Articles | Volume 10, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-1025-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-1025-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Jul 2019
Research article |
| 04 Jul 2019
| 04 Jul 2019
The internal structure and composition of a plate-boundary-scale serpentinite shear zone: the Livingstone Fault, New Zealand
Matthew S. Tarling
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geology, University of Otago, 360 Leith Street, 9016 Dunedin, New Zealand
Steven A. F. Smith
Department of Geology, University of Otago, 360 Leith Street, 9016 Dunedin, New Zealand
James M. Scott
Department of Geology, University of Otago, 360 Leith Street, 9016 Dunedin, New Zealand
Jeremy S. Rooney
Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Union Place West, 9016 Dunedin, New Zealand
Cecilia Viti
Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Siena, Siena, Italy
Keith C. Gordon
Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Union Place West, 9016 Dunedin, New Zealand
Related authors
Matthew S. Tarling, Matteo Demurtas, Steven A. F. Smith, Jeremy S. Rooney, Marianne Negrini, Cecilia Viti, Jasmine R. Petriglieri, and Keith C. Gordon
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 285–300, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-285-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-285-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Rocks containing the serpentine mineral lizardite occur in many tectonic settings. Knowing the crystal orientation of lizardite in these rocks tells us how they deform and gives insights into their physical properties. The crystal orientation of lizardite is challenging to obtain using standard techniques. To overcome this challenge, we developed a method using Raman spectroscopy to map the crystal orientation of lizardite with minimal preparation on standard thin sections.
Matthew S. Tarling, Matteo Demurtas, Steven A. F. Smith, Jeremy S. Rooney, Marianne Negrini, Cecilia Viti, Jasmine R. Petriglieri, and Keith C. Gordon
Eur. J. Mineral., 34, 285–300, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-285-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-285-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Rocks containing the serpentine mineral lizardite occur in many tectonic settings. Knowing the crystal orientation of lizardite in these rocks tells us how they deform and gives insights into their physical properties. The crystal orientation of lizardite is challenging to obtain using standard techniques. To overcome this challenge, we developed a method using Raman spectroscopy to map the crystal orientation of lizardite with minimal preparation on standard thin sections.
Matteo Demurtas, Steven A.F. Smith, Elena Spagnuolo, and Giulio Di Toro
Solid Earth, 12, 595–612, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-595-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-595-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We performed shear experiments on calcite–dolomite gouge mixtures to better understand the behaviour of carbonates during sub-seismic to seismic deformation in the shallow crust. The development of a foliation in the gouge was only restricted to coseismic sliding, whereas fluidisation occurred over a wide range of slip velocities (sub-seismic to coseismic) in the presence of water. These observations will contribute to a better interpretation of the rock record.
Jack N. Williams, Virginia G. Toy, Cécile Massiot, David D. McNamara, Steven A. F. Smith, and Steven Mills
Solid Earth, 9, 469–489, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-469-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-469-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present new data on the orientation of fractures, their fill, and their density around the Alpine Fault, a plate boundary fault on the South Island of New Zealand. Fractures < 160 m of the fault are filled and show a range of orientations, whilst fractures at greater distances (< 500 m) are open and parallel to the rock's mechanical weakness. We interpret the latter fracture set to reflect near-surface processes, whilst the latter are potentially linked to deep-seated Alpine Fault seismicity.
Martina Kirilova, Virginia Toy, Jeremy S. Rooney, Carolina Giorgetti, Keith C. Gordon, Cristiano Collettini, and Toru Takeshita
Solid Earth, 9, 223–231, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-223-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-223-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Graphite crystallinity “irreversibly” increases with temperature and it has been calibrated as a thermometer recording peak temperatures experienced by a rock. To examine the possibility of mechanical modifications of graphite structure and the impacts on graphite thermometry we performed deformation experiments. Raman spectroscopy demonstrates a reduction in crystallinity due to mechanical reworking in the brittle field. This finding clearly compromises the validity of the graphite thermometry.
Related subject area
Subject area: Tectonic plate interactions, magma genesis, and lithosphere deformation at all scales | Editorial team: Structural geology and tectonics, paleoseismology, rock physics, experimental deformation | Discipline: Structural geology
Driven magmatism and crustal thinning of coastal southern China in response to subduction
Selection and characterization of the target fault for fluid-induced activation and earthquake rupture experiments
Naturally fractured reservoir characterisation in heterogeneous sandstones: insight for uranium in situ recovery (Imouraren, Niger)
Influence of water on crystallographic preferred orientation patterns in a naturally-deformed quartzite
Multiscalar 3D temporal structural characterisation of Smøla island, mid-Norwegian passive margin: an analogue for unravelling the tectonic history of offshore basement highs
Localized shear versus distributed strain accumulation as shear-accommodation mechanisms in ductile shear zones: Constraining their dictating factors
Impact of faults on the remote stress state
Subduction plate interface shear stress associated with rapid subduction at deep slow earthquake depths: example from the Sanbagawa belt, southwestern Japan
Multiple phase rifting and subsequent inversion in the West Netherlands Basin: implications for geothermal reservoir characterization
Analogue modelling of basin inversion: implications for the Araripe Basin (Brazil)
Geomorphic expressions of active rifting reflect the role of structural inheritance: A new model for the evolution of the Shanxi Rift, North China
Natural fracture patterns at Swift Reservoir anticline, NW Montana: the influence of structural position and lithology from multiple observation scales
Rapid hydration and weakening of anhydrite under stress: implications for natural hydration in the Earth's crust and mantle
Analogue experiments on releasing and restraining bends and their application to the study of the Barents Shear Margin
Structural framework and timing of the Pahtohavare Cu ± Au deposits, Kiruna mining district, Sweden
Does the syn- versus post-rift thickness ratio have an impact on the inversion-related structural style?
Inversion of accommodation zones in salt-bearing extensional systems: insights from analog modeling
Structural control of inherited salt structures during inversion of a domino basement-fault system from an analogue modelling approach
Kinematics and time-resolved evolution of the main thrust-sense shear zone in the Eo-Alpine orogenic wedge (the Vinschgau Shear Zone, eastern Alps)
Role of inheritance during tectonic inversion of a rift system in basement-involved to salt-decoupled transition: analogue modelling and application to the Pyrenean–Biscay system
Water release and homogenization by dynamic recrystallization of quartz
Hydrothermal activity of the Lake Abhe geothermal field (Djibouti): Structural controls and paths for further exploration
Time-dependent frictional properties of granular materials used in analogue modelling: implications for mimicking fault healing during reactivation and inversion
Large grain-size-dependent rheology contrasts of halite at low differential stress: evidence from microstructural study of naturally deformed gneissic Zechstein 2 rock salt (Kristallbrockensalz) from the northern Netherlands
Analogue modelling of the inversion of multiple extensional basins in foreland fold-and-thrust belts
A contribution to the quantification of crustal shortening and kinematics of deformation across the Western Andes ( ∼ 20–22° S)
Rift thermal inheritance in the SW Alps (France): insights from RSCM thermometry and 1D thermal numerical modelling
The Luangwa Rift Active Fault Database and fault reactivation along the southwestern branch of the East African Rift
Clustering has a meaning: optimization of angular similarity to detect 3D geometric anomalies in geological terrains
Shear zone evolution and the path of earthquake rupture
Mechanical compaction mechanisms in the input sediments of the Sumatra subduction complex – insights from microstructural analysis of cores from IODP Expedition 362
Detecting micro fractures: a comprehensive comparison of conventional and machine-learning-based segmentation methods
Multiscale lineament analysis and permeability heterogeneity of fractured crystalline basement blocks
Structural characterization and K–Ar illite dating of reactivated, complex and heterogeneous fault zones: lessons from the Zuccale Fault, Northern Apennines
How do differences in interpreting seismic images affect estimates of geological slip rates?
