Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Late Triassicearly Jurassic block tilting along EW faults, in southern Tunisia: New
interpretation of the Tebaga of Medenine
Camille Raulin a,, Dominique Frizon de Lamotte a, Samir Bouaziz b, Sami Khomsi c, Nicolas Mouchot d,
Geoffrey Ruiz e, Franois Guillocheau f
a
Gosciences et Environnement Cergy, Universit de Cergy-Pontoise, 5 mail Gay Lussac, 95031 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex, France
Laboratoire Eau-Energie-Environnement, Universit de Sfax, Ecole Nationale dIngnieurs de Sfax, Ad-10-02, BP W, 3038 Sfax, Tunisia
Department of Petroleum Geology and Sedimentology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jedda, Saudi Arabia
d
Laboratoire de Gologie, Ecole Normale Suprieure, CNRS-URA 8538-1316, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
e
Institut de Gologie et Palontologie, Universit de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Suisse, Switzerland
f
Gosciences-Rennes, UMR 6118, Universit de Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
b
c
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 2 December 2010
Received in revised form 15 April 2011
Accepted 23 May 2011
Available online 27 May 2011
Keywords:
Tebaga of Medenine
Southern Tunisia
Rifting
Upper Triassic
Lower-Middle Jurassic
East Mediterranean
a b s t r a c t
The Tebaga of Medenine is a puzzling structure situated at the northern edge of the Jeffara plain in southern Tunisia. It presents the unique outcropping marine Permian sequence in Africa as well as spectacular
angular unconformities related to Mesozoic tectono-sedimentary events. Many hypotheses have been
proposed to explain this structure but some questions still remain. We present the result of an integrated
study of the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the region, based on new eld work and a reassessment of
some subsurface data. We propose a new structural hypothesis in which the Tebaga of Medenine is interpreted as resulting from large scale block tilting, mainly controlled by inherited EW major faults, the
Azizia fault system. These EW faults running along the Jeffara plain may represent inherited structural
features in relation with deep faulting in the Paleozoic substratum. This rifting occurring during late Triassic up to the end of early Jurassic, is nally integrated in the general frame of the East Mediterranean.
2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Southern Tunisia constitutes the northern edge of the Sahara
platform (Ghadames Basin), a tabular domain made up of Paleozoic
and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks (Fig. 1A and B). It includes the
Jeffara plain in which is exposed a south dipping monocline,
known in the literature as the Tebaga of Medenine. This EW
trending structure is situated close to the town of Medenine, east
of the Dahar plateau (Fig. 2). It intrigues geologists since the beginning of geological and petroleum exploration for three main
reasons:
(1) It constitutes the unique outcrop of marine Permian rocks in
Africa (Berkaloff, 1933; Newell et al. 1976; Khessibi, 1985).
(2) It exhibits a quite important dip (mean value of about
2030), contrasting with the almost tabular environment
of the Sahara platform.
(3) It recorded multiple unconformities and syn-sedimentary
deformations.
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 134257364; fax: +33 134257350.
E-mail address: camille.raulin@u-cergy.fr (C. Raulin).
1464-343X/$ - see front matter 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2011.05.007
95
20
10
APULIA
IBERIA
ANATOLIA
SICILY
AFRICA
a
Malt
Pa
ia
gra
be
n Malt
a
it e
PELAGIAN SEA
Gulf
of
Gabes
Ash
-Tr
ipo
rra
ne
an
Rid
g
IONIAN SEA
tart
d
Me
gra
Lin
be n
osa
grabe
n
Sahel
Ionian
abyssal
basin
ent
rpm
North - South
Ax
is
llar
esca
nte
Gulf
of
Hammamet
TUNISIA
lita
nia
gra
ben
Sab
Talemzane Arch
rata
Nefusa Arch
h ba
sin
LIBYA
SIRT BASIN
ia
ng
gr
en
be
ab
ra
GHADAMES BASIN
ALGERIA
ab
Hu
ed
Ag
Fig. 2
30
30
Ma
Sirt-Pelagian system
Paleozoic arch
Sahara platform
Main overthrust
Jeffara plain
Thrust fault
Normal fault
Main grabens
Undifferentiated fault
Main Anticline
be
ra
Atlas system
hg
da
ra
Sarir
grabe
am
ay
Tu
en
ab
gr
10
20
B
A S
N B
GHADAMES BASIN
NEFUSA ARCH
PELAGIAN SEA
Studied area
0
-20
M i d - cr u
-40
(km)
e ta
s ta l d
chm
ent
?
