Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-241-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-241-2020
Research article
 | 
26 Feb 2020
Research article |  | 26 Feb 2020

Determining the Plio-Quaternary uplift of the southern French Massif Central; a new insight for intraplate orogen dynamics

Oswald Malcles, Philippe Vernant, Jean Chéry, Pierre Camps, Gaël Cazes, Jean-François Ritz, and David Fink

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Cited articles

Arthaud, F. and Laurent, P.: Contraintes, déformations et déplacements dans l'avant-pays pyrénéen du Languedoc méditerranéen, Godin. Acta, 8, 142–157, 1995. 
Audra, P., Camus, H., and Rochette, P.: Le karst des plateaux de la moyenne vallée de l'Ardèche: datation par paléomagnétisme des phases d'évolution plio-quaternaires (aven de la Combe Rajeau), Bull. Soc. Géol. France, 172, 121–129, 2001. 
Balco, G., Stone, J. O., Lifton, N. A., and Dunai, T. J.: A complete and easily accessible means of calculating surface exposure ages or erosion rates from Be-10 and Al-26 measurements, Quat. Geochronol., 3, 174–195, 2008. 
Barbarand, J., Lucazeau, F., Pagel, M., and Séranne, M.: Burial and exhumation history of the south-eastern Massif Central (France) constrained by en apatite fission-track thermochronology, Tectonophysics, 335, 275–290, 2001. 
Barruol, G. and Granet, M.: A Tertiary astenospheric flow beneath the southern French Massif Central indicated by upper mantle seismic anisotropy and related to the west Mediterranean extension, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 202, 31–47, 2002. 
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Short summary
We aim to better understand the challenging areas that are the intraplate regions using one example: the southern French Massif Central and its numerous hundreds of meters deep valleys. We apply a multidisciplinary approach there using geomorphology, geochronology, and numerical modeling. Our dating results show that the canyon incisions are part of the Plio-Quaternary evolution with incision rate of ~ 80 m Ma−1. We propose then that this incision is possible due to an active regional uplift.