Progressive veining during peridotite carbonation: insights from listvenites in Hole BT1B, Samail ophiolite (Oman)
Tectonic evolution of the Indio Hills segment of the San Andreas fault in southern California, southwestern USA
Structural diagenesis in ultra-deep tight sandstones in the Kuqa Depression, Tarim Basin, China
Variscan structures and their control on latest to post-Variscan basin architecture: insights from the westernmost Bohemian Massif and southeastern Germany
Multi-disciplinary characterizations of the BedrettoLab – a new underground geoscience research facility
Biotite supports long-range diffusive transport in dissolution–precipitation creep in halite through small porosity fluctuations
De-risking the energy transition by quantifying the uncertainties in fault stability
Virtual field trip to the Esla Nappe (Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain): delivering traditional geological mapping skills remotely using real data
Marine forearc structure of eastern Java and its role in the 1994 Java tsunami earthquake
Roughness of fracture surfaces in numerical models and laboratory experiments
Impact of basement thrust faults on low-angle normal faults and rift basin evolution: a case study in the Enping sag, Pearl River Basin
Evidence for and significance of the Late Cretaceous Asteroussia event in the Gondwanan Ios basement terranes
Investigating spatial heterogeneity within fracture networks using hierarchical clustering and graph distance metrics
Dating folding beyond folding, from layer-parallel shortening to fold tightening, using mesostructures: lessons from the Apennines, Pyrenees, and Rocky Mountains
Deformation-enhanced diagenesis and bacterial proliferation in the Nankai accretionary prism
Jinbao Su, Wenbin Zhu, and Guangwei Li
Solid Earth, 15, 1133–1141, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1133-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1133-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The late Mesozoic igneous rocks in the South China Block exhibit flare-ups and lulls, which form in compressional or extensional backgrounds. The ascending of magma forms a mush-like head and decreases crustal thickness. The presence of faults and pre-existing magmas will accelerate emplacement of underplating magma. The magmatism at different times may be formed under similar subduction conditions, and the boundary compression forces will delay magma ascent.
Peter Achtziger-Zupančič, Alberto Ceccato, Alba Simona Zappone, Giacomo Pozzi, Alexis Shakas, Florian Amann, Whitney Maria Behr, Daniel Escallon Botero, Domenico Giardini, Marian Hertrich, Mohammadreza Jalali, Xiaodong Ma, Men-Andrin Meier, Julian Osten, Stefan Wiemer, and Massimo Cocco
Solid Earth, 15, 1087–1112, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1087-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1087-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We detail the selection and characterization of a fault zone for earthquake experiments in the Fault Activation and Earthquake Ruptures (FEAR) project at the Bedretto Lab. FEAR, which studies earthquake processes, overcame data collection challenges near faults. The fault zone in Rotondo granite was selected based on geometry, monitorability, and hydro-mechanical properties. Remote sensing, borehole logging, and geological mapping were used to create a 3D model for precise monitoring.
Maxime Jamet, Gregory Ballas, Roger Soliva, Olivier Gerbeaud, Thierry Lefebvre, Christine Leredde, and Didier Loggia
Solid Earth, 15, 895–920, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-895-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-895-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study characterizes the Tchirezrine II sandstone reservoir in northern Niger. Crucial for potential uranium in situ recovery (ISR), our multifaceted approach reveals (i) a network of homogeneously distributed orthogonal structures, (ii) the impact of clustered E–W fault structures on anisotropic fluid flow, and (iii) local changes in the matrix behaviour of the reservoir as a function of the density and nature of the deformation structure.
Jeffrey M. Rahl, Brendan Moehringer, Kenneth S. Befus, and John S. Singleton
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1567, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1567, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
At the high temperatures present in the deeper crust, minerals such as quartz can flow much like silly putty. The detailed mechanisms of how atoms are reorganized depends upon several factors, such as the temperature and the rate of which the mineral changes shape. We present observations from a naturally-deformed rock showing that the amount of water present also influences the type of deformation in quartz, with implications for geological interpretations.
Matthew S. Hodge, Guri Venvik, Jochen Knies, Roelant van der Lelij, Jasmin Schönenberger, Øystein Nordgulen, Marco Brönner, Aziz Nasuti, and Giulio Viola
Solid Earth, 15, 589–615, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-589-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-589-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Smøla island, in the mid-Norwegian margin, has complex fracture and fault patterns resulting from tectonic activity. This study uses a multiple-method approach to unravel Smøla's tectonic history. We found five different phases of deformation related to various fracture geometries and minerals dating back hundreds of millions of years. 3D models of these features visualise these structures in space. This approach may help us to understand offshore oil and gas reservoirs hosted in the basement.
Pramit Chatterjee, Arnab Roy, and Nibir Mandal
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1077, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1077, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the strain accumulation processes in ductile shear zones is essential to explain the failure mechanisms at great crustal depths. This study explores the rheological and kinematic factors determining the varying modes of shear accommodation in natural shear zones. Numerical simulations suggest that an interplay of the following parameters: initial bulk viscosity, bulk shear rate, and internal cohesion governs the dominance of one accommodation mechanism over the other.
Karsten Reiter, Oliver Heidbach, and Moritz O. Ziegler
Solid Earth, 15, 305–327, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-305-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-305-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
It is generally assumed that faults have an influence on the stress state of the Earth’s crust. It is questionable whether this influence is still present far away from a fault. Simple numerical models were used to investigate the extent of the influence of faults on the stress state. Several models with different fault representations were investigated. The stress fluctuations further away from the fault (> 1 km) are very small.
Yukinojo Koyama, Simon R. Wallis, and Takayoshi Nagaya
Solid Earth, 15, 143–166, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-143-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-143-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Stress along a subduction plate boundary is important for understanding subduction phenomena such as earthquakes. We estimated paleo-stress using quartz recrystallized grain size combined with deformation temperature and P–T paths of exhumed rocks. The obtained results show differential stresses of 30.8–82.7 MPa consistent over depths of 17–27 km in the paleo-subduction boundary. The obtained stress may represent the initial conditions under which slow earthquakes nucleated in the same domain.
Annelotte Weert, Kei Ogata, Francesco Vinci, Coen Leo, Giovanni Bertotti, Jerome Amory, and Stefano Tavani
Solid Earth, 15, 121–141, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-121-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-121-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
On the road to a sustainable planet, geothermal energy is considered one of the main substitutes when it comes to heating. The geological history of an area can have a major influence on the application of these geothermal systems, as demonstrated in the West Netherlands Basin. Here, multiple episodes of rifting and subsequent basin inversion have controlled the distribution of the reservoir rocks, thus influencing the locations where geothermal energy can be exploited.
