Early onset of Pyrenean collision (97-90 Ma) evidenced by U-Pb dating on calcite (Provence, SE France)

Early Late Cretaceous uplift of Provence gave rise to the Durance Isthmus. In the present study, U-Pb dating on calcite of compressional structures related to Pyrenean foreland compressional deformation in Provence shows that N-S shortening occurred coeval with emersion of the Durance Isthmus, through the development of combined top-to-the-North to NW thrusts between 97 and 90 Ma. This large-scale event, recorded from the Pyrenees to the Middle-East regions is interpreted as a far-field internal plate precursor of the Africa-Europe plates reorganization. Furthermore, the change in tectonic style and amount of shortening between Provence and Pyrenees was accommodated by sinistral reactivation of the NE-SW Cevennes and Nimes faults, acting as transform boundaries in this incipient collisional context.