Articles | Volume 9, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1187-2018
© Author(s) 2018. 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-9-1187-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
26 Oct 2018
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 26 Oct 2018
Oblique rifting: the rule, not the exception
GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, University of
Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
Simon E. Williams
EarthByte Group, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales
2006, Australia
R. Dietmar Müller
EarthByte Group, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales
2006, Australia
Sydney Informatics Hub, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia
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Continental rifts form by linkage of individual rift segments and disturb the regional stress field. We use analog and numerical models of such rift segment interactions to investigate the linkage of deformation and stresses and subsequent stress deflections from the regional stress pattern. This local stress re-orientation eventually causes rift deflection when multiple rift segments compete for linkage with opposingly propagating segments and may explain rift deflection as observed in nature.
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Continental rifts can form when and where continents are stretched. Rifts are characterised by faults, sedimentary basins, earthquakes and/or volcanism. If rifting can continue, a rift may break a continent into conjugate margins such as along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In some cases, however, rifting fails, such as in the West African Rift. We discuss continental rifting from inception to break-up, focussing on the processes at play, and illustrate these with several natural examples.
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This research was done to validate a hypothesis made on the basis of nonquantitative field data.
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Short summary
Fragmentation of continents often involves obliquely rifting segments that feature a complex three-dimensional structural evolution. Here we show that more than ~ 70 % of Earth’s rifted margins exceeded an obliquity of 20° demonstrating that oblique rifting should be considered the rule, not the exception. This highlights the importance of three-dimensional approaches in modelling, surveying, and interpretation of those rift segments where oblique rifting is the dominant mode of deformation.
Fragmentation of continents often involves obliquely rifting segments that feature a complex...
