Rockfall hazard assessment, risk quantification, and mitigation options for reef cove resort development, False Cape, Queensland, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlotfeldt, P.

2009-04-01

GIS and 2-D rock fall simulations were used as the primary tools during a rock fall hazard assessment and analyses for a major resort and township development near Cairns, Queensland in Australia. The methods used included 1) the development of a digital elevation model (DEM); undertaking rock fall trajectory analyses to determine the end points of rockfalls, the distribution of kinetic energy for identified rock fall runout Zones, and 3) undertaking event tree analyses based on a synthesis of all data in order to establish Zones with the highest risk of fatalities. This paper describes the methodology used and the results of this work. Recommendations to mitigate the hazard included having exclusions zones with no construction, scaling (including trim blasting), construction of berms and rockfall catch fences. Keywords: GIS, rockfall simulation, rockfall runout Zones, mitigation options INTRODUCTION False Cape is located on the east side of the Trinity inlet near Cairns (Figure 1). Construction is underway for a multi-million dollar development close the beach front. The development will ultimately cover about 1.5 km of prime coast line. The granite slopes above the development are steep and are covered with a number of large, potentially unstable boulders. Sheet jointing is present in the in-situ bedrock and these combined with other tectonic joint sets have provided a key mechanism for large side down slope on exposed bedrock. With each rock fall (evidence by boulders strew in gullies, over the lower parts of the slope, and on the beach) the failure mechanism migrates upslope. In order for the Developer to proceed with construction he needs to mitigate the identified rock fall hazard. The method used to study the hazard and key finding are presented in this paper. Discussion is provided in the conclusion on mitigation options. KEY METHODS USED TO STUDY THE HAZARD In summary the methods used to study the hazard for the False Cape project include; 1. The development of a digital elevation model (DEM) used to delineate rock fall runout Zones [1] that included the spatial location of boulder fields mapped within Zones(Figure 2). A Zone is defined as an area above the development on steep sided slopes where falling rocks are channeled into gullies / and or are contained between topographic features such as ridges and spurs that extend down the mountainside. These natural barriers generally ensure that falling rocks do not fall or roll into adjacent Zones; 2. The use of ‘Flow Path Tracing Tool' in Arc GIS spatial analyst to confirm typical descents of boulders in Zones. These were shown to correlated strongly with the endpoints of boulders observed within the development and major clusters of boulders on the beach front; 3. The use of 2-D rockfall trajectory analyses [2] using sections cut along typical 3-D trajectory paths mapped out in ARC GIS per Zone. Sections along typical paths in Zones simulated, to some degree, the 3-D affect or path of rocks as they bounce roll down slope (Figure 3); 4. The calibration of rockfall input parameters (coefficients of normal and tangential restitution, slope roughness, friction angle, etc.) using field identified endpoints and size of fallen rock and boulder; and 5. Undertaking risk evolutions in order to quantify the potential risk for each independent rockfall Zone. KEY FINDINGS FROM THE STUDIES The key findings from the study include; 1. Multiple potentially unstable in-situ boulders (some in excess of several thousand tonnes) are present above the development. 2. Similar geological structures (dykes, jointing, etc.) are present in the boulders on the beach front and within the development exposed in-situ bedrock located above the development. Measurement and comparison of the orientation of these geological structures present in boulders with that observed in the in-situ bedrock provided strong evidence that that the boulders have mitigated down slope. 3. Eight discrete Rockfall Runout Zones were identified using the digital elevation model set up in ARC GIS (Figure 4). The boundaries were field verified as far as possible. The identified Zones formed the basis of all subsequent work. 4. Once calibrated the rockfall trajectory modeling showed that only between 1% and in the worst case 28% of falling rocks (percentage of 1000 seeding events) per Zones would actually reach the development. While this indicated a reduced likelihood of an incident and hence the risk, the kinetic energy in the case of an impact in most Zones was so high (for the given design block size) that the consequence would be untenable without some form of mitigation. 5. An event tree analysis showed that five out of the eight Zones identified had risk profiles that fell above or very close to what was considered to be an acceptable annual probability of occurrence of a fatality or fatalities. CONCLUSIONS Each Zone has unique characteristics that influence the risk profile associated with the rock fall hazard to the development. Mitigation options and recommendations needed to be adjusted accordingly to fit the physical characteristics and assessed risk profile of each Zone. These included: 1. The possible implantation of exclusion zones (no build areas); 2. Scaling (including controlled blasting) to reduce the potential kinetic energy associated with identified potentially unstable boulders; and 3. The design and construction of Berms and rockfall catch fences.

Comparative analysis of geodynamic activity of the Caucasian and Eastern Mediterranean segments of the Alpine-Himalayan convergence zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chelidze, Tamaz; Eppelbaum, Lev

2013-04-01

The Alpine-Himalayan convergence zone (AHCZ) underwent recent transverse shortening under the effect of collisional compression. The process was accompanied by rotation of separate microplates. The Caucasian and Eastern Mediterranean regions are segments of the of the AHCZ and are characterized by intensive endogenous and exogenous geodynamic processes, which manifest themselves in occurrence of powerful (with magnitude of 8-9) earthquakes accompanied by development of secondary catastrophic processes. Large landslides, rock falls, avalanches, mud flows, etc. cause human deaths and great material losses. The development of the aforesaid endogenous processes is set forth by peculiarities of the deep structure of the region and an impact of deep geological processes. The Caucasus is divided into several main tectonic terranes: platform (sub-platform, quasi-platform) and fold-thrust units. Existing data enable to perform a division of the Caucasian region into two large-scale geological provinces: southern Tethyan and northern Tethyan located to the south of and to the north of the Lesser Caucasian ophiolite suture, respectively. The recent investigations show that the assessments of the seismic hazard in these regions are not quite correct - for example in the West Caucasus the seismic hazard can be significantly underestimated, which affects the corresponding risk assessments. Integrated analysis of gravity, magnetic, seismic and thermal data enables to refine the assessment of the seismic hazard of the region, taking into account real rates of the geodynamic movements. Important role play the last rheological constructions. According to Reilinger et al. (2006) tectonic scheme, the West flanking of the Arabian Plate manifests strike-slip motion, when the East Caucasian block is converging and shortening. The Eastern Mediterranean is a tectonically complex region located in the midst of the progressive Afro-Eurasian collision. The recent increasing geotectonic activity in this region highlights the need for combined analysis of seismo-neotectonic signatures. For this purpose, this article presents the key features of the tectonic zonation of the Eastern Mediterranean. Map of derivatives of the gravity field retracked from the Geosat satellite and novel map of the Moho discontinuity illustrate the most important tectonic features of the region. The Post-Jurassic map of the deformation of surface leveling reflects the modern tectonic stage of Eastern Mediterranean evolution. The developed tectono-geophysical zonation map integrates the potential geophysical field analysis and seismic section utilization, as well as tectonic-structural, paleogeographical and facial analyses. Tectonically the map agrees with the earlier model of continental accretion (Ben-Avraham and Ginzburg, 1990). Overlaying the seismicity map of the Eastern Mediterranean tectonic region (for the period between 1900 and 2012) on the tectonic zonation chart reveals the key features of the seismo-neotectonic pattern of the Eastern Mediterranean. The results have important implications for tectonic-seismological analysis in this region (Eppelbaum and Katz, 2012). A difference in the geotectonic patterns makes interesting comparison of geodynamic activity and seismic hazard of the Caucasian and Eastern Mediterranean segments of the AHCZ.

Tectonic history of the northern Nabitah fault zone, Arabian Shield, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quick, J.E.; Bosch, Paul S.

1990-01-01

Based on the presence of similar lithologies, similar structure, and analogous tectonic setting, the Mother Lode District in California is reviewed as a model for gold occurrences near the Nabitah fault zone in this report.

Reducing risk where tectonic plates collide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, Joan S.; Ludwig, Kristin A.

2017-06-19

Most of the world’s earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions are caused by the continuous motions of the many tectonic plates that make up the Earth’s outer shell. The most powerful of these natural hazards occur in subduction zones, where two plates collide and one is thrust beneath another. The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) “Reducing Risk Where Tectonic Plates Collide—A USGS Plan to Advance Subduction Zone Science” is a blueprint for building the crucial scientific foundation needed to inform the policies and practices that can make our Nation more resilient to subduction zone-related hazards.

Remote sensing revealed drainage anomalies and related tectonics of South India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramasamy, SM.; Kumanan, C. J.; Selvakumar, R.; Saravanavel, J.

2011-03-01

Drainages have characteristic pattern and life histories with youthful stage in hilly areas, mature stage in plains and old stage in the coastal zones. The deviations from their normal life histories, especially aberrations in their flow pattern in the form of various drainage anomalies have been inferred to be the indications of dominantly the Eustatic and Isostatic changes. This, especially after the advent of Earth Observing Satellites, has attracted the geoscientists from all over the world, for studying such drainage anomalies. In this connection, a study has been undertaken in parts of South India falling south of 14° south latitude to comprehensively map some drainage anomalies like deflected drainages, eyed drainages and compressed meanders and to evolve the tectonic scenario therefrom. The mapping of such mega drainage anomalies and the related lineaments/faults from the satellite digital data and the integration of such lineaments/faults with the overall lineament map of South India showed that the study area is marked by active N-S block faults and NE-SW sinistral and NW-SE dextral strike slip faults. Such an architecture of active tectonic grains indicates that the northerly directed compressive force which has originally drifted the Indian plate towards northerly is still active and deforming the Indian plate.

Plate tectonics, damage and inheritance.

PubMed

Bercovici, David; Ricard, Yanick

2014-04-24

The initiation of plate tectonics on Earth is a critical event in our planet's history. The time lag between the first proto-subduction (about 4 billion years ago) and global tectonics (approximately 3 billion years ago) suggests that plates and plate boundaries became widespread over a period of 1 billion years. The reason for this time lag is unknown but fundamental to understanding the origin of plate tectonics. Here we suggest that when sufficient lithospheric damage (which promotes shear localization and long-lived weak zones) combines with transient mantle flow and migrating proto-subduction, it leads to the accumulation of weak plate boundaries and eventually to fully formed tectonic plates driven by subduction alone. We simulate this process using a grain evolution and damage mechanism with a composite rheology (which is compatible with field and laboratory observations of polycrystalline rocks), coupled to an idealized model of pressure-driven lithospheric flow in which a low-pressure zone is equivalent to the suction of convective downwellings. In the simplest case, for Earth-like conditions, a few successive rotations of the driving pressure field yield relic damaged weak zones that are inherited by the lithospheric flow to form a nearly perfect plate, with passive spreading and strike-slip margins that persist and localize further, even though flow is driven only by subduction. But for hotter surface conditions, such as those on Venus, accumulation and inheritance of damage is negligible; hence only subduction zones survive and plate tectonics does not spread, which corresponds to observations. After plates have developed, continued changes in driving forces, combined with inherited damage and weak zones, promote increased tectonic complexity, such as oblique subduction, strike-slip boundaries that are subparallel to plate motion, and spalling of minor plates.

Review of metamorphic and kinematic data from Internal Crystalline Massifs (Western Alps): PTt paths and exhumation history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasco, Ivano; Gattiglio, Marco; Borghi, Alessandro

2013-01-01

Detailed geological mapping combined with micro-structural and petrological investigation allowed to clarify the tectono-metamorphic relationships between continental and oceanic units transition in the Penninic domain of the Western Alps. The three study areas (Gressoney, Orco and Susa sections) take into consideration the same structural level across the axial metamorphic belt of the Western Italian Alps, i.e., a geological section across the Internal Crystalline Massifs vs Piedmont Zone boundary. The units outcropping in these areas can be grouped into two Tectonic Elements according to their tectono-metamorphic evolution. The Lower Tectonic Element (LTE) consists of the Internal Crystalline Massifs and the Lower Piedmont Zone (Zermatt-Saas like units), both showing well preserved eclogite facies relics. Instead, the Upper Tectonic Element (UTE) consists of the Upper Piedmont Zone (Combin like units) lacking evidence of eclogite facies relics. In the Lower Tectonic Element two main Alpine tectono-metamorphic stages were identified: M1/D1 developed under eclogite facies conditions and M2/D2 is related to the development of the regional foliation under greenschist to epidote-albite amphibolite facies conditions. In the Upper Tectonic Element the metamorphic stage M1/D1 developed under bluschist to greenschist facies conditions and M2/D2 stage under greenschist facies conditions. These two Tectonic Elements are separated by a tectonic contact of regional importance generally developed along the boundary between the Lower and the Upper Piedmont zone under greenschist facies conditions. PT data compared to geochronology indicate that the first exhumation of ICM can be explained by buoyancy forces acting along the subduction channel that occurred during the tectonic coupling between the continental and oceanic eclogite units. These buoyancy forces vanished at the base of the crust where the density difference between the subducted crustal units and the surroundings rocks is too low. A stage where compression prevails on the previous exhumation followed, which leads to the development of the regional foliation under greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions. Further exhumation occurred after the M2/D2 stage at shallower crustal levels along conjugated shear zones leading to the development of a composite axial dome consisting of eclogite-bearing continental-oceanic units (ICM and Zermatt-Saas Zones) beneath greenschist ones (Combin Zone).

Cenozoic Tectonic Evolution of Northeast China and Surrounding Areas Reproduced by Slab Subduction Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, T.; Moresi, L. N.; Zhao, D.; Sandiford, D.

2017-12-01

Northeast China lies at the continental margin of the western Pacific subduction zone where the Pacific Plate subducts beneath the Eurasia Plate along the Kuril-Japan trench during the Cenozoic, after the consumption of the Izanagi Plate. The Izanagi Plate and the Izanagi-Pacific mid-ocean ridge recycled to the mantle beneath Eurasia before the early Cenozoic. Plate reconstructions suggest that (1) age of the incoming Pacific Plate at the trench increases with time; (2) convergence rate between the Pacific and Eurasia Plates increased rapidly from the late Eocene to the early Miocene. Northeast China and surrounding areas suffered widespread extension and magmatism during the Cenozoic, culminating in the opening of the Japan Sea and the rifting of the Baikal Rift Zone. The Japan Sea opened during the early Miocene and kept spreading until the late Miocene, since when compression tectonics gradually prevailed. The Baikal Rift Zone underwent slow extension in the Cenozoic but its extension rate has increased rapidly since the late Miocene. We investigate the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Northeast China and surrounding areas with geodynamic models. Our study suggests that the rapid aging of the incoming Pacific Plate at the subduction zone leads to the increase of plate convergence and trench motion rates, and explains the observed sequence of regional tectonic events. Our geodynamic model, which reproduces the Cenozoic regional tectonic events, predicts slab morphology and stress state consistent with seismic observations, including over 1000 km of slab stagnant in the transition zone, and the along-dip principal compressional stress direction. Our model requires a value of the 660 km phase transition Clapeyron slope of -2.5 MPa/K to reproduce the stagnant slab and tectonic events in the study region. This suggests that the Pacific slab is hydrated in the transition zone, explaining geochemical characteristics of some regional Cenozoic igneous rocks which were suggested to originate from a hydrous mantle transition zone.

Phanerozoic tectonic evolution of the Circum-North Pacific

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nokleberg, Warren J.; Parfenov, Leonid M.; Monger, James W.H.; Norton, Ian O.; Khanchuk, Alexander I.; Stone, David B.; Scotese, Christopher R.; Scholl, David W.; Fujita, Kazuya

2000-01-01

The Phanerozoic tectonic evolution of the Circum-North Pacific is recorded mainly in the orogenic collages of the Circum-North Pacific mountain belts that separate the North Pacific from the eastern part of the North Asian Craton and the western part of the North American Craton. These collages consist of tectonostratigraphic terranes that are composed of fragments of igneous arcs, accretionary-wedge and subduction-zone complexes, passive continental margins, and cratons; they are overlapped by continental-margin-arc and sedimentary-basin assemblages. The geologic history of the terranes and overlap assemblages is highly complex because of postaccretionary dismemberment and translation during strike-slip faulting that occurred subparallel to continental margins.We analyze the complex tectonics of this region by the following steps. (1) We assign tectonic environments for the orogenic collages from regional compilation and synthesis of stratigraphic and faunal data. The types of tectonic environments include cratonal, passive continental margin, metamorphosed continental margin, continental-margin arc, island arc, oceanic crust, seamount, ophiolite, accretionary wedge, subduction zone, turbidite basin, and metamorphic. (2) We make correlations between terranes. (3) We group coeval terranes into a single tectonic origin, for example, a single island arc or subduction zone. (4) We group igneous-arc and subduction- zone terranes, which are interpreted as being tectonically linked, into coeval, curvilinear arc/subduction-zone complexes. (5) We interpret the original positions of terranes, using geologic, faunal, and paleomagnetic data. (6) We construct the paths of tectonic migration. Six processes overlapping in time were responsible for most of the complexities of the collage of terranes and overlap assemblages around the Circum-North Pacific, as follows. (1) During the Late Proterozoic, Late Devonian, and Early Carboniferous, major periods of rifting occurred along the ancestral margins of present-day Northeast Asia and northwestern North America. The rifting resulted in the fragmentation of each continent and the formation of cratonal and passive continental-margin terranes that eventually migrated and accreted to other sites along the evolving margins of the original or adjacent continents. (2) From about the Late Triassic through the mid-Cretaceous, a succession of island arcs and tectonically paired subduction zones formed near the continental margins. (3) From about mainly the mid-Cretaceous through the present, a succession of igneous arcs and tectonically paired subduction zones formed along the continental margins. (4) From about the Jurassic to the present, oblique convergence and rotations caused orogenparallel sinistral and then dextral displacements within the upper-plate margins of cratons that have become Northeast Asia and North America. The oblique convergences and rotations resulted in the fragmentation, displacement, and duplication of formerly more nearly continuous arcs, subduction zones, and passive continental margins. These fragments were subsequently accreted along the expanding continental margins. (5) From the Early Jurassic through Tertiary, movement of the upper continental plates toward subduction zones resulted in strong plate coupling and accretion of the former island arcs and subduction zones to the continental margins. Accretions were accompanied and followed by crustal thickening, anatexis, metamorphism, and uplift. The accretions resulted in substantial growth of the North Asian and North American Continents. (6) During the middle and late Cenozoic, oblique to orthogonal convergence of the Pacifi c plate with present-day Alaska and Northeast Asia resulted in formation of the modern-day ring of volcanoes around the Circum-North Pacific. Oblique convergence between the Pacific plate and Alaska also resulted in major dextral-slip faulting in interior and southern Alaska and along the western p

36 CFR 13.1304 - Ice fall hazard zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Ice fall hazard zones. 13.1304 Section 13.1304 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE... Provisions § 13.1304 Ice fall hazard zones. Entering an ice fall hazard zone is prohibited. These zones will...

36 CFR 13.1304 - Ice fall hazard zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Ice fall hazard zones. 13.1304 Section 13.1304 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE... Provisions § 13.1304 Ice fall hazard zones. Entering an ice fall hazard zone is prohibited. These zones will...

36 CFR 13.1304 - Ice fall hazard zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Ice fall hazard zones. 13.1304 Section 13.1304 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE... Provisions § 13.1304 Ice fall hazard zones. Entering an ice fall hazard zone is prohibited. These zones will...

36 CFR 13.1304 - Ice fall hazard zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Ice fall hazard zones. 13.1304 Section 13.1304 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE... Provisions § 13.1304 Ice fall hazard zones. Entering an ice fall hazard zone is prohibited. These zones will...

77 FR 27714 - Foreign-Trade Zone 220-Sioux Falls, SD; Application for Reorganization and Expansion Under...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-11

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B-35-2012] Foreign-Trade Zone 220--Sioux Falls... been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board (the Board) by the Sioux Falls Development... Field, 2801 Jaycee Lane, Sioux Falls; Site 2 (123 acres)--Sioux Falls Development Foundation Park III...

Crustal architecture and tectonic evolution of the Cauvery Suture Zone, southern India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chetty, T. R. K.; Yellappa, T.; Santosh, M.

2016-11-01

The Cauvery suture zone (CSZ) in southern India has witnessed multiple deformations associated with multiple subduction-collision history, with incorporation of the related accretionary belts sequentially into the southern continental margin of the Archaean Dharwar craton since Neoarchean to Neoproterozoic. The accreted tectonic elements include suprasubduction complexes of arc magmatic sequences, high-grade supracrustals, thrust duplexes, ophiolites, and younger intrusions that are dispersed along the suture. The intra-oceanic Neoarchean-Neoproterozoic arc assemblages are well exposed in the form of tectonic mélanges dominantly towards the eastern sector of the CSZ and are typically subjected to complex and multiple deformation events. Multi-scale analysis of structural elements with detailed geological mapping of the sub-regions and their structural cross sections, geochemical and geochronological data and integrated geophysical observations suggest that the CSZ is an important zone that preserves the imprints of multiple cycles of Precambrian plate tectonic regimes.

Neoproterozoic transpression and granite magmatism in the Gavilgarh-Tan Shear Zone, central India: Tectonic significance of U-Pb zircon and U-Th-total Pb monazite ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chattopadhyay, Anupam; Chatterjee, Amitava; Das, Kaushik; Sarkar, Arindam

2017-10-01

The Gavilgarh-Tan Shear Zone (GTSZ) is a crustal-scale shear/fault zone that dissects the unclassified basement gneisses separating two major supracrustal belts, viz. the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic (≥1.5 Ga) Betul Belt and the Neoproterozoic (∼1.0 Ga) Sausar Belt, of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ). The GTSZ extends for more than 300 km strike length, partly covered by the Deccan Trap flows. Granitoid rocks ranging from syenogranite to granodiorite in composition, sheared at temperatures corresponding to the amphibolite facies metamorphic condition, define the GTSZ in the Kanhan River Valley. Earlier geological studies have suggested that the GTSZ underwent a sinistral-sense partitioned transpression in response to an oblique collision between two continental fragments, possibly related to crustal thickening and high-pressure granulite metamorphism (the Ramakona-Katangi granulite: RKG) in the northern part of the Sausar Belt. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon and EPMA U-Th-total Pb dating of monazite grains from four different types of syn-tectonic granitoids of the GTSZ carried out in the present study show that granitoids intruded the basement gneisses between 1.2 Ga and 0.95 Ga, given the error limit of the calculated ages. The age of transpression and mylonitization is more definitely bracketed between 1.0 Ga and 0.95 Ga, which correlates well with the published ages of deformation and metamorphism in the Sausar Belt. This age data strongly supports the suggested collisional tectonic model involving the GTSZ and the RKG granulites of the Sausar Belt and underlines a Grenvillian-age tectonic history for the southern part of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ), which possibly culminated in the crustal assembly of the Neoproterozoic supercontinent Rodinia.

Hydrogeological impacts of a railway tunnel in fractured Precambrian gneiss rocks (south-eastern Norway)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kværner, Jens; Snilsberg, Petter

2013-11-01

Groundwater monitoring along the Romeriksporten tunnel, south-eastern Norway, provided an opportunity for studying the impacts of tunnelling on groundwater in fractured Precambrian gneiss rocks, and examining relations between bedrock hydrology, tectonic weakness zones and catchments. Tunnel leakage resulted in groundwater drawdown up to 35 m in weakness zones, converted groundwater discharge zones into recharge zones, and affected groundwater chemistry. The magnitude of drawdown and fluctuations in groundwater level differed between weakness zones, and varied with distance from the tunnel route, tunnel leakage, and recharge from catchments. Clear differences in groundwater level and fluctuation patterns indicated restricted groundwater flow between weakness zones. The groundwater drawdowns demonstrated coherent water-bearing networks to 180-m depth in faults and fracture zones. Similar groundwater levels with highly correlated fluctuations demonstrated hydraulic connectivity within fracture zones. Different groundwater drawdown and leakage in weakness zones with different appearance and influence of tectonic events demonstrated the importance of the geological history for bedrock hydrogeology. Water injection into the bedrock counteracted groundwater drawdowns. Even moderate leakage to underground constructions may lead to large groundwater drawdown in areas with small groundwater recharge. Hydrogeological interpretation of tectonic weakness zones should occur in the context of geological history and local catchment hydrology.

Fracture zones constrained by neutral surfaces in a fault-related fold: Insights from the Kelasu tectonic zone, Kuqa Depression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shuai; Hou, Guiting; Zheng, Chunfang

2017-11-01

Stress variation associated with folding is one of the controlling factors in the development of tectonic fractures, however, little attention has been paid to the influence of neutral surfaces during folding on fracture distribution in a fault-related fold. In this study, we take the Cretaceous Bashijiqike Formation in the Kuqa Depression as an example and analyze the distribution of tectonic fractures in fault-related folds by core observation and logging data analysis. Three fracture zones are identified in a fault-related fold: a tensile zone, a transition zone and a compressive zone, which may be constrained by two neutral surfaces of fold. Well correlation reveals that the tensile zone and the transition zone reach the maximum thickness at the fold hinge and get thinner in the fold limbs. A 2D viscoelastic stress field model of a fault-related fold was constructed to further investigate the mechanism of fracturing. Statistical and numerical analysis reveal that the tensile zone and the transition zone become thicker with decreasing interlimb angle. Stress variation associated with folding is the first level of control over the general pattern of fracture distribution while faulting is a secondary control over the development of local fractures in a fault-related fold.

Tectonic Setting and Aftershocks of the Mw 6.7 Feburary 14, 2013 Earthquake in Yakutia, Northeast Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rappolee, E.; Burk, D. R.; Mackey, K. G.; Fujita, K.; Shibaev, S. V.; Koz'min, B. M.

2016-12-01

The details of the seismotectonics along the boundary between the Eurasian, North American, and Okhotsk plates are poorly understood. Infrequent earthquakes of moderate size (Mw > 4) in this remote region make it difficult to characterize its tectonic activity. On February 14, 2013, an Mw 6.7 earthquake along this boundary in Northern Yakutia, Russia, resulted in a long sequence of aftershocks that provide an opportunity to better understand the region's geology. A temporary deployment of four seismic stations was installed around the main shock to supplement regional station coverage. During the ten day deployment, several thousand aftershocks were recorded. We have located 112 events using both first-arriving Pn and Sn and secondary arriving Pg and Sg phase time picks. The located aftershocks define a SSE striking zone approximately 30 km long and 10 km wide, east of the Illin'-Tas fault and northwest of the Indigirka River. Location depths range from 0 to 20 km. In conjunction with locating aftershocks, a local three-layer best-fit velocity was determined consisting of an upper crust (14 km thick, VPg = 6.06 km/s and VSg = 3.53 km/s), a lower crust (21 km thick, VP* = 6.45 km/s and VS* = 3.65 km/s), and a Moho (35 km deep, VPn = 7.98 km/s and VSn = 4.53 km/s). The mainshock epicenter falls in the northwestern corner of the aftershock zone, however its focal depth is not well established. Aftershock analysis is ongoing and will possibly provide a better understanding of the earthquake rupture zone. Nonetheless, results of this study support active thrusting and mountain building as a mechanism to accommodate compression along the North America-Eurasia boundary.

Tectonic controls on earthquake size distribution and seismicity rate: slab buoyancy and slab bending

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishikawa, T.; Ide, S.

2014-12-01

There are clear variations in maximum earthquake magnitude among Earth's subduction zones. These variations have been studied extensively and attributed to differences in tectonic properties in subduction zones, such as relative plate velocity and subducting plate age [Ruff and Kanamori, 1980]. In addition to maximum earthquake magnitude, the seismicity of medium to large earthquakes also differs among subduction zones, such as the b-value (i.e., the slope of the earthquake size distribution) and the frequency of seismic events. However, the casual relationship between the seismicity of medium to large earthquakes and subduction zone tectonics has been unclear. Here we divide Earth's subduction zones into over 100 study regions following Ide [2013] and estimate b-values and the background seismicity rate—the frequency of seismic events excluding aftershocks—for subduction zones worldwide using the maximum likelihood method [Utsu, 1965; Aki, 1965] and the epidemic type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model [Ogata, 1988]. We demonstrate that the b-value varies as a function of subducting plate age and trench depth, and that the background seismicity rate is related to the degree of slab bending at the trench. Large earthquakes tend to occur relatively frequently (lower b-values) in shallower subduction zones with younger slabs, and more earthquakes occur in subduction zones with deeper trench and steeper dip angle. These results suggest that slab buoyancy, which depends on subducting plate age, controls the earthquake size distribution, and that intra-slab faults due to slab bending, which increase with the steepness of the slab dip angle, have influence on the frequency of seismic events, because they produce heterogeneity in plate coupling and efficiently inject fluid to elevate pore fluid pressure on the plate interface. This study reveals tectonic factors that control earthquake size distribution and seismicity rate, and these relationships between seismicity and tectonic properties may be useful for seismic risk assessment.

Old stories and lost pieces of the Eastern Mediterranean puzzle: a new approach to the tectonic evolution of the Western Anatolia and the Aegean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaltırak, Cenk; Engin Aksu, Ali; Hall, Jeremy; Elitez, İrem

2015-04-01

During the last 20 or so years, the tectonic evolution of Aegean Sea and Western Anatolia has been dominantly explained by back-arc extension and escape tectonics along the North Anatolian Fault. Various datasets have been considered in the construction of general tectonic models, including the geometry of fault patterns, paleomagnetic data, extensional directions of the core complexes, characteristic changes in magmatism and volcanism, the different sense of Miocene rotation between the opposite sides of the Aegean Sea, and the stratigraphy and position of the Miocene and Pliocene-Quaternary basins. In these models, the roles of the Burdur-Fethiye Shear Zone, the Trakya-Eskişehir Fault Zone, the Anaximander Mountains and Isparta Angle have almost never been taken into consideration. The holistic evaluation of numerous land and marine researches in the Aegean Sea and western Anatolia suggest the following evolutionary stages: 1. during the early Miocene, Greece and western Anatolia were deformed under the NE-SW extensional tectonics associated with the back-arc extension, when core complexes and supra-detachment basins developed, 2. following the collision of the Anaximander Mountains and western Anatolia in early Miocene , the Isparta Angle locked this side of the western arc by generating a triangle-shaped compressional structure, 3. while the Isparta Angle penetrated into the Anatolia, the NE-striking Burdur-Fethiye Shear Zone in the west and NW-striking Trakya-Eskişehir Fault Zone in the north developed along the paleo-tectonic zones , 4. the formation of these two tectonic structures allowed the counterclockwise rotation of the western Anatolia in the middle Miocene and this rotation removed the effect of the back-arc extension on the western Anatolian Block, 5. the counterclockwise rotation developed with the early westward escape of the Western Anatolian reached up to 35-40o and Trakya-Eskişehir Fault Zone created a total dextral displacement of about 200 km. Therefore the original NE-SW extension records on the core complexes rotated to the N-S orientation and replace 45o in reference to the core complexes in Greece, 6. During this stage, the left-lateral shear along the Burdur-Fethiye Shear Zone indicates the southern part of the counterclockwise rotation. 7. The North Anatolian Fault started to form as the result of the collision of the Arabian Microplate and the Eurasian Plate in the late Miocene. This continental transform fault propagated into the Marmara Region in the late Pliocene. Its late westward escape by cutting the Trakya-Eskişehir Fault Zone on three points generates its transportation through Trakya-Eskişehir Fault Zone splays. 8. During the Miocene, while Greece was rotating 20o clockwise and continuing to be shaped by the NW-SE normal faults, which were formed as a result of back-arc tectonic, the late westward escape of the Anatolia changed the orientation of the NEE-SWW striking oblique-extensional fault-controlled Miocene basins to NE-SW direction. The rotational E-W basins, which had developed by the North Anatolian Fault tectonics, superimposed with these Miocene basins .

Extensional tectonics on continents and the transport of heat and matter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neugebauer, H. J.

1985-01-01

Intracontinental zones of extensional tectonic style are commonly of finite width and length. Associated sedimentary troughs are fault-controlled. The evolution of those structures is accompanied by volcanic activity of variable intensity. The characteristic surface structures are usually underlaid by a lower crust of the transitional type while deeper subcustal areas show delayed travel times of seismic waves especially at young tectonic provinces. A correspondence between deep-seated processes and zones of continental extension appears obvious. A sequential order of mechanisms and their importance are discussed in the light of modern data compilations and quantitative kinematic and dynamic approaches. The Cenozoic exensional tectonics related with the Rhine River are discussed.

Venus - Limited extension and volcanism along zones of lithospheric weakness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaber, G. G.

1982-01-01

Three global-scale zones of possible tectonic origin are described as occurring along broad, low rises within the Equatorial Highlands on Venus (lat 50 deg N to 50 deg S, long 60 deg to 310 deg). The two longest of these tectonic zones, the Aphrodite-Beta and Themis-Atla zones, extend for 21,000 and 14,000 km, respectively. Several lines of evidence indicate that Beta and Atla Regiones, located at the only two intersections of the three major tectonic zones, are dynamically supported volcanic terranes associated with currently active volcanism. Rift valleys south of Aphrodite Terra and between Beta and Phoebe Regiones are characterized by 75- to 100-km widths, raised rims, and extensions of only a few tens of kilometers, about the same magnitudes as in continental rifts on the earth. Horizontal extension on Venus was probably restricted by an early choking-off of plate motion by high crustal and upper-mantle temperatures, and the subsequent loss of water and an asthenosphere.

Vertical and Horizontal Analysis of Crustal Structure of Southeastern Mediterranean and the Egyptian Coastal Zone, from Bouguer and Satellite Mission Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleh, Salah

2016-07-01

The present Tectonic system of Southeastern Mediterranean is driven by the collision of the African and Eurasian plates, the Arabian Eurasian convergence and the displacement of the Anatolian Aegean microplate, which generally represents the characteristic of lithospheric structure of the region. In the scope of this study, Bouguer and the satellite gravity (satellite altimetry) anomalies of southeastern Mediterranean and North Eastern part of Egypt were used for investigating the lithospheric structures. Second order trend analyses were applied firstly to Bouguer and satellite altimetry data for examining the characteristic of the anomaly. Later, the vertical and horizontal derivatives applications were applied to the same data. Generally, the purpose of the applying derivative methods is determining the vertical and horizontal borders of the structure. According to the results of derivatives maps, the study area could mainly divided into important four tectonic subzones depending on basement and Moho depth maps. These subzones are distributed from south to the north as: Nile delta-northern Sinai zone, north Egyptian coastal zone, Levantine basin zone and northern thrusting (Cyprus and its surroundings) zone. These zones are separated from each other by horizontal tectonic boundaries and/or near-vertical faults that display the block-faulting tectonic style of this belt. Finally, the gravity studies were evaluated together with the seismic activity of the region. Consequently, the geodynamical structure of the region is examined with the previous studies done in the region. Thus, the current study indicates that satellite gravity mission data is a valuable source of data in understanding the tectonic boundary behavior of the studied region and that satellite gravity data is an important modern source of data in the geodynamical studies.

