Search

The Middle Eocene Climate Optimum (MECO) was a 0.5 Myr warming interval that punctuated the long-term cooling trend of the middle to late Eocene. It has been identified worldwide by a gradual negative shift of the dO18 followed by a sharp return to the cooling trend. The peak warming at about 40 Ma coincides in some records with a sharp negative excursion of the d13C, which suggested a relation of the warming event with a transient increase of pCO2. Results from various records also point to increased seasonality and chemical weathering of the source area in coincidence with the MECO.The interval of the MECO is stratigraphically well constrained in the south-central Pyrenees, from the Graus-Trempto the Aínsa and Jaca basins thanks to previous biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic investigations. During this period, the south-Pyrenean foreland formed a narrow and shallow elongated basin connected to the west to the Atlantic Ocean. Here we present a record of the MECO in the carbonate platform succession (the Santo Domingo Member of the Arguis Fm.), that accumulated on the Iberian foreland margin, currently outcropping along the External Sierras (the frontal thrust sheet of the southern Pyrenees). Polished samples were micro-drilled to analyse the d18O and d13C isotopes ratios separately from the mud fraction and shells of different species of larger benthic foraminifera. The results show trends of the d18O from the mud fraction that parallel the global ocean isotope signature but with values that are offset towards more negative values (-4‰). There, the influence of the continental waters in the isotopic signal was possibly amplified by the restricted marine paleogeographic context. Results from fossil shells gave values significantly different from the mud fraction: d18O from Nummulites shells were consistently offset towards more positive values compared to mud, which could indicate a different fractionation pathway or, alternatively, a preferred diagenetic alteration of fossil fragments. A sharp negative excursion of the d13C was identified in coincidence with the negative d18O peak, marking the location of the MECO. Noticeably, a short-lived entry of siliciclastics that replaced carbonate deposition is recorded at the time of the MECO peak, a feature comparable to what is documented in other sections of the eastern Jaca Basin, where a rapid pulse of deltaic sediments (Sabiñánigo sandstone) are embedded within a thick marine marl succession. Our observations agree with a scenario of perturbation of the hydrological cycle and transient increase of sediment discharge from the continent in coincidence with the MECO.

The Pyrenees constitutes an exceptional example of an Alpine orogenic belt characterized by basement thrust sheets involving Paleozoic rocks and Mesozoic and Cenozoic cover units detached on the Triassic evaporites, the main décollement level. This work is located in the Central Pyrenees, where gravity data help to better constrain the internal architecture of the upper crust of the southern half of the Axial Zone and the northern part of the South Pyrenean Zone, a key area to understand the orogenic evolution of the chain. Previous and new gravity, petrophysical and geological data have been used to obtain the Bouguer and residual anomaly maps of the study area and six serial gravity-constrained cross sections perpendicular to the main structural trend. The residual anomaly map shows a good correlation between basement units involved in thrust sheets of the study area and gravity highs whereas negative anomalies are interpreted to correspond with Mesozoic/Cenozoic basins, Triassic evaporites, Late Variscan igneous bodies, and Ordovician gneisses. The six gravity-constrained cross sections highlight strong along-strike variations on the gravity signal due to lateral differences of the superficial and subsurface occurrence of Triassic evaporites, different geometry at depth of the Late Variscan igneous bodies outcropping in the study area, and geometric lateral variations of the basement thrust sheets and their relationship with the Mesozoic-Cenozoic units., This work was funded by projects CGL2017-84901-C2-2-P funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”, PID2020-114273GB-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and "Severo Ochoa” extraordinary grants for excellence IGME-CSIC (AECEX2021).

This article is composed of three independent commentaries about the state of Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) principles (Goldman et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10508554.1) in the Geomagnetism, Paleomagnetism, and Electromagnetism (GPE) section and discussion on the opportunities and challenges of adopting them. Each commentary focuses on a different topic: Global collaboration, reproducibility, data sharing and infrastructure; Inclusive equitable, and accessible science: Involvement, challenges, and support of early career, BIPOC, women, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled researchers; Community engagement, citizen science, education, and stakeholder involvement. Data sharing practices and open repository use still varies strongly between GPE communities. Some have a long tradition of data sharing; others are only starting it. Globally, GPE leadership is strongly dominated by white males and diversity may increase through the creation of Science Equality Commissions. Improved global stakeholder involvement can increase research impacts and help fight inequalities. In all investigated topics we see promising beginnings but also recognize obstacles that include a lack of funding, a lack of understanding of diversity, and prioritizing short-term gain over long-term benefit. Nonetheless, we are hopeful that our community will embrace ICON science

The integration of biostratigraphy, strontium isotope stratigraphy, and magnetostratigraphy allowed for the precise dating of the >3.0-km-thick marine to non-marine foreland sedimentary succession within the Dowlatabad growth syncline along the Frontal Fars arc in the Zagros Fold Belt that extends from eastern Turkey to southern Iran. This area was the missing link to complete the dating of syntectonic deposits in the Fars arc and quantify the migration of sedimentary belts as well as the propagation of folding across the entire Mesopotamian foreland basin. Both are essential for defining the interplay of basin evolution and sequence of folding. Deposition of the foreland marine marls in the Mishan Formation started at ca. 11.5 Ma. The transition to a non-marine basin infill occurred at 4.9 Ma by the progradation of thick fluvial deposits of the Aghajari Formation with a fast accumulation rate of 63 cm/k.y. The beginning of growth strata deposition and thus the onset of folding in the Dowlatabad syncline is dated at 4.65 Ma. The first appearance of carbonate conglomerates sourced from the Guri limestone at 2.8 Ma marked the progressive dismantling of the nearby growing anticlines. The tectonic deformation in the front of the Fars arc was active for at least 2.85 m.y. and ceased at 1.8 Ma before the deposition of the discordant and slightly folded Bakhtyari conglomerates characterized by a clast composition derived from the Zagros hinterland. The compilation of magnetostratigraphic ages reveals that both the migration of the Aghajari-Bakhtyari sedimentary belts and the propagation of the folding front was in-sequence toward the foreland at a rate close to 20 mm/yr in the Fars arc and 15 mm/yr in the Lurestan arc, in the last 20 m.y. These high rates of folding propagation are about one order of magnitude larger than age equivalent shortening rates (∼4 mm/yr in Fars arc and ∼2 mm/yr in Lurestan arc) and thus imply an efficient detachment level at the base of the deformed Arabian sedimentary cover. Numerical experiments on both the cover and basement sequences are designed to test the influence of inherited basement structures on the deformation propagation within the cover sequence, providing clues on the partly coeval in-sequence deformation of the Zagros Simply Folded Belt and the local out-of-sequence Mountain Frontal Fault system as illustrated by regional and local geology., This research was funded by the DARIUS Programme as well as the Group of Dynamics of the Lithosphere, Geosciences Barcelona (Geo3BcnConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain. We thank the Paleomagnetic Laboratory Universitat de Barcelona Scientific and Technological Centers-Geo3Bcn, CSIC where the paleomagnetic analyses were conducted, and also the Laboratorio de Geocronología y Geoquímica Isotópica of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, where the Sr samples were processed. In addition, the study of calcareous nannofossils was supported by the Research Group of the Basque University System IT-930-16. We are also grateful to the National Iranian Oil Company for their support during fieldwork. We thank DARIUS Programme and its sponsors, and projects Alpimed (PIE-CSIC-201530E082) and Subtetis (PIE-CSIC-201830E039) for additional support.

