Deformation style and controlling geodynamic processes at the eastern Guadalquivir foreland basin (Southern Spain)

The tectonic structure of the Guadalquivir foreland basin becomes complex eastward evolving from a single depocenter to a compartmented basin. The deformation pattern within the eastern Guadalquivir foreland basin has been characterized by combining seismic reflection profiles, boreholes, and struct...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Marín-Lechado, Carlos, Pedrera Parias, Antonio, Peláez Montilla, José A., Ruiz Constán, Ana, González Ramón, Antonio, Henares, Jesús
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/276816
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/276816
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017TC004556
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:foreland basin
Betic Cordillera
Guadalquivir Basin
mechanical coupling
Fault reactivation
3‐D modeling
Descripción
Sumario:The tectonic structure of the Guadalquivir foreland basin becomes complex eastward evolving from a single depocenter to a compartmented basin. The deformation pattern within the eastern Guadalquivir foreland basin has been characterized by combining seismic reflection profiles, boreholes, and structural field data to output a 3‐D model. High‐dipping NNE‐SSW to NE‐SW trending normal and reverse fault arrays deform the Variscan basement of the basin. These faults generally affect Tortonian sediments, which show syntectonic features sealed by the latest Miocene units. Curved and S‐shaped fault traces are abundant and caused by the linkage of nearby fault segments during lateral fault propagation. Preexisting faults were reactivated either as normal or reverse faults depending on their position within the foreland. At Tortonian time, reverse faults deformed the basin forebulge, while normal faults predominated within the backbulge. Along‐strike variation of the Betic foreland basin geometry is supported by an increasing mechanical coupling of the two plates (Alborán Domain and Variscan basement) toward the eastern part of the cordillera. Thus, subduction would have progressed in the western Betics, while it would have failed in the eastern one. There, the initially subducted Iberian paleomargin (Nevado‐Filábride Complex) was incorporated into the upper plate promoting the transmission of collision‐related compressional stresses into the foreland since the middle Miocene. Nowadays, compression is still active and produces low‐magnitude earthquakes likely linked to NNE‐SSW to NE‐SW preexiting faults reactivated with reverse oblique‐slip kinematics. Seismicity is mostly concentrated around fault tips that are frequently curved in overstepping zones.