Articles | Volume 14, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-369-2023
© Author(s) 2023. 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-14-369-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
05 Apr 2023
Research article |
| 05 Apr 2023
| 05 Apr 2023
The influence of crustal strength on rift geometry and development – insights from 3D numerical modelling
Department of Earth Science, Durham University, Science Labs,
Durham, DH13LE, UK
John B. Naliboff
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Institute of
Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico, USA
Ken J. W. McCaffrey
Department of Earth Science, Durham University, Science Labs,
Durham, DH13LE, UK
Sophie Pan
Basins Research Group (BRG), Imperial College, London, SW72BP, UK
Jeroen van Hunen
Department of Earth Science, Durham University, Science Labs,
Durham, DH13LE, UK
Malte Froemchen
Department of Earth Science, Durham University, Science Labs,
Durham, DH13LE, UK
Related authors
Thomas B. Phillips, Christopher A.-L. Jackson, and James R. Norcliffe
Solid Earth, 11, 1489–1510, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1489-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1489-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Normal faults often reactivate under compression, in a process called inversion. The 3D geometry of these structures (and the effect on resultant inversion structural style) is often not considered. Using seismic reflection data, we examine how stresses form different inversion styles that are controlled by the geometry of the pre-existing structure. Geometrically simple faults are preferentially reactivated; more complex areas are typically not reactivated and instead experience bulk uplift.
Thomas B. Phillips, Christopher A.-L. Jackson, Rebecca E. Bell, and Oliver B. Duffy
Solid Earth, 9, 403–429, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-403-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-403-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We use seismic reflection data and quantitative fault analyses to examine how a sub-crustal lineament, the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone, is expressed within upper-crustal rift systems off the shore of southern Norway. We document repeated reactivation of upper-crustal faults, displaying both sinistral and dextral oblique activity, which we link to underlying lineament and regional tectonics. We show how sub-crustal lineaments influence rift evolution and offer insights into past tectonic events.
Malte Froemchen, Ken J. W. McCaffrey, Mark B. Allen, Jeroen van Hunen, Thomas B. Phillips, and Yueren Xu
Solid Earth, 15, 1203–1231, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1203-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1203-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Shanxi Rift is a young, active rift in northern China that formed atop a Proterozoic orogen. The impact of these structures on active rift faults is poorly understood. Here, we quantify the landscape response to active faulting and compare it with 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, which are the most active regions in the Shanxi Rift.
Agathe Faucher, Frédéric Gueydan, and Jeroen van Hunen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-569, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-569, 2024
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
The formation of major strike-slip faults remains enigmatic in the framework of plate tectonics. Using 3D finite element models, we show that the co-existence of extension and shortening (at a high angle with the extension direction) and a weak lithosphere (e.g high geotherm) can trigger normal faulting and strike-slip faulting. Our results are compared to the Aegean example where strike slip faults (e.g. North Anatolian fault) and normal faults (e.g. Corinth rift) work together.
Julius Eberhard, Oliver E. Bevan, Georg Feulner, Stefan Petri, Jeroen van Hunen, and James U. L. Baldini
Clim. Past, 19, 2203–2235, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2203-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2203-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
During at least two phases in its past, Earth was more or less covered in ice. These “snowball Earth” events probably started suddenly upon undercutting a certain threshold in the carbon-dioxide concentration. This threshold can vary considerably under different conditions. In our study, we find the thresholds for different distributions of continents, geometries of Earth’s orbit, and volcanic eruptions. The results show that the threshold might have varied by up to 46 %.
Penelope I. R. Wilson, Robert W. Wilson, David J. Sanderson, Ian Jarvis, and Kenneth J. W. McCaffrey
Solid Earth, 12, 95–117, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-95-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-95-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Magma accommodation in the shallow crust leads to deformation of the surrounding host rock through the creation of faults, fractures and folds. This deformation will impact fluid flow around intrusive magma bodies (including sills and laccoliths) by changing the porosity and permeability network of the host rock. The results may have important implications for industries where fluid flow within the subsurface adds value (e.g. oil and gas, hydrology, geothermal and carbon sequestration).
Anna M. Dichiarante, Ken J. W. McCaffrey, Robert E. Holdsworth, Tore I. Bjørnarå, and Edward D. Dempsey
Solid Earth, 11, 2221–2244, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-2221-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-2221-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We studied the characteristics of fracture systems in the Devonian rocks of the Orcadian Basin in Caithness. These mineral-filled fractures have properties that may be used to predict the size and spatial arrangement of similar structures in offshore basins. This includes the Clair field in the Faroe–Shetland Basin.
Thomas B. Phillips, Christopher A.-L. Jackson, and James R. Norcliffe
Solid Earth, 11, 1489–1510, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1489-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1489-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Normal faults often reactivate under compression, in a process called inversion. The 3D geometry of these structures (and the effect on resultant inversion structural style) is often not considered. Using seismic reflection data, we examine how stresses form different inversion styles that are controlled by the geometry of the pre-existing structure. Geometrically simple faults are preferentially reactivated; more complex areas are typically not reactivated and instead experience bulk uplift.
Thomas B. Phillips, Christopher A.-L. Jackson, Rebecca E. Bell, and Oliver B. Duffy
Solid Earth, 9, 403–429, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-403-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-403-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We use seismic reflection data and quantitative fault analyses to examine how a sub-crustal lineament, the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone, is expressed within upper-crustal rift systems off the shore of southern Norway. We document repeated reactivation of upper-crustal faults, displaying both sinistral and dextral oblique activity, which we link to underlying lineament and regional tectonics. We show how sub-crustal lineaments influence rift evolution and offer insights into past tectonic events.