On the relative significance of lithospheric weakening mechanisms for sustained plate tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araceli Sanchez-Maes, Sophia

2018-01-01

Plate tectonics requires the bending of strong plates at subduction zones, which is difficult to achieve without a secondary weakening mechanism. Two classes of weakening mechanisms have been proposed for the generation of ongoing plate tectonics, distinguished by whether or not they require water. Here we show that the energy budget of global subduction zones offers a simple yet decisive test on their relative significance. Theoretical studies of mantle convection suggest bending dissipation to occupy only 10-20 % of total dissipation in the mantle, and our results indicate that the hydrous mechanism in the shallow part of plates is essential to satisfy the requirement. Thus, surface oceans are required for the long-term operation of plate tectonics on terrestrial worlds. Establishing this necessary and observable condition for sustained plate tectonics carries important implications for planetary habitability at large.

Imaging Ancient Sutures with EarthScope Transportable Array Magnetotelluric Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egbert, G. D.

2014-12-01

Magnetotellurics (MT) provides a powerful geophysical tool for imaging of ancient suture zones, which are frequently marked by elongated zones of very low resistivity. These conductive anomalies, which can extend to great depths and have apparently persisted for several billion years, most likely result from graphite and sulfides deeply emplaced and remobilized, through subduction, accretion and orogenesis. The Earthscope MT transportable array provides a unique broad-scale view of sutures in the continental US. In the northwestern US subvertical conductive features bound all of the major cratonic blocks. These can be identified with the Cheyenne Belt between the Wyoming Craton (WC) and Yavapai Terranes (YT), the Great Falls Tectonic Zone between WC and the Medicine Hat Block (MHB), and the Vulcan Structure of southern Alberta between MHB and the Hearne Craton. In all cases the conductive anomalies extend well into the mantle lithosphere. The more recent MT TA footprint in the north-central US (surrounding the Mid-Continent Rift (MCR)) also reveals conductive signatures of ancient sutures. The most prominent lies south of Lake Superior, just north of the Niagara Fault (NF), and can be associated with the Penokean Orogeny (~1.85 Ga). A second, further south beneath Iowa and western Wisconsin, just south of the Spirit Lake tectonic zone (SLtz), can be identified with YT accretion (~1.75 Ga). Both of these sutures are cleanly cut by the MCR. The break in the anomalies is narrow (comparable to the surface expression of the MCR) indicating that rifting impacts on the entire crustal section were highly localized. The south-dipping NF conductive anomaly extends from surface outcrop to at least the Moho. The SLtz anomaly is north-dipping, extending from mid-crust through the Moho. In both cases there is some evidence for a modestly conductive layer (likely carbon) thrust to mid-lithospheric depths within the overriding terrane.

Tectonic lineaments in the cenozoic volcanics of southern Guatemala: Evidence for a broad continental plate boundary zone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baltuck, M.; Dixon, T. H.

1984-01-01

The northern Caribbean plate boundary has been undergoing left lateral strike slip motion since middle Tertiary time. The western part of the boundary occurs in a complex tectonic zone in the continental crust of Guatemala and southernmost Mexico, along the Chixoy-Polochic, Motogua and possibly Jocotan-Chamelecon faults. Prominent lineaments visible in radar imagery in the Neogene volcanic belt of southern Guatemala and western El Salvador were mapped and interpreted to suggest southwest extensions of this already broad plate boundary zone. Because these extensions can be traced beneath Quaternary volcanic cover, it is thought that this newly mapped fault zone is active and is accommodating some of the strain related to motion between the North American and Caribbean plates. Onshore exposures of the Motoqua-Polochic fault systems are characterized by abundant, tectonically emplaced ultramafic rocks. A similar mode of emplacement for these off shore ultramafics, is suggested.

Tectonic analysis of folds in the Colorado plateau of Arizona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, G. H.

1975-01-01

Structural mapping and analysis of folds in Phanerozoic rocks in northern Arizona, using LANDSAT-1 imagery, yielded information for a tectonic model useful in identifying regional fracture zones within the Colorado Plateau tectonic province. Since the monoclines within the province developed as a response to differential movements of basement blocks along high-angle faults, the monoclinal fold pattern records the position and trend of many elements of the regional fracture system. The Plateau is divided into a mosaic of complex, polyhedral crustal blocks whose steeply dipping faces correspond to major fracture zones. Zones of convergence and changes in the trend of the monoclinal traces reveal the corners of the blocks. Igneous (and salt) diapirs have been emplaced into many of the designated zones of crustal weakness. As loci of major fracturing, folding, and probably facies changes, the fractures exert control on the entrapment of oil and gas.

Relative role of intrinsic and scattering attenuation beneath the Andaman Islands, India and tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Chandrani; Biswas, Rahul; Srijayanthi, G.; Ravi Kumar, M.

2017-10-01

The attenuation characteristics of seismic waves traversing the Andaman Nicobar subduction zone (ANSZ) are investigated using high quality data from a network of broadband stations operational since 2009. We initially studied the Coda wave attenuation (Qc-1) under the assumption of a single isotropic scattering model. Subsequently, following the multiple isotropic scattering hypothesis, we isolated the relative contributions of intrinsic (Qi-1) and scattering (Qsc-1) attenuation employing the Multiple Lapse Time Window Analysis (MLTWA) method within a frequency range 1.5-18 Hz. Results reveal a highly attenuative nature of the crust, with the values of Qc being frequency dependent. The intrinsic absorption is mostly found to be predominant compared to scattering attenuation. The dominance of Qi-1 in the crust may be attributed to the presence of fluids associated with the subducted slab. Our results are consistent with the low velocity zone reported for the region. A comparison of our results with those from other regions of the globe shows that the ANSZ falls under the category of high intrinsic attenuation zone. Interestingly, the character of ANSZ is identical to that of eastern Himalaya and southern Tibet, but entirely different from the Garhwal-Kumaun Himalaya and the source zone of Chamoli earthquake, due to the underlying mechanisms causing high attenuation.

Cenozoic intracontinental deformation of the Kopeh Dagh Belt, Northeastern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Yang; Wan, Bo; Chen, Ling; Talebian, Morteza

2016-04-01

Compressional intracontinental orogens represent large tectonic zones far from plate boundaries. Since intracontinental mountain belts cannot be framed in the conventional plate tectonics theory, several hypotheses have been proposed to account for the formations of these mountain belts. The far-field effect of collision/subduction at plate margins is now well accepted for the origin and evolution of the intracontinental crust thickening, as exemplified by the Miocene tectonics of central Asia. In northern Iran, the Binalud-Alborz mountain belt witnessed the Triassic tectonothermal events (Cimmerian orogeny), which are interpreted as the result of the Paleotethys Ocean closure between the Eurasia and Central Iran blocks. The Kopeh Dagh Belt, located to the north of the Binalud-Alborz Belt, has experienced two significant tectonic phases: (1) Jurassic to Eocene rifting with more than 7 km of sediments; and (2) Late Eocene-Early Oligocene to Quaternary continuous compression. Due to the high seismicity, deformation associated with earthquakes has received more and more attention; however, the deformation pattern and architecture of this range remain poorly understood. Detailed field observations on the Cenozoic deformation indicate that the Kopeh Dagh Belt can be divided into a western zone and an eastern zone, separated by a series of dextral strike-slip faults, i.e. the Bakharden-Quchan Fault System. The eastern zone characterized by km-scale box-fold structures, associated with southwest-dipping reverse faults and top-to-the NE kinematics. In contrast, the western zone shows top-to-the SW kinematics, and the deformation intensifies from NE to SW. In the northern part of this zone, large-scale asymmetrical anticlines exhibit SW-directed vergence with subordinate thrusts and folds, whereas symmetrical anticlines are observed in the southern part. In regard to its tectonic feature, the Kopeh Dagh Belt is a typical Cenozoic intracontinental belt without ophiolites or arc magmatism. During the Jurassic to Eocene rifting, this belt acted as the southern boundary of the Amu Darya Basin with normal faulting, which is also widespread in the South Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Moreover, such an extended area became a relatively weak zone within the Eurasian Plate, and could be easily reworked. Because of the collision in the Zagros Belt, the intracontinental compression commenced as early as Late Eocene to Early Oligocene, which is interpreted as tectonic inversion along this weak zone. The western zone of the Kopeh Dagh Belt was also affected by southerly indentation/extrusion of the South Caspian block since middle Miocene, possibly resulting in the different deformation patterns between the western and eastern zones.

Mantle fault zone beneath Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii.

PubMed

Wolfe, Cecily J; Okubo, Paul G; Shearer, Peter M

2003-04-18

Relocations and focal mechanism analyses of deep earthquakes (>/=13 kilometers) at Kilauea volcano demonstrate that seismicity is focused on an active fault zone at 30-kilometer depth, with seaward slip on a low-angle plane, and other smaller, distinct fault zones. The earthquakes we have analyzed predominantly reflect tectonic faulting in the brittle lithosphere rather than magma movement associated with volcanic activity. The tectonic earthquakes may be induced on preexisting faults by stresses of magmatic origin, although background stresses from volcano loading and lithospheric flexure may also contribute.

Mantle fault zone beneath Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wolfe, C.J.; Okubo, P.G.; Shearer, P.M.

2003-01-01

Relocations and focal mechanism analyses of deep earthquakes (???13 kilometers) at Kilauea volcano demonstrate that seismicity is focused on an active fault zone at 30-kilometer depth, with seaward slip on a low-angle plane, and other smaller, distinct fault zones. The earthquakes we have analyzed predominantly reflect tectonic faulting in the brittle lithosphere rather than magma movement associated with volcanic activity. The tectonic earthquakes may be induced on preexisting faults by stresses of magmatic origin, although background stresses from volcano loading and lithospheric flexure may also contribute.

Possible detachment zone in Precambrian rocks of Kanjamalai Hills, Cauvery Suture Zone, Southern India: Implications to accretionary tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohanty, D. P.; Chetty, T. R. K.

2014-07-01

Existence of a possible detachment zone at Elampillai region, NW margin of Kanjamalai Hills, located in the northern part of Cauvery Suture Zone (CSZ), Southern India, is reported here for the first time. Detailed structural mapping provides anatomy of the zone, which are rarely preserved in Precambrian high grade terranes. The detachment surface separates two distinct rock units of contrasting lithological and structural characters: the upper and lower units. The detachment zone is characterized by a variety of fold styles with the predominance of tight isoclinal folds with varied plunge directions, limb rotations and the hinge line variations often leading to lift-off fold like geometries and deformed sheath folds. Presence of parasitic folding and associated penetrative strains seem to be controlled by differences in mechanical stratigraphy, relative thicknesses of the competent and incompetent units, and the structural relief of the underlying basement. Our present study in conjunction with other available geological, geochemical and geochronological data from the region indicates that the structures of the detachment zone are genetically related to thrust tectonics forming a part of subduction-accretion-collision tectonic history of the Neoproterozoic Gondwana suture.

Identifying tectonic parameters that affect tsunamigenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Zelst, I.; Brizzi, S.; Heuret, A.; Funiciello, F.; van Dinther, Y.

2016-12-01

The role of tectonics in tsunami generation is at present poorly understood. However, the fact thatsome regions produce more tsunamis than others indicates that tectonics could influencetsunamigenesis. Here, we complement a global earthquake database that contains geometrical,mechanical, and seismicity parameters of subduction zones with tsunami data. We statisticallyanalyse the database to identify the tectonic parameters that affect tsunamigenesis. The Pearson'sproduct-moment correlation coefficients reveal high positive correlations of 0.65 between,amongst others, the maximum water height of tsunamis and the seismic coupling in a subductionzone. However, these correlations are mainly caused by outliers. The Spearman's rank correlationcoefficient results in statistically significant correlations of 0.60 between the number of tsunamisin a subduction zone and subduction velocity (positive correlation) and the sediment thickness atthe trench (negative correlation). Interestingly, there is a positive correlation between the latter andtsunami magnitude. These bivariate statistical methods are extended to a binary decision tree(BDT) and multivariate analysis. Using the BDT, the tectonic parameters that distinguish betweensubduction zones with tsunamigenic and non-tsunamigenic earthquakes are identified. To assessphysical causality of the tectonic parameters with regard to tsunamigenesis, we complement ouranalysis by a numerical study of the most promising parameters using a geodynamic seismic cyclemodel. We show that the inclusion of sediments on the subducting plate results in an increase insplay fault activity, which could lead to larger vertical seafloor displacements due to their steeperdips and hence a larger tsunamigenic potential. We also show that the splay fault is the preferredrupture path for a strongly velocity strengthening friction regime in the shallow part of thesubduction zone, which again increases the tsunamigenic potential.

Similar Ring Structures on Mars and Tibetan Plateau confirm recent tectonism on Martian Northern polar region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anglés, A.; Li, Y. L.

2017-10-01

The polar regions of Mars feature layered deposits, some of which exist as enclosed zoning structures. These deposits raised strong interest since their discovery and still remain one of the most controversial features on Mars. Zoning structures that are enclosed only appear in the Northern polar region, where the disappearance of water bodies may have left behind huge deposits of evaporate salts. The origin of the layered deposits has been widely debated. Here we propose that the enclosed nature of the zoning structures indicates the result of recent tectonism. We compared similar structures at an analogue site located in the western Qaidam Basin of Tibetan Plateau, a unique tectonic setting with abundant saline deposits. The enclosed structures, which we term Ring Structures, in both the analogue site and in the Northern polar region of Mars, were formed by uplift induced pressurization and buoyancy of salts as the result of recent tectonic activity.

Plate tectonics on the Earth triggered by plume-induced subduction initiation.

PubMed

Gerya, T V; Stern, R J; Baes, M; Sobolev, S V; Whattam, S A

2015-11-12

Scientific theories of how subduction and plate tectonics began on Earth--and what the tectonic structure of Earth was before this--remain enigmatic and contentious. Understanding viable scenarios for the onset of subduction and plate tectonics is hampered by the fact that subduction initiation processes must have been markedly different before the onset of global plate tectonics because most present-day subduction initiation mechanisms require acting plate forces and existing zones of lithospheric weakness, which are both consequences of plate tectonics. However, plume-induced subduction initiation could have started the first subduction zone without the help of plate tectonics. Here, we test this mechanism using high-resolution three-dimensional numerical thermomechanical modelling. We demonstrate that three key physical factors combine to trigger self-sustained subduction: (1) a strong, negatively buoyant oceanic lithosphere; (2) focused magmatic weakening and thinning of lithosphere above the plume; and (3) lubrication of the slab interface by hydrated crust. We also show that plume-induced subduction could only have been feasible in the hotter early Earth for old oceanic plates. In contrast, younger plates favoured episodic lithospheric drips rather than self-sustained subduction and global plate tectonics.

Seismotectonic zoning of Azerbaijan territory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kangarli, Talat; Aliyev, Ali; Aliyev, Fuad; Rahimov, Fuad

2017-04-01

Studying of the space-time correlation and consequences effect between tectonic events and other geological processes that have created modern earth structure still remains as one of the most important problems in geology. This problem is especially important for the East Caucasus-South Caspian geodynamic zone. Being situated at the eastern part of the Caucasian strait, this zone refers to a center of Alpine-Himalayan active folded belt, and is known as a complex tectonic unit with jointing heterogeneous structural-substantial complexes arising from different branches of the belt (Doburja-Caucasus-Kopetdag from the north and Pyrenean-Alborz from the south with Kura and South Caspian zone). According to GPS and precise leveling data, activity of regional geodynamic processes shows intensive horizontal and vertical movements of the Earth's crust as conditioned by collision of the Arabian and Eurasian continental plates continuing since the end of Miocene. So far studies related to the regional of geology-geophysical data, periodically used for the geological and tectonic modeling of the environment mainly based on the fixing ideology. There still remains a number of uncertainties in solution of issues related to regional geology, tectonics and magmatism, structure and interrelation of different structural zones, space-time interrelations between onshore and offshore complexes, etc. At the same time large dataset produced by surface geological surveys, deep geological mapping of on- and offshore areas with the use of seismic and electrical reconnaissance and geophysical field zoning methods, deep well drilling and remote sensing activities. Conducted new studies produced results including differentiation of formerly unknown nappe complexes of the different ages and scales within the structure of mountain-fold zones, identification of new zones containing ophiolites in their section, outlining of currently active faulting areas, geophysical interpretation of the deep structure of Greater and Lesser Caucasus, detailed description of the deep structure of Caspian zone, Kur and Caspian megadepressions, identification of nappe-folded structure of the Absheron Peninsula and the Absheron threshold at the border of Middle and South Caspian, justification of the possible hydrocarbon concentration at the tectonically stratified substantial complexes of mountain and foothill areas, etc. Based on the outcomes of implemented researches, some general conclusions and schemes were drawn for some parts of the project region within the plate tectonics conceptual frameworks, to include the territories of Lesser Caucasus and South Caspian. Analysis and comparison of these data with macroseismic and instrumental data allowed us to conduct seismotectonic studies in a region and develop a new scheme of seismotectonic map with outlined recent and forecasted seismic activity. There also correlated foci zones of earthquakes with subhorizontal and subvertical borders in earth crust, which shows their structure-dynamic relationship. In the one hand, the earthquake foci zones belong to the faults of the basement which extend to sedimentary cover and their intersection knots. On the other hand, there appearing inner-block seismogenic levels, namely, in seismic generation acts all the earth crust: tectonic stress results on movements along fault zones, as well as lateral displacements along non-stable contacts of the structure-substance complexes of different competency.

The origin of strike-slip tectonics in continental rifts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebinger, C. J.; Pagli, C.; Yun, S. H.; Keir, D.; Wang, H.

2016-12-01

Although continental rifts are zones of lithospheric extension, strike-slip tectonics is also accommodated within rifts and its origin remains controversial. Here we present a combined analysis of recent seismicity, InSAR and GPS derived strain maps to reveal that the plate motion in Afar is accommodated primarily by extensional tectonics in all rift arms and lacks evidences of regional scale bookshelf tectonics. However in the rifts of central Afar we identify crustal extension and normal faulting in the central part of the rifts but strike-slip earthquakes at the rift tips. We investigate if strike-slip can be the result of Coulomb stress changes induced by recent dyking but models do not explain these earthquakes. Instead we explain strike-slips as shearing at the tips of a broad zone of spreading where extension terminates against unstretched lithosphere. Our results demonstrate that plate spreading can develop both strike-slip and extensional tectonics in the same rifts.

Tectonic control on the genesis of magmas in the New Hebrides arc (Vanuatu)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beier, Christoph; Brandl, Philipp A.; Lima, Selma M.; Haase, Karsten M.

2018-07-01

We present here new bathymetric, petrological and geochemical whole rock, glass and mineral data from the submarine Epi volcano in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) island arc. The structure has previously been interpreted to be part of a larger caldera structure but new bathymetric data reveal that the volcanic cones are aligned along shear zones controlled by the local tectonic stress field parallel to the recent direction of subduction. We aim to test if there is an interaction between local tectonics and magmatism and to what extent the compositions of island arc volcanoes may be influenced by their tectonic setting. Primitive submarine Epi lavas and those from the neighbouring Lopevi and Ambrym islands originate from a depleted mantle wedge modified by addition of subduction zone components. Incompatible element ratios sensitive to fluid input (e.g., Th/Nb, Ce/Yb) in the lavas are positively correlated with those more sensitive to mantle wedge depletion (e.g., Nb/Yb, Zr/Nb) amongst the arc volcanoes suggesting that fluids or melts from the subducting sediments have a stronger impact on the more depleted compositions of the mantle wedge. The whole rock, glass and mineral major and trace element compositions and the occurrence of exclusively normally zoned clinopyroxene and plagioclase crystals combined with the absence of inversely zoned crystals and water-bearing phases in both mafic and evolved lavas suggest that the erupted melt was relatively dry compared to other subduction zone melts and has experienced little disequilibrium modification by melt mixing or assimilation. Our data also imply that differentiation of amphibole is not required to explain the incompatible element patterns but may rather result from extensive clinopyroxene fractionation in agreement with petrographic observations. Thermobarometric calculations indicate that the melts fractionated continuously during ascent, contrasting with fractionation during stagnation in an established crustal magma reservoir. We interpret the occurrence of this fractional crystallisation end-member in a relatively thick island arc crust ( 30 km thickness) to result from isolated and relatively rapid ascent of melts, most likely through a complex system of dykes and sills that developed due to the tectonic positioning of Epi in a complex tectonic zone between a compressional environment in the north and an extensional setting in the south. We can show that the alignment of the cones largely depends on the local tectonic stress field at Epi that is especially influenced by a large dextral strike-slip zone, indicating that structural features have a significant impact on the location and composition of volcanic edifices.

Anatomy of a mountain: The Thebes Limestone Formation (Lower Eocene) at Gebel Gurnah, Luxor, Nile Valley, Upper Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Christopher; Dupuis, Christian; Aubry, Marie-Pierre; Berggren, William A.; Knox, Robert O.'B.; Galal, Wael Fathi; Baele, Jean-Marc

2017-12-01

We present a detailed geologic study of the Thebes Formation at Gebel Gurnah in its locus typicus on the West Bank (opposite Luxor) of the Nile River in the Upper Nile Valley, Egypt. This is the first detailed measurement and lithologic description of the ∼340 m thick (predominantly) carbonate section. The Thebes Formation is divided into thirteen major lithic units (A to M). We interpret data on the lithologic succession and variations, whole rock/clay mineralogy, and macro/micropaleontology in terms of deposition on a shallow carbonate platform episodically influenced by continental runoff, and describe six depositional sequences that we place in the global framework of Lower Eocene (Ypresian) sequence stratigraphy. We note however significant incompatibilities between the Thebes depositional sequences and the global sequences. We emend the definition of the Thebes Formation by defining its top as corresponding to level 326 m at the top of Nodular Limestone 'L' (NLL), and assigning the overlying beds to the Minia Limestone Formation. New biostratigraphic data and revision of previous studies establish the direct assignment of the Thebes Formation to planktonic foraminiferal Zones E4/P6b (upper part), E5/P7 and (indirectly) Zone E6/P8, and (probably, indirectly) Zone E7a/;P9;, and to calcareous nannofossil Zone NP12 and lower Zone NP13 of the Lower Eocene (Ypresian) and provide a temporal framework spanning ∼ 2.8 Myr from <52.45 to ∼49.6 Ma for the deposition of the Thebes Formation prior to the prominent sea level fall (∼49.6 Ma) towards the end of the Early Eocene. Dominantly carbonate deposition, with a strongly reduced detrital influx, occurred on a very wide shelf (probably) at least ∼ 100 km from the coastline. The thick sedimentary succession and the marked vertical lithologic variations are interpreted as resulting from sea level fluctuations imprinted on a long-term decrease in sea-level associated with rapid subsidence reflecting tectonic relaxation after the major Late Paleocene tectonic reorganization of the Syrian Arc.

Maximum earthquake magnitudes in the Aegean area constrained by tectonic moment release rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ch. Koravos, G.; Main, I. G.; Tsapanos, T. M.; Musson, R. M. W.

2003-01-01

Seismic moment release is usually dominated by the largest but rarest events, making the estimation of seismic hazard inherently uncertain. This uncertainty can be reduced by combining long-term tectonic deformation rates with short-term recurrence rates. Here we adopt this strategy to estimate recurrence rates and maximum magnitudes for tectonic zones in the Aegean area. We first form a merged catalogue for historical and instrumentally recorded earthquakes in the Aegean, based on a recently published catalogue for Greece and surrounding areas covering the time period 550BC-2000AD, at varying degrees of completeness. The historical data are recalibrated to allow for changes in damping in seismic instruments around 1911. We divide the area up into zones that correspond to recent determinations of deformation rate from satellite data. In all zones we find that the Gutenberg-Richter (GR) law holds at low magnitudes. We use Akaike's information criterion to determine the best-fitting distribution at high magnitudes, and classify the resulting frequency-magnitude distributions of the zones as critical (GR law), subcritical (gamma density distribution) or supercritical (`characteristic' earthquake model) where appropriate. We determine the ratio η of seismic to tectonic moment release rate. Low values of η (<0.5) corresponding to relatively aseismic deformation, are associated with higher b values (>1.0). The seismic and tectonic moment release rates are then combined to constrain recurrence rates and maximum credible magnitudes (in the range 6.7-7.6 mW where the results are well constrained) based on extrapolating the short-term seismic data. With current earthquake data, many of the tectonic zones show a characteristic distribution that leads to an elevated probability of magnitudes around 7, but a reduced probability of larger magnitudes above this value when compared with the GR trend. A modification of the generalized gamma distribution is suggested to account for this, based on a finite statistical second moment for the seismic moment distribution.

Quaternary tectonic faulting in the Eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wheeler, R.L.

2006-01-01

Paleoseismological study of geologic features thought to result from Quaternary tectonic faulting can characterize the frequencies and sizes of large prehistoric and historical earthquakes, thereby improving the accuracy and precision of seismic-hazard assessments. Greater accuracy and precision can reduce the likelihood of both underprotection and unnecessary design and construction costs. Published studies proposed Quaternary tectonic faulting at 31 faults, folds, seismic zones, and fields of earthquake-induced liquefaction phenomena in the Appalachian Mountains and Coastal Plain. Of the 31 features, seven are of known origin. Four of the seven have nontectonic origins and the other three features are liquefaction fields caused by moderate to large historical and Holocene earthquakes in coastal South Carolina, including Charleston; the Central Virginia Seismic Zone; and the Newbury, Massachusetts, area. However, the causal faults of the three liquefaction fields remain unclear. Charleston has the highest hazard because of large Holocene earthquakes in that area, but the hazard is highly uncertain because the earthquakes are uncertainly located. Of the 31 features, the remaining 24 are of uncertain origin. They require additional work before they can be clearly attributed either to Quaternary tectonic faulting or to nontectonic causes. Of these 24, 14 features, most of them faults, have little or no published geologic evidence of Quaternary tectonic faulting that could indicate the likely occurrence of earthquakes larger than those observed historically. Three more features of the 24 were suggested to have had Quaternary tectonic faulting, but paleoseismological and other studies of them found no evidence of large prehistoric earthquakes. The final seven features of uncertain origin require further examination because all seven are in or near urban areas. They are the Moodus Seismic Zone (Hartford, Connecticut), Dobbs Ferry fault zone and Mosholu fault (New York City), Lancaster Seismic Zone and the epicenter of the shallow Cacoosing Valley earthquake (Lancaster and Reading, Pennsylvania), Kingston fault (central New Jersey between New York and Philadelphia), and Everona fault-Mountain Run fault zone (Washington, D.C., and Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia). ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tectonics and seismicity of the southern Washington Cascade range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanley, W.D.; Johnson, S.Y.; Qamar, A.I.; Weaver, C.S.; Williams, J.M.

1996-01-01

Geophysical, geological, and seismicity data are combined to develop a transpressional strain model for the southern Washington Cascades region. We use this model to explain oblique fold and fault systems, transverse faults, and a linear seismic zone just west of Mt. Rainier known as the western Rainier zone. We also attempt to explain a concentration of earthquakes that connects the northwest-trending Mount St. Helens seismic zone to the north-trending western Rainier zone. Our tectonic model illustrates the pervasive effects of accretionary processes, combined with subsequent transpressive forces generated by oblique subduction, on Eocene to present crustal processes, such as seismicity and volcanism.

Deep conductivity characteristics and preliminary acquaintance of the Lushan earthquake, east edge of Tibetan Plateau, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, J.; Wang, X.; Wang, Y.; Min, G.

2013-12-01

1. Introduction The Longmenshan foreland basin developed as a flexural foredeep at western Yangtze Platfrom during the Late Triassic Indosinian orogeny with strong tectonic activity. 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (Mw7.9) happened along the middle segment of the Longmenshan overthrusting belt. 2013 Lushan earthquake (Mw6.6) occurred along the south segment of Longmenshan tectonic zone which belongs to seismic gap during the Wenchuan earthquake. The recent researches ( Yan Zhan etc., 2013; Zhuqi Zhang etc., 2013; Xiwei Xu etc., 2013) indicate that the Lushan earthquake may closely related to the activity of Longmenshan ';s piedmont fault zone while the seismogenic fault and other issues are still controversial. In order to provide an electromagnetic basis in deep earthquake area structure, we detect magnetotelluric(MT) sounding in Lushan earthquake zone to obtain the electrical structure characteristics of Longmenshan's south segment. 2. Data acquisition and processing To research the deep electrical structure of earthquake zone assigning a MT profile through the epicenter which transects the Sichuan platform concave, Longmenshan tectonic belt and Songpan-Ganzi fold system. To analysis the MT data, we carried out the impedance tensor decompositionincluding the swift rotation and bahr method which based on the phase deviation. Ultimately, NLCG method was adopted to inverse MT data. 3. Conclusion The result of MT data discloses deep electrical structure feature of the southern section of Longmenshan overthrusting belt: the burial depth of conductive layer in the upper crust of Songpan-Ganzi plot is larger than that of middle-northern part; there is no conductive zone in Longmenshan high resistance body which connect with the high conductivity layer in the crust of the western section of Songpan-Ganzi plot; there exists a relatively large range of conductive zone in the basin to Longmenshan tectonic belt, which is mostly related to the piedmont of concealed fault zone and resistive intermediate belt at the edge of western basin. Be different form Wenchuan earthquake, Lushan earthquake located in the south of Longmenshan tectonic zone which have a strong connection with the piedmont fault. MT research reveals the difference of the deep electrical structure between the south of Longmenshan tectonic belt and the middle-north belt, from which we can infer that the seismogenic environment are not the same. The epicenter of Lushan earthquake occurred in the east edge of Longmenshan tectonic belt which close to Longmenshan ';s piedmont fault combine with the MT inversion infer that Lushan earthquake has a stronger relationship with Longmenshan ';s piedmont fault. Because of the short term of our work, now further work is ongoing.

Identifying tectonic parameters that influence tsunamigenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Zelst, Iris; Brizzi, Silvia; van Dinther, Ylona; Heuret, Arnauld; Funiciello, Francesca

2017-04-01

The role of tectonics in tsunami generation is at present poorly understood. However, the fact that some regions produce more tsunamis than others indicates that tectonics could influence tsunamigenesis. Here, we complement a global earthquake database that contains geometrical, mechanical, and seismicity parameters of subduction zones with tsunami data. We statistically analyse the database to identify the tectonic parameters that affect tsunamigenesis. The Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients reveal high positive correlations of 0.65 between, amongst others, the maximum water height of tsunamis and the seismic coupling in a subduction zone. However, these correlations are mainly caused by outliers. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient results in more robust correlations of 0.60 between the number of tsunamis in a subduction zone and subduction velocity (positive correlation) and the sediment thickness at the trench (negative correlation). Interestingly, there is a positive correlation between the latter and tsunami magnitude. In an effort towards multivariate statistics, a binary decision tree analysis is conducted with one variable. However, this shows that the amount of data is too scarce. To complement this limited amount of data and to assess physical causality of the tectonic parameters with regard to tsunamigenesis, we conduct a numerical study of the most promising parameters using a geodynamic seismic cycle model. We show that an increase in sediment thickness on the subducting plate results in a shift in seismic activity from outerrise normal faults to splay faults. We also show that the splay fault is the preferred rupture path for a strongly velocity strengthening friction regime in the shallow part of the subduction zone, which increases the tsunamigenic potential. A larger updip limit of the seismogenic zone results in larger vertical surface displacement.

Continental tectonics in the aftermath of plate tectonics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molnar, Peter

1988-01-01

It is shown that the basic tenet of plate tectonics, rigid-body movements of large plates of lithosphere, fails to apply to continental interiors. There, buoyant continental crust can detach from the underlying mantle to form mountain ranges and broad zones of diffuse tectonic activity. The role of crustal blocks and of the detachment of crustal fragments in this process is discussed. Future areas of investigation are addressed.

Tectonic evolution of the Qumran Basin from high-resolution 3.5-kHz seismic profiles and its implication for the evolution of the northern Dead Sea Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubberts, Ronald K.; Ben-Avraham, Zvi

2002-02-01

The Dead Sea Basin is a morphotectonic depression along the Dead Sea Transform. Its structure can be described as a deep rhomb-graben (pull-apart) flanked by two block-faulted marginal zones. We have studied the recent tectonic structure of the northwestern margin of the Dead Sea Basin in the area where the northern strike-slip master fault enters the basin and approaches the western marginal zone (Western Boundary Fault). For this purpose, we have analyzed 3.5-kHz seismic reflection profiles obtained from the northwestern corner of the Dead Sea. The seismic profiles give insight into the recent tectonic deformation of the northwestern margin of the Dead Sea Basin. A series of 11 seismic profiles are presented and described. Although several deformation features can be explained in terms of gravity tectonics, it is suggested that the occurrence of strike-slip in this part of the Dead Sea Basin is most likely. Seismic sections reveal a narrow zone of intensely deformed strata. This zone gradually merges into a zone marked by a newly discovered tectonic depression, the Qumran Basin. It is speculated that both structural zones originate from strike-slip along right-bending faults that splay-off from the Jordan Fault, the strike-slip master fault that delimits the active Dead Sea rhomb-graben on the west. Fault interaction between the strike-slip master fault and the normal faults bounding the transform valley seems the most plausible explanation for the origin of the right-bending splays. We suggest that the observed southward widening of the Dead Sea Basin possibly results from the successive formation of secondary right-bending splays to the north, as the active depocenter of the Dead Sea Basin migrates northward with time.

Ordovidan K-bentonites in the Precordillera of San Juan and its tectomasmatic significance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cingolani, C.A.; Huff, W.; Bergstrom, S.; Kolata, D.

