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Neogene to recent contraction and basin inversion along the Nubia‐Iberia boundary in SW Iberia
Author(s) -
Ramos Adrià,
Fernández Oscar,
Terrinha Pedro,
Muñoz Josep Anton
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
tectonics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.465
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1944-9194
pISSN - 0278-7407
DOI - 10.1002/2016tc004262
Subject(s) - geology , neogene , seismology , induced seismicity , inversion (geology) , passive margin , bathymetry , structural basin , paleontology , tectonics , oceanography , rift
The SW of Iberia is currently undergoing compression related to the convergence between Nubia and Iberia. Multiple compressive structures, and their related seismic activity, have been documented along the diffuse Nubia‐Iberia plate boundary, including the Gorringe bank west of the Gulf of Cadiz, and the Betic‐Rif orogen to the east. Despite seismic activity indicating a dominant compressive stress along the Algarve margin in the Gulf of Cadiz, the structures at the origin of this seismicity remain elusive. This paper documents the contractional structures that provide linkage across the Gulf of Cadiz and play a major role in defining the present‐day seismicity and bathymetry of this area. The structures described in this paper caused the Neogene inversion of the Jurassic oblique passive margin that formed between the central Atlantic and the Ligurian Tethys. This example of a partially inverted margin provides insights into the factors that condition the inversion of passive margins.