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: Tectonics
Stress state at faults: the influence of rock stiffness contrast, stress orientation, and ratio
Interseismic and long-term deformation of southeastern Sicily driven by the Ionian slab roll-back
Rift and plume: a discussion on active and passive rifting mechanisms in the Afro-Arabian rift based on synthesis of geophysical data
Propagating rifts: the roles of crustal damage and ascending mantle fluids
Cretaceous–Paleocene extension at the southwestern continental margin of India and opening of the Laccadive basin: constraints from geophysical data
On the role of trans-lithospheric faults in the long-term seismotectonic segmentation of active margins: a case study in the Andes
Extensional exhumation of cratons: insights from the Early Cretaceous Rio Negro–Juruena belt (Amazonian Craton, Colombia)
Hydrogen solubility of stishovite provides insights into water transportation to the deep Earth
Networks of geometrically coherent faults accommodate Alpine tectonic inversion offshore southwestern Iberia
Along-strike variation of volcanic addition controlling post breakup sedimentary infill: Pelotas margin, Austral South Atlantic
Melt-enhanced strain localization and phase mixing in a large-scale mantle shear zone (Ronda peridotite, Spain)
Selective inversion of rift basins in lithospheric-scale analogue experiments
The link between Somalian Plate rotation and the East African Rift System: an analogue modelling study
Inversion of extensional basins parallel and oblique to their boundaries: inferences from analogue models and field observations from the Dolomites Indenter, European eastern Southern Alps
Magnetic fabric analyses of basin inversion: a sandbox modelling approach
Construction of the Ukrainian Carpathian wedge from low-temperature thermochronology and tectono-stratigraphic analysis
Analogue modelling of basin inversion: a review and future perspectives
Insights into the interaction of a shale with CO2
Tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Slyne Basin
Control of crustal strength, tectonic inheritance, and stretching/ shortening rates on crustal deformation and basin reactivation: insights from laboratory models
Late Cretaceous–early Palaeogene inversion-related tectonic structures at the northeastern margin of the Bohemian Massif (southwestern Poland and northern Czechia)
The analysis of slip tendency of major tectonic faults in Germany
Earthquake ruptures and topography of the Chilean margin controlled by plate interface deformation
Late Quaternary faulting in the southern Matese (Italy): implications for earthquake potential and slip rate variability in the southern Apennines
Rare earth elements associated with carbonatite–alkaline complexes in western Rajasthan, India: exploration targeting at regional scale
Structural complexities and tectonic barriers controlling recent seismic activity in the Pollino area (Calabria–Lucania, southern Italy) – constraints from stress inversion and 3D fault model building
The Mid Atlantic Appalachian Orogen Traverse: a comparison of virtual and on-location field-based capstone experiences
Chronology of thrust propagation from an updated tectono-sedimentary framework of the Miocene molasse (western Alps)
Orogenic lithosphere and slabs in the greater Alpine area – interpretations based on teleseismic P-wave tomography
Ground-penetrating radar signature of Quaternary faulting: a study from the Mt. Pollino region, southern Apennines, Italy
U–Pb dating of middle Eocene–Pliocene multiple tectonic pulses in the Alpine foreland
Detrital zircon provenance record of the Zagros mountain building from the Neotethys obduction to the Arabia–Eurasia collision, NW Zagros fold–thrust belt, Kurdistan region of Iraq
The Subhercynian Basin: an example of an intraplate foreland basin due to a broken plate
Late to post-Variscan basement segmentation and differential exhumation along the SW Bohemian Massif, central Europe
Holocene surface-rupturing earthquakes on the Dinaric Fault System, western Slovenia
Contribution of gravity gliding in salt-bearing rift basins – a new experimental setup for simulating salt tectonics under the influence of sub-salt extension and tilting
Thick- and thin-skinned basin inversion in the Danish Central Graben, North Sea – the role of deep evaporites and basement kinematics
Complex rift patterns, a result of interacting crustal and mantle weaknesses, or multiphase rifting? Insights from analogue models
Interactions of plutons and detachments: a comparison of Aegean and Tyrrhenian granitoids
Insights from elastic thermobarometry into exhumation of high-pressure metamorphic rocks from Syros, Greece
Stress rotation – impact and interaction of rock stiffness and faults
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene exhumation in central Europe – localized inversion vs. large-scale domal uplift
Kinematics and extent of the Piemont–Liguria Basin – implications for subduction processes in the Alps
Effects of basal drag on subduction dynamics from 2D numerical models
Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea
Long-wavelength late-Miocene thrusting in the north Alpine foreland: implications for late orogenic processes
A reconstruction of Iberia accounting for Western Tethys–North Atlantic kinematics since the late-Permian–Triassic
The enigmatic curvature of Central Iberia and its puzzling kinematics
Control of 3-D tectonic inheritance on fold-and-thrust belts: insights from 3-D numerical models and application to the Helvetic nappe system
Plio-Quaternary tectonic evolution of the southern margin of the Alboran Basin (Western Mediterranean)
Moritz O. Ziegler, Robin Seithel, Thomas Niederhuber, Oliver Heidbach, Thomas Kohl, Birgit Müller, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karsten Reiter, and Luisa Röckel
Solid Earth, 15, 1047–1063, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1047-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1047-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The rotation of the principal stress axes in a fault structure because of a rock stiffness contrast has been investigated for the impact of the ratio of principal stresses, the angle between principal stress axes and fault strike, and the ratio of the rock stiffness contrast. A generic 2D geomechanical model is employed for the systematic investigation of the parameter space.
Amélie Viger, Stéphane Dominguez, Stéphane Mazzotti, Michel Peyret, Maxime Henriquet, Giovanni Barreca, Carmelo Monaco, and Adrien Damon
Solid Earth, 15, 965–988, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-965-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-965-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
New satellite geodetic data (PS-InSAR) evidence a generalized subsidence and an eastward tilting of southeastern Sicily combined with a local relative uplift along its eastern coast. We perform flexural and elastic modeling and show that the slab pull force induced by the Ionian slab roll-back and extrado deformation reproduce the measured surface deformation. Finally, we propose an original seismic cycle model that is mainly driven by the southward migration of the Ionian slab roll-back.
Ran Issachar, Peter Haas, Nico Augustin, and Jörg Ebbing
Solid Earth, 15, 807–826, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-807-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-807-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this contribution, we explore the causal relationship between the arrival of the Afar plume and the initiation of the Afro-Arabian rift. We mapped the rift architecture in the triple-junction region using geophysical data and reviewed the available geological data. We interpret a progressive development of the plume–rift system and suggest an interaction between active and passive mechanisms in which the plume provided a push force that changed the kinematics of the associated plates.
Folarin Kolawole and Rasheed Ajala
Solid Earth, 15, 747–762, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-747-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-747-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the upper-crustal structure of the Rukwa–Tanganyika rift zone in East Africa, where the Tanganyika rift interacts with the Rukwa and Mweru-Wantipa rifts, coinciding with abundant seismicity at the rift tips. Seismic velocity structure and patterns of seismicity clustering reveal zones around 10 km deep with anomalously high Vp / Vs ratios at the rift tips, indicative of a localized mechanically weakened crust caused by mantle volatiles and damage associated with bending strain.
Mathews George Gilbert, Parakkal Unnikrishnan, and Munukutla Radhakrishna
Solid Earth, 15, 671–682, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-671-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-671-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study identifies evidence for extension south of Tellicherry Arch along the southwestern continental margin of India through the integrated analysis of multichannel seismic and gravity data. The sediment deposition pattern indicates that this extension occurred after the Eocene. We further propose that the anticlockwise rotation of India and the passage of the Réunion plume have facilitated the opening of the Laccadive basin.
Gonzalo Yanez, Jose Piquer, and Orlando Rivera
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1338, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1338, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We postulate that the observed spatial distribution of large earthquakes in active convergence zones, organized in segments where large events are repeated every 100–300 years, depends on large scale continental faults and fluid release from the subducting slab. In order to support this model, we use proxies at different spatial and temporal scales (historic seismicity, megathrust slip solutions, inter-seismic cumulative seismicity, GPS/viscous plate coupling, and coast line morphology).
Ana Fonseca, Simon Nachtergaele, Amed Bonilla, Stijn Dewaele, and Johan De Grave
Solid Earth, 15, 329–352, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-329-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-329-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the erosion and exhumation processes and history of early continental crust hidden within the Amazonian Rainforest. This crust forms part of the Amazonian Craton, an ancient continental fragment. Our surprising findings reveal the area underwent rapid early Cretaceous exhumation triggered by tectonic forces. This discovery challenges the traditional perception that cratons are stable and long-lived entities and shows they can deform readily under specific geological contexts.
Mengdan Chen, Changxin Yin, Danling Chen, Long Tian, Liang Liu, and Lei Kang
Solid Earth, 15, 215–227, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-215-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-215-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Stishovite remains stable under mantle conditions and can incorporate various amounts of water in its crystal structure. We provide a systematic review of previous studies on water in stishovite and propose a new model for water solubility of Al-bearing stishovite. Calculation results based on this model suggest that stishovite may effectively accommodate water from the breakdown of hydrous minerals and could make an important contribution to water enrichment in the mantle transition zone.
Tiago M. Alves
Solid Earth, 15, 39–62, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-39-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-39-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Alpine tectonic inversion is reviewed for southwestern Iberia, known for its historical earthquakes and tsunamis. High-quality 2D seismic data image 26 faults mapped to a depth exceeding 10 km. Normal faults accommodated important vertical uplift and shortening. They are 100–250 km long and may generate earthquakes with Mw > 8.0. Regions of Late Mesozoic magmatism comprise thickened, harder crust, forming lateral buttresses to compression and promoting the development of fold-and-thrust belts.
Marlise Colling Cassel, Nick Kusznir, Gianreto Manatschal, and Daniel Sauter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2584, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2584, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Atlantic Ocean results from the break-up of the palaeocontinent Gondwana. Since then, the Brazilian and African margins record a thick volcanic layers and received a large contribution of sediments recording this process. We show the influence of early volcanics on the sediments deposited later by analysing the Pelotas Margin, south of Brazil. The volume of volcanic layers is not homogeneous along this sector, promoting variation in the space available to accommodate later sediments.
Sören Tholen, Jolien Linckens, and Gernold Zulauf
Solid Earth, 14, 1123–1154, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1123-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1123-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Intense phase mixing with homogeneously distributed secondary phases and irregular grain boundaries and shapes indicates that metasomatism formed the microstructures predominant in the shear zone of the NW Ronda peridotite. Amphibole presence, olivine crystal orientations, and the consistency to the Beni Bousera peridotite (Morocco) point to OH-bearing metasomatism by small fractions of evolved melts. Results confirm a strong link between reactions and localized deformation in the upper mantle.
Anindita Samsu, Weronika Gorczyk, Timothy Chris Schmid, Peter Graham Betts, Alexander Ramsay Cruden, Eleanor Morton, and Fatemeh Amirpoorsaeed
Solid Earth, 14, 909–936, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-909-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-909-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
When a continent is pulled apart, it breaks and forms a series of depressions called rift basins. These basins lie above weakened crust that is then subject to intense deformation during subsequent tectonic compression. Our analogue experiments show that when a system of basins is squeezed in a direction perpendicular to the main trend of the basins, some basins rise up to form mountains while others do not.
Frank Zwaan and Guido Schreurs
Solid Earth, 14, 823–845, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-823-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-823-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The East African Rift System (EARS) is a major plate tectonic feature splitting the African continent apart. Understanding the tectonic processes involved is of great importance for societal and economic reasons (natural hazards, resources). Laboratory experiments allow us to simulate these large-scale processes, highlighting the links between rotational plate motion and the overall development of the EARS. These insights are relevant when studying other rift systems around the globe as well.
Anna-Katharina Sieberer, Ernst Willingshofer, Thomas Klotz, Hugo Ortner, and Hannah Pomella
Solid Earth, 14, 647–681, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-647-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-647-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Through analogue models and field observations, we investigate how inherited platform–basin geometries control strain localisation, style, and orientation of reactivated and new structures during inversion. Our study shows that the style of evolving thrusts and their changes along-strike are controlled by pre-existing rheological discontinuities. The results of this study are relevant for understanding inversion structures in general and for the European eastern Southern Alps in particular.
Thorben Schöfisch, Hemin Koyi, and Bjarne Almqvist
Solid Earth, 14, 447–461, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-447-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-447-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A magnetic fabric analysis provides information about the reorientation of magnetic grains and is applied to three sandbox models that simulate different stages of basin inversion. The analysed magnetic fabrics reflect the different developed structures and provide insights into the different deformed stages of basin inversion. It is a first attempt of applying magnetic fabric analyses to basin inversion sandbox models but shows the possibility of applying it to such models.
Marion Roger, Arjan de Leeuw, Peter van der Beek, Laurent Husson, Edward R. Sobel, Johannes Glodny, and Matthias Bernet
Solid Earth, 14, 153–179, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-153-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-153-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We study the construction of the Ukrainian Carpathians with LT thermochronology (AFT, AHe, and ZHe) and stratigraphic analysis. QTQt thermal models are combined with burial diagrams to retrieve the timing and magnitude of sedimentary burial, tectonic burial, and subsequent exhumation of the wedge's nappes from 34 to ∼12 Ma. Out-of-sequence thrusting and sediment recycling during wedge building are also identified. This elucidates the evolution of a typical wedge in a roll-back subduction zone.
Frank Zwaan, Guido Schreurs, Susanne J. H. Buiter, Oriol Ferrer, Riccardo Reitano, Michael Rudolf, and Ernst Willingshofer
Solid Earth, 13, 1859–1905, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1859-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1859-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
When a sedimentary basin is subjected to compressional tectonic forces after its formation, it may be inverted. A thorough understanding of such
basin inversionis of great importance for scientific, societal, and economic reasons, and analogue tectonic models form a key part of our efforts to study these processes. We review the advances in the field of basin inversion modelling, showing how the modelling results can be applied, and we identify promising venues for future research.
Eleni Stavropoulou and Lyesse Laloui
Solid Earth, 13, 1823–1841, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1823-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1823-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Shales are identified as suitable caprock formations for geolocigal CO2 storage thanks to their low permeability. Here, small-sized shale samples are studied under field-representative conditions with X-ray tomography. The geochemical impact of CO2 on calcite-rich zones is for the first time visualised, the role of pre-existing micro-fissures in the CO2 invasion trapping in the matererial is highlighted, and the initiation of micro-cracks when in contact with anhydrous CO2 is demonstrated.