1997-01-01

A succession of approximately 35 early Middle Ordovician K-bentonite beds are exposed in the Precordillera region near the town of Jachal, in San Juan Province (at Cerro Viejo and La Chilca sections). They occur in argillaceous limestone in the upper part of the San Juan Limestone and in the interbedded shales and mudstones at the base of the overlying Los Azules Formation. Total thickness of the K-bentonite-bearing interval is 23 m and individual beds range from 1 to 65 cm thick. An essentially Arenig-Llanvirn age for the K-bentonite succession is indicated by the presence of graptolites diagnostic of the Paraglossograptus tentaculatus Zone and conodonts indicating the Eoplacognathus suecicus Zone. The bentonites consist mainly of Rl ordered illite/smectite, characteristic of most of the lower Paleozoic K-bentonites, plus volcanogenic crystals. Similar to other K-bentonites, these probably represent the distal, glass-rich portion of fall-out ash beds derived from collision zone explosive volcanism. The geochemical data and preliminary plots on the magmatic discrimination diagram indicate the parental magma was of rhyolite to trachyandesite composition. Tectonic discrimination diagrams show the setting of Cerro Viejo ash layers as falling on the boundary between volcanic arc and within plate rocks, typical of collision margin felsic volcanic rocks. U-Pb isotope dating for two zircon fractions from one sample show a lower concordia intercept of 461, +7-10 Ma coincident with the biostratigraphic age. Thus, they have important implications for the origin and early history of the allochtonous Precordillera terrane and the Pacific margin of South America. Furthermore, they are potentially important in interpretations of the paleogeographic relations of Laurentia and Gondwana during Ordovician time. ?? 1997 Asociacio??n Geolo??gica Argentina.

Mesozoic to Eocene ductile deformation of western Central Iran: From Cimmerian collisional orogeny to Eocene exhumation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kargaranbafghi, Fariba; Neubauer, Franz; Genser, Johann; Faghih, Ali; Kusky, Timothy

2012-09-01

To advance our understanding of the Mesozoic to Eocene tectonics and kinematics of basement units exposed in the south-western Central Iran plateau, this paper presents new structural and thermochronological data from the Chapedony metamorphic core complex and hangingwall units, particularly from the Posht-e-Badam complex. The overall Paleogene structural characteristics of the area are related to an oblique convergent zone. The Saghand area represents part of a deformation zone between the Arabian and Eurasian plates, and can be interpreted to result from the Central Iran intracontinental deformation acting as a weak zone during Mesozoic to Paleogene times. Field and microstructural evidence reveal that the metamorphic and igneous rocks suffered a ductile shear deformation including mylonitization at the hangingwall boundary of the Eocene Chapedony metamorphic core complex. Comparison of deformation features in the mylonites and other structural features within the footwall unit leads to the conclusion that the mylonites were formed in a subhorizontal shear zone by NE-SW stretching during Middle to Late Eocene extensional tectonics. The Chapedony metamorphic core complex is characterized by amphibolite-facies metamorphism and development of S and S-L tectonic fabrics. The Posht-e-Badam complex was deformed by two stages during Cimmerian tectonic processes forming the Paleo-Tethyan suture.

76 FR 20532 - Safety Zone; Boom Days, Niagara River, Niagara Falls, NY

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-13

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Boom Days, Niagara River, Niagara Falls, NY AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION..., Niagara Falls, NY for the Boom Days Fireworks. This zone is intended to restrict vessels from La Salle Marina and a portion of the Niagara River, Niagara Falls, NY during the Boom Days Fireworks on April 16...

Looking inside the microseismic cloud using seismic interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matzel, E.; Rhode, A.; Morency, C.; Templeton, D. C.; Pyle, M. L.

2015-12-01

Microseismicity provides a direct means of measuring the physical characteristics of active tectonic features such as fault zones. Thousands of microquakes are often associated with an active site. This cloud of microseismicity helps define the tectonically active region. When processed using novel geophysical techniques, we can isolate the energy sensitive to the faulting region, itself. The virtual seismometer method (VSM) is a technique of seismic interferometry that provides precise estimates of the GF between earthquakes. In many ways the converse of ambient noise correlation, it is very sensitive to the source parameters (location, mechanism and magnitude) and to the Earth structure in the source region. In a region with 1000 microseisms, we can calculate roughly 500,000 waveforms sampling the active zone. At the same time, VSM collapses the computation domain down to the size of the cloud of microseismicity, often by 2-3 orders of magnitude. In simple terms VSM involves correlating the waveforms from a pair of events recorded at an individual station and then stacking the results over all stations to obtain the final result. In the far-field, when most of the stations in a network fall along a line between the two events, the result is an estimate of the GF between the two, modified by the source terms. In this geometry each earthquake is effectively a virtual seismometer recording all the others. When applied to microquakes, this alignment is often not met, and we also need to address the effects of the geometry between the two microquakes relative to each seismometer. Nonetheless, the technique is quite robust, and highly sensitive to the microseismic cloud. Using data from the Salton Sea geothermal region, we demonstrate the power of the technique, illustrating our ability to scale the technique from the far-field, where sources are well separated, to the near field where their locations fall within each other's uncertainty ellipse. VSM provides better illumination of the complex subsurface by generating precise, high frequency estimates of the GF and resolution of seismic properties between every pair of events. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344

Imaging of the 3D crustal structure off the Joetsu region in Japan Sea and its implication of the activity of the tectonic zone by using LT-OBSs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machida, Y.; Shinbo, T.; Shinohara, M.; Yamada, T.; Mochizuki, K.; Kanazawa, T.

2011-12-01

At the eastern margin of the Japan Sea, large earthquakes have been occurred (e.g., 1964 Niigata earthquake, the 1983 Japan Sea earthquake, the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake and the 2007 Chuetsu-oki earthquake) along the Niigata-Kobe Tectonic Zone (NKTZ). The NKTZ is recognized as a region of large strain rate along the Japan Sea coast and in the northern Chubu and Kinki distinct. Among these events, the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake and the 2007 Chuetsu-oki earthquake is triggered by reactivation of pre-existing faults within ancient rift systems by stress loading through a ductile creeping of the weak lower crust (Kato et al., 2008). Because a source region of the 2007 Chuetsu-oki earthquake is distributed under the Japan Sea, aftershock observation using Ocean Bottom Seismometers were carried out (Shinohara et al., 2008). It is necessary to estimate precise aftershock distribution in order to understand the mechanism of earthquake generation. In addition, a seismic refraction survey was carried out to reveal crustal structure in the region (Nakahigashi et al., submitted). They indicated that most of aftershocks were occurred in the upper crust. Because the tectonic zone is thought to be spread in offshore region, it is difficult to understand a precise activity of the tectonic zone from only land-base observations. To compare the seismic activity with the crustal structure in the region is indispensable to understand the stress field in the tectonic zone and the tectonics in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea. In order to investigate a seismic activity in the tectonic zone, 10 Long-Term Ocean Bottom Seismometers (LT-OBS) were deployed from December, 2008, to October, 2009, in the off Joetsu region. First we estimated hypocenters of events using a location program for finding a maximum likelihood solution using a Bayesian approach (Hirata and Matsu'ura, 1987). The velocity structure for the location was modeled from a previous refraction survey conducted in the same region. Foci of over one thousand and two hundreds earthquakes were estimated with high spatial resolution during the observation period. The hypocentral distribution revealed that most of events are occurred within the upper crust. It is consistent with a result of Shinohara et al. (2008). Our precise locations of the events are useful for crustal structure studies. For example, reliability of results from tomographic study is thought to increase by using our precise locations of the events as initial locations of the inversion. We performed a high resolution 3D tomographic analysis and relocation of earthquake applying the double-difference tomography method (Zhang and Thurber, 2003). We can compare the seismic activity with heterogeneity in crust of the tectonic zone off the coast of Joetsu region.

The Influence of the Ufimian Tectonic Concentric Structure on the Hydrocarbon Migration and Ore Genesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippov, V. A.

2018-01-01

The Ufimian tectonic concentric structure (UTC) is a regional structure with concentric and zonal structure of the internal gravity field. In the Neoproterozoic this structure was at higher hypsometric level relative to the Bashkir Meganticlinorium. The most significant uplift of this tectonic concentric structure happened at the beginning of the Karatau time ( 825 Ma) and was accompanied by the formation of a ring fractured zone, favorable for hydrocarbon migration from the Lower Riphean black shales. Due to this, bitumens with higher Mo content in the Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic deposits are confined spatially to this zone. The bitumenosity of the Neoproterozoic deposits on the southern slope of the Ufimian tectonic concentric structure could have contributed to the formation of complex Cu-Ag-Mo-Re ores (copper sands) at the upper boundary of terrigenous red deposits of the Zilmerdak Formation. Positive structures identified in the Neoproterozoic deposits near the margin of the Ufimian tectonic concentric structure are considered to be promising for searching for hydrocarbon fields.

Geology of the Venus equatorial region from Pioneer Venus radar imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Senske, D. A.; Head, James W.

1989-01-01

The surface characteristics and morphology of the equatorial region of Venus were first described by Masursky et al. who showed this part of the planet to be characterized by two topographic provinces, rolling plains and highlands, and more recently by Schaber who described and interpreted tectonic zones in the highlands. Using Pioneer Venus (PV) radar image data (15 deg S to 45 deg N), Senske and Head examined the distribution, characteristics, and deposits of individual volcanic features in the equatorial region, and in addition classified major equatorial physiographic and tectonic units on the basis of morphology, topographic signature, and radar properties derived from the PV data. Included in this classification are: plains (undivided), inter-highland tectonic zones, tectonically segmented linear highlands, upland rises, tectonic junctions, dark halo plains, and upland plateaus. In addition to the physiographic units, features interpreted as coronae and volcanic mountains have also been mapped. The latter four of the physiographic units along with features interpreted to be coronae.

Geomorphic evidence of Quaternary tectonics within an underlap fault zone of southern Apennines, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giano, Salvatore Ivo; Pescatore, Eva; Agosta, Fabrizio; Prosser, Giacomo

2018-02-01

A composite seismic source, the Irpinia - Agri Valley Fault zone, located in the axial sector of the fold-and-thrust belt of southern Apennines, Italy, is investigated. This composite source is made up of a series of nearly parallel, NW-striking normal fault segments which caused many historical earthquakes. Two of these fault segments, known as the San Gregorio Magno and Pergola-Melandro, and the fault-related mountain fronts, form a wedge-shaped, right-stepping, underlap fault zone. This work is aimed at documenting tectonic geomorphology and geology of this underlap fault zone. The goal is to decipher the evidence of surface topographic interaction between two bounding fault segments and their related mountain fronts. In particular, computation of geomorphic indices such as mountain front sinuosity (Smf), water divide sinuosity (Swd), asymmetry factor (AF), drainage basin elongation (Bs), relief ratio (Rh), Hypsometry (HI), normalized steepness (Ksn), and concavity (θ) is integrated with geomorphological analysis, the geological mapping, and structural analysis in order to assess the recent activity of the fault scarp sets recognized within the underlap zone. Results are consistent with the NW-striking faults as those showing the most recent tectonic activity, as also suggested by presence of related slope deposits younger than 38 ka. The results of this work therefore show how the integration of a multidisciplinary approach that combines geomorphology, morphometry, and structural analyses may be key to solving tectonic geomorphology issues in a complex, fold-and-thrust belt configuration.

Early Paleozoic tectonic reactivation of the Shaoxing-Jiangshan fault zone: Structural and geochronological constraints from the Chencai domain, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Hanshen; Li, Jianhua; Zhang, Yueqiao; Dong, Shuwen; Xin, Yujia; Yu, Yingqi

2018-05-01

The Shaoxing-Jiangshan fault zone (SJFZ), as a fundamental Neoproterozoic block boundary that separates the Yangtze Block from the Cathaysia Block, is the key to understanding the evolution of South China from Neoproterozoic block amalgamation to early Paleozoic crustal reworking. New structural observations coupled with geochronological ages from the Chencai domain indicate that intense ductile deformation and metamorphism along the SJFZ occurred at ∼460-420 Ma, in response to the early Paleozoic orogeny in South China. To the east of the SJFZ, the deformation involves widespread generations of NE-striking foliation, intrafolial folds, and local development of sinistral-oblique shear zones. The shearing deformation occurred under amphibolite facies conditions at temperatures of >550 °C (locally even >650 °C). To the west of the SJFZ, the deformation corresponds to sinistral-oblique shearing along NE-striking, steep-dipping zones under greenschist facies conditions at temperatures of 400-500 °C. These deformation styles, as typical mid-crustal expressions of continental reworking, reflect tectonic reactivation of the pre-existing, deeply rooted Neoproterozoic block boundary in the early Paleozoic. We infer that the tectonic reactivation, possibly induced by oblique underthrusting of north Cathaysia, facilitated ductile shearing and burial metamorphic reactions, giving rise to the high-strain zones and high-grade metamorphic rocks. With respect to pre-existing mechanical weakness, our work highlights the role of tectonic reactivation of early structures in localizing later deformation before it propagates into yet undeformed domains.

The internal structure of eclogite-facies ophiolite complexes: Implications from the Austroalpine outliers within the Zermatt-Saas Zone, Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Sebastian; Martinez, Raul

2016-04-01

The Western Alpine Penninic domain is a classical accretionary prism that formed after the closure of the Penninic oceans in the Paleogene. Continental and oceanic nappes were telescoped into the Western Alpine stack associated with continent-continent collision. Within the Western Alpine geologic framework, the ophiolite nappes of the Zermatt-Saas Zone and the Tsate Unit are the remnants of the southern branch of the Piemonte-Liguria ocean basin. In addition, a series of continental basement slices reported as lower Austroalpine outliers have preserved an eclogitic high-pressure imprint, and are tectonically sandwiched between these oceanic nappes. Since the outliers occur at an unusual intra-ophiolitic setting and show a polymetamorphic character, this group of continental slices is of special importance for understanding the tectono-metamorphic evolution of Western Alps. Recently, more geochronological data from the Austroalpine outliers have become available that make it possible to establish a more complete picture of their complex geological history. The Lu-Hf garnet-whole rock ages for prograde growth of garnet fall into the time interval of 52 to 62 Ma (Weber et al., 2015, Fassmer et al. 2015), but are consistently higher than the Lu-Hf garnet-whole rock ages from several other locations throughout the Zermatt-Saas zone that range from 52 to 38 Ma (Skora et al., 2015). This discrepancy suggests that the Austroalpine outliers may have been subducted earlier than the ophiolites of the Zermatt-Saas Zone and therefore have been tectonically emplaced into their present intra-ophiolite position. This points to the possibility that the Zermatt-Saas Zone consists of tectonic subunits, which reached their respective pressure peaks over a prolonged time period, approximately 10-20 Ma. The pressure-temperature estimates from several members of the Austroalpine outliers indicate a complex distribution of metamorphic peak conditions, without ultrahigh-pressure indications. By contrast, the peak conditions derived from the ophiolites of the Zermatt-Saas Zone are uniform, and close to or inside the coesite stability field. These results further underline that the oceanic lithosphere, which experienced its geodynamic evolution as a relatively coherent unit, may contain slices of continental rocks, which in turn show differences in the metamorphic evolution compared to the surrounding ophiolites. Faßmer, K., Obermüller, G., Nagel, T.J., Kirst, F., Froitzheim, N., Sandmann, S., Miladinova, I., Fonseca, R.O.C., Münker, C. (2015): Coherent vs. non-coherent subduction of ophiolite complexes - new insights from the Zermatt-Saas Zone in the Western Alps. GeoBerlin 2015, Berlin, Germany. Skora, S., Mahlen, N. J., Johnson, C. M., Baumgartner, L. P., Lapen, T. J., Beard, B. L., Szilvagyi, E. T., 2015. Evidence for protracted prograde metamorphism followed by rapid exhumation of the Zermatt-Saas Fee ophiolite. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 33, 711-734. Weber, S., Sandmann, S., Fonseca, R. O. C., Froitzheim, N., Mu¨ nker, C., Bucher, K., 2015. Dating the beginning of Piemonte-Liguria Ocean subduction: Lu-Hf garnet chronometry of eclogites from the Theodul Glacier Unit (Zermatt-Saas Zone, Switzerland). Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 108, 183-199.

Geological setting of the southern termination of Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

d'Atri, Anna; Piana, Fabrizio; Barale, Luca; Bertok, Carlo; Martire, Luca

2016-09-01

A revision of the stratigraphic and tectonic setting of the southern termination of the Western Alps, at the junction of the Maritime Alps with the westernmost Ligurian Alps, is proposed. In response to the Alpine kinematic evolution, a number of tectonic units formed on the deformed palaeo-European continental margin and were arranged in a NW-SE striking anastomosed pattern along the north-eastern boundary of the Argentera Massif. Because these tectonic units often cut across the palaeogeographic subdivision of the Alpine literature and show only partial affinity with their distinctive stratigraphic features, new attributions are proposed. The Subbriançonnais domain is here intended as a "deformation zone", and its tectonic units have been attributed to Dauphinois and Provençal domains; furthermore, the Eocene Alpine Foreland Basin succession has been interpreted, based on the affinity of its lithologic characters and age, as a single feature resting above all the successions of the different Mesozoic domains. The Cretaceous tectono-sedimentary evolution of the studied domains was characterized by intense tectonic controls on sedimentation inducing lateral variations of stratigraphic features and major hydrothermal phenomena. Since the early Oligocene, transpressional tectonics induced a NE-SW shortening, together with significant left-lateral movements followed by (late Oligocene-middle Miocene) right-lateral movements along E-W to SE-NW striking shear zones. This induced the juxtaposition and/or stacking of Briançonnais, Dauphinois and Ligurian tectonic units characterized by different metamorphic histories, from anchizonal to lower greenschist facies. This evolution resulted in the arrangement of the tectonostratigraphic units in a wide "transfer zone" accommodating the Oligocene WNW-ward movement of portions of the palaeo-European margin placed at the south-western termination of Western Alps and the Miocene dextral shearing along SE striking faults that bound the Argentera Massif on its NE side.

Stratigraphy, sedimentology and tectonic evolution of the Upper Cretaceous/Paleogene succession in north Eastern Desert, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Ayyat, Abdalla M.; Obaidalla, Nageh A.

2013-05-01

The stratigraphy, sedimentology and syn-depositional tectonic events (SdTEs) of the Upper Cretaceous/Paleogene (K-P) succession at four localities in north Eastern Desert (NED) of Egypt have been studied. These localities are distributed from south-southwest to north-northeast at Gebel Millaha, at North Wadi Qena, at Wadi El Dakhal, and at Saint Paul Monastery. Lithostratigraphically, four rock units have been recorded: Sudr Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian); Dakhla Formation (Danian-Selandian); Tarawan Formation (Selandian-Thanetian) and Esna Formation (Thanetian-Ypresian). These rock units are not completely represented all over the study area because some of them are absent at certain sites and others have variable thicknesses. Biostratigrapgically, 18 planktonic foraminiferal zones have been recorded. These are in stratigraphic order: Globotruncana ventricosa Zone (Campanian); Gansserina gansseri, Contusotruncana contusa, Recimguembelina fructicosa, Pseudohastigerina hariaensis, Pseudohastigerina palpebra and Plummerita hantkenenoides zones (Maastrichtian); Praemurica incostans, Praemurica uncinata, Morozovella angulata and Praemurica carinata/Igorina albeari zones (Danian); Igorina albeari, Globanomanlina pseudomenradii/Parasubbotina variospira, Acarinina subsphaerica, Acarinina soldadoensis/Globanomanlina pseudomenardii and Morozovella velascoensis zones (Selandian/Thantian); and Acarinina sibaiyaensis, Pseudohastigerina wilcoxensis/Morozovella velascoensis zones (earliest Ypresian). Sedimentologically, four sedimentary facies belts forming southwest gently-dipping slope to basin transect have been detected. They include tidal flats, outer shelf, slumped continental slope and open marine hemipelagic facies. This transect can be subdivided into a stable basin plain plus outer shelf in the extreme southwestern parts; and an unstable slope shelf platform in the northeastern parts. The unstable slope shelf platform is characterized by open marine hemipelagic, fine-grained limestones and fine siliciclastic shales (Sudr, Dakhla, Tarawan and Esna formations). The northeastern parts are marked by little contents of planktonic foraminifera and dolomitized, slumped carbonates, intercalated with basinal facies. Tectonically, four remarkable syn-depositional tectonic events (SdTEs) controlled the evolution of the studied succession. These events took place strongly within the Campanian-Ypresian time interval and were still active till Late Eocene. These events took place at: the Santonian/Campanian (S/C) boundary; the Campanian/Maastrichtian (C/M) boundary; the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/P) boundary; and the Middle Paleocene-Early Eocene interval. These tectonic events are four pronounced phases in the tectonic history of the Syrian Arc System (SAS), the collision of the Afro-Arabian and Eurasian plates as well as the closure of the Tethys Sea.

High-resolution numerical modeling of tectonic underplating in circum-Pacific subduction zones: toward a better understanding of deformation in the episodic tremor and slip region?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menant, A.; Angiboust, S.; Gerya, T.; Lacassin, R.; Simoes, M.; Grandin, R.

2017-12-01

Study of now-exhumed ancient subduction systems have evidenced km-scale tectonic units of marine sediments and oceanic crust that have been tectonically underplated (i.e. basally accreted) from the downgoing plate to the overriding plate at more than 30-km depth. Such huge mass transfers must have a major impact, both in term of long-term topographic variations and seismic/aseismic deformation in subduction zones. However, the quantification of such responses to the underplating process remains poorly constrained. Using high-resolution visco-elasto-plastic thermo-mechanical models, we present with unprecedented details the dynamics of formation and destruction of underplated complexes in subductions zones. Initial conditions in our experiments are defined in order to fit different subduction systems of the circum-Pacific region where underplating process is strongly suspected (e.g. the Cascadia, SW-Japan, New Zealand, and Chilean subduction zones). It appears that whatever the subduction system considered, underplating of sediments and oceanic crust always occur episodically forming a coherent nappe stacking at depths comprised between 10 and 50 km. At higher depth, a tectonic mélange with a serpentinized mantle wedge matrix developed along the plates interface. The size of these underplated complexes changes according to the subduction system considered. For instance, a 15-km thick nappe stacking is obtained for the N-Chilean subduction zone after a series of underplating events. Such an episodic event lasts 4-5 Myrs and can be responsible of a 2-km high uplift in the forearc region. Subsequent basal erosion of these underplated complexes results in their only partial preservation at crustal and mantle depth, suggesting that, after exhumation, only a tiny section of the overall underplated material can be observed nowadays in ancient subduction systems. Finally, tectonic underplating in our numerical models is systematically associated with (1) an increasing thickness of the high-strained subduction channel and (2) an accumulation of fluid-rich materials that serve as an environment for episodic tremor and slip events assisted by tectonic shearing and fluid release and percolation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roy, D.W.; Schmitt, L.; Woussen, G.

Airborne SAR images provided essential clues to the tectonic setting of (1) the MbLg 6.5 Saguenay earthquake of 25 November 1988, (2) the Charlevoix-Kamouraska seismic source zone, and (3) some of the low *eve* seismic activity in the Eastern seismic background zone of Canada. The event occurred in the southeastern part of the Canadian Shield in an area where the boundary between the Saguenay graben and the Jacques Cartier horst is not well defined. These two tectonic blocks are both associated with the Iapetan St-Lawrence rift. These blocks exhibit several important structural breaks and distinct domains defined by the lineamentmore » orientations, densities, and habits. Outcrop observations confirm that several lineament sets correspond to Precambrian ductile shear zones reactivated as brittle faults during the Phanerozoic. In addition, the northeast and southwest limits of recent seismic activity in the Charlevoix-Kamouraska zone correspond to major elements of the fracture pattern identified on the SAR images. These fractures appear to be related to the interaction of the Charlevoix astrobleme with the tectonic features of the area. 20 refs.« less

The tectonic puzzle of the Messina area (Southern Italy): Insights from new seismic reflection data

PubMed Central

Doglioni, Carlo; Ligi, Marco; Scrocca, Davide; Bigi, Sabina; Bortoluzzi, Giovanni; Carminati, Eugenio; Cuffaro, Marco; D'Oriano, Filippo; Forleo, Vittoria; Muccini, Filippo; Riguzzi, Federica

2012-01-01

The Messina Strait, that separates peninsular Italy from Sicily, is one of the most seismically active areas of the Mediterranean. The structure and seismotectonic setting of the region are poorly understood, although the area is highly populated and important infrastructures are planned there. New seismic reflection data have identified a number of faults, as well as a crustal scale NE-trending anticline few km north of the strait. These features are interpreted as due to active right-lateral transpression along the north-eastern Sicilian offshore, coexisting with extensional and right-lateral transtensional tectonics in the southern Messina Strait. This complex tectonic network appears to be controlled by independent and overlapping tectonic settings, due to the presence of a diffuse transfer zone between the SE-ward retreating Calabria subduction zone relative to slab advance in the western Sicilian side. PMID:23240075

The tectonic puzzle of the Messina area (Southern Italy): insights from new seismic reflection data.

PubMed

Doglioni, Carlo; Ligi, Marco; Scrocca, Davide; Bigi, Sabina; Bortoluzzi, Giovanni; Carminati, Eugenio; Cuffaro, Marco; D'Oriano, Filippo; Forleo, Vittoria; Muccini, Filippo; Riguzzi, Federica

2012-01-01

The Messina Strait, that separates peninsular Italy from Sicily, is one of the most seismically active areas of the Mediterranean. The structure and seismotectonic setting of the region are poorly understood, although the area is highly populated and important infrastructures are planned there. New seismic reflection data have identified a number of faults, as well as a crustal scale NE-trending anticline few km north of the strait. These features are interpreted as due to active right-lateral transpression along the north-eastern Sicilian offshore, coexisting with extensional and right-lateral transtensional tectonics in the southern Messina Strait. This complex tectonic network appears to be controlled by independent and overlapping tectonic settings, due to the presence of a diffuse transfer zone between the SE-ward retreating Calabria subduction zone relative to slab advance in the western Sicilian side.

High-Resolution Regional Phase Attenuation Models of the Iranian Plateau and Surrounding Regions

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-03

1 2.2. Tectonic and Geophysical Setting ..........................................................................2 2.3...superimposed with the major tectonic features across the Middle East. The major faults are depicted with black solid lines. The main continental boundary fault...zones and tectonic settings are abbreviated on the map and described here. The red triangles present the location of quaternary volcanoes. The dashed

Age mapping and dating of monazite on the electron microprobe: Deconvoluting multistage tectonic histories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Michael L.; Jercinovic, Michael J.; Terry, Michael P.

1999-11-01

High-resolution X-ray mapping and dating of monazite on the electron microprobe are powerful geochronological tools for structural, metamorphic, and tectonic analysis. X-ray maps commonly show complex Th, U, and Pb zoning that reflects monazite growth and overgrowth events. Age maps constructed from the X-ray maps simplify the zoning and highlight age domains. Microprobe dating offers a rapid, in situ method for estimating ages of mapped domains. Application of these techniques has placed new constraints on the tectonic history of three areas. In western Canada, age mapping has revealed multiphase monazite, with older cores and younger rims, included in syntectonic garnet. Microprobe ages show that tectonism occurred ca. 1.9 Ga, 700 m.y. later than mylonitization in the adjacent Snowbird tectonic zone. In New Mexico, age mapping and dating show that the dominant fabric and triple-point metamorphism occurred during a 1.4 Ga reactivation, not during the 1.7 Ga Yavapai-Mazatzal orogeny. In Norway, monazite inclusions in garnet constrain high-pressure metamorphism to ca. 405 Ma, and older cores indicate a previously unrecognized component of ca. 1.0 Ga monazite. In all three areas, microprobe dating and age mapping have provided a critical textural context for geochronologic data and a better understanding of the complex age spectra of these multistage orogenic belts.

Evidence for retrograde lithospheric subduction on Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandwell, David T.; Schubert, Gerald

1992-01-01

Though there is no plate tectonics per se on Venus, recent Magellan radar images and topographic profiles of the planet suggest the occurrence of the plate tectonic processes of lithospheric subduction and back-arc spreading. The perimeters of several large coronae (e.g., Latona, Artemis, and Eithinoha) resemble Earth subduction zones in both their planform and topographic profile. The planform of arcuate structures in Eastern Aphrodite were compared with subduction zones of the East Indies. The venusian structures have radii of curvature that are similar to those of terrestrial subduction zones. Moreover, the topography of the venusian ridge/trench structures is highly asymmetric with a ridge on the concave side and a trough on the convex side; Earth subduction zones generally display the same asymmetry.

The Post-Eocene Evolution of the Doruneh Fault Region (Central Iran): The Intraplate Response to the Reorganization of the Arabia-Eurasia Collision Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadayon, Meisam; Rossetti, Federico; Zattin, Massimiliano; Nozaem, Reza; Calzolari, Gabriele; Madanipour, Saeed; Salvini, Francesco

2017-12-01

The Cenozoic deformation history of Central Iran has been dominantly accommodated by the activation of major intracontinental strike-slip fault zones, developed in the hinterland domain of the Arabia-Eurasia convergent margin. Few quantitative temporal and kinematic constraints are available from these strike-slip deformation zones, hampering a full assessment of the style and timing of intraplate deformation in Iran and the understanding of the possible linkage to the tectonic reorganization of the Zagros collisional zone. This study focuses on the region to the north of the active trace of the sinistral Doruneh Fault. By combing structural and low-temperature apatite fission track (AFT) and (U-Th)/He (AHe) thermochronology investigations, we provide new kinematic and temporal constraints to the deformation history of Central Iran. Our results document a post-Eocene polyphase tectonic evolution dominated by dextral strike-slip tectonics, whose activity is constrained since the early Miocene in response to an early, NW-SE oriented paleo-σ1 direction. A major phase of enhanced cooling/exhumation is constrained at the Miocene/Pliocene boundary, caused by a switch of the maximum paleo-σ1 direction to N-S. When integrated into the regional scenario, these data are framed into a new tectonic reconstruction for the Miocene-Quaternary time lapse, where strike-slip deformation in the intracontinental domain of Central Iran is interpreted as guided by the reorganization of the Zagros collisional zone in the transition from an immature to a mature stage of continental collision.

Deep Probe: Investigating the lithosphere of western North America with refraction seismology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorman, Andrew Robert

The Laurentian Craton, composed of the exposed Canadian Shield ringed by sediment-covered platforms, is the Precambrian heart of North America. The craton can be divided into several provinces representing ancient Archean blocks and the suture regions which stitched them together. In western Canada, Montana and Wyoming, the general distribution of Precambrian cratonic elements has been established by previous potential field studies combined with the analysis of basement rocks extracted from a small number of exploration drill holes that penetrated the overlying sedimentary basin, and from limited outcrops in southern Montana and Wyoming. The major blocks identified in this region include the Archean Hearne (mostly beneath Alberta) and Wyoming (beneath Montana and Wyoming) Provinces. A third block, the Medicine Hat Block, often interpreted to be the southernmost part of the Hearne Province, is considered independent in this study. The objectives of this thesis are to determine the velocity structure and characteristics of the crust and sub-crustal lithospheric mantle beneath the three Archean domains and the relationships among them to further understanding of the tectonic development of cratonic western North America. These objectives are met through interpretation of data from the Deep Probe/SAREX seismic refraction experiment of 1995, the largest of its type ever undertaken on the continent. Twenty large chemical explosions were detonated along a 3000-km-long profile running from Great Slave Lake to southern New Mexico and recorded at ˜2000 closely spaced seismograph stations between central Alberta and northern New Mexico. Interpretations, of increasing complexity, are based on: (1) the tau-p downward continuation of individual shot records, (2) a ray-theoretical travel-time inversion with Earth curvature considerations, and (3) detailed modelling of specific features with a finite difference wave propagation method. Interpretations of velocities and structures are made to depths as great as 150 km. From features of the crustal structure and their correspondence with two north-dipping relict subduction zones in the upper mantle, the boundaries between the three major Archean blocks are delineated and associated with the Vulcan Structure and Great Falls Tectonic Zone, two poorly understood tectonic features in the region. A prominent 10-to-30 km thick high velocity layer at the base of the Wyoming Province and Medicine Hat Block is interpreted to represent Proterozoic crustal underplating and alteration. The composition and physical properties of the crust-mantle boundary, the relict subduction zones and a heterogeneous upper mantle layer lying between depths of 100 km and 140 km are investigated to further understand lithospheric development in this region. The seismic interpretation is combined with previous work to develop a revised scenario for the tectonic assembly of western Laurentia.

Microplate and shear zone models for oceanic spreading center reorganizations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engeln, Joseph F.; Stein, Seth; Werner, John; Gordon, Richard

1988-01-01

The kinematics of rift propagation and the resulting goemetries of various tectonic elements for two plates is reviewed with no overlap zone. The formation and evolution of overlap regions using schematic models is discussed. The models are scaled in space and time to approximate the Easter plate, but are simplified to emphasize key elements. The tectonic evolution of overlap regions which act as rigid microplates and shear zones is discussed, and the use of relative motion and structural data to discriminate between the two types of models is investigated. The effect of propagation rate and rise time on the size, shape, and deformation of the overlap region is demonstrated.

LWD lithostratigraphy, physical properties and correlations across tectonic domains at the NanTroSEIZE drilling transect, Nankai Trough subduction zone, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tudge, J.; Webb, S. I.; Tobin, H. J.

2013-12-01

Since 2007 the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) has drilled a total of 15 sites across the Nankai Trough subduction zone, including two sites on the incoming sediments of the Philippine Sea plate (PSP). Logging-while-drilling (LWD) data was acquired at 11 of these sites encompassing the forearc Kumano Basin, upper accretionary prism, toe region and input sites. Each of these tectonic domains is investigated for changes in physical properties and LWD characteristics, and this work fully integrates a large data set acquired over multiple years and IODP expeditions, most recently Expedition 338. Using the available logging-while-drilling data, primarily consisting of gamma ray, resistivity and sonic velocity, a log-based lithostratigraphy is developed at each site and integrated with the core, across the entire NanTroSEIZE transect. In addition to simple LWD characterization, the use of Iterative Non-hierarchical Cluster Analysis (INCA) on the sites with the full suite of LWD data clearly differentiates the unaltered forearc and slope basin sediments from the deformed sediments of the accretionary prism, suggesting the LWD is susceptible to the subtle changes in the physical properties between the tectonic domains. This differentiation is used to guide the development of tectonic-domain specific physical properties relationships. One of the most important physical property relationships between is the p-wave velocity and porosity. To fully characterize the character and properties of each tectonic domain we develop new velocity-porosity relationships for each domain found across the NanTroSEIZE transect. This allows the porosity of each domain to be characterized on the seismic scale and the resulting implications for porosity and pore pressure estimates across the plate interface fault zone.

Tectonothermal evolution of a garnet-bearing quartzofeldspathic gneiss from the Moyar shear zone, south India and its bearing on the Neoarchean accretionary tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhadra, Subhadip; Nasipuri, Pritam

2017-03-01

We present mesoscale structural development across the Nilgiri Block and the flanking Moyar and Bhavani shear zones in south India, and detailed mineral-chemical and geothermobarometric studies of a garnet-bearing quartzofeldspathic gneiss from the easternmost part of the Moyar shear zone. Barring a narrow (< 100 μm) rim domain, major element distribution within garnet porphyroblasts reveals complete chemical homogenization. The absence of growth zoning in garnet porphyroblasts may suggest a protracted post-garnet growth residence period of the rock at elevated temperatures. Chemical zoning near garnet rim reflects the signature of both retrograde net-transfer (ReNTR) and retrograde exchange (ReER) equilibria. The ReNTR-equilibrium is recognized by prominent Mn kick-up in garnet, whereas the ReER-equilibrium is identified by divergence of Fe and Mg between garnet and biotite. Diffusion modelling, though qualitative, of the observed chemical zoning in garnet suggests an initial phase of rapid ( 150 °C/Ma) cooling, which may have been achieved by tectonic-extrusion-induced exhumation. Pressure-temperature conditions for peak, ReNTR and ReER are constrained, respectively, at 900 °C; 9-11 kbar, 735 °C; 8 kbar and 685 °C; 7.8 kbar. Analyses of structural fabrics establish oppositely verging nature of the Moyar and Bhavani shear zone and may suggest a doubly vergent orogenic development, with the former as prowedge and the latter as retrowedge. The presence of the Nilgiri Block as a topographically elevated region between these oppositely dipping thrust faults indeed corroborates a doubly vergent orogenic setup. The tectonic scenario is comparable with a continent-continent collision type accretionary tectonics. Peak high-P granulite facies metamorphism and post-peak long residence period of the studied quartzofeldspathic gneiss at deep crustal level suitably fit into the Neoarchean crustal dynamics resulting in crustal thickening, in the order of 41 km, within the Nilgiri Block.

Global tectonics and space geodesy.

PubMed

Gordon, R G; Stein, S

1992-04-17

Much of the success of plate tectonics can be attributed to the near rigidity of tectonic plates and the availability of data that describe the rates and directions of motion across narrow plate boundaries \\m=~\\1 to 60 kilometers wide. Nonetheless, many plate boundaries in both continental and oceanic lithosphere are not narrow but are hundreds to thousands of kilometers wide. Wide plate boundary zones cover \\m=~\\15 percent of Earth's surface area. Space geodesy, which includes very long baseline radio interferometry, satellite laser ranging, and the global positioning system, is providing the accurate long-distance measurements needed to estimate the present motion across and within wide plate boundary zones. Space geodetic data show that plate velocities averaged over years are remarkably similar to velocities averaged over millions of years.

Global tectonics and space geodesy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gordon, Richard G.; Stein, Seth

1992-01-01

Much of the success of plate tectonics can be attributed to the near rigidity of tectonic plates and the availability of data that describe the rates and directions of motion across narrow plate boundaries of about 1 to 60 kilometers. Nonetheless, many plate boundaries in both continental and oceanic lithosphere are not narrow but are hundreds to thousands of kilometers wide. Wide plate boundary zones cover approximately 15 percent of earth's surface area. Space geodesy, which includes very long baseline radio interferometry, satellite laser ranging, and the global positioning system, provides the accurate long-distance measurements needed to estimate the present motion across and within wide plate boundary zones. Space geodetic data show that plate velocities averaged over years are remarkably similar to velocities avaraged over millions of years.

Tectonic significance of Kibaran structures in Central and Eastern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rumvegeri, B. T.

Tectonical movements of the Kibaran belt (1400-950 Ma) can be subdivided into two major deformation events, corresponding to tight, upright or recumbent folds, thrust faults, nappes and stretching lineation with a general plunging southwards. At the regional scale, the stretching lineation, associated with thrust faults and nappes is interpreted as an indication of a northwards moving direction. The shear zone with mafic-ultramafic rocks across Burundi, MW-Tanzania, SW-Uganda and NE-Zaïre is the suture zone of the Kibaran belt. Kibaran metamorphism is plurifacial and has four epizodes. The second, syn-D2, is the most important and constitutes the climax; it reached the granulite facies. The succession of tectonic, metamorphic and magmatic features suggests geotectonic evolution by subduction-collision.

Bridging the Gap: Formation of Voluminous Pseudotachylitic Rocks in Tectonic and Impact Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, B.; Shipton, Z. K.; Reimold, W. U.

2015-09-01

Pseudotachylitic breccias (PTBs) from the Outer Hebrides Fault Zone, Scotland, show structural similarities to impact PTBs. In both impact and tectonic settings, processes additional to friction heat melting are requisite for the formation of PTBs.

New insight on the paleoproterozoic evolution of the São Francisco Craton: Reinterpretation of the geology, the suture zones and the thicknesses of the crustal blocks using geophysical and geological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sampaio, Edson E. S.; Barbosa, Johildo S. F.; Correa-Gomes, Luiz C.

2017-07-01

The Archean-Paleoproterozoic Jequié (JB) and Itabuna-Salvador-Curaçá (ISCB) blocks and their tectonic transition zone in the Valença region, Bahia, Brazil are potentially important for ore deposits, but the geological knowledge of the area is still meager. The paucity of geological information restricts the knowledge of the position and of the field characteristics of the tectonic suture zone between these two crustal segments JB and ISCB. Therefore, interpretation of geophysical data is necessary to supplement the regional structural and petrological knowledge of the area as well as to assist mining exploration programs. The analysis of the airborne radiometric and magnetic data of the region has established, respectively, five radiometric domains and five magnetic zones. Modeling of a gravity profile has defined the major density contrasts of the deep structures. The integrated interpretation of the geophysical data fitted to the known geological information substantially improved the suture zone (lower plate JB versus upper plate ISCB) delimitation, the geological map of the area and allowed to estimate the thicknesses of these two blocks, and raised key questions about the São Francisco Craton tectonic evolution.

77 FR 59890 - Reorganization and Expansion of Foreign-Trade Zone 220 Under Alternative Site Framework; Sioux...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-01

... Foreign-Trade Zone 220 Under Alternative Site Framework; Sioux Falls, SD Pursuant to its authority under... Sioux Falls Development Foundation, grantee of Foreign-Trade Zone 220, submitted an application to the... Dakota, within and adjacent to the Sioux Falls U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry, FTZ 220...

77 FR 54890 - Foreign-Trade Zone 220-Sioux Falls, SD; Authorization of Production Activity; Rosenbauer America...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-06

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B-33-2012] Foreign-Trade Zone 220--Sioux Falls, SD; Authorization of Production Activity; Rosenbauer America, LLC/Rosenbauer South Dakota, LLC, (Emergency Vehicles/Firefighting Equipment), Lyons, SD On April 30, 2012, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, grantee of FTZ 220, submitted a...

Integrated Analysis of Airborne Geophysical Data to Understand the Extent, Kinematics and Tectonic Evolution of the Precambrian Aswa Shear Zone in East Africa.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katumwehe, A. B.; Atekwana, E. A.; Abdelsalam, M. G.; Laó-Dávila, D. A.

2014-12-01

The Aswa Shear zone (ASZ) is a Precambrian lithospheric structure which forms the western margin of the East African Orogeny (EAO) that influenced the evolution of many tectonic events in Eastern Africa including the East African Rift System. It separates the cratonic entities of Saharan Metacraton in the northeast from the Congo craton and the Tanzanian craton and the Kibaran orogenic belt to the southwest. However little is known about its kinematics and the extent and tectonic origin are not fully understood. We developed a new technique based on the tilt method to extract kinematic information from high-resolution airborne magnetic data. We also used radiometric data over Uganda integrated with Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in South Sudan to understand the extent, kinematics and define the tectonic origin of ASZ. (1) Our results suggest that the ASZ extends in a NW-SE for ~550 km in Uganda and South Sudan. (2) The airborne magnetic and radiometric data revealed a much wider (~50 km) deformation belt than the mapped 5-10 km of exposed surface expression of the ASZ. The deformation belt associated with the shear is defined by three NW-trending sinistral strike-slip shear zones bounding structural domains with magnetic fabrics showing splays of secondary shear zones and shear-related folds. These folds are tighter close to the discrete shear zones with their axial traces becoming sub-parallel to the shear zones. Similar fold patterns are observed from South Sudan in the SRTM DEM. We interpret these folds as due to ENE-WSW shortening associated with the sinistral strike-slip movement. (3) To the northeast of the shear zone, the magnetic patterns suggest a series of W-verging nappes indicative of strong E-W oriented shortening. Based on the above observations, we relate the evolution of the ASZ to Neoproterozoic E-W collision between East and West Gondwana. This collision produced E-W contraction resulting in W-verging thrusts to the east and a sinistral strike-slip movement along the NW-trending ASZ with strain localization at the boundary between the Saharan Metacraton and the Tanzania craton. This evidence suggests that 1) ASZ lies at the boundary between Sahara Metacraton and Tanzania Craton 2) ASZ is not a product of escape tectonics as previously suggested.

Composite volcanoes in the south-eastern part of İzmir-Balıkesir Transfer Zone, Western Anatolia, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seghedi, Ioan; Helvacı, Cahit; Pécskay, Zoltan

2015-01-01

During the Early-Middle Miocene (Western Anatolia) several volcanic fields occur along a NE-SW-trending shear zone, known as İzmir-Balıkesir Transfer Zone. This is a deformed crustal-scale sinistral strike-slip fault zone crossing the Bornova flysch and extending along the NW-boundary of the Menderes Massif by accommodating the differential deformation between the Cycladic and Menderes core complexes within the Aegean extensional system. Here we discuss the volcanic activity in Yamanlar and Yuntdağı fields that is closely related to the extensional tectonics of the İzmir-Balıkesir Transfer Zone and in the same time with the episodic core complex denudation of the Menderes Massif. This study documents two composite volcanoes (Yamanlar and Yuntdağı), whose present vent area is strongly eroded and cut by a variety of strike-slip and normal fault systems, the transcurrent NW-SE being the dominant one. The erosional remnants of the vent areas, resembling a shallow crater intrusive complex, illustrate the presence of numerous dykes or variably sized neck-like intrusions and lava flows, typically associated with hydrothermal alteration processes (propylitic and argillic). Such vent areas were observed in both the examined volcanic fields, having ~ 6 km in diameter and being much more eroded toward the south, along the NW-SE fault system. Lava flows and lava domes are sometimes associated with proximal block and ash flow deposits. In the cone-building association part, besides lava flows and remnants of lava domes, rare block and ash and pumice-rich pyroclastic flow deposits, as well as a series of debris-flow deposits, have been observed. The rocks display a porphyritic texture and contain various proportions of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, amphibole, rare biotite and corroded quartz. The examined rocks fall at the limit between calc-alkaline to alkaline field, and plot predominantly in high-K andesite and dacite fields and one is rhyolite. The trace element distribution suggests fractional crystallization processes and mixing in upper crustal magma chambers and suggests a metasomatized lithospheric mantle/lower crust source. This preliminary volcanological-petrological and geochronological base study allowed documenting the Yamanlar and Yuntdağı as composite volcanoes generated during post-collisional Early-Middle Miocene transtensional tectonic movements.

Three decades of geochronologic studies in the New England Appalachians

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zartman, R.E.

1988-01-01

Over the past 30 years, both isotope geochronology and plate tectonics grew from infancy into authoritative disciplines in the geological sciences. The existing geochronlogy is summarized into a map and table emphasizing the temporal construction of the New England Appalachians. By using lithotectonic zones as the building blocks of the orogen, seven such zones are defined in terms of pre-, syn-, and post-assembly geologic history. The boundaries between these zones are faults in most cases, some of which may have had recurring movement to further complicate any plate-tectonic scenario. A delineation of underlying Grenvillian, Chain Lakes, and Avalonian basement is also attempted, which now can make use of isotopes in igneous rocks as petrogenic indicators to supplement the rare occurrences of basement outcrop within mobile zones of the orogen. -from Author

Structure and Deformation in the Transpressive Zone of Southern California Inferred from Seismicity, Velocity, and Qp Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauksson, E.; Shearer, P.

2004-12-01

We synthesize relocated regional seismicity and 3D velocity and Qp models to infer structure and deformation in the transpressive zone of southern California. These models provide a comprehensive synthesis of the tectonic fabric of the upper to middle crust, and the brittle ductile transition zone that in some cases extends into the lower crust. The regional seismicity patterns in southern California are brought into focus when the hypocenters are relocated using the double difference method. In detail, often the spatial correlation between background seismicity and late Quaternary faults is improved as the hypocenters become more clustered, and the spatial patterns are more sharply defined. Along some of the strike-slip faults the seismicity clusters decrease in width and form alignments implying that in many cases the clusters are associated with a single fault. In contrast, the Los Angeles Basin seismicity remains mostly scattered, reflecting a 3D distribution of the tectonic compression. We present the results of relocating 327,000 southern California earthquakes that occurred between 1984 and 2002. In particular, the depth distribution is improved and less affected by layer boundaries in velocity models or other similar artifacts, and thus improves the definition of the brittle ductile transition zone. The 3D VP and VP/VS models confirm existing tectonic interpretations and provide new insights into the configuration of the geological structures in southern California. The models extend from the US-Mexico border in the south to the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada in the north, and have 15 km horizontal grid spacing and an average vertical grid spacing of 4 km, down to 22 km depth. The heterogeneity of the crustal structure as imaged in both the VP and VP/VS models is larger within the Pacific than the North America plate, reflecting regional asymmetric variations in the crustal composition and past tectonic processes. Similarly, the relocated seismicity is deeper and shows a more complex 3D distribution in areas exhibiting compressional tectonics within the Pacific plate. The VP values are 0.2 to 0.4 km/s too high to support an abundant occurrence of schist beneath the Mojave Desert and the San Gabriel Mountains. The models reflect mapped changes, from east to west, in the lithology of the Peninsular Ranges. The interface between the shallow Moho of the Continental Borderland and the deep Moho of the continent forms a broad zone to the north beneath the western Transverse Ranges, Ventura basin and the Los Angles Basin and a narrow zone to the south, along the Peninsular Ranges. Similarly, the 3D Qp model includes several features that correspond to regional tectonic features and possibly the thermal structure of the southern California crust. A clear low Qp zone extends from the San Bernardino Basin, across the Chino Basin, San Gabriel Valley, into the Los Angeles Basin. This zone is consistent with the geology and decreases with depth from east to west. The Peninsular Ranges have a high Qp zone consistent with the high velocities in the 3D VP model. There are also zones of high Qp in the southern Mojave and southern Sierras. Several clear transition zones of rapidly varying Qp, extend across major late Quaternary faults and connect regions of high and low Qp. The strongest low Qp zone coincides with the Salton Trough where near-surface low Qp is associated with the sediments and the deeper low Qp may be associated with elevated mid-crustal temperatures.

The mesoproterozoic Beaverhead impact structure and its tectonic setting, Montana-Idaho: 40Ar/39 and U-Pb isotopic constraints

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kellogg, K.S.; Snee, L.W.; Unruh, D.M.

2003-01-01

New 40Ar/39Ar and uranium-lead (U-Pb) zircon data from the Beaverhead impact structure, first identified by extensive shatter coning of Proterozoic quartzite and gneiss from the Beaverhead Mountains near the Montana-Idaho border, indicate that the structure formed at or after 900 Ma. The 40Ar/39Ar age spectra from fine-grained muscovite and biotite from a breccia zone in high-grade gneiss show significant argon loss but yield dates for highest-temperature steps that cluster between 899 and 908 Ma. The dated minerals probably formed by recrystallization of impact glass, so on both geologic and isotopic grounds, the dates probably represent the minimum age of impact. U-Pb data for zircons from the same breccia are strongly discordant and yield an upper intercept apparent age of 2464 ?? 56 Ma and a lower intercept apparent age of 779 ?? 69 Ma. Another brecciated gneiss about 7 km to the northeast that does not contain secondary mica does contain zircons that yield a concordant apparent age of 2455 ?? 9 Ma. Nearby gneiss that neither is brecciated nor contains shatter cones yields an apparent age of 2451 ?? 46 Ma. The 40Ar/39Ar results constrain the age of the shatter-coned quartzite and indicate that it is >900 Ma and possibly correlative with the Gunsight Formation of the Mesoproterozoic Lemhi Group. The upper intercept U-Pb age of ???2450 Ma from all three dated samples also shows that the Paleoproterozoic basement rocks of the area are among the youngest in the mostly Archean Wyoming province of North America. The impact site lies near the margin of the province, along the northeast-trending Great Falls tectonic zone, and the relatively young crustal age may reflect Early Proterozoic marginal accretion.

Focal mechanism and stress analyses for main tectonic zones in Albania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dushi, Edmond; Koçi, Rexhep; Begu, Enkela; Bozo, Rrezart

2017-04-01

In this study, a number of 33 moderate earthquakes for the period 2013-2015, ranging in magnitude within 2.2 ≤ MW ≤ 4.9 and located within the Albanian territory, have been analyzed. As an earthquake prone country, situated at the frontal collision boundary between Adria microplate and Eurasian tectonic plate, Albania is characterized frequently by micro earthquakes, many moderate and seldom by strong ones. It is evidenced that the whole territory is divided in two different tectonic domains, correspondingly the outer and the inner domain, showing different stress regime as clearly evidenced based on earthquake focal mechanism and geodetic studies. Although strong earthquakes are clearly related to faults in tectonically active areas, moderate events are more frequent revealing valuable information on this purpose. All the studied events are selected to be well-recorded by a maximum possible number of the local broadband (BB) seismological stations of Albanian Seismological Network (ASN), although regional stations have been used as well to constrain the solution. Earthquakes are grouped according to their location, within three well-defined tectonic zones, namely: Adriatic-Ionian (AI), Lushnja-Elbasani-Dibra (LED) and Ohrid-Korça (OK). For each event, the seismic moment M0is determined, through spectral analyses. Moment values vary ranging 1012 - 1015 Nm, for the Adriatic-Ionian (AI) outer zone; 1013 - 1016 Nm, for the Lushnja-Elbasani-Dibra (LED) transversal zone, which cuts through both the outer and the inner domains and 1012 - 1014 Nm, for the Ohrid-Korça (OK), north-south trending inner zone. Focal mechanism solutions (FMS) have been determined for each earthquake, based on the robust first motion polarities method, as applied in the FOCMEC (Seisan 10.1) routine. Using the Michael's linear bootstrap invertion on FMS, a stress analysis is applied. Results show the minimum compressional stress directions variation: σ1 370/270, σ23030/80 and σ31980/620 (μ = 0.4) for AI zone; σ1830/90, σ22040/730and σ33500/140 (μ = 0.4) for LED zone and σ13060/430, σ21860/280 and σ3750/340 (μ = 0.65) for OK zone. Based on final results, according to Zoback (1992), the Adriatic-Ionian (AI) zone is characterized mainly by thrust (TF) faulting, although normal and oblique ones take place as well. This outer zone is under a compressive stress regime, where the maximum horizontal stress lies in the direction of P axes. Meanwhile, the Lushnja-Elbasani-Dibra (LED) transversal zone, is characterized by normal-oblique faulting (NF-NS), undergoing an oblique transform to extensional stress regime, where the maximum horizontal stress extends at the (T + 900) direction. The Ohrid-Korça (OK) zone is characterized by oblique-normal faults, undergoing and extensional stress regime, where the maximum horizontal stress lies in the of T axes direction. Keywords: moderate earthquakes, focal mechanism, stress

Seismic evidence for change of the tectonic regime in Messinian, northern Marmara Sea, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alp, Hakan; Vardar, Denizhan; Alpar, Bedri; Ustaömer, Timur

2018-01-01

New Chirp seismic data collected from the northern margin of the Marmara Sea in June 2015 and previous Sparker seismic profiles recorded in 1999 suggest a change in tectonic regime in Messinian. New tectonic lineaments and fault segments were detected at offshore the Çekmece lagoons region that is located on one of the possible water corridors with the Paratethys. The faults only affect the older seismic unit (U1), which can be best outlined on the Chirp data. The E-W trending fault offshore Avcılar (OAF) borders the northern edge of a tightly folded sedimentary zone. The NNE-SSW trending fault, namely the Büyükçekmece Fault (BF), passing through the Büyükçekmece Bay, follows a buried valley. Its evolution must be related to the development of the Early Miocene - Early Pliocene Thrace-Eskişehir fault zone (TEFZ). BF and OAF indicate old tectonic activities in the region, which continued to the North Anatolian fault becoming the most dominant tectonic element in the region. The upper surface of the stratigraphic unit U1 and its terraces define the thickness of younger deposits (U2), which is thinner in the middle of the shelf. The morphology of the tightly folded zone controls those terraces, which correspond to the Bakırköy Formation and Kıraç member on land. The topmost parts of the terraces must have been eroded during sea level low-stands and cutting of the paleo-valleys. There is no evidence of any tectonic deformation or active fault in the younger seismic unit (U2).

33 CFR 165.902 - Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York-safety zone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., New York-safety zone. 165.902 Section 165.902 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT... § 165.902 Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York—safety zone. (a) The following is a safety zone—The... Falls, New York to a line drawn across the Niagara River from the downstream side of the mouth of Gill...

An Integrated View of Tectonics in the North Pacific Derived from GPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, J.; Freymueller, J.; Marechal, A.; Larsen, C.; Perea Barreto, M. A.

2015-12-01

Textbooks show a simple picture of the tectonics of the North Pacific, with discrete deformation along the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates along the Aleutian megathrust and Fairweather/Queen Charlotte fault system. Reality is much more complex, with a pattern of broadly distributed deformation. This is in part due to a number of studies and initiatives (such as PBO) in recent years that have greatly expanded the density of GPS data throughout the region. We present an overview of the GPS data acquired and various tectonic interpretations developed over the past decade and discuss a current effort to integrate the available data into a regional tectonic model for Alaska and northwestern Canada. Rather than discrete plate boundaries, we observe zones of concentrated deformation where the majority of the relative plate motion is accommodated. Within these zones, there are major fault systems, such as the Fairweather-Queen Charlotte transform and the Aleutian megathrust, where most of the deformation occurs along a main structure, but often motion is instead partitioned across multiple faults, such as the fold-and-thrust belt of the eastern St. Elias orogen. In zones of particular complexity, such as the eastern syntaxis of the St. Elias orogen, the deformation is better described by continuum deformation than localized strain along crustal structures. Strain is transferred far inboard, either by diffuse deformation or along fault system such as the Denali fault, and outboard of the main zones of deformation. The upper plate, if it can be called such, consists of a number of blocks and deforming zones while the lower plate is segmented between the Yakutat block and Pacific plate and is also likely undergoing internal deformation.

Mineral exploration potential of ERTS-1 data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brewer, W. A. (Principal Investigator); Erskine, M. C., Jr.; Prindle, R. O.

1972-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Preliminary analysis of a mosaic composing eight individual ERTS frames (1:1,000,000) extending well beyond the test site has revealed a number of tectonic structural trends that are controlled by regional lineations. So far most of the regional lineations fall into three general directions: east by northeast, northwest, and north-south. From preliminary examination, it appears that the older Precambrian basement predominates in the NE-bearing structural trends, whereas the predominate NW trend is most likely associated with the Texas Structural Zone, and the north-south trend being the Utah-Arizona belt and/or part of the southern Basin and Range Province. One major lineation, made up of many parallel lineations, is noticeable just north of Lake Pleasant which extends for approximately 100 miles in a northern direction out of the target area. This feature corresponds to a Precambrian schist formation shown on the USGS geologic map of Arizona.

Global tectonic significance of the Solomon Islands and Ontong Java Plateau convergent zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Paul; Taira, Asahiko

2004-10-01

Oceanic plateaus, areas of anomalously thick oceanic crust, cover about 3% of the Earth's seafloor and are thought to mark the surface location of mantle plume "heads". Hotspot tracks represent continuing magmatism associated with the remaining plume conduit or "tail". It is presently controversial whether voluminous and mafic oceanic plateau lithosphere is eventually accreted at subduction zones, and, therefore: (1) influences the eventual composition of continental crust and; (2) is responsible for significantly higher rates of continental growth than growth only by accretion of island arcs. The Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) of the southwestern Pacific Ocean is the largest and thickest oceanic plateau on Earth and the largest plateau currently converging on an island arc (Solomon Islands). For this reason, this convergent zone is a key area for understanding the fate of large and thick plateaus on reaching subduction zones. This volume consists of a series of four papers that summarize the results of joint US-Japan marine geophysical studies in 1995 and 1998 of the Solomon Islands-Ontong Java Plateau convergent zone. Marine geophysical data include single and multi-channel seismic reflection, ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) refraction, gravity, magnetic, sidescan sonar, and earthquake studies. Objectives of this introductory paper include: (1) review of the significance of oceanic plateaus as potential contributors to continental crust; (2) review of the current theories on the fate of oceanic plateaus at subduction zones; (3) establish the present-day and Neogene tectonic setting of the Solomon Islands-Ontong Java Plateau convergent zone; (4) discuss the controversial sequence and timing of tectonic events surrounding Ontong Java Plateau-Solomon arc convergence; (5) present a series of tectonic reconstructions for the period 20 Ma (early Miocene) to the present-day in support of our proposed timing of major tectonic events affecting the Ontong Java Plateau-Solomon Islands convergent zone; and (6) compare the structural and deformational pattern observed in the Solomon Islands to ancient oceanic plateaus preserved in Precambrian and Phanerozoic orogenic belts. Our main conclusion of this study is that 80% of the crustal thickness of the Ontong Java Plateau is subducted beneath the Solomon island arc; only the uppermost basaltic and sedimentary part of the crust (˜7 km) is preserved on the overriding plate by subduction-accretion processes. This observation is consistent with the observed imbricate structural style of plateaus and seamount chains preserved in both Precambrian and Phanerozoic orogenic belts.

The Composition and Mineralogy of Exoplanets, Using the Hypatia Catalogue: Implications for Extrasolar Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putirka, K. D.; Rarick, J.

2018-05-01

Many exoplanets have pyroxenite mantle mineralogies, which may impede plate tectonics, due higher mantle viscosities and lid yield strengths; majorite-rich transition zones on these may also prevent subducted slabs from reaching lower mantle depths.

Rigid and non-rigid micro-plates: Philippines and Myanmar-Andaman case studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangin, Claude

2016-01-01

Generally, tectonic plates are considered as rigid. Oblique plate convergence favors the development of micro-plates along the converging boundaries. The north-south-trending Philippines archipelago (here named Philippine Mobile Belt, PMB), a few hundreds kilometers wide, is one of such complex tectonic zones. We show here that it is composed of rigid rotating crustal blocks (here called platelets). In Myanmar, the northernmost tip of the Sumatra-Andaman subduction system is another complex zone made of various crustal blocks in-between convergent plates. Yet, contrary to PMB, it sustains internal deformation with platelet buckling, altogether indicative of a non-rigid behavior. Therefore, the two case studies, Philippine Mobile Belt and Myanmar-Andaman micro-plate (MAS), illustrate the complexity of micro-plate tectonics and kinematics at convergent plate boundaries.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramdhan, Mohamad; Nugraha, Andri Dian

Toba area has complex tectonic setting attracting many earth scientists to study and understand tectonic and geological process or setting. The area is affected by oblique subduction zone, Renun Sumatran fault sub segment and some volcanoes that are near it. The earthquake catalogue provided by BMKG from April, 2009 to December, 2011 must be relocated firstly to get the precise hypocenter. We used catalogue data of P and S phase or P phase only and double-difference method to relocate the earthquakes. The results show hypocenter position enhancement that can be interpreted tectonically. The earthquakes after relocation relating to the Sumatranmore » fault, subduction zone, volcanoes and seismic activities beneath Toba caldera can be mapped clearly. The relocated hypocenters in this study are very important to provide information for seismic hazard assessment and disaster mitigation study.« less

Source and movement of helium in the eastern Morongo groundwater Basin: The influence of regional tectonics on crustal and mantle helium fluxes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kulongoski, J.T.; Hilton, David R.; Izbicki, J.A.

2005-01-01

We assess the role of fracturing and seismicity on fluid-driven mass transport of helium using groundwaters from the eastern Morongo Basin (EMB), California, USA. The EMB, located ???200 km east of Los Angeles, lies within a tectonically active region known as the Eastern California Shear Zone that exhibits both strike-slip and extensional deformation. Helium concentrations from 27 groundwaters range from 0.97 to 253.7 ?? 10-7 cm3 STP g-1 H2O, with corresponding 3He/4He ratios falling between 1.0 and 0.26 RA (where RA is the 3He/4He ratio of air). All groundwaters had helium isotope ratios significantly higher than the crustal production value of ???0.02 RA. Dissolved helium concentrations were resolved into components associated with solubility equilibration, air entrainment, in situ production within the aquifer, and extraneous fluxes (both crustal and mantle derived). All samples contained a mantle helium-3 (3Hem) flux in the range of 4.5 to 1351 ?? 10-14 cm3 STP 3He cm-2 yr-1 and a crustal flux (J0) between 0.03 and 300 ?? 10-7 cm3 STP 4He cm-2 yr-1. Groundwaters from the eastern part of the basin contained significantly higher 3Hem and deep crustal helium-4 (4Hedc) concentrations than other areas, suggesting a localized source for these components. 4Hedc and 3Hem are strongly correlated, and are associated with faults in the basin. A shallow thermal anomaly in a >3,000 m deep graben in the eastern basin suggests upflow of fluids through active faults associated with extensional tectonics. Regional tectonics appears to drive large scale crustal fluid transport, whereas episodic hydrofracturing provides an effective mechanism for mantle-crust volatile transport identified by variability in the magnitude of degassing fluxes (3Hem and J0) across the basin. Copyright ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd.

Seismic Moment and Recurrence using Luminescence Dating Techniques: Characterizing brittle fault zone materials suitable for luminescence dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsakalos, E.; Lin, A.; Bassiakos, Y.; Kazantzaki, M.; Filippaki, E.

2017-12-01

During a seismic-geodynamic process, frictional heating and pressure are generated on sediments fragments resulting in deformation and alteration of minerals contained in them. The luminescence signal enclosed in minerals crystal lattice can be affected and even zeroed during such an event. This has been breakthrough in geochronological studies as it could be utilized as a chronometer for the previous seismic activity of a tectonically active area. Although the employment of luminescence dating has in some cases been successfully described, a comprehensive study outlining and defining protocols for routine luminescence dating applied to neotectonic studies has not been forthcoming. This study is the experimental investigation, recording and parameterization of the effects of tectonic phenomena on minerals luminescence signal and the development of detailed protocols for the standardization of the luminescence methodology for directly dating deformed geological formations, so that the long-term temporal behaviour of seismically active faults could be reasonably understood and modeled. This will be achieved by: a) identifying and proposing brittle fault zone materials suitable for luminescence dating using petrological, mineralogical and chemical analyses and b) investigating the "zeroing" potential of the luminescence signal of minerals contained in fault zone materials by employing experimental simulations of tectonic processes in the laboratory, combined with luminescence measurements on samples collected from real fault zones. For this to be achieved, a number of samples collected from four faults of four different geographical regions will be used. This preliminary-first step of the study presents the microstructural, and mineralogical analyses for the characterization of brittle fault zone materials that contain suitable minerals for luminescence dating (e.g., quartz and feldspar). The results showed that the collected samples are seismically deformed fault zone materials (mylonites, tectonites, and tectonic breccias etc) and contained enough quantity of minerals suitable for luminescence dating.

Tectono-sedimentary features in the Yap subduction zone, Western Pacific: constraints from latest integrated geophysical survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, D.; Zhang, G.; Bai, Y.; Fan, J.; Zhang, Z.

2017-12-01

The Yap subduction zone, western Pacific, is a typical structure related to the ridge subduction, but comparative shortage of the geophysical data makes the structural details unknown in this area. In this study, we present the latest and high-quality multi-beam swath bathymetry and multi-channel seismic data acquired synchronously in the year 2015 across the Yap subduction zone. Multichannel seismic and multi-beam data are mainly applied to investigate the topography of major tectonic units and stratigraphic structure in the Yap subduction zone and discuss the tectonic characteristics controlled by ridge subduction. It suggests that, Parece Vela Basin, as the regional sedimentary center, developed sedimentary layers nearly 800 meters thick. On the contrast, the horizontal sedimentary layers were not obviously identified in the Yap trench, where subduction erosion occurred. Caroline ridge changed the tectonic characteristics of subduction zone, and influenced magmatism of the Yap arc because of the special topography. The seismic profile clearly reveals landslide deposits at the upper slope break of the forearc, north of the Yap Island, which was identified as the fault notch denoting a lithological boundary in previous work. Detailed topography and geological structure of horst and graben in the north of Yap are depicted, and topographic high of Caroline ridge is supposed to bring greater bending and tension and the subsequent horst and graben belt. Multichannel seismic evidence has been provided for interpreting the expansion of Sorol Trough and its inferred age. A modified model for the Yap subduction zone evolution is proposed, incorporating three major tectonic events: proto-Yap Arc rupture in the Oligocene, collision of the Caroline Ridge and the Yap Trench in the Late Oligocene or Middle Miocene, and onset of the Sorol Trough rifting in the Late Miocene. Acknowledge: This study was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA11030102), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41476042, 41506055 )

Deformation associated with the Ste. Genevieve fault zone and mid-continent tectonics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schultz, A.; Baker, G.S.; Harrison, R.W.

1992-01-01

The Ste. Genevieve fault is a northwest-trending deformation zone on the northeast edge of the Ozark Dome in Missouri. The fault has been described as a high-angle block fault resulting from vertical uplift of Proterozoic basement rocks, and also as a left-lateral, strike-slip or transpressive wrench fault associated with the Reelfoot rift. Recent mapping across the fault zone documents significant changes in the style of deformation along strike, including variations in the number and the spacing of fault strands, changes in the orientation of rocks within and adjacent to the fault zone, and changes in the direction of stratigraphic offsetmore » between different fault slices. These data are inconsistent with existing Ste. Genevieve models of monoclinal folding over basement upthrusts. Mesoscopic structural analysis of rocks in and near the fault zone indicates highly deformed noncylindrical folds, faults with normal, reverse, oblique, and strike-slip components of movement, and complex joint systems. Fabric orientation, calcite shear fibers, and slickensides indicate that the majority of these mesoscopic structures are kinematically related to left-lateral oblique slip with the southwest side up. Within the fault zone are highly fractured rocks, microscopic to coarse-grained carbonate breccia, and siliciclastic cataclasite. Microscopic deformation includes twinning in carbonate rocks, deformation banding, undulose extinction, and strain-induced polygonization in quartz, tectonic stylolites, extension veining, microfractures, and grain-scale cataclasis. Data are consistent with models relating the Ste. Genevieve fault zone to left-lateral oblique slip possibly associated with New Madrid tectonism.« less

Channel flow and localized fault bounded slice tectonics (LFBST): Insights from petrological, structural, geochronological and geospeedometric studies in the Sikkim Himalaya, NE India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Sumit; Mukhopadhyay, Dilip K.; Chowdhury, Priyadarshi; Rubatto, Daniela; Anczkiewicz, Robert; Trepmann, Claudia; Gaidies, Fred; Sorcar, Nilanjana; Dasgupta, Somnath

2017-06-01

One of the enduring debates in the study of the Himalayan orogen (and continental collision zones in general) is whether the salient observed features are explained (a) by localized deformation along discrete, narrow fault zones/ductile shear zones separating individual blocks or slices (e.g. critical taper or wedge tectonic models), or (b) by distributed deformation dominated by wide zones of visco-plastic flow in the solid or a partially molten state (e.g. channel flow models). A balanced cross-section from Sikkim in the eastern Himalaya that is based on structural data and is drawn to satisfy petrological and geophysical constraints as well, is used in combination with information from petrology, geochronology, geospeedometry and microstructural data to address this question. We discuss that any tectonic model needs to be thermally, rheologically, geometrically and temporally viable in order to qualify as a suitable description of a system; models such as channel flow and critical taper are considered in this context. It is shown that channel flow models may operate with or without an erosional porthole (channel with tunnel and funnel mode vs. channels with only the tunnel mode) and that the predicted features differ significantly between the two. Subsequently, we consider a large body of data from Sikkim to show that a channel flow type model (in the tunneling without funneling mode), such as the ones of Faccenda et al. (2008), describes features formed at high temperatures very well, while features formed at lower temperatures are more consistent with the operation of localized, fault-bounded, slice tectonics, (LFBST, be it in the form of critical taper, wedge tectonics, or something else). Thus, the two modes are not competing, but collaborating, processes and both affect a given rock unit at different points of time during burial, metamorphism and exhumation. A transitional stage separates the two end-member styles of tectonic evolution. The proposed models bear similarities to those suggested by Mallet (1875) and Auden (1935) and mechanisms proposed by Beaumont and Jamieson (2010). We conclude by discussing some of the implications of such a model for motion on the major Himalayan faults, and by considering which features of any given rock are likely to record signatures of a particular style of tectonic evolution. Some directions for future research are suggested in the end.

Rapid conversion of an oceanic spreading center to a subduction zone inferred from high-precision geochronology.

PubMed

Keenan, Timothy E; Encarnación, John; Buchwaldt, Robert; Fernandez, Dan; Mattinson, James; Rasoazanamparany, Christine; Luetkemeyer, P Benjamin

2016-11-22

Where and how subduction zones initiate is a fundamental tectonic problem, yet there are few well-constrained geologic tests that address the tectonic settings and dynamics of the process. Numerical modeling has shown that oceanic spreading centers are some of the weakest parts of the plate tectonic system [Gurnis M, Hall C, Lavier L (2004) Geochem Geophys Geosys 5:Q07001], but previous studies have not favored them for subduction initiation because of the positive buoyancy of young lithosphere. Instead, other weak zones, such as fracture zones, have been invoked. Because these models differ in terms of the ages of crust that are juxtaposed at the site of subduction initiation, they can be tested by dating the protoliths of metamorphosed oceanic crust that is formed by underthrusting at the beginning of subduction and comparing that age with the age of the overlying lithosphere and the timing of subduction initiation itself. In the western Philippines, we find that oceanic crust was less than ∼1 My old when it was underthrust and metamorphosed at the onset of subduction in Palawan, Philippines, implying forced subduction initiation at a spreading center. This result shows that young and positively buoyant, but weak, lithosphere was the preferred site for subduction nucleation despite the proximity of other potential weak zones with older, denser lithosphere and that plate motion rapidly changed from divergence to convergence.

Rapid conversion of an oceanic spreading center to a subduction zone inferred from high-precision geochronology

PubMed Central

Keenan, Timothy E.; Encarnación, John; Buchwaldt, Robert; Fernandez, Dan; Mattinson, James; Rasoazanamparany, Christine; Luetkemeyer, P. Benjamin

2016-01-01

Where and how subduction zones initiate is a fundamental tectonic problem, yet there are few well-constrained geologic tests that address the tectonic settings and dynamics of the process. Numerical modeling has shown that oceanic spreading centers are some of the weakest parts of the plate tectonic system [Gurnis M, Hall C, Lavier L (2004) Geochem Geophys Geosys 5:Q07001], but previous studies have not favored them for subduction initiation because of the positive buoyancy of young lithosphere. Instead, other weak zones, such as fracture zones, have been invoked. Because these models differ in terms of the ages of crust that are juxtaposed at the site of subduction initiation, they can be tested by dating the protoliths of metamorphosed oceanic crust that is formed by underthrusting at the beginning of subduction and comparing that age with the age of the overlying lithosphere and the timing of subduction initiation itself. In the western Philippines, we find that oceanic crust was less than ∼1 My old when it was underthrust and metamorphosed at the onset of subduction in Palawan, Philippines, implying forced subduction initiation at a spreading center. This result shows that young and positively buoyant, but weak, lithosphere was the preferred site for subduction nucleation despite the proximity of other potential weak zones with older, denser lithosphere and that plate motion rapidly changed from divergence to convergence. PMID:27821756

Introduction to the structures and processes of subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yong-Fei; Zhao, Zi-Fu

2017-09-01

Subduction zones have been the focus of many studies since the advent of plate tectonics in 1960s. Workings within subduction zones beneath volcanic arcs have been of particular interest because they prime the source of arc magmas. The results from magmatic products have been used to decipher the structures and processes of subduction zones. In doing so, many progresses have been made on modern oceanic subduction zones, but less progresses on ancient oceanic subduction zones. On the other hand, continental subduction zones have been studied since findings of coesite in metamorphic rocks of supracrustal origin in 1980s. It turns out that high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks in collisional orogens provide a direct target to investigate the tectonism of subduction zones, whereas oceanic and continental arc volcanic rocks in accretionary orogens provide an indirect target to investigate the geochemistry of subduction zones. Nevertheless, metamorphic dehydration and partial melting at high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure conditions are tectonically applicable to subduction zone processes at forearc to subarc depths, and crustal metasomatism is the physicochemical mechanism for geochemical transfer from the slab to the mantle in subduction channels. Taken together, these provide us with an excellent opportunity to find how the metamorphic, metasomatic and magmatic products are a function of the structures and processes in both oceanic and continental subduction zones. Because of the change in the thermal structures of subduction zones, different styles of metamorphism, metasomatism and magmatism are produced at convergent plate margins. In addition, juvenile and ancient crustal rocks have often suffered reworking in episodes independent of either accretionary or collisional orogeny, leading to continental rifting metamorphism and thus rifting orogeny for mountain building in intracontinental settings. This brings complexity to distinguish the syn-subduction processes and products from post-subduction processes and products. Nevertheless, available results indicate that our definition and understanding of subduction zone processes and products can be advanced by the convergence of observations and interpretations from geochemical, geological, geophysical and geodynamic studies of both oceanic and continental subduction zones. Therefore, insights into subduction zones can be provided by intergration of different approaches from different targets in the near future.

Introduction to the structures and processes of subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yong-Fei; Zhao, Zi-Fu

2017-09-01

Subduction zones have been the focus of many studies since the advent of plate tectonics in 1960s. Workings within subduction zones beneath volcanic arcs have been of particular interest because they prime the source of arc magmas. The results from magmatic products have been used to decipher the structures and processes of subduction zones. In doing so, many progresses have been made on modern oceanic subduction zones, but less progresses on ancient oceanic subduction zones. On the other hand, continental subduction zones have been studied since findings of coesite in metamorphic rocks of supracrustal origin in 1980s. It turns out that high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks in collisional orogens provide a direct target to investigate the tectonism of subduction zones, whereas oceanic and continental arc volcanic rocks in accretionary orogens provide an indirect target to investigate the geochemistry of subduction zones. Nevertheless, metamorphic dehydration and partial melting at high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure conditions are tectonically applicable to subduction zone processes at forearc to subarc depths, and crustal metasomatism is the physicochemical mechanism for geochemical transfer from the slab to the mantle in subduction channels. Taken together, these provide us with an excellent opportunity to find how the metamorphic, metasomatic and magmatic products are a function of the structures and processes in both oceanic and continental subduction zones. Because of the change in the thermal structures of subduction zones, different styles of metamorphism, metasomatism and magmatism are produced at convergent plate margins. In addition, juvenile and ancient crustal rocks have often suffered reworking in episodes independent of either accretionary or collisional orogeny, leading to continental rifting metamorphism and thus rifting orogeny for mountain building in intracontinental settings. This brings complexity to distinguish the syn-subduction processes and products from post-subduction processes and products. Nevertheless, available results indicate that our definition and understanding of subduction zone processes and products can be advanced by the convergence of observations and interpretations from geochemical, geological, geophysical and geodynamic studies of both oceanic and continental subduction zones. Therefore, insights into subduction zones can be provided by integration of different approaches from different targets in the near future.

The Role of Long-Term Tectonic Deformation on the Distribution of Present-Day Seismic Activity in the Caribbean and Central America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schobelock, J.; Stamps, D. S.; Pagani, M.; Garcia, J.; Styron, R. H.

2017-12-01

The Caribbean and Central America region (CCAR) undergoes the entire spectrum of earthquake types due to its complex tectonic setting comprised of transform zones, young oceanic spreading ridges, and subductions along its eastern and western boundaries. CCAR is, therefore, an ideal setting in which to study the impacts of long-term tectonic deformation on the distribution of present-day seismic activity. In this work, we develop a continuous tectonic strain rate model based on inter-seismic geodetic data and compare it with known active faults and earthquake focal mechanism data. We first create a 0.25o x 0.25o finite element mesh that is comprised of block geometries defined in previously studies. Second, we isolate and remove transient signals from the latest open access community velocity solution from UNAVCO, which includes 339 velocities from COCONet and TLALOCNet GNSS data for the Caribbean and Central America, respectively. In a third step we define zones of deformation and rigidity by creating a buffer around the boundary of each block that varies depending on the size of the block and the expected deformation zone based on locations of GNSS data that are consistent with rigid block motion. We then assign each node within the buffer a 0 for the deforming areas and a plate index outside the buffer for the rigid. Finally, we calculate a tectonic strain rate model for CCAR using the Haines and Holt finite element approach to fit bi-cubic Bessel splines to the the GNSS/GPS data assuming block rotation for zones of rigidity. Our model of the CCAR is consistent with compression along subduction zones, extension across the mid-Pacific Rise, and a combination of compression and extension across the North America - Caribbean plate boundary. The majority of CCAR strain rate magnitudes range from -60 to 60 nanostrains/yr. Modeling results are then used to calculate expected faulting behaviors that we compare with mapped geologic faults and seismic activity.

Geophysical Limitations on the Habitable Zone: Volcanism and Plate Tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noack, Lena; Rivoldini, Attilio; Van Hoolst, Tim

2016-04-01

Planets are typically classified as potentially life-bearing planets (i.e. habitable planets) if they are rocky planets and if a liquid (e.g. water) could exist at the surface. The latter depends on several factors, like for example the amount of available solar energy, greenhouse effects in the atmosphere and an efficient CO2-cycle. However, the definition of the habitable zone should be updated to include possible geophysical constraints, that could potentially influence the CO2-cycle. Planets like Mars without plate tectonics and no or only limited volcanic events can only be considered to be habitable at the inner boundary of the habitable zone, since the greenhouse effect needed to ensure liquid surface water farther away from the sun is strongly reduced. We investigate if the planet mass as well as the interior structure can set constraints on the occurrence of plate tectonics and outgassing, and therefore affect the habitable zone, using both parameterized evolution models [1] and mantle convection simulations [1,2]. We find that plate tectonics, if it occurs, always leads to sufficient volcanic outgassing and therefore greenhouse effect needed for the outer boundary of the habitable zone (several tens of bar CO2), see also [3]. One-plate planets, however, may suffer strong volcanic limitations. The existence of a dense-enough CO2 atmosphere allowing for the carbon-silicate cycle and release of carbon at the outer boundary of the habitable zone may be strongly limited for planets: 1) without plate tectonics, 2) with a large planet mass, and/or 3) a high iron content. Acknowledgements This work has been funded by the Interuniversity Attraction Poles Programme initiated by the Belgian Science Policy Office through the Planet Topers alliance, and results within the collaboration of the COST Action TD 1308. References Noack, L., Rivoldini, A., and Van Hoolst, T.: CHIC - Coupling Habitability, Interior and Crust, INFOCOMP 2015, ISSN 2308-3484, ISBN 978-1-61208-416-9, pp. 84-90, IARIA, 2015. Hüttig, C. and Stemmer, K.: Finite volume discretization for dynamic viscosities on Voronoi grids, PEPI, Vol 171, pp. 137-146, 2008. Noack, L. et al.: Constraints for planetary habitability from interior modeling, PSS, Vol. 98, pp. 14-29, 2014.

Palaeozoic and Mesozoic tectonic implications of Central Afghanistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sliaupa, Saulius; Motuza, Gediminas

2017-04-01

The field and laboratory studies were carried out in Ghor Province situated in the central part of Afghanistan. It straddles juxtaposition of the Tajik (alternatively, North Afghanistan) and Farah Rod blocks separated by Band-e-Bayan zone. The recent studies indicate that Band-e-Bayan zone represents highly tectonised margin of the Tajik block (Motuza, Sliaupa, 2016). The Band-e-Bayan zone is the most representative in terms of sedimentary record. The subsidence trends and sediment lithologies suggest the passive margin setting during (Cambrian?) Ordovician to earliest Carboniferous times. A change to the foredeep setting is implied in middle Carboniferous through Early Permian; the large-thickness flysh-type sediments were derived from continental island arc provenance, as suggested by chemical composition of mudtstones. This stage can be correlated to the amalgamation of the Gondwana supercontinent. The new passive-margin stage can be inferred in the Band-e-Bayan zone and Tajik blocks in the Late Permian throughout the early Late Triassic that is likely related to breaking apart of Gondwana continent. A collisional event is suggested in latest Triassic, as seen in high-rate subsidence associating with dramatic change in litholgies, occurrence of volcanic rocks and granidoid intrusions. The continental volcanic island arc derived (based on geochemical indices) terrigens prevail at the base of Jurassic that were gradually replaced by carbonate platform in the Middle Jurassic pointing to cessation of the tectonic activity. A new tectonic episode (no deposition; and folding?) took place in the Tajik and Band-e-Bayan zone in Late Jurassic. The geological section of the Farah Rod block, situated to the south, is represented by Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments overlain by sporadic Cenozoic volcanic-sedimentary succession. The lower part of the Mesozoic succession is composed of terrigenic sediments giving way to upper Lower Cretaceous shallow water carbonates implying low tectonic regime. There was a break in sedimentation during the upper Cretaceous that is likely related to the Alpine orogenic event. It associated with some Upper Cretaceous magmatic activity (Debon et al., 1987). This event is reflected in the sedimentation pattern in the adjacent Band-e-Bayan zone and Tadjick block. The lower part of the Upper Cretaceous succession is composed of reddish terrigenic sediments. They are overlain by uppermost Cretaceous (and Danian) shallow marine sediments implying establishment of quiet tectonic conditions.

An eclogite-bearing continental tectonic slice in the Zermatt-Saas high-pressure ophiolites at Trockener Steg (Zermatt, Swiss Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Sebastian; Bucher, Kurt

2015-09-01

The Theodul Glacier Unit (TGU) at "Trockener Steg" represents a continental slice, embedded within the ophiolitic Zermatt-Saas Zone. The Zermatt-Saas Zone is the remnant of the Piemonte-Liguria oceanic lithosphere, formed in the middle Jurassic and subducted up to eclogite facies conditions in the Early Tertiary. The close spatial association of the TGU to the Zermatt-Saas Zone permits a comparison of the metamorphic evolution of the units by detailed field mapping and a petrological investigation of eclogites. The eclogites from both tectono-metamorphic units can be clearly distinguished by their textures, mineral assemblages and by mineral and bulk-rock composition. Geothermobarometry and computed assemblage stability diagrams for the TGU eclogites indicate P-T conditions of 2.2 ± 0.1 GPa and 580 ± 50 °C. These derived P-T conditions must be considered as minimum peak metamorphic conditions the rocks achieved during subduction. The P-T data are different from those derived for eclogites of Zermatt-Saas Zone adjacent to the Theodul Glacier Unit, that reached maximal burial depths at 2.3-2.4 GPa and 500 ± 50 °C. While the estimates of the eclogites of Zermatt-Saas Zone are in good agreement with some of the previous studies, the contrasting P-T estimates for the TGU eclogites suggest that the Zermatt-Saas complex must be subdivided into several tectonic subunits. The non-uniform peak conditions over the "Trockener Steg" area and the maximum pressures conditions reported from ultra-high pressure localities within Zermatt-Saas Zone suggest, that individual tectonic slices have been assembled after detachment from the slab at the return-point, i.e. along the exhumation path. Detached packages of rocks may range from small tectonic slices up to several kilometer-sized fragments. The TGU is separated from the surrounding rocks of the ophiolite unit by two major tectonic contacts. In addition, the formation of biotite-rich crusts along the basal contact of the TGU is evidence of prolonged fluid channeling along the basal thrust. The presence of hydrous decompression assemblages replacing earlier formed high-pressure mineral assemblages within the studied eclogite suggests that fluids were present throughout most of the TGU exhumation history.

Indentation and Lateral Escape in Western Ishtar Terra, Venus — An Analog for Deformation of the Archean Abitibi Subprovince, Superior Craton, Canada Without Plate Tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, L. B.; Bédard, J. H.

2015-05-01

Radar about Lakshmi Planum, Venus, shows regional transcurrent shear zones, folds and thrusts formed by indentation and lateral escape. The Archean Abitibi subprovince Canada shows identical structures suggesting a similar, non-plate tectonic origin.

Multi-type Tectonic Responses to Plate Motion Changes of Mega-Offset Transform Faults at the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, F.; Lin, J.; Yang, H.; Zhou, Z.

2017-12-01

Magmatic and tectonic responses of a mid-ocean ridge system to plate motion changes can provide important constraints on the mechanisms of ridge-transform interaction and lithospheric properties. Here we present new analysis of multi-type responses of the mega-offset transform faults at the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge (PAR) system to plate motion changes in the last 12 Ma. Detailed analysis of the Heezen, Tharp, and Udintsev transform faults showed that the extensional stresses induced by plate motion changes could have been released through a combination of magmatic and tectonic processes: (1) For a number of ridge segments with abundant magma supply, plate motion changes might have caused the lateral transport of magma along the ridge axis and into the abutting transform valley, forming curved "hook" ridges at the ridge-transform intersection. (2) Plate motion changes might also have caused vertical deformation on steeply-dipping transtensional faults that were developed along the Heezen, Tharp, and Udintsev transform faults. (3) Distinct zones of intensive tectonic deformation, resembling belts of "rift zones", were found to be sub-parallel to the investigated transform faults. These rift-like deformation zones were hypothesized to have developed when the stresses required to drive the vertical deformation on the steeply-dipping transtensional faults along the transform faults becomes excessive, and thus deformation on off-transform "rift zones" became favored. (4) However, to explain the observed large offsets on the steeply-dipping transtensional faults, the transform faults must be relatively weak with low apparent friction coefficient comparing to the adjacent lithospheric plates.

33 CFR 165.902 - Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York-safety zone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Niagara River at Niagara Falls... § 165.902 Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York—safety zone. (a) The following is a safety zone—The United States waters of the Niagara River from the crest of the American and Horseshoe Falls, Niagara...

33 CFR 165.902 - Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York-safety zone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Niagara River at Niagara Falls... § 165.902 Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York—safety zone. (a) The following is a safety zone—The United States waters of the Niagara River from the crest of the American and Horseshoe Falls, Niagara...

33 CFR 165.902 - Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York-safety zone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Niagara River at Niagara Falls... § 165.902 Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York—safety zone. (a) The following is a safety zone—The United States waters of the Niagara River from the crest of the American and Horseshoe Falls, Niagara...

33 CFR 165.902 - Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York-safety zone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Niagara River at Niagara Falls... § 165.902 Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York—safety zone. (a) The following is a safety zone—The United States waters of the Niagara River from the crest of the American and Horseshoe Falls, Niagara...

Marine and land active-source seismic investigation of geothermal potential, tectonic structure, and earthquake hazards in Pyramid Lake, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eisses, A.; Kell, A.; Kent, G.

Amy Eisses, Annie M. Kell, Graham Kent, Neal W. Driscoll, Robert E. Karlin, Robert L. Baskin, John N. Louie, Kenneth D. Smith, Sathish Pullammanappallil, 2011, Marine and land active-source seismic investigation of geothermal potential, tectonic structure, and earthquake hazards in Pyramid Lake, Nevada: presented at American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, Dec. 5-9, abstract NS14A-08.

In search of transient subduction interfaces in the Dent Blanche-Sesia Tectonic System (W. Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angiboust, Samuel; Glodny, Johannes; Oncken, Onno; Chopin, Christian

2014-09-01

In this paper we study the Alpine metamorphic history of a major tectonic zone which formed during Alpine orogeny, the Dent Blanche Thrust (DBT). This contact, located in the Northern Western Alps, juxtaposes some ophiolitic metasediment-rich remnants of the Liguro-Piemontese ocean (Tsaté Complex) with a composite continental, km-sized complex (Dent Blanche Tectonic System, DBTS) of Adriatic affinity thrusted over the ophiolite. In order to better understand the geodynamic meaning of the DBT region and adjacent units, we have reconstructed the pressure-temperature-time-deformation (P-T-t-d) history of these two units using modern thermobarometric tools, Rb/Sr geochronology, and field relationships. We show that the Tsaté Complex is formed by a stack of km-thick calcschists-bearing tectonic slices having experienced variable maximum burial temperatures between 360 °C and 490 °C at depths of ca. 25-40 km. Associated deformation ages span a range between 37 Ma and 41 Ma. The Arolla gneissic mylonites at the base of the DBTS experienced high-pressure (12-14 kbar), top-to-NW deformation at ca. 450 °C between 43 and 48 Ma. A first age of ca. 58 Ma has been obtained for high-pressure ductile deformation in the Valpelline shear zone, atop Arolla gneisses. Some of the primary, peak metamorphic fabrics have been reworked and later backfolded during exhumation and collisional overprint (ca. 20 km depth, 37-40 Ma) leading to the regional greenschist-facies retrogression which is particularly prominent within Tsaté metasediments. We interpret the Dent Blanche Thrust, at the base of the Arolla unit, as a fossilized subduction interface active between 43 and 48 Ma. Our geochronological results on the shear zone lining the top of the Arolla unit, together with previous P-T-t estimates on equivalent blueschist-facies shear zones cutting the Sesia unit, indicate an older tectonic activity between 58 and 65 Ma. We demonstrate here that observed younger ages towards lowermost structural levels are witness of the transient, downwards migration of the Alpine early Cenozoic blueschist-facies subduction interface. This down-stepping is interpreted to reflect the progressive underplating acting between 30 and 40 km depth in the Alpine subduction zone between late Cretaceous and late Eocene. Underplating involved first continental material derived from the stretched Adriatic margin followed by underplating of ocean-derived rocks in the Eocene. These results shed light on subduction-zone accretion processes and therefore provide a new perspective for the understanding of geophysical results imaging the plate-interface region in active subduction zones.

Characterization of transpressive deformation in shear zones of the Archean North Caribou greenstone belt (NW Superior Province) and the relationship with regional metamorphism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagnon, Émilie; Schneider, David A.; Kalbfleisch, Tash; Habler, Gerlinde; Biczok, John

2016-12-01

The 2.7-3.0 Ga North Caribou greenstone belt (NCGB), host to the Musselwhite BIF-hosted gold deposit, possesses abundant shear zones on its northern margins, which appear to have formed under amphibolite facies conditions. Protracted deformation and regional metamorphism are coeval with widespread magmatism and accretion events during crustal amalgamation of the Western Superior Province, and are responsible for folding the ore-hosting BIF and channeling fluids. The importance of shear zones in behaving as conduits for fluids during the tectonic evolution of the NCGB is not well known and their relationship with metamorphism is equivocal, yet higher-grade, syn- to post-tectonic metamorphic minerals seem to correlate with loci of higher strain. Structural analyses support oblique transpressive collision that produced steeply-dipping planar and shallowly-plunging linear fabrics with dominant dextral kinematics, that trend broadly parallel to the doubly arcuate shape of the belt. Electron backscatter diffraction analyses were conducted on strategic samples across one shear zone in order to characterize crustal conditions during transpressive deformation. The Dinnick Lake shear zone cuts through mafic metavolcanics and at its core is an L-tectonite granite composed of recrystallized quartz. Whole rock geochemistry shows little variation in Ca, Na, Mg and K (often used as indicators of hydrothermal alteration) from surrounding less deformed units, suggesting deformation in a dry environment. Microstructural analysis indicates subgrain rotation recrystallization and deformation by prism a- and c-slip in quartz, as well as aligned hornblende that suggest deformation temperatures above 500 °C. Quartz in mafic rocks along the margins of the shear zone also exhibits a basal a-slip component, indicating a slight decrease in strain or temperature. Although the NCGB exhibits some first-order evidence of vertical tectonism (dome and keel geometries), the dominant strain record within shear zones is that of horizontal (oblique transpressive) displacement. This is in agreement with other greenstone belts in the Western Superior Province where vertical tectonism and horizontal tectonism were coeval. Table A1. Whole rock geochemistry of basalts. Table A2. Whole rock geochemistry of granites. Table B.1. Parameters and conditions of machine during EBSD data collection. Table D1. Table of corresponding probability and critical d values of the K-S test. Fig. E1. Feldspar pole figures. Fig. E2. Hornblende pole figures. Fig. F1. Grain boundary misorientation histograms of feldspars. Fig. F2. Grain boundary misorientation histograms of hornblende.

Tectonic creep in the Hayward fault zone, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Radbruch-Hall, Dorothy H.; Bonilla, M.G.

1966-01-01

Tectonic creep is slight apparently continuous movement along a fault. Evidence of creep has been noted at several places within the Hayward fault zone--a zone trending northwestward near the western front of the hills bordering the east side of San Francisco Bay. D. H. Radbruch of the Geological Survey and B. J. Lennert, consulting engineer, confirmed a reported cracking of a culvert under the University of California stadium. F. B. Blanchard and C. L. Laverty of the East Bay Municipal Utility District of Oakland studied cracks in the Claremont water tunnel in Berkeley. M. G. Bonilla of the Geological Survey noted deformation of railroad tracks in the Niles district of Fremont. Six sets of tracks have been bent and shifted. L. S. Cluff of Woodward-Clyde-Sherard and Associates and K. V. Steinbrugge of the Pacific Fire Rating Bureau noted that the concrete walls of a warehouse in the Irvington district of Fremont have been bent and broken, and the columns forced out of line. All the deformations noted have been right lateral and range from about 2 inches in the Claremont tunnel to about 8 inches on the railroad tracks. Tectonic creep almost certainly will continue to damage buildings, tunnels, and other structures that cross the narrow bands of active movement within the Hayward fault zone.

Dillon cutoff-Basement-involved tectonic link between the disturbed belt of west-central Montana and the overthrust belt of extreme southwestern Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Neill, J. Michael; Schmidt, Christopher J.; Genovese, Paul W.

1990-11-01

The front of the Cordilleran fold and thrust belt in western Montana follows the disturbed belt in the north, merges with the southwest Montana transverse zone in the west-central part of the region, and in southwestern Montana is marked by a broad zone characterized by complex interaction between thrust belt structures and basement uplifts. The front margin of the thrust belt in Montana reflects mainly thin-skinned tectonic features in the north, an east-trending lateral ramp that curves southwest in the central part into the Dillon cutoff, an oblique-slip, thick-skinned displacement transfer zone that cuts through basement rocks of the Lima recess, and a zone of overlap between thin- and thick-skinned thrusts in extreme southwestern Montana. The transverse ramp and basement-involved thrust faults are controlled by Proterozoic structures.

Neoproterozoic Evolution and Najd‒Related Transpressive Shear Deformations Along Nugrus Shear Zone, South Eastern Desert, Egypt (Implications from Field‒Structural Data and AMS‒Technique)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagag, W.; Moustafa, R.; Hamimi, Z.

2018-01-01

The tectonometamorphic evolution of Nugrus Shear Zone (NSZ) in the south Eastern Desert of Egypt was reevaluated through an integrated study including field-structural work and magnetofabric analysis using Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) technique, complemented by detailed microstructural investigation. Several lines of evidence indicate that the Neoproterozoic juvenile crust within this high strain zone suffered an impressive tectonic event of left-lateral transpressional regime, transposed the majority of the earlier formed structures into a NNW to NW-directed wrench corridor depicts the northwestern extension of the Najd Shear System (NSS) along the Eastern Desert of Egypt. The core of the southern Hafafit dome underwent a high metamorphic event ( M 1) developed during the end of the main collisional orogeny in the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS). The subsequent M 2 metamorphic event was retrogressive and depicts the tectonic evolution and exhumation of the Nugrus-Hafafit area including the Hafafit gneissic domes, during the origination of the left-lateral transpressive wrench corridor of the NSS. The early tectonic fabric within the NSZ and associated highly deformed rocks was successfully detected by the integration of AMS-technique and microstructural observations. Such fabric grain was checked through a field-structural work. The outcomes of the present contribution advocate a complex tectonic evolution with successive and overlapped deformation events for the NSZ.

Kinematics of the Snake River Plain and Centennial Shear Zone, Idaho, from GPS and earthquatte data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payne, Suzette J.

New horizontal Global Positioning System (GPS) velocities at 405 sites using GPS phase data collected from 1994 to 2010 along with earthquakes, faults, and volcanic features reveal how contemporary strain is accommodated in the Northern Basin and Range Province. The 1994-2010 velocity field has observable gradients arising from both rotation and strain. Kinematic interpretations are guided by using a block-model approach and inverting velocities, earthquake slip vector azimuths, and dike-opening rates to simultaneously solve for angular velocities of the blocks and uniform horizontal strain rate tensors within selected blocks. The Northern Basin and Range block model has thirteen blocks representing tectonic provinces based on knowledge of geology, seismicity, volcanism, active tectonic faults, and regions with differences in observed velocities. Ten variations of the thirteen blocks are tested to assess the statistical significance of boundaries for tectonic provinces, motions along those boundaries, and estimates of long-term deformation within the provinces. From these tests, a preferred model with seven tectonic provinces is determined by applying a maximum confidence level of ≥99% probability to F-distribution tests between two models to indicate one model with added boundaries has a better fit to the data over a second model. The preferred model is varied to test hypotheses of post-seismic viscoelastic relaxation, significance of dikes in accommodating extension, and bookshelf faulting in accommodating shear. Six variations of the preferred model indicate time-varying components due to viscoelastic relaxation from the 1959 Hebgen Lake, Montana and 1983 Borah Peak, Idaho earthquakes have either ceased as of 2002 or are too small to be evident in the observed velocities. Inversions with dike-opening models indicate that the previously hypothesized rapid extension by dike intrusion in volcanic rift zones to keep pace with normal faulting is not currently occurring in the Snake River Plain. Alternatively, the preferred model reveals a low deforming region (-0.1 +/- 0.4 x 10-9 yr -1, which is not discernable from zero) covering 125 km x 650 km within the Snake River Plain and Owyhee-Oregon Plateau that is separated from the actively extending adjacent Basin and Range regions by narrow belts of localized shear. Velocities reveal rapid extension occurs to the north of the Snake River Plain in the Centennial Tectonic Belt (5.6 +/- 0.7 x 10 -9 yr-1) and to the south in the Intermountain Seismic Belt and Great Basin (3.5 +/- 0.2 x 10-9 yr-1). The "Centennial Shear Zone" is a NE-trending zone of up to 1.5 mm yr -1 of right-lateral shear and is the result of rapid extension in the Centennial Tectonic Belt adjacent to the low deforming region of the Snake River Plain. Variations of the preferred model that test the hypothesis of bookshelf faulting demonstrate shear does not drive Basin and Range extension in the Centennial Tectonic Belt. Instead, the velocity gradient across the Centennial Shear Zone indicates that shear is distributed and deformation is due to strike-slip faulting, distributed simple shear, regional-scale rotation, or any combination of these. Near the fastest rates of right-lateral slip, focal mechanisms are observed with strike-slip components of motion consistent with right-lateral shear. Here also, the segment boundary between two E-trending Basin and Range faults, which are oriented subparallel to the NE-trending shear zone, provides supporting Holocene to mid-Pleistocene geologic evidence for accommodation of right-lateral shear in the Centennial Shear Zone. The southernmost ends of NW-trending Basin and Range faults in the Centennial Tectonic Belt at their juncture with the eastern Snake River Plain could accommodate right-lateral shear through components of left-lateral oblique slip. Right-lateral shear may be accommodated by components of strike-slip motion on multiple NE-trending faults since geologic evidence does not support slip along one continuous NE-trending fault along the boundary between the eastern Snake River Plain and Centennial Tectonic Belt. Regional velocity gradients are best fit by nearby poles of rotation for the Centennial Tectonic Belt, Snake River Plain, Owyhee-Oregon Plateau, and eastern Oregon, indicating that clockwise rotation is driven by extension to the south in the Great Basin and not by Yellowstone hotspot volcanism or from localized extension in the Centennial Tectonic Belt. The velocity field may reveal long-term motions of the Northern Basin and Range Province. GPS-derived clockwise rotation rates are consistent with paleomagnetic rotation rates in 15--12 Ma basalts in eastern Oregon and in Eocene volcanic rocks (˜48 Ma) within the Centennial Tectonic Belt.

