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RESEARCH Shaping of Intraplate Mountain Patterns: the Cantabrian Orocline Legacy in Alpine Iberia

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RESEARCH Shaping of Intraplate Mountain Patterns: the Cantabrian Orocline Legacy in Alpine Iberia RESEARCH Shaping of intraplate mountain patterns: The Cantabrian orocline legacy in Alpine Iberia J. Fernández-Lozano1, G. Gutiérrez-Alonso2,3, E. Willingshofer4, D. Sokoutis4,5, G. de Vicente6, and S. Cloetingh4 1DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES AND PHYSICS OF CONDENSED MATTER, FACULTY OF SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF CANTABRIA, AVENIDA DE LOS CASTROS S/N, 39007 SANTANDER, SPAIN 2GEOLOGY DEPARTMENT, FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS, UNIVERSITY OF SALAMANCA, PLAZA DE LA MERCED S/N, 37008 SALAMANCA, SPAIN 3GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT, TOMSK STATE UNIVERSITY, LENIN STREET 36, TOMSK 634050, RUSSIAN FEDERATION 4DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES, UTRECHT UNIVERSITY, BUDAPESTLAAN 4, 3584 CD UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS 5DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF OSLO, P.O. BOX 1047 BLINDERN, N-0316 OSLO, NORWAY 6DEPARTAMENTO DE GEODINÁMICA, ESTRATIGRAFÍA Y PALEONTOLOGÍA, AND INSTITUTE OF GEOSCIENCES (IGEO CSIC-UCM), UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID, C/ JOSÉ ANTONIO NOVAIS, NO. 12, 28040 MADRID, SPAIN ABSTRACT The present-day topography in Iberia is related to geodynamic processes dealing with lithospheric-scale deformation. However, little atten- tion has been paid to the role of inherited crustal- or lithospheric-scale structures involved in the recent observed large-scale topographic patterns. Whereas the analysis of brittle structures focuses on the evolution of Mesozoic sedimentary basins and their subsequent response to tectonic inversion, their contribution to mountain building has been underestimated. Large numbers of structures, from ductile to brittle, which affected the whole lithosphere, were developed during the evolution of the Cantabrian orocline (ca. 310–300 Ma). The contribution of these Paleozoic post-Variscan structures, together with lithospheric mantle evolution and replacement during orocline development in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic geological evolution of Iberia, remains unexplored. To explore the role of these inherited structures on the final configuration of topography during N-S Pyrenean shortening, we carried out a series of analogue experiments complemented by surface velocity field analyses. Our experiments indicate that strain was concentrated along preexisting crustal- to lithospheric-scale discontinuities, and they show several reactivation events marked by differences in the velocity vector field. Differences in fault displace- ment were also observed in the models depending upon preexisting fault trends. The obtained results may explain the different amount of displacement observed during the reactivation of some of the post-orocline structures in Iberia during the Cenozoic, indicating the key role of unveiled structures, which probably have accommodated most of the Alpine shortening. LITHOSPHERE; v. 11; no. 5; p. 708–721 | Published online 2 August 2019 https://doi.org/10.1130/L1079.1 INTRODUCTION et al., 2002; Vergés and Fernández, 2006; Casas-Sainz and de Vicente, 2009; de Vicente and Vegas, 2009). Since the advent of the Wilson cycle concept (Wilson, 1968), reac- However, not much attention has been paid to the putative changes tivation of previous structures represents one of the main controls in produced in the Iberian lithospheric mantle during orocline development the tectonic evolution of continents. When initiating a Wilson cycle by (i.e., Gutiérrez-Alonso et al., 2011a, 2011b), and the meaning and origin opening new oceans, the reactivation of previous suture zones is likely of late orocline structures attributed to the tightening of the 180° bend that to nucleate the initiation of new oceanic realms (e.g., Burke et al., 1976; defines the Cantabrian orocline. These structures, including faults observ- Bailey et al., 2000; Tikoff et al. 2001; Murphy et al., 2006; etc.). Rift able at the present-day erosion level, controlled the basement structural initiation through fault reactivation is better understood in segments of grain in northern Iberia (Fig. 1A), and their imprint is noteworthy on the orogens depicting a rather linear attitude (Thomas, 2006; Murphy et al., subsequent Mesozoic and Cenozoic belts and basins development, on 2006). However, in complex curved orogens, as in the case of the western the Alpine evolution of the northern and central Iberia mountain chains, European Variscan belt, it is still difficult to ascertain (Fig. 1A). and probably on the present-day relief of western continental Europe. The tectonic evolution of north-central Iberia since the latest Carbon- One of the consequences of generating 180° curved lithospheric-scale iferous includes several deformation