Cenozoic
Cretaceous
Mesozoic
50 km
Paleozoic
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Cambro-Ordovician
Proterozoic
(Continental crust)
Fig. 1. A = Map of the Central Mediterranean, locating the Jeffara basin at the junction between the Sahara platform, the Pelagian Sea and the Atlas system. The map is
modied from Jongsma et al. (1985, 1987), Chamot-Rooke et al. (2005), Rusk (2001), Casero and Roure (1994), Finetti (1982), and Burollet (1991). B = General cross-section
from the middle part of the Pelagian sea to the Sahara platform modied from Jongsma et al. (1985), Hallett (2002), Boote et al. (1998), Klett (2001), and Boccaletti and
Manetti (1978), in Frizon de Lamotte et al. (2011).
96
Fig. 2. Geological map of the Jeffara Basin (Tunisia Libya), adapted from the geological maps of Tunisia (Ben Haj Ali et al., 1985; Bouaziz et al., 1986; Zouari et al., 1987 Bouaziz
and Mello, 1990; Bouaziz, 1990b, 1991, 1998) and Libya (El Hinnawy and Cheshitev, 1975; Mann, 1975; Smetana, 1975; Antonovic, 1977; Novovic, 1977; Zivanovic, 1977). A
and B locates the gure 5s cross-section.
erosional gap separates the Jurassic succession from the siliciclastic deposits of the Continental Intercalaire, which is mainly
Barremian to Albian in the region of interest (Ouaja et al., 2002;
Bodin et al., 2010). Finally the Upper Cretaceous is dominated
by carbonate sedimentation.
From a structural point of view, the regional geological map
suggests the progressive truncation and piching out of the Triassic
to Early Cretaceous rocks toward the EW trending Tebaga of
Medenine, where Permian rocks are dipping southward (Fig. 2).
Busson (1972) interprets this particular geometry as the result of
vertical uplift during the Middle Triassic, prior to the progressive
subsidence and drowning of the Tebaga from late Triassic up to
the end of middle Jurassic. From this point of view, the interpretation of Busson (1972) contrasts with the previous work by Mathieu
(1949) who has suggested that the tilting observed in the Tebaga
was the result of folding related to a compressive tectonic event
predating the deposition of the Bathonian. More recently, Bouaziz
(1995) and Bouaziz et al. (2002), based on geological mapping,
claried the structural conguration of the Tebaga by interpreting
it as an asymmetric anticline with a steep northern limb, which
was subsequently cut out by steep normal faults. These authors dated a late Triassic folding event based on an Upper Carnian unconformity and interpreted the Tebaga as the result of large scale
right-lateral transcurrent movement along EW trends. However
such a Triassic compressive event is difcult to integrate in geodynamic context of southern Tunisia.
97
98
VRACONIAN
PERMIAN
SE
NW
B
BATHONIAN-OXFORDIAN
LOWER TRIASSIC
Fig. 4. Regional unconformities: (A) Unconformity between the Vraconian and the Permian at the western termination of the Tebaga of Medenine (N33 250 03.800
E10 100 04.800 ). (B) Unconformity between the Bathonian and the Triassic (N33 240 28.600 E10 250 24.600 ).
Middle Jurassic and the brecciated Permian rocks (he draw a fault
in between), whereas Bouaziz (1995) has recognized the sedimentary nature of the contact but has interpreted the breccias as a sedimentary formation interbedded within the Middle Jurassic rocks.
The facts established in the eld can be integrated in a new interpretation (Fig. 9) in which the brecciated Permian rocks exposed
along the northern limb of the Tebaga results from fracturation
and faulting in a damaged zone along the normal faults corridors.