Pâmela C. Richetti, Frank Zwaan, Guido Schreurs, Renata S. Schmitt, and Timothy C. Schmid
Solid Earth, 14, 1245–1266, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1245-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1245-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Araripe Basin in NE Brazil was originally formed during Cretaceous times, as South America and Africa broke up. The basin is an important analogue to offshore South Atlantic break-up basins; its sediments were uplifted and are now found at 1000 m height, allowing for studies thereof, but the cause of the uplift remains debated. Here we ran a series of tectonic laboratory experiments that show how a specific plate tectonic configuration can explain the evolution of the Araripe Basin.
Malte Froemchen, Ken J. W. McCaffrey, Mark B. Allen, Jeroen van Hunen, Thomas B. Phillips, and Yueren Xu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2563, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2563, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Shanxi Rift is a young active rift in North China that formed superimposed on a Proterozoic orogen. The impact of these structures on the active rift faults is poorly constrained. Here we quantify the landscape response to active faulting and compare these to published maps of inherited structures. We find that inherited structures played an important role in the segmentation of the Shanxi Rift and in the development of Rift Interaction Zones, the most active regions of the Shanxi Rift.
Adam J. Cawood, Hannah Watkins, Clare E. Bond, Marian J. Warren, and Mark A. Cooper
Solid Earth, 14, 1005–1030, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1005-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1005-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Here we test conceptual models of fracture development by investigating fractures across multiple scales. We find that most fractures increase in abundance towards the fold hinge, and we interpret these as being fold related. Other fractures at the site show inconsistent orientations and are unrelated to fold formation. Our results show that predicting fracture patterns requires the consideration of multiple geologic variables.
Johanna Heeb, David Healy, Nicholas E. Timms, and Enrique Gomez-Rivas
Solid Earth, 14, 985–1003, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-985-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-985-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Hydration of rocks is a key process in the Earth’s crust and mantle that is accompanied by changes in physical traits and mechanical behaviour of rocks. This study assesses the influence of stress on hydration reaction kinetics and mechanics in experiments on anhydrite. We show that hydration occurs readily under stress and results in localized hydration along fractures and mechanic weakening. New gypsum growth is selective and depends on the stress field and host anhydrite crystal orientation.
Roy Helge Gabrielsen, Panagiotis Athanasios Giannenas, Dimitrios Sokoutis, Ernst Willingshofer, Muhammad Hassaan, and Jan Inge Faleide
Solid Earth, 14, 961–983, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-961-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-961-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Barents Shear Margin defines the border between the relatively shallow Barents Sea that is situated on a continental plate and the deep ocean. This margin's evolution history was probably influenced by plate tectonic reorganizations. From scaled experiments, we deduced several types of structures (faults, folds, and sedimentary basins) that help us to improve the understanding of the history of the opening of the North Atlantic.
Leslie Logan, Ervin Veress, Joel B. H. Andersson, Olof Martinsson, and Tobias E. Bauer
Solid Earth, 14, 763–784, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-763-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-763-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Pahtohavare Cu ± Au deposits in the Kiruna mining district have a dubious timing of formation and have not been contextualized within an up-to-date tectonic framework. Structural mapping was carried out to reveal that the deposits are hosted in brittle structures that cut a noncylindrical, SE-plunging anticline constrained to have formed during the late-Svecokarelian orogeny. These results show that Cu ± Au mineralization formed more than ca. 80 Myr after iron oxide–apatite mineralization.
Alexandra Tamas, Dan M. Tamas, Gabor Tari, Csaba Krezsek, Alexandru Lapadat, and Zsolt Schleder
Solid Earth, 14, 741–761, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-741-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-741-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Tectonic processes are complex and often difficult to understand due to the limitations of surface or subsurface data. One such process is inversion tectonics, which means that an area initially developed in an extension (such as the opening of an ocean) is reversed to compression (the process leading to mountain building). In this research, we use a laboratory method (analogue modelling), and with the help of a sandbox, we try to better understand structures (folds/faults) related to inversion.
Elizabeth Parker Wilson, Pablo Granado, Pablo Santolaria, Oriol Ferrer, and Josep Anton Muñoz
Solid Earth, 14, 709–739, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-709-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-709-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This work focuses on the control of accommodation zones on extensional and subsequent inversion in salt-detached domains using sandbox analogue models. During extension, the transfer zone acts as a pathway for the movement of salt, changing the expected geometries. When inverted, the salt layer and syn-inversion sedimentation control the deformation style in the salt-detached cover system. Three natural cases are compared to the model results and show similar inversion geometries.
Oriol Ferrer, Eloi Carola, and Ken McClay
Solid Earth, 14, 571–589, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-571-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-571-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using an experimental approach based on scaled sandbox models, this work aims to understand how salt above different rotational fault blocks influences the cover geometry and evolution, first during extension and then during inversion. The results show that inherited salt structures constrain contractional deformation. We show for the first time how welds and fault welds are reopened during contractional deformation, having direct implications for the subsurface exploration of natural resources.
Chiara Montemagni, Stefano Zanchetta, Martina Rocca, Igor M. Villa, Corrado Morelli, Volkmar Mair, and Andrea Zanchi
Solid Earth, 14, 551–570, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-551-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-551-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Vinschgau Shear Zone (VSZ) is one of the largest and most significant shear zones developed within the Late Cretaceous thrust stack in the Austroalpine domain of the eastern Alps. 40Ar / 39Ar geochronology constrains the activity of the VSZ between 97 and 80 Ma. The decreasing vorticity towards the core of the shear zone, coupled with the younging of mylonites, points to a shear thinning behavior. The deepest units of the Eo-Alpine orogenic wedge were exhumed along the VSZ.
Jordi Miró, Oriol Ferrer, Josep Anton Muñoz, and Gianreto Manastchal
Solid Earth, 14, 425–445, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-425-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-425-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using the Asturian–Basque–Cantabrian system and analogue (sandbox) models, this work focuses on the linkage between basement-controlled and salt-decoupled domains and how deformation is accommodated between the two during extension and subsequent inversion. Analogue models show significant structural variability in the transitional domain, with oblique structures that can be strongly modified by syn-contractional sedimentation. Experimental results are consistent with the case study.
Junichi Fukuda, Takamoto Okudaira, and Yukiko Ohtomo
Solid Earth, 14, 409–424, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-409-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We measured water distributions in deformed quartz by infrared spectroscopy mapping and used the results to discuss changes in water distribution resulting from textural development. Because of the grain size reduction process (dynamic recrystallization), water contents decrease from 40–1750 wt ppm in host grains of ~2 mm to 100–510 wt ppm in recrystallized regions composed of fine grains of ~10 µm. Our results indicate that water is released and homogenized by dynamic recrystallization.
Bastien Walter, Yves Géraud, Alexiane Favier, Nadjib Chibati, and Marc Diraison
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-397, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-397, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Lake Abhe in southwestern Djibouti is known for its exposures of massive hydrothermal chimneys and hot springs on the lake’s eastern shore. This study highlights the control of the main structural faults of the area on the development of these hydrothermal features. This work contributes to better understand hydrothermal fluid pathways in this area and may help further exploration for the geothermal development of this remarkable site.
Michael Rudolf, Matthias Rosenau, and Onno Oncken
Solid Earth, 14, 311–331, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-311-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-311-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Analogue models of tectonic processes rely on the reproduction of their geometry, kinematics and dynamics. An important property is fault behaviour, which is linked to the frictional characteristics of the fault gouge. This is represented by granular materials, such as quartz sand. In our study we investigate the time-dependent frictional properties of various analogue materials and highlight their impact on the suitability of these materials for analogue models focusing on fault reactivation.
