Stratigraphic architecture of the Pyreneo-Languedocian submarine fan,Gulf of Lions,western Mediterranean Sea

The Pyreneo-Languedocian submarine sediment body, located in the western sector of the Gulf of Lions, is an example of a fan-like depositional system essentially controlled by salt tectonics. The area was subjected to a combined effect of overburden subsidence into the evacuated salt layer and a significant distal salt thickening, due to preferential basinward salt migration. This mode of salt migration impacted the Quaternary sea-bottom morphology by creating a large midslope topographic low, providing space accommodation for the Pyreneo-Languedocian fan. At gulf scale, the fan is a unique feature because unchannelized sedimentary environment in the area occurs at slope level, thus in minor water depth in relation to all other deep-water sedimentary systems offshore Gulf of Lions. To cite this article: A.T. dos Reis et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

UPb emplacement and 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of the eastern Mont-Louis granite massif (Eastern Pyrenees,France)

Zircon UPb dating by SIMS of the Mont-Louis granite yields an age of 305±5 Ma, intrepreted to reflect the igneous emplacement age of the massif. It is in agreement with the Hercynian syntectonic character of Pyrenees granite. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar on hornblende, biotite and K-feldspar permit, to estimate the massif cooling. A rapid temperature decrease (≈30 °C/Ma) is revealed from Westphalian to Late Stephanian, coeval with the emplacement of a laccolithe in the upper crust. Then, the cooling rate decreases to ≈1 °C/Ma. This would be consistent with a long time residence for the pluton from the Late Palaeozoic to the Early Cainozoic at 6–8 km depth. To cite this article: O. Maurel et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Small valley bottom deposits in the sandy districts of the Sarthe basin (France): climatic and/or human origin?

The study of the small valley bottom deposits in a sandy district where several recent erosional events have occurred makes it possible to distinguish deposits, which are caused by climatic oscillations from those induced by both climate and human activities. The coarse alluvium with flints, which reached the main valleys prior to the Subboreal, was transported by greater flows than those which resulted from later human-induced flood discharges, where flints were not evacuated from the small valleys. Radiocarbon dates of peat set those deposits in the Iron Age, in the transition from Antiquity to the Medieval period, at the end of the “optimum climatique de l'an Mil” and during the Little Ice Age. At the present time, human-induced flood discharges reach again the main valleys.     

Enregistrements sismologiques de l'explosion sur le site de l'usine AZF (Toulouse,France)Seismological records of an explosion at the AZF chemical complex in Toulouse,France

This study presents a detailed analysis of the seismic records of a strong explosion that occurred on 21 September 2001 at a chemical complex located south of Toulouse, France, and provoked important damages. The explosion, which is equivalent to a 3.4 magnitude earthquake, has been recorded at most of the stations of the National Seismological Network, as well as at a station under test at the ‘Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées’, 4.2 km away from the epicentre. The main seismic phases are interpreted using the known crustal structures, and a modelling with synthetic seismograms is performed. To cite this article: A. Souriau et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 155–161.     

Définition d'une limite multicritère ; stratigraphie du passage Campanien–Maastrichtien du site géologique de Tercis (Landes,SW France)Definition of a multi-criteria boundary; stratigraphy of the Campanian–Maastrichtian interval of the geological site at Tercis (Landes,SW France)

Lithostratigraphy, physicochemical stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and geochronology of the 77–70 Ma old series bracketing the Campanian–Maastrichtian boundary have been investigated by 70 experts. For the first time, direct relationships between macro- and microfossils have been established, as well as direct and indirect relationships between chemo-physical and biostratigraphical tools. A combination of criteria for selecting the boundary level, duration estimates, uncertainties on durations and on the location of biohorizons have been considered; new chronostratigraphic units are proposed. The geological site at Tercis is accepted by the Commission on Stratigraphy as the international reference for the stratigraphy of the studied interval. To cite this article: G.S. Odin, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 409–414.     

Origine et évolution du soufre au sein de l'aquifère des Sables infra-molassiques du Bassin aquitainOrigin and evolution of sulphur in the Infra-Molassic Sands Aquifer from the Aquitaine Basin

New data on isotopic composition of sulphur and oxygen in dissolved sulphates are used to determine the origin of sulphate ions (SO₄^2?) in the water of the Infra-Molassic Sands Eocene aquifer. Two very distinct origins appear: one is the gypsum dissolution, from the molasse, and the second is the pyrite oxidation, present at the bottom of and within the aquifer. These isotopic analyses helped, in agreement with hydrogeology, to identify geochemical basins whose properties modify the chemical water composition. They also highlight the existence of bioreduction areas. To cite this article: L. André et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 749–756.     

Stratigraphie et sédimentologie des « calcaires à Productus » du Carbonifère inférieur de la Montagne noire (Massif central,France)Stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Lower Carboniferous ‘Calcaires à Productus’ of the Montagne Noire (Massif Central,France)

The ‘Calcaires à Productus’ of the Montagne Noire are microbial build-ups. Two formations are defined and dated respectively as Uppermost Visean (Upper Warnantian–Brigantian) and Serpukhovian on the basis on corals. That makes these limestones out to be younger than previously stated (Lower and base of Upper Warnantian–Asbian and base of Brigantian) and indicates that the development of the olistoliths and thrusts including them, due to the Variscan orogeny, was at least as young as the Upper Serpukhovian. The Serpukhovian limestones of the Montagne Noire are correlated with the Lanet Limestone (Mouthoumet Massif, Corbières) and Ardengost Limestone (central Pyrenees). To cite this article: É. Poty et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 843–848.     

The late cretaceous transgression in the SWAnglo-Paris Basin: Stratigraphy of the Craie de Villedieu Formation

The litho- and biostratigraphy of the Craie de Villedieu Formation (Coniacian-Santonian)of western France are described in detail. The formation is subdivided into three members each containing a number of lithologically distinct named hardgrounds and marker beds. These constitute an onlapping sequence that thins from > 15 m in the NE around Cangey and Villedieu-le-Château, to < 2 m in the SW around St Michel-sur-Loire, a distance of 70 km. Thickness variation is related to the interaction of differential subsidence with eustatic transgression. Comparison with the Chalk Rock Formation of southern England indicates that transgressive and regressive hardground suites may be differentiated on bed geometry and hardground surface characteristics. The Craie de Villedieu rests everywhere on a regional hardground that coincides with the Turonian/Coniacian boundary in expanded successions, but probably marks a significant hiatus. South-west of Tours, onlap results in Santonian strata resting disconformably on strata of Turonian age. The basal Craie de Villedieu contains a succession of three Coniacian ammonite faunas characterized by Peroniceras and Forresteria (Harleites) (oldest), Gauthiericeras margae (Schlüter), and Protexanites (youngest). Volviceramus ex gr. involutus (J. de C. Sowerby) occurs with the two uppermost ammonite assemblages. A Santonian ammonite fauna dominated by Placenticeras polyopsis (Dujardin) occurs with Texanites gallicus Collignon and common Cladoceramus in the middle of the formation. Cordiceramus ex gr. cordiformis (J. de C. Sowerby) is recorded with Santonian ammonites in the upper part of the formation. A correlation with the Micraster zones of chalk facies is suggested, based on the inoceramid stratigraphy. The record of T. gallicus in association with Cladoceramus affords the first direct evidence for the position of the base of the Santonian in the Anglo-Paris Basin.