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The Centre-Val de Loire region (France) in relation to the Middle Miocene climatic optimum: a more accurate stratigraphic dating

Year: 2025
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Between -16.9 and -13.8 Ma a hyperthermal event called the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO) took place (Hansen et al. 2013). During the MMCO, the climate in Western Europe was subtropical to semi-arid (Costeur & Legendre 2008), with temperatures 4 to 5 °C higher than today (Hansen et al., 2013). The Centre-Val de Loire region, located south-west of the Paris Basin, was characterised by various depositional environments (lacustrine, fluvial and shallow-marine; Fig. 1) (Mégnien et al. 1980), recorded in 5 Formations encompassing the Miocene and thus providing geological data for the entire MMCO: 1- The Beauce lacustrine limestone formation (Oligocene-Aquitanian), which covers a large part of Beauce and Sologne (Ginsburg, 2000). 2- The Orléanais and Blésois sand and marl formation (Burdigalien-Langhien), which extends between Orléans and Angers, corresponds to a series of terrigenous sediments of fluvio-lacustrine origin. These sediments are channelized by folded plicative East-West tectonic structures inherited from the Alpine orogeny. 3- The Faluns Formation (Langhien), which is a shallow marine lateral equivalent of the Orléans and Blésois sands and marls. It is exposed from the Loire-Atlantique to Blois. Locally, the marine sedimentation continues until the Tortonian (Gagnaison 2020). 4 & 5- The fluvio-lacustrine formation of the Sologne sands and clays (Middle Miocene-Pliocene), which outcrops in the east of the Loire sedimentary basin and grades westwards to the Redonian marine sands formation. The aim of this study is to refine the dating of these different sedimentary formations to characterize the palaeoenvironmental changes associated to the MMCO.
DOI: 10.70665/njsm4169
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4409152196
FWCI: 4.045
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Cited by: 1
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