NEOGENE STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE VALENCIA TROUGH MARGINS FROM PALEOMAGNETIC DATA

Reliable palaeomagnetic data from the emerged margins of the Valencia trough include results from Triassic, Jurassic, Paleogene and Miocene rocks. From these data, a clockwise rotation of the Catalan Coastal ranges relative to the western part of Iberia is apparent. In addition, a clockwise rotation is indicated by the magnetic directions from the Balearics with respect to those of the Catalan margin. Major Neogene structures in the evolution of the Valencia trough and thin-skinned tectonics rather than crustal-scale block motions play a large role throughout the Balearic Islands.