10.9°. Based on the stratigraphic horizons recording the rotation, the age of the rotation is younger than ~34 Ma (after deposition of synorogenic Unit 3). Data covering the upper Eocene- Lower Oligocene time interval indicate a similar magnitude of rotation, suggesting that late stage emplacement of thrust sheets hinterlandward of the Oliana anticline controlled the rotation, with rotation accommodated along regionally extensive evaporites.
Key words: paleomagnetism, vertical-axis rotation, Oliana anticline, Pyrenees.
INTRODUCTION
Along the eastern side of the South-Central Unit, the Montsec and Serres Marginals thrusts dip to the northwest and are exposed northwest and southwest of the doubly plunging, southwest-northeast trending Oliana anticline (Fig. 1) (e.g. Vergés and Muñoz, 1990). The key to unraveling the four-dimensional development of structures in this region is the presence of synorogenic sedimentary sequences that surround the Oliana anticline (Fig. 1). The synorogenic deposits include the Eocene Igualada Marls and four continental units (Units 1-4). Whereas the marls represent the latest marine deposits, the remaining four synorogenic units are part of an alluvial fan system. On the northwest limb of the Oliana anticline, the proximal synorogenic strata were described by authors such as Burbank et al. (1992a).
The distal correlative strata along the eastern limb of the fold, described by Sussman and Curtin (2002), include middle to distal fan stream-dominated deposits of Unit 1 that grade upwards to proximal fan debris flows and stream-dominated alluvial fan deposits in Unit 2, followed by a transition to distal fan deposits in Units 3 and 4. Geochronologic calibrations established from magnetostratigraphy determined Eocene-Oligocene ages for the synorogenic deposits, whereas field relationships between the synorogenic deposits, the Oliana anticline, and Serres Marginals and Montsec thrusts, were used to determine timing of fault motions and
bracket the age of deformation between 39-34 Ma (e.g. Burbank et al., 1992b).
The geometry of the Oliana anticline, and the change of this geometry through time affects the analysis the paleomagnetic data, especially with respect to the plunge and trend of the anticlinal noses.
In the northwestern limb, the bedding dips decrease from ~45˚ in the Upper Eocene marine strata to ~20˚
in the Oligocene Unit 4 strata (Fig. 1). This limb was directly affected by late stage thrusting, thus, the change in bed dips does not necessarily represent a progressive change in the growth of the fold. In the southeastern limb, dips progressively vary from ~65˚
in the marls through horizontal in Unit 4 (Fig. 1). To apply the appropriate structural corrections to the paleomagnetic data, it was determined that the northeastern portion of the fold plunges 12˚ towards 053˚, and the southwestern portion of the fold plunges 3˚ towards 247˚.
PALEOMAGNETIC DATA AND RESULTS Paleomagnetic samples were collected from 51 sites from four sectors within the synorogenic deposits of the Oliana anticline (Fig. 1). Collection and processing procedures can be found in Sussman et al. (2004). Thermal demagnetization employed 12 to 16 temperature steps ranging from 200°C to 685°C using a furnace with magnetic fields less than 10 nT in the sample region. At most sites, intensities of natural remanent magnetism (NRM) were in the
range 5 ¥ 10-4 to 3 ¥ 10- 3 A/m. Example vector component diagrams, details of thermal demagnetization behaviors and site mean
characteristic directions are presented in Sussman et al. (2004).
FIGURE 1: Geologic map of the study area. The three main structural elements of the study area are the Montsec thrust sheet, the Serres Marginals thrust sheet, and the Oliana Anticline. The unique preservation of four continental synorogenic units (U1-U4) that provide reliable paleomagnetic declinations allows for the temporal and geometric relationship between thrusting, folding and rotation to be deciphered. The arrows on the map represent the 21 site mean directions from the best data (see Sussman et al., 2004 for details). Inset: The Pyrenees.
observed D = 347.9°
I = 46.6°
a 95 = 9.0°
N
E
S W
R±DDDD R = -20.3°±10.9°
expected D = 8.2°
I = 51.2°
FIGURE 2: Combined site-mean paleomagnetic directions from continental strata and marine marls.
