Geology of the Bay of Biscay

The geology of the Bay of Biscay formed as the North Atlantic opened during the late Cretaceous. Near shore, thinned continental crust shows signs of complicated stress patterns, while basalt oceanic crust lies beneath deep water offshore. Geologists have debated whether the bay opened in a simple rotation "scissor pattern" or through left-lateral strike slip faulting. [1]

## Structural geology

[edit]

Much of the geologic structure of the Bay of Biscay is interpreted from seismic profiles. A series of analyses published between 1987 and 1990 found thin layers of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments and the Moho around 33 kilometers deep. Different reflections suggested possible thrust sheets related to the Variscan orogeny and signs of foreland deformation down into the mantle.

North of La Rochelle the seismic reflection became scattered, marking north-dipping features related to South-Armorican south-vergent thrusts. [2]

The Basque-Cantabrian Basin is a large sedimentary basin on thinned continental crust that lies onshore and offshore along the southern margin of the Bay of Biscay on the north coast of Spain. Rifting broke up Jurassic carbonate "ramps," leading to the erosion of some of these carbonate units. When the basin first formed, it was partly separated from the neighboring Pyrenean basin by the Landes high-ground, although this feature later got underthrusted and buried by Cretaceous sediments offshore.

The faulted offshore Biscay synclinorium is believed to be an extension of the onshore Pyrenean fault zone, by way of the Leiza fault. This structural feature was buried by deep-sea volcanic eruptions during the Aptian. [3]

## Oil and natural gas

[edit]

The Bay of Biscay is a potential target area for deep water oil and gas drilling. Spectrum reinterpreted old seismic data in the region between 2014 and 2015, which was included in its "Atlantic Deep" dataset with a focus on sedimentary layers in Jurassic rifts. [4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Garcia-Mondejar, J. (1996). "Plate reconstruction of the Bay of Biscay". Geology. p. 635-638.
2. ^ Keppie, J. Duncan, editor (1994). Pre-Mesozoic Geology in France and Related Areas. Springer-Verlag. ISBN 9783642849152. `{{cite book}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ^ Gibbons, Wes & Moreno, Teresa, editors (2002). The Geology of Spain. The Geological Society. p. 274-278. ISBN 9781862391277. `{{cite book}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ^ "Squeezing out the details from vintage seismic" (PDF). Spectrum Geo. 2016.

* v
* t
* e

Geology of Europe

Countries|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Faroe Islands
* Estonia
* Finland
* Åland Islands
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy (Sicily)
* Kazakhstan
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Jan Mayen
* Svalbard
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales
* Gibraltar
* Alderney
* Guernsey
* Jersey
* Isle of Man

Geologic regions|

| Orogens|

* Acadian
* Alpine
* Belomorian
* Cadomian
* Caledonian
* Carpathian
* Dalslandian
* Gothian
* Grampian
* Hallandian-Danopolonian
* Hellenic
* Laxfordian
* Lopian
* Saamian
* Scandian
* Scourian
* Timanide
* Svecofennian
* Sveconorwegian
* Uralian
* Variscan

|

Mountain ranges|

* Alps
* Apennines
* Caucasus
* Dinaric Alps
* Harz
* Massif Central
* Ore Mountains
* Pyrenees
* Scandinavian Mountains
* Sudetes
* Urals
* Western Carpathians

Oceanic basins|

* Atlantic Ocean
* Arctic Ocean
* Bay of Biscay
* Black Sea
* Mediterranean Sea
* Norwegian Sea

Intracontinental
basins and grabens|

* Aquitaine Basin
* Barents Basin
* Baltic Sea Basin
* Central Lowlands
* Dnieper–Donets Rift
* Ebro Basin
* European Cenozoic Rift System
* Hellenic Trench
* Limagne Graben
* Mezen Basin
* Molasse Basin
* Moscow Basin
* North Sea Basin
* Oslo Rift
* Pannonian Basin
* Paris Basin
* Peri-Caspian Depression
* Timan-Pechora Basin
* White Sea Rift System

