TECTONIC SUBSIDENCE, EUSTASY AND CONTROL OF THE SEQUENCES IN THE NAMURIAN AND WESTPHALIAN BASINS OF THE WESTERN-EUROPE, CIS AND USA

On eight sections of the Namurian and Westphalian basins of the wester n Europe (England, Wales, France, Germany, Spain), the CIS (Moscow, Do netz) and the USA (Kansas), we computed the decompacted thickness and the tectonic subsidence. Using these data, we concluded on the structu ral type of each basin: foreland basin for the paralic basin of the NW Europe, Donetz and Asturias, stretching basin connected with a forela nd basin for the central England, cratonic basin for Moscow and the Ka nsas. The analysis of the sequences (fifth to third order) allowed to know better their distribution in these various basins and to rake int o consideration the sedimentary processes, the tectonic subsidence and the eustasy. In the cratonic basins, the eustasy prevails and we watc h a carbonate or a detritic fourth order sequence (100-400 Ka), transg ressive and regressive with emersion. In the foreland basins and the s tretched basins of England, both eustasy and tectonic subsidence opera te and we observe a detritic fourth order sequence with coal (100-400 Ka), transgressive with coal and regressive with many detritic coaly c ontinental sequences (40-100 Ka). In the cratonic basins and the forel and basins, third ol der sequences (Ma) are found, but they have a sho rter amplitude than the fourth order sequences, which would be typical of the presence of polar ice cap, located for the Carboniferous on th e Gondwana. In the cratonic basins; the surfaces of are badly known an d vice versa in the foreland basins. The sequence stratigraphy we atte mpted to build the third order sequence chart for the Namurian and Wes tphalian of each basin, but some stratigraphic correlations are not ye t resolved and we give a chart that differs from the global chart of R oss and Ross. erosion are well exposed and the surfaces of maximal flo oding The third order sequences agree with the stratigraphic subdivisi ons with certain exceptions. Then,