Detached North Alpine Foreland

Representation and status

Color CMYK
N/A
Color RGB
R: 241 G: 239 B: 237
Rank
tectonic domain
Validity
Unit is in Use
Status
valid

Nomenclature

Deutsch
Abgeschertes Nordalpines Vorland
Français
Avant-pays nord-alpin décollé
Italiano
Avampaese nordalpino distaccato
English
Detached North Alpine Foreland
Historical Variants

Sheared-off North Alpine Foreland, Avant-pays nordalpin décollé, Detached North Alpine Foreland (Gouffon et al. 2024)

Description

Description

Alpin deformierter europäischer Kontinentalschelf ausserhalb der Alpen s.s.

Hierarchy and sequence

Subordinate units

Palaenography and tectonic

Paleogeography
North Alpine Foreland Basin

References

Definition
Gouffon Yves (Editor) (2024) : Tectonic Map of Switzerland 1:500000, Explanatory notes. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo, Wabern

p.22: The Detached North Alpine Foreland refers to the displaced sedimentary cover north of the front of the Helvetic units. The deformation began in Mid to Late Miocene and lasted, depending on the author, until the end of the Miocene, the Pliocene or is still ongoing today (see compilation and discussion in Schori 2021). Decoupling between the thrusted and deformed cover and the underlying basement took place in a décollement zone in the evaporites of Muschelkalk Group east of a line Porrentruy–Biel–Fribourg and of the Keuper Group further west (Jordan 1992). Deformation includes northwestward and northward displacement, thrusting and folding as well as strike-slip deformation. The northern boundary, which coincides with the front of Alpine deformation, is given by the outermost (distal) significant thrusting and folding. The easternmost clear evidence for décollement-related tectonics is given by the Lägern Anticline east of Baden with some more indications from seismic data found south of Bülach (Naef et al. 1995, Malz et al. 2016, Madritsch et al. 2024). Further to the east, displacement of the sedimentary cover along the decollement zone is presumed to gradually decrease. Accordingly, no precise eastern boundary can be drawn between the Detached North Alpine Foreland and the autochthonous South German Platform and a conceptual transition zone is defined instead (see § 3.2 for details).

  • Subalpine Molasse

    Rank
    tectonic unit
    Status
    valid
    In short

    The Subalpine Molasse constitutes the southernmost subdomain of the Detached North Alpine Foreland, situated between the Foreland Plateau to the north and the first basal thrust of the Alpine nappes to the south. It consists of a stack of imbricated thrust slices where the beds generally dip towards the SE. The Subalpine Molasse mainly includes coarse-grained foreland basin strata that were deposited between about 32 and 20 Ma. They chronicle the change from the underfilled Flysch to the filled/overfilled Molasse stage of foreland basin evolution.

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  • Vorlandplateau

    Rank
    tectonic unit
    Status
    local name (informal)
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  • Internal Folded Jura

    Name Origin

    Partie interne (la plus proche des Alpes) du Jura plissé, formant les plus hauts sommets de la chaîne jurassienne.

    Rank
    tectonic
    Status
    informal term
    In short

    The Internal Folded Jura represents the most intensely deformed part of the Detached North Alpine Foreland. In a similar manner to the whole Jura Mountains, it forms a prominent arcuate chain in eastern France and northwestern Switzerland.

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  • External Folded Jura

    Name Origin

    Partie externe (la plus éloignée des Alpes) du Jura plissé.

    Rank
    tectonic subdomain
    Status
    informal term
    In short

    Partie la plus externe de l'arc jurassien (et donc de l'Avant-pays nordalpin décollé) constituée de Plateaux à faible relief, seulement légèrement faillés, séparés les uns des autres par d'étroits Faisceaux fortement déformés (décrochements, imbrications).

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    • Abgescherter Tafeljura

      Rank
      tectonic unit
      Status
      local name (informal)
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    • Vorfaltenzone

      Rank
      tectonic unit
      Status
      informal term
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    • zone des Avant-Monts

      Rank
      tectonic zone
      Status
      valid
      In short

      Région monoclinale, localement plissée, de la partie frontale du Jura (zone préjurassienne) chevauchant le plateau de Haute-Saône (bordure oriental du Bassin de Paris) par l'intermédiaire de la faille de l'Ognon. Cette zone constitue l'ultime front compressif du Jura.

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    • Faisceaux

      Rank
      tectonic unit
      Status
      local name (informal)
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    • Plateaux

      Rank
      tectonic unit
      Status
      local name (informal)
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