Cretaceous of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin by Mikel Lopez-horgue
Papers by Mikel Lopez-horgue
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2012
Munibe Antropologia-Arkeologia, Oct 3, 2018
En este trabajo realizamos el estudio de nuevos materiales arqueo-paleontológicos recuperados en ... more En este trabajo realizamos el estudio de nuevos materiales arqueo-paleontológicos recuperados en las dos escombreras de la cantera de Koskobilo (Olazti, Nafarroa) y proporcionamos nuevos datos sobre las colecciones recuperadas durante el s. XX en esta localidad. En este trabajo consideramos probable que los restos arqueo-paleontológicos de Koskobilo provengan de, al menos, dos cavidades, o de dos depósitos independientes dentro de la misma cavidad. En la colección paleontológica, destacamos la identificación de cuón, macaco, oso negro asiático y ciervo gigante. La presencia de oso negro asiático y de hipopótamo indican depósitos del Pleistoceno Medio. Además, en base a la industria lítica, queda firmemente constatada la presencia de poblaciones humanas desde el Paleolítico Medio Antiguo y durante varias fases del Paleolítico Superior, pudiéndose destacar en Koskobilo la presencia de un taller de piezas foliáceas solutrense, el único registrado hasta el momento en el área cantábrica. LABURPENA Lan honetan, Koskobiloko (Olazti, Nafarroa) harrobiko bi hondakindegietan berreskuratutako material arkeo-paleontologiko berrien azterketa egin eta udalerri horretan XX. mendean berreskuratutako bildumen inguruko datu berriak eskaini ditugu. Aztertutakoaren arabera, Koskobiloko hondakin arkeo-paleontologikoak, seguru asko, gutxienez bi hobitakoak edo, hobi beraren baitan dauden bi metaketa independentetakoak direla ondorioztatu dugu. Bilduma paleontologikoari dagokionez, nabarmendu beharrekoa da honako hauek identifikatu ditugula: kuoia, makakoa, Asiako hartz beltza eta orein erraldoia. Asiako hartz beltzaren eta hipopotamoaren presentziak Erdi Pleistozenoko metaketak daudela adierazten dute. Gainera, industria litikoaren arabera, egiaztatuta geratu da giza populazioen presentzia izan zela Antzinako Erdi Paleolitotik eta Goi Paleolitoko hainbat fasetan. Horrekin lotuta, Kantaurialdean orain arte erregistratu den Solutre Aldiko pieza foliazeoen tailer bakarra aurkitu da Koskobilon.
En este trabajo se citan dos nuevos registros de la langosta Meyeria magna M'Coy, 1849 en series ... more En este trabajo se citan dos nuevos registros de la langosta Meyeria magna M'Coy, 1849 en series terrígenas de mar somero del Aptiense inferior y Albiense inferior aflorantes en la costa de Cantabria. Se acompaña una sucinta descripción y discusión taxonómica preliminares. Asimismo, el límite superior del rango estratigráfico de la especie queda bien establecido.
Cretaceous Research, Jun 1, 2022
Marine and Petroleum Geology, Mar 1, 2018
In this paper we present and discuss Cretaceous extensional folds of the eastern Basque-Cantabria... more In this paper we present and discuss Cretaceous extensional folds of the eastern Basque-Cantabrian Basin (Northern Spain). Geometry and kinematics of folds is constrained by means of structural and sedimentological fieldwork integrated with geological mapping, revealing an
The knowledge of the three-dimensional geometry and spatial organization of structural traps has ... more The knowledge of the three-dimensional geometry and spatial organization of structural traps has been one of the most powerful tools in hydrocarbon exploration for many years. Nevertheless, these models of structure geometry and organization do not consider the interaction of fluids and structures during deformation when the structure is being initiated and amplified. However, recent advances in the understanding of the role of fluid pressure in the initiation of faults and folds and the subsequent influence of these structures on the migration and concentration of fluids, has opened a new chapter in the role of structural geology in reservoir characterization. In this sense, the dolomitization model proposed for the As�n Valley hydrothermal dolomites contributes to ascertain the role of tectonic deformation and fluid pressure in the initiation of faults and folds and the subsequent influence of these structures on the migration and concentration of dolomitizing fluids. Zebra-dolomites have become a key feature to understand these processes.Zebra-dolomites are banded textures made up of mm to cm thick layers of alternating darker fine-grained dolomite and light coarse-grained dolomite. Its origin has been traditionally suggested to be purely diagenetic and closely related to MVT ores. However, a hydrothermal origin and its relationship to strain deformation in the precursor carbonate has been proposed in the last years. Superb outcrops in the As�n Valley area (northern Spain) have provided key examples to understand the origin of this dolomite texture and its role in the dolomitization process. The dolomites of the As�n Valley correspond to fracture-related hydrothermal dolomite bodies that spread out from dominantly NE-SW trending Ramales fault and are hosted in Albian shallow platform carbonates. The fracture network is related to local tectonic structures such as folds, diapirs and faults. Although they were controlled by regional NE-SW transtensional stress, each one of these local structures (i.e. Pondra Diapir, Ranero overstep, Pozalagua fault, etc.) was able to create local stress-states and fracturing patterns that had a major impact on fluid-flow and dolomitization processes.Many authors have discussed the migration of fluids along major faults during and immediately after reshear. By contrast, the migration of fluids in association with the development of folds has received comparatively little attention in research literature. Both cases controlled the As�n Valley HDT formation. The proposed dolomitization model considers faulting and buckling and related strain partitioning as the main controls in fluid-flow and dolomitization process and zebra-dolomite units were formed in main shear stress zones and acted as main fluid-flow conduits during the dolomitization process.