Jessica Barabasch, Joyce Schmatz, Jop Klaver, Alexander Schwedt, and Janos L. Urai
Solid Earth, 14, 271–291, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-271-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-271-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed Zechstein salt with microscopes and observed specific microstructures that indicate much faster deformation in rock salt with fine halite grains when compared to salt with larger grains. This is important because people build large cavities in the subsurface salt for energy storage or want to deposit radioactive waste inside it. When engineers and scientists use grain-size data and equations that include this mechanism, it will help to make better predictions in geological models.
Nicolás Molnar and Susanne Buiter
Solid Earth, 14, 213–235, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-213-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-213-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Progression of orogenic wedges over pre-existing extensional structures is common in nature, but deciphering the spatio-temporal evolution of deformation from the geological record remains challenging. Our laboratory experiments provide insights on how horizontal stresses are transferred across a heterogeneous crust, constrain which pre-shortening conditions can either favour or hinder the reactivatation of extensional structures, and explain what implications they have on critical taper theory.
Tania Habel, Martine Simoes, Robin Lacassin, Daniel Carrizo, and German Aguilar
Solid Earth, 14, 17–42, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-17-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-17-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Central Andes are one of the most emblematic reliefs on Earth, but their western flank remains understudied. Here we explore two rare key sites in the hostile conditions of the Atacama desert to build cross-sections, quantify crustal shortening, and discuss the timing of this deformation at ∼20–22°S. We propose that the structures of the Western Andes accommodated significant crustal shortening here, but only during the earliest stages of mountain building.
Naïm Célini, Frédéric Mouthereau, Abdeltif Lahfid, Claude Gout, and Jean-Paul Callot
Solid Earth, 14, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the peak temperature of sedimentary rocks of the SW Alps (France), using Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous material. This method provides an estimate of the peak temperature achieved by organic-rich rocks. To determine the timing and the tectonic context of the origin of these temperatures we use 1D thermal modelling. We find that the high temperatures up to 300 °C were achieved during precollisional extensional events, not during tectonic burial in the Western Alps.
Luke N. J. Wedmore, Tess Turner, Juliet Biggs, Jack N. Williams, Henry M. Sichingabula, Christine Kabumbu, and Kawawa Banda
Solid Earth, 13, 1731–1753, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1731-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1731-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Mapping and compiling the attributes of faults capable of hosting earthquakes are important for the next generation of seismic hazard assessment. We document 18 active faults in the Luangwa Rift, Zambia, in an active fault database. These faults are between 9 and 207 km long offset Quaternary sediments, have scarps up to ~30 m high, and are capable of hosting earthquakes from Mw 5.8 to 8.1. We associate the Molaza Fault with surface ruptures from two unattributed M 6+ 20th century earthquakes.
Michał P. Michalak, Lesław Teper, Florian Wellmann, Jerzy Żaba, Krzysztof Gaidzik, Marcin Kostur, Yuriy P. Maystrenko, and Paulina Leonowicz
Solid Earth, 13, 1697–1720, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1697-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1697-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
When characterizing geological/geophysical surfaces, various geometric attributes are calculated, such as dip angle (1D) or dip direction (2D). However, the boundaries between specific values may be subjective and without optimization significance, resulting from using default color palletes. This study proposes minimizing cosine distance among within-cluster observations to detect 3D anomalies. Our results suggest that the method holds promise for identification of megacylinders or megacones.
Erik M. Young, Christie D. Rowe, and James D. Kirkpatrick
Solid Earth, 13, 1607–1629, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1607-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1607-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Studying how earthquakes spread deep within the faults they originate from is crucial to improving our understanding of the earthquake process. We mapped preserved ancient earthquake surfaces that are now exposed in South Africa and studied their relationship with the shape and type of rocks surrounding them. We determined that these surfaces are not random and are instead associated with specific kinds of rocks and that their shape is linked to the evolution of the faults in which they occur.
Sivaji Lahiri, Kitty L. Milliken, Peter Vrolijk, Guillaume Desbois, and Janos L. Urai
Solid Earth, 13, 1513–1539, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1513-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1513-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the mechanism of mechanical compaction is important. Previous studies on mechanical compaction were mostly done by performing experiments. Studies on natural rocks are rare due to compositional heterogeneity of the sedimentary succession with depth. Due to remarkable similarity in composition and grain size, the Sumatra subduction complex provides a unique opportunity to study the micromechanism of mechanical compaction on natural samples.
Dongwon Lee, Nikolaos Karadimitriou, Matthias Ruf, and Holger Steeb
Solid Earth, 13, 1475–1494, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1475-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1475-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This research article focuses on filtering and segmentation methods employed in high-resolution µXRCT studies for crystalline rocks, bearing fractures, or fracture networks, of very small aperture. Specifically, we focus on the identification of artificially induced (via quenching) fractures in Carrara marble samples. Results from the same dataset from all five different methods adopted were produced and compared with each other in terms of their output quality and time efficiency.
Alberto Ceccato, Giulia Tartaglia, Marco Antonellini, and Giulio Viola
Solid Earth, 13, 1431–1453, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1431-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Earth's surface is commonly characterized by the occurrence of fractures, which can be mapped, and their can be geometry quantified on digital representations of the surface at different scales of observation. Here we present a series of analytical and statistical tools, which can aid the quantification of fracture spatial distribution at different scales. In doing so, we can improve our understanding of how fracture geometry and geology affect fluid flow within the fractured Earth crust.
Giulio Viola, Giovanni Musumeci, Francesco Mazzarini, Lorenzo Tavazzani, Manuel Curzi, Espen Torgersen, Roelant van der Lelij, and Luca Aldega
Solid Earth, 13, 1327–1351, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1327-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1327-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A structural-geochronological approach helps to unravel the Zuccale Fault's architecture. By mapping its internal structure and dating some of its fault rocks, we constrained a deformation history lasting 20 Myr starting at ca. 22 Ma. Such long activity is recorded by now tightly juxtaposed brittle structural facies, i.e. different types of fault rocks. Our results also have implications on the regional evolution of the northern Apennines, of which the Zuccale Fault is an important structure.
Wan-Lin Hu
Solid Earth, 13, 1281–1290, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1281-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1281-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Having a seismic image is generally expected to enable us to better determine fault geometry and thus estimate geological slip rates accurately. However, the process of interpreting seismic images may introduce unintended uncertainties, which have not yet been widely discussed. Here, a case of a shear fault-bend fold in the frontal Himalaya is used to demonstrate how differences in interpretations can affect the following estimates of slip rates and dependent conclusions.
Manuel D. Menzel, Janos L. Urai, Estibalitz Ukar, Thierry Decrausaz, and Marguerite Godard
Solid Earth, 13, 1191–1218, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1191-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1191-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Mantle rocks can bind large quantities of carbon by reaction with CO2, but this capacity requires fluid pathways not to be clogged by carbonate. We studied mantle rocks from Oman to understand the mechanisms allowing their transformation into carbonate and quartz. Using advanced imaging techniques, we show that abundant veins were essential fluid pathways driving the reaction. Our results show that tectonic stress was important for fracture opening and a key ingredient for carbon fixation.