Conor M. O'Sullivan, Conrad J. Childs, Muhammad M. Saqab, John J. Walsh, and Patrick M. Shannon
Solid Earth, 13, 1649–1671, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1649-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1649-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Slyne Basin is a sedimentary basin located offshore north-western Ireland. It formed through a long and complex evolution involving distinct periods of extension. The basin is subdivided into smaller basins, separated by deep structures related to the ancient Caledonian mountain-building event. These deep structures influence the shape of the basin as it evolves in a relatively unique way, where early faults follow these deep structures, but later faults do not.
Benjamin Guillaume, Guido M. Gianni, Jean-Jacques Kermarrec, and Khaled Bock
Solid Earth, 13, 1393–1414, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1393-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1393-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Under tectonic forces, the upper part of the crust can break along different types of faults, depending on the orientation of the applied stresses. Using scaled analogue models, we show that the relative magnitude of compressional and extensional forces as well as the presence of inherited structures resulting from previous stages of deformation control the location and type of faults. Our results gives insights into the tectonic evolution of areas showing complex patterns of deformation.
Andrzej Głuszyński and Paweł Aleksandrowski
Solid Earth, 13, 1219–1242, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1219-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1219-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Old seismic data recently reprocessed with modern software allowed us to study at depth the Late Cretaceous tectonic structures in the Permo-Mesozoic rock sequences in the Sudetes. The structures formed in response to Iberia collision with continental Europe. The NE–SW compression undulated the crystalline basement top and produced folds, faults and joints in the sedimentary cover. Our results are of importance for regional geology and in prospecting for deep thermal waters.
Luisa Röckel, Steffen Ahlers, Birgit Müller, Karsten Reiter, Oliver Heidbach, Andreas Henk, Tobias Hergert, and Frank Schilling
Solid Earth, 13, 1087–1105, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1087-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1087-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Reactivation of tectonic faults can lead to earthquakes and jeopardize underground operations. The reactivation potential is linked to fault properties and the tectonic stress field. We create 3D geometries for major faults in Germany and use stress data from a 3D geomechanical–numerical model to calculate their reactivation potential and compare it to seismic events. The reactivation potential in general is highest for NNE–SSW- and NW–SE-striking faults and strongly depends on the fault dip.
Nadaya Cubas, Philippe Agard, and Roxane Tissandier
Solid Earth, 13, 779–792, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-779-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-779-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Earthquake extent prediction is limited by our poor understanding of slip deficit patterns. From a mechanical analysis applied along the Chilean margin, we show that earthquakes are bounded by extensive plate interface deformation. This deformation promotes stress build-up, leading to earthquake nucleation; earthquakes then propagate along smoothed fault planes and are stopped by heterogeneously distributed deformation. Slip deficit patterns reflect the spatial distribution of this deformation.
Paolo Boncio, Eugenio Auciello, Vincenzo Amato, Pietro Aucelli, Paola Petrosino, Anna C. Tangari, and Brian R. Jicha
Solid Earth, 13, 553–582, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-553-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-553-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We studied the Gioia Sannitica normal fault (GF) within the southern Matese fault system (SMF) in southern Apennines (Italy). It is a fault with a long slip history that has experienced recent reactivation or acceleration. Present activity has resulted in late Quaternary fault scarps and Holocene surface faulting. The maximum slip rate is ~ 0.5 mm/yr. Activation of the 11.5 km GF or the entire 30 km SMF can produce up to M 6.2 or M 6.8 earthquakes, respectively.
Malcolm Aranha, Alok Porwal, Manikandan Sundaralingam, Ignacio González-Álvarez, Amber Markan, and Karunakar Rao
Solid Earth, 13, 497–518, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-497-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-497-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Rare earth elements (REEs) are considered critical mineral resources for future industrial growth due to their short supply and rising demand. This study applied an artificial-intelligence-based technique to target potential REE-deposit hosting areas in western Rajasthan, India. Uncertainties associated with the prospective targets were also estimated to aid decision-making. The presented workflow can be applied to similar regions elsewhere to locate potential zones of REE mineralisation.
Daniele Cirillo, Cristina Totaro, Giusy Lavecchia, Barbara Orecchio, Rita de Nardis, Debora Presti, Federica Ferrarini, Simone Bello, and Francesco Brozzetti
Solid Earth, 13, 205–228, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-205-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-205-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Pollino region is a highly seismic area of Italy. Increasing the geological knowledge on areas like this contributes to reducing risk and saving lives. We reconstruct the 3D model of the faults which generated the 2010–2014 seismicity integrating geological and seismological data. Appropriate relationships based on the dimensions of the activated faults suggest that they did not fully discharge their seismic potential and could release further significant earthquakes in the near future.
Steven Whitmeyer, Lynn Fichter, Anita Marshall, and Hannah Liddle
Solid Earth, 12, 2803–2820, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2803-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2803-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Field trips in the Stratigraphy, Structure, Tectonics (SST) course transitioned to a virtual format in Fall 2020, due to the COVID pandemic. Virtual field experiences (VFEs) were developed in web Google Earth and were evaluated in comparison with on-location field trips via an online survey. Students recognized the value of VFEs for revisiting outcrops and noted improved accessibility for students with disabilities. Potential benefits of hybrid field experiences were also indicated.
Amir Kalifi, Philippe Hervé Leloup, Philippe Sorrel, Albert Galy, François Demory, Vincenzo Spina, Bastien Huet, Frédéric Quillévéré, Frédéric Ricciardi, Daniel Michoux, Kilian Lecacheur, Romain Grime, Bernard Pittet, and Jean-Loup Rubino
Solid Earth, 12, 2735–2771, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2735-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2735-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Molasse deposits, deposited and deformed at the western Alpine front during the Miocene (23 to 5.6 Ma), record the chronology of that deformation. We combine the first precise chronostratigraphy (precision of ∼0.5 Ma) of the Miocene molasse, the reappraisal of the regional structure, and the analysis of growth deformation structures in order to document three tectonic phases and the precise chronology of thrust westward propagation during the second one involving the Belledonne basal thrust.
Mark R. Handy, Stefan M. Schmid, Marcel Paffrath, Wolfgang Friederich, and the AlpArray Working Group
Solid Earth, 12, 2633–2669, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2633-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2633-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
New images from the multi-national AlpArray experiment illuminate the Alps from below. They indicate thick European mantle descending beneath the Alps and forming blobs that are mostly detached from the Alps above. In contrast, the Adriatic mantle in the Alps is much thinner. This difference helps explain the rugged mountains and the abundance of subducted and exhumed units at the core of the Alps. The blobs are stretched remnants of old ocean and its margins that reach down to at least 410 km.
Maurizio Ercoli, Daniele Cirillo, Cristina Pauselli, Harry M. Jol, and Francesco Brozzetti
Solid Earth, 12, 2573–2596, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2573-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2573-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Past strong earthquakes can produce topographic deformations, often
memorizedin Quaternary sediments, which are typically studied by paleoseismologists through trenching. Using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR), we unveiled possible buried Quaternary faulting in the Mt. Pollino seismic gap region (southern Italy). We aim to contribute to seismic hazard assessment of an area potentially prone to destructive events as well as promote our workflow in similar contexts around the world.
