Miocene to Recent exhumation of the central Himalaya determined from combined detrital zircon fission-track and U/Pb analysis of Siwalik sediments, western Nepal

Fission‐track (FT) analysis of detrital zircon from synorogenic sediment is a well‐established tool to examine the cooling and exhumation history of convergent mountain belts, but has so far not been used to determine the long‐term evolution of the central Himalaya. This study presents FT analysis of detrital zircon from 22 sandstone and modern sediment samples that were collected along three stratigraphic sections within the Miocene to Pliocene Siwalik Group, and from modern rivers, in western and central Nepal. The results provide evidence for widespread cooling in the Nepalese Himalaya at about 16.0±1.4 Ma, and continuous exhumation at a rate of about 1.4±0.2 km Myr^?1 thereafter. The ～16 Ma cooling is likely related to a combination of tectonic and erosional activity, including movement on the Main Central thrust and Southern Tibetan Detachment system, as well as emplacement of the Ramgarh thrust on Lesser Himalayan sedimentary and meta‐sedimentary units. The continuous exhumation signal following the ～16 Ma cooling event is seen in connection with ongoing tectonic uplift, river incision and erosion of lower Lesser Himalayan rocks exposed below the MCT and Higher Himalayan rocks in the hanging wall of the MCT, controlled by orographic precipitation and crustal extrusion. Provenance analysis, to distinguish between Higher Himalayan and Lesser Himalayan zircon sources, is based on double dating of individual zircons with the FT and U/Pb methods. Zircons with pre‐Himalayan FT cooling ages may be derived from either nonmetamorphic parts of the Tethyan sedimentary succession or Higher Himalayan protolith that formerly covered the Dadeldhura and Ramgarh thrust sheets, but that have been removed by erosion. Both the Higher and Lesser Himalaya appear to be sources for the zircons that record either ～16 Ma cooling or the continuous exhumation afterwards.     

Propagation of orographic barriers along an active range front: insights from sandstone petrography and detrital apatite fission-track thermochronology in the intramontane Angastaco basin, NW Argentina

The arid Puna plateau of the southern Central Andes is characterized by Cenozoic distributed shortening forming intramontane basins that are disconnected from the humid foreland because of the defeat of orogen‐traversing channels. Thick Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary fills in Puna basins have reduced topographic contrasts between the compressional basins and ranges, leading to a typical low‐relief plateau morphology. Structurally identical basins that are still externally drained straddle the eastern border of the Puna and document the eastward propagation of orographic barriers and ensuing aridification. One of them, the Angastaco basin, is transitional between the highly compartmentalized Puna highlands and the undeformed Andean foreland. Sandstone petrography, structural and stratigraphic analysis, combined with detrital apatite fission‐track thermochronology from a ～6200‐m‐thick Miocene to Pliocene stratigraphic section in the Angastaco basin, document the late Eocene to late Pliocene exhumation history of source regions along the eastern border of the Puna (Eastern Cordillera (EC)) as well as the construction of orographic barriers along the southeastern flank of the Central Andes. Onset of exhumation of a source in the EC in late Eocene time as well as a rapid exhumation of the Sierra de Luracatao (in the EC) at about 20 Ma are recorded in the detrital sediments of the Angastaco basin. Sediment accumulation in the basin began ～15 Ma, a time at which the EC had already built sufficient topography to prevent Puna sourced detritus from reaching the basin. After ～13 Ma, shortening shifted eastward, exhuming ranges that preserve an apatite fission‐track partial annealing zone recording cooling during the late Cretaceous rifting event. Facies changes and fossil content suggest that after 9 Ma, the EC constituted an effective orographic barrier that prevented moisture penetration into the plateau. Between 3.4 and 2.4 Ma, another orographic barrier was uplifted to the east, leading to further aridification and pronounced precipitation gradients along the mountain front. This study emphasizes the important role of tectonics in the evolution of climate in this part of the Andes.     