Jean-Baptiste P. Koehl, Steffen G. Bergh, and Arthur G. Sylvester
Solid Earth, 13, 1169–1190, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1169-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1169-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The San Andreas fault is a major active fault associated with ongoing earthquake sequences in southern California. The present study investigates the development of the Indio Hills area in the Coachella Valley along the main San Andreas fault and the Indio Hills fault. The Indio Hills area is located near an area with high ongoing earthquake activity (Brawley seismic zone), and, therefore, its recent tectonic evolution has implications for earthquake prediction.
Jin Lai, Dong Li, Yong Ai, Hongkun Liu, Deyang Cai, Kangjun Chen, Yuqiang Xie, and Guiwen Wang
Solid Earth, 13, 975–1002, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-975-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-975-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
(1) Structural diagenesis analysis is performed on the ultra-deep tight sandstone. (2) Fracture and intergranular pores are related to the low in situ stress magnitudes. (3) Dissolution is associated with the presence of fracture.
Hamed Fazlikhani, Wolfgang Bauer, and Harald Stollhofen
Solid Earth, 13, 393–416, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-393-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-393-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Interpretation of newly acquired FRANKEN 2D seismic survey data in southeeastern Germany shows that upper Paleozoic low-grade metasedimentary rocks and possible nappe units are transported by Variscan shear zones to ca. 65 km west of the Franconian Fault System (FFS). We show that the locations of post-Variscan upper Carboniferous–Permian normal faults and associated graben and half-graben basins are controlled by the geometry of underlying Variscan shear zones.
Xiaodong Ma, Marian Hertrich, Florian Amann, Kai Bröker, Nima Gholizadeh Doonechaly, Valentin Gischig, Rebecca Hochreutener, Philipp Kästli, Hannes Krietsch, Michèle Marti, Barbara Nägeli, Morteza Nejati, Anne Obermann, Katrin Plenkers, Antonio P. Rinaldi, Alexis Shakas, Linus Villiger, Quinn Wenning, Alba Zappone, Falko Bethmann, Raymi Castilla, Francisco Seberto, Peter Meier, Thomas Driesner, Simon Loew, Hansruedi Maurer, Martin O. Saar, Stefan Wiemer, and Domenico Giardini
Solid Earth, 13, 301–322, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-301-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-301-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Questions on issues such as anthropogenic earthquakes and deep geothermal energy developments require a better understanding of the fractured rock. Experiments conducted at reduced scales but with higher-resolution observations can shed some light. To this end, the BedrettoLab was recently established in an existing tunnel in Ticino, Switzerland, with preliminary efforts to characterize realistic rock mass behavior at the hectometer scale.
Berit Schwichtenberg, Florian Fusseis, Ian B. Butler, and Edward Andò
Solid Earth, 13, 41–64, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-41-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-41-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Hydraulic rock properties such as porosity and permeability are relevant factors that have an impact on groundwater resources, geological repositories and fossil fuel reservoirs. We investigate the influence of chemical compaction upon the porosity evolution in salt–biotite mixtures and related transport length scales by conducting laboratory experiments in combination with 4-D analysis. Our observations invite a renewed discussion of the effect of sheet silicates on chemical compaction.
David Healy and Stephen Paul Hicks
Solid Earth, 13, 15–39, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-15-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-15-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The energy transition requires operations in faulted rocks. To manage the technical challenges and public concern over possible induced earthquakes, we need to quantify the risks. We calculate the probability of fault slip based on uncertain inputs, stresses, fluid pressures, and the mechanical properties of rocks in fault zones. Our examples highlight the specific gaps in our knowledge. Citizen science projects could produce useful data and include the public in the discussions about hazards.
Manuel I. de Paz-Álvarez, Thomas G. Blenkinsop, David M. Buchs, George E. Gibbons, and Lesley Cherns
Solid Earth, 13, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We describe a virtual geological mapping course implemented in response to travelling and social restrictions derived from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The course was designed to replicate a physical mapping exercise as closely as possible with the aid of real field data and photographs collected by the authors during previous years in the Cantabrian Zone (NW Spain). The course is delivered through Google Earth via a KMZ file with outcrop descriptions and links to GitHub-hosted photographs.
Yueyang Xia, Jacob Geersen, Dirk Klaeschen, Bo Ma, Dietrich Lange, Michael Riedel, Michael Schnabel, and Heidrun Kopp
Solid Earth, 12, 2467–2477, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2467-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2467-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The 2 June 1994 Java tsunami earthquake ruptured in a seismically quiet subduction zone and generated a larger-than-expected tsunami. Here, we re-process a seismic line across the rupture area. We show that a subducting seamount is located up-dip of the mainshock in a region that did not rupture during the earthquake. Seamount subduction modulates the topography of the marine forearc and acts as a seismic barrier in the 1994 earthquake rupture.
Steffen Abe and Hagen Deckert
Solid Earth, 12, 2407–2424, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2407-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2407-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We use numerical simulations and laboratory experiments on rock samples to investigate how stress conditions influence the geometry and roughness of fracture surfaces. The roughness of the surfaces was analyzed in terms of absolute roughness and scaling properties. The results show that the surfaces are self-affine but with different scaling properties between the numerical models and the real rock samples. Results suggest that stress conditions have little influence on the surface roughness.
Chao Deng, Rixiang Zhu, Jianhui Han, Yu Shu, Yuxiang Wu, Kefeng Hou, and Wei Long
Solid Earth, 12, 2327–2350, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2327-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2327-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses seismic reflection data to interpret the geometric relationship and evolution of intra-basement and rift-related structures in the Enping sag in the northern South China Sea. Our observations suggest the primary control of pre-existing thrust faults is the formation of low-angle normal faults, with possible help from low-friction materials, and the significant role of pre-existing basement thrust faults in fault geometry, paleotopography, and syn-rift stratigraphy of rift basins.
Sonia Yeung, Marnie Forster, Emmanuel Skourtsos, and Gordon Lister
Solid Earth, 12, 2255–2275, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2255-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2255-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We do not know when the ancient Tethys Ocean lithosphere began to founder, but one clue can be found in subduction accreted tectonic slices, including Gondwanan basement terranes on the island of Ios, Cyclades, Greece. We propose a 250–300 km southwards jump of the subduction megathrust with a period of flat-slab subduction followed by slab break-off. The initiation and its subsequent rollback of a new subduction zone would explain the onset of Oligo–Miocene extension and accompanying magmatism.
Rahul Prabhakaran, Giovanni Bertotti, Janos Urai, and David Smeulders
Solid Earth, 12, 2159–2209, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2159-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2159-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Rock fractures are organized as networks with spatially varying arrangements. Due to networks' influence on bulk rock behaviour, it is important to quantify network spatial variation. We utilize an approach where fracture networks are treated as spatial graphs. By combining graph similarity measures with clustering techniques, spatial clusters within large-scale fracture networks are identified and organized hierarchically. The method is validated on a dataset with nearly 300 000 fractures.
Olivier Lacombe, Nicolas E. Beaudoin, Guilhem Hoareau, Aurélie Labeur, Christophe Pecheyran, and Jean-Paul Callot
Solid Earth, 12, 2145–2157, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2145-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2145-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper aims to illustrate how the timing and duration of contractional deformation associated with folding in orogenic forelands can be constrained by the dating of brittle mesostructures observed in folded strata. The study combines new and already published absolute ages of fractures to provide, for the first time, an educated discussion about the factors controlling the duration of the sequence of deformation encompassing layer-parallel shortening, fold growth, and late fold tightening.
