Résumé
The volcanic activity in the SE Iberian Volcanic Province is the surface expression of magmatism in a complex geodynamic setting during the Cenozoic development of a mediterranean-type back-arc basin in the Alboran realm. The late stage of this geodynamical evolution was characterized by Neogene alkaline basalt volcanism erupted at 2-3 Ma in the Tallante and Los Perez (Murcia) volcanic centers. This volcanism entrained numerous mantle xenoliths that provide a snapshot of the structure and composition of the lithospheric mantle beneath this region. Xenoliths are spinel (+ or - plagioclase + or - amphibole) lherzolite, and minor harzburgite and wehrlite showing porphyroclastic to fine- to medium-grained granoblastic textures. Mantle xenoliths display a marked olivine crystal preferred orientation (CPO) that is similar in the two investigated volcanic centers. The dominant olivine CPO is [100]-fiber pattern characterized by a strong alignment of olivine [100] axes near or parallel to the peridotite lineation and a girdle distribution of [010] axes with a maximum normal to the peridotite foliation. This CPO is consistent with dominant activation of the high temperature [100]{0kl} slip systems of olivine and suggests simple shear or combinations of simple shear and pure shear with a transtensional component were the dominant deformation regimes. These olivine CPO contrast with those of Ronda peridotite--sampling the lithospheric mantle of the Alboran domain at approximately 23 Ma--which are consistent with a transpressional deformation regime, indicating a temporal evolution of the deformation regime to transpressive to a transtensive in the Miocene. The seismic anisotropy calculated from xenolith's CPO and modal compositions is characterized by fast propagation of P-waves and polarization of fast S-waves parallel to the lineation. Highest delay times are observed for S-waves propagating within the foliation, but at high angle to the lineation, whereas S-waves propagating along the lineation sample an apparent isotropy direction. Based on these data, we interpret the recent SKS splitting measurements in the western Mediterranean as indicating dominant belt-parallel flow in the mantle beneath the Betic Cordillera.