Carbonate seismic stratigraphy of the Gulf of Papua mixed depositional system: Neogene stratigraphic signature and eustatic control

The Eocene–Miocene carbonate deposition in the Gulf of Papua (GoP) corresponds to the carbonate evolution phase of this continental margin mixed depositional system. Global sea‐level (eustatic) fluctuations appear to have been the most important factor influencing the mixed depositional system development during its carbonate phase. Development of the major carbonate system in the Gulf was initiated during the Eocene. Subsequent to an early Oligocene hiatus, the carbonate system expanded its surface area, vertically aggraded, then systematically backstepped, and finally partially drowned during the late Oligocene–early part of the early Miocene. During the late early Miocene–early middle Miocene, the carbonate system continued its vertical growth in most platform areas, where it was able to keep up with sea‐level rise. At the early middle/late middle Miocene (Langhian/Serravallian) boundary, carbonate deposition shifted downward during a long‐term sea‐level regression, exposing most of the early middle Miocene platform tops. Following this downward shift, active carbonate production became restricted during the late middle Miocene to only the northeastern part of the study area, and carbonate accumulation was characterized by four systematically prograding units. At the very beginning of the late Miocene, the platform tops were re‐flooded. The carbonate system was partially drowned, systematically backstepped, and locally aggraded during part of the late Miocene, the early Pliocene, and the Quaternary. The overall organization of the carbonate sequence geometries, observed in the GoP, display a clear pattern, often referred to as the Oligocene–Neogene stratigraphic signature. This pattern is identical to contemporaneous sedimentary patterns observed in pure carbonate systems such as in the Maldives and in the Bahamas, and also in some siliciclastic systems. Because this pattern is observed in several globally distributed locations, the recognition of the Oligocene–Neogene stratigraphic signature in the GoP demonstrates that the depositional evolution during the late Oligocene–Miocene and the early Pliocene must have been dominantly controlled by eustatic fluctuations.     

Tectonic implications of transtensional supradetachment basin development in an extension‐parallel transfer zone: the Kocaçay Basin,western Anatolia,Turkey

The Kocaçay Basin (KÇB) is a key area in western Anatolia – a well‐known extended terrane where regional segmentation has received limited attention – for investigating strike‐slip faults kinematically linked to detachment faults. In this paper, we present results of an integrated sedimentologic, stratigraphic, and structural study of Miocene alluvial fan/fan‐delta/lacustrine deposits that accumulated in the KÇB, a NE‐trending basin with connections to the Menderes Metamorphic Core Complex (MCC). We mapped and evaluated most of the key faults in the KÇB, many for the first time, and recognised different deformation events in the study area near the E margin of the MCC. We also present field evidence for kinematic connections between low‐angle normal and strike‐slip faults which were developed in an intermittently active basement‐involved transfer zone in western Anatolia. We find that the KÇB contains a detailed record of Miocene transtensional sedimentation and volcanism that accompanied exhumation of the MCC. Structural data reveal that the basin was initially formed by transtension (D1 phase) and subsequently uplifted and deformed, probably as a result of early Pliocene wrench‐ to extension‐dominated deformation (D2 phase) overprinted by Plio‐Quaternary extensional tectonics (D3 phase). These results are consistent with progressive deformation wherein the axis of maximum extension remained in the horizontal plane but the intermediate and maximum shortening axes switched position in the vertical plane. Combining our results with published studies, we propose a new working hypothesis that the KÇB was a transtensional supradetachment basin during the Miocene. The hypothesis could provide new insights into intermittently active extension‐parallel zone of weakness in western Anatolia.These results also suggest that the termination of low‐angle normal fault systems within an extension parallel transfer zone may have resulted in a transtensional depressions which are different from classical supradetachment basins with respect to the sedimentation and deformational pattern of the basin infills.     

Mesozoic–Cenozoic exhumation events in the eastern North Sea Basin: a multi-disciplinary study based on palaeothermal, palaeoburial, stratigraphic and seismic data

Four Mesozoic–Cenozoic palaeothermal episodes related to deeper burial and subsequent exhumation and one reflecting climate change during the Eocene have been identified in a study of new apatite fission‐track analysis (AFTA^®) and vitrinite reflectance data in eight Danish wells. The study combined thermal‐history reconstruction with exhumation studies based on palaeoburial data (sonic velocities) and stratigraphic and seismic data. Mid‐Jurassic exhumation (ca. 175 Ma) was caused by regional doming of the North Sea area, broadly contemporaneous with deep exhumation in Scandinavia. A palaeogeothermal gradient of 45 °C km^?1 at that time may be related to a mantle plume rising before rifting in the North Sea. Mid‐Cretaceous exhumation affecting the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone is probably related to late Albian tectonic movements (ca. 100 Ma). The Sole Pit axis in the southern North Sea experienced similar inversion and this suggests a plate‐scale response along crustal weakness zones across NW Europe. Mid‐Cenozoic exhumation affected the eastern North Sea Basin and the onset of this event correlates with a latest Oligocene unconformity (ca. 24 Ma), which indicates a major Scandinavian uplift phase. The deeper burial that caused the late Oligocene thermal event recognized in the AFTA data reflect progradation of lower Oligocene wedges derived from the uplifting Scandinavian landmass. The onset of Scandinavian uplift is represented by an earliest Oligocene unconformity (ca. 33 Ma). Late Neogene exhumation affected the eastern (and western) North Sea Basin including Scandinavia. The sedimentation pattern in the central North Sea Basin shows that this phase began in the early Pliocene (ca. 4 Ma), in good agreement with the AFTA data. These three phases of Cenozoic uplift of Scandinavia also affected the NE Atlantic margin, whereas an intra‐Miocene unconformity (ca. 15 Ma) on the NE Atlantic margin reflects tectonic movements of only minor amplitude in that area. The study demonstrates that only by considering episodic exhumation as an inherent aspect of the sedimentary record can the tectonic evolution be accurately reconstructed.     