New observations on mid-plate volcanism and the tectonic history of the Pacific plate, Tahiti to Easter microplate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Searle, R. C.; Francheteau, J.; Cornaglia, B.

1995-04-01

We describe the geology and tectonics of a continuous swathe of seafloor between Tahiti and the western edge of the Easter microplate imaged by GLORIA and Sea Beam on two separate cruise transits in 1987 and 1988. The data reveal that mid-plate volcanism is common in this region, even on deep seafloor hundreds of kilometres from major lines of seamounts and islands. This supports the idea of a thin weak lithosphere over the Pacific Superswell, and the idea that the tops of major mantle plumes may spread out over diameters of the order of 1000 km. The mid-plate volcanism occurs in two distinct forms. Over most of our traverse it appears as fields of relatively young and acoustically strongly backscattering lava flows, often accompanied by groups of numerous small, circular volcanoes. East of 122° W (about chron 5A), however, we observed a distinct form: major, sharp-crested, constructional volcanic ridges, many tens of kilometres long, individually trending ENE, but lying en-echelon along an E-W regional trend. These ridges appear morphologically identical to the 'cross-grain ridges' seen elsewhere in the Pacific. We attribute their formation to magma supplied from the regionally hot mantle leaking along tectonic lines of weakness. However, although these ridges are parallel to fracture zone trends seen farther west, they are morphologically very different from any known fracture zone. Moreover, individual ridges are somewhat oblique to the tectonic spreading fabric around them, and so do not seem to follow actual fracture zone traces. The whole line of en-echelon ridges lies along part of the predicted trace of Fracture Zone 2 of Okal and Cazenave [15], and is probably its morphological expression. However, nowhere did we see a convincing 'conventional' fracture zone trace in or following the predicted position or orientation. We suggest instead that magma from an independent source has used lines of weakness along minor fracture zones to produce these en-echelon features. The Austral Fracture Zone is the only major fracture zone crossed in our transit, and here is characterised by four fossil transform strands. Its marked position on the AAPG and GEBCO maps is found to be in error. Finally, we found that the expected change from NNW- to NNE-trending spreading fabric at chron 6C did not occur in a clear-cut way, as predicted by earlier tectonic histories of the Pacific. Instead, the post-chron 6C fabric oscillates in a confused way between NNE and NNW, suggesting to us that this area has been characterised by an unstable plate boundary, probably associated with a succession of propagating rifts or microplates from chron 6C to the present.

Comparison of the tectonics and geophysics of the major structural belts between the northern and southern continental margins of the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Kan-yuan; Huang, Ci-liu; Jiang, Shao-ren; Zhang, Yi-xiang; Su, Da-quan; Xia, Si-gao; Chen, Zhong-rong

1994-07-01

A comparison of the tectonics and geophysics of the major structural belts of the northern and the southern continental margins of South China Sea has been made, on the basis of measured geophysical data obtained by ourselves over a period of 8 years (1984-1991). This confirmed that the northern margin is a divergent one and the southern margin is characterized by clearly convergent features. The main extensional structures of the northern margin are, from north to south: (1) The Littoral Fault Belt, a tectonic boundary between the continental crust and a transitional zone, along the coast of the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian in South China. It is characterised by earthquake activities, high magnetic anomalies and a rapid change in crustal thickness. (2) The Northern and Southern Depression zones (i.e., the Pearl River Mouth Basin), this strikes NE-ENE and is a very large Cenozoic depression which extends from offshore Shantou westwards to Hainan Island. (3) The Central Uplift Zone. This includes the Dongsha Uplift, Shenhu Uplift and may be linked with the Penghu uplift and Taiwan shoals to the east, forming a large NE-striking uplift zone along the northern continental slope. It is characterized by high magnetic anomalies. (4) Southern Boundary Fault Belt of the transitional crust. This has positive gravity anomalies on the land side and negative ones on the sea side. (5) The Magnetic Quiet Zone. This is located south of the southern Boundary Fault Belt and between the continental margin and the Central Basin of the South China Sea. Magnetic anomalies in this belt are of small amplitude and low gradient. We consider the Magnetic Quiet Zone to be a very important tectonic zone. The major structures of southern continental margin southwards are: (1) The Northern Fault Belt of the Nansha Block. This extends along the continental slope north of the Liyue shoal (Reed Bank) and Zhongye reef, and is a tectonic boundary between oceanic crust and the Nansha Block continental crust. (2) The Nansha Block Uplift Zone. Due to the development of reefs and shoals, there are many channels and valleys. Our long-distance multichannel seismic profiles indicated that there are thick Paleogene sediments and thin Neogene sediments all over the central part of the block. (3) The Nansha Trough, a nappe structure formed by the southeastward drifting of Nansha Block and northwestward overthrusting of Palawan-northwest Borneo. (4) Zengmu Shoal Basin, southwest of the Nansha Block; the maximum thickness of Cenozoic strata is over 9 km in this important petroliferous basin.

Evolution of the Sibişel Shear Zone (South Carpathians): A study of its type locality near Răşinari (Romania) and tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducea, Mihai N.; Negulescu, Elena; Profeta, Lucia; Sǎbǎu, Gavril; Jianu, Denisa; Petrescu, Lucian; Hoffman, Derek

2016-09-01

The Sibişel Shear Zone is a 1-3 km wide, ductile shear zone located in the South Carpathian Mountains, Romania. In the Rășinari area, the ductile shear zone juxtaposes amphibolite facies rocks of the Lotru Metamorphic Suite against greenschist facies rocks of the Râuşorul Cisnădioarei Formation. The first represents the eroded remnants of Peri-Gondwanan arcs formed between the Neoproterozoic-Silurian (650-430 Ma), regionally metamorphosed to amphibolite facies during the Variscan orogeny (350-320 Ma). The second is composed of metasedimentary and metavolcanic Neoproterozoic-Ordovician (700-497 Ma) assemblages of mafic to intermediate bulk composition also resembling an island arc metamorphosed during the Ordovician (prior to 463 Ma). Between these lie the epidote amphibolite facies mylonitic and ultramylonitic rocks of the Sibișel Formation, a tectonic mélange dominated by mafic actinolite schists attenuated into a high strain ductile shear zone. Mineral Rb-Sr isochrons document the time of juxtaposition of the three domains during the Permian to Early Triassic ( 290-240 Ma). Ductile shear sense indicators suggest a right lateral transpressive mechanism of juxtaposition; the Sibişel shear zone is a remnant Permo-Triassic suture between two Early Paleozoic Gondwanan terranes. A zircon and apatite U-Th/He age transect across the shear zone yields Alpine ages (54-90 Ma apatite and 98-122 Ma zircon); these data demonstrate that the exposed rocks were not subjected to Alpine ductile deformation. Our results have significant implications for the assembly of Gondwanan terranes and their docking to Baltica during Pangea's formation. Arc terranes free of Variscan metamorphism existed until the Early Triassic, emphasizing the complex tectonics of terrane amalgamation during the closure of Paleotethys.

Similarities and contrasts in tectonic and volcanic style and history along the Colorado plateaus-to-basin and range transition zone in Western Arizona: Geologic framework for tertiary extensional tectonics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, R. A.; Mckee, E. H.; Hartman, J. H.; Simmons, A. M.

1985-01-01

The overall temporal and spatial relations between middle Tertiary volcanism and tectonism from the Basin and Range province onto the edge of the Colorado Plateaus province suggest that a single magnetic-tectonic episode affected the entire region more or less simultaneously during this period. The episode followed a post-Laramide (late Eocene through Oligocene) period of 25 million years of relative stability. Middle Tertiary volcanism did not migrate gradually eastward in a simple fashion onto the Colorado Plateau. In fact, late Oligocene volcanism appears to be more voluminous near the Aquarius Mountains than throughout the adjacent Basin and Range province westward to the Colorado River. Any model proposed to explain the cause of extension and detachment faulting in the eastern part of the Basin and Range province must consider that the onset of volcanism appears to have been approximately synchronous from the Colorado River region of the Basin and Range across the transition zone and onto the edge of the Colorado Plateaus.

Tectonic and metamorphic discontinuities in the Greater Himalayan Sequence in Central Himalaya: in-sequence shearing by accretion from the Indian plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carosi, Rodolfo

2016-04-01

The Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS) is the main metamorphic unit of the Himalayas, stretching for over 2400 km, bounded to the South by the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and to the North by the South Tibetan Detachment (STD) whose contemporanous activity controlled its exhumation between 23 and 17 Ma (Godin et al., 2006). Several shear zones and/or faults have been recognized within the GHS, usually regarded as out of sequence thrusts. Recent investigations, using a multitechnique approach, allowed to recognize a tectonic and metamorphic discontinuity, localized in the mid GHS, with a top-to-the SW sense of shear (Higher Himalayan Discontinuity: HHD) (Carosi et al., 2010; Montomoli et al., 2013). U-(Th)-Pb in situ monazite ages provide temporal constraint of the acitivity of the HHD from ~ 27-25 Ma to 18-17 Ma. Data on the P and T evolution testify that this shear zone affected the tectono-metamorphic evolution of the belt and different P and T conditions have been recorded in the hanging-wall and footwall of the HHD. The HHD is a regional tectonic feature running for more than 700 km, dividing the GHS in two different portions (Iaccarino et al., 2015; Montomoli et al., 2015). The occurrence of even more structurally higher contractional shear zone in the GHS (above the HHD): the Kalopani shear zone (Kali Gandaki valley, Central Nepal), active from ~ 41 to 30 Ma (U-Th-Pb on monazite) points out to a more complex deformation pattern in the GHS characterized by in sequence shearing. The actual proposed models of exhumation of the GHS, based exclusively on the MCT and STD activities, are not able to explain the occurrence of the HHD and other in-sequence shear zones. Any model of the tectonic and metamorphic evolution of the GHS should account for the occurrence of the tectonic and metamorphic discontinuities within the GHS and its consequences on the metamorphic paths and on the assembly of Himalayan belt. References Godin L., Grujic D., Law, R. D. & Searle, M. P. 2006. Geol. Soc. London Sp. Publ., 268, 1-23. Carosi R., Montomoli C., Rubatto D. & Visonà D. 2010. Tectonics, 29, TC4029. Iaccarino S., Montomoli C., Carosi R., Massonne H-J., Langone A., Visonà D. 2015. Lithos, 231, 103-121. Montomoli C., Iaccarino S., Carosi R., Langone A. & Visonà D. 2013. Tectonophysics 608, 1349-1370, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2013.06.006. Montomoli C., Carosi R., Iaccarino S. 2015. Geol. Soc. London Sp. Publ., 412, 25-41.

CRUSTAL TECTONICS AND SEISMICITY OF THE MIDDLE EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghalib, H. A.; Gritto, R.; Sibol, M. S.; Herrmann, R. B.; Aleqabi, G. I.; Caron, P. F.; Wagner, R. A.; Ali, B. S.; Ali, A. A.

2009-12-01

The Arabian plate describes a geological entity and a dynamic system that has been in continuous interaction with the African plate to the west and south and the Eurasian plate to the north and east. The western and southern boundaries are distinguished by see floor spreading along the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea and transform faulting along the Dead Sea, whereas the northern and eastern boundaries are portrayed by compressional suture zones under thrusting the Turkish and Iranian plateaus. Despite this favorable juxtaposition of continental land masses and the plethora of national seismic networks in every country of the Middle East, the majority of published research on the Arabian plate and surrounding tectonic blocks still depends primarily on global seismographic stations and occasional local networks. Since 2005, we deployed a number of seismic stations, and more recently a five elements array, in close proximity to the northeastern boundary of the Arabian plate. The primary objective of the effort is to better understand the regional seismicity and seismotectonics of the Arabian plate and surrounding regions. To date over a terabyte of high quality 100 sps continuous three-component broadband data have been collected and being analyzed to derive models representative of the greater Middle East tectonic setting. This goal is, in part, achieved by estimating local and regional seismic velocity models using receiver function and surface wave dispersion analyses, and by using these models to obtain accurate hypocenter locations and event focal mechanisms. The resulting events distribution reveals a distinct picture of the interaction between the seismicity and tectonics of the region. The highest seismicity rate seems to be confined to the active northern section of the Zagros thrust zone, while it decreases towards the southern end, before the intensity increases again in the Bandar Abbas region. Spatial distribution of the events and stations provide thorough coverage of all the tectonic provinces in the region. Phases including Pn, Pg, Sn, Lg, as well as LR are clearly observed on recorded seismograms. Blockage or attenuation of some of the crustal body waves is observed along propagation paths crossing the Zagros-Bitlis zone. These findings are also in support of earlier tectonic models that suggest the existence of multiple parallel listric faults splitting off the main Zagros fault zone in east-west direction. Surface- and body wave results in support of these findings will be presented. Our initial structural models of the crust beneath north-eastern Iraq depict a thickness of 40-50 km in the foothills, which increases to 45-55 km beneath the Zagros-Bitlis zone.

Tectonically Induced Anomalies Without Large Earthquake Occurrences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Zheming; Wang, Guangcai; Liu, Chenglong; Che, Yongtai

2017-06-01

In this study, we documented a case involving large-scale macroscopic anomalies in the Xichang area, southwestern Sichuan Province, China, from May to June of 2002, after which no major earthquake occurred. During our field survey in 2002, we found that the timing of the high-frequency occurrence of groundwater anomalies was in good agreement with those of animal anomalies. Spatially, the groundwater and animal anomalies were distributed along the Anninghe-Zemuhe fault zone. Furthermore, the groundwater level was elevated in the northwest part of the Zemuhe fault and depressed in the southeast part of the Zemuhe fault zone, with a border somewhere between Puge and Ningnan Counties. Combined with microscopic groundwater, geodetic and seismic activity data, we infer that the anomalies in the Xichang area were the result of increasing tectonic activity in the Sichuan-Yunnan block. In addition, groundwater data may be used as a good indicator of tectonic activity. This case tells us that there is no direct relationship between an earthquake and these anomalies. In most cases, the vast majority of the anomalies, including microscopic and macroscopic anomalies, are caused by tectonic activity. That is, these anomalies could occur under the effects of tectonic activity, but they do not necessarily relate to the occurrence of earthquakes.

Physiographic divisions and differential uplift in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hack, John Tilton

1982-01-01

The Piedmont and Blue Ridge are dynamic landscapes that have undergone substantial change since the orogenies that ended in late Paleozoic or, as some believe, early Mesozoic time. The southern Blue Ridge region south of Roanoke, Va., lies on the crest of a topographic uplift that corresponds to the eastern continental drainage divide. To the north, this uplift and divide cross the Appalachian Valley and form the crest of the Appalachian Plateaus as far north as central Pennsylvania. The northern Blue Ridge Mountains as well as parts of the Piedmont are on the eastern part of the uplift area. The southeastern margin of the uplift corresponds to a line within the Piedmont physiographic province that extends northeastward from the Tallapoosa River at the Fall Zone and crosses the Rappahannock River at the Fall Zone. The differential elevation on either side of this line is sharp in some places, as, for example, northeast of Atlanta, Ga. In other places, the difference in elevation is difficult to detect, and, in effect, the line becomes a broad monoclinal slope. The region as a whole can be divided into at least six broad subregions that have somewhat different histories in late geologic time. The Piedmont Lowlands subprovince, southeast of the uplifted area, is dominated by a monotonous topography of low rounded ridges and ravines largely underlain by saprolite on crystalline rocks. Isolated ranges of hills of greater relief are scattered across the region; those investigated are directly related to the presence of erosionally resistant rocks. Stream patterns as well as broad topographic forms indicate that although the southern part of the Piedmont Lowlands was probably once covered by younger sediments, this area has been exposed to erosion for a long time. In North Carolina, the inner part of the Piedmont Lowlands has strongly trellised stream patterns, which suggest that subaerial erosion was active for an even longer time period, perhaps since the latest orogeny. North of the Cape Fear River, the outer part of the Piedmont Lowlands was covered by either fluvial or marine sediments or both, probably during Miocene time. Tectonic activity has affected the Piedmont Lowlands in late geologic time. The Fall Zone that forms the southeast border is, at least in places, controlled by faults active in Tertiary time. Late faults have also been found in the Pine Mountain area of Georgia. Minor differences in relief affecting large regions within the Piedmont Lowlands may be related to different rates of uplift in addition to rock resistance, either past or present. The Piedmont northeast of the Potomac River (Northeastern Highlands) rises to more than 300 m in altitude. The major streams have convex profiles that steepen as they near the Coastal Plain. Unusually narrow valleys and broad upland surfaces indicate an increased rate of erosion and show that the relief is now or recently has been increasing because of uplift or tilting. West of the southern end of the Piedmont Lowlands is an area herein called the Southwestern Highlands that in some respects is similar. The area is crossed by two large streams that have convex profiles. The highest mountain ranges in the area rise to altitudes greater than 600 m. Northwest of the Piedmont Lowlands, the topography and relief are higher, and in some places, the rise is gradual, forming a Foothill zone between the Piedmont Lowlands and the high Blue Ridge. This zone is morphologically more complex than the Piedmont Lowlands. North of the Roanoke River, the foothills are commonly chains of isolated hills and ridges generally underlain by resistant rocks. The hills increase in height near the Blue Ridge, an indication that they owe their height to tectonism of late geologic age. South of the Yadkin River, the hills are believed to be residual, the remnants of a larger highland that has been only partially reduced to the lower relief of the general Piedmont surface. The

Imaging the structure of the Northern Lesser Antilles (Guadeloupe - Virgin Island) to assess the tectonic and thermo-mechanical behavior of an arcuate subduction zone that undergoes increasing convergence obliquity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurencin, M.; Marcaillou, B.; Klingelhoefer, F.; Jean-Frederic, L.; Graindorge, D.; Bouquerel, H.; Conin, M.; Crozon, J.; De Min, L.; De Voogd, B.; Evain, M.; Heuret, A.; Laigle, M.; Lallemand, S.; Lucazeau, F.; Pichot, T.; Prunier, C.; Rolandone, F.; Rousset, D.; Vitard, C.

2015-12-01

Paradoxically, the Northern Lesser Antilles is the less-investigated and the most tectonically and seismically complex segment of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone: - The convergence obliquity between the North American and Caribbean plates increases northward from Guadeloupe to Virgin Islands raising questions about the fore-arc tectonic partitioning. - The margin has undergone the subduction of the rough sediment-starved Atlantic Ocean floor spiked with ridges as well as banks docking, but the resulting tectonic deformation remains hypothetical in the absence of a complete bathymetry and of any seismic line. - Recent geodetic data and low historical seismic activity suggest a low interplate coupling between Saint-Martin and Anegada, but the sparse onshore seismometers located far from source zone cast doubt on this seismic gap. To shed new light on these questions, the ANTITHESIS project, 5 Marine Geophysical legs totaling 72 days, aims at recording a complete bathymetric map, deep and shallow seismic reflexion lines, wide-angle seismic data, heat-flow measurements and the seismic activity with a web of sea-bottom seismometers. Our preliminary results suggest that: - A frontal sliver of accretionary prism is stretched and expulsed northward by 50km along the left-lateral Bunce fault that limits the prism from the margin basement as far southward as 18.5°N. So far, this structure is the only interpreted sign of tectonic partitioning in the fore-arc. - The Anegada Passage extends eastward to the accretionary prism through strike-slip faults and pull-apart basins that possibly form a lef-lateral poorly-active system inherited from a past tectonic phase, consistently with geodetic and seismologic data. - The anomalously cold interplate contact, consistent with a low interseismic coupling, is possibly due to fluid circulation within the shallow crustal aquifer or a depressed thermal structure of the oceanic crust related to the slow-spreading at the medio-Atlantic ridge.

Geology of the Elephanta Island fault zone, western Indian rifted margin, and its significance for understanding the Panvel flexure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samant, Hrishikesh; Pundalik, Ashwin; D'souza, Joseph; Sheth, Hetu; Lobo, Keegan Carmo; D'souza, Kyle; Patel, Vanit

2017-02-01

The Panvel flexure is a 150-km long tectonic structure, comprising prominently seaward-dipping Deccan flood basalts, on the western Indian rifted margin. Given the active tectonic faulting beneath the Panvel flexure zone inferred from microseismicity, better structural understanding of the region is needed. The geology of Elephanta Island in the Mumbai harbour, famous for the ca. mid-6th century A.D. Hindu rock-cut caves in Deccan basalt (a UNESCO World Heritage site) is poorly known. We describe a previously unreported but well-exposed fault zone on Elephanta Island, consisting of two large faults dipping steeply east-southeast and producing easterly downthrows. Well-developed slickensides and structural measurements indicate oblique slip on both faults. The Elephanta Island fault zone may be the northern extension of the Alibag-Uran fault zone previously described. This and two other known regional faults (Nhava-Sheva and Belpada faults) indicate a progressively eastward step-faulted structure of the Panvel flexure, with the important result that the individual movements were not simply downdip but also oblique-slip and locally even rotational (as at Uran). An interesting problem is the normal faulting, block tectonics and rifting of this region of the crust for which seismological data indicate a normal thickness (up to 41.3 km). A model of asymmetric rifting by simple shear may explain this observation and the consistently landward dips of the rifted margin faults.

Diffuse Extension of the Southern Mariana Margin: Implications for Subduction Zone Infancy and Plate Tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, F.; Stern, R. J.; Kelley, K. A.; Ohara, Y.; Sleeper, J. D.; Ribeiro, J. M.; Brounce, M. N.

2017-12-01

Opening of the southern Mariana margin takes place in contrasting modes: Extension normal to the trench forms crust that is passively accreted to a rigid Philippine Sea plate and forms along focused and broad accretion axes. Extension also occurs parallel to the trench and has split apart an Eocene-Miocene forearc terrain accreting new crust diffusely over a 150-200 km wide zone forming a pervasive volcano-tectonic fabric oriented at high angles to the trench and the backarc spreading center. Earthquake seismicity indicates that the forearc extension is active over this broad area and basement samples date young although waning volcanic activity. Diffuse formation of new oceanic crust and lithosphere is unusual; in most oceanic settings extension rapidly focuses to narrow plate boundary zones—a defining feature of plate tectonics. Diffuse crustal accretion has been inferred to occur during subduction zone infancy, however. We hypothesize that, in a near-trench extensional setting, the continual addition of water from the subducting slab creates a weak overriding hydrous lithosphere that deforms broadly. This process counteracts mantle dehydration and strengthening proposed to occur at mid-ocean ridges that may help to focus deformation and melt delivery to narrow plate boundary zones. The observations from the southern Mariana margin suggest that where lithosphere is weakened by high water content narrow seafloor spreading centers cannot form. These conditions likely prevail during subduction zone infancy, explaining the diffuse contemporaneous volcanism inferred in this setting.

Geomorphology and Tectonics at the Intersection of Silurian and Death Valleys, Southern California - 2005 Guidebook Pacific Cell Friends of the Pleistocene

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, David M.; Valin, Zenon C.

2007-01-01

This publication describes results from new regional and detailed surficial geologic mapping, combined with geomorphologic, geochronologic, and tectonic studies, in Silurian Valley and Death Valley, California. The studies address a long-standing problem, the tectonic and geomorphic evolution of the intersection between three regional tectonic provinces: the eastern California shear zone, the Basin and Range region of southern Nevada and adjacent California, and the eastern Mojave Desert region. The chapters represent work presented on the 2005 Friends of the Pleistocene field trip and meeting as well as the field trip road log.

Tectonic Tremor along the San Jacinto Fault Zone near Anza, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, J. R.

2013-12-01

In several tectonic settings where it is observed, low frequency tremor is proven as a useful tool to probe slow fault slip at depth (e.g., southwest Japan, Cascadia, Parkfield). However, tremor is difficult to detect due to its long durations and low amplitudes close to the noise band. This is particularly true in southern California where cultural noise sources are both spatially and temporally pervasive. Visually scanning continuous seismic recordings of the Southern California Seismic Network from 2001-2011 we find three pervasive occurrences of tremor: fall 2001, summer 2005 and summer 2010. In this presentation we focus on our analysis of the summer 2010 tremors on account of the enhanced instrumentation from the EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory. During summer 2010 we detect ~240 hours of tremor-like signals in vicinity of the San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ) near Anza. Visual inspection of continuous recordings up to 100 km northeast and southwest of the SJFZ do not record tremor-like signals indicating the source is both weak and local. Tremor is discriminated from other noise sources by calculating their spectral shapes to assure the signals are distinct from local noise sources and earthquakes. Similar to tremor spectra in other settings, the tremor signals in vicinity of the SJFZ are spectrally flat up to 9 Hz. In order to characterize the tremor source, we employ a combination of running autocorrelation and matched-filter techniques to detect and locate low frequency earthquakes (LFE) along the SJFZ one hour at a time. The autocorrelation of the north and vertical components of 14 stations detects over 13500 LFEs. We identify S-wave arrivals using the cross-correlation of 6 s windows for event pairs using the north component. Preliminary analysis of S-waves reveals a localized swarm of LFE epicenters extending 5 to 10 km SE of the Anza Gap with a horizontal error of +/- 4 km. Tremor depths are poorly constrained due to the lack of clear P-wave arrivals. The LFE epicenters reveal a zone of slow slip activity to the SE of the Anza Gap during early summer of 2010.

Tectonics of short-offset, slow-slipping transform zones in the FAMOUS area, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goud, Margaret R.; Karson, Jeffrey A.

1985-12-01

ANGUS photographs and ALVIN observational data from Fracture Zones A and B on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 37°N were examined for structural and sedimentological indications of the area's tectonics. Both transform fault zones are characterized by volcanic rubble, breccias, chalks, and undisturbed sediments typical of slow-slipping transforms. The photographic data consist of 16 camera-sled traverses from the FAMOUS Expedition using the ANGUS deep-towed camera system. These data cover several different morphotectonic provinces along the strike of both slow-slipping (2 cm yr-1) fracture zones. ALVIN data come from two dives in the central part of Fracture Zone B. The two fracture zones differ in their distribution of fractured and sheared chalks which indicate regions of strike-slip deformation along the transform. Evidence of shearing is confined to a very narrow region in the center of FZ A, whereas the zone of shear deformation is as much as 6 km wide across FZ B. Other differences include the morphology and depth of the transform valleys and their contiguous nodal basins and the extent of exposures of fresh-looking volcanic ridges in the nodal basin.

Coseismic Contortion and Coupled Nocturnal Ionospheric Perturbations During 2016 Kaikoura, Mw 7.8 New Zealand Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagiya, Mala S.; Sunil, P. S.; Sunil, A. S.; Ramesh, D. S.

2018-02-01

The oblique-thrust Kaikoura earthquake of Mw 7.8 that struck New Zealand on 13 November 2016 at 11:02:56 UTC (local time at 00:02:56 a.m. on 14 November 2016) was one of the most geometrically and tectonically complex earthquakes recorded onshore in modern seismology. The event ruptured in the region of multisegmented faults and propagated unilaterally northeastward for more than 170 km from the epicenter. The GPS derived coseismic surface displacements reveal a larger widespread horizontal and vertical coseismic surface offsets of 6 m and 2 m, respectively, with two distinct tectonic thrust zones. We study the characteristics of coseismic ionospheric perturbations based on tectonic and nontectonic forcing mechanisms and demonstrate that these perturbations are linked to two distinct surface thrust zones with rotating horizontal reinforcement trending the rupture, rather than merely to the displacements oriented along the rupture propagation direction.

New maps of Lakshmi Planum and eastern Aphrodite, Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgill, G. E.

1984-01-01

Interest on Venus has centered on three regions; (1) Aphrodite Terra, especially east of the main uplant portion, (2) Ishtar Terra, especially Lakshmi Planum and its bounding scarp and massifs, and (3) Beta Regio-Phoebe Regio. The last region is topographically similar to the East African rift system, and has been inferred to have a similar tectonic origin. The Aphrodite region is part of a 21,000 km long tectonic zone that seems best explained as due to extension, and that may represent hot spots clustered along an incipient divergent plate boundary. The most interesting and complex portion of this tectonic zone is that part of eastern Aphrodite between Thetis Regio and Atla Regio. In contrast, the Lakshmi Planum region has many topographic characteristics suggesting that it is a true continent, and thus indicative of convergence and a thick crust. Detailed topographic contour maps of eastern Aphrodite Terra and of Lakshmi Planum are included.

Tectonic styles of future earthquakes in Italy as input data for seismic hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pondrelli, S.; Meletti, C.; Rovida, A.; Visini, F.; D'Amico, V.; Pace, B.

2017-12-01

In a recent elaboration of a new seismogenic zonation and hazard model for Italy, we tried to understand how many indications we have on the tectonic style of future earthquake/rupture. Using all available or recomputed seismic moment tensors for relevant seismic events (Mw starting from 4.5) of the last 100 yrs, first arrival focal mechanisms for less recent earthquakes and also geological data on past activated faults, we collected a database gathering a thousands of data all over the Italian peninsula and regions around it. After several summations of seismic moment tensors, over regular grids of different dimensions and different thicknesses of the seismogenic layer, we applied the same procedure to each of the 50 area sources that were designed in the seismogenic zonation. The results for several seismic zones are very stable, e.g. along the southern Apennines we expect future earthquakes to be mostly extensional, although in the outer part of the chain strike-slip events are possible. In the Northern part of the Apennines we also expect different, opposite tectonic styles for different hypocentral depths. In several zones, characterized by a low seismic moment release, defined for the study region using 1000 yrs of catalog, the next possible tectonic style of future earthquakes is less clear. It is worth to note that for some zones the possible greatest earthquake could be not represented in the available observations. We also add to our analysis the computation of the seismic release rate, computed using a distributed completeness, identified for single great events of the historical seismic catalog for Italy. All these information layers, overlapped and compared, may be used to characterize each new seismogenic zone.

Deciphering tectonic phases of the Amundsen Sea Embayment shelf, West Antarctica, from a magnetic anomaly grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohl, Karsten; Denk, Astrid; Eagles, Graeme; Wobbe, Florian

2013-02-01

The Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE), with Pine Island Bay (PIB) in the eastern embayment, is a key location to understanding tectonic processes of the Pacific margin of West Antarctica. PIB has for a long time been suggested to contain the crustal boundary between the Thurston Island block and the Marie Byrd Land block. Plate tectonic reconstructions have shown that the initial rifting and breakup of New Zealand from West Antarctica occurred between Chatham Rise and the eastern Marie Byrd Land at the ASE. Recent concepts have discussed the possibility of PIB being the site of one of the eastern branches of the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS). About 30,000 km of aeromagnetic data - collected opportunistically by ship-based helicopter flights - and tracks of ship-borne magnetics were recorded over the ASE shelf during two RV Polarstern expeditions in 2006 and 2010. Grid processing, Euler deconvolution and 2D modelling were applied for the analysis of magnetic anomaly patterns, identification of structural lineaments and characterisation of magnetic source bodies. The grid clearly outlines the boundary zone between the inner shelf with outcropping basement rocks and the sedimentary basins of the middle to outer shelf. Distinct zones of anomaly patterns and lineaments can be associated with at least three tectonic phases from (1) magmatic emplacement zones of Cretaceous rifting and breakup (100-85 Ma), to (2) a southern distributed plate boundary zone of the Bellingshausen Plate (80-61 Ma) and (3) activities of the WARS indicated by NNE-SSW trending lineaments (55-30 Ma?). The analysis and interpretation are also used for constraining the directions of some of the flow paths of past grounded ice streams across the shelf.

Origin of a crustal splay fault and its relation to the seismogenic zone and underplating at the erosional north Ecuador-south Colombia oceanic margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collot, J.-Y.; Agudelo, W.; Ribodetti, A.; Marcaillou, B.

2008-12-01

Splay faults within accretionary complexes are commonly associated with the updip limit of the seismogenic zone. Prestack depth migration of a multichannel seismic line across the north Ecuador-south Colombia oceanic margin images a crustal splay fault that correlates with the seaward limit of the rupture zone of the 1958 (Mw 7.7) tsunamogenic subduction earthquake. The splay fault separates 5-6.6 km/s velocity, inner wedge basement rocks, which belong to the accreted Gorgona oceanic terrane, from 4 to 5 km/s velocity outer wedge rocks. The outer wedge is dominated by basal tectonic erosion. Despite a 3-km-thick trench fill, subduction of 2-km-high seamount prevented tectonic accretion and promotes basal tectonic erosion. The low-velocity and poorly reflective subduction channel that underlies the outer wedge is associated with the aseismic, décollement thrust. Subduction channel fluids are expected to migrate upward along splay faults and alter outer wedge rocks. Conversely, duplexes are interpreted to form from and above subducting sediment, at ˜14- to 15-km depths between the overlapping seismogenic part of the splay fault and the underlying aseismic décollement. Coeval basal erosion of the outer wedge and underplating beneath the apex of inner wedge control the margin mass budget, which comes out negative. Intraoceanic basement fossil listric normal faults and a rift zone inverted in a flower structure reflect the evolution of the Gorgona terrane from Cretaceous extension to likely Eocene oblique compression. The splay faults could have resulted from tectonic inversion of listric normal faults, thus showing how inherited structures may promote fluid flow across margin basement and control seismogenesis.

Basement Structure and Styles of Active Tectonic Deformation in Central Interior Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, N.; Hanks, C.