Tectonic plates and
microcontinents|

* Adriatic plate
* Aegean Sea plate
* Anatolian plate
* Eurasian plate
* Iberian plate
* Jan Mayen Microcontinent
* Moesian plate
* Pelso plate
* Tisza plate

Terranes|

* Armorican terrane
* Avalonia
* Baltica
* Cimmeria
* East European Craton
* Fennoscandian Craton
* Sarmatian Craton
* Volgo–Uralia

UNESCO World Heritage Sites|

* Aeolian Islands
* Aggtelek
* Calanques de Piana
* Curonian Spit
* Dolomites
* Durmitor
* Geirangerfjord
* Giant's Causeway
* Glarus
* High Coast
* Jungfrau-Aletsch
* Jurassic Coast
* Komi
* Kvarken
* Laponia
* Messel Pit
* Meteora
* Monte Perdido
* Monte San Giorgio
* Mount Etna
* Nærøyfjord
* Pirin
* Plitvice
* Rhine Gorge
* Scandola
* Škocjan
* St Kilda
* Stevns Klint
* Surtsey
* Thingvellir

* v
* t
* e

Europe articles

History|

| Chronology|

* Bibliography of European history
* Prehistory
* Classical antiquity
* Late antiquity
* Middle Ages
* Early modernity
* World War I
* World War II
* Pax Europaea
* Crisis situations and unrest since 2000
* COVID-19 pandemic
* Russian invasion of Ukraine

|

By topic|

* Military
* Sovereignty
* predecessor states

Geography|

* Areas and populations
* Countries by area
* European microstates
* Largest metropolitan areas
* Cities
* Climate
* Climate change
* Extreme points
* Geology
* Islands
* Lakes
* Mountains
* Regions
* Rivers
* Sovereign states and dependent territories
* by population
* Villages

Politics|

* Eurosphere
* International organisations
* Integration
* Law
* Post-Soviet Europe
* Transatlantic relations

Intergovernmental|

* Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
* Council of Europe (CoE)
* Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO)
* Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)
* European Political Community (EPC)
* GUAM Organization
* Open Balkan
* North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
* Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
* statistics
* Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

European Union|

* Economy
* relations
* free trade agreements
* Education
* European Economic Area (EEA)
* European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)
* Eastern Partnership
* Euronest Parliamentary Assembly
* European Union Customs Union (EUCU)
* Eurozone
* Foreign relations
* Members
* enlargement
* Politics
* Schengen Area
* Visa policy
* Statistics

Economy|

* History
* Financial (and social) rankings
* Free trade areas
* Energy
* Telecommunications
* Transport
* Rail
* Road

Intergovernmental|

* Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)
* Eurasian Customs Union (EACU)
* Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC)
* European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

Sovereign states by|

* Average wage
* Budget revenues
* per capita
* GDP (nominal)
* per capita
* GDP (PPP)
* per capita
* GNI (nominal) per capita
* GNI (PPP) per capita
* HDI
* Internet users (%)
* Minimum wage
* Press Freedom Index
* Unemployment rate (%)
* Health expense per capita
* Military spending (%)
* Urban population (%)
* Electricity use per capita

Society|

* Ages of consent
* Etiquette
* Social (and financial) rankings
* Languages
* endangered
* Tattooing
* Universities
* Bologna Process
* Erasmus

Culture|

* Art
* painting
* sculpture
* Architecture
* Capital of Culture
* Cinema
* film festivals
* Classical music
* Cuisine
* Dance
* Folklore
* Literature
* Philosophy
* Religion
* Christianity
* Islam
* Judaism
* Sport
* Symbols (Armorial, Flags)

Demographics|

* Ageing
* Childhood population (%)
* Ethnic groups
* genetic history
* Immigration
* Life expectancy
* by region
* Retirement

* Outline
* Index

* Category
* Portal
* Maps

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template