How sensitive are intraplate inherited structures? Insight from the Cévennes Fault System (Languedoc, SE France)

A recent study challenges the notion that deformation within intraplate regions, such as the Cévennes Fault System (CFS) in Languedoc, SE France, is solely a consequence of tectonic events at plate boundaries. By combining U–Pb geochronology of fault-related calcites with structural analysis, researchers found continuous compressional activity along the CFS and its satellite structures from the Albian period through the Eocene, including during periods traditionally considered tectonically quiescent. This indicates that intraplate fault systems can experience low-intensity but regional deformation continuously over time, not just during high-rate plate boundary events. The study also highlights the significance of inherited structures in accommodating far-field deformation, as demonstrated by the recent Le Teil earthquake (Mw = 4.9) along the CFS.

Parizot, O., Missenard, Y., Barbarand, J., Blaise, T., Benedicto, A., Haurine, F., & Sarda, P. (2022). How sensitive are intraplate inherited structures? Insight from the Cévennes Fault System (Languedoc, SE France). Geological Magazine, 159(11-12), 2082–2094. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756822000152