2017-12-01

Central Interior Alaska is one of the most seismically active regions in North America, exhibiting a high concentration of intraplate earthquakes approximately 700 km away from the southern Alaska subduction zone. Based on increasing seismological evidence, intraplate seismicity in the region does not appear to be uniformly distributed, but concentrated in several discrete seismic zones, including the Nenana basin and the adjacent Tanana basin. Recent seismological and neotectonics data further suggests that these seismic zones operate within a field of predominantly pure shear driven primarily by north-south crustal shortening. Although the location and magnitude of the seismic activity in both basins are well defined by a network of seismic stations in the region, the tectonic controls on intraplate earthquakes and the heterogeneous nature of Alaska's continental interior remain poorly understood. We investigated the current crustal architecture and styles of tectonic deformation of the Nenana and Tanana basins using existing geological, geophysical and geochronological datasets. The results of our study demonstrate that the basements of the basins show strong crustal heterogeneity. The Tanana basin is a relatively shallow (up to 2 km) asymmetrical foreland basin with its southern, deeper side controlled by the northern foothills of the central Alaska Range. Northeast-trending strike-slip faults within the Tanana basin are interpreted as a zone of clockwise crustal block rotation. The Nenana basin has a fundamentally different geometry; it is a deep (up to 8 km), narrow transtensional pull-apart basin that is deforming along the left-lateral Minto Fault. This study identifies two distinct modes of tectonic deformation in central Interior Alaska at present, and provides a basis for modeling the interplay between intraplate stress fields and major structural features that potentially influence the generation of intraplate earthquakes in the region.

Influence of increasing convergence obliquity and shallow slab geometry onto tectonic deformation and seismogenic behavior along the Northern Lesser Antilles zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurencin, M.; Graindorge, D.; Klingelhoefer, F.; Marcaillou, B.; Evain, M.

2018-06-01

In subduction zones, the 3D geometry of the plate interface is one of the key parameters that controls margin tectonic deformation, interplate coupling and seismogenic behavior. The North American plate subducts beneath the convex Northern Lesser Antilles margin. This convergent plate boundary, with a northward increasing convergence obliquity, turns into a sinistral strike-slip limit at the northwestern end of the system. This geodynamic context suggests a complex slab geometry, which has never been imaged before. Moreover, the seismic activity and particularly the number of events with thrust focal mechanism compatible with subduction earthquakes, increases northward from the Barbuda-Anguilla segment to the Anguilla-Virgin Islands segment. One of the major questions in this area is thus to analyze the influence of the increasing convergence obliquity and the slab geometry onto tectonic deformation and seismogenic behavior of the subduction zone. Based on wide-angle and multichannel reflection seismic data acquired during the Antithesis cruises (2013-2016), we decipher the deep structure of this subduction zone. Velocity models derived from wide-angle data acquired across the Anegada Passage are consistent with the presence of a crust of oceanic affinity thickened by hotspot magmatism and probably affected by the Upper Cretaceous-Eocene arc magmatism forming the 'Great Arc of the Caribbean'. The slab is shallower beneath the Anguilla-Virgin Islands margin segment than beneath the Anguilla-Barbuda segment which is likely to be directly related to the convex geometry of the upper plate. This shallower slab is located under the forearc where earthquakes and partitioning deformations increase locally. Thus, the shallowing slab might result in local greater interplate coupling and basal friction favoring seismic activity and tectonic partitioning beneath the Virgin Islands platform.

The role of post-collisional strike-slip tectonics in the geological evolution of the late Neoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary Guaratubinha Basin, southern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barão, Leonardo M.; Trzaskos, Barbara; Vesely, Fernando F.; de Castro, Luís Gustavo; Ferreira, Francisco J. F.; Vasconcellos, Eleonora M. G.; Barbosa, Tiago C.

2017-12-01

The Guaratubinha Basin is a late Neoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary basin included in the transitional-stage basins of the South American Platform. The aim of this study is to investigate its tectonic evolution through a detailed structural analysis based on remote sensing and field data. The structural and aerogeophysics data indicate that at least three major deformational events affected the basin. Event E1 caused the activation of the two main basin-bounding fault zones, the Guaratubinha Master Fault and the Guaricana Shear Zone. These structures, oriented N20-45E, are associated with well-defined right-lateral to oblique vertical faults, conjugate normal faults and vertical flow structures. Progressive transtensional deformation along the two main fault systems was the main mechanism for basin formation and the deposition of thick coarse-grained deposits close to basin-borders. The continuous opening of the basin provided intense intermediate and acid magmatism as well as deposition of volcaniclastic sediments. Event E2 characterizes generalized compression, recorded as minor thrust faults with tectonic transport toward the northwest and left-lateral activation of the NNE-SSW Palmital Shear Zone. Event E3 is related to the Mesozoic tectonism associated with the South Atlantic opening, which generated diabase dykes and predominantly right-lateral strike-slip faults oriented N10-50W. Its rhomboidal geometry with long axis parallel to major Precambrian shear zones, the main presence of high-angle, strike-slip or oblique faults, the asymmetric distribution of geological units and field evidence for concomitant Neoproterozoic magmatism and strike-slip movements are consistent with pull-apart basins reported in the literature.

JaMBES: A "New" Way of Calculating Plate Tectonic Reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chambord, A. I.; Smith, E. G. C.; Sutherland, R.

2014-12-01

Calculating the paleoposition of tectonic plates using marine geophysical data has been usually done by using the Hellinger criterion [Hellinger, 1981]. However, for the Hellinger software [Kirkwood et al., 1999] to produce stable results, we find that the input data must be abundant and spatially well distributed. Although magnetic anomalies and fracture zone data have been increasingly abundant since the 1960s, some parts of the globe remain too sparsely explored to provide enough data for the Hellinger code to provide satisfactory rotations. In this poster, we present new software to calculate the paleopositions of tectonic plates using magnetic anomalies and fracture zone data. Our method is based on the theory of plate tectonics as introduced by [Bullard et al., 1965] and [Morgan, 1968], which states that ridge segments (ie. magnetic lineations) and fracture zones are at right angles to each other. In order to test our software, we apply it to a region of the world where climatic conditions hinder the acquisition of magnetic data: the Southwest Pacific, between New Zealand and Antarctica from breakup time to chron 20 (c43Ma). Bullard, E., J. E. Everett, and A. G. Smith (1965), The fit of continents around the atlantic, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 258(1088), 41-51. Hellinger, S. J. (1981), The uncertainties of finite rotations in plate tectonics, Journal of Geophysical Research, 86(B10), 9312-9318. Kirkwood, B. H., J. Y. Royer, T. C. Chang, and R. G. Gordon (1999), Statistical tools for estimating and combining finite rotations and their uncertainties, Geophysical Journal International, 137(2), 408-428. Morgan, W. J. (1968), Rises, trenches, great faults, and crustal blocks, Journal of Geophysical Research, 73(6), 1959-1982.

A Cenozoic tectonic model for Southeast Asia - microplates and basins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maher, K.A.

1995-04-01

A computer-assisted Cenozoic tectonic model was built for Southeast Asia and used to construct 23 base maps, 2 to 6 million years apart. This close temporal spacing was necessary to constrain all the local geometric shifts in a consistent and geologically feasible fashion. More than a hundred individual blocks were required to adequately treat Cenozoic microplate processes at a basic level. The reconstructions show tectonic evolution to be characterized by long periods of gradual evolution, interrupted by brief, widespread episodes of reorganization in fundamental plate geometries and kinematics. These episodes are triggered by major collisions, or by accumulation of smallermore » changes. The model takes into account difficulties inherent in the region. The Pacific and Indo-Australian plates and their predecessors have driven westward and northward since the late Paleozoic, towards each other and the relatively stationary backstop of Asia. Southeast Asia is therefore the result of a long-lived, complex process of convergent tectonics, making it difficult to reconstruct tectonic evolution as much of the continental margin and sea floor spreading record was erased. In addition, the region has been dominated by small-scale microplate processes with short time scales and internal deformation, taking place in rapidly evolving and more ductile buffer zones between the major rigid plate systems. These plate interaction zones have taken up much of the relative motion between the major plates. Relatively ephemeral crustal blocks appear and die within the buffer zones, or accrete to and disperse from the margins of the major plate systems. However, such microplate evolution is the dominant factor in Cenozoic basin evolution. This detailed testonic model aids in comprehension and prediction of basin development, regional hydrocarbon habitat, and petroleum systems.« less

Clinopyroxene composition of volcanics from the Manipur Ophiolite, Northeastern India: implications to geodynamic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovung, Thungyani N.; Ray, Jyotisankar; Ghosh, Biswajit; Koeberl, Christian; Topa, Dan; Paul, Madhuparna

2017-08-01

The volcanic section of the Manipur Ophiolite (MO), representing the crustal portion of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere occurs as basalt, basaltic trachyandesite, and dacite in the Gamnom-Phangrei sector, Manipur, at 25°01'N-25°09'N and 94°24'E-94°27'E. They associate with cherts and ultramafics. The clinopyroxene compositions of basalt and basaltic trachyandesite, obtained through electron microprobe analyzer, were used as a petrogenetic indicator to identify the parent magma-types and their tectonic settings. Based on the variable content of major oxides, they are classified as high- and low-Ti clinopyroxenes. High Ti and Al contents with relatively lower silica saturation are observed in the former group and vice versa in the latter. The TiDCpx/rock values in low- and high-Ti clinopyroxene are comparable with island-arc basaltic andesite and MORB, respectively, which confirms that the clinopyroxene composition is primarily related to the host magma-type and its tectonic setting. Clinopyroxene thermometry (ranging 1150-605 °C) suggests progressive differentiation of the parent magmas. Several bivariate and tectonic discrimination diagrams depict MORB (non-orogenic setting) and island-arc boninitic magma affinities (orogenic setting) for the high- and low-Ti clinopyroxenes, respectively. The coexistence of both MORB and island-arc boninitic magma-types in the volcanic section of Manipur Ophiolite as characterized by their varying Ti, Al, and Si contents may indicate either juxtaposition of rocks formed in diverse tectonic settings (i.e., due to transformation of tectonic setting from mid-ocean ridge to supra-subduction zone) or, a change in magma composition in a subduction zone setting. However, field relationships coupled with the mineral-chemical signatures implies a supra-subduction zone setting for the evolution of the crustal section of MO.

Clinopyroxene composition of volcanics from the Manipur Ophiolite, Northeastern India: implications to geodynamic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovung, Thungyani N.; Ray, Jyotisankar; Ghosh, Biswajit; Koeberl, Christian; Topa, Dan; Paul, Madhuparna

2018-06-01

The volcanic section of the Manipur Ophiolite (MO), representing the crustal portion of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere occurs as basalt, basaltic trachyandesite, and dacite in the Gamnom-Phangrei sector, Manipur, at 25°01'N-25°09'N and 94°24'E-94°27'E. They associate with cherts and ultramafics. The clinopyroxene compositions of basalt and basaltic trachyandesite, obtained through electron microprobe analyzer, were used as a petrogenetic indicator to identify the parent magma-types and their tectonic settings. Based on the variable content of major oxides, they are classified as high- and low-Ti clinopyroxenes. High Ti and Al contents with relatively lower silica saturation are observed in the former group and vice versa in the latter. The TiDCpx/rock values in low- and high-Ti clinopyroxene are comparable with island-arc basaltic andesite and MORB, respectively, which confirms that the clinopyroxene composition is primarily related to the host magma-type and its tectonic setting. Clinopyroxene thermometry (ranging 1150-605 °C) suggests progressive differentiation of the parent magmas. Several bivariate and tectonic discrimination diagrams depict MORB (non-orogenic setting) and island-arc boninitic magma affinities (orogenic setting) for the high- and low-Ti clinopyroxenes, respectively. The coexistence of both MORB and island-arc boninitic magma-types in the volcanic section of Manipur Ophiolite as characterized by their varying Ti, Al, and Si contents may indicate either juxtaposition of rocks formed in diverse tectonic settings (i.e., due to transformation of tectonic setting from mid-ocean ridge to supra-subduction zone) or, a change in magma composition in a subduction zone setting. However, field relationships coupled with the mineral-chemical signatures implies a supra-subduction zone setting for the evolution of the crustal section of MO.

From erosion to earthquakes: A geomorphic model for intraplate seismicity in post-orogenic settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallen, S. F.; Thigpen, J. R.

2017-12-01

Intraplate seismicity does not conform to plate tectonics theory and its driving mechanisms remain uncertain, yet it is recognized as a relevant seismic hazard to populated regions, such as eastern North America. A variety of models, mostly geodynamic or tectonic in origin, have been proposed to explain this enigma, but conclusive supporting evidence remains elusive. In order to identify high hazard areas and derive predictive models, it is imperative to identify the underlying processes responsible for intraplate seismicity. Here we conduct an interdisciplinary study of the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone (ETSZ), the second most seismically active region east of the Rocky Mountains in the North American continent, to clarify the potential mechanisms driving intraplate seismicity in post-orogenic and passive margin settings. Previous studies document that the Upper Tennessee drainage basin, which lies directly above the ETSZ, is in a transient state of adjustment to 150 m of base level fall that was provoked by river capture in the Late Miocene. Using quantitative geomorphology, we demonstrate that base level fall enhanced erosion rates in a 75 km wide 400 km long corridor of highly erodible rocks in the late Paleozoic (Alleghanian orogen) fold-thrust belt. The total volume of rock preferentially removed above the ETSZ since 9 Ma is 3,600 ± 150 km3. Stress modeling indicates spatially focused erosion has of reduced clamping stresses on ancient basement normal faults beneath the Appalachian fold-thrust belt on the order of 3.5 MPa, with a time-averaged unclamping rate of 0.4 Pa yr-1. Under the assumption that the crust is critically stressed, we argue that the preferential erosion of less competent rock units reduced clamping stresses on relict faults such to induce seismic activity in the ambient stress field. This model for surface process-induced intraplate seismicity is generally transferable to other continental settings where complex geology and landscape dynamics conspire to spatially focus erosion and perturb the stress field in the mid-to-upper crust.

Providing Seismotectonic Information to the Public Through Continuously Updated National Earthquake Information Center Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernardino, M. J.; Hayes, G. P.; Dannemann, F.; Benz, H.

2012-12-01

One of the main missions of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) is the dissemination of information to national and international agencies, scientists, and the general public through various products such as ShakeMap and earthquake summary posters. During the summer of 2012, undergraduate and graduate student interns helped to update and improve our series of regional seismicity posters and regional tectonic summaries. The "Seismicity of the Earth (1900-2007)" poster placed over a century's worth of global seismicity data in the context of plate tectonics, highlighting regions that have experienced great (M+8.0) earthquakes, and the tectonic settings of those events. This endeavor became the basis for a series of more regionalized seismotectonic posters that focus on major subduction zones and their associated seismicity, including the Aleutian and Caribbean arcs. The first round of these posters were inclusive of events through 2007, and were made with the intent of being continually updated. Each poster includes a regional tectonic summary, a seismic hazard map, focal depth cross-sections, and a main map that illustrates the following: the main subduction zone and other physiographic features, seismicity, and rupture zones of historic great earthquakes. Many of the existing regional seismotectonic posters have been updated and new posters highlighting regions of current seismological interest have been created, including the Sumatra and Java arcs, the Middle East region and the Himalayas (all of which are currently in review). These new editions include updated lists of earthquakes, expanded tectonic summaries, updated relative plate motion vectors, and major crustal faults. These posters thus improve upon previous editions that included only brief tectonic discussions of the most prominent features and historic earthquakes, and which did not systematically represent non-plate boundary faults. Regional tectonic summaries provide the public with immediate background information useful for teaching and media related purposes and are an essential component to many NEIC products. As part of the NEIC's earthquake response, rapid earthquake summary posters are created in the hours following a significant global earthquake. These regional tectonic summaries are included in each earthquake summary poster along with a discussion of the event, written by research scientists at the NEIC, often with help from regional experts. Now, through the efforts of this and related studies, event webpages will automatically contain a regional tectonic summary immediately after an event has been posted. These new summaries include information about plate boundary interactions and other associated tectonic elements, trends in seismicity and brief descriptions of significant earthquakes that have occurred in a region. The tectonic summaries for the following regions have been updated as part of this work: South America, the Caribbean, Alaska and the Aleutians, Kuril-Kamchatka, Japan and vicinity, and Central America, with newly created summaries for Sumatra and Java, the Mediterranean, Middle East, and the Himalayas. The NEIC is currently planning to integrate concise stylized maps with each tectonic summary for display on the USGS website.

Crustal strength anisotropy influences landscape form and longevity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, S. G.; Koons, P. O.; Upton, P.; Tucker, G. E.

2013-12-01

Lithospheric deformation is increasingly recognized as integral to landscape evolution. Here we employ a coupled orogenic and landscape model to test the hypothesis that strain-induced crustal failure exerts the dominant control on rates and patterns of orogenic landscape evolution. We assume that erodibility is inversely proportional to cohesion for bedrock rivers host to bedload abrasion. Crustal failure can potentially reduce cohesion by several orders of magnitude along meter scale planar fault zones. The strain-induced cohesion field is generated by use of a strain softening upper crustal rheology in our orogenic model. Based on the results of our coupled model, we predict that topographic anisotropy found in natural orogens is largely a consequence of strain-induced anisotropy in the near surface strength field. The lifespan and geometry of mountain ranges are strongly sensitive to 1) the acute division in erodibility values between the damaged fault zones and the surrounding intact rock and 2) the fault zone orientations for a given tectonic regime. The large division in erodibility between damaged and intact rock combined with the dependence on fault zone orientation provides a spectrum of rates at which a landscape will respond to tectonic or climatic perturbations. Knickpoint migration is about an order of magnitude faster along the exposed cores of fault zones when compared to rates in intact rock, and migration rate increases with fault dip. The contrast in relative erosion rate confines much of the early stage fluvial erosion and establishes a major drainage network that reflects the orientations of exposed fault zones. Slower erosion into the surrounding intact rock typically creates small tributaries that link orthogonally to the structurally confined channels. The large divide in fluvial erosion rate permits the long term persistence of the tectonic signal in the landscape and partly contributes to orogen longevity. Landscape morphology and channel tortuosity together provide critical information on the orientation and spatial distribution of fault damage and the relevant tectonic regime. Our landscape evolution models express similar mechanisms and produce drainage network patterns analogous to those seen in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and the Himalayan Eastern Syntaxis, both centers of active lithospheric deformation.

Geodynamical Nature of the Formation of Large Plates of Platforms, Jointed in North Caspian Oil and Gas Basin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seitov, Nassipkali; Tulegenova, Gulmira P.

2016-01-01

This article addresses the problems of tectonic zoning and determination of geodynamical nature of the formation of jointed tectonic structures within the North Caspian oil and gas basin, represented by Caspian Depression of Russian platform of East European Pre-Cambrian Craton and plate ancient Precambrian Platform stabilization and Turan…

Proterozoic orogens in southern Peninsular India: Contiguities and complexities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chetty, T. R. K.; Santosh, M.

2013-12-01

The Precambrian terranes of southern Peninsular India have been central to discussions on the history of formation and breakup of supercontinents. Of particular interest are the Proterozoic high grade metamorphic orogens at the southern and eastern margins of the Indian shield, skirting the 3.4 Ga Dharwar craton which not only preserve important records of lower crustal processes and lithospheric geodynamics, but also carry imprints of the tectonic framework related to the assembly of the major Neoproterozoic supercontinents - Rodinia and Gondwana. These Proterozoic orogens are described as Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT) in the southern tip and the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB) in the eastern domains of the peninsula. The contiguity of these orogens is broken for a distance of ˜400 km and disappears in the Bay of Bengal. These orogens expose windows of middle to lower crust with well-preserved rock records displaying multiple tectonothermal events and multiphase exhumation paths.Recent studies in these orogens have led to the recognition of discrete crustal blocks or terranes separated by major shear zone systems, some of which represent collisional sutures. The SGT and EGMB carry several important features such as fold-thrust tectonics, regional granulite facies metamorphism of up to ultrahigh-temperature conditions in some cases, multiple P-T paths, development of lithospheric shear zones, emplacement of ophiolites, presence of alkaline and anorthositic complexes, development of crustal-scale "flower structures", transpressional strains, and reactivation tectonics. A heterogeneous distribution of different metamorphic and magmatic assemblages with distinct spatial and temporal strain variations in shaping the fabric elements in different blocks is identified. Both EGMB and SGT share a common transpressional deformation history during the latest Neoproterozoic characterized by the steepening of the initial low angle crustal scale structures leading to a subvertical grain conducive to reactivation tectonics. Our synthesis of the spatial distribution, geometry, kinematics and the transpressional strain of the shear zone systems provides insights into the tectono-metamorphic history of the Proterozoic orogens of southern India and their contiguity and complexities. Recent understanding of subduction, accretion and collisional history along these zones together with a long lived transpressional tectonic regime imply that these orogens witnessed identical tectonic regimes at different times in Earth history, although the major and common structural architecture was built during the final assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent.

Simulation of active tectonic processes for a convecting mantle with moving continents

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trubitsyn, V.; Kaban, M.; Mooney, W.; Reigber, C.; Schwintzer, P.

2006-01-01

Numerical models are presented that simulate several active tectonic processes. These models include a continent that is thermally and mechanically coupled with viscous mantle flow. The assumption of rigid continents allows use of solid body equations to describe the continents' motion and to calculate their velocities. The starting point is a quasi-steady state model of mantle convection with temperature/ pressure-dependent viscosity. After placing a continent on top of the mantle, the convection pattern changes. The mantle flow subsequently passes through several stages, eventually resembling the mantle structure under present-day continents: (a) Extension tectonics and marginal basins form on boundary of a continent approaching to subduction zone, roll back of subduction takes place in front of moving continent; (b) The continent reaches the subduction zone, the extension regime at the continental edge is replaced by strong compression. The roll back of the subduction zone still continues after closure of the marginal basin and the continent moves towards the upwelling. As a result the ocean becomes non-symmetric and (c) The continent overrides the upwelling and subduction in its classical form stops. The third stage appears only in the upper mantle model with localized upwellings. ?? 2006 The Authors Journal compilation ?? 2006 RAS.

Characterizing a middle to upper crustal shear zone: Microstructures, quartz c-axis fabrics, deformation temperatures and flow vorticity analysis of the northern Ailao Shan-Red River shear zone, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wenbin; Liu, Junlai; Zhang, Lisheng; Qi, Yinchuan; Ling, Chengyang

2017-05-01

Structural and microstructural characteristics, deformation temperatures and flow vorticities of the northern Ailao Shan (ALS) high-grade metamorphic belt provide significant information regarding the nature and tectonic evolution of the Ailao Shan-Red River (ASRR) shear zone. Mineral deformation mechanisms, quartz lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) patterns and the opening angles of quartz c-axis fabrics of samples from the Gasa section indicate that the northern ALS high-grade metamorphic belt has experienced progressive shear deformation. The early stage shearing is characterized by a gradual decrease of deformation temperatures from >650 °C at the northeastern unit to ca. 300 °C at the southwestern unit, that results in the formation of migmatites, mylonitic gneisses, thin bedded mylonites, mylonitic schists and phyllonites from the NE to SW across the strike of the shear zone. The late stage low-temperature (300-400 °C) shearing is superimposed on the early deformation throughout the belt with the formation of discrete, small-scale shear zones, especially in the thin-banded mylonitic rocks along both margins. The kinematic vorticity values estimated by rotated rigid porphyroclast method and oblique grain-shaped/quartz c-axis-fabric method imply that the general shear-dominated flow (0.49-0.77) progressively changed to a simple shear-dominated flow (0.77-1) toward the late stage of ductile deformation. The two stages of shearing are consistent with early shortening-dominated and late extrusion-controlled regional tectonic processes. The transition between them occurred at ca. 27 Ma in the ALS high-grade metamorphic belt along the ASRR shear zone. The large amount of strike-slip displacement along the ASRR shear zone is predominantly attributed to accelerated flow along the shear zone during the late extrusion-controlled tectonic process.

Sheet intrusions and deformation of Piton des Neiges, and their implication for the volcano-tectonics of La Réunion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaput, Marie; Famin, Vincent; Michon, Laurent

2017-10-01

To understand the volcano-tectonic history of Piton des Neiges (the dormant volcano of La Réunion), we measured in the field the orientation of sheeted intrusions and deformation structures, and interpreted the two datasets separately with a paleostress inversion. Results show that the multiple proposed rift zones may be simplified into three trends: (1) a N30°E, 5 km wide linear rift zone running to the south of the edifice, active in the shield building (≥ 2.48-0.43 Ma) and terminal stages (190-22 ka); (2) a curved N110 to N160°E rift zone, widening from 5 km to 10 km toward the NW flank, essentially active during the early emerged shield building (≥ 1.3 Ma); and (3) two sill zones, ≤ 1 km thick in total, in the most internal parts of the volcano, active in the shield building and terminal stages. In parallel, deformation structures reveal that the tectonics of the edifice consisted in three end-member stress regimes sharing common stress axes: (1) NW-SE extension affecting in priority the south of the edifice near the N30°E rift zone; (2) NNE-SSW extension on the northern half of the volcano near the N110-160°E rift zone; (3) compression occurring near the sill zones, with a NE-SW or NW-SE maximum principal stress. These three stress regimes are spatially correlated and mechanically compatible with the injection trends. Combined together, our data show that the emerged Piton des Neiges underwent sector spreading delimited by perpendicular rift zones, as observed on Piton de la Fournaise (the active volcano of La Réunion). Analogue experiments attribute such sector spreading to brittle edifices built on a weaker substratum. We therefore conclude that La Réunion volcanoes are both brittle, as opposed to Hawaiian volcanoes or Mount Etna whose radial spreading is usually attributed to a ductile body within the edifices.

Radon measurements in an area of tectonic zone: A case study in Central Slovakia.

PubMed

Mojzeš, Andrej; Marko, František; Porubčanová, Barbara; Bartošová, Andrea

2017-01-01

General overviews of the spatial distribution of radon and other natural radionuclides in the geological basement as commonly presented on regional or country maps tend to offer a low density of information, insufficient for gaining relevant knowledge of the environmental impact, especially in the areas of tectonic zones often assumed to be radon prone and therefore dangerous for the human population. An additional survey, employing radon measurements in soil and indoor air, was carried out seeking to provide a more detailed characterization of the expressive fault zone of the Malá Magura in the Horná Nitra region of Central Slovakia. Eventually, the results of soil 222 Rn volume activity measurements along two short profiles crossing the assumed fault line did not reveal any indication of active nature of local tectonics, but merely pointed to an existence of a zone of contact between different types of rocks. The results of indoor radon measurements in dwellings of two villages lying on the studied fault showed values that were lower than those commonly observed on the Slovak territory, ruling out any negative health impact on population. Nevertheless, in order to add new findings to an already well established study of geological structure of the region, the indoor radon data collected through a previous survey require a further analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Variations in population vulnerability to tectonic and landslide-related tsunami hazards in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wood, Nathan J.; Peters, Jeff

2015-01-01

Effective tsunami risk reduction requires an understanding of how at-risk populations are specifically vulnerable to tsunami threats. Vulnerability assessments primarily have been based on single hazard zones, even though a coastal community may be threatened by multiple tsunami sources that vary locally in terms of inundation extents and wave arrival times. We use the Alaskan coastal communities of Cordova, Kodiak, Seward, Valdez, and Whittier (USA), as a case study to explore population vulnerability to multiple tsunami threats. We use anisotropic pedestrian evacuation models to assess variations in population exposure as a function of travel time out of hazard zones associated with tectonic and landslide-related tsunamis (based on scenarios similar to the 1964 M w9.2 Good Friday earthquake and tsunami disaster). Results demonstrate that there are thousands of residents, employees, and business customers in tsunami hazard zones associated with tectonically generated waves, but that at-risk individuals will likely have sufficient time to evacuate to high ground before waves are estimated to arrive 30–60 min after generation. Tsunami hazard zones associated with submarine landslides initiated by a subduction zone earthquake are smaller and contain fewer people, but many at-risk individuals may not have enough time to evacuate as waves are estimated to arrive in 1–2 min and evacuations may need to occur during earthquake ground shaking. For all hazard zones, employees and customers at businesses far outnumber residents at their homes and evacuation travel times are highest on docks and along waterfronts. Results suggest that population vulnerability studies related to tsunami hazards should recognize non-residential populations and differences in wave arrival times if emergency managers are to develop realistic preparedness and outreach efforts.

Final « pop-up » structural reactivation of the internal part of an orogenic wedge: west-central Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meresse, F.; Jolivet, M.; Labaume, P.; Teixell, A.

2009-04-01

Université Montpellier 2, INSU-CNRS, Laboratoire Géosciences Montpellier, cc060, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France florian.meresse@gm.univ-montp2.fr Tectonics-sedimentation relationships are often used to describe the tectonic evolution of orogenic wedges. However, does the sedimentary record associated to the build-up of the wedge recall the entire tectonic history? Numerous studies based on tectono-stratigraphic and thermochronological data, as well as numerical modeling, have demonstrated that on the large scale the growth of the Pyrenees is characterized by a southward propagation of the deformation (e.g., Muñoz, 1992; Morris et al., 1998; Fitzgerald et al., 1999; Beaumont et al., 2000). However, in the west-central Pyrenees, recent thermochronological data have suggested that the in-sequence propagation of the basement thrust system was followed by out-of-sequence (re)activation of hinterland structures after the South-Pyrenean Frontal Thrust had been sealed (Jolivet et al., 2007). To better describe the structural evolution of the Pyrenean prism, we focused our work on a NNE-SSW transect from the northern piedmont (Bagnères-de-Bigorre), through the Axial Zone and down to the Jaca basin where tectonics-sedimentation relationships have been extensively described (e.g., Teixell, 1996). A crustal scale cross-section combined with detailed apatite fission track analysis are used as a case study to unravel in detail the deformation history. Apatite fission track data from the Bagnères-de-Bigorre Paleozoic massif (central ages: 41-42 Ma) and the Lesponne Hercynian granite (central age: 31 Ma) located in the North-Pyrenean Zone and in the north of the Axial Zone, respectively, reveal Middle Eocene-Early Oligocene denudation ages of the northern part of the wedge. Immediately to the south, central ages around 24-20 Ma attest to a Latest Oligocene-Early Miocene denudation ages of the Chiroulet granite. According to the structural context, these results suggest a late exhumation stage associated with the tectonic (re)activation of north-vergent thrusts in the northern part of the Axial Zone. Similarly, results from the southern flank of the Axial Zone and the northern part of the Jaca basin suggest a denudation age around 18 Ma (Meresse et al., this volume), which may be linked to out-of-sequence tectonic movements on a south-vergent basement thrust (Bielsa thrust, Jolivet et al., 2007). In conclusion, thermochronological data reveal an Early Miocene "pop-up" exhumation of the internal parts of the Pyrenean wedge, which also shows that the Pyrenean compressional deformation ended later than the generally accepted Aquitanian age deduced from tectonics-sedimentation relationships. This late exhumation was achieved through out-of-sequence (re)activation of hinterland structures linked to a final internal thickening stage in the orogenic prism.

Neotectonic control on drainage systems: GIS-based geomorphometric and morphotectonic assessment for Crete, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argyriou, Athanasios V.; Teeuw, Richard M.; Soupios, Pantelis; Sarris, Apostolos

2017-11-01

Geomorphic indices can be used to examine the geomorphological and tectonic processes responsible for the development of the drainage basins. Such indices can be dependent on tectonics, erosional processes and other factors that control the morphology of the landforms. The inter-relationships between geomorphic indices can determine the influence of regional tectonic activity in the shape development of drainage basins. A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) procedure has been used to perform an integrated cluster analysis that highlights information associated with the dominant regional tectonic activity. Factor Analysis (FA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) were considered within that procedure, producing a representation of the distributed regional tectonic activity of the drainage basins studied. The study area is western Crete, located in the outer fore-arc of the Hellenic subduction zone, one of the world's most tectonically active regions. The results indicate that in the landscape evolution of the study area (especially the western basins) tectonic controls dominate over lithological controls.

Seismic Wave Velocity in the Subducted Oceanic Crust from Autocorrelation of Tectonic Tremor Signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducellier, A.; Creager, K.

2017-12-01

Hydration and dehydration of minerals in subduction zones play a key role in the geodynamic processes that generate seismicity and that allow tectonic plates to subduct. Detecting the presence of water in the subducted plate is thus crucial to better understand the seismogenesis and the consequent seismic hazard. A landward dipping, low velocity layer has been detected in most subduction zones. In Cascadia, this low velocity zone is characterized by a low S-wave velocity and a very high Poisson's ratio, which has been interpreted as high pore-fluid pressure in the upper half part of the subducted oceanic crust. Most previous studies were based on seismic reflection imaging, receiver function analysis, or body wave tomography, with seismic sources located far from the low velocity zone. In contrast, the sources of the tectonic tremors generated during Episodic Tremor and Slip (ETS) events are located on the plate boundary. As the sources of the tremors are much closer to the low velocity zone, seismic waves recorded during ETS events should illuminate the area with greater precision. Most methods to detect and locate tectonic tremors and low-frequency earthquakes are based on the cross correlation of seismic signals; either signals at the same station for different events, or the same event at different stations. We use the autocorrelation of the seismic signal recorded by eight arrays of stations, located in the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Each tremor, assumed to be on the plate boundary, generates a direct wave and reflected and converted waves from both the strong shear-wave velocity contrast in the mid-oceanic crust, and from the Moho of the subducted oceanic crust. The time lag between the arrivals of these different waves at a seismic station corresponds to a peak of amplitude on the autocorrelation signals. Using the time lags observed for different locations of the tremor source, we intend to invert for the seismic wave velocity of the subducted oceanic crust under the arrays. Identifying zones with lower S-wave velocity and a high Poisson's ratio will then help detecting the presence of water in the subducted oceanic crust. Our ultimate goal is contributing to a better understanding of the mechanism of ETS and subduction zone processes.

Comparisons of Source Characteristics between Recent Inland Crustal Earthquake Sequences inside and outside of Niigata-Kobe Tectonic Zone, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somei, K.; Asano, K.; Iwata, T.; Miyakoshi, K.

