Vorlandplateau
Representation and status
- Color RGB
- R: 241 G: 239 B: 237
- Rank
- tectonic unit
- Validity
- Unit is not in Use
- Status
- local name (informal)
Nomenclature
- Deutsch
- Vorlandplateau
- Français
- Plateau d'Avant-Pays
- Italiano
- Altopiano d'Avampaese
- English
- Foreland Plateau
- Historical Variants
-
Foreland Plateau (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)
Palaenography and tectonic
- Tectonic unit (resp. main category)
- Kind of protolith
-
- tectonic
- Metamorphism
- non metamorphic
References
- Definition
-
(2024) :
Tectonic Map of Switzerland 1:500000, Explanatory notes. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo, Wabern
p.23: There is no tectonic boundary between the Internal Folded Jura and the Foreland Plateau, with exception of local backthrusts, but a change in the deformation pattern, mainly caused by the thickness of the sediments above the décollement surface. Morphologically, the Foreland Plateau together with the Subalpine Molasse form the “Molasse Basin”, which also includes an autochthonous part in the South German Platform.
p.27: The Foreland Plateau covers the detached part of the Molasse Basin and its Mesozoic basement. It is characterized by NE–SW trending low amplitude folds. Several of these are clearly visible at the surface, exposed due to glacial erosion, e. g., the Mont Vully Syncline between Lac de Neuchâtel and Lac de Morat. Others have been demonstrated early on by careful mapping (e. g., Schuppli 1950). Studies
based on seismic surveys have shown these low amplitude structures such as anticlines formed over salt pillows (Sommaruga 1997, 1999, Sommaruga et al. 2012, Gruber 2017, Mock & Herwegh 2017, Hauvette 2023). In addition to the folds, a series of fault zones have been shown to play an important structural role, such as the Fribourg Lineament, a sinistral fault zone, which is seismically still active (Vouillamoz et al. 2016, 2017) and may be related to the change of the main shear horizon from the Keuper Group evaporites (west) to the Muschelkalk Group evaporites.