This book explores the geological history of the Pyrenees over the past 90 million years, with a particular focus on their compressive and post-compressive evolution. It first presents the overall structure of the mountain range, then examines the development of the northern and southern Pyrenean foreland basins through their sedimentary records, allowing the successive phases of orogenic construction to be identified. Special attention is given to the dismantling of the eastern crustal root in relation to the Oligocene–Miocene opening of the Gulf of Lion.
Evolution of the Pyrenees during the Variscan and Alpine Cycles 2 then highlights the contributions of several innovative approaches used to better constrain the transition from compressive to post-compressive tectonics. These include studies of relief flattening and incision processes; U–Pb geochronology applied to fault-related carbonates; cosmogenic nuclide dating combined with geomorphological analyses; and investigations into the thermal evolution of the Pyrenean rift basins. The book also documents Quaternary glacial fluctuations that affected the Pyrenees.
In conclusion, it presents a geological map of the northern slope of the mountain range at a scale of 1:250,000 and draws attention to the uniqueness of Pyrenean blue corundum.
Table of Contents:
1. Structure of the Pyrenees at the Crustal Scale
Antonio Teixell and Pierre Labaume
2. Syncompressive Alluvial Conglomerates: Markers of Exhumation in the Eastern Pyrenees
Thierry Nalpas
3. Tectono-Sedimentary Evolution of the Aquitaine Basin from the Priabonian to the Pliocene
Alexandre Ortiz, François Guillocheau, Cécile Robin, Éric Lasseur, Justine Briais, Jessica Uzel and Nicolas Saspiturry
4. The Source-to-Sink Evolution of the Jaca Basin (Southern Pyrenees)
Marta Roigé, David Gómez-Gras, Antonio Teixell, Xavi Coll and Salvador Boya
5. The Western Mediterranean Extension and the Dismantling of the Eastern Pyrenees
Antonio Teixell and Pierre Labaume
6. A "Late Pyrenean" Phase at the Burdigalian/Langhian Transition (Corbières, France)?
Oriane Parizot
7. Planation Surfaces and Post-Compressive Evolution of the Pyrenean Chain
Jessica Uzel, Nicolas Saspiturry and Alexandre Ortiz
8. Dating and Erosion Rates of the Pyrenees: In Situ-Produced Cosmogenic Isotopes
Vincent Regard, Sébastien Carretier and Sandrine Choy
9. Post-Compressive Incision of the Pyrenean Valleys: Insights from Karst Records
Amandine Sartégou and Didier L. Bourlès
10. Evolution of the Geothermal Gradient from Cretaceous Rifting to Pyrenean Compression (Western Pyrenees)
Nicolas Saspiturry, Thierry Baudin, Abdeltif Lahfid, Laurent Guillou-Frottier, Benoit Issautier, Philippe Razin, Alexandre Ortiz and Jessica Uzel
11. Pleistocene and Holocene Glacial Fluctuations in the Pyrenees
Magali Delmas
12. Digital Geological Map of the Northern Slope of the Pyrenees at 1:250,000 Scale
Bernard Monod
13. The Corundums of the Albitites Related to the Urdach Lherzolites: Lapidary Enhancement
Jean-Éric Rose, Pierre Monchoux, Philippe de Parseval, Christian Pin, Thierry Aigouy, Didier Béziat and Guillaume Estrade
About the Author :
Nicolas Saspiturry is a teacher–researcher specializing in the tectonic– sedimentary and thermal evolution of sedimentary basins. He has devoted much of his work to the Pyrenees.
Jessica Uzel has a doctorate in geology and a degree in life, earth and universe sciences. She specializes in the post-compressive evolution of the Pyrenean domain.
Alexandre Ortiz has a doctorate in geology. He specializes in the syn- to post-compressive evolution of the North Pyrenean foreland basin.
