Articles | Volume 17, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-1219-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-1219-2026
Research article
 | 
02 Nov 2026
Research article |  | 02 Nov 2026

The role of brittle shear zones and the associated fractures in the formation and characteristics of bedrock surface depressions in crystalline bedrock (Turku, southwestern Finland)

Eemi Ruuska, Pietari Skyttä, Kati Marjukka Ahlqvist, Nicklas Nordbäck, Pelayo Barron, and Kaisa Nikkilä

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Cited articles

Ahlqvist, K. M., Skyttä, P., Anttila, N., Ojala, A. E., and Ruuska, E.: Recognizing bedrock deformation zones through integrated 3D modelling of bedrock topography and sedimentary deposits, Turku, SW Finland, B. Eng. Geol. Environ., 85, 309, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-026-04984-2, 2026. 
Bertrand, L., Géraud, Y., Le Garzic, E., Place, J., Diraison, M., Walter, B., and Haffen, S.: A multiscale analysis of a fracture pattern in granite: A case study of the Tamariu granite, Catalunya, Spain, J. Struct. Geol., 78, 52–66, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2015.05.013, 2015. 
Bogdanova, S., Gorbatschev, R., Skridlaite, G., Soesoo, A., Taran, L., and Kurlovich, D.: Trans-baltic palaeoproterozoic correlations towards the reconstruction of supercontinent Columbia/Nuna, Precambrian Res., 259, 5–33, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2014.11.023, 2015. 
Bonnet, E., Bour, O., Odling, N. E., Davy, P., Main, I., Cowie, P., and Berkowitz, B.: Scaling of fracture systems in geological media, Rev. Geophys., 39, 347–383, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999RG000074, 2001. 
Bukhari, S., Eyles, N., Sookhan, S., Mulligan, R., Paulen, R., Krabbendam, M., and Putkinen, N.: Regional subglacial quarrying and abrasion below hard-bedded palaeo-ice streams crossing the Shield–Palaeozoic boundary of central Canada: the importance of substrate control, Boreas, 50, 781–805, https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12522, 2021. 
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Short summary
The elongated depressions in the bedrock are spatially coincident with major structural features of the bedrock. These depressions are covered by a sediment overburden, which prevents direct observation of the underlying structural features and necessitates multi-scale analyses of bedrock structures. These analyses show that although elongation is governed by brittle shear zones, the morphology of the bedrock surface within the depressions is controlled by fractures associated with these zones.
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