Browsing by Author "Camps, P"

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    Challenging intraplate orogens: from geomorphology to lithospheric dynamic. The French Massif Central case study
    (Copernicus GmbH, 2020-05-04) Malcles, O; Vernant, P; Ritz, JF; Fink, D; Cazes, G; Fujioka, T; Braucher, R; Camps, P
    In the 60’s, the formulation of the plate tectonic theory changed our understanding of the Earth dynamics. Aiming at explaining the earth first order kinematics, this primary theory of plate tectonic assumed rigid plates, a necessity to efficiently transfer stress from one boundary to another. If successful to explain, at first order, the plate-boundary evolutions, this theory fails when compared to the unpredicted but identified deformation located inside the plate-domains: the intraplate orogens. Indeed, the intraplate regions are thought to be slowly, if at all, deforming. Therefore, it is expected that intraplate regions do not show important finite deformation, that is to say, no mountains. Some intraplate regions, however, have important relief: the Snowy Mountains (Australia), the Ural Mountains (Russia) or the Massif Central (France) for examples. Traditionally, such regions are interpreted as old structures that are slowly eroded, interpretations that are most of the time weakly constrained. Our study is aiming at providing stronger constraints and then a better understanding of such challenging area that are the intraplate orogen domains. Because direct measurements of deformations (e.g. GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System or InSAR: Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) are most of the time below the precision level, it is necessary to derive this information from the landscape evolution. To do so, terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) technics are a key method, allowing to constraint the temporal landscape evolution. Classically, two TCN-based approaches are used to quantify the landscape evolution rate: burial ages and watershed-wide denudation rates, based on measurement in quartz sediment of 10Be and 26Al concentrations, two radioactive cosmogenic isotopes. Using the Massif Central (France) as study area, we show that this region is currently deforming. From new geochronological constraints and a geomorphometric study, we propose that the region undergoes an active uplift encompassing the last c.a. 4 Ma. It can be explained by the combination of at least two phenomena: the first one is the uplift triggering event, that has yet to be clearly identified, and the second one: the erosional isostatic adjustment enhancing the first one and possibly continuing after the end of the first one.
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    Determining the Plio-Quaternary uplift of the southern French Massif Central; a new insight for intraplate orogen dynamics
    (European Geosciences Union, 2020-02-26) Malcles, O; Vernant, P; Chéry, J; Camps, P; Cazes, G; Ritz, JF; Fink, D
    The evolution of intraplate orogens is still poorly understood. Yet, it is of major importance for understanding the Earth and plate dynamics, as well as the link between surface and deep geodynamic processes. The French Massif Central is an intraplate orogen with a mean elevation of 1000  m , with the highest peak elevations ranging from 1500 to 1885  m. However, active deformation of the region is still debated due to scarce evidence either from geomorphological or geodetic and seismologic data. We focus our study on the southern part of the Massif Central, known as the Cévennes and Grands Causses, which is a key area to study the relationship between the recent geological deformation and landscape evolution. This can be done through the study of numerous karst systems with trapped sediments combined with the analysis of a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM). Using the ability of karst to durably record morphological evolution, we first quantify the incision rates. We then investigate tilting of geomorphological benchmarks by means of a high-resolution DEM. We finally use the newly quantified incision rates to constrain numerical models and compare the results with the geomorphometric study. We show that absolute burial age ( 10 Be ∕ 26 Al on quartz cobbles) and the paleomagnetic analysis of karstic clay deposits for multiple cave system over a large elevation range correlate consistently. This correlation indicates a regional incision rate of 83+ 17 / - 5 m Ma −1 during the last ca. 4  Myr (Pliocene – Quaternary). Moreover, we point out through the analysis of 55 morphological benchmarks that the studied region has undergone a regional southward tilting. This tilting is expected as being due to a differential vertical motion between the northern and southern part of the studied area. Numerical models show that erosion-induced isostatic rebound can explain up to two-thirds of the regional uplift deduced from the geochronological results and are consistent with the southward tilting derived from morphological analysis. We presume that the remaining unexplained uplift is related to dynamic topography or thermal isostasy due to the Massif Central Pliocene – Quaternary magmatism. Integrating both geochronology and morphometrical results into lithospheric-scale numerical models allows a better understanding of this intraplate – orogen evolution and dynamic. We assume that the main conclusions are true to the general case of intraplate deformation. That is to say, once the topography has been generated by a triggering process, rock uplift is then enhanced by erosion and isostatic adjustment leading to a significant accumulation of mainly vertical deformation. © Author (s) 2020