Emplacement of “exotic” Zechstein slivers along the inverted Sontra Graben (northern Hessen, Germany): clues from balanced cross sections and geometrical forward modeling

Bolz, Jakob; Kley, Jonas

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1005-2021

Articles | Volume 12, issue 4

https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1005-2021

© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Inversion tectonics – 30 years later

https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1005-2021

© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 12, issue 4

Research article

|

30 Apr 2021

Research article |

| 30 Apr 2021

Emplacement of “exotic” Zechstein slivers along the inverted Sontra Graben (northern Hessen, Germany): clues from balanced cross sections and geometrical forward modeling

Jakob Bolz and Jonas Kley

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Final revised paper (published on 30 Apr 2021)
Supplement to the final revised paper
Preprint (discussion started on 17 Aug 2020)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

- Printer-friendly version

- Supplement

RC1: 'General comments', Alexander Malz, 31 Aug 2020
- AC2: 'Final Response', Jakob Bolz, 30 Nov 2020
RC2: 'Referee comment Bolz & Kley 2020', Stefan Back, 31 Aug 2020
- AC3: 'Final Response', Jakob Bolz, 30 Nov 2020
RC3: 'Interactive comment on “Emplacement of “exotic” Zechstein slivers along the inverted Sontra Graben (northern Hessen, Germany): clues from balanced crosssections and geometrical forward modelling” by Jakob Bolz and Jonas Kley', Stanislaw Mazur, 03 Sep 2020
- AC4: 'Final Response', Jakob Bolz, 30 Nov 2020
RC4: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #4, 08 Sep 2020
- AC5: 'Final Response', Jakob Bolz, 30 Nov 2020
RC5: 'Review AK', Andrzej Konon, 10 Sep 2020
- AC6: 'Final Response', Jakob Bolz, 30 Nov 2020
AC1: 'Thank you for your comments', Jakob Bolz, 17 Sep 2020

Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision

AR by Jakob Bolz on behalf of the Authors (05 Jan 2021)

ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (18 Jan 2021) by Piotr Krzywiec

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (18 Jan 2021) by Piotr Krzywiec

RR by Stefan Back (03 Feb 2021)

RR by Alexander Malz (08 Feb 2021)

Suggestions for revision or reasons for rejection

Review of „Emplacement of ‚exotic’ Zechstein slivers along the inverted Sontra Graben (northern Hessen, Germany): clues from balanced cross-sections and geometrical forward modelling”

The manuscript of J. Bolz & J. Kley deals with “exotic” Zechstein slivers in the Sontra Graben, one of the Hessian Graben systems on the southern edge of the Central European Basin System. In its recent stage, the manuscript is well-illustrated and well-written. The authors managed all suggestions and comments I have made earlier. Especially the paragraphs (and the new figure 11) show some important improvements. I like the idea of this “cross-cutting” floor thrust very much. Although there are other solutions possible, the author’s suggestion clearly illustrates the geometrical problems of such configurations in single outcrops. A further improvement was made by providing additional cross-sections, which was one of the major deficits in the earlier version. As it stands now, I highly suggest publishing this manuscript.
If I should make one further (technical correction to very minor revision) suggestion, the authors should think about lines 265 to 267. Although I fully understand that the main focus of the manuscript is not on these "gently dipping slivers", the authors should include one or two more sentences, here - or delete the last sentences of this explanation and check if they consider that point in the discussion chapter. Having a look at section a-a' my first idea was that here two "normal slivers" occur. The idea of such large backthrusts, and thus the Muschelkalk located between them in a "tectonic windows", is even interesting. Nevertheless, this point needs few sentences on discussion as both scenarios strongly effect the overall shortening at the graben (either two large reactivated normal faults or a relatively long sliver capping the “Muschelkalk window”.
In summary, the manuscript provides important insights into the Hessian grabens and their small-scale structural features, which must be considered for sound geological models. Although intensively described for the Sontra Graben, the manuscript hopefully “opens the door” for further observations and (geometric and mechanic) models including these small-scale features occurring in other locations as well.

Kind regards,
A. Malz

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RR by Andrzej Konon (09 Feb 2021)

ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (09 Feb 2021) by Piotr Krzywiec

ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (11 Feb 2021) by Susanne Buiter (Executive editor)

AR by Jakob Bolz on behalf of the Authors (18 Feb 2021) Author's response Manuscript

Short summary

To assess the role smaller graben structures near the southern edge of the Central European Basin System play in the basin’s overall deformational history, we take advantage of a feature found on some of these structures, where slivers from older rock units appear along the graben's main fault, surrounded on both sides by younger strata. The implications for the geometry of the fault provide a substantially improved estimate for the magnitude of normal and thrust motion along the fault system.