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
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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
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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.
Dylan A. Vasey, Peter M. Scully, John B. Naliboff, and Sascha Brune
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3578, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3578, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geochronology (GChron).
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We present an open-access Python package (GDTchron) designed to forward model apatite (U-Th)/He, apatite fission track, and zircon (U-Th)/He ages using temperatures output by geodynamic numerical models. The software can be used in a parallelized workflow to calculate large numbers of ages. We present two examples of potential applications of GDTchron: a simple model of an uplifting box with perfectly efficient erosion and a complex model of continental rifting followed by mountain building.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Evidence for multi-rifting in the Variscan–Alpine cycle transition: insights from the European western Southern Alps
Importance of forearc topography for the triggering of aftershocks of megathrust earthquakes: insights from mechanical models and the Tohoku-Oki and Maule earthquakes
About the trustworthiness of physics-based machine learning – considerations for geomechanical applications
Relict landscape evolution and fault reactivation in the eastern Tian Shan: insights from the Harlik Mountains
Cross-scale strain analysis in the Afar rift (East Africa) from automatic fault mapping and geodesy
Switching extensional and contractional tectonics in the West Kunlun Mountains during the Jurassic period: responses to the Neo-Tethyan geodynamics along the Eurasian margin
Seismo-tectonics of Greater Iberia: An updated review
Influence of lateral heterogeneities on strike-slip fault behaviour: insights from analogue models
Importance of basement faulting and salt decoupling for the structural evolution of the Fars Arc (Zagros fold-and-thrust belt): a numerical modeling approach
On the role of trans-lithospheric faults in the long-term seismotectonic segmentation of active margins: a case study in the Andes
Numerical Investigation of Parameters Influencing Back-Thrust Development in Outer Wedge Fronts of Fold-and-Thrust-Belt Systems
Along-strike variation in volcanic addition controlling post-breakup sedimentary infill: Pelotas margin, austral South Atlantic
Stress state at faults: the influence of rock stiffness contrast, stress orientation, and ratio
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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
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
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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
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Control of crustal strength, tectonic inheritance, and stretching/ shortening rates on crustal deformation and basin reactivation: insights from laboratory models
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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
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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
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Guangyuan Xing, Zhanli Ren, Kai Qi, Sasa Guo, Yanzhao Liu, Ying Zhang, and Huaping Lan
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Emanuele Scaramuzzo, Franz A. Livio, Maria Giuditta Fellin, and Colin Maden
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We address the transition between the Paleozoic Variscan and Alpine Mesozoic–Cenozoic cycles using tectono-stratigraphy and thermochronology. This transition unfolds through a multi-phase rifting history. An initial rifting stage occurred in the early Permian, followed in the early–middle Permian by a phase of transcurrent tectonics. This was succeeded by a period of erosion/non-deposition in the middle Permian. Crustal stretching in the Middle Triassic marked the onset of the Alpine cycle.
Armin Dielforder, Gian Maria Bocchini, and Andrea Hampel
Solid Earth, 16, 593–618, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-593-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-593-2025, 2025
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Subduction zones feature a large elevation difference between the deep oceanic trench and the high mountains on land, which causes stress in the upper plate. We investigate how the topographic stress affects the aftershock seismicity of large subduction earthquakes using analytical and numerical stress models. We show that topographic stress has a large influence on aftershock seismicity and promoted most of the seismicity after the Tohoku-Oki (Japan) and Maule (Chile) earthquakes.
Denise Degen, Moritz Ziegler, Oliver Heidbach, Andreas Henk, Karsten Reiter, and Florian Wellmann
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Obtaining reliable estimates of the subsurface state distributions is essential to determine the location of, e.g., potential nuclear waste disposal sites. However, providing these is challenging since it requires solving the problem numerous times, yielding high computational cost. To overcome this, we use a physics-based machine learning method to construct surrogate models. We demonstrate how it produces physics-preserving predictions, which differentiates it from purely data-driven approaches.
Zihao Zhao, Tianyi Shen, Guocan Wang, Peter van der Beek, Yabo Zhou, and Cheng Ma
Solid Earth, 16, 503–530, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-503-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-503-2025, 2025
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This study examines the evolution of the Harlik Mountains in the eastern Tian Shan. Low-relief surfaces were formed by the Early Cretaceous erosion and subsequent tectonic stability. Later fault activity segmented these surfaces, with uplift and tilting in the Cenozoic driven by tectonic reactivation. These findings provide insights into how landscapes evolve in response to geological and environmental changes over millions of years.
