Print this pageReconstructing the Alpine Foreland Basin of SE France - New Insights from the Annot and Champsaur Turbidite Systems
Jamie Vinnels1, Rob Butler1, Bill McCaffrey1, Gillian Apps2, Henry Lickorish3, and Frank Peel2
1School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
2BHP Billiton, Houston, TX
3Consultant, Calgary, AB, Canada
The Eocene to Oligocene deepwater sandstones of SE France are some of the most well documented turbidite deposits in the world, and have contributed greatly to the understanding of turbidite systems. The southern remnants, know collectively as the Annot Sandstones (i.e., the Annot, Grand Coyer, Sanguiniere and Trois Eveches sub-basins), are siliciclasitc and are thought to represent perched, interconnected flysch troughs, characterised by channel and sheet-form architectural elements, with sediment distributing NW from a deltaic source fed from the Corsica-Sardinia Massif. However, little is know about the system in more distal areas.
The Eastern Champsaur Sandstones (30 km N of Trois Eveches), which have resisted evaluation due to a strong tectonic overprint, are thought to represent the downstream continuation of the Annot Turbidite System. The Eastern Champsaur Sandstones, are siliciclasitc in nature and disperse towards the N and NW, infilling and onlapping local thrust-related topography. These sandstones are sheet- or channel-form in nature and are thought to represent proximal-medial remnants of the Annot Turbidite System.
The Western Champsaur Sandstones, which are of volcaniclastic petrography, are characterised by channel- and sheet-form units dispersing towards the NE. These sandstones are though to represent relatively proximal remnants of a distinct sand fairway, termed here the Champsaur Turbidite System, and are though to have co-occurred with the Annot Turbidite System.
Presented here is a reconstruction of the turbidite systems of the southern Alpine Foreland Basin which increases the inferred limits of the Annot and Champsaur Turbidite Systems, and allows insight into deep-water sand-fairway evolution.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas