LATE MIOCENE-PLEISTOCENE TECTONOSEDIMENTARY EVOLUTION AND SUBSIDENCE HISTORY OF THE CENTRAL BETIC CORDILLERA (SPAIN) - A CASE-STUDY IN THE GUADIX INTRAMONTANE BASIN

The Guadix Basin became established as an intramontane basin in the ce ntral sector of the Betic Cordillera at the beginning of Late Miocene time. Its geodynamic evolution starts with a unit of Tortonian marine sediments and is completed by a unit of Late Turolian-Pleistocene cont inental sediments. In the two units, six depositional sequences have b een differentiated whose boundaries, in most cases, coincide with tect onic events. Geohistorical diagrams show the results of quantitative a nalyses of subsidence in the northern sector of the basin and permit c orrelation of the main events with significant changes in the history of subsidence and uplift. A period of strong subsidence occurred at th e beginning of Tortonian time causing the formation of a marine basin 800 m deep. The mid- and end-Tortonian tectonic events involved period s of uplift leading to shallowing in the basin. After continentalizati on at the end of the Tortonian, the basin was uplifted continuously fr om Late Turolian to Late Pleistocene times, finally accumulating sedim ents at a height of 1000 m.