Although the Cenozoic stratigraphy has been widely studied in the Pyrenees, there are still strategic locations lacking a robust dating. Assessing a detailed chronostratigraphic framework is crucial to understand the processes driving the basin evolution and constitute an essential part of the Source to Sink approach. The Early-Eocene represents a crucial stage of the South Pyrenean foreland basin evolution, during which the emplacement of the Southern Pyrenean thrust units lead to basin partitioning and a diversification of the sediment routing systems. To understand sediment transfer across the Eastern and Central South Pyrenean foreland, fine timelines are needed to assess interbasinal correlations and to decipher the linkage between adjacent sedimentary systems and sub-basins. Here we applied magnetostratigraphy to the 5km thick sedimentary succession that filled the Ripoll basin, as part of the subsiding south-pyrenean trough, aiming at improving the reliability of the dating achieved by earlier studies (Burbank et al., 1992). An increased sampling resolution of the targeted sections allowed a more refined characterization of the local magnetostratigraphy. Integration with marine (shallow-benthic foraminefera) and continental (charophytes, mammals) biostratigraphic data provided a preferred correlation with the Geomagnetic Polarity Timescale (GPTS) that challenges earlier studies. Implications of the new age model for the thrust-belt kinematics, subsidence and the sedimentary evolution of the basin are discussed.References :Burbank, D. W., Puigdefàbregas, C., & Muñoz, J. A. (1992). The chronology of the Eocene tectonic and stratigraphic development of the eastern Pyrenean foreland basin, northeast Spain. Geological Society of America Bulletin,104, 1101–1120.

The aim of this work is the application of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) to the study of volcanic materials from the Late Carboniferous-Permian Cadí basin (southern Pyrenees) in order to (i) explore the limits of this technique in ancient volcanic materials that have undergone strong chemical alteration and a complex tectonic evolution and (ii) provide new insights on the deposition of volcanic materials in this tectonically controlled sedimentary basin. To establish a comparison with the petrofabric of rocks, AMS was complemented with observations and orientation analyses at the outcrop scale, in oriented polished blocks and in thin sections under the microscope. High resolution sampling (620 specimens from 56 sites located in five transects along a sequence 150 m thick) allowed to characterize the volcaniclastic and lava flow series. The AMS results show a fairly constant average magnetic lineation oriented WNW-ESE (in situ and tilt-corrected) and two secondary maxima (N-S to NE-SW in some areas). The magnetic mineralogy analyses indicate the contribution of paramagnetic and ferromagnetic (magnetite, Tc 580 °C) phases to susceptibility. The magnetic fabric has a close relationship with the spatial distribution and orientation of the mineral and grain components of the studied rocks, mainly controlled by depositional processes, with a negligible contribution of the tectonic imprint. Therefore, the magnetic lineation (i.e. K1 axes) can be reliably used as a paleoflow indicator. Nevertheless, it was not possible to establish a clear correspondence between lithological and magnetic fabric types. The results obtained indicate that the AMS approach represents a powerful tool to infer the paleoflow pattern in ancient volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, even under a priori unfavourable conditions., This work was supported by projects grants CGL2017-84901-C2-2-P, PID2020-114273GB-C22, PID2019-108753GB-C22 and FPU19/02353 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, “ERDF A way of making Europe” and “ESF Investing in your future”.

The Abocador de Can Mata (ACM) composite stratigraphic sequence (els Hostalets de Pierola, Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula) has yielded a diverse primate assemblage from the late Aragonian (Middle to Late Miocene). Detailed litho-, bio-, and magnetostratigraphic control has enabled an accurate dating of these fossil remains. Comparable data, however, were lacking for the nearby locality of Can Mata 1 (CM1), which yielded a dryopithecine canine of a female individual. Given the lack of hipparionin equids and giraffids, CM1 has been correlated to the latest Aragonian (Mammal Neogene [MN] zone MN7+8). Here we revise the age of CM1 based on fieldwork and associated paleomagnetic samplings undertaken in 2018–2021. Our results extend the ACM composite sequence upward and indicate that CM1 correlates to the earliest Vallesian (MN9). The updated ACM sequence has a thickness of ∼300 m and comprises 12 magnetozones correlated to subchrons C5Ar.1r to C5n.2n (∼12.6–11.1 Ma; latest MN6 to earliest MN9, late Aragonian to earliest Vallesian). CM1 is correlated to C5r.1r (11.146–11.056 Ma), with an interpolated age of 11.11 Ma, thus postdating the dispersal of hipparionin horses into the Vallès-Penedès Basin—which is correlated to the previous subchron C5r.1n, with an interpolated age of 11.18 Ma, and by definition marks the beginning of the Vallesian. CM1 also minimally postdates the earliest record of giraffids at ACM—representing their earliest well-dated occurrence in the basin—being correlated to C5r.1n with an interpolated age of 11.11 Ma. We conclude that CM1 has an earliest Vallesian (MN9) age of ∼11.1 Ma, intermediate between the Aragonian dryopithecins and the Vallesian hispanopithecins. Ongoing paleontological surveillance at ACM thus offers the prospect to yield additional earliest Vallesian ape remains, which are essential to clarify their taxonomic allocation as well as to confirm whether hispanopithecins evolved locally from dryopithecins rather than immigrating from elsewhere during MN9., This publication is the result of R+D+I projects PID2020-117289GB-I00, PID2020-116908GB-I00, PID2020-116220GB-I00, PID2020-117118GB-I00, and PID2019-106440GB-C21, funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/Agencia Estatal de Investigación/10.13039/501100011033/. The research has been funded also by the Generalitat de Catalunya, including: CERCA Programme; Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (Consolidated Research Groups 2017 SGR 086, 2017 SGR 116, and 2017 SGR 596); and Departament de Cultura (CLT009/18/00071 and ARQ001SOL-136-2022).

Acknowledgments This study was supported by the project B-RNM-144-UGR18 and ARNM- 336-UGR20 of the action “Proyectos I + D + i del Programa Operativo FEDER 2018 - Junta de Andalucía-UGR”, the projects CGL2013-47038-R and CGL2017-85415-R, of the “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional FEDER”, and the research group RNM-190 (Junta de Andalucía), and the projects P18-RT-871 and Retos P20_00059 of Junta de Andalucia. A.G.-A. was also supported by a Ram´on y Cajal Fellowship RYC-2015-18966 of the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Economía y Competividad). A.L.-A PhD is funded by BES-2018-084293 (Ministerio de Economía y Competividad). We thank the Paleomagnetic Laboratory CCiTUB-Geo3Bcn CSIC for the support on paleomagnetic analysis. LV and EB thank the Geomodels Research Institute (UB). We are very grateful to two anonymous reviewers and to the editor Christian Zeeden., The Padul-15-05 sediment core provides an exceptional perspective of the paleoenvironmental and climate change in the Western Mediterranean region for the last ca. 200 kyr. However, even though a robust chronology mainly relying on radiometric dating is available for the last 50 ka, the chronology for the older sediments is not yet fully resolved. Ages for the bottom part of the core (>21 m) were previously inferred from amino-acid racemization dating and sediment accumulation rates. In this work, we provide a more accurate chronology for the older part (>100 kyr) of the Padul-15-05 sediment core record based on the recognition of past Earth's magnetic excursions. We identify an interval prone of reversed polarity samples close to MIS-5e/5 d transition that we correlate to the Blake geomagnetic excursion (116.5 kyr–112 kyr). In addition, we identify an interval of low inclinations and two reversed samples that we interpret as the Iceland Basin geomagnetic excursion (192.7 kyr–187.7 kyr: wide scenario of VGP, Project B-RNM-144-UGR18 and ARNM- 336-UGR20 of the action “Proyectos I + D + i del Programa Operativo FEDER 2018 - Junta de Andalucía-UGR”, Projects CGL2013-47038-R and CGL2017-85415-R, of the “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional FEDER”, Research group RNM-190 (Junta de Andalucía), Projects P18-RT-871 and Retos P20_00059 of Junta de Andalucia, Ramón y Cajal Fellowship RYC-2015-18966 of the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Economía y Competividad), Funded by BES-2018-084293 (Ministerio de Economía y Competividad)

Recent paleomagnetic studies have shown that important short-lived intensity fluctuations occurred during the first millennium BCE. However, the knowledge of the spatial and temporal extension of these features is still limited by the scarce availability of robust data. In this study we focus on the study of the intensity decrease that took place in Central Asia during the second half of the 1st millennium BCE after the high intensities that characterized the Levantine Iron Age Anomaly. Since previous archeointensities available for this period and region were obtained without accomplishing modern standards of quality, we present here new archeointensities that are derived from classical Thellier and Thellier experiments, including partial thermoremanent magnetization (pTRM) checks, thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) anisotropy and cooling rate corrections at the specimen level. The new 51 archeointensities, together with previous archeointensities, have been used to present a new local paleosecular variation curve for Central Asia. The results confirm the existence of an important geomagnetic field intensity decrease in South Uzbekistan from the 4th century BCE to the end of the 1st century BCE associated with rates of changes up to −15 μT/century. A critical analysis of the archeointensity global database indicates that this feature was present at continental scale, from Western Europe to Central Asia. However, this trend is not identified in other regions such as Japan or Mexico. Finally, the comparison with the dipole moment derived from recent global geomagnetic field reconstructions suggests a strong influence of non-dipolar sources upon this continental intensity feature., Financial support was given by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation thorough the projects CERAC (HAR2016-75133-C3-1-P), CONCERAC (HAR2016-75133-C3-3-P), SPYKE (CGL2017-87015-P), SÚMATE (PID2020-113316GB-I00) and PULSES 5.K (PID2020-117105RB-I00). R. Bonilla-Alba thanks the FPI fellowship (PRE2018-085949) associated with the SPYKE project. This study has been also funded by the Ramón y Cajal program (contracts of M. Gómez-Paccard and V. Martínez-Ferreras, refs. RYC-2013-14405 and RYC-2014-15789). The authors wish to acknowledge the professional support of the CSIC Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform Open Heritage: Research and Society (PTI-PAIS). E. Beamud thanks the Geomodels Research Institute (UB) and the Grup de Geodinàmica i Anàlisi de Conques-2017SGR596 (Generalitat de Catalunya). A. Palencia-Ortas thanks the PTA contract of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Sedimentary records of Plio-Pleistocene intermontane basins of the Eastern Cordillera and the adjacent Puna Plateau in the Central Andes of NW Argentina (hinterland basins) are important geological archives that provide spatiotemporal insights into regional tectonism, the uplift history of basin-bounding mountain ranges, and associated depositional and paleoenvironmental changes. Here, we reconstruct the Plio-Pleistocene evolution of the intermontane Humahuaca Basin based on the study of depositional systems, unconformities, accumulation rates, depositional patterns, U–Pb geochronology, magnetostratigraphy, and sediment provenance of the Uquía Formation – a ca. 4.8–1.5-My-old sedimentary basin record consisting of a 100–400 m thick fining-upward stack of conglomerates, sandstones, and siltstones with intercalated volcanic tuffs. The sedimentary facies of the Uquía Formation comprise debris flow, deep sandy gravel braided alluvial fan deposits, sheetflood dominated, floodplains, and shallow ephemeral lake deposits. Facies characteristics and δ18O and δ13C values from pedogenic and palustrine carbonates indicate freshwater lacustrine conditions at the base and evaporative conditions towards the top of the Uquía Formation (ca. 2.3 Ma). During the deposition of the Uquía Formation, the Humahuaca Basin was already bounded by uplifted mountain ranges: (a) the Sierra Alta to the west, which experienced early uplift during the middle Eocene and increased exhumation from about 15 to 10 Ma; and (b) the Aparzo and Tilcara ranges to the east, whose deformation and uplift began about 15–10 Ma and culminated in the structural and fluvial separation of the Humahuaca Basin from the foreland by ca. 4.8 Ma in the center and by about 4.2 Ma in the southern sector of the basin. This is supported by variable unroofing patterns, the paleoenvironmental evolution, deposition of sheetflood dominated alluvial fans, and lacustrine deposits., This study was financially supported by the AGENCIA (PICT-2017-1010), PUE-INECOA (22920170100027CO) and UNSa (CI-UNSa 2287). We thank Dr. Marcelo Reguero and Dr. Pablo Ortiz for the valuable suggestions that improved this research. We are grateful for constructive and positive suggestions from Reviewers Dr. Oscar Limarino and anonymous. We also thank LA.TE. ANDES S.A. laboratory for their support of geochronology and we thank Mr. Omar Dominguez from the Geology Department, (CEGA-UNSa), for assistance during thin section preparation. EB thanks the Geomodels Research Institute of the University of Barcelona and the “Grup de Geodinàmica i Anàlisi de Conques” - 2017SGR596 (Generalitat de Catalunya).

This work presents preliminary paleomagnetic results from the Cadí basin, one of the Pyrenean Late-Carboniferous-Permian basins.These basins are the consequence of a complex tectonic evolution. At the outset, they were controlled by an extensional or transtensional regime during the progressive dismantling of the Variscan chain that gradually changed to a strike-slip fault regime. Afterwards, during Pyrenean compression (Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic) most of these basins were inverted and transported southwards as a part of the basement units. All of them are characterized by a similar subsidence pattern interpreted as graben or half-graben continental troughs. In a close relationship with its genesis, during Late-Carboniferous-Permian times, several magmatic events took place. Because of that, fluvio-lacustrine sediments present lateral changes to volcanic and volcanoclastic deposits and materials are sometimes cut by intrusions.The studied zone, the Cadí basin, is located at the eastern Pyrenees, south of the Axial Zone, and shows a high variability of Late-Carboniferous-Permian volcanic products in E-W continuous outcrops that reach several hundred meters of thickness with a good preservation and exposition. The Late Carboniferous-Permian evolution of the Cadí basin was strongly controlled by tectonics and volcanism. In order to characterize this stage and its volcanic rocks, we applied in a previous work the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) technique to determine the primary magnetic fabric of lava flows and volcanoclastic materials. A dominant WNW-ESE direction of the magnetic lineation was recognized related to the paleoflow direction. Paramagnetic minerals and magnetite were recognized as the main carriers of the AMS.In this work we present the paleomagnetic results from 15 sites (about 150 specimens) in volcanic, volcanoclastic and intrusive materials sampled along four N-S cross sections. The obtained results indicate that the carrier of the magnetization are both magnetite and haematite. The thermal demagnetization of samples shows a paleomagnetic component with unblocking temperatures from 480ºC with reversed polarity and very low inclination after bedding correction. In some sites a normal polarity component is also recognized. These results seem to be coherent with a magnetization coetaneous with the emission and deposition of these materials during Permian times. In cases where the samples record a normal component is important to take into account the complex structural situation of these outcrops.

Magnetostratigraphy is the key to put disparate chronological pieces together in a consistent chronostratigraphic framework. Provided that a long continuous record of reversals can be obtained from the sedimentary record, a correlation with the GPTS may be established. Magnetostratigraphy provides added value to the chronology as long as it keeps certain independence from external age constraints, such as bioevents calibrated elsewhere or radiochronologic data.An independent correlation is meant to not be anchored to a given chron on the basis of an external age constrain. Our experience recommends that external age constraints are best taken with flexibility, allowing for the searching of a best fit between the magnetic polarity sequence (in meters) and the GPTS (in million-years). This rationale relies on the fact that the Geological Time Scale is the tool that allows earth-scientist of many varied disciplines to understand and discuss about the dimension of time. But the time scale calibration is a task in continuous refinement. As the accuracy and precision of the dating tools increases, our ability to unravel lag times in geological processes increases too. As more refined data is produced, the calibration of the time scale reveals as an ongoing task rather than a final product.Here we present the case of the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT) as recorded in alluvial-lacustrine sediments of the eastern Ebro Basin. An earlier work provided a magnetostratigraphic correlation that was in agreement with small-mammals biostratigraphic data. A key constraint to this study was the Santpedor locality, which yielded a characteristic post-Grand Coupure small mammal assemblage, then attributed to the lowest Oligocene.An extended record of the magnetostratigraphy has challenged the earlier correlation and puts forward an alternate scenario that reveals a misfit with earlier and recent biochronological interpretations of the fossil mammal record. The significance of this discrepancy in terms of heterochrony of biostratigraphic events, the punctuated character of faunal replacement across the EOT, and time lags between the marine and continental realms may need to be addressed.

