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Evidence for a synchronous circum‐Iberian subsidence event and its relation to the African‐Iberian plate convergence in the Late Cretaceous
Author(s) -
Reicherter K.R.,
Pletsch T.K.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-3121.2000.123276.x
Subject(s) - geology , cretaceous , subsidence , mesozoic , paleontology , tectonics , tectonic subsidence , sedimentary rock , structural basin , seismology
Subsidence curves from Mesozoic sedimentary basins at the southern Iberian margin (Betic Cordilleras) display pronounced changes in subsidence rates around 85 Ma (chron 34, Late Cretaceous, Santonian to earliest Campanian). The subsidence events correlate with changes in the bulk and clay mineral composition in these basins, as well as with an Eoalpine high‐pressure metamorphic event in the western Mediterranean region. The synchroneity with subsidence events observed in basins around the Iberian microplate suggests a causal relationship with the regional plate tectonic setting. We propose that the circum‐Iberian subsidence event was largely controlled by the convergence and incipient collision of the Iberian microplate with Africa.