The Cenozoic evolution of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian mountain belt was driven by both internal andexternal processes, such as tectonics, erosion and deposition. This alpine belt is made up by thePyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains, and is characterized by significant lateral variations intotal shortening, structural styles and topography. This thesis aims to better constrain the controlson exhumation and topography development during syn- to post-orogenic times, from the Eoceneto the Pliocene, by focusing on two characteristic parts of the belt: the Southern Central Pyreneesand the Central Cantabrian Mountains. To this purpose, a multi-disciplinary approach isdeveloped, combining low-temperature thermochronology with different numerical modelingtools. To better understand lateral variations in exhumation of the belt, a new low-temperaturethermochronology dataset is presented for the Cantabrian domain. The first part of this thesispresents new apatite fission-track data and (U-Th)/He analysis on zircons, constraining the timingand amount of exhumation along the central Cantabrian cross-section. In particular, the Eocene toOligocene ages obtained from the different thermochronometers allow us to infer a more importantamount of burial and, consequently, a thicker Mesozoic sedimentary section than previouslyconsidered, thereby also refining the structural style of the section at the upper crustal scale.The extensive thermochronological dataset existing in the central Pyrenees is then used toreconstruct the late-stage evolution of the South Central Axial Zone by thermo-kinematic inversemodeling. The model predicts rapid exhumation of the area during late Eocene (late syn-orogenic)times, followed by a post-orogenic evolution that is strongly controlled by base-level changes. Asa consequence of the establishment of endorheic conditions in the adjacent Ebro foreland basin,together with the strong erosion of the Axial Zone, the southern foreland area was infilled by animportant amount of erosional deposits in late Eocene to early Oligocene times. The models allowus to constrain the level of infilling at ~2.6 km and to date the excavation of these sediments at~10 Ma, following opening of the Ebro basin toward the Mediterranean Sea. The thickness ofsediments draping the foreland fold-and thrust belt was verified using fission-track analysis and(U-Th)/He measurements on apatites from foreland sediments. Thermal modeling of the dataprovides an estimate of 2 to 3 km of sediments on top of the foreland and confirms its incision inLate Miocene times. The effect of syn-orogenic deposition on the building and late evolution ofthe southern Pyrenean fold-and-thrust belt has been modeled in the last chapter of this thesis usinga 2D thermo-mechanical numerical modeling approach. The models highlight the potential effectof syn-tectonic sedimentation on thrust kinematics at several stages of wedge building. Ourmodeling also shows that the addition of an Oligocene sediment blanket perturbs the thrustingsequence by stabilizing the central part of the external wedge and enhancing both frontal andinternal accretion; a pattern that reproduces the observed deformation in the Southern CentralPyrenees. / The Cenozoic evolution of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian mountain belt was driven by both internal andexternal processes, such as tectonics, erosion and deposition. This alpine belt is made up by thePyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains, and is characterized by significant lateral variations intotal shortening, structural styles and topography. This thesis aims to better constrain the controlson exhumation and topography development during syn- to post-orogenic times, from the Eoceneto the Pliocene, by focusing on two characteristic parts of the belt: the Southern Central Pyreneesand the Central Cantabrian Mountains. To this purpose, a multi-disciplinary approach isdeveloped, combining low-temperature thermochronology with different numerical modelingtools. To better understand lateral variations in exhumation of the belt, a new low-temperaturethermochronology dataset is presented for the Cantabrian domain. The first part of this thesispresents new apatite fission-track data and (U-Th)/He analysis on zircons, constraining the timingand amount of exhumation along the central Cantabrian cross-section. In particular, the Eocene toOligocene ages obtained from the different thermochronometers allow us to infer a more importantamount of burial and, consequently, a thicker Mesozoic sedimentary section than previouslyconsidered, thereby also refining the structural style of the section at the upper crustal scale.The extensive thermochronological dataset existing in the central Pyrenees is then used toreconstruct the late-stage evolution of