The Middle Jurassic sedimentary rocks are lling a drag syncline
developed north of the Tebaga fault zone. In the brecciated Permian dolomite, Bouaziz (1995) analyzed micro-faults within three
sites. All of them show NWSE to EW faults corresponding to
NESW and NS extensional deformation. The same tectonic regime has been found in the Jurassic and Cretaceous formations
99
(km)
TEBAGA FAULT
-1
?
?
TALEMZANE ARCH
-2
?
ZEMLET EL GHAR FAULT
-3
10
20
Paleozoic
30
40
50
60
Middle Triassic
70
80
90
Upper Triassic
100
Liassic
110
Dogger
120
Malm
130
140
Lower Cretaceous
150
160
Upper Cretaceous
170
180
(km)
Projected wells
Fig. 5. General section across the Tataouine sub-basin (see location on Fig.2), built from the geological map of Zouari et al. (1987), and from boreholes and subsurface data.
Fig. 6. Geological map of the Tebaga of Medenine, modied from Zouari et al. (1987). The background is a composite view from Google Earth (Data SIO, NOAA, US, Navy, NGA,
GEBCO; 2011 Cnes/Spot Image; Image 2011 DigitalGlobe).
100
Fig. 7. 3D geological view of the Merbah Grouz key area. This 3D view is a zoom of the Fig. 6.
4. Discussion
Our results allow us to propose a new kinematic and structural
conceptual model for the evolution of the Tataouine tilted block
and to discuss its geodynamic signicance in the frame of the transition between the Sahara platform and the East Mediterranean
domain as well as with the Atlas system.
4.1. Kinematic model for the Tataouine tilted block
In our model (Fig. 10), the Azizia EW fault system plays a major role controlling the south tilting of the Tataouine block as well
as its sedimentary inlling. Block tilting has been mainly active
during the late Triassic and Liassic. By contrast, the geometry of
the Middle Jurassic deposits is rather the one of a sag basin due
to thermal subsidence post-dating the main extensional episode
(Patriat et al., 2003). However, the geometry of the Middle Jurassic
along the northern side of the Tebaga shows that extensional
deformation continued at that time at least along secondary faults
as the one fringing the Tebaga to the north. Different studies in the
foreland of the Atlas system, as in the Chotts basins reconstruction,
outline the role of EW normal faults in the control of basin inlling during the late TriassicJurassic times (e.g. Ben Ferjani et al.,
1990; Soussi, 2002). Otherwise paleo-stress eld reconstructions
at the scale of the Mesozoic platforms in southern Tunisia are in
agreement with NS stretching controlled by EW striking synsedimentary faults controlling grabens and hemigrabens (Bouaziz
et al., 2002).
4.2. The question of the Permian basin predating the Tataouine tilted
block
The Tataouine tilted block developed in a basin lled by more
than 4000 m of Upper Permian sediments (see a synthesis in Mejri
101
NE
SW
5
1
2
PERMIAN
APTIAN
LATE HAUTERIVIAN-BARREMIA
UPPER BATHONIAN-CALLOVIAN
20 m
NE
SW
APTIAN
LATE HAUTERIVIAN-BARREMIAN
UPPER BATHONIAN-CALLOVIAN
3
PERMIAN
5m
Fig. 8. The Merbah Grouz key area. Panoramas showing the onlap of the Upper BathonianCallovian level onto brecciated Permian rocks from the Tebaga of Medenine.
Fig. 9. Interpretation of the Merbah Grouz key area (see explanation in the text).
102
Fig. 10. Conceptual kinematic model of the Tataouine tilted block showing the late development of the Tebaga of Medenine as a secondary tilted block.
103
Fig. 11. Paleotectonic map of the South-Tethys margin for Callovian times. The map is modied after Guiraud et al. (2005), Barrier and Vrielynck (2008), Ricou (1994), Keeley
(1994), Gardosh et al. (2010), Frizon de Lamotte et al. (2011).
104
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