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Seismically induced shale diapirism: the Mine d’Or section, Vilaine estuary, Southern Brittany

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Abstract

The Pénestin section (southern Brittany) presents large regular undulations, commonly interpreted as evidence of periglacial pingos. It is an upper Neogene palaeoestuary of the Vilaine River reactivated during the middle Quaternary (middle terrace). It is incised into a thick kaolinitic saprolite and deformed by saprolite diapirs. This paper presents the arguments leading to a mechanistic interpretation of the deformations at Pénestin. Neither recent transpressive tectonics nor diagnostic evidence of periglacial pingo have been found despite evidence for a late paleo-permafrost. The major deformational process is shale diapirism, initially triggered by co-seismic water supply, with further loading and lateral spreading on an already deformed and deeply weathered basement, which allowed the shale diapirism to develop. Deformations are favoured by the liquefaction of the saprolite and a seaward mass movement and recorded, rather distant, effects of an earthquake (c. 280 ka B.P.) resulting from the progressive subsidence of the southern Armorican margin. These deformations triggered by an earthquake are similar to those induced by classical shale diapirism. They are probably common in tectonically active continental environments with shallow water table.

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Acknowledgments

This paper Contribution No. 1046 of the IUEM, European Institute for Marine Studies (Brest, France).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR 6538 Domaines Océaniques, IUEM & Université de Bretagne Occidentale, 29280, Plouzané, France

    B. Van Vliet-Lanoe

  2. G2R, Nancy-Université, CNRS, Boulevard des Aiguillettes, B.P. 239, 54506, Vandoeuvre lès Nancy, France

    C. Hibsch

  3. Department of Geology, University L.Ëötvös, 1117, Budapest, Hungary

    L. Csontos

  4. SAGE Vie et Jaunay, 11 rue du Bourg, 85800, Givrand,  France

    S. Jegouzo

  5. Department of Géographie, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, 29238, Brest Cedex 3, France

    B. Hallégouët

  6. Department of Geochronology, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelles, 1 rue Panhard, 75005, Paris, France

    M. Laurent & P. Voinchet

  7. Hungarian Geological Survey (MAFI), Stefania út. 14, 1143, Budapest, Hungary

    A. Maygari

  8. Ecole des Mines Paris-Fontainebleau, 35 rue St Honoré, 77305, Fontainbleau Cedex, France

    D. Mercier

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  1. B. Van Vliet-Lanoe
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Correspondence to B. Van Vliet-Lanoe.

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Van Vliet-Lanoe, B., Hibsch, C., Csontos, L. et al. Seismically induced shale diapirism: the Mine d’Or section, Vilaine estuary, Southern Brittany. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 98, 969–984 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-007-0295-7

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