Sedimentary basins: Fingerprinting the lithospheric-scale processes

This talk focuses on disentangling the signatures of the lithospheric scale processes such as slab break-off and/or tearing within the sedimentary basin architecture. Sedimentary basins are sensitive recorders of the interplay between dynamic processes controlling the deformation of the lithosphere, climate and sea-level variations. Variations in sedimentary succession, recorded as variable grading, thickening and/or depositional trends across the basin or series of basins, are often attributed to a wide range of lithospheric-scale processes. This cause-and-effect relationship is based on deductive reasoning and so far, a direct link and quantitative assessment of the effect of these processes on the basin(s) architecture are missing. The inversion of basin fill data to derive the dominant mechanism responsible for the observed basin architecture is complicated by incomplete preservation in the geological record or sparseness in data coverage. Furthermore, many processes may have operated coevally or at different spatiotemporal scales or at different amplitudes, making retrieving the information challenging. Therefore, to distinguish slab break-off and/or tearing-induced signals within sedimentary basins from other signals (e.g., climate, sea level variations) an interdisciplinary approach is needed. In this talk, field observations and results of 3D geodynamic and stratigraphic numerical models inspired by the Molasse Basin and Dinaridic Lake System are combined to understand the set of parameters leading to the preservation of these signals in sedimentary records.