Vincent Famin, Hugues Raimbourg, Muriel Andreani, and Anne-Marie Boullier
Solid Earth, 12, 2067–2085, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2067-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2067-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Sediments accumulated in accretionary prisms are deformed by the compression imposed by plate subduction. Here we show that deformation of the sediments transforms some minerals in them. We suggest that these mineral transformations are due to the proliferation of microorganisms boosted by deformation. Deformation-enhanced microbial proliferation may change our view of sedimentary and tectonic processes in subduction zones.
Cited articles
Adams, C., Barley, M., Fletcher, I., and Pickard, A.: Evidence from U–Pb
zircon and 40Ar∕39Ar muscovite detrital mineral ages in
metasandstones for movement of the Torlesse suspect terrane around the
eastern margin of Gondwanaland, Terra Nova, 10, 183–189, 1998. a
Adams, C., Mortimer, N., Campbell, H., and Griffin, W.: Detrital zircon ages
in Buller and Takaka terranes, New Zealand: constraints on early Zealandia
history, New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 58, 176–201, 2015. a
Alexander, R. J. and Harper, G. D.: The Josephine ophiolite: an ancient
analogue for slow-to intermediate-spreading oceanic ridges, Geological
Society, London, Special Publications, 60, 3–38, 1992. a
Allibone, A. and Tulloch, A.: Early Cretaceous dextral transpressional
deformation within the Median Batholith, Stewart Island, New
Zealand, New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 51, 115–134, 2008. a
Allibone, A., Jongens, R., Turnbull, I., Milan, L., Daczko, N. R., DePaoli, M.,
and Tulloch, A.: Plutonic rocks of Western Fiordland, New Zealand: Field
relations, geochemistry, correlation, and nomenclature, New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 52, 379–415, 2009. a
Allmendinger, R. W., Cardozo, N., and Fisher, D. M.: Structural geology
algorithms: Vectors and tensors, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2011. a
Auzende, A.-L., Devouard, B., Guillot, S., Daniel, I., Baronnet, A., and
Lardeaux, J.-M.: Serpentinites from Central Cuba: petrology and HRTEM study,
Eur. J. Mineral., 14, 905–914, 2002. a
Auzende, A.-L., Guillot, S., Devouard, B., and Baronnet, A.: Serpentinites in
an Alpine convergent setting: effects of metamorphic grade and deformation on
microstructures, Eur. J. Mineral., 18, 21–33, 2006. a
Auzende, A.-L., Escartin, J., Walte, N. P., Guillot, S., Hirth, G., and Frost,
D. J.: Deformation mechanisms of antigorite serpentinite at subduction zone
conditions determined from experimentally and naturally deformed rocks, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 411, 229–240, 2015. a
Bach, W., Paulick, H., Garrido, C. J., Ildefonse, B., Meurer, W. P., and
Humphris, S. E.: Unraveling the sequence of serpentinization reactions:
Petrography, mineral chemistry, and petrophysics of serpentinites from MAR
15∘ N (ODP Leg 209, Site 1274), Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, 4–7,
2006. a
Barth, N. C., Boulton, C., Carpenter, B. M., Batt, G. E., and Toy, V. G.: Slip
localization on the southern Alpine Fault New Zealand, Tectonics, 32,
620–640, 2013. a
Beall, A., Fagereng, Å., and Ellis, S.: Strength of strained two-phase
mixtures: Application to rapid creep and stress amplification in subduction
zone mélange, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, 169–178, 2019. a
Bebout, G. E.: Metasomatism in subduction zones of subducted oceanic slabs,
mantle wedges, and the slab-mantle interface, in: Metasomatism and the
Chemical Transformation of Rock, pp. 289–349, Springer, Berlin, 2013. a
Bebout, G. E. and Barton, M. D.: Metasomatism during subduction: products and
possible paths in the Catalina Schist, California, Chem. Geol., 108,
61–92, 1993. a
Bebout, G. E. and Penniston-Dorland, S. C.: Fluid and mass transfer at
subduction interfaces – The field metamorphic record, Lithos, 240, 228–258,
2016. a
Bellot, J.-P.: Natural deformation related to serpentinisation of an ultramafic
inclusion within a continental shear zone: The key role of fluids,
Tectonophysics, 449, 133–144, 2008. a
Berthé, D., Choukroune, P., and Jégouzo, P.: Orthogneiss, mylonite and
non coaxial deformation of granites: the example of the South Armorican Shear
Zone, J. Struct. Geol., 1, 31–42, 1979. a
Bishop, D. G., Bradshaw, J. D., Landis, C. A.: Provisional terrane map of South Island, New Zealand, in: Tectonostratigraphic Terranes of the Circum-Pacific Region. Earth Science Series, edited by: Howell, D. G., 1. Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources, Houston, TX, 515–521, 1985. a
Bradshaw, J.: A review of the Median Tectonic Zone: terrane boundaries and
terrane amalgamation near the Median Tectonic Line, New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 36, 117–125, 1993. a
Brantut, N., Passelègue, F. X., Deldicque, D., Rouzaud, J. N., and
Schubnel, A.: Dynamic weakening and amorphization in serpentinite during
laboratory earthquakes, Geology, 44, 607–610, 2016. a
Cann, J. R., Blackman, D. K., Smith, D. K., McAllister, E., Janssen, B., Mello,
S., Avgerinos, E., Pascoe, A. R., and Escartin, J.: Corrugated slip surfaces
formed at ridge–transform intersections on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Nature,
385, 329–332, 1997. a
Chen, S., Pe-Piper, G., Piper, D. J., and Guo, Z.: Ophiolitic mélanges in
crustal-scale fault zones: Implications for the Late Palaeozoic tectonic
evolution in West Junggar, China, Tectonics, 33, 2419–2443, 2014. a
Coleman, R. G.: Petrologic and geophysical nature of serpentinites, Geol.
Soc. Am. B., 82, 897–918, 1971. a
Cooper, A. F. and Ireland, T. R.: The Pounamu terrane, a new Cretaceous exotic
terrane within the Alpine Schist, New Zealand; tectonically emplaced,
deformed and metamorphosed during collision of the LIP Hikurangi Plateau with
Zealandia, Gondwana Res., 27, 1255–1269, 2015. a
Cooper, R.: Early Paleozoic terranes of New Zealand, J. Roy.
Soc. New Zeal., 19, 73–112, 1989. a
Cronshaw, H.: The Connemara serpentine rocks, Geological Magazine, 60,
467–471, 1923. a
Escartín, J., Mével, C., MacLeod, C. J., and McCaig, A. M.:
Constraints on deformation conditions and the origin of oceanic detachments:
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge core complex at 15∘45′ N, Geochem. Geophys.
