The Stratigraphy and Rifting Evolution of the Oxfordian–Barremian (Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous) in the Serranía de Cuenca (Southwestern Iberian Ranges, Spain)

Abstract

The Oxfordian to late Barremian geological history of the Serranía de Cuenca Basin is very different from that of other domains of the Iberian Basin. A rifting-related phase of thermal uplift of the area prompted the emersion of the Jurassic marine platforms during the Oxfordian. For almost 30 Myr, the Jurassic carbonates were covered by thick tropical soils and preserved from true erosion. The onset of extension in this area initiated karst processes and progressively generated small and complex half-graben-like basins that were filled by a continental subtropical system of wetlands (the La Huérguina Formation). This unit shows a complex internal architecture that has been separated into six different stratigraphic units, some of them defined for the first time.