episodes postdating the Variscan oroclinal bends is that they are not able to be bent any further, and if the orogeny: (1) formation of a curved orogen, known as Cantabrian orocline strain conditions that caused the orocline persist, additional shortening (i.e., Gutiérrez-Alonso et al., 2004, 2008, 2012, 2015; Weil et al., 2010, is assumed by tectonic structures. Previous analogue experiments carried 2013; Martínez-Catalán, 2012; Pastor-Galán et al., 2016, 2017; Fernández- out by Pastor-Galán et al. (2012) suggested that conjugated strike-slip Lozano et al., 2016; Murphy et al., 2016); (2) opening of the Mesozoic faults (shear zones in depth), which crosscut both parallel limbs of the rift-related Bay of Biscay (Sibuet and Collette, 1991; García-Mondéjar, orocline, develop shortening normal to the orocline axial plane and exten- 1996); and (3) the Alpine convergence history (among others, Cloetingh sion parallel to it (Fig. 1A). Similar lithospheric-scale fault patterns have Geological© 2019 The SocietyAuthors. of Gold America Open |Access: LITHOSPHERE This paper | Volume is published 11 | underNumber the 5 terms| www.gsapubs.org of the CC-BY-NC license. 708 Downloaded from https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/lithosphere/article-pdf/doi/10.1130/L1079.1/4830240/l1079.pdf by guest on 12 March 2020 FERNÁNDEZ-LOZANO ET AL. | Cantabrian orocline legacy in Alpine Iberia RESEARCH entia OUTCROPPING / COVERED A Laur External thrust belt and foredeep basin Iapetus Figure 1. (A) Paleogeographic Allochthonous terranes with reconstruction of the Ibero-Armori- oceanic-like and high-P rocks Avalonia can orocline within the framework Gondwanan zones with of the 3000-km-long western strong Cadomian imprint RHENIS European Variscan belt, after Mar- HMASSI Gondwanan zones with tínez-Catalán et al. (2007) and Weil F Early Ordovician magmatism et al. (2010). The main late Variscan cynian Rheno-Her Variscan foreland structures discussed in the text are ARMORICAN thrust belt (CZ) drawn in blue (dextral) and green MASSIF (sinistral), showing the Permian 25° Early Permian paleomag data counterclockwise rotation in the eastern sector of the West Astur- ian–Leonese zone and Cantabrian Moscovian paleomag data zone according to paleomagnetic data by Calvín et al. (2014) and Pastor-Galán et al. (2018). The Pyrenean axial zone was trans- CZ CIZ WALZ posed into its current position in CZ OMZ Permian times (i.e., ~100–150 km of calculated shortening during SP the Alpine orogeny, according to Z MASSIF Roure et al., 1989; Muñoz, 1992; CENTRAL and Tugend et al., 2015). Paleo- magnetic vectors showing the IBERIAN geometry of the Cantabrian MASSIF Gondwana orocline are indicated by Carbon- Margin iferous (Moscovian) white arrows in green circles, while Early Perm- Oceanic (Rheic) suture ian vectors (black arrows in orange Sinistral Strike-slip system circles) fossilized the arc formation. Dextral Strike-slip system Paleomagnetic data from Spain, Late Variscan (ca. 307Ma) France, and eastern British Isles strike-slip fault system were compiled from Van der Voo 0 200 400 600 800 1000 km (1967, 1969), Hernando-Costa et al. (1980), Turner et al. (1989), Osete ASF et al. (1997), Gomes et al. (2004), Liss et al. (2004), Chen et al. (2006), B MF Weil et al. (2000, 2010, 2013), Pas- CF tor-Galán et al. (2015a, 2015b, 2016, PF 2017, 2018), and Fernández-Lozano UF et al. (2016). Paleogeographic domains: CZ—Cantabrian zone; WALZ—West Asturian–Leonese MPRVF DF zone; CIZ—Central Iberian zone; MVBF OMZ—Ossa-Morena zone; SPZ— South Portuguese zone. (B) Map of central and northern Iberia depict- SF ing the present-day arrangement of the main late and post-Variscan ATF faults reactivated in Alpine times: MPF—Messejana-Plasencia fault, MVBF— Manteigas- Vilariça- 0 300 Bragança fault, MPRVF—Mon- MPF forte- Penacova- Régua- Verín fault, CF—Cantabrian fault, UF—Ubierna Europe fault, PF—Pamplona fault, DF— Demanda fault, SF—Somolinos Cenozoic continental basins fault, ATF—Altomira fault, ASF—As Iberia Pontes fault, MF—Meirama fault. Variscan basement Mesozoic cover (Without signicant Mesozoic extension) (N-S extension-related basins in NE Iberia; E-W in the Lusitanian basin) Geological Society of America | LITHOSPHERE | Volume 11 | Number 5 | www.gsapubs.org 709 Downloaded from https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/lithosphere/article-pdf/doi/10.1130/L1079.1/4830240/l1079.pdf by guest on 12 March 2020 FERNÁNDEZ-LOZANO ET AL. | Cantabrian orocline legacy in Alpine Iberia RESEARCH been described related to the formation of the Himalayas, where litho- stable Mesozoic western Iberian Massif, characterized by relatively cold spheric shortening produced conjugate faults that affected the Eurasian and stable lithosphere, and a thinner, warmer, and younger lithosphere plate. These structures accommodate part of the general N-S–trending along the extended eastern sector of Iberia (Fig. 1B). shortening caused by the collision of Eurasia with the Indian continent and It is widely accepted that these
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