Geosyst., 4, 1067, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GC000472, 2003. a
Fagereng, Å. and Sibson, R. H.: Mélange rheology and seismic style,
Geology, 38, 751–754, 2010. a
Gaina, C., Müller, D. R., Royer, J.-Y., Stock, J., Hardebeck, J., and
Symonds, P.: The tectonic history of the Tasman Sea: a puzzle with 13 pieces,
J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 103, 12413–12433, 1998. a
Gates, A. E.: Domainal failure of serpentinite in shear zones, State-Line mafic
complex, Pennsylvania, USA, J. Struct. Geol., 14, 19–28, 1992. a
Gray, D. R., Foster, D. A., Maas, R., Spaggiari, C. V., Gregory, R. T.,
Goscombe, B., and Hoffmann, K.: Continental growth and recycling by accretion
of deformed turbidite fans and remnant ocean basins: Examples from
Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic orogens, Memoirs-Geological Society Of
America, 200, 63–92, 2007. a
Guillot, S. and Hattori, K.: Serpentinites: Essential roles in geodynamics,
arc volcanism, sustainable development, and the origin of life, Elements, 9,
95–98, 2013. a
Guillot, S., Schwartz, S., Hattori, K., Auzende, A., and Lardeaux, J.: The
Monviso ophiolitic massif (Western Alps), a section through a serpentinite
subduction channel, Journal of the Virtual Explorer, 16, 17 pp., 2004. a
Harper, G. D., Grady, K., and Coulton, A. J.: Origin of the amphibolite
“sole” of the Josephine ophiolite: Emplacement of a cold ophiolite over a
hot arc, Tectonics, 15, 296–313, 1996. a
Hekinian, R., Bideau, D., Cannat, M., Francheteau, J., and Hébert, R.:
Volcanic activity and crust-mantle exposure in the ultrafast Garrett
transform fault near 13∘28′ S in the Pacific, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 108, 259–275, 1992. a
Hirauchi, K. I. and Yamaguchi, H.: Unique deformation processes involving the
recrystallization of chrysotile within serpentinite: Implications for
aseismic slip events within subduction zones, Terra Nova, 19, 454–461,
2007. a
Hirauchi, K. I., den Hartog, S. A. M., and Spiers, C. J.: Weakening of the
slab-mantle wedge interface induced by metasomatic growth of talc, Geology,
41, 75–78, 2013. a
Hutton, C. O.: Basic and ultrabasic rocks in north-west Otago, Trans. Roy.
Soc. NZ, 66, 231–254, 1936. a
Imber, J., Holdsworth, R. E., Butler, C. A., and Lloyd, G. E.: Fault-zone
weakening processes along the reactivated Outer Hebrides Fault Zone,
Scotland, J. Geol. Soc., 154, 105–109, 1997. a
Jefferies, S. P., Holdsworth, R. E., Wibberley, C. A. J., Shimamoto, T.,
Spiers, C. J., Niemeijer, A. R., and Lloyd, G. E.: The nature and importance
of phyllonite development in crustal-scale fault cores: an example from the
Median Tectonic Line, Japan, J. Struct. Geol., 28, 220–235,
2006. a
Jugum, D., Norris, R., and Palin, J.: Late Jurassic detrital zircons from the
Haast Schist and their implications for New Zealand terrane assembly and
metamorphism, New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 56, 223–228,
2013. a
Kimbrough, D., Tulloch, A., Coombs, D., Landis, C., Johnston, M., and
Mattinson, J.: Uranium-lead zircon ages from the median tectonic zone, New
Zealand, New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 37, 393–419, 1994. a
Kimbrough, D. L., Mattinson, J. M., Coombs, D. S., Landis, C. A., and Johnston,
M. R.: Uranium-lead ages from the Dun Mountain ophiolite belt and Brook
Street terrane, South Island, New Zealand, Geol. Soc. Am.
B., 104, 429–443, 1992. a
Kohli, A. H., Goldsby, D. L., Hirth, G., and Tullis, T.: Flash weakening of
serpentinite at near-seismic slip rates, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 116, 1–18, 2011. a
Landis, C. and Coombs, D.: Metamorphic belts and orogenesis in southern New
Zealand, Tectonophysics, 4, 501–518, 1967. a
Landis, C., Campbell, H., Aslund, T., Cawood, P., Douglas, A., Kimbrough, D.,
Pillai, D., Raine, J., and Willsman, A.: Permian-Jurassic strata at
Productus Creek, Southland, New Zealand: implications for terrane dynamics of
the eastern Gondwanaland margin, New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 42, 255–278, 1999. a
Lister, G. S. and Snoke, A. W.: S-C mylonites, J. Struct. Geol.,
6, 617–638, 1984. a
MacKinnon, T. C.: Origin of the Torlesse terrane and coeval rocks, South
Island, New Zealand, Geol. Soc. Am. B., 94, 967–985,
1983. a
MacPherson, E.: An outline of Late Cretaceous and Tertiary diastrophism in New
Zealand, New Zealand Dept. Sci. Ind. Res., 6, 1–32, 1946. a
Maltman, A., Labaume, P., and Housen, B.: Structural geology of the
décollement at the toe of the barbados accretionary prism 1, Proc.
ODP, Scientific Results, 156, 156, 279–292, 1997. a
Maltman, A. J.: Serpentinite textures in Anglesey, North Wales, United Kingdom,
Geol. Soc. Am. B., 89, 972–980, 1978. a
Mellini, M., Rumori, C., and Viti, C.: Hydrothermally reset magmatic spinels
in retrograde serpentinites: formation of “ferritchromit” rims and
chlorite aureoles, Contrib. Mineral. Petr., 149, 266–275,
2005. a
Melosh, B. L.: Fault initiation in serpentinite, Geochem. Geophys.
Geosyst., https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GC008092, 2019. a, b
Melson, W. G. and Thompson, G.: Petrology of a transform fault zone and
adjacent ridge segments, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A, 268, 423–441, 1971. a
Moore, D. E. and Lockner, D. A.: Chemical controls on fault behavior:
Weakening of serpentinite sheared against quartz-bearing rocks and its
significance for fault creep in the San Andreas system, J.
Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 118, 2558–2570, 2013. a
Moore, D. E., Lockner, D., Summers, R., Shengli, M., and Byerlee, J.: Strength
of chrysotile-serpentinite gouge under hydrothermal conditions: Can it
explain a weak San Andreas Fault?, Geology, 24, 1041–1044, 1996. a
Moore, D. E., Lockner, D. A., Tanaka, H., and Iwata, K.: The coefficient of
friction of Chrysotile gouge at seismogenic depths, Int. Geol.