Luca Smeraglia, Nathan Looser, Olivier Fabbri, Flavien Choulet, Marcel Guillong, and Stefano M. Bernasconi
Solid Earth, 12, 2539–2551, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2539-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2539-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we dated fault movements at geological timescales which uplifted the sedimentary successions of the Jura Mountains from below the sea level up to Earth's surface. To do so, we applied the novel technique of U–Pb geochronology on calcite mineralizations that precipitated on fault surfaces during times of tectonic activity. Our results document a time frame of the tectonic evolution of the Jura Mountains and provide new insight into the broad geological history of the Western Alps.
Renas I. Koshnaw, Fritz Schlunegger, and Daniel F. Stockli
Solid Earth, 12, 2479–2501, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2479-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2479-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
As continental plates collide, mountain belts grow. This study investigated the provenance of rocks from the northwestern segment of the Zagros mountain belt to unravel the convergence history of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. Provenance data synthesis and field relationships suggest that the Zagros Mountains developed as a result of the oceanic crust emplacement on the Arabian continental plate, followed by the Arabia–Eurasia collision and later uplift of the broader region.
David Hindle and Jonas Kley
Solid Earth, 12, 2425–2438, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2425-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2425-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Central western Europe underwent a strange episode of lithospheric deformation, resulting in a chain of small mountains that run almost west–east across the continent and that formed in the middle of a tectonic plate, not at its edges as is usually expected. Associated with these mountains, in particular the Harz in central Germany, are marine basins contemporaneous with the mountain growth. We explain how those basins came to be as a result of the mountains bending the adjacent plate.
Andreas Eberts, Hamed Fazlikhani, Wolfgang Bauer, Harald Stollhofen, Helga de Wall, and Gerald Gabriel
Solid Earth, 12, 2277–2301, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2277-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2277-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We combine gravity anomaly and topographic data with observations from thermochronology, metamorphic grades, and the granite inventory to detect patterns of basement block segmentation and differential exhumation along the southwestern Bohemian Massif. Based on our analyses, we introduce a previously unknown tectonic structure termed Cham Fault, which, together with the Pfahl and Danube shear zones, is responsible for the exposure of different crustal levels during late to post-Variscan times.
Christoph Grützner, Simone Aschenbrenner, Petra Jamšek
Rupnik, Klaus Reicherter, Nour Saifelislam, Blaž Vičič, Marko Vrabec, Julian Welte, and Kamil Ustaszewski
Solid Earth, 12, 2211–2234, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2211-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2211-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Several large strike-slip faults in western Slovenia are known to be active, but most of them have not produced strong earthquakes in historical times. In this study we use geomorphology, near-surface geophysics, and fault excavations to show that two of these faults had surface-rupturing earthquakes during the Holocene. Instrumental and historical seismicity data do not capture the strongest events in this area.
Michael Warsitzka, Prokop Závada, Fabian Jähne-Klingberg, and Piotr Krzywiec
Solid Earth, 12, 1987–2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1987-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1987-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A new analogue modelling approach was used to simulate the influence of tectonic extension and tilting of the basin floor on salt tectonics in rift basins. Our results show that downward salt flow and gravity gliding takes place if the flanks of the rift basin are tilted. Thus, extension occurs at the basin margins, which is compensated for by reduced extension and later by shortening in the graben centre. These outcomes improve the reconstruction of salt-related structures in rift basins.
Torsten Hundebøl Hansen, Ole Rønø Clausen, and Katrine Juul Andresen
Solid Earth, 12, 1719–1747, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1719-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1719-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have analysed the role of deep salt layers during tectonic shortening of a group of sedimentary basins buried below the North Sea. Due to the ability of salt to flow over geological timescales, the salt layers are much weaker than the surrounding rocks during tectonic deformation. Therefore, complex structures formed mainly where salt was present in our study area. Our results align with findings from other basins and experiments, underlining the importance of salt tectonics.
Frank Zwaan, Pauline Chenin, Duncan Erratt, Gianreto Manatschal, and Guido Schreurs
Solid Earth, 12, 1473–1495, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1473-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1473-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We used laboratory experiments to simulate the early evolution of rift systems, and the influence of structural weaknesses left over from previous tectonic events that can localize new deformation. We find that the orientation and type of such weaknesses can induce complex structures with different orientations during a single phase of rifting, instead of requiring multiple rifting phases. These findings provide a strong incentive to reassess the tectonic history of various natural examples.
Laurent Jolivet, Laurent Arbaret, Laetitia Le Pourhiet, Florent Cheval-Garabédian, Vincent Roche, Aurélien Rabillard, and Loïc Labrousse
Solid Earth, 12, 1357–1388, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1357-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1357-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Although viscosity of the crust largely exceeds that of magmas, we show, based on the Aegean and Tyrrhenian Miocene syn-kinematic plutons, how the intrusion of granites in extensional contexts is controlled by crustal deformation, from magmatic stage to cold mylonites. We show that a simple numerical setup with partial melting in the lower crust in an extensional context leads to the formation of metamorphic core complexes and low-angle detachments reproducing the observed evolution of plutons.
Miguel Cisneros, Jaime D. Barnes, Whitney M. Behr, Alissa J. Kotowski, Daniel F. Stockli, and Konstantinos Soukis
Solid Earth, 12, 1335–1355, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1335-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1335-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Constraining the conditions at which rocks form is crucial for understanding geologic processes. For years, the conditions under which rocks from Syros, Greece, formed have remained enigmatic; yet these rocks are fundamental for understanding processes occurring at the interface between colliding tectonic plates (subduction zones). Here, we constrain conditions under which these rocks formed and show they were transported to the surface adjacent to the down-going (subducting) tectonic plate.
Karsten Reiter
Solid Earth, 12, 1287–1307, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1287-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1287-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The influence and interaction of elastic material properties (Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio), density and low-friction faults on the resulting far-field stress pattern in the Earth's crust is tested with generic models. A Young's modulus contrast can lead to a significant stress rotation. Discontinuities with low friction in homogeneous models change the stress pattern only slightly, away from the fault. In addition, active discontinuities are able to compensate stress rotation.
Hilmar von Eynatten, Jonas Kley, István Dunkl, Veit-Enno Hoffmann, and Annemarie Simon
Solid Earth, 12, 935–958, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-935-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-935-2021, 2021
Eline Le Breton, Sascha Brune, Kamil Ustaszewski, Sabin Zahirovic, Maria Seton, and R. Dietmar Müller
Solid Earth, 12, 885–913, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-885-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-885-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The former Piemont–Liguria Ocean, which separated Europe from Africa–Adria in the Jurassic, opened as an arm of the central Atlantic. Using plate reconstructions and geodynamic modeling, we show that the ocean reached only 250 km width between Europe and Adria. Moreover, at least 65 % of the lithosphere subducted into the mantle and/or incorporated into the Alps during convergence in Cretaceous and Cenozoic times comprised highly thinned continental crust, while only 35 % was truly oceanic.
