The inversion of part of the southern border of Central Graben in South Limburg during the Late Cretaceous

Abstract

During the Late Cretaceous Sub-Hercynian tectonic phase, transitory inversion of movements took place in the Central Graben. This NW-SE running graben is limited in the NE by the Peelrand Fault and in the SW by the Feldbiss (Fig. 1). During this period the graben floor became uplifted. Inversion first occurred in the SW part of the graben north of the Feldbiss and the Heerlerheide Fault during the deposition of the Vaals Formation (Campanian) and spreaded further south, during the deposition of the Vaals and the Gulpen Formation (Campanian to Maastrichtian) to the faults blocks north of, respectively, the Benzenrade - the Kunrade - and the Schin op Geul Fault and its southeastern extension into Germany, the Laurensberg Fault. These conclusions are based on the study of the formation thicknesses and age on opposite sides of the respective faults. On the base of similar facts it has been deduced thât the inversion has been discontinued during the deposition of the Maastricht Formation (Kunrade facies) after which the Central Graben became a sedimentation area again.