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Sedimentary Basins in the Context of Allochthonous Terranes

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New Perspectives in Basin Analysis

Part of the book series: Frontiers in Sedimentary Geology ((SEDIMENTARY))

Abstract

Sedimentary basins have been increasingly regarded as mobile entities throughout the development of the geological sciences. The recognition of allochthonous terranes leads to the concept that the history of some sedimentary basins may be partly or entirely independent of the lithospheric plate in which they now occur. Allochthonous terranes are thought to be former oceanic plateaus, including sedimentary cover. These sediment accumulations are here named “inverse basins.” Inverse basins are marine or nonmarine sedimentary accumulations that record sedimentation on surfaces of high topographic relief relative to the surrounding areas. Allochthonous terranes are recognized mainly on the basis of biostratigraphic, lithostratigraphic, paleomagnetic and other geophysical data. Inverse basins associated with allochthonous terranes are of two classes: 1) those with fill that predates or is coeval with amalgamation or accretion; and 2) those that record post-amalgamation or post-accretion displacement and tectonics. Understanding terrane history prior to accretion depends primarily on recognition of latitudinally dependent magnetic, sedimentologic, and paleontologic features in the sediments of class-1 basins, posing challenging multi-disciplinary problems to the basin analyst.

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Authors
  1. Karen L. Kleinspehn
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  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA

    Karen L. Kleinspehn  & Chris Paola  & 

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Kleinspehn, K.L. (1988). Sedimentary Basins in the Context of Allochthonous Terranes. In: Kleinspehn, K.L., Paola, C. (eds) New Perspectives in Basin Analysis. Frontiers in Sedimentary Geology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3788-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3788-4_15

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