High‐resolution evolution of terrigenous sediment yields in the Provence Basin during the last 6 Ma: relation with climate and tectonics

Basin‐wide correlation of Messinian units and Plio‐Quaternary chronostratigraphic markers (5.3 Ma, 2.6 Ma, 0.9 Ma and 0.45 Ma), the mapping of total sediment thickness and the determination of overall sedimentary volumes enabled us to provide a high‐resolution quantitative history of sediment volumes for the last 6 Ma along the Gulf of Lions margin. The results point to (i) a dramatic increase in terrigenous sediment input during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. This increased sedimentation reflects enhanced regional fluvial erosion related to the dramatic fall of Mediterranean base‐level. Stronger weathering due to a regional wetter climate probably also increased erosional fluxes. (ii) A sediment input three times higher during the Plio‐Quaternary compared to the Miocene seems in agreement with published measurements from World's ocean. However, the timing of this increase being uncertain, it implies that the trigger(s) also remain(s) uncertain. (iii) A decrease in detrital volume around 2.6 Ma is attributed to a regional change in the drainage pattern of rivers in the northwestern Alps. (iv) This study also highlights the Mid‐Pleistocene Revolution around 0.9 Ma, which resulted in an almost doubling of sediment input in the Provencal Basin.     

Pliocene onset of rapid exhumation in Taiwan during arc–continent collision: new insights from detrital thermochronometry

The Coastal Range in eastern Taiwan contains the remnants of the Pliocene–Pleistocene retro‐foredeep basin of the ongoing Penglai orogeny. These sedimentary successions record the earliest exhumation of the Central Range, Taiwan. We dated detrital Plio‐Pleistocene sediments in the Coastal Range using multiple thermochronometers [fission‐track, zircon (U–Th)/He and U/Pb dating] to document changes in exhumation rate through time. Fission‐track grain ages in 2–4‐Myr‐old sediments were not reset by the Penglai orogeny and reflect the early stage removal of the sedimentary cover. This early stage, when exhumation rates were low, could encompass both the accretionary wedge phase of the orogen and the early arc–continent collision. Sediments younger than 2‐Myr‐old yield Pliocene zircon fission‐track grain ages and suggest that exhumation, transport and deposition occurred within 0.4–1.5 Myr. The recorded onset of rapid exhumation in the Pliocene is contemporaneous with other major tectonic changes in the region, including an increase in subsidence rate in both the pro‐ and retro‐foredeep basins and a change in the wedge kinematics from internal shortening to underplating.     

Structural evolution of the Gediz Graben,SW Turkey: temporal and spatial variation of the graben basin

The structural evolution of the Miocene to Recent Gediz Graben is intimately related to the evolution of its southern margin. This margin is shaped by a time‐transgressive, composite structure that possesses flat‐ramp geometry with three separate dip domains: a low‐angle shallow segment; a steeper middle segment; and a low‐angle deeper segment. This geometry was probably produced by one of two mechanisms, which operated perpendicular to the general trend of the graben, resulting in gradual back‐rotation followed by abandonment of the shallow segment as it was dissected by the high‐angle normal fault(s). The geometry of the southern margin structure is not simple along‐strike. It includes broad undulations and discrete fault segments, developed by large‐scale fault growth processes through segment linkage. The along‐strike growth of the southern margin‐bounding structure is responsible for the composite character of the Gediz Graben and controls the observed stratigraphic variability. Two sub‐basins aligned with the major segments of the southern graben margin structure have been investigated. The Salihli and Ala?ehir sub‐basins comprising 3000 m sedimentary thickness are separated by an intervening basement high, that is covered by a thin veneer of post‐Miocene sediments. The two sub‐basins, which evolved as isolated basins during most of the graben history, amalgamated during post‐Miocene time to form the composite configuration of the graben. There is a general east to west trend of growth for the Gediz Graben.     

