Abstract
The geodynamic evolution of the Western Mediterranean Basin, in spite of many studies, is still uncertain. There is some consensus for interpreting this basin as a kind of small oceanic marginal basin. Its opening has generally been related to a subduction process which was active during the Oligocene–Miocene somewhere east of Sardinia–Corsica1–7. As the margins of the basin are deeply buried below Miocene-to-present sediments, direct lithological and stratigraphical data which could explain the events responsible for its formation are rare8–10 or missing altogether. To obtain such data, detailed field studies have been undertaken in Sardinia (Fig. 1), and the first results are presented here. This approach is justified by the fact that in that island, Oligocene and Miocene sediments were deposited in a rift (fossa tettonica sarda of Verdabasso11), which is the easternmost arm of the complex rift system that affected the European plate during Oligocene and Miocene times. One of these arms evolved towards a small oceanic basin—the Western Mediterranean or Algero–Provençal Basin—while others such as the Gulf of Valencia and the Sardinia rift aborted and remained at the rift stage. Its exceptional exposures make it possible to examine the Sardinia rift to clarify the sequence of events which created it, and to establish a sedimentological model which we believe is directly applicable to the Western Mediterranean Basin.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boccaletti, M. & Guazzone, G. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 11, 201–216 (1972).
Boccaletti, M. & Guazzone, G. in Paleogeografia del Terziario sardo nell' ambito del Mediterraneo occidentale (ed. Cherchi, A.) 57–68 (1974).
Auzende, J. M., Bonnin, J. & Olivet, J. L. J. geol. soc. Lond. 129, 607–620 (1973).
Biju-Duval, B. et al. in The Geology of Continental Margins (eds Burk, C. A. & Drake, C. L.) 695–721 (1974).
Biju-Duval, B., Letouzey, J. & Montadert, L. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 42 A, 951–984 (1978).
Bellon, H., Coulon, C. & Edel, J. B. Bull. Soc. géol. Fr. 19, 825–831 (1977).
Tapponnier, P. Bull Soc. géol. Fr. 19, 437–460 (1977).
Ryan, W. B. F. et al. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 13, 1–1448 (1973).
Hsü, K. J. et al. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg. 42 A, 1 (1978).
Cravatte, J. et al. Not. Mém. Compagnie Fr. Pétrole 11, 209–274 (1974).
Vardabasso, S. Geol. Rdsch. 53, 613–630 (1963).
Mauffret, A. et al. Bull. Am. Ass. petrol. Geol. 57, 2245–2262 (1973).
Montadert, L. et al. Maurice Ewing Symp. Ser. 3, 154 (1979).
Savelli, C. et al. J. Volcan. Geotherm. Res. 5, 257 (1979).
Vardabasso, S. 56° Congr. Soc. Geol. It., Guida alle escursioni, 1–75 (1952); Soc. Geol. It. 21, 159–179 (1955).
Chabrier, G. C.r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris 271, 1251–1255 (1970).
Letouzey, J., Wannesson, J. & Cherchi, A. C.r. hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci., Paris 294, 596–602 (1982).
Barca, S. & Palmerini, V. Boll. Soc. Sarda Sc. Nat. 12, 13–50 (1973).
Cherchi, A. & Schroeder, R. Bull. Soc. géol. Fr. 18, 1217–1219 (1976).
Cherchi, A. Riv. Ital. Paleont. Strat. 35, 353–410 (1979).
Cherchi, A. & Schroeder, R. Boll. Soc. Sarda Sc. Nat. 20, 27–36 (1981).
Pittau, P. Boll. Soc. Paleont. It. 18, 303–314 (1979).
Pecorini, G. & Cherchi, A. Mem. Soc. geol. It. 8, 421–451 (1969).
Mattauer, M. C.r. Som. Soc. géol. Fr. No. 10, 316–317 (1962).
Cherchi, A. V Congr. Néogène Méditerr. Lyon 1971, BRGM 78, 433–445 (1974).
Wright, R. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 42 A, 837–844 (1978).
Arthaud, F., Ogier, M. & Seguret, M. Bull. BRGM 1.3., 175–193 (1980–1981).
Bellaiche, G. et al. Mar. Geol. 16, 47–56 (1974).
Bellaiche, G. et al. (Groupe Cyaligure) Bull. Soc. géol. Fr. 21, 533–543 (1979).
Bourrouilh, R. thesis, Univ. Paris VI (1974).
Colom, G. Rev. R. Acad. Cienc. Ex. Fis. nat. Madrid 70, 353–408 (1976).
Pomar, L. & Colom, G. Bol. Soc. Hist. Nat. Baleares 22, 119–136 (1977).
Deriu, M. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 3, 675–706 (1962).
Maccioni, L. in Paleogeografia del Terziario sardo nell' ambito dell Mediterraneo occidentale (ed. Cherchi, A.) 277–282 (1974).
Coulon, C. thesis, Univ. Marseille III (1977).
Montigny, R., Edel, J. B. & Thuizat, R. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 54, 261–271 (1981).
Rehaut, J. P. thesis, Univ. Paris VI (1981).
Vail, P. R. & Hardenbohl, J. Oceanus 22, 71–79 (1979).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cherchi, A., Montadert, L. Oligo-Miocene rift of Sardinia and the early history of the Western Mediterranean Basin. Nature 298, 736–739 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/298736a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/298736a0
This article is cited by
-
Alluvial fans at Cala Gonone (Sardinia), a fast developing touristic village: origins, hazards and potential risks
Environmental Earth Sciences (2022)
-
Characterization of low-enthalpy geothermal resources and evaluation of potential contaminants
Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali (2020)
-
Petrographic and geochemical investigations on the volcanic rocks used in the Punic-Roman archaeological site of Nora (Sardinia, Italy)
Environmental Earth Sciences (2018)
-
High-silica zeolites in pyroclastic flows from Central Sardinia (Italy): clues on genetic processes and reserves from a mineralogical study
Mineralogy and Petrology (2018)
-
Digging up the roots of an insular hotspot of genetic diversity: decoupled mito-nuclear histories in the evolution of the Corsican-Sardinian endemic lizard Podarcis tiliguerta
BMC Evolutionary Biology (2017)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