The characterization of the basement architecture of the Pyrenean Axial Zone, backbone of the chain, is crucial to understand its geodynamic evolution and the interplay between tectonism and magmatism. In this work, a new gravity-constrained cross section was built along the Central Pyrenees, between two of the largest Pyrenean Late Variscan granitic complexes, La Maladeta and Andorra-Mont Louis granites, to infer the geometry at depth of the basement host rocks. This cross section is ca. 65 km long and extends from the Mesozoic Bóixols basin in the South to the Late Variscan Bassiès granite to the North, close to the northern end of the Axial Zone. It is based on available geological maps, previous published works and new geological field data; together with newly acquired gravimetric stations (1141), to improve the existent spatial resolution of the gravity data from the databases of the Spanish and Catalan Geological Surveys, and density values from 65 rock samples covering all different lithologies in the cross section. Thus, its geometry at depth is constrained by means of an integrated 2.5D gravity/structural/petrophysical modelling.The La Maladeta and Andorra-Mont Louis granites appear aligned in a WNW-ESE direction and both lie within the same Alpine basement unit, the Orri thrust sheet. They are separated about 40 km by the WNW-ESE-oriented Llavorsí syncline, formed by Devonian and Silurian rocks and limited to the north and south by south vergent thrusts. This syncline is located between two large Cambro-Ordovician anticlinorium structures, the La Pallaresa and Orri massifs to the north and south respectively, formed by a monotonous alternation of shales and sandstones with some intercalations of limestones and conglomerates affected by very low to medium grade of metamorphism. Most structures show southern vergence along the cross section, and its southern part is characterized by the occurrence of Triassic evaporites, a significant detachment level decoupling deformation between the Paleozoic basement and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic cover rocks.The observed residual anomaly along the cross section shows a relative maximum, coinciding with the southern edge of the Axial Zone (Nogueras Zone) and southern half of the Orri massif, followed to the north by a relative large minimum. This gravity minimum in the core of the Axial Zone coincides with the northern half of the Orri massif, the Llavorsí syncline and southern half of the La Pallaresa massif and must be related at depth with rocks of lower density with respect to rocks located to the North and South. Two possible solutions have been postulated to explain the presence of lower density rocks: (i) the presence of Triassic evaporites at depth as a continuation to the North of the Triassic evaporites outcropping in the Rialp window located to the South and/or (ii) the presence of buried granitic bodies equivalent to the adjacent La Maladeta and Andorra-Mont Louis granites.

vEGU21: Gather Online | 19-30 April 2021, In foreland settings at the front of active orogens, the aggradation/progradation of fluvial fans and sedimentary changes in lacustrine systems depends greatly on the tectonic activity and the derived drainage pattern changes in the hinterland. As a result of the emplacement and erosion of the South-Pyrenean thrust sheets, a system of N-S fluvial fans prograded into the Ebro foreland basin from late Eocene to Oligocene times. After the synorogenic deposition of the Priabonian (late Eocene) marine evaporites of the Cardona Fm, the Ebro Basin was characterized by internal drainage, with the fluvial fans grading to lacustrine systems at the center of the basin, which developed and migrated in response to subsidence changes. All these deposits were deformed by variably oriented salt-detached folds, evidencing the basinwards propagation of the deformation. In this work, we study the Solsona-Sanaüja fluvial fan system by means of litostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy aiming to determine the age of the transition from fluvial fan to lacustrine systems in the NE sector of the Ebro Basin. The precise dating of this succession reveals causal relationships between tectonic and climatic processes affecting the source-to-sink system, including changes in the depositional style linked to the evolution of the Pyrenean fold and thrust belt. Our new magnetostratigraphic study consisted in the sampling and analysis of 195 samples along a ca. 1800m thick stratigraphic section of the late Eocene-Oligocene succession in the northern limb of the NW-SE oriented Sanaüja Anticline. Our results show overall Priabonian to Rupelian ages for the succession, considering an age of 36 Ma. (C16n) for the top of the Cardona Fm from previous magnetostratigraphic studies. This allows dating the end of the evaporitic sedimentation (top of the Barbastro Fm) as Priabonian and establishing a late Priabonian to early Rupelian (C13r) age for the transition from the younger lacustrine deposits (Torà Fm) to the continuous and most important fluvial fan episode of progradation in the study area. The final progradation of the fluvial fan system was coeval to a tectonically controlled reorganization of the drainage pattern of the basin responding to the emplacement of the South-Pyrenean thrust sheets. Meanwhile, smaller scale (hectometric-decametric) alternation between lacustrine and alluvial deposits was possibly driven by climatic changes related to orbital eccentricity cycles. The correlation and integration of these results with previous magnetostratigraphic studies in the area can help analyzing sedimentation patterns and architectural changes in the basin margins at a regional scale.

vEGU21: Gather Online | 19-30 April 2021, Recent archeomagnetic studies performed in different regions of the world have revealed unusual periods of sharp changes in intensity during the first millennium. Here we focus on the study of intensity variations between 600 BCE and 600 CE in central Asia, where an important intensity decrease seems to be present during the second half of the 1st millennium BCE. For this purpose, we present a new paleosecular variation (PSV) curve obtained from 51 new archeointensities and the selected previous data located within a radius of 1000 km around Termez (Uzbekistan). The new curve shows an intensity maximum around 400 BCE followed by a rapid decrease. When the virtual axial dipole moment (VADM) values are compared with the Dipole Moment estimations derived from different global geomagnetic models key differences are observed, suggesting an important non-dipolar effect for this feature. Finally, in order to constrain the spatial behaviour of this phenomenon and its global implications, we investigate the PSV intensity and VADM trends from twelve regions distributed among Central America, Europe and Asia. A VADM maximum is observed in Western Europe (Iberia and Germany) around 450 BCE, associated to rates of change of about 9 µT/century. This feature is also observed eastwards, in the Caucasus and the Levant, but associated to lower rates of changes. In Central Asia (Uzbekistan) our new study suggests that maximum values of about 14 µT/century, between 400-300 BCE, were achieved. In other regions, as Eastern Asia and Central America, rapid variations of the intensity are not observed during the targeted period.

Stratigraphic cycles preserved in sedimentary successions are controlled by the interaction of tectonics, climate, sediment supply and sea-level variations. Understanding the influence of these drivers on sedimentary systems dynamics is crucial to understand and extract information from sedimentary archives. In the deep marine deposits of the Ainsa foreland basin (lower to middle Eocene, southern central Pyrenees, Spain), the origin of well-preserved cyclicity between channelized sandy submarine fans and hemipelagic deposits remains subject to debate because of the absence of chronostratigraphic constraints on high resolution geochemical proxies. Here, we contrast a combination of newly acquired and legacy geochemical datasets (carbon and oxygen stable isotopes, organic matter content, major and trace elements and the mineralogical composition of bulk hemipelagic sediments) tuned by a new age model to global “target” curves to discuss the possible drivers of the stratigraphic cycles found in the deep marine sediment gravity flow deposits of the Hecho Group. Our new age model is based on magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic datasets acquired on a composite section going from the Banaston system to the distal deposits of the Sobrarbe deltaic complex. Four major polarity zones are identified in the studied succession covering the time span from C21n (lower members of the Banaston system) to C19r (Sobrarbe deltaic complex). Our age model is corroborated by the identification of the nannoplankton zone NP16 in the Guaso system (C20n). Comparison between global carbon isotope curve and local isotope dataset shows some differences, suggesting the preservation of a local isotope signal modulated by eustatism, changes in the environment of deposition and/or restriction in water circulation in the Ainsa basin. Yet, comparison of the stratigraphic record with global sea-level curves highlights that sands are mainly delivered to the basin during lowstands, pointing to the important role of eustasy even in an active foreland tectonic context. The exception to the rule is the Banaston member II, whose deposition during a sea-level highstand seems to be controlled by the growth of tectonic structures. © 2021 The Authors, This work was supported by an Augustin Lombard Grant from the SPHN Society of Geneva [grant Augustin Lombard, 2016, to Läuchli], a Equinor grant to Castelltort and a MINECO spanish project CGL2014-55900 to Garcés.

EGU General Assembly 2020 - Online, 4–8 May 2020, The South-Pyrenean fold-and-thrust belt consists of three major thin-skinned thrust sheets (Bóixols, Montsec and Serres Marginals) made up of uppermost Triassic to Oligocene cover rocks emplaced during Late Cretaceous-Oligocene times. In its central part, it forms a major salient (the Pyrenean South-Central Unit) whose geometry is controlled by the areal distribution of the pre-orogenic Upper Triassic and synorogenic Eocene salt décollement layers. Both westwards and eastwards, the salient is fringed by Paleogene synorogenic deposits that are deformed by detachment folds with orientations ranging from N-S to E-W. In the western edge of the salient, the varying trend of the folds is a result of synorogenic vertical axis rotations (VAR) which caused the clockwise rotation of the folds from an initial predominant E-W trend to the current NW-SE to NNW-SSE trend. The salient, at least on its western part, developed from a progressive curve originated from divergent thrust transport directions and distributed shortening. The aim of our study is to get a better understanding of the whole salient, by studying the kinematics of the deformation on the most frontal part of its eastern edge. Here, some sparse anticlockwise rotations have been reported but their origin and their possible relationship with the distribution of the salt décollements has not yet been addressed. For this purpose, 78 paleomagnetic sites have been sampled on the synorogenic upper Eocene-Oligocene materials of the NE Ebro foreland Basin, in the Artesa de Segre area, focusing on the limbs of oblique salt-cored anticlines (Ponts, Vilanova de l¿Aguda, Cardona) which are detached above the synorogenic Eocene-Oligocene evaporites of the Cardona and the Barbastro formations. VAR analyses principally show anticlockwise rotations similar to those previously identified to the North in the Oliana Anticline, although a small number of clockwise rotations were also detected. In addition to the VAR analysis, a magnetostratigraphic study of the Eocene-Oligocene continental materials of the northern limb of the Sanaüja Anticline has been conducted in order to constrain the age of these rotations from stratigraphic correlations. The demagnetization of 104 samples from a ca. 1100 m thick magnetostratigraphic section shows Priabonian to Rupelian ages for this succession. The integration of our results on timing, direction and magnitude of foreland VAR with previous paleomagnetic and structural data from both the western and eastern boundaries of the frontal thrust of the Pyrenean South-Central Unit will allow the understanding of the kinematics of the thrust salient as a whole.

Cenozoic contractional deformation in the Central Pyrenees generated several basement thrust sheets involving Paleozoic rocks and decoupled Mesozoic and Cenozoic cover units detached on the main décollement level, the Triassic evaporites. The overall geometry and structural architecture of the chain have already been established based on numerous geological and geophysical data obtained during several decades. This work aims to validate the overall accepted geometry of the Central part of the chain by the construction of six serial cross-sections constrained by gravity data and 2.5D gravity modelling. The study area comprises the southern half of the Axial Zone between La Maladeta and Andorra-Mont Louis granites and its southern leading edge as well as the northernmost part of the South-Pyrenean Zone.New gravity data were acquired and combined with previous existing databases to obtain Bouguer anomaly and residual anomaly maps of the study area. Six serial gravity-constrained cross sections have been built using available geological maps, previous published works, new geological and gravity data and 2.5D gravity modelling. Density values for gravity modelling were derived from 231 laboratory measurements of rock samples collected in the field from non-weathered outcrops that include all rock types outcropping in the study area. The residual anomaly map shows a good correlation between basement thrust sheets and gravity highs whereas negative anomalies seem to correspond to (1) Mesozoic basins, (2) Triassic evaporites and (3) Late Variscan igneous bodies. The 2.5D gravity modelling along the six cross sections highlights: (i) strong along-strike variations on the gravity signal due to lateral differences of the surficial and subsurface occurrence of Triassic evaporites, (ii) different geometry at depth of the Late Variscan igneous bodies outcropping in the study area and (iii) geometric lateral variations of the basement thrust sheets and their relationship with the Mesozoic-Cenozoic units.

During the Paleogene and Neogene the NE Iberian plate underwent significant paleogeographic changes driven by the Iberian and European plate collision and the resulting formation of the Pyrenean orogen and its corresponding foreland basin. Shortening resulted in the advance of the orogenic wedge, emplacement of allochthonous units, and progressive basin partitioning. Sediment transfer systems reacted to the evolving paleogeographic scenario, shifting from forebulge to foredeep and wedge-top settings. Critical reorganizations included successive shifts from open to close drainage conditions, which had an strong impact on accommodation, and the stratigraphic architecture of the basin infill, overfill and later erosion. The aim of this work is to synthesize the paleogeographic and sedimentary evolution of the south-pyrenean foreland, with emphasis on the reconstruction of sediment routing, the evaluation of sedimentation rate trends, the timing of sedimentary shifts and the analysis of their causes. Stratigraphic data are compiled in a comprehensive magnetostratigraphybased chronostratigraphic framework. Besides, sedimentary and structural data are put together to produce a series of palinspastically restored paleogeographic maps, which reflect five key stages in the evolution of the region. These stages include: 1) the Late Cretaceous tectonic inversion of the extended Iberian margin; 2) the Early Eocene formation of the southern Pyrenean foredeep; 3) the Middle Eocene widening and overfilling; 4) the late Eocene shift into an internal drainage; and 5) the Late Miocene drainage opening and erosion. In the light of these results, the variable role of tectonics, climate and eustacy at different time scales are discussed., This is a contribution of the research project CGL2014-55900-P, funded by MINECO (Spain). Some of the authors are members of the consolidated research group of Geodynamics and Basin Analysis 2017SGR596 of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online, 4-8 May 2020, The aim of this work is to apply the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) to determine the primary and tectonic fabrics of lava flows and volcanoclastic materials in one of the Pyrenean Stephano-Permian basins. The Pyrenean Range is a double vergence orogen located at the northern end of the Iberian Peninsula. During Carboniferous-Early Permian times the extensional or transtensional regime dominant during the progressive dismantling of the Variscan belt resulted in the development of E-W elongated intra-mountainous basins. This process was coeval with an exceptional episode of magmatic activity, both intrusive and extrusive. The Cadí basin represents a good example of these structures were Stephano-Permian rocks are aligned along an E-W continuous outcrop and reach thickness of several hundreds of meters. The stratigraphy of the study area is characterized by fluviolacustrine sediments changing laterally to volcanoclastic and pyroclastic rocks with interbedded andesitic lava flows. A total of 75 sites (733 standard specimens) were studied and analysed throughout the volcanoclastic, volcanic and intrusive materials of the Stephano-Permian outcrops in the Cadí basin. Samples were drilled in the field along 5 sections with N-S or NW-SE direction in the Grey and Transition Unit. Afterwards, standard specimens were measured in a Kappabridge KLY-3 (AGICO) at the Zaragoza University to characterise the magnetic fabric. The susceptibility bridge combined with a CS-3 furnace (AGICO) was used for the temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility curves (from 20 to 700 °C) to recognize the magnetic mineralogy. In addition, textural and mineralogical recognition in thin-sections of the samples was carried out in order to recognize the relationship between magnetic and petrographic fabrics. The results shows that the bulk magnetic susceptibility of the specimens ranges between 118 and 9060·10-6 SI but most of the values are bracketed between 160 to 450·10-6 SI. Taking into account magnetic parameters (Km, Pj and T) there is no correlation between magnetic fabrics and magnetic mineralogy and there is a dominance of triaxial and prolate ellipsoids. Thermomagnetic curves indicate the dominance of paramagnetic behaviour in all the samples and except in one case there is a ferromagnetic contribution due to the generalised presence of magnetite. Magnetic ellipsoids can be divided into four main types depending on the orientation of the main axes and associated with the lithologic types: 1) Kmax vertical and Kint and Kmin horizontal for small intrusive bodies (no restoring); 2) Kmax horizontal or subhorizontal and Kint and Kmin included in a subvertical plane (before and after restitution) for volcanic breccias; 3) Kmin vertical (after restoring) and three directional maxima for lava flows and 4) non-defined fabric for the explosive materials (probably due to their complex depositional mechanisms). In general, a dominant E-W magnetic lineation is observed in many sites, resulting either from dominant flow direction, or to secondary processes. This is the case for some of the magnetic ellipsoids, that seems to be affected by deformation, Kmin is not normal to bedding and therefore, they do not become vertical after bedding restitution.

EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online, 4-8 may 2020, During middle Eocene, the Escanilla fluvial system transported and deposited material from East to West in the southern Pyrenees foreland basin. The paleogeography and sedimentology of the source to sink system is well established. The temporal framework is made of scattered low resolution magnetostratigraphies, and a robust temporal framework in the most distal (Olson) and most proximal (Sis) parts of the system. We built a new high resolution magnetostratigraphy from the middle part of the system, the Lascuarre section. The correlation of Lascuarre with the high resolution magnetostratigraphies and the integration of these data with other available chronological constraints results into a robust complete temporal framework from source to sink. Sedimentological analyses of the Lascuarre section allow recognizing a set of sedimentary sequences throughout the record. Here we present the result of the analyses, and discuss the relative weight of the different forcing. Particularly, we elucidate the role of tectonics in relation to subsidence distribution patterns, and also the distinct expression of climate. Eventually, we identify and explore the signal propagation mechanisms of climate aberrations and of quasi-regular orbital variations along the routing system.

The propagation of the deformation front in foreland systems is typically accompanied by the incorporation of parts of the basin into wedge-top piggy-back basins, this process is likely producing considerable changes to sedimentation rates (SR). Here we investigate the spatial-temporal evolution of SR for the Tremp–Jaca Basin in the Southern Pyrenees during its evolution from a wedge-top, foreredeep, forebulge configuration to a wedge-top stage. SR were controlled by a series of tectonic structures that influenced subsidence distribution and modified the sediment dispersal patterns. We compare the decompacted SR calculated from 12 magnetostratigraphic sections located throughout the Tremp–Jaca Basin represent the full range of depositional environment and times. While the derived long-term SR range between 9.0 and 84.5 cm/kyr, compiled data at the scale of magnetozones (0.1–2.5 Myr) yield SR that range from 3.0 to 170 cm/kyr. From this analysis, three main types of depocenter are recognized: a regional depocenter in the foredeep depozone; depocenters related to both regional subsidence and salt tectonics in the wedge-top depozone; and a depocenter related to clastic shelf building showing transgressive and regressive trends with graded and non-graded episodes. From the evolution of SR we distinguish two stages. The Lutetian Stage (from 49.1–41.2 Ma) portrays a compartmentalized basin characterized by variable SR in dominantly underfilled accommodation areas. The markedly different advance of the deformation front between the Central and Western Pyrenees resulted in a complex distribution of the foreland depozones during this stage. The Bartonian–Priabonian Stage (41.2–36.9 Ma) represents the integration of the whole basin into the wedge-top, showing a generalized reduction of SR in a mostly overfilled relatively uniform basin. The stacking of basement units in the hinterland during the whole period produced unusually high SR in the wedge-top depozone. © 2020 The Authors. Basin Research © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers and International Association of Sedimentologists, Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca, Grant/Award Number: 2017SGR596; Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Grant/Award Number: BES-2015-073302 and CGL2014-55900-P; Swiss National Science Foundation, Grant/Award Number: 200020_182017

EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online, 4-8 may 2020, The Early Eocene was the period of most intense plate collision during the building of the Pyrenean orogen. Tectonic loading of the overriding European plate caused flexure of the subducting Iberian plate and formation of an elongated foredeep connected westward with the Atlantic Ocean. The uneven distribution of the Triassic evaporites caused the formation of a thrust salient in the central Pyrenees related to tectonic inversion of the pre-existing Mesozoic rift basins. This process ultimately resulted in the partitioning of the foreland basin and the isolation of the Ripoll Basin in the East from the Tremp-Graus and Ainsa-Jaca basins in central and western south-Pyrenees. The precise timing and the surface processes related to this reorganization of the sediment routing system remains not fully understood. Early tectono-stratigraphic reconstructions envisaged a scenario of isolation of the eastern Pyrenean Foreland basin in the early Eocene, while other recent studies on detrital zircon geochronometry suggest that the sedimentary transfer system in the Tremp-Graus basin connected upstream to the Ripoll basin until middle Lutetian times. In this contribution we discuss constraints on the early Eocene paleogeography of the south-eastern Pyrenees in the light of a revised chronostratigraphic scheme. We put forward a scenario that tries reconciling all available structural, stratigraphic, petrologic, geochronologic, and sedimentologic datasets.

Here we present an environmental magnetic study of atmospheric deposition collected by a multi-site network in Spain that covers fourteen locations representative of urban, industrial, agricultural, and natural environments across southwestern Europe. We have combined magnetic methods with scanning electron microscopy and geochemical data to characterize the magnetic mineral assemblages of particulate matter across different types of sites and phenomenological scenarios, and to unravel their environmental significance in terms of the most important anthropogenic and natural components of atmospheric deposition. Our results enable identification of two magnetite/maghemite components of anthropogenic origin, derived mostly from vehicular traffic, plus a hematite component associated with a baseline supply of north African dust, in all the studied sites regardless of their type. The ubiquitous presence of anthropogenic magnetite/maghemite particles in pristine natural envi-ronments, albeit in lower concentrations, point to their arrival from neighbouring urban areas through atmo-spheric mixing processes. Samples including particulate matter deposited during distinctively intense periods of north African dust supply are characterized by a fourth component, represented also by coarser-grained he-matite, that is likely derived from a different source area within the Sahara Desert. The concomitant increase observed in these cases in the amounts of magnetite/maghemite particles suggests strongly that part of the magnetite/maghemite load attributed to anthropogenic sources for the rest of the phenomenological scenarios is aeolian in origin. This seems to explain the overall moderate correlation observed between magnetite/maghe-mite contents and proxies for vehicular traffic, and demonstrates the need for caution when interpreting envi-ronmental magnetic proxies for magnetite/maghemite abundances in terms of anthropogenic loads. This is especially the case in southern European cities where a steady supply of north African dust occurs throughout most of the year. Our results show a good correlation between hematite abundances and geochemical proxies for north African dust, which collectively delineate broad maxima during the summer and large peaks during distinctive dust breakouts. Thus, environmental magnetic proxies of hematite abundances can be used to monitor the contribution of natural sources to atmospheric deposition., This study was funded by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación and the European Funds for Regional Development (AEI/FEDER, UE) via the DONAIRE (CGL2015-68993-R) project. XZ and DH were supported by Australian Council Discovery Project DP200100765.

Syntectonic deposits of the Mesopotamian flexural basin have been dated in the Lurestan and Fars salients in the Zagros foldbelt since the early 2000's but not in the Dezful embayment where most of the Zagros foreland oil is trapped. We use 237 samples collected for magnetostratigraphy to date shallow marine to fluvial-alluvial pre-growth and growth strata deposits along a >2700 m section in the NE flank of the Jarik anticline in north Dezful embayment. The Jarik anticline grew by a combination of compression and coeval diapirism like other structures in north Dezful embayment. The correlation of the local magnetostratigraphy with the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale indicates ages of 14.1 Ma and ~13.6 Ma for the bases of the Mishan and Aghajari formations. The bases of Lahbari Mb. and Bakhtyari Fm. are ~9.0 Ma and ~7.0 Ma. The onset of growth strata in the NE flank of the Jarik anticline is ~12.8 Ma with a duration of 5.8 Myr for this anticline. This study presents for the first time the age of syntectonic deposition and folding in the Dezful embayment that is essential to determine burial and generation of hydrocarbons in this oil-rich province. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd, This research has been partially funded by projects Alpimed (PIE-CSIC-201530E082) and Subtetis (PIE-CSIC-201830E039).

The Kopet Dagh Mountains in NE Iran result from Cenozoic tectonic inversion of Triassic and Jurassic rifts that formed along the southern margin of the Eurasian continental plate. The Kopet Dagh defines an arcuate orogen leading to the suggestion that oroclinal bending took place during its formation. We performed a paleomagnetic study including seven sampling sites of Paleocene formations around the Kalat syncline in the East Kopet Dagh to test whether this part of the mountain belt experienced vertical-axis rotation. Paleomagnetic measurements and a reversals test indicate that parts of the collected samples may have been partially remagnetized. Overall paleomagnetic directions of all sample sites show a mean declination of 12.5°, which is the expected direction for stable Europe in the Paleocene and therefore negates any rotation related to regional tectonic events. Directions calculated only from reversely polarized paleomagnetic data, however, suggest clockwise vertical-axis rotations up to 21° since the Paleocene. Numerical modelling of a viscous multi-layer folding mimicking the Kalat syncline stratigraphy suggests that local deviations in overprinted site-mean directions and orientation of the maximum axes of the AMS ellipsoid may be related to complex folding kinematics, acquired after regional vertical-axis rotation, where related viscous flow of relatively weak interlayer is represented by the sampled Paleocene formation. © 2019, Swiss Geological Society., This work has been supported by Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant Number 2-77297-15).

A forward sequence of folding is interpreted in the northwest Zagros fold belt using two new magnetostratigraphic studies to date non-marine foreland successions in the Afrineh and Chaman Goli growth synclines and integrating previous studies in the Lurestan and Fars arcs. The onset of growth is younger from the hinterland to the foreland and established at 13.5, 11.8, and 7.6 million years ago (Ma), spanning from Middle to Late Miocene, although the end of folding is in the Middle Pleistocene at about 1.5 Ma in the foreland front. In-sequence folding propagation toward the foreland occurred at a mean rate of 30 km/Myr with shortening rates of ≤1.9 mm/yr, using the onset of growth for Chaman Goli, Afrineh, and Changuleh well-dated synclines. The greater shortening of the Zagros continental collision occurred in its hinterland with continental overrriding of the Iranian block above the Arabian plate partially predating Neogene folding in the Zagros fold belt.

Dating the sedimentary infill of the northern margin of the Ebro foreland basin informs about the orogen-basin evolution. A magnetostratigraphic section of ~5 km-thick combines new magnetostratigraphic results from the syntectonic alluvial Uncastillo Fm (Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene, 1 km-thick, the Fuencalderas section) with previous (3.3 km-thick) and new (0.7 km-thick) magnetostratigraphic data from the underlying fluvial Campodarbe Fm (Luesia and San Marzal sections, Eocene-Oligocene). This composite section allows dating the entire basin infill in this sector, therefore bracketing the timing of the deformation in the southern margin of the Pyrenees after considering previous kinematic studies. Deformation recorded by the continental deposits spans from syn-Gavarnie nappe activity (Broto and Fiscal basement thrust sheets) from 31.3 to 24.55 Ma, Rupelian-Chattian (Oligocene) to the syn-Guarga thrust activity, from 24.55 to 21.2 Ma Chattian-Aquitanian (Oligocene-Miocene). The Accumulation rates vary from ca. 22 to ca. 39 cm/kyr between the genetic stratigraphic units in the Uncastillo Fm through the section. These rates are close to those of the underlying deposits of the Campodarbe Fm (average of ca. 36 cm/kyr). Deformation for the latest Pyrenean front (syn-Guarga thrust) is younger than previously assigned in ~5.4. ~1.5 and ~1.1 Myr of the beginning of the Punta Común thrust sheet (from 29.4 Ma to 24 Ma), Lower Riglos thrust sheet system (from 24 to 22.5 Ma) and the Upper Riglos thrust system (22.5 to 21.4 Ma) respectively. Other significant changes in accumulation rate and its derivative also indicate variations in the tectonic activity ca. 33 and 28 Ma. © 2019 Elsevier B.V., Financial support was provided by the Spanish Ministry with the SEROS project, reference: CGL2014-55900-P/BTE and the project DR3AM-CGL2014-54118-C2-2-R. Thanks to the Paleomagnetic Laboratory CCiTUB-ICTJA CSIC, the Geomodels Research Institute, the Grup de Geodinàmica i Anàlisi de Conques - 2017SGR00596 and Geotransfer Group at the University of Zaragoza.

The main objective of this work is to characterize the structures belonging to the Altomira Range and Loranca Basin (SW Iberian Chain, Central Spain) in terms of understanding their present-day orientation, highly oblique with respect to the NW-SE orientation of adjacent structures of the Iberian Chain. The Altomira and Loranca fold and thrust belts present a slightly curved geometry with a general north-south orientation at their central sector, and structures oriented NNE-SSW and north-south to NNW-SSE at their northern and southern sectors, respectively. Palaeomagnetic data from Middle Eocene-Lower Miocene rocks (including clays, fine sandstones and limestones) reveal the absence of vertical-axis rotations in the central sector of the studied area, where structures are oriented north-south, and up to 17° of clockwise and 21° of anticlockwise vertical-axis rotations in the northern and southern sectors, respectively. These data are supported by calculations of the theoretical vertical-axis rotations from shortening estimates and basement-cover structural relationships. This approach highlights the importance of integrating different datasets to characterize the obliquity of fold and thrust belts. © 2016 The Author(s)., This work was funded by the project KINESAL (CGL2010-21968-C02-02) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and a PhD-IGME grant for the first author. It is a contribution of the Geomodels Research Institute and the Grup de Recerca de Geodinámica i Análisi de Conques (2014SGR467, supported by the Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca and the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya).

An analysis of Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility was done on Aptian–Albian sediments from the Basque–Cantabrian basin. Samples were collected from 39 sites in the halokinetic sequences of the Bakio, Bermeo, Guernica and Mungia diapirs; 28 sites were sampled close to diapirs, and 11 sites were far from the diapir edges. The magnetic foliation is parallel to bedding, suggesting it reflects depositional and compaction processes, whereas the orientation of magnetic lineation varies. Far from the diapir edges, the magnetic lineation is interpreted as being related to the regional Pyrenean compression. Close to diapir edges, the observed behaviour shows that diapirs, predominantly formed by rigid ophites, have acted as buttresses, with shadow areas at their northern faces being protected from the Pyrenean compression. The high sensitivity of AMS makes it a very useful tool to distinguish deformation in halokinetic sequences related to diapir growth from that related to subsequent compression., Unidad de Zaragoza, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, España, Laboratori de Paleomagnetisme, Institut de Ciències de la Terra Jaume Almera, España, GEOMODELS Institut de Recerca, Universitat de Barcelona, España

“Anomalous” magnetic fabrics in dikes that appear to indicate flow into the wall confound many workers. Here, we present extensive magnetic data on five dikes from Tenerife, Canary Islands, and use these to interpret the causes of the anomalous fabrics. Comparison of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and anhysteretic magnetization (AARM) results show that, in some cases, the anomalous fabrics are caused by single-domain grains, which produce AMS fabrics perpendicular to the grain elongation, whereas AARM fabrics are parallel. To check this, hysteresis experiments were used to characterize the domain state. These show most are mixtures of pseudosingle- domain or single-domain plus multi-domain particles, but many have wasp-waisted hysteresis loops, likely indicating mixed populations of stable single-domain and superparamagnetic grains. First-order reversal curves were used to better characterize this and show mixtures of stable single-domain and superparamagnetic grains dominate the magnetic signal. Magnetic particles at the stable single-domain/superparamagnetic threshold are unstable at timespans relevant to the analytical techniques, so they produce complicated results. This suggests that anomalous AMS fabrics in dikes cannot simply be attributed to elongated stable single-domain particles and that mixtures of the different grain types can produce hybrid fabrics, in which the fabrics are neither perpendicular or parallel to the dike plane, that are difficult to interpret without extensive magnetic analysis.

