Decoupled flexure in the South Pyrenean Foreland

Complex subsidence patterns during the mid-late Eocene of the easternmost S outh Pyrenean foreland are well explained by a decoupled flexure model in w hich upper crustal buckling is accommodated by ductile flow in the mid-lowe r crust while, simultaneously and independently, the lower lithosphere flex es above a ductile asthenosphere. The resulting predicted subsidence values agree with observation to well within the estimated uncertainties. The res ulting lithospheric effective elastic thickness (EET) estimate (10+/-3 km) is low but similar to values obtained in the South Pyrenean foreland by oth er authors. The separate EET obtained for the upper crust (1.5+/-0.8 km) al so agrees with tentative values given by other workers.