BACHMANN, GERHARD H.¹ and NORBERT HOFFMANN^2
1University Halle
²BGR Berlin, Germany

Abstract: Crustal Structure and Origin of the Cratonic Central European Basin

The cratonic Central European Basin extends between England and Poland and came into existence after the Hercynian orogeny in Late Carboniferous to Permian times. As with other cratonic basins, its origin and evolution are still not fully understood However, recent deep seismic sections of the German DEKORP programme provide important evidence.

In the center of the basin the crust has undergone stretching and contains intrusions of mantle-derived material. At the same time the crust was underplated by ingeous material.

In Late Carboniferous - Early Permian times, the basin was characterized by extrusion of more than 2 km thick volcanics. The heating and upwarping of the crust caused extensive denudation. Subsequent cooling of the crust, associated with some extensional tectonics, led to thermal subsidence which caused the formation of the ESE-WNW trending Rotliegend basin. The Rotliegend basin fill consists of more than 1.5 km of continental redbeds which contain substantial reserves of natural gas.

In latest Permian time, the basin was flooded by the Zechstein sea. Continued thermal subsidence caused the expansion of the basin, almost without extensional tectonics, and the deposition of more than 2 km of evaporitic sediments. 27echstein carbonates hold large reserves of natural gas; halite, potash and gypsum are being mined.

Following Permian time, the basin was an area of subsidence in which an additional 6000 m of marine and continental sediments accumulated through to the Cenozoic, containing substantial deposits of oil and natural gas.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90928©1999 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas