The Saxo-Thuringian Basin of the Central European Variscides: Subsurface Characterization of a Lateral Foreland Basin Based on an Integrated Geophysical Data Set
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Abstract
The lateral extent of subsurface structures and lithologies of ancient orogenies are frequently obscured by younger units, which restricts our understanding of orogenic processes. In these regions, subsurface characterization can be conducted through the integration, interpretation, and modelling of geophysical and geological data. In this case study, we examine the lateral extent of the Variscan Saxo-Thuringian Basin, which formed during the early Carboniferous and is partly exposed in the NW Bohemian Massif. West of the Bohemian Massif, the architecture of the entire Saxo-Thuringian Basin and surrounding basement units remain elusive due to the complete coverage by post-Variscan sedimentary rocks. The low magnetic field intensity signature of the exposed portion of the Saxo-Thuringian Basin, in combination with information from basement drilled wells and observed seismic reflection facies, is used to define the western extent of the basin covered by Permian-Mesozoic units. Integrated geological and geophysical data interpretation and modelling show the geometry of the Saxo-Thuringian Basin as a 60 km long and 60 km wide area west of the Bohemian Massif. Regional Bouguer gravity anomalies are related to the folding and thrusting of basement rocks and emplacement of orogenic granites, while local anomalies are interpreted as Permian fault-bounded graben and half-graben structures. The Saxo-Thuringian Basin is developed in an upper plate position as part of a strike-slip dominated segment of the Gondwana-Laurussia plate boundary zone on a “low-strain” zone. Due to its lateral position relative to the collisional pile of the Bohemian Massif, we define it as a “lateral foreland” basin.
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References
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