Chert from the limestones and marly limestones of Castelltallat Formation (Ebro Basin) was widely used throughout prehistoric times in north-eastern Iberia to produce stone tools due to its properties and accessibility. A rough estimate indicates that this rock—either as raw material or as lithic products—was distributed mainly to the north of the outcrops, over an area of 6000–8000 km2. However, other rocks in the area have similar characteristics which can lead to confusion in the interpretation of its prehistoric use and distribution. In order to establish useful archaeometric criteria for differentiating this chert from other similar, the Castelltallat chert is characterised in petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical terms. The chert nodules are found to be homogenous at the macroscopic and microscopic level, with a significant presence of bioclasts, thus indicating they might be formed in a freshwater lake environment by the early diagenetic replacement of carbonates in shallow waters. The mineralogical composition is homogeneously uniform and of a flint type, characterised by an almost exclusive predominance of quartz, without any opaline phases, and a variable proportion of moganite. The iron oxide content is very low, whereas its chemical composition is unusually high in uranium which correlates positively with carbonate content and negatively with silica. Archaeometrical parameters are provided to reach a proper identification of tools knapped with this chert. This way, chert from Castelltallat Formation turns out to be a valuable lithological marker to evaluate the range of mobility of the human groups who lived in the north-eastern Iberia and their contacts with neighbouring areas., The fieldwork to obtain rock samples and the analysis of the samples was cofunded by the Direcció General del Patrimoni Cultural de la Generalitat de Catalunya and IMF-CSIC, within the framework of an interinstitutional collaboration agreement for the development of the Catalan Lithotheque of siliceous rocks (LITOcat project). Specific studies on the petrological characterisation of Castelltallat chert and its prehistoric use were carried out within the research project ‘Aprofitament prehistòric i històric del sílex a Catalunya: contextos extractius i de primera transformació’, funded by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia (ref. núm. 2014/100778). The significance of human use and scope of distribution of Castelltallat chert are being approached within the project ‘Productions, technical variability and technological innovation in the Neolithic’, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant HAR2016–76534-C2–2-R).

This work was funded by the project INTECTOSAL (CGL2010-21968-C02-01) and by the “Grup de Recerca de Geodinamica i Analisi de Conques 2009SGR1198” Secretaria d’Universitat i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Josep Poblet acknowledges financial support by research projects: “Geociencias en Iberia: estudios integrados de topografia y evolucion 4D [TOPO-IBERIA]” (CSD2006-041) and “Desarrollo de fracturas y venas asociadas al plegamiento [FRAVEPLE]” (CGL2011-23628) funded by Spanish Ministries.

We present the first rock magnetic study of archeologically-relevant chert samples from the Basque-Cantabrian basin (BCB) and surrounding regions, which was conducted in order to test the usefulness of non-destructive magnetic properties for assessing chert quality, distinguishing source areas, and identifying heated samples in the archeological record. Our results indicate that the studied BCB cherts are diamagnetic and have very low amounts of magnetic minerals. The only exception is the chert of Artxilondo, which has a median positive magnetic susceptibility associated with larger concentrations of magnetic minerals. But even in this case, the magnetic susceptibility is within the lower range of other archeologically-relevant cherts elsewhere, which indicates that the studied BCB cherts can be considered as flint. The similar median values for all magnetic properties, along with their associated large interquartile ranges, indicates that rock magnetic methods are of limited use for sourcing different types of flint except in some specific contexts involving the Artxilondo flint. With regards to the identification of chert heating in the archeological record, our results indicate only a minor magnetic enhancement of BCB natural flint samples upon heating, which we attribute to the low amount of non-silica impurities. In any case, the diamagnetic behavior of most BCB natural flints, along with the local use only of the Artxilondo type, suggests that any flint tool within the core of the BCB with positive magnetic susceptibility values is likely to have been subjected to heating for improving its knapping properties. Further studies are necessary to better identify the type, origin and grain size of magnetic minerals in BCB natural flints, and to apply non-destructive magnetic properties to flint tools in order to identify the use of heat treatment in the BCB archeological record. © 2016 Larrasoaña, Beamud, Olivares, Murelaga, Tarriño, Baceta and Etxebarria., This study was funded by project GUI15/34 of the Universidad del País Vasco.

The results of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility analyses of 19 sites carried out on magnetostrigraphically-dated, Lower to Middle Miocene (20.4 to 13.7 Ma) “non-deformed” mudstones from the central part of the Ebro basin reveal the presence of a subtle tectonic overprint lasting at least until the Langhian (Middle Miocene) in the southern Pyrenean foreland. Magnetic ellipsoids show a sedimentary fabric in 42% of sites and a weak and well-defined magnetic lineation in 47% and 11% of sites. The magnetic lineation is roughly oriented around the east–west direction, compatible with a very weak deformation occurring there and related to the north–south compression linked to the convergence between Europe, Iberia and Africa during the Early–Middle Miocene. A slight variation of the magnetic parameters Km, Pj, and T exists through time, probably due to changes in the sedimentary conditions in the basin., Funding for this work came from project CGL2013-42670-P (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain) and a JAE-Doc Postdoctoral (CSIC, Spain) contract for the first author.

New magnetostratigraphic results from a 3300 m-thick section across the syntectonicfluvial sediments of the Campodarbe Formation (Upper Eocene-Oligocene) in the Ebro forelandbasin (NE Spain) are presented. The new data allow the top of the Campodarbe Formation tobe correlated to Chron 7r (Chattian), younger than previously stated (C10r), therefore shiftingthe age of significant palaeogeographical changes in the foreland basin. The deformation in thesouthern front produces the cannibalization in the piggyback basin of 1300 m of sediments spanningc. 3.7 Myr. Average accumulation rates are lower in the Ebro foreland basin than in the piggybackbasin and decrease from 35 to 27 cm kyr by the time the San Felices thrust sheet activitydecelerates (at c. 28 Myr). Shifts of accumulation rates result from accommodation space changes,which occur locally and are linked to the activity of the San Felices thrust, while the sedimentsupply occurs at orogenic scale (source of sediments is c. 200 km to the NE). Finally, sequenceboundaries previously considered isochronous in the continental record of the Cenozoic Pyreneanbasins are revealed to be 1.8-1 Myr older in the piggyback basin than in the Ebro foreland basin., Financial support to develop this investigation was provided by projects CGL2009-08969, CGL2010-21968-C02-02, CGL2009-14214, CGL2010-17479 and CGL2014-55900-P of the former Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN).

Financial support for this research was provided by a CSIC JAE-Doc postdoctoral research contract (MGP), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (projects CGL2008-02203/BTE, CGL2010-15767/BTE and CGL2011-24790) and Banco Santander – Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Grupo de Investigacion 910396).

New full-vector archaeomagnetic data for North Africa recovered from the study of six kilns, five from Tunisia and one from Morocco, are presented. Archaeological and historical considerations, along with three radiocarbon dates, indicate that the age of the kilns ranges between the 9th and 15th centuries AD. Rock magnetic analyses showed that the principal magnetic carriers are magnetite and low Ti titanomagnetite, along with variable contributions of thermally stable maghemite and a high coercivity phase with low unblocking temperatures. The magnetic mineralogy of the studied material is thermally stable and behaves ideally during archaeointensity experiments. Stepwise alternating field demagnetization isolated a single, stable, characteristic remanence component with very well defined directions at both specimen and structure levels. Mean archaeointensities have been obtained from successful classical Thellier experiments conducted on between five and eight independent samples per kiln. Thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) anisotropy and cooling rate effects upon TRM intensity have been investigated. The results showed that these effects are low for four of the six studied kilns, with differences between the uncorrected and corrected means of less than 3 per cent. For the other two structures differences between the uncorrected and corrected mean site intensities are 4.4 per cent and 5.8 per cent. These results highlight the necessity for TRM anisotropy and cooling rate corrections in archaeomagnetic studies if accurate archaeointensities are to be obtained. The new results suggest that high intensities occurred in Northwest Africa during the 9th century. Although more data are clearly needed to define this period of high intensity, the results are in agreement with the available European archaeointensity data. Acomparison between the newdata, other available archaeomagnetic determinations in nearby locations, and palaeosecular variation (PSV) curves derived from the regional SCHA.DIF.3k and global ARCH3K.1 geomagnetic field models shows good agreement between the new data and directional results derived from the models. However, some differences are observed between geomagnetic field models intensity results and available archaeointensity data for the studied regions. This highlights the need for new data for unexplored regions such as North Africa. The new data presented here better constrains the evolution of the geomagnetic field during historical times in this region. They represent a new step towards the construction of a reference PSV curve for Northwest Africa. Once established, this curve will represent a new dating method for this region.