Lior Suchoy, Saskia Goes, Benjamin Maunder, Fanny Garel, and Rhodri Davies
Solid Earth, 12, 79–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-79-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-79-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We use 2D numerical models to highlight the role of basal drag in subduction force balance. We show that basal drag can significantly affect velocities and evolution in our simulations and suggest an explanation as to why there are no trends in plate velocities with age in the Cenozoic subduction record (which we extracted from recent reconstruction using GPlates). The insights into the role of basal drag will help set up global models of plate dynamics or specific regional subduction models.
William Bosworth and Gábor Tari
Solid Earth, 12, 59–77, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-59-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-59-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Many of the world's hydrocarbon resources are found in rifted sedimentary basins. Some rifts experience multiple phases of extension and inversion. This results in complicated oil and gas generation, migration, and entrapment histories. We present examples of basins in the Western Desert of Egypt and the western Black Sea that were inverted multiple times, sometimes separated by additional phases of extension. We then discuss how these complex deformation histories impact exploration campaigns.
Samuel Mock, Christoph von Hagke, Fritz Schlunegger, István Dunkl, and Marco Herwegh
Solid Earth, 11, 1823–1847, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1823-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1823-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Based on thermochronological data, we infer thrusting along-strike the northern rim of the Central Alps between 12–4 Ma. While the lithology influences the pattern of thrusting at the local scale, we observe that thrusting in the foreland is a long-wavelength feature occurring between Lake Geneva and Salzburg. This coincides with the geometry and dynamics of the attached lithospheric slab at depth. Thus, thrusting in the foreland is at least partly linked to changes in slab dynamics.
Paul Angrand, Frédéric Mouthereau, Emmanuel Masini, and Riccardo Asti
Solid Earth, 11, 1313–1332, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1313-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1313-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We study the Iberian plate motion, from the late Permian to middle Cretaceous. During this time interval, two oceanic systems opened. Geological evidence shows that the Iberian domain preserved the propagation of these two rift systems well. We use geological evidence and pre-existing kinematic models to propose a coherent kinematic model of Iberia that considers both the Neotethyan and Atlantic evolutions. Our model shows that the Europe–Iberia plate boundary was made of two rift systems.
Daniel Pastor-Galán, Gabriel Gutiérrez-Alonso, and Arlo B. Weil
Solid Earth, 11, 1247–1273, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1247-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1247-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Pangea was assembled during Devonian to early Permian times and resulted in a large-scale and winding orogeny that today transects Europe, northwestern Africa, and eastern North America. This orogen is characterized by an
Sshape corrugated geometry in Iberia. This paper presents the advances and milestones in our understanding of the geometry and kinematics of the Central Iberian curve from the last decade with particular attention paid to structural and paleomagnetic studies.
Richard Spitz, Arthur Bauville, Jean-Luc Epard, Boris J. P. Kaus, Anton A. Popov, and Stefan M. Schmalholz
Solid Earth, 11, 999–1026, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-999-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-999-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We apply three-dimensional (3D) thermo-mechanical numerical simulations of the shortening of the upper crustal region of a passive margin in order to investigate the control of 3D laterally variable inherited structures on fold-and-thrust belt evolution and associated nappe formation. The model is applied to the Helvetic nappe system of the Swiss Alps. Our results show a 3D reconstruction of the first-order tectonic evolution showing the fundamental importance of inherited geological structures.
Manfred Lafosse, Elia d'Acremont, Alain Rabaute, Ferran Estrada, Martin Jollivet-Castelot, Juan Tomas Vazquez, Jesus Galindo-Zaldivar, Gemma Ercilla, Belen Alonso, Jeroen Smit, Abdellah Ammar, and Christian Gorini
Solid Earth, 11, 741–765, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-741-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-741-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Alboran Sea is one of the most active region of the Mediterranean Sea. There, the basin architecture records the effect of the Africa–Eurasia plates convergence. We evidence a Pliocene transpression and a more recent Pleistocene tectonic reorganization. We propose that main driving force of the deformation is the Africa–Eurasia convergence, rather than other geodynamical processes. It highlights the evolution and the geometry of the present-day Africa–Eurasia plate boundary.
Cited articles
Allibone, A. H. and Tulloch, A. J.: Geology of the plutonic basement rocks
of Stewart Island, New Zealand, New Zeal. J Geol.
Geop., 47, 233–256,
https://doi.org/10.1080/00288306.2004.9515051, 2004
Barrier, A., Nicol, A., Browne, G. H., and Bassett, K. N.: Late Cretaceous
coeval multi-directional extension in South Zealandia: Implications for
eastern Gondwana breakup, Mar. Petrol. Geol., 118, 104383,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104383, 2020.
Beniest, A., Willingshofer, E., Sokoutis, D., and Sassi, W.: Extending
continental lithosphere with lateral strength variations: effects on
deformation localization and margin geometries, Front. Earth Sci.,
6, 148, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2018.00148, 2018.
Brune, S., Corti, G., and Ranalli, G.: Controls of inherited lithospheric
heterogeneity on rift linkage: Numerical and analog models of interaction
between the Kenyan and Ethiopian rifts across the Turkana depression,
Tectonics, 36, 1767–1786, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017TC004739, 2017.
Campbell, H. J.: Biostratigraphic age review of New Zealand's
Permian–Triassic central terranes, Geological Society, London, Memoirs,
49, 31-41, https://doi.org/10.1144/M49.6, 2019.
Campbell, H. J., Mortimer, N., and Turnbull, I. M.: Murihiku Supergroup,
New Zealand: redefined, J. Roy. Soc. New Zeal., 33,
85–95, https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2003.9517722, 2003.
Chapman, D. S.: Thermal gradients in the continental crust, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 24, 63–70, 1986.
Cowie, P. A., Gupta, S., and Dawers, N. H.: Implications of fault array
evolution for synrift depocentre development: insights from a numerical
fault growth model, Basin Res., 12, 241–261, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2117.2000.00126.x, 2000.
Cowie, P. A., Underhill, J. R., Behn, M. D., Lin, J., and Gill, C. E.:
Spatio-temporal evolution of strain accumulation derived from multi-scale
observations of Late Jurassic rifting in the northern North Sea: A critical
test of models for lithospheric extension, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 234, 401–419, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2005.01.039, 2005.
Daly, M. C., Chorowicz, J., and Fairhead, J. D.: Rift basin evolution in
Africa: the influence of reactivated steep basement shear zones, Geol.
Soc. Spec. Publ., 44, 309–334, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.1989.044.01.17, 1989.
