The Albian tectonic 'crisis' in Central Tunisia: Nature and chronology of the deformations

International audience; The Mid-Cretaceous tectonic "crisis" is a classical feature of the tectonosedimentary evolution of Tunisia. A reappraisal of the synsedimentary deformations observed in the Tajerouine and Kasserine areas shows that deformations began in the earliest Albian, increased during the Early Albian, and culminated in the Middle Albian. Late Albian deposits overly, locally with a strong angular unconformity, Aptian to Early Albian sediments. In the southern part of the studied area, fault tectonics and tilted blocks dominate, whereas in the northern area, the occurrence of slumps and olistoliths suggests deformations related to incipient salt movements at depth. These new chronological constraints suggest that this tectonic event is most probably related to the final opening of the Atlantic Ocean at equatorial latitudes.