One of the issues of the AAPG Bulletin (v. 90, no. 11) was concerned with ''hydrothermal dolomite... more One of the issues of the AAPG Bulletin (v. 90, no. 11) was concerned with ''hydrothermal dolomite reservoirs,'' specifically ''hydrothermal dolomite fields'' (Davies and Smith, 2006). The term ''hydrothermal dolomite'' is confusing and meaningless (Machel and Lonnee, 2002). To study the origin of dolomite and its hydrothermal depositional setting, I examined modern settings, including the Mediterranean Sea (Friedman, 1991) (Figure 1). The shallow-water facies in this modern setting consists of dolomite and gypsum. The rocks range from almost pure gypsum to pure tough dolostone so thoroughly cemented that sampling required hammer and chisel. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates the presence of minor anhydrite. Sporadic aragonitic gastropods occur, but fossils are otherwise absent. Under the microscope, it is a peloidal micrite (dolomicrite). The d 13 C PDB of the dolostone is À 39.3 to À 31.2x. These strongly negative d 13 C values suggest that carbon of the dolomite came from methane. Methane forms
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
Albian dinosaur tracks from the Monte Grande Formation (Basque–Cantabrian Basin) are described. S... more Albian dinosaur tracks from the Monte Grande Formation (Basque–Cantabrian Basin) are described. Sedimentary succession shows seven different facies associations (FAs) with four track-bearing levels (levels 1–4) of a braid delta system. FA 4, a proximal crevasse subdelta, preserves in levels 2 and 3 theropod, possibly sauropod and undetermined dinosaur tracks, as well as Ophiomorpha and Skolithos traces. FA 5, a middle crevasse subdelta, presents undetermined cross-section tracks in levels 1 and 4, besides Ophiomorpha , Skolithos and locally Teichichnus in other layers. Both FAs have the same general ichnoassociation, although with preservational variations. The sedimentary succession represents an area with periods of crevasse subdelta progradation and colonization of opportunistic organisms, and other periods of subdelta abandonment represented by short sedimentary hiatuses in which the water sheet would be shallow or even absent and where dinosaurs would be roaming. Particularly, ...
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Nov 23, 2021
Quaternary International, 2020
The destroyed site(s) of Koskobilo (Olazti, Navarre, Northern Iberian Peninsula) have yielded uni... more The destroyed site(s) of Koskobilo (Olazti, Navarre, Northern Iberian Peninsula) have yielded unique archaeopaleontological evidence in the Western Pyrenees region. The quarry uncovered a karstic site with faunal remains in 1940, and fossils were recovered both in situ and from the quarry dump. Ten years later, while the quarry was still working, a new visit to the dump yielded a large lithic assemblage and additional fossil remains with a different taphonomic pattern, which has been interpreted as the remains coming from a different site or zone within the same karst system. Here we re-study the paleontological evidence and provide new dating on a speleothem covering a Stephanorhinus hemitoechus tooth, which has yielded a minimum date of c. 220 ka for part of the assemblage. In total, the fossil assemblage comprises 38 mammal and six avian taxa and three fish remains. The faunal evidence indicates that in 1940 a mix of taxa from both the Middle and Upper Pleistocene were recovered, and it is difficult to assign most of them to a concrete period. However, based on biochronological criteria some of the identified taxa (e.g., Ursus thibetanus, Ursus cf. deningeri, Cuon cf. priscus, Macaca sylvanus, cf. Megaceroides) could be roughly contemporaneous with the dated rhino tooth, which would provide a new window to the Middle Pleistocene of the region, with deposits from MIS 7d and/or older. Despite the
Géologie Méditerranéenne, 1994
Lopez-Horgue M., Garcia-Mondejar J., Fernandez-Mendiola P.A. Tectonic lowstand wedges of a carbon... more Lopez-Horgue M., Garcia-Mondejar J., Fernandez-Mendiola P.A. Tectonic lowstand wedges of a carbonate platform-basin transition (Lower Albian of Lanestosa, N Spain). In: Géologie Méditerranéenne. Tome 21, numéro 3-4, 1994. Perimediterranean carbonate platforms. First International Meeting. Marseille – France (5-8 septembre 1994) sous la direction de Jean-Pierre Masse. pp. 105-107
Cretaceous Research, 2019
Mid-Cretaceous (upper Albian) strata of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin in northern Spain are renowne... more Mid-Cretaceous (upper Albian) strata of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin in northern Spain are renowned for their highly diverse crustacean assemblages from reef settings. From the Koskobilo quarry, two small, enrolled specimens of a sphaeromatid isopod, Cymodoce (?)