Doré, A. G., Lundin, E. R., Fichler, C., and Olesen, O.: Patterns of
basement structure and reactivation along the NE Atlantic margin, J.
Geol. Soc., 154, 85–92, https://doi.org/10.1144/gsjgs.154.1.0085, 1997.
Duclaux, G., Huismans, R. S., and May, D. A.: Rotation, narrowing, and
preferential reactivation of brittle structures during oblique rifting,
Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 531, 115952, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115952, 2020.
Duretz, T., Petri, B., Mohn, G., Schmalholz, S. M., Schenker, F. L., and
Müntener, O.: The importance of structural softening for the evolution
and architecture of passive margins, Sci. Rep., 6, 1–7,
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep38704, 2016.
Fossen, H., Khani, H. F., Faleide, J. I., Ksienzyk, A. K., and Dunlap, W.
J.: Post-Caledonian extension in the West Norway–northern North Sea region:
the role of structural inheritance, Geol.
Soc. Spec. Publ., 439, 465–486, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP439.6,
2017.
Fraser, A. J. and Gawthorpe, R. L.: Tectono-stratigraphic development and
hydrocarbon habitat of the Carboniferous in northern England, Geol.
Soc. Spec. Publ., 55, 49–86, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.1990.055.01.03, 1990.
Fraters, M. R., Bangerth, W., Thieulot, C., Glerum, A. C., and Spakman, W.: Efficient and practical Newton solvers for non-linear Stokes systems in geodynamic problems, Geophys. J. Int., 218, 873–894, 2019.
Ghisetti, F.: Seismic interpretation, prospects and structural analysis, Great South Basin, Ministry of Economic Development New Zealand, unpublished Petroleum Report PR4173, 2010.
Gleason, G. C. and Tullis, J.: A flow law for dislocation creep of quartz aggregates determined with the molten salt cell, Tectonophysics, 247, 1–23, 1995.
Glerum, A., Thieulot, C., Fraters, M., Blom, C., and Spakman, W.: Nonlinear viscoplasticity in ASPECT: benchmarking and applications to subduction, Solid Earth, 9, 267–294, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-267-2018, 2018.
Gouiza, M. and Naliboff, J.: Rheological inheritance controls the formation of
segmented rifted margins in cratonic lithosphere, Nat. Commun., 12,
4653, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24945-5, 2021.
Heister, T., Dannberg, J., Gassmöller, R., and Bangerth, W.: High
accuracy mantle convection simulation through modern numerical methods–II:
realistic models and problems, Geophys. J. Int., 210,
833–851, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggx195, 2017.
Heron, P. J., Peace, A. L., McCaffrey, K. J., Welford, J. K., Wilson, R.,
van Hunen, J., and Pysklywec, R. N.: Segmentation of rifts through
structural inheritance: Creation of the Davis Strait, Tectonics, 38,
2411–2430, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019TC005578, 2019.
Henza, A. A., Withjack, M. O., and Schlische, R. W.: How do the properties
of a pre-existing normal-fault population influence fault development during
a subsequent phase of extension?, J. Struct. Geol., 33,
1312–1324, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2011.06.010, 2011.
Hirth, G. and Kohlstedf, D.: Rheology of the upper mantle and the mantle wedge: A view from the experimentalists, Geophys. Monogr., 138, 83–106, 2003.
Holdsworth, R. E., Handa, M., Miller, J. A., and Buick, I. S.: Continental
reactivation and reworking: an introduction, Geol.
Soc. Spec. Publ., 184, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2001.184.01.01, 2001.
Howell, L., Egan, S., Leslie, G., and Clarke, S.: Structural and geodynamic
modelling of the influence of granite bodies during lithospheric extension:
application to the Carboniferous basins of northern England, Tectonophysics,
755, 47–63, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2019.02.008, 2019.
Howell, L., Egan, S., Leslie, G., Clarke, S., Mitten, A., and Pringle, J.:
The influence of low-density granite bodies on extensional basins, Geology
Today, 36, 22–26, https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12297, 2020.
Jourdon, A., Kergaravat, C., Duclaux, G., and Huguen, C.: Looking beyond kinematics: 3D thermo-mechanical modelling reveals the dynamics of transform margins, Solid Earth, 12, 1211–1232, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1211-2021, 2021.
Kirkpatrick, J. D., Bezerra, F. H. R., Shipton, Z. K., Do Nascimento, A. F.,
Pytharouli, S. I., Lunn, R. J., and Soden, A. M.: Scale-dependent influence
of pre-existing basement shear zones on rift faulting: a case study from NE
Brazil, J. Geol. Soc., 170, 237–247, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2012-043, 2013.
Kronbichler, M., Heister, T., and Bangerth, W.: High accuracy mantle
convection simulation through modern numerical methods, Geophys. J.
Int., 191, 12–29, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2012.05609.x, 2012.
Lang, G., ten Brink, U. S., Hutchinson, D. R., Mountain, G. S., and
Schattner, U.: The Role of Premagmatic Rifting in Shaping a Volcanic
Continental Margin: An Example From the Eastern North American Margin,
J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 125, e2020JB019576, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB019576, 2020.
Larsen, B. T., Olaussen, S., Sundvoll, B., and Heeremans, M.: The
Permo-Carboniferous Oslo Rift through six stages and 65 million years,
Episodes Journal of International Geoscience, 31, 52–58, https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2008/v31i1/008, 2008.
Moresi, L. and Solomatov, V.: Mantle convection with a brittle lithosphere: thoughts on the global tectonic styles of the Earth and Venus, Geophys. J. Int., 133, 669–682, 1998.
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, https://doi.org/10.1080/00288306.2002.9514978, 2002.
Naliboff, J. and Buiter, S. J.: Rift reactivation and migration during
multiphase extension, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 421, 58–67,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.03.050, 2015.
Naliboff, J. B., Buiter, S. J., Péron-Pinvidic, G., Osmundsen, P. T.,
and Tetreault, J.: Complex fault interaction controls continental rifting,
Nat. Commun., 8, 1–9, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00904-x, 2017.
Naliboff, J. B., Glerum, A., Brune, S., Péron-Pinvidic, G., and Wrona,
T.: Development of 3-D rift heterogeneity through fault network evolution,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2019GL086611, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086611, 2020.
Pan, S., Bell, R. E., Jackson, C. A. L., and Naliboff, J.: Evolution of
normal fault displacement and length as continental lithosphere stretches,
Basin Res., 34, 121–140, https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12613, 2022.
Peace, A., McCaffrey, K., Imber, J., van Hunen, J., Hobbs, R., and Wilson,
R.: The role of pre-existing structures during rifting, continental breakup
and transform system development, offshore West Greenland, Basin Res.,
30, 373–394, https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12257, 2018.
Phillips, T. B. and Magee, C.: Structural controls on the location,
geometry and longevity of an intraplate volcanic system: the Tuatara
Volcanic Field, Great South Basin, New Zealand, J. Geol.
