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Geology and Resource Potential of the Congo Basin pp 213–227Cite as

Multiphase Phanerozoic Subsidence and Uplift History Recorded in the Congo Basin: A Complex Successor Basin

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Part of the book series: Regional Geology Reviews ((RGR))

Abstract

The Congo Basin of central Africa is a large iconic Phanerozoic sedimentary basin whose origin and tectonic evolution are poorly understood, mostly because of a lack of modern stratigraphic data, reflecting a long hiatus in field investigations during the past five decades. It is usually assumed that the Congo Basin experienced a long and continuous history of slow subsidence since the late Precambrian (e.g. 2–4 m/Ma), linked to steady-state mantle processes. Here, we used revised sedimentological and stratigraphic data of the four historic deep boreholes drilled in the center of the basin to calculate a new first-order model for its subsidence and uplift history. Because the sedimentary sequences of this basin are largely terrestrial, we apply a new backstripping method especially designed for continental domain. The results reveal two main episodes of subsidence: initially rapid subsidence during the Carboniferous-Triassic (10–20 m/Ma), and then slower subsidence during the Jurassic-Cretaceous (5–10 m/Ma), punctuated by several uplifts at 160–180 Ma (e.g. ‘Karoo’), 120–140 Ma (e.g. ‘Paraná-Etendeka’), and again in the Cenozoic, ca. 30–50 Ma (e.g. ‘Ethiopian’). This complex, multiphase subsidence and uplift history of the Congo Basin can be linked to evolving far-field geodynamic processes that first led the formation of Pangea (large-scale compression) during the late Paleozoic, and then to its break-up associated with successive outpourings of Large Igneous Provinces (or hotspot plumes) and the opening of the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans around Africa.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge funding through the Inkaba yeAfrica and !Khure Africa programs, supported by the DST/NRF of South Africa. We thank Anthony Tankard and an anonymous referee for critical reviews that improved the chapter. This is AEON contribution number 130 and Inkaba yeAfrica contribution number 100.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AEON-ESSRI (African Earth Observatory Network – Earth Stewardship Science Research Institute), Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

    Bastien Linol & Maarten J. de Wit

  2. Geological Sciences, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

    Bastien Linol

  3. Géociences-Rennes, UMR 6118 Université de Rennes 1 – CNRS, OSUR, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes cedex, France

    Francois Guillocheau, Cecile Robin & Olivier Dauteuil

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  1. Bastien Linol
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  2. Maarten J. de Wit
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  3. Francois Guillocheau
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  4. Cecile Robin
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  5. Olivier Dauteuil
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Correspondence to Bastien Linol .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Geosciences, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

    Maarten J. de Wit

  2. Geosciences, University of Rennes, Rennes Cedex, France

    François Guillocheau

  3. Geology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Michiel C. J. de Wit

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Linol, B., de Wit, M.J., Guillocheau, F., Robin, C., Dauteuil, O. (2015). Multiphase Phanerozoic Subsidence and Uplift History Recorded in the Congo Basin: A Complex Successor Basin. In: de Wit, M., Guillocheau, F., de Wit, M. (eds) Geology and Resource Potential of the Congo Basin. Regional Geology Reviews. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29482-2_11

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