Extensional collapse of thickened continental lithosphere: A working hypothesis for the Alboran Sea and Gibraltar arc

Research Article| June 01, 1989 Extensional collapse of thickened continental lithosphere: A working hypothesis for the Alboran Sea and Gibraltar arc J. P. Platt; J. P. Platt 1Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3PR, England Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R.L.M. Vissers R.L.M. Vissers 2Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Utrecht, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information J. P. Platt 1Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3PR, England R.L.M. Vissers 2Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Utrecht, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1989) 17 (6): 540–543. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)0172.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation J. P. Platt, R.L.M. Vissers; Extensional collapse of thickened continental lithosphere: A working hypothesis for the Alboran Sea and Gibraltar arc. Geology 1989;; 17 (6): 540–543. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)0172.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Several features of the Alboran Sea suggest that it may have been a high collisional ridge in Paleogene time that subsequently underwent extensional-collapse, driving radial thrusting around the Gibraltar arc. (1) The basin is underlain by thin (13-20 km) continental crust, has an east-west-trending horst and graben morphology, was the locus of Neogene volcanism, and has subsided 2-4 km since the middle Miocene. (2) Extension and subsidence in the basin coincided in time with outwardly directed thrusting in the surrounding mountain chains. (3) Africa and Europe were converging slowly during this period, so extension must have been driven by internally generated forces. (4) Onshore, rocks metamorphosed at 40 km depth are exposed beneath major low-angle normal faults that separate them from low-grade rocks above. (5) Emplacement of solid bodies of Iherzolite at asthenospheric temperature into the base of the collisional edifice in late Oligocene time suggests detachment of the lithospheric root beneath the collision zone. This would have increased the surface elevation and the potential energy of the system and would have favored extensional collapse of the ridge. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.