Morphology and origin of major Cenozoic sequence boundaries in the eastern North Sea Basin: top Eocene,near‐top Oligocene and the mid‐Miocene unconformity

Unconformities in sedimentary successions (i.e. sequence boundaries) form in response to the interplay between a variety of factors such as eustasy, climate, tectonics and basin physiography. Unravelling the origin of sequence boundaries is thus one of the most pertinent questions in the analysis of sedimentary basins. We address this question by focusing on three of the most marked physical discontinuities (sequence boundaries) in the Cenozoic North Sea Basin: top Eocene, near‐top Oligocene and the mid‐Miocene unconformity. The Eocene/Oligocene transition is characterized by an abrupt increase in sediment supply from southern Norway and by minor erosion of the basin floor. The near‐top Oligocene and the mid‐Miocene unconformity are characterized by major changes in sediment input directions and by widespread erosion along their clinoform breakpoints. The mid‐Miocene shift in input direction was followed by a marked increase in sediment supply to the southern and central North Sea Basin. Correlation with global δ¹⁸O records suggests that top Eocene correlates with a major long‐term δ¹⁸O increase (inferred climatic cooling and eustatic fall). Near‐top Oligocene does not correlate with any major δ¹⁸O events, while the mid‐Miocene unconformity correlates with a gradual decrease followed by a major long‐term increase in δ¹⁸O values The abrupt increases in sediment supply in post‐Eocene and post‐middle Miocene time correlate with similar changes worldwide and with major δ¹⁸O increases, suggesting a global control (i.e. climate and eustasy) of the post‐Eocene sedimentation in the North Sea Basin. Erosional features observed at near‐top Oligocene and at the mid‐Miocene unconformity are parallel to the clinoform breakpoints and resemble scarps formed by mass wasting. Incised valleys have not been observed, indicating that sea level never fell significantly below the clinoform breakpoint during the Oligocene to middle Miocene.     

Insights in the exhumation history of the NW Zagros from bedrock and detrital apatite fission‐track analysis: evidence for a long‐lived orogeny

We present the first fission‐track (FT) thermochronology results for the NW Zagros Belt (SW Iran) in order to identify denudation episodes that occurred during the protracted Zagros orogeny. Samples were collected from the two main detrital successions of the NW Zagros foreland basin: the Palaeocene–early Eocene Amiran–Kashkan succession and the Miocene Agha Jari and Bakhtyari Formations. In situ bedrock samples were furthermore collected in the Sanandaj‐Sirjan Zone. Only apatite fission‐track (AFT) data have been successfully obtained, including 26 ages and 11 track‐length distributions. Five families of AFT ages have been documented from analyses of in situ bedrock and detrital samples: pre‐middle Jurassic at ～171 and ～225 Ma, early–late Cretaceous at ～91 Ma, Maastrichtian at ～66 Ma, middle–late Eocene at ～38 Ma and Oligocene–early Miocene at ～22 Ma. The most widespread middle–late Eocene cooling phase, around ～38 Ma, is documented by a predominant grain‐age population in Agha Jari sediments and by cooling ages of a granitic boulder sample. AFT ages document at least three cooling/denudation periods linked to major geodynamic events related to the Zagros orogeny, during the late Cretaceous oceanic obduction event, during the middle and late Eocene and during the early Miocene. Both late Cretaceous and early Miocene orogenic processes produced bending of the Arabian plate and concomitant foreland deposition. Between the two major flexural foreland episodes, the middle–late Eocene phase mostly produced a long‐lasting slow‐ or nondepositional episode in the inner part of the foreland basin, whereas deposition and tectonics migrated to the NE along the Sanandaj‐Sirjan domain and its Gaveh Rud fore‐arc basin. As evidenced in this study, the Zagros orogeny was long‐lived and multi‐episodic, implying that the timing of accretion of the different tectonic domains that form the Zagros Mountains requires cautious interpretation.     

Basin tectonic history and paleo‐physiography of the pelagian platform,northern Tunisia,using vitrinite reflectance data

Constraining the thermal, burial and uplift/exhumation history of sedimentary basins is crucial in the understanding of upper crustal strain evolution and also has implications for understanding the nature and timing of hydrocarbon maturation and migration. In this study, we use Vitrinite Reflectance (VR) data to elucidate the paleo‐physiography and thermal history of an inverted basin in the foreland of the Atlasic orogeny in Northern Tunisia. In doing so, it is the primary aim of this study to demonstrate how VR techniques may be applied to unravel basin subsidence/uplift history of structural domains and provide valuable insights into the kinematic evolution of sedimentary basins. VR measurements of both the onshore Pelagian Platform and the Tunisian Furrow in Northern Tunisia are used to impose constraints on the deformation history of a long‐lived structural feature in the studied region, namely the Zaghouan Fault. Previous work has shown that this fault was active as an extensional structure in Lower Jurassic to Aptian times, before subsequently being inverted during the Late Cretaceous Eocene Atlas I tectonic event and Upper Miocene Atlas II tectonic event. Quantifying and constraining this latter inversion stage, and shedding light on the roles of structural inheritance and the basin thermal history, are secondary aims of this study. The results of this study show that the Atlas II WNW‐ESE compressive event deformed both the Pelagian Platform and the Tunisian Furrow during Tortonian‐Messinian times. Maximum burial depth for the Pelagian Platform was reached during the Middle to Upper Miocene, i.e. prior to the Atlas II folding event. VR measurements indicate that the Cretaceous to Ypresian section of the Pelagian Platform was buried to a maximum burial depth of ~3 km, using a geothermal gradient of 30°C/km. Cretaceous rock samples VR values show that the hanging wall of the Zaghouan Fault was buried to a maximum depth of <2 km. This suggests that a vertical km‐scale throw along the Zaghouan Fault pre‐dated the Atlas II shortening, and also proves that the fault controlled the subsidence of the Pelagian Platform during the Oligo‐Miocene. Mean exhumation rates of the Pelagian Platform throughout the Messinian to Quaternary were in the order of 0.3 mm/year. However, when the additional effect of Tortonian‐Messinian folding is accounted for, exhumation rates could have reached 0.6–0.7 mm/year.     

Permian exhumation of the Montagne Noire core complex recorded in the Graissessac‐Lodève Basin,France

The paleogeographic reconstruction of the Variscan Mountains during late Carboniferous‐Permian post‐orogenic extension remains poorly understood, owing to the subsequent erosion and/or burial of most associated sedimentary basins during the Mesozoic. The Graissessac‐Lodève Basin (southern France) preserves a thick and exceptionally complete record of continental sedimentation spanning late Carboniferous through late Permian time. This section records the localized tectonic and paleogeographic evolution of southern France in the context of the low‐latitude Variscan Belt of Western Europe. This study presents new detrital zircon and framework mineralogy data that address the provenance of siliciclastic strata exposed in the basin. The ages and compositions of units that constitute the Montagne Noire metamorphic core complex (west of the basin) dictate the detrital zircon age populations and sandstone compositions in Permian strata, recording rapid exhumation and unroofing of the Montagne Noire dome. Cambrian‐Archean zircons and metamorphic lithic‐rich compositions record derivation from recycled detritus of the earliest Paleozoic sedimentary cover and Neoproterozoic‐early Cambrian metasedimentary Schistes X, which formerly covered the Montagne Noire dome. Ordovician zircons and subarkosic framework compositions indicate erosion of orthogneiss units that formed a large part of the dome. The youngest zircon population (320–285 Ma) reflects derivation from late Carboniferous‐early Permian granite units in the axial zone of the Montagne Noire. This population appears first in the early Permian, persists throughout the Permian section and is accompanied by sandstone compositions dominated by feldspar, polycrystalline quartz and metamorphic lithic fragments. The most recent migmatization, magmatism and deformation occurred ca. 298 ± 2 Ma, at ca. 17 km depth (based on peak metamorphic conditions). Accordingly, these new provenance data, together with zircon fission‐track thermochronology, demonstrate that exhumation of the Montagne Noire core complex was rapid (1–17 mm year⁻¹) and early (300–285 Ma), reflecting deep‐seated uplift in the southern Massif Central during post‐orogenic extension.     