Grand mean observed paleomagnetic direction are
shown by gray squares with surrounding 95%
confidence limits. R±D R is the vertical-axis rotation determined by comparison of mean observed and expected declinations.
Samples were also collected and processed from 39 stratigraphic levels (72 samples) spanning the marine Late Eocene marls. NRM intensities for the marine sediment are in the range 2 x 10-4 and 3 x 10-3 A/m. AF demagnetization employed 15 steps up to alternating fields of 100 mT. A total of 53 samples yielded demagnetization trajectories of sufficient quality to provide rotational constraints for the Oliana anticline, with details in Sussman et al. (2004). In order to further substantiate the vertical-axis rotation of the Oliana anticline, site-mean ChRM directions were determined from these marine data and incorporated with continental data.
Cumulatively, the grand-mean paleomagnetic direction from the Upper Eocene – Lower Oligocene
synorogenic deposits (D-347.9˚, I=46.6˚,a 95 = 9.0˚) indicate that the Oliana anticline has rotated counterclockwise about a vertical axis (Fig. 2). Using the Ebro Basin (Chattian) Late Oligocene reference direction (Gomis et al., 1997), the expected direction at the collecting location is: inclination (I) = 51.2°±2.3° and declination (D) = 8.2°±3.3°.
Comparing the observed and expected declinations
using methods of Beck (1980) and Demarest (1983) yields rotation values (R±D R) of –20.3°±10.9° (95%
confidence limits), indicating a counterclockwise rotation of ~20°. The observed inclination is concordant (F±D F = 4.6° ± 7.4°) with the expected inclination.
FIGURE 3: Rotation of the Oliana anticline: (a) Incipient development of the Oliana Antcline. (b) By ~37 Ma, the Oliana anticline has developed into a small duplex. (c) With continued motion along a regional detachment (the Cardona evaporite), and emplacement of thrusts in the north, the Oliana anticline is carried forward and is rotated counterclockwise by ~20˚.
CONCLUSIONS
In the Oliana area, the youngest rocks sampled were from Unit 2 (37-35Ma), bounding the oldest events that could have served as the cause for the recorded rotation (Fig. 1). Therefore, the most likely mechanisms for rotation are emplacement of breakback imbricates in the Serres Marginals and Montsec thrust sheets and late stage motion along the Serres Marginals thrust (Fig.3). By combining these data with previous investigations of the region (e.g.
Vergés and Muñoz, 1990; Burbank et al., 1992a y b;
Dinarès et al., 1992; Meigs and Burbank, 1997), Sussman et al. (2004) interpret that the following sequence of events took place:
(1) (~38-37 Ma) Deposition of Unit 1, reactivation of the Serres Marginals thrust and initiation of blind thrusts coring the Oliana anticline
(2) (~37- 35 Ma) Deposition of Unit 2 during break- back imbrication of the Serres Marginals thrust and continued folding of the Oliana anticline.
Rotation begins during this time interval as the Serres Marginals thrust sheet begins to move towards the foreland.
(3) (~36-34 Ma) Deposition of Unit 3 by 3 km of shortening along the reactivated Montsec thrust.
Tightening of the Oliana anticline and additional motion along the Serres Marginals thrust occurs during this time interval. The whole region is translated ~11 km to the south over a footwall ramp in the core of the duplex underlying the Oliana anticline.
Analysis of synorogenic units in the Oliana Anticline allows us to constrain the direction and magnitude of vertical-axis rotations. In terms of timing, the data suggests that most of the ~20˚ of counterclockwise rotation occurred after ~34 Ma, because there does not appear to be any increase in rotation magnitudes back through time. The timing of the rotation age constraint suggests that emplacement of thrust imbricates and continued motion of thrusts behind the Oliana anticline served to drive the system forelandward, with the rotation taking place on evaporites underlying the area.
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