During the Westphalian C (middle Pennsylvanian), the southeastern Campine Basin was part of the foreland of the Variscan Orogen. Deposition was dominated by rhythmic successions of coal-mudstone-sandstone sequences. Correlations between marker horizons within these sequences indicate a consistent thinning of the intercalated units towards the northwest. On seismic data, this thinning is expressed by subtly northwestwards converging intra-Westphalian C seismic reflectors. Since sedimentation kept up with subsidence, the northwestern thinning reflects a decrease in subsidence in the same direction. We interpret this asymmetric, flexural subsidence as the result of flexural downwarping of the underlying continental crust due to an increase in tectonic load generated by the Variscan Orogen that approached from the southeast. The southeastern Campine Basin was thereby situated in a Variscan foreland system, more specifically along the forebulge flank of a foredeep. The crest of the Variscan forebulge was located further northwest in the Campine Basin. The different Westphalian C units in the study area show varying percentages (between 32 and 50%) of thickness decreases in the direction of the forebulge. Our model fits with existing thickness and burial data from the surrounding areas in the Variscan foreland, and is compatible with the published forebulge migration model in the Ruhr Coal Basin.

在威斯特伐利亚时期C（宾夕法尼亚中部），东南的坎皮恩盆地是瓦里斯坎造山带前陆的一部分。沉积以煤-泥岩-砂岩层序的有序演替为主。这些序列中标记层之间的相关性表明，插层单元向西北方向一致变薄。在地震数据上，这种变薄是通过向西北微弱收敛的威斯特伐利亚内C型地震反射器表达的。由于沉降与沉降保持一致，因此西北变薄反映了沉降在同一方向上的减少。我们将这种不对称的挠曲沉降解释为下伏大陆壳挠曲下陷的结果，这是由于从东南方向接近的瓦里斯坎造山带产生的构造载荷增加所致。因此，东南的坎皮恩盆地位于瓦里斯卡纳的前陆系统中，更具体地说，位于前陡坡的前突侧面。瓦里斯坎前凸的波峰位于坎皮恩盆地的更西北。研究区域中不同的威斯特伐利亚C单元显示，沿前隆起方向厚度变化的百分比不同（介于32％和50％之间）。我们的模型与Variscan前陆周边地区现有的厚度和埋藏数据相吻合，并且与Ruhr煤盆地中已发布的前隆起运移模型兼容。研究区域中不同的威斯特伐利亚C单元显示，沿前隆起方向厚度变化的百分比不同（介于32％和50％之间）。我们的模型与Variscan前陆周边地区现有的厚度和埋藏数据相吻合，并且与Ruhr煤盆地中已发布的前隆起运移模型兼容。研究区域中不同的威斯特伐利亚C单元显示，沿前隆起方向厚度变化的百分比不同（介于32％和50％之间）。我们的模型与Variscan前陆周边地区现有的厚度和埋藏数据相吻合，并且与Ruhr煤盆地中已发布的前隆起运移模型兼容。