The Cenozoic history of the Armorican Massif: New insights from the deep CDB1 borehole (Rennes Basin, France)

Hugues Bauer (1) , Paul Bessin (2) , Pierre Saint-Marc (3) , Jean-Jacques Châteauneuf (1, 4) , Chantal Bourdillon (5) , Robert Wyns (1) , François Guillocheau (6)

1 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)
2 LPG - Le Mans - Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique - Géosciences Le Mans
3 Semm Logging
4 Chercheur indépendant
5 ERADATA
6 GR - Géosciences Rennes

Borehole CDB1 (675.05 m) crosses the deepest Cenozoic sedimentary basin of the Armorican Massif, the Rennes Basin, to reach the underlying basement at a depth of 404.92 m, made up of the Late Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian Brioverian Group, weathered down to 520 m depth. The basin's Cenozoic deposits are divided into seven formations, ranging from Early–Middle Bartonian to Late Pliocene in age. Coastal sediments at the very base, along with a thick Priabonian lacustrine episode, imply a major revision of the regional palaeogeography, whilst a very steady and low-energy lacustrine-palustrine environment throughout the Priabonian and Early Rupelian argue for an aggradational system associated with uniform subsidence. Palynological assemblages attest to environmental and climatic changes through the Eocene and Early Oligocene, in accordance with regional and global trends (Eocene–Oligocene Transition).

Keywords: Oligocene; Eocene; EOT; Weathering profile; Continental drilling

Domains: Stratigraphy

Hugues Bauer, Paul Bessin, Pierre Saint-Marc, Jean-Jacques Châteauneuf, Chantal Bourdillon, et al.. The Cenozoic history of the Armorican Massif: New insights from the deep CDB1 borehole (Rennes Basin, France). Comptes Rendus Géoscience, 2016, 348 (5), pp.387-397. ⟨10.1016/j.crte.2016.02.002⟩. ⟨insu-01296796⟩