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Palaeomagnetic constraints on the geodynamic evolution of the Gibraltar Arc
Author(s) -
Krijgsman Wout,
Garcés Miguel
Publication year - 2004
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2004.00564.x
Subject(s) - geology , neogene , subduction , arc (geometry) , paleontology , extensional definition , back arc basin , sedimentary basin , rotation (mathematics) , structural basin , geodynamics , seismology , mediterranean climate , tectonics , geometry , archaeology , geography , mathematics
Abstract Subduction zone roll‐back was recently put forward as a convincing model to explain the geometry and evolution of the Gibraltar Arc. For other subduction‐related arc systems of the Mediterranean, such as the Calabrian Arc and the Hellenic Arc, palaeomagnetic rotation data from Neogene extensional basins provided important constraints on geodynamic evolution models. Here, we present the results of a palaeomagnetic study of 13 continuous sections that are located in E–W transects across the Neogene sedimentary basins of Morocco and Spain. They provide evidence that no significant rotation about vertical axes has occurred in the Gibraltar Arc since the late Tortonian. Comparison with other Mediterranean arc systems shows strong similarities as regards geodynamic evolution. The timing of rotation in the Gibraltar Arc is markedly older than in the Calabrian and Hellenic arcs, and suggests that it is related to the first Neogene extensional phase of the western Mediterranean in which the Algerian–Provençal Basin opened.