Rev., 46, 385–398, 2004. a
Moore, D. E., McLaughlin, R. J., and Lienkaemper, J. J.: Serpentinite-Rich
Gouge in a Creeping Segment of the Bartlett Springs Fault, Northern
California: Comparison With SAFOD and Implications for Seismic Hazard,
Tectonics, 37, 4515–4534, 2018. a
Moore, J. C.: Structural fabric in Deep Sea Drilling Project cores from
forearcs, vol. 166, Geol. Soc. Am., 1986. a
Mortimer, N., Tulloch, A. J., Spark, R. N., Walker, N. W., Ladley, E.,
Allibone, A., and Kimbrough, D. L.: Overview of the Median Batholith, New
Zealand: a new interpretation of the geology of the Median Tectonic Zone and
adjacent rocks, J. Afr. Earth Sci., 29, 257–268, 1999. a
Mortimer, N., Davey, F. J., Melhuish, A., Yu, J., and Godfrey, N. J.:
Geological interpretation of a deep seismic reflection profile across the
Eastern Province and Median Batholith, New Zealand: Crustal architecture of
an extended Phanerozoic convergent orogen, New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 45, 349–363, 2002. a, b
Muir, R., Ireland, T., Weaver, S., and Bradshaw, J.: Ion microprobe dating of
Paleozoic granitoids: Devonian magmatism in New Zealand and correlations with
Australia and Antarctica, Chem. Geol., 127, 191–210, 1996. a
Nicolas, A., Girardeau, J., Marcoux, J., Dupre, B., Xibin, W., Yougong, C.,
Haixiang, Z., and Xuchang, X.: The Xigaze ophiolite (Tibet): a peculiar
oceanic lithosphere, Nature, 294, 414–417, 1981. a
Nishiyama, T.: CO2 metasomatism of a metabasite block in a serpentine
melange from the Nishisonogi metamorphic rocks, Southwest Japan,
Contrib. Mineral. Petr., 104, 35–46, 1990. a
Nishiyama, T., Shiosaki, C. Y., Mori, Y., and Shigeno, M.: Interplay of
irreversible reactions and deformation: a case of hydrofracturing in the
rodingite–serpentinite system, Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, 4,
1, 2017. a
O'Brien, J. and Rodgers, K.: Alpine-type serpentinites from the Auckland
Province—I. The Wairere serpentinite, J. Roy. Soc. New
Zeal., 3, 169–190, 1973. a
O'Hanley, D. S. and Dyar, M. D.: The composition of lizardite 1T and the
formation of magnetite in serpentinites, American Mineralogist, 78,
391–404, 1993. a
Poulet, T., Veveakis, E., Regenauer-Lieb, K., and Yuen, D. A.:
Thermo-poro-mechanics of chemically active creeping faults: 3. The role of
serpentinite in episodic tremor and slip sequences, and transition to chaos,
J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 119, 4606–4625, 2014. a
Read, H. H.: On zoned associations of antigorite, talc, actinolite, chlorite,
and biotite in Unst, Shetland Islands, The Mineralogical Magazine and
Journal of The Mineralogical Society, 23, 519–540, 1934. a
Reinen, L. A., Weeks, J. D., and Tullis, T. E.: The frictional behavior of
serpentinite: Implications for aseismic creep on shallow crustal faults,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 18, 1921–1924, 1991. a
Reinen, L. A., Weeks, J. D., and Tullis, T. E.: The frictional behavior of
lizardite and antigorite serpentinites: Experiments, constitutive models, and
implications for natural faults, Pure Appl. Geophys., 143, 317–358,
1994. a
Reynard, B.: Serpentine in active subduction zones, Lithos, 178, 171–185,
2013. a
Saleeby, J. B.: Tectonic significance of serpentinite mobility and ophiolitic
melange, Geological Society of America, Special Paper, 198, 153–168, 1984. a
Sano, S., Tazaki, K., Koide, Y., Nagao, T., Watanabe, T., and Kawachi, Y.:
Geochemistry of dike rocks in Dun mountain ophiolite, Nelson, New Zealand,
New Zeal. J. Geol. Geop., 40, 127–136, 1997. a
Schneider, C. A., Rasband, W. S., and Eliceiri, K. W.: NIH Image to ImageJ: 25
years of image analysis, Nat. Methods, 9, 671–675, 2012. a
Scott, J. M.: A review of the location and significance of the boundary
between the Western Province and Eastern Province, New Zealand, New Zeal.
J. Geol. Geop., 56, 276–293, 2013. a
Scott, J. M., Waight, T. E., Van der Meer, Q. H. A., Palin, J. M., Cooper,
A. F., and Münker, C.: Metasomatized ancient lithospheric mantle
beneath the young Zealandia microcontinent and its role in HIMU-like
intraplate magmatism, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 15, 3477–3501,
2014. a
Shackleton, R., Ries, A., Graham, R., and Fitches, W.: Late Precambrian
ophiolitic melange in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, Nature, 285, 472–474, 1980. a
Sinton, J. M.: Equilibration history of the basel alpine-type peridotite, Red
Mountain, New Zealand, J. Petrol., 18, 216–246, 1977. a
Skjerlie, K. and Furnes, H.: Evidence for a fossil transform fault in the
Solund-Stavfjord ophiolite complex: West Norwegian Caledonides, Tectonics, 9,
1631–1648, 1990. a
Stewart, E., Lamb, W., Newman, J., and Tikoff, B.: The petrological and
geochemical evolution of early forearc mantle lithosphere: an example from
the Red Hills Ultramafic Massif, New Zealand, J. Petrol., 57,
751–776, 2016. a
Sutherland, R., Davey, F., and Beavan, J.: Plate boundary deformation in South
Island, New Zealand, is related to inherited lithospheric structure, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 177, 141–151, 2000. a
Tesei, T., Harbord, C. W. A., De Paola, N., Collettini, C., and Viti, C.:
Friction of Mineralogically Controlled Serpentinites and Implications for
Fault Weakness, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 123, 6976–6991, 2018. a
Tulloch, A., Ramezani, J., Kimbrough, D., Faure, K., and Allibone, A.: U-Pb
geochronology of mid-Paleozoic plutonism in western New Zealand: Implications
for S-type granite generation and growth of the east Gondwana margin,
Geol. Soc. Am. B., 121, 1236–1261, 2009. a
Twiss, R. J. and Gefell, M. J.: Curved slickenfibers: a new brittle shear
sense indicator with application to a sheared serpentinite, J. Struct. Geol., 12, 471–481, 1990. a
Viti, C. and Mellini, M.: Contrasting chemical compositions in associated
lizardite and chrysotile in veins from Elba, Italy, Eur. J. Mineral., 9, 585–596, 1997. a
Wallis, D., Lloyd, G. E., Phillips, R. J., Parsons, A. J., and Walshaw, R. D.:
Low effective fault strength due to frictional-viscous flow in phyllonites,
Karakoram Fault Zone, NW India, J. Struct. Geol., 77, 45–61,
2015. a
Wassmann, S., Stöckhert, B., and Trepmann, C. A.: Dissolution precipitation
creep versus crystalline plasticity in high-pressure metamorphic
serpentinites, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 360,
129–149, 2011. a
Webber, S., Ellis, S., and Fagereng, Å.: “Virtual shear box”
experiments of stress and slip cycling within a subduction interface
mélange, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 488, 27–35, 2018. a
Wellman, H.: Data for the study of recent and late Pleistocene faulting in the
South Island of New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology,
34, 270–288, 1953. a
Wicks, F. J.: Deformation Histories As Recorded By Serpentinites – II.
Deformation During and After Serpentinization, Can. Mineral., 22,
197–203, 1984. a
Wintsch, R. P. and Yi, K.: Dissolution and replacement creep: a significant
deformation mechanism in mid-crustal rocks, J. Struct. Geol.,
24, 1179–1193, 2002. a
Wood, B. L.: The geology of the Gore Subdivision, New Zealand Geol.
Surv., 53, 1–128, 1956. a
Short summary
Shear zones dominated by hydrated mantle rocks (serpentinites) occur in many tectonic settings around the world. To better understand the internal structure, composition and possible mechanical behaviour of these shear zones, we performed a detailed field, petrological and microanalytical study of the Livingstone Fault in New Zealand. We propose a conceptual model to account for the main physical and chemical processes that control deformation in large serpentinite shear zones.
Shear zones dominated by hydrated mantle rocks (serpentinites) occur in many tectonic settings...