the South Central Axial Zone by thermo-kinematic inversemodeling. The model predicts rapid exhumation of the area during late Eocene (late syn-orogenic)times, followed by a post-orogenic evolution that is strongly controlled by base-level changes. Asa consequence of the establishment of endorheic conditions in the adjacent Ebro foreland basin,together with the strong erosion of the Axial Zone, the southern foreland area was infilled by animportant amount of erosional deposits in late Eocene to early Oligocene times. The models allowus to constrain the level of infilling at ~2.6 km and to date the excavation of these sediments at~10 Ma, following opening of the Ebro basin toward the Mediterranean Sea. The thickness ofsediments draping the foreland fold-and thrust belt was verified using fission-track analysis and(U-Th)/He measurements on apatites from foreland sediments. Thermal modeling of the dataprovides an estimate of 2 to 3 km of sediments on top of the foreland and confirms its incision inLate Miocene times. The effect of syn-orogenic deposition on the building and late evolution ofthe southern Pyrenean fold-and-thrust belt has been modeled in the last chapter of this thesis usinga 2D thermo-mechanical numerical modeling approach. The models highlight the potential effectof syn-tectonic sedimentation on thrust kinematics at several stages of wedge building. Ourmodeling also shows that the addition of an Oligocene sediment blanket perturbs the thrustingsequence by stabilizing the central part of the external wedge and enhancing both frontal andinternal accretion; a pattern that reproduces the observed deformation in the Southern CentralPyrenees.

pas de résumé

Les bassins d'avant-pays se développent au front des orogènes par flexure de la lithosphère. L'héritage structural et thermique de celle-ci joue un rôle fondamental dans leur évolution et différentes sources peuvent contribuer à la subsidence du bassin. Cette thèse analyse les effets de l'héritage d'un épisode de rift sur un rétro-bassin d'avant-pays qui s'est développé alors que la lithosphère n'avait pas retrouvé son état d'équilibre. Le Bassin Aquitain est le rétro-bassin d'avant-pays pyrénéen qui s'est développé au Campanien-Miocène. L'orogenèse pyrénéenne fait suite à un épisode de rifting Aptien-Cénomanien durant lequel la croûte a été fortement amincie et le manteau sous-continental exhumé. Les effets de l'héritage crustal dus au rift sur l'évolution du bassin sont étudiés par une analyse des structures dans la croûte, du comportement flexural de la plaque européenne et de la distribution des sédiments synorogéniques. L'évolution de la subsidence dans le bassin est étudiée par analyse de subsidence 1D d'après des données de forages. Enfin, les mécanismes d'inversion de la marge européenne sont étudiés par restauration d'une coupe structurale à échelle crustale. Cette étude aide à définir le rôle de l'héritage d'un ancien système de rift sur la mise en place et l'évolution d'un bassin d'avant-pays ainsi que le rôle des différentes sources de subsidence et leurs variations spatio-temporelles. Cette étude démontre également les liens étroits entre l'histoire du rétro-bassin d'avant-pays et les mécanismes et phases d'inversion de la marge hyper-amincie / Foreland basins develop in front of orogens by flexure of the lithosphere. When they initiate over a crust that has been affected by a previous tectonic event, structural and thermal inheritance have a fundamental role in their evolution and different sources may contribute to basin subsidence. The present work analyzes the impact of inheritance from a rifting event on a foreland basin, which develops while thermal reequilibration has not been achieved at the time of loading. The Aquitaine Basin is the Pyrenean retro-foreland basin that developed from Campanian to Miocene. The Pyrenean orogenesis follows an Aptian-Cenomanian rifting during which the continental crust is thinned and sub-continental mantle exhumed. The orogenesis starts only 10 Myr after the end of rifting. The effects of crustal inheritance due to rifting on the evolution of the basin are studied by analyzing crustal structures, flexural behavior of the European plate, and foreland succession distribution. The subsidence evolution of the basin is studied by the 1D backstripping technique using borehole data. Finally, inversion mechanisms of the European margin are studied by cross-section construction and restoration at crustal scale. This study helps to define the role of rift inheritance on the initiation and the evolution of a retro-foreland basin, as well as the relative role of subsidence sources and their variations in space and time. The present work also shows the strong relationship between the retro-foreland basin's history and both mechanism and the history and mechanisms of inversion of a hyper-extended margin