Neogene tectonostratigraphic history of the southern Neuquén basin (39°–40°30′S,Argentina): implications for foreland basin evolution

Although the Neuquén basin in Argentina forms a key transitional domain between the south‐central Andes and the Patagonian Andes, its Cenozoic history is poorly documented. We focus on the sedimentologic and tectonic evolution of the southern part of this basin, at 39–40°30′S, based on study of 14 sedimentary sections. We provide evidence that this basin underwent alternating erosion and deposition of reworked volcaniclastic material in continental and fluvial settings during the Neogene. In particular, basement uplift of the Sañico Massif, due to Late Miocene–Pliocene intensification of tectonic activity, led to sediment partitioning in the basin. During this interval, sedimentation was restricted to the internal domain and the Collon Cura basin evolved towards an endorheic intermontane basin. From stratigraphic interpretation, this basin remained isolated 7–11 Myr. Nevertheless, ephemeral gateways seem to have existed, because we observe a thin succession downstream of the Sañico Massif contemporaneous with the Collon Cura basin‐fill sequence. Comparisons of stratigraphic, paleoenvironmental and tectonic features of the southern Neuquén basin with other foreland basins of South America allow us to classify it as a broken foreland with the development of an intermontane basin from Late Miocene to Late Pliocene. This implies a thick‐skinned structural style for this basin, with reactivation of basement faults responsible for exhumation of the Sañico Massif. Comparison of several broken forelands of South America allows us to propose two categories of intermontane basins according to their structural setting: subsiding or uplifted basins, which has strong implications on their excavation histories.     

Late Miocene – Recent exhumation of the central Himalaya and recycling in the foreland basin assessed by apatite fission-track thermochronology of Siwalik sediments, Nepal

Thermochronological analysis of detrital sediments derived from the erosion of mountain belts and contained in the sedimentary basins surrounding them allows reconstructing the long-term exhumation history of the sediment source areas. The effective closure temperature of the thermochronological system analysed determines the spatial and temporal resolution of the analysis through the duration of the lag time between closure of the system during exhumation and its deposition in the sedimentary basin. Here, we report apatite fission-track (AFT) data from 31 detrital samples collected from Miocene to Pliocene stratigraphic sections of the Siwalik Group in western and central Nepal, as well as three samples from modern river sediments from the same area, that complement detrital zircon fission-track (ZFT) and U–Pb data from the same samples presented in a companion paper. Samples from the upper part of the stratigraphic sections are unreset and retain a signal of source-area exhumation; they show spatial variations in source-area exhumation rates that are not picked up by the higher-temperature systems. More deeply buried samples have been partially reset within the Siwalik basin and provide constraints on the thermal and kinematic history of the fold-and-thrust belt itself. The results suggest that peak source-area exhumation rates have been constant at ∼1.8 km Myr⁻¹ over the last ∼7 Ma in central Nepal, whereas they ranged between 1 and ∼1.5 km Myr⁻¹ in western Nepal over the same time interval; these spatial variations may be explained by either a tectonic or climatic control on exhumation rates, or possibly a combination of the two. Increasing lag times within the uppermost part of the sections suggest an increasing component of apatites that have been recycled within the Siwalik belt and are corroborated by AFT ages of modern river sediment downstream as well as the record of the distal Bengal Fan. The most deeply buried and most strongly annealed samples record onset of exhumation of the frontal Siwaliks along the Himalayan frontal thrust at ∼2 Ma and continuous shortening at rates comparable with the present-day shortening rates from at least 0.3 Ma onward.     

Geochemical constraints on the Palaeocene–Miocene evolution of eastern Azerbaijan,with implications for the South Caspian basin and eastern Paratethys

Fine‐grained Palaeogene–early Neogene strata of the South Caspian basin, specifically the Oligocene–Lower Miocene Maikop Series, are responsible for the bulk of hydrocarbon generation in the region. Despite the magnitude of oil and gas currently attributed to the source interval offshore, geochemical evaluation of 376 outcrop samples from the northern edge of the Kura basin (onshore eastern Azerbaijan) indicates that depositional conditions in these proximal strata along the basin margins were dominantly oxic to mildly suboxic/anoxic throughout three major depositional stages: the Palaeocene–Eocene, Oligocene–early Middle Miocene and late Middle–Late Miocene. Palaeocene–Eocene samples have low average total organic carbon (TOC) values (0.3%), with higher total inorganic carbon (TIC) values (average=2.6%), extremely low sulphur content (0.2%) and relatively high detrital input as indicated by Fe/Al and Ti/Al ratios. C–S–Fe associations, along with relatively lower concentrations of redox‐sensitive trace elements (e.g. V, Ni, Mo, U) indicate dominantly oxic environments of deposition during much of the Palaeocene–Eocene. A pronounced geochemical shift occurred near the Eocene–Oligocene boundary, and continued through the Early Miocene. Specifically, this interval is characterized by a distinct increase in TOC (ranging from 0.1 to 6.3% with an average of 1.5%), C–S–Fe associations that reveal an abrupt relative increase of carbon and sulphur with respect to iron‐dominated Palaeocene–Eocene samples, and higher concentrations of redox‐sensitive trace metals. These changes suggest that a shift away from unrestricted marine conditions and towards more variable salinity conditions occurred coincident with the initial collision of the Arabian plate and partial closure of the Paratethys ocean. Despite periodic basin restriction, the majority of Upper Eocene–Lower Miocene strata in the northern Kura basin record oxic to slightly dysoxic conditions.     