Soc., 177, 1039–1056, https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2020-050, 2020.
Phillips, T. B. and McCaffrey, K. J.: Terrane Boundary Reactivation,
Barriers to Lateral Fault Propagation and Reactivated Fabrics: Rifting
Across the Median Batholith Zone, Great South Basin, New Zealand, Tectonics,
38, 4027–4053, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019TC005772, 2019.
Phillips, T. B., Fazlikhani, H., Gawthorpe, R. L., Fossen, H., Jackson, C.
A. L., Bell, R. E., Faleide, J. I., and Rotevatn, A.: The influence of
structural inheritance and multiphase extension on rift development, the
Northern North Sea, Tectonics, 38, 4099–4126, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019TC005756, 2019.
Phillips, T. B., Naliboff, J., McCaffrey, K., Pan, S., van Hunen, J., and
Malte, F.: The influence of crustal strength on rift geometry and
development – Insights from 3D numerical modelling, Zenodo [code and data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7317598, 2022.
Ragon, T., Nutz, A., Schuster, M., Ghienne, J. F., Ruffet, G., and Rubino,
J. L.: Evolution of the northern Turkana Depression (East African Rift
System, Kenya) during the Cenozoic rifting: New insights from the Ekitale
Basin (28–25.5 Ma), Geol. J., 54, 3468–3488, https://doi.org/10.1002/gj.3339, 2019.
Rose, I., Buffett, B., and Heister, T.: Stability and accuracy of free
surface time integration in viscous flows, Phys. Earth
Planet. In., 262, 90–100, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pepi.2016.11.007, 2017.
Ryan, J., Frassetto, A. M., Hurd, O., Jones, C. H., Unruh, J., Zandt, G.,
Gilbert, H., and Owens, T. J.: Unusually deep earthquakes in the central
Sierra Nevada (California, USA): Foundering ultramafic lithosphere?
Geosphere, 16, 357–377, https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02158.1,
2020.
Rybacki, E., Gottschalk, M., Wirth, R., and Dresen, G.: Influence of water fugacity and activation volume on the flow properties of fine‐grained anorthite aggregates, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 111, B03203, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JB003663, 2006.
Sahoo, T. R., Nicol, A., Browne, G. H., and Strogen, D. P.: Evolution of a
normal fault system along eastern Gondwana, New Zealand, Tectonics, 39, e2020TC006181,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020TC006181, 2020.
Samsu, A., Cruden, A. R., Molnar, N. E., and Weinberg, R. F.: Inheritance
of penetrative basement anisotropies by extension-oblique faults: Insights
from analogue experiments, Tectonics, 40, e2020TC006596, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020TC006596, 2021.
Schiffer, C., Doré, A. G., Foulger, G. R., Franke, D., Geoffroy, L.,
Gernigon, L., Holdsworth, R., Kusznir, N., Lundin, E., McCaffrey, K. J. W.,
Peace, A. L., Petersen, K. D., Phillips, T. B., Stephenson, R., Stoker, M.
S., and Welford, J. K.: Structural inheritance in the North Atlantic,
Earth-Sci. Rev., 206, 102975, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.102975, 2020.
Schmid, T. C., Brune, S., Glerum, A., and Schreurs, G.: Tectonic interactions during rift linkage: Insights from analog and numerical experiments, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1203, 2022.
Sutton, J. and Watson, J. V.: Architecture of the continental lithosphere,
Philos. T. Roy. Soc. Lond. A, 317, 5–12, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.1986.0020, 1986.
Tarling, M. S., Smith, S. A. F., Scott, J. M., Rooney, J. S., Viti, C., and Gordon, K. C.: The internal structure and composition of a plate-boundary-scale serpentinite shear zone: the Livingstone Fault, New Zealand, Solid Earth, 10, 1025–1047, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-1025-2019, 2019.
Thomas, W. A.: Tectonic inheritance at a continental margin, GSA Today,
16, 4–11, https://doi.org/10.1130/1052-5173(2006)016<4:TIAACM>2.0.CO;2, 2006.
Thomas, W. A.: Tectonic inheritance at multiple scales during more than two
complete Wilson cycles recorded in eastern North America, Geol.
Soc. Spec. Publ., 470, 337, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP470.4,
2019.
Tiberi, C., Gautier, S., Ebinger, C., Roecker, S., Plasman, M., Albaric, J.,
Déverchère, J., Peyrat, S., Perrot, J., Ferdinand Wambura, R.,
Msabi, M., Muzuka, A., Mulibo, G., and Kianji, G.: Lithospheric modification by
extension and magmatism at the craton-orogenic boundary: North Tanzania
Divergence, East Africa, Geophys. J. Int., 216,
1693–1710, 4 https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggy521, 2019.
Tulloch, A. J., Mortimer, N., Ireland, T. R., Waight, T. E., Maas, R.,
Palin, J. M., Sahoo, T., Seebeck, H., Sagar, M. W., Barrier, A., and
Turnbull, R. E.: Reconnaissance basement geology and tectonics of South
Zealandia, Tectonics, 38, 516–551, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018TC005116, 2019.
Vasconcelos, D. L., Bezerra, F. H., Clausen, O. R., Medeiros, W. E., de
Castro, D. L., Vital, H., and Barbosa, J. A.: Influence of Precambrian
shear zones on the formation of oceanic fracture zones along the continental
margin of Brazil, Mar. Petrol. Geol., 101, 322–333, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2018.12.010, 2019.
Wilson, R. W., Klint, K. E. S., Van Gool, J. A. M., McCaffrey, K. J. W.,
Holdsworth, R. E., and Chalmers, J. A.: Faults and fractures in central West
Greenland: onshore expression of continental break-up and sea-floor spreading
in the Labrador–Baffin Bay Sea, GEUS Bulletin, 11,
185–204, https://doi.org/10.34194/geusb.v11.4931, 2006.
Wright, L. J., Muirhead, J. D., and Scholz, C. A.: Spatiotemporal
Variations in Upper Crustal Extension Across the Different Basement Terranes
of the Lake Tanganyika Rift, East Africa, Tectonics, 39, e2019TC006019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019TC006019, 2020.
Zwaan, F., Chenin, P., Erratt, D., Manatschal, G., and Schreurs, G.: Complex rift patterns, a result of interacting crustal and mantle weaknesses, or multiphase rifting? Insights from analogue models, Solid Earth, 12, 1473–1495, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1473-2021, 2021.
Short summary
Continental crust comprises bodies of varying strength, formed through numerous tectonic events. When subject to extension, these areas produce distinct rift and fault systems. We use 3D models to examine how rifts form above
strongand
weakareas of crust. We find that faults become more developed in weak areas. Faults are initially stopped at the boundaries with stronger areas before eventually breaking through. We relate our model observations to rift systems globally.
Continental crust comprises bodies of varying strength, formed through numerous tectonic events....
