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The post Permian evolution of the Central European Basin System (CEBS) was characterized by a high grade differentiation due to contemporary differential uplift and subsidence developed in adjacent basin areas. The observed differential deformation patterns result from interactions between regional and/or local variations in rheology beneath the sub-basins whereas only minor change occurred at the stress boundaries.
Here we present the results from two dimensional modelling concerning the tectonic evolution of the CEBS. The modelling approach is the classical thin sheet model formulation here implemented in spherical coordinates to include large scale spatial deformation. In order to provide realistic input data for the integral model, finite element temperature and strength models for the lithosphere are determined for different time slices.
The study provides insight into the tectonic evolution through time of the main Permian basins and Mesozoic troughs in the CEBS. The main goal is to elucidate the relevance of inherited large scale lithospheric structures in combination with variable stress boundary conditions as derived by large-scale (palaeo)tectonic plate reconstructions.
The results explain the overall evolution of the area. The study suggests a correlation between the basin-differentiation observed throughout the Mesozoic in the CEBS and regional variations in lithosphere rheology as well as minor changes at the effective stress boundaries. The complex geological evolution of the different sub-basins reflects the mechanical response of these basins to far-field intraplate stresses which governed the megatectonic setting of Western and Central Europe. On the other hand, inherited crustal and deeper structures inducing processes as strain localization and major deviation of stresses provide first order elements in controlling the evolution of the basin system. The obtained results strongly suggest the close interplay between lithospheric structure and geodynamic forces in controlling basin evolution through time.
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