Tectonic heritage in drainage pattern and dynamics: the case of the French South Alpine Foreland Basin (ca. 45–20 Ma)

The spatial and temporal organization of depositional environments in drainage networks of foreland basins reflect the tectonic and erosional dynamics associated with the development of mountain belts. We provide field evidences for the initiation and evolution of a complex drainage system in the French South Alpine Foreland Basin related to Western Alps exhumation. Sedimentological and structural analyses of the Eocene–Early Miocene succession were investigated in the (1) Argens/Peyresq, (2) Barrême/Blieux/Taulanne and (3) Montmaur/St‐Disdier sectors. Combined with the existing structural data set, we propose a new model that integrates the regional tectonic activity, the palaeovalley orientation and their dynamics through time. The Eocene–Miocene deposits clearly show the existence of N–S‐oriented palaeovalleys. The systematic presence of early NE–SW‐ to N–S‐oriented strike‐slip and extensional faults in the palaeovalleys suggests that these tectonic structures were responsible for the formation of the initial N–S‐oriented basin‐floor topographies. The vertical offset of the strike‐slip faults induced sufficient accommodation space for the Cenozoic sedimentation since the Middle Eocene. It implies the creation of N–S‐oriented palaeovalleys during the northward Pyrenean‐Provençal phase, pre‐dating westward Alpine compression. Later, the Oligocene Alpine tectonic phase induced drainage expansion toward the orogenic wedge and the erosion of the exhumed internal massifs by transverse streams. The establishment of new connections between the old topographic lows formed a longitudinal drainage pattern that remains the locus of deposition in a regional sedimentary routing system. In this model, former strike‐slip faults correspond to weakness zones overprinted by the westward Alpine shortening that allowed the formation of the modern piggyback basin structure of the foreland and the long‐time preservation of the palaeovalley geometry.     

Exhuming the Alps through time: clues from detrital zircon fission-track thermochronology

The European Alps are a mountain belt that is characterized by a series of discrete orogenic events, which have long been recognized. Despite the inherent episodic nature of orogenic evolution, the Alps have been continuously exhumed, mainly by erosion, but also by normal faulting. Since continental collision started in the late Eocene/Early Oligocene evidence for ongoing erosional exhumation has been preserved in synorogenic sediments that accumulated in basins adjacent to the pro- and retro-side of this double-vergent mountain belt. This long-term erosion record can be used to determine exhumation rates. Lag-times calculated from fission-track (FT) ages of detrital zircon from synorogenic sediments are fairly constant for the European Alps since the Oligocene–Late Miocene. Although the fast exhuming areas were unroofed at rates of 0.4–0.7 km Myr⁻¹, the overall average exhumation rate is between 0.2 and 0.3 km Myr⁻¹ on a regional scale. The detrital and bedrock zircon FT data of the Alps do not detect the increase in erosion rates since the Pliocene over the past ∼5 Myr, as shown elsewhere. This increase cannot be detected yet with the detrital zircon FT method because not enough rock has been removed to widely expose zircons with Pliocene or younger cooling ages in the Alps. Long term (30 Myr) exhumation rates appear to have been approximately constant when averaged over a sliding time window of about 8 Myr, or depth window of 5 to 10 km (ZFT closure depths); shorter-term fluctuations are not identified using this method.     

