Preliminary plume-mode stratigraphic framework maps of Central Europe

Deformation patterns of continental interiors cannot be explained by the plate-mode of mantle convection and standard plate-boundary processes. In order to understand the occurrence of spatial and temporal patterns of earthquakes, active deformation, uplift and erosion, diking, rifting, and volcanism, other mechanisms need to be invoked. We explore the role, the plume-mode of mantle convection may play to explain the above mentioned features for the Cenozoic of central Europe. We ask whether geological maps at the continental scale are useful to distinguish between the two basic mantle-flow directions, i.e., vertical versus horizontal flow.  The French Massif Central and the German Eifel are highlands in Central Europe that were characterized by intense volcanic activities during the Cenozoic Era. The origin of the distinctive topographically high and volcanically active regions, and, therefore, the evolution of the Cenozoic geology of Central Europe has been enigmatic. In an effort to address the problem, the Cenozoic geological series of Central Europe as displayed on the geological maps of France and Germany at 1 : 1 000 000 was reconstructed. The plume-mode stratigraphic framework mapping followed the Plume-Event-based Stratigraphic Model proposed by Friedrich et al. (2018) to evaluate the contribution of a mantle plume to the generation of the Central European volcanic province, and the influence of a mantle plume versus asthenospheric flow on the evolution of Cenozoic geology of the region. The resultant plume-stratigraphic map-patterns yields a NE-SW-oriented, narrow (200 - 400 km), elongated (up to c. 1200 km) region of uplift and erosion, from the Massif Central to the Rhenish Massif.  The best fit patterns are obtained by assuming an onset of uplift and erosion some 40 Myrs prior to Miocene volcanism. Given that the temporal resolution of the input maps is restricted to geological series, these numbers carry a large uncertainty and depend on the assumption that the series boundaries relate to geological events, which need not be the case. Future applications of this plume-stratigraphic mapping is promising to reveal mantle-parameters,  particularly once the temporal resolution of the input maps improves from series to stages.