Alessandro La Rosa, Pauline Gayrin, Sascha Brune, Carolina Pagli, Ameha A. Muluneh, Gianmaria Tortelli, and Derek Keir
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We propose a new method to map faults automatically in DEMs and measure long-term crustal deformation in rift contexts. By combining our data with rock ages, we reconstruct rift evolution in Afar during the last 4.5 Myrs. We show that the rift axis is most active, with rifting propagating northwest over time. Here magma promotes crustal deformation and faulting caused by dike opening. In the southern sector Afar, two fault systems respond to different motions of diverging tectonic plates.
Hong-Xiang Wu, Han-Lin Chen, Andrew V. Zuza, Yildirim Dilek, Du-Wei Qiu, Qi-Ye Lu, Feng-Qi Zhang, Xiao-Gan Cheng, and Xiu-Bin Lin
Solid Earth, 16, 155–177, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-155-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-16-155-2025, 2025
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The Tethyan orogenic belt records an extensive history of subduction along the southern margin of Eurasia. We examine the magmatism, stratigraphy, and sedimentary provenance of the Jurassic basin in the West Kunlun Mountains, highlighting the switching extensional and contractional tectonic episodes in central Asia. The complex evolution was related to the subduction of the Neo-Tethys Ocean, transitioning from southward retreat to northward flat-slab advancement.
Antonio J. Olaiz, José A. Álvarez Gómez, Gerardo de Vicente, Alfonso Muñoz-Martín, Juan V. Cantavella, Susana Custódio, Dina Vales, and Oliver Heidbach
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4126, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4126, 2025
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Understanding the stress and strain conditions in the Earth crust is crucial for various activities, such as oil and gas exploration and assessing seismic hazards. In this article, we have updated the database of moment tensor focal mechanisms for the Greater Iberia. We conducted kinematic and dynamic analyses on the selected populations, determining the average focal mechanism, strain and stress orientations, and tectonic regime. The orientation for horizontal compression is primarily N154° E.
Sandra González-Muñoz, Guido Schreurs, Timothy C. Schmid, and Fidel Martín-González
Solid Earth, 15, 1509–1523, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1509-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1509-2024, 2024
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This work investigates how strike-slip faults propagate across domains with lateral contrasting brittle strength using analogue models. The introduction of brittle vertical domains was achieved using quartz microbead sand. The reference vertical domains influence synthetic fault propagation, segmentation, and linkage, as well as the antithetic faults which rotate about a vertical axis due to the applied simple shear. The results aligned with the faults in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula.
Fatemeh Gomar, Jonas B. Ruh, Mahdi Najafi, and Farhad Sobouti
Solid Earth, 15, 1479–1507, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1479-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1479-2024, 2024
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Our study investigates the structural evolution of the Fars Arc in the Zagros Mountains through numerical modeling. We focus on the effects of the interaction between basement faults and salt décollement levels during tectonic inversion, including a rifting and a convergence phase. In conclusion, our results emphasize the importance of considering fault geometry, salt rheology, and basement involvement in understanding the resistance to deformation and the seismic behavior of fold–thrust belts.
Gonzalo Yanez C., Jose Piquer R., and Orlando Rivera H.
Solid Earth, 15, 1319–1342, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1319-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1319-2024, 2024
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We postulate that the observed spatial distribution of large earthquakes in active convergence zones, organised 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 coastline morphology).
Saeed Mahmoodpour, Florian Duschl, and Michael C. Drews
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3134, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3134, 2024
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In some situations where the crust plates collide to each other, they deform by creating folds and thrusts. Based on thrusts development direction, they are categorized into fore- or back-thrusts. We use numerical simulation to investigate their development over geological time-scales. We examine the importance of rock strength, friction, displacement type and geometry on back-thrusting with regard to the final geometry of the deformation, as well as the distribution of porosity and stresses.
Marlise C. Cassel, Nick Kusznir, Gianreto Manatschal, and Daniel Sauter
Solid Earth, 15, 1265–1279, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1265-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1265-2024, 2024
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We investigate the along-strike variation in volcanics on the Pelotas segment of the Brazilian margin created during continental breakup and formation of the southern South Atlantic. We show that the volume of volcanics strongly controls the amount of space available for post-breakup sedimentation. We also show that breakup varies along-strike from very magma-rich to magma-normal within a relatively short distance of less than 300 km. This is not as expected from a simple mantle plume model.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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
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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
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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
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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.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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....