Journal of Sea Research, 2017
The opening and ocean floor spreading of the Bay of Biscay began in the earliest Albian. The inte... more The opening and ocean floor spreading of the Bay of Biscay began in the earliest Albian. The integrative study of the Albian sedimentary record and its ammonoid fauna (around 250 specimens) from the northern margin of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin indicates that environmental changes, occurred as a consequence of the Bay of Biscay opening, triggered significant ammonoid bioevents. Main bioevents are diversity changes in the ammonoid associations, occurrence of large forms (diameter up to 0.45 m) and the incursion of elements from other basins. Time-correlation of faulting pulses with ammonoid bioevents indicates that transtensive tectonics was ultimately the major control on the marine environmental conditions such as depth, sea bottom physiography, seaways, sedimentary systems and seawater chemistry. The pulsating faulting during the Albian led to the increment of the subsidence rate, the deepening and widening of the margin and the progressive increase in the oceanic circulation between the margin and the nascent Bay of Biscay and North Atlantic. In addition, Albian synsedimentary faults constituted conduits for ascending magmas and hydrocarbon-rich hydrothermal fluids, which expelled to the seafloor, causing changes in the sediments, the seawater chemistry (fertilization) and biota. The integration of sedimentological and palaeontological data has given the basis for a conceptual model of the ammonoid habitats. 2. Geological and palaeontological background The studied Albian sedimentary rocks and their ammonoid fauna belong to the northern margin of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (BCB), a Mesozoic peri-cratonic rift basin related to the opening of the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay (Fig. 1). The Bay of Biscay is a V-shaped oceanic embayment widened toward the west, formed between Early
Cretaceous Research, 2015
The tectonosedimentary study of the southern and northwestern margins of the BortzirieCinco Villa... more The tectonosedimentary study of the southern and northwestern margins of the BortzirieCinco Villas Palaeozoic Massif, which constitute the eastern margin of the BasqueeCantabrian basin, has yielded a detailed synrift stratigraphic architecture and led to the proposal of formal lithostratigraphic units, as well as to an interpretation of the evolution of different marine depositional systems during Aptian to Cenomanian times. During this time interval, carbonate platform to deeper siliciclastic depositional systems were deposited transgressively onto the margin of the BortzirieCinco Villas Palaeozoic Massif. The onset and evolution of sedimentary depositional systems were controlled by strong synsedimentary tectonic activity. The analysis and interpretation of the sedimentary systems has permitted the characterization of 5 tectonosedimentary phases separated by 5 main discontinuities (D1 to D5): Phase I, early Aptianeearly Albian; Phase II, middle Albian; Phase III, late Albianelatest Albian; Phase IV, latest Albianeearly Cenomanian; Phase V, early CenomanianeCampanian. The observed tectonic and sedimentary features indicate the presence of regional transtensional strain during all the tectonosedimentary phases, except for Phase IV when compressive features are recognized related to the main basement faults. All of the above-mentioned tectonosedimentary phases correlate well with major Pyrenean tectonosedimentary events related to the opening of the Bay of Biscay and the Central Atlantic during the Cretaceous.
Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geowissenschaften, 2006
... Joaquín García-Mondéjar, Arantxa Aranburu, Mikel A. López-Horgue & Pedro A.Fernández-Mend... more ... Joaquín García-Mondéjar, Arantxa Aranburu, Mikel A. López-Horgue & Pedro A.Fernández-Mendiola* García-Mondéjar, J., Aranburu, A., López-Horgue, MA & Fernández-Mendiola, PA (2006): Tectonic control of sequence boundaries in rift margins: a Cretaceous ...
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2014
ABSTRACT Cretaceous climate records provide evidence that major volcanic pulses with duration of ... more ABSTRACT Cretaceous climate records provide evidence that major volcanic pulses with duration of 103 to several 105 yr triggered changes in climate and oceanography. Black shales of Oceanic Anoxic Event 1b (ca. 113–109 Ma) are regarded as signatures of late Aptian greenhouse pulses associated with volcanic episodes. New TEX86 paleotemperature record indicates that warm Aptian climate was interrupted by repeated cold snaps alternating with described greenhouse pulses. An extraordinary thick shallow-water carbonate succession of the Aralar Platform from the southeastern Basque–Cantabrian Basin in Spain provides a unique opportunity to test the hypothesis that cold phases interrupted warm climate in the Aptian. Platform evolution is traced through time of the proposed Aptian cold snaps alternating with greenhouse episodes. New high-resolution C-isotope records established in the studied upper Aptian platform carbonates serve as chemostratigraphic tool providing a link between carbonate-platform evolution, basinal black-shale formation and associated changes in open ocean palaeotemperatures. The late Aptian cold snaps find their expression in a remarkably reduced neritic succession, punctuated by several emersion horizons formed during sea-level lowstands. The studied section bears evidence for several episodes of choked carbonate production related to increased runoff at times of sea-level rise, during which orbitolinids bloomed in a sediment-loaden lagoonal setting. These intervals coincide with the deposition time of organic-rich Kilian and Leenhardt levels belonging to OAE1b.
Sedimentology, 2002
A calcite mass more than 1AE5 km long and 20 m wide crops outs along the faulted margin of the Al... more A calcite mass more than 1AE5 km long and 20 m wide crops outs along the faulted margin of the Albian carbonate platform of Jorrios in northern Spain. The mass contains abundant dissolution cavities up to 7 m long and 1 m high, filled with cross-stratified quartz sandstone and alternating sandstone-calcite laminae. Similar cavities are also present in a 50-m-wide zone of platform limestones adjacent to the calcite mass that are filled with limestone breccias and sandstone. The calcite mass has mean d 18 O values of 19AE6& (SMOW), whereas platform limestones have mean d 18 O values of 24AE4& (SMOW). Synsedimentary faulting of the carbonate margin and circulation of heated fault-related waters resulted in replacement of a band of limestone by calcite. Soon after this replacement, dissolution by undersaturated fluids affected both the calcite mass and the adjacent limestones. Percolating marine quartz sand filled all dissolution cavities, sometimes alternating with precipitating calcite. The resulting cavities and fills, which recall products of meteoric diagenesis, are attributed to a hydrothermal origin based on their geometry, occurrence along the profile and synsedimentary tectonic relationships. The early faulting and diagenesis are related to local extensional tectonism in a large-scale strikeslip setting. Movements occurred during the early dispar/appenninica zone of the Late Albian.
Naturwissenschaften, 2005
The Ocean Anoxic Event 1 (OAE-1) in central sites of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin exhibits very re... more The Ocean Anoxic Event 1 (OAE-1) in central sites of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin exhibits very reducing depositional conditions of sedimentation. These sedimentation events have left a distinct mixture of hydrocarbons that are represented by C22-C30 n-alkanes with a predominance of the even-carbon-number homologues, high relative proportions of squalane and C16-C24 n-alkylcyclopentanes predominated by n-undecyl-, n-tridecyl- and n-pentadecylcyclopentane. Other minor compounds encompass a series of C18-C21 n-alkylcyclohexanes and C18-C24 dimethyl n-alkylcyclohexanes maximized by the even-carbon-number homologues as well as iso- and anteiso-alkanes. This unusual distribution of n-alkanes in this environment provides a new case for comparison with previously reported hypersaline and phosphorite sedimentary deposits where the occurrence of similar n-alkane distributions was reported. In the present case, these major n-alkanes and squalane are indicative of transformation under strong reducing conditions. In contrast, the occurrence of the alkylcyclopentanes, irrespective of the presence of even-carbon-number n-alkanes or squalane, suggests that reductive cyclization of fatty acids is less dependent on strong reducing conditions.
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Cretaceous of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin by Mikel Lopez-horgue
Papers by Mikel Lopez-horgue