Structural controls on Quaternary depocentres within the Chotts Trough region of southern Tunisia

Abstract The Chotts Trough of southern Tunisia is a sedimentary basin that lies immediately north of the Saharan platform. Within this basin there exist several structurally controlled depocentres, which were created by Miocene to Early Pleistocene compression associated with the Atlas orogeny. One of these depocentres, the Chott Djerid basin, has an average Quaternary subsidence rate of 0.01–0.27 mm yr 1 . Additional structural features within the Chotts Trough include east-west trending anticlines and synclines, at least some of which are controlled by east-west striking subsurface faults and northwest striking right-lateral strike-slip faults. Present movement along the northwest striking faults is a direct consequence of the Africa-Europe collision. The northwest striking faults and the east-west striking faults have cut the Chotts Trough into numerous smaller structural blocks, which experience different rates of subsidence. For the Quaternary, subsidence is caused by local extension associated with movement along the various strike-slip faults.

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