Neogene supradetachment basin development on Crete (Greece) during exhumation of the South Aegean core complex

Tertiary extension in the Aegean region has led to extensional detachment faulting, along which metamorphic core complexes were exhumed, among which is the Early to Middle Miocene South Aegean core complex. This paper focuses on the supradetachment basin developed during the final stages of exhumation of the South Aegean core complex along the Cretan detachment, plus the Late Miocene to Pliocene basin development and palaeogeography associated with the southward motion of Crete during the opening of the Aegean arc. For the latter purpose, the sedimentary and palaeobathymetric evolutions of a large number of Middle Miocene to Late Pliocene sequences exposed on Crete, Gavdos and Koufonisi were studied. The supradetachment basin development of Crete is characterised by a break‐up of the hanging wall of the Cretan detachment into extensional klippen and subsequent migration of laterally coexisting sedimentary systems, and finally the deformation of the exhumed core complex by processes related to the opening of the Aegean arc. Hence, three main tectonic phases are recognised: (1) Early to Middle Miocene N–S extension formed during the Cretan detachment, exhumed in the South Aegean core complex. The Cretan detachment remained active until 11–10 Ma, based on the oldest sediments that unconformably overlie the metamorphic rocks. Successions older than 11–10 Ma unconformably overlie only the hanging wall of the Cretan detachment, and do not contain fragments of the footwall rocks; they therefore predate the oldest exposure of the metamorphic rocks of the footwall. The hanging wall rocks and Middle Miocene sediments form isolated blocks on top of the exhumed metamorphic rocks, which are interpreted as extensional klippen. (2) From approximately 10 Ma onward, southward migration of the area that presently covers Crete was accompanied by E–W extension, and the opening of the Sea of Crete to the north. Contemporaneously, large folds with WNW–ESE striking, NNE dipping axial planes developed, possibly in response to sinistral transpression. (3) During the Pliocene, Crete emerged and tilted to the NNW, probably as a result of left‐lateral transpression in the Hellenic fore‐arc, induced by the collision with the African promontory.     

Effects of large sea‐level variations in connected basins: the Dacian–Black Sea system of the Eastern Paratethys

Sea‐level changes provide an important control on the interplay between accommodation space and sediment supply, in particular, for shallow‐water basins where the available space is limited. Sediment exchange between connected basins separated by a subaqueous sill (bathymetric threshold) is still not well understood. When sea‐level falls below the bathymetric level of this separating sill, the shallow‐water basin evolution is controlled by its erosion and rapid fill. Once this marginal basin is filled, the sedimentary depocenter shifts to the open marine basin (outward shift). With new accommodation space created during the subsequent sea‐level rise, sediment depocenter shifts backwards to the marginal basin (inward shift). This new conceptual model is tested here in the context of Late Miocene to Quaternary evolution of the open connection between Dacian and Black Sea basins. By the means of seismic sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Miocene‐Pliocene evolution of this Eastern Paratethys domain, this case study demonstrates these shifts in sedimentary depocenter between basins. An outward shift occurs with a delay that corresponds to the time required to fill the remaining accommodation space in the Dacian Basin below the sill that separates it from the Black Sea. This study provides novel insight on the amplitude and sedimentary geometry of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) event in the Black Sea. A large (1.3–1.7 km) sea‐level drop is demonstrated by quantifying coeval sedimentation patterns that change to mass‐flows and turbiditic deposits in the deep‐sea part of this main sink. The post‐MSC sediment routing continued into the present‐day pattern of Black Sea rivers discharge.     

Tectonic and oceanographic control of sedimentary patterns in a small oceanic basin: Dove Basin (Scotia Sea,Antarctica)

Dove Basin, a small oceanic domain located within the southern Scotia Sea, evidences a complex tectonic evolution linked to the development of the Scotia Arc. The basin also straddles the junction between the main Southern Ocean water masses: the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the Southeast Pacific Deep Water (SPDW) and the Weddell Sea Deep Water (WSDW). Analysis of multichannel seismic reflection profiles, together with swath bathymetry data, reveals the main structure and sediment distribution of the basin, allowing a reconstruction of the tectonostratigraphic evolution of the basin and assessment of the main bottom water flows that influenced its depositional development. Sediment dispersed in the basin was largely influenced by gravity‐driven transport from adjacent continental margins, later modified by deep bottom currents. Sediments derived from melting icebergs and extensive ice sheets also contributed to a fraction of the basin deposits. We identify four stages in the basin evolution which – based on regional age assumptions – took place during the early Miocene, middle Miocene, late Miocene–early Pliocene and late Pliocene–Quaternary. The onsets of the ACC flow in Dove Basin during the early Miocene, the WSDW flow during the middle Miocene, and the SPDW during the late Miocene were influenced by tectonic events that facilitated the opening of new oceanic gateways in the region. The analysis of Dove Basin reveals that tectonics is a primary factor influencing its sedimentary stacking patterns, the structural development of new oceanic gateways permitting the inception of deep‐water flows that have since controlled the sedimentary processes.