Stratigraphic simulations of the shelf of the Gulf of Lions: Testing subsidence rates and sea-level curves during the Pliocene and Quaternary

Estelle Leroux (1, 2) , Marina Rabineau (1) , Daniel Aslanian (2) , Didier Granjeon (3) , Laurence Droz (1) , Christian Gorini (4)

1 LDO - Domaines Océaniques
2 GM - Géosciences Marines
3 IFPEN - IFP Energies nouvelles
4 iSTeP - Institut des Sciences de la Terre de Paris

Determining the relative importance of factors interacting to control stratigraphic organization is a key issue in sedimentology. The Pliocene-Quaternary chronostratigraphy on the Gulf of Lions platform is still poorly constrained, giving rise to different interpretations of the evolution of its subsidence through time. This paper examines the Pliocene-Quaternary sedimentary filling of the Gulf of Lion's shelf with Dionisos, a numerical stratigraphic model. Our results show that a constant subsidence rate accurately reproduces the observed geometries, whereas a varying subsidence rate reproduces them only if the acceleration of subsidence is limited. At this time-scale, a third-order eustatic curve is also reappraised: a higher resolution curve (built using δ18O measurements) gives a more realistic restitution of our stratigraphic markers. Finally, the constant subsidence rate and sediment fluxes implied in these modellings are discussed relative to climate and local factors of sedimentation.

Domains: Geomorphology

Estelle Leroux, Marina Rabineau, Daniel Aslanian, Didier Granjeon, Laurence Droz, et al.. Stratigraphic simulations of the shelf of the Gulf of Lions: Testing subsidence rates and sea-level curves during the Pliocene and Quaternary. Terra Nova, 2014, 26 (3), pp.230-238. ⟨10.1111/ter.12091⟩. ⟨insu-00948717⟩