2012-12-01

After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, many M7-class inland earthquakes occurred in Japan. Some of those events (e.g., the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake) occurred in a tectonic zone which is characterized as a high strain rate zone by the GPS observation (Sagiya et al., 2000) or dense distribution of active faults. That belt-like zone along the coast in Japan Sea side of Tohoku and Chubu districts, and north of Kinki district, is called as the Niigata-Kobe tectonic zone (NKTZ, Sagiya et al, 2000). We investigate seismic scaling relationship for recent inland crustal earthquake sequences in Japan and compare source characteristics between events occurring inside and outside of NKTZ. We used S-wave coda part for estimating source spectra. Source spectral ratio is obtained by S-wave coda spectral ratio between the records of large and small events occurring close to each other from nation-wide strong motion network (K-NET and KiK-net) and broad-band seismic network (F-net) to remove propagation-path and site effects. We carefully examined the commonality of the decay of coda envelopes between event-pair records and modeled the observed spectral ratio by the source spectral ratio function with assuming omega-square source model for large and small events. We estimated the corner frequencies and seismic moment (ratio) from those modeled spectral ratio function. We determined Brune's stress drops of 356 events (Mw: 3.1-6.9) in ten earthquake sequences occurring in NKTZ and six sequences occurring outside of NKTZ. Most of source spectra obey omega-square source spectra. There is no obvious systematic difference between stress drops of events in NKTZ zone and others. We may conclude that the systematic tendency of seismic source scaling of the events occurred inside and outside of NKTZ does not exist and the average source scaling relationship can be effective for inland crustal earthquakes. Acknowledgements: Waveform data were provided from K-NET, KiK-net and F-net operated by National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention Japan. This study is supported by Multidisciplinary research project for Niigata-Kobe tectonic zone promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan.

The Ordovician magmatic arc in the northern Chile-Argentina Andes between 21° and 26° south latitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niemeyer, Hans; Götze, Jens; Sanhueza, Marcos; Portilla, Carolina

2018-01-01

A continental magmatic arc (the Famatinian magmatic arc) was developed on the western margin of Gondwana during the Early to Middle Ordovician. This has a northwestern orientation in the northern Chile-Argentina Andes between 21° and 26° south latitude with a northeastern directed subduction zone and developed on a continental crust represented by a metamorphic basement. A paleogeographical scheme for the Ordovician magmatic arc is proposed and two tectonic environments can be recognized from our own data and data from the literature: forearc and arc. The Cordón de Lila Complex can be assigned to a forearc position. Here the turbiditic flows become paralell to the northwestern elongation of the magmatic arc. The sedimentation in the frontal-arc high platform of the forearc is represented by stromatolitic limestones and a zone of phosphate production. The internal structure of the arc can be inferred from the petrographic composition of the turbidites: basaltic and andesitic lavas, dacitic and/or rhyolitic lavas and ash fall tuffs. Also the Quebrada Grande Formation was developed on the forearc. Plutonic Ordovician rocks testify the continuity of the magmatic arc. The data about the basement exposed in the present paper do not support the existence of the Arequipa-Antofalla Terrane.

Tectonic control of Middle Devonian reef building in the Mechra ben Abbou (northern Rehamna, Morocco)Contrôle tectonique de l'édification des récifs Dévonien moyen de Mechra ben Abbou (Rehamna, Maroc)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Kamel, Fouad; El Hassani, Ahmed; Mohsine, Assia; Remmal, Toufik

2000-01-01

In the carbonated platform of Upper Emsian to Givetian age, the reef edification is previous to, and contemporaneous with, a tilted block tectonic that has favoured the bioconstruction in its upper part. The tectonic expression is illustrated by several instability marks, such as tension faults, progressive unconformity and the resulting landslide, observed in both the reef development zone and the external platform.

A global tectonic activity map with orbital photographic supplement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowman, P. D., Jr.

1981-01-01

A three part map showing equatorial and polar regions was compiled showing tectonic and volcanic activity of the past one million years, including the present. Features shown include actively spreading ridges, spreading rates, major active faults, subduction zones, well defined plates, and volcanic areas active within the past one million years. Activity within this period was inferred from seismicity (instrumental and historic), physiography, and published literature. The tectonic activity map was used for planning global geodetic programs of satellite laser ranging and very long base line interferometry and for geologic education.

Gravity anomalies, plate tectonics and the lateral growth of Precambrian North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, M. D.; Grieve, R. A. F.; Sharpton, V. L.

1988-01-01

The widespread gravity coverage of North America provides a picture of the gross structural fabric of the continent via the trends of gravity anomalies. The structural picture so obtained reveals a mosaic of gravity trend domains, many of which correlate closely with structural provinces and orogenic terranes. The gravity trend map, interpreted in the light of plate-tectonic theory, thus provides a new perspective for examining the mode of assembly and growth of North America. Suture zones, palaeosubduction directions, and perhaps, contrasting tectonic histories may be identified using gravity patterns.

Trans-Pacific Bathymetry Survey crossing over the Pacific, Antarctic, and Nazca plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, N.; Fujiwara, T.

2013-12-01

Multibeam bathymetric data reveals seafloor fabrics, i.e. abyssal hills and fracture zones, distribution of seamounts and/or knolls and are usually smaller than the detectable size by global prediction derived from satellite altimetry. The seafloor depths combined with shipboard gravity data indicate the structure of oceanic lithosphere, thermal state, and mantle dynamics and become more accurate data set to estimate fine-scale crustal structures and subsurface mass distribution. We present the ~22000 km long survey line from the northeast Japan through to the equator at the mid-Pacific on to the southwest Chilean coast collected during the JAMSTEC R/V Mirai MR08-06 Leg-1 cruise in January-March 2009. The cruise was as a part of SORA2009 (Abe, 2009 Cruise report) for geological and geophysical studies in the southern Pacific, and was an unprecedented opportunity to collect data in the regions of the Pacific Ocean where it has been sparsely surveyed using state-of-the-art echo-sounding technology. Our multibeam bathymetric and shipboard gravity survey track crossed over the Pacific, the Antarctic, and the Nazca plates, and covered lithospheric ages varying from zero to 150 Ma. Strikes of lineated abyssal hills give critical evidences for future studies of the plate reconstruction and tectonic evolution of the old Pacific Plate because magnetic lineations are unconstrained on the seafloor in the Cretaceous magnetic quiet (125-80 Ma) zone. Consecutive trends of lineated abyssal hills and fracture zones indicate stable tectonic stress field originated from the Pacific Antarctic Ridge (PAR) and the Chile Ridge spreading systems. The seafloor fabric morphology revealed a clear boundary between the PAR and the Chile Ridge domains. The observed bathymetric boundary is probably a part of a trace of the Pacific-Antarctic-Farallon (Nazca) plate's triple junction. The result will be constraint for future studies of the plate reconstruction and tectonic evolution of the PAR, the Chile Ridge, and the Antarctic Plate. Fluctuation of the seafloor fabric strikes on Chile Ridge off-ridge flank suggests instability of tectonic stress field. The seafloor fabric may be largely influenced by the tectonic structure of offsets at fracture zones system separated by short ridge segments. The offset length by fracture zones is short at the flank. The offset of fracture zone increases with age decrease due to ridge jumps (Bourgois et al., 2000 JGR) or change in spreading rates (Matsumoto et al., 2013 Geochem. J.). The dominant stress may vary spatially or temporally, during the fracture zone evolution. Abyssal hills elongated in the direction originated from the Chile Ridge system and fracture zones having long offset lengths distinctly bisect at right angles. We also detected many small seamounts and knolls superimposed on the seafloor fabrics. These are considered to be constructed by excess magmatism at a mid-ocean ridge or intra-plate volcanism.

Crustal extension and transform faulting in the southern Basin Range Province. [California, Arizona, and Nevada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liggett, M. A. (Principal Investigator); Childs, J. F.

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Field reconnaissance and study of geologic literature guided by analysis of ERTS-1 MSS imagery have led to a hypothesis of tectonic control of Miocene volcanism, plutonism, and related mineralization in part of the Basin Range Province of southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. The easterly trending right-lateral Las Vegas Shear Zone separates two volcanic provinces believed to represent areas of major east-west crustal extension. One volcanic province is aligned along the Colorado River south of the eastern termination of the Las Vegas Shear Zone; the second province is located north of the western termination of the shear zone in southern Nye County, Nevada. Geochronologic, geophysical, and structural evidence suggests that the Las Vegas Shear Zone may have formed in response to crustal extension in the two volcanic provinces in a manner similar to the formation of a ridge-ridge transform fault, as recognized in ocean floor tectonics.

Venus tectonics - Initial analysis from Magellan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solomon, Sean C.; Head, James W.; Kaula, William M.; Schubert, Gerald; Mckenzie, Dan

1991-01-01

The styles of lithospheric deformation, the inferred mechanical properties of the lithosphere, and their implications for the tectonic history of Venus are discussed on the basis of radar imaging and altimetry data from Magellan. Observations of the planet plains reveal a superposition of different episodes of deformation and volcanism, strain both distributed and concentrated into zones of extension and shortening, and features reflecting a crustal response to mantle dynamic processes. Lithospheric shortening and crustal thickening are represented by ridge belts and mountain belts. The latter show the evidence for extension and collapse both during and following crustal compression. Venus displays quasi-circular coronae and broad rises with linear rift zones, associated with significant volcanism. Large-offset strike-slip faults have not been observed, although horizontal shear is accommodated across broad zones of crustal shortening. On Venus strain is distributed across zones that are one to a few hundred kilometers wide, and separated by stronger and less deformed blocks hundreds of kilometers in width, as in actively deforming continental regions on earth.

Tectonic Evolution of Bell Regio, Venus: Regional Stress, Lithospheric Flexure, and Edifice Stresses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, P. G.; Zuber, M. T.

1996-03-01

Analyses of the tectonic features associated with large volcanoes provide important insight into the relationship between volcanic and tectonic processes and the stress state of a planet's crust over time, and provide constraints on the local and regional geologic evolution. This investigation focuses on the tectonism and volcanism of Bell Regio, a major highland uplift n Venus. The stress environments and resulting tectonic features associated with the major volcanic edifices in this region are examined using Magellan ynthetic aperture radar (SAR) images and altimeter measurements of topography. The major volcanoes of Bell Regio, Tepev Mons and the "Eastern Volcanic Center" (EVC), exhibit tectonic characteristics that are unique relative to other volcanic edifices on Venus. The most prominent distinctions are the lack of large rift zones within the overall highland uplift and the presence of radial tectonic and concentric fractures associated with the major edifices. This study examines the regional stress field in Bell Regio through analysis of structural features believed to be a consequence of lithospheric flexure due to volcanic loading and tectonic features that likely resulted from edifice stresses associated with magma chamber inflation.

Geomorphic Evolution and Slip rate Measurements of the Noushki Segment , Chaman Fault Zone, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abubakar, Y.; Khan, S. D.; Owen, L. A.; Khan, A.

2012-12-01

The Nushki segment of the Chaman fault system is unique in its nature as it records both the imprints of oblique convergence along the western Indian Plate boundary as well as the deformation along the Makran subduction zone. The left-lateral Chaman transform zone has evolved from a subduction zone along the Arabian-Eurasian collision complex to a strike-slip fault system since the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasia. The geodetically and geologically constrained displacement rates along the Chaman fault varies from about 18 mm/yr to about 35 mm/yr respectively throughout its total length of ~ 860 km. Two major hypothesis has been proposed by workers for these variations; i) Variations in rates of elastic strain accumulation along the plate boundary and, ii) strain partitioning along the plate boundary. Morphotectonic analysis is a very useful tool in investigations of spatial variations in tectonic activities both regionally and locally. This work uses morphotectonic analysis to investigate the degree of variations in active tectonic deformation, which can be directly related to elastic strain accumulation and other kinematics in the western boundary of the plate margin. Geomorphic mapping was carried out using remotely sensed data. ASTER and RADAR data were used in establishing Quaternary stratigraphy and measurement of geomorphic indices such as stream length gradient index, valley floor width to height ratio and, river/stream longitudinal profile within the study area. High resolution satellite images (e.g., IKONOS imagery) and 30m ASTER DEMs were employed to measure displacement recorded by landforms along individual strands of the fault. Results from geomorphic analysis shows three distinct levels of tectonic deformation. Areas showing high levels of tectonic deformation are characterized by displaced fan surfaces, deflected streams and beheaded streams. Terrestrial Cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating of the displaced landforms is being carried out to calculate slip-rates. Slip-rates estimation along this segment of this plate boundary will help in understanding of tectonic evolution of this plate boundary and seismic activity in the region.

The Origin of The Piz Terri-Lunschania zone (Central Alps, Switzerland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galster, Federico; Stockli, Daniel

2017-04-01

The Piz Terri-Lunschania zone (PTLZ) represents a band of metasedimentary rocks embedded in a crucial knot at the NE border of the Lepontine dome, at the intersection of the Gotthard, Lucomagno, Simano, Adula and Grava nappes. Its origin and its position in the tectonostratigraphy of the Central Alps are still not completely understood. A better understanding of this sedimentary zone and its tectonic position could shed lights on the Helvetic-Penninic connection and facilitate the disentanglement of the Lepontine dome tectonics. In this study we combine structural and stratigraphic observations with detrital zircon (DZ) and detrital rutile (DR) U-Pb geochronology as well as mineral trace element data from Permian, Triassic and Jurassic sandstones. We compare these data with those from adjacent tectonic units and coeval strata in other portions of the Alpine chain. Maximal depositional ages, abrupt changes in provenances and stratigraphic correlations based on new DZ and DR U-Pb and trace element data allow for a better understanding of the sedimentary evolution of the Terri basin and its palaeogeographic position along the northern margin of the Alpine Tethys. In particular the DZ U-Pb signatures, with its abundant 260-280 Ma zircons and the scarcity of 290-350 Ma zircons, corroborates an Ultra-Adula origin of the PTLZ as proposed by Galster et al (2010; 2012) based on stratigraphic arguments and reinforces the notion of a Briançonnais influence on the stratigraphic record of this complex zone, a fact that has important tectonic and Palaeogeographic implications. Galster F, Cavargna-Sani M, Epard J-L, Masson H (2012) New stratigraphic data from the Lower Penninic between the Adula nappe and the Gotthard massif and consequences for the tectonics and the paleogeography of the Central Alps. Tectonophysics 579:37-55. doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2012.05.029 Galster F, Epard J-L, Masson H (2010) The Soja and Luzzone-Terri nappes: Discovery of a Briançonnais element below the front of the Adula nappe (NE Ticino, Central Alps). Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences naturelles 92:61-75.

Style and rate of quaternary deformation of the Hosgri Fault Zone, offshore south-central coastal California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanson, Kathryn L.; Lettis, William R.; McLaren, Marcia; Savage, William U.; Hall, N. Timothy; Keller, Mararget A.

2004-01-01

The Hosgri Fault Zone is the southernmost component of a complex system of right-slip faults in south-central coastal California that includes the San Gregorio, Sur, and San Simeon Faults. We have characterized the contemporary style of faulting along the zone on the basis of an integrated analysis of a broad spectrum of data, including shallow high-resolution and deep penetration seismic reflection data; geologic and geomorphic data along the Hosgri and San Simeon Fault Zones and the intervening San Simeon/Hosgri pull-apart basin; the distribution and nature of near-coast seismicity; regional tectonic kinematics; and comparison of the Hosgri Fault Zone with worldwide strike-slip, oblique-slip, and reverse-slip fault zones. These data show that the modern Hosgri Fault Zone is a convergent right-slip (transpressional) fault having a late Quaternary slip rate of 1 to 3 mm/yr. Evidence supporting predominantly strike-slip deformation includes (1) a long, narrow, linear zone of faulting and associated deformation; (2) the presence of asymmetric flower structures; (3) kinematically consistent localized extensional and compressional deformation at releasing and restraining bends or steps, respectively, in the fault zone; (4) changes in the sense and magnitude of vertical separation both along trend of the fault zone and vertically within the fault zone; (5) strike-slip focal mechanisms along the fault trace; (6) a distribution of seismicity that delineates a high-angle fault extending through the seismogenic crust; (7) high ratios of lateral to vertical slip along the fault zone; and (8) the separation by the fault of two tectonic domains (offshore Santa Maria Basin, onshore Los Osos domain) that are undergoing contrasting styles of deformation and orientations of crustal shortening. The convergent component of slip is evidenced by the deformation of the early-late Pliocene unconformity. In characterizing the style of faulting along the Hosgri Fault Zone, we assessed alternative tectonic models by evaluating (1) the cumulative effects of multiple deformational episodes that can produce complex, difficult-to-interpret fault geometries, patterns, and senses of displacement; (2) the difficult imaging of high-angle fault planes and horizontal fault separations on seismic reflection data; and (3) the effects of strain partitioning that yield coeval strike-slip faults and associated fold and thrust belts.

The new Central American seismic hazard zonation: Mutual consensus based on up to day seismotectonic framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarado, Guillermo E.; Benito, Belén; Staller, Alejandra; Climent, Álvaro; Camacho, Eduardo; Rojas, Wilfredo; Marroquín, Griselda; Molina, Enrique; Talavera, J. Emilio; Martínez-Cuevas, Sandra; Lindholm, Conrad

2017-11-01

Central America is one of the most active seismic zones in the World, due to the interaction of five tectonic plates (North America, Caribbean, Coco, Nazca and South America), and its internal deformation, which generates almost one destructive earthquakes (5.4 ≤ Mw ≤ 8.1) every year. A new seismological zonation for Central America is proposed based on seismotectonic framework, a geological context (tectonic and geological maps), geophysical and geodetic evidence (gravimetric maps, magnetometric, GPS observations), and previous works. As a main source of data a depurated earthquake catalog was collected covering the period from 1522 to 2015. This catalog was homogenized to a moment magnitude scale (Mw). After a careful analysis of all the integrated geological and seismological information, the seismogenic zones were established into seismic areas defined by similar patterns of faulting, seismicity, and rupture mechanism. The tectonic environment has required considering seismic zones in two particular seismological regimes: a) crustal faulting (including local faults, major fracture zones of plate boundary limits, and thrust fault of deformed belts) and b) subduction, taking into account the change in the subduction angle along the trench, and the type and location of the rupture. The seismicity in the subduction zone is divided into interplate and intraplate inslab seismicity. The regional seismic zonation proposed for the whole of Central America, include local seismic zonations, avoiding discontinuities at the national boundaries, because of a consensus between the 7 countries, based on the cooperative work of specialists on Central American seismotectonics and related topics.

An evaporite-bearing accretionary complex in the northern front of the Betic-Rif orogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Valera, Fernando; Sánchez-Gómez, Mario; Pérez-López, Alberto; Pérez-Valera, Luis Alfonso

2017-06-01

The Guadalquivir Accretionary Complex forms a largely oblique prism at the northern edge of the Betic-Rif orogen, where Miocene sediments plus allochthonous evaporite-bearing units were accreted during the displacement of the Alborán Domain toward the west. Traditional interpretations end the tectonic structuring of the Betic Cordillera at the present topographic front, beyond which gravitational and/or diapiric processes would predominate. However, this study shows pervasive tectonic deformation in the outer prism with coherent oblique shortening kinematics, which is achieved through an alternation of roughly N-S arcuate thrust systems connected by E-W transfer fault zones. These structures accord well with the geophysical models that propose westward rollback subduction. The main stage of tectonic activity occurred in the early-middle Miocene, but deformation lasted until the Quaternary with the same kinematics. Evaporite rocks played a leading role in the deformation as evidenced by the suite of ductile structures in gypsum distributed throughout the area. S- and L- gypsum tectonites, scaly clay fabrics, and brittle fabrics coexist and consistently indicate westward motion (top to 290°), with subordinate N-S contraction almost perpendicular to the transfer zones. This work reveals ductile tectonic fabrics in gypsum as a valuable tool to elucidate the structure and deformational history of complex tectonic mélanges involving evaporites above the décollement level of accretionary wedges.

Evolution of the Median Tectonic Line fault zone, SW Japan, during exhumation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shigematsu, Norio; Kametaka, Masao; Inada, Noriyuki; Miyawaki, Masahiro; Miyakawa, Ayumu; Kameda, Jun; Togo, Tetsuhiro; Fujimoto, Koichiro

2017-01-01

Like many crustal-scale fault zones, the Median Tectonic Line (MTL) fault zone in Japan preserves fault rocks that formed across a broad range of physical conditions. We examined the architecture of the MTL at a large new outcrop in order to understand fault behaviours under different crustal levels. The MTL here strikes almost E-W, dips to the north, and juxtaposes the Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks to the south against the Izumi Group sediments to the north. The fault core consists mainly of Sanbagawa-derived fault gouges. The fault zone can be divided into several structural units, including two slip zones (upper and lower slip zones), where the lower slip zone is more conspicuous. Crosscutting relationships among structures and kinematics indicate that the fault zone records four stages of deformation. Microstructures and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicate that the four stages of deformation occurred under different temperature conditions. The oldest deformation (stage 1) was widely distributed, and had a top-to-the-east (dextral) sense of slip at deep levels of the seismogenic zone. Deformation with the same sense of slip, then became localised in the lower slip zone (stage 2). Subsequently, the slip direction in the lower slip zone changed to top-to-the-west (sinistral-normal) (stage 3). The final stage of deformation (stage 4) involved top-to-the-north normal faulting along the two slip zones within the shallow crust (near the surface). The widely distributed stage 1 damage zone characterises the deeper part of the seismogenic zone, while the sets of localised principal slip zones and branching faults of stage 4 characterise shallow depths. The fault zone architecture described in this paper leads us to suggest that fault zones display different behaviours at different crustal levels.

Tectonic stratification and seismicity of the accretionary prism of the Azerbaijani part of Greater Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alizade, Akif; Kangarli, Talat; Aliyev, Fuad

2013-04-01

The Greater Caucasus has formed during last stage of the tectogenesis in a geodynamic condition of the lateral compression, peculiar to the zone pseudo-subduction interaction zone between Northern and Southern Caucasian continental microplates. Its present day structure formed as a result of horizontal movements of the different phases and sub-phases of Alpine tectogenesis (from late Cimmerian to Valakhian), and is generally regarded as zone where, along Zangi deformation, the insular arc formations of the Northern edge of South Caucasian microplate thrust under the Meso-Cenozoic substantial complex contained in the facials of marginal sea of Greater Caucasus. The last, in its turn, has been pushed beneath the North-Caucasus continental margin of the Scythian plate along Main Caucasus Thrust fault. Data collected from the territory of Azerbaijan and its' sector of the Caspian area stands for pseudo-subduction interaction of microplates which resulted in the tectonic stratification of the continental slope of Alpine formations, marginal sea and insular arc into different scale plates of south vergent combined into napping complexes. In the orogeny's present structure, tectonically stratified Alpine substantial complex of the marginal sea of Greater Caucasus bordered by Main Caucasus and Zangi thrusts, is represented by allochthonous south vergent accretionary prism in the front of first deformation with its' root buried under the southern border of Scythian plate. Allocated beneath mentioned prism, the autochthonous bedding is presented by Meso-Cenosoic complex of the Northern flank of the South-Caucasian miroplate, which is in its' turn crushed and lensed into southward shifted tectonic microplates gently overlapping the northern flank of Kura flexure along Ganykh-Ayrichay-Alyat thrust. Data of real-time GPS measurement of regional geodynamics indicates that pseudo-subduction of South Caucasian microplate under the North Caucasian microplate still continues during present stage of alpine tectogenesis. Among others, ongoing pseudo-subduction is indicated by data of regional seismicity which is irregularly distributed by depth (foci levels 2-6; 8-12; 17-22; 25-45 km). Horizontal and vertical seismic zoning is explained by Earth crust's block divisibility and tectonic stratification, within the structure of which the earthquake focuses are mainly confined to the crossing nodes of differently oriented ruptures, or to the planes of deep tectonic disruptions and lateral displacements along unstable contacts of the substantial complexes with various degree of competence. At present stage of tectogenesis, seismically most active are the structures of the northern flank of South Caucasian microplate, controlled by Ganyx-Ayrichay-Alyat deep thrust with "General Caucasus" spread in the west, and sub-meridian right-lateral strike slip zone of the Western Caspian fault in the east of Azerbaijani part of Greater Caucasus.

Evaluating influence of active tectonics on spatial distribution pattern of floods along eastern Tamil Nadu, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvakumar, R.; Ramasamy, SM.

2014-12-01

Flooding is a naturally recurrent phenomenon that causes severe damage to lives and property. Predictions on flood-prone zones are made based on intensity-duration of rainfall, carrying capacity of drainage, and natural or man-made obstructions. Particularly, the lower part of the drainage system and its adjacent geomorphic landforms like floodplains and deltaic plains are considered for analysis, but stagnation in parts of basins that are far away from major riverine systems is less unveiled. Similarly, uncharacteristic flooding in the upper and middle parts of drainage, especially in zones of an anomalous drainage pattern, is also least understood. Even though topographic differences are attributed for such anomalous spatial occurrence of floods, its genetic cause has to be identified for effective management practice. Added to structural and lithological variations, tectonic movements too impart micro-scale terrain undulations. Because active tectonic movements are slow-occurring, long-term geological processes, its resultant topographical variations and drainage anomalies are least correlated with floods. The recent floods of Tamil Nadu also exhibit a unique distribution pattern emphasizing the role of tectonics over it. Hence a detailed geoinformatics-based analysis was carried out to envisage the relationship between spatial distribution of flood and active tectonic elements such as regional arches and deeps, block faults, and graben and drainage anomalies such as deflected drainage, compressed meander, and eyed drainages. The analysis reveals that micro-scale topographic highs and lows imparted by active tectonic movements and its further induced drainage anomalies have substantially controlled the distribution pattern of flood.

Tremor–genic slow slip regions may be deeper and warmer and may slip slower than non–tremor–genic regions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Montgomery-Brown, E. K.; Syracuse, E. M.

The slow slip events (SSEs) are observed worldwide and often coincide with tectonic tremor. Notable examples of SSEs lacking observed tectonic tremor, however, occur beneath Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, the Boso Peninsula, Japan, {near San Juan Bautista on the San Andreas Fault, California, and recently in Central Ecuador. These SSEs are similar to other worldwide SSEs in many ways (e.g., size or duration), but lack the concurrent tectonic tremor observed elsewhere; instead they trigger swarms of regular earthquakes. We investigate the physical conditions that may distinguish these non-tremor-genic SSEs from those associated with tectonic tremor including: slip velocity, pressure, temperature, fluidsmore » and fault asperities, although we cannot eliminate the possibility that tectonic tremor may be obscured in highly attenuating regions. Slip velocities of SSEs at Kilauea Volcano (~10⁻⁶ m/s) and Boso Peninsula (~10⁻⁷ m/s) are among the fastest SSEs worldwide. Kilauea Volcano, the Boso Peninsula and Central Ecuador are also among the shallowest SSEs worldwide, and thus have lower confining pressures and cooler temperatures in their respective slow slip zones. {Fluids also likely contribute to tremor generation, and no corresponding zone of high v p/v s has been noted at Kilauea or Boso. We suggest that the relatively faster slip velocities at Kilauea Volcano and the Boso Peninsula result from specific physical conditions that may also be responsible for triggering swarms of regular earthquakes adjacent to the slow slip, while different conditions produce slower SSE velocities elsewhere and trigger tectonic tremor.« less

Tremor-genic slow slip regions may be deeper and warmer and may slip slower than non-tremor-genic regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Montgomery-Brown, Emily; Syracuse, Ellen M.

2015-01-01

Slow slip events (SSEs) are observed worldwide and often coincide with tectonic tremor. Notable examples of SSEs lacking observed tectonic tremor, however, occur beneath Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaii, the Boso Peninsula, Japan, near San Juan Bautista on the San Andreas Fault, California, and recently in Central Ecuador. These SSEs are similar to other worldwide SSEs in many ways (e.g., size or duration), but lack the concurrent tectonic tremor observed elsewhere; instead, they trigger swarms of regular earthquakes. We investigate the physical conditions that may distinguish these non-tremor-genic SSEs from those associated with tectonic tremor, including slip velocity, pressure, temperature, fluids, and fault asperities, although we cannot eliminate the possibility that tectonic tremor may be obscured in highly attenuating regions. Slip velocities of SSEs at Kīlauea Volcano (∼10−6 m/s) and Boso Peninsula (∼10−7 m/s) are among the fastest SSEs worldwide. Kīlauea Volcano, the Boso Peninsula, and Central Ecuador are also among the shallowest SSEs worldwide, and thus have lower confining pressures and cooler temperatures in their respective slow slip zones. Fluids also likely contribute to tremor generation, and no corresponding zone of high vp/vs has been noted at Kīlauea or Boso. We suggest that the relatively faster slip velocities at Kīlauea Volcano and the Boso Peninsula result from specific physical conditions that may also be responsible for triggering swarms of regular earthquakes adjacent to the slow slip, while different conditions produce slower SSE velocities elsewhere and trigger tectonic tremor.

Tremor–genic slow slip regions may be deeper and warmer and may slip slower than non–tremor–genic regions

DOE PAGES

Montgomery-Brown, E. K.; Syracuse, E. M.

2015-09-17

The slow slip events (SSEs) are observed worldwide and often coincide with tectonic tremor. Notable examples of SSEs lacking observed tectonic tremor, however, occur beneath Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, the Boso Peninsula, Japan, {near San Juan Bautista on the San Andreas Fault, California, and recently in Central Ecuador. These SSEs are similar to other worldwide SSEs in many ways (e.g., size or duration), but lack the concurrent tectonic tremor observed elsewhere; instead they trigger swarms of regular earthquakes. We investigate the physical conditions that may distinguish these non-tremor-genic SSEs from those associated with tectonic tremor including: slip velocity, pressure, temperature, fluidsmore » and fault asperities, although we cannot eliminate the possibility that tectonic tremor may be obscured in highly attenuating regions. Slip velocities of SSEs at Kilauea Volcano (~10⁻⁶ m/s) and Boso Peninsula (~10⁻⁷ m/s) are among the fastest SSEs worldwide. Kilauea Volcano, the Boso Peninsula and Central Ecuador are also among the shallowest SSEs worldwide, and thus have lower confining pressures and cooler temperatures in their respective slow slip zones. {Fluids also likely contribute to tremor generation, and no corresponding zone of high v p/v s has been noted at Kilauea or Boso. We suggest that the relatively faster slip velocities at Kilauea Volcano and the Boso Peninsula result from specific physical conditions that may also be responsible for triggering swarms of regular earthquakes adjacent to the slow slip, while different conditions produce slower SSE velocities elsewhere and trigger tectonic tremor.« less

3D geodynamic models for the development of opposing continental subduction zones: The Hindu Kush-Pamir example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Jie; Gerya, Taras; Thielmann, Marcel; Webb, A. Alexander G.; Kufner, Sofia-Katerina; Yin, An

2017-12-01

The development of opposing continental subduction zones remains scantly explored in three dimensions. The Hindu Kush-Pamir orogenic system at the western end of the Himalayan orogen provides a rare example of continental collision linked to two opposing intra-continental subduction zones. The subducted plates feature a peculiar 3D geometry consisting of two distinct lithospheric fragments with different polarities, subduction angles and slab-curvatures beneath the Hindu Kush and Pamir, respectively. Using 3D geodynamic modeling, we simulate possible development of two opposing continental subduction zones to understand the dynamic evolution of the Hindu Kush-Pamir orogenic system. Our geodynamic model reproduces the major tectonic elements observed: (1) the deeper subduction depth, the steeper dip angle and the southward offset of the Hindu Kush subduction zone relative to the Pamir naturally occur if convergence direction of the subducting Indian plate and dip-direction of the Hindu Kush subduction zone match. (2) The formation of the highly asymmetrically curved Pamir region and the south-dipping subduction is promoted by the initial geometry of the indenting Indian lithosphere together with the existence of a major strike-slip fault on the eastern margin of the Pamir region. (3) Subduction of only the lower continental crust during continental collision can occur if the coupling between upper and lower crusts is weak enough to allow a separation of these two components, and that (4) the subduction of mainly lower crust then facilitates that conditions for intermediate-depth seismicity can be reached. (5) The secondary tectonic features modeled here such as strike-slip-fault growth, north-northwest striking extension zone, and lateral flow of the thickened ductile upper crust are comparable to the current tectonics of the region. (6) Model results are further compared to the potentially similar orogenic system, i.e., the Alpine orogen, in terms of the curved Western Alpine arc and the two opposing subducted slabs beneath the Alps and the Dinarides.

Active Tectonics of Himalayan Faults/Thrusts System in Northern India on the basis of recent & Paleo earthquake Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, S.; Biswal, S.; Parija, M. P.

2016-12-01

The Himalaya overrides the Indian plate along a decollement fault, referred as the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT). The 2400 km long Himalayan mountain arc in the northern boundary of the Indian sub-continent is one of the most seismically active regions of the world. The Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) is characterized by an abrupt physiographic and tectonic break between the Himalayan front and the Indo-Gangetic plain. The HFT represents the southern surface expression of the MHT on the Himalayan front. The tectonic zone between the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and the HFT encompasses the Himalayan Frontal Fault System (HFFS). The zone indicates late Quaternary-Holocene active deformation. Late Quaternary intramontane basin of Dehradun flanked to the south by the Mohand anticline lies between the MBT and the HFT in Garhwal Sub Himalaya. Slip rate 13-15 mm/yr has been estimated on the HFT based on uplifted strath terrace on the Himalyan front (Wesnousky et al. 2006). An out of sequence active fault, Bhauwala Thrust (BT), is observed between the HFT and the MBT. The Himalayan Frontal Fault System includes MBT, BT, HFT and PF active fault structures (Thakur, 2013). The HFFS structures were developed analogous to proto-thrusts in subduction zone, suggesting that the plate boundary is not a single structure, but series of structures across strike. Seismicity recorded by WIHG shows a concentrated belt of seismic events located in the Main Central Thrust Zone and the physiographic transition zone between the Higher and Lesser Himalaya. However, there is quiescence in the Himalayan frontal zone where surface rupture and active faults are reported. GPS measurements indicate the segment between the southern extent of microseismicity zone and the HFT is locked. The great earthquake originating in the locked segment rupture the plate boundary fault and propagate to the Himalaya front and are registered as surface rupture reactivating the fault in the HFFS.

Plate tectonics 2.5 billion years ago: evidence at kolar, South India.

PubMed

Krogstad, E J; Balakrishnan, S; Mukhopadhