Sequential restoration of a thrust system constrained by cross-section balancing and U-Pb calcite dating: the Cannet-des-Maures structure, Eastern Provence, France

The eastern Provence in southeastern France comprises a complex fold-thrust system developed in a Mesozoic sedimentary cover detached above ductile Triassic evaporitic-carbonate levels. The timing of deformation is difficult to constrain due to the absence of syntectonic sedimentary strata. In this study, we investigate the Cannet-des-Maures structure, a key example of the eastern Provence fold-thrust belt, by integrating a balanced, sequentially restored cross-section with U-Pb calcite dating to reconstruct its structural evolution and quantify the time-dependent vertical partitioning of shortening. The present-day geometry of the structure is characterized by a large-scale NE-verging overturned anticline, with second-order SW-verging thrusts developed in its forelimb, that were subsequently tilted and sheared by anticline growth. This architecture reflects limited frontal propagation and strong internal strain localization, kinematically linked to the presence of Triassic evaporitic-carbonate layers in the core of the structure. Theses ductile units acted as décollement levels promoting vertical partitioning of the shortening (from 0.14 to 2.7km) and disharmonic folding between the basement and the overlying Jurassic cover. Structural restoration reveals that the current geometry results from the inversion of an inherited Jurassic rollover structure initially shaped by listric normal fault rooted in Triassic evaporitic-carbonate layers. The basement displays a reactivated, south-dipping extensional fault, which originally controlled the development of the rollover geometry.  U-Pb ages of syn-kinematic calcite range from 94 to 4 Ma, providing a robust temporal framework linking Cretaceous extension to Provençal and Alpine compressions. These absolute ages validate the structural interpretation of inverted extensional geometries and demonstrate a long-lived deformation from Provençal to Alpine tectonic regimes. Based on these deformation ages, we propose a five-stage kinematic model identified through sequential restoration between the Late Cenomanian to the Eocene. This reconstruction highlights that the highest shortening rate occurred during the Eocene. Kinematic relationships reveal a combination of thin- and thick-skinned tectonic styles during the Provençal orogeny, later overprinted by reactivation of the Triassic décollement levels during the Alpine phase. By integrating absolute geochronology with structural restoration, this study refines the timing and mechanical understanding of tectonic inversion processes and emphasizes the long-term control of inherited basement structures and ductile Triassic units. The results further indicate southwestward propagation of Alpine deformation into the European foreland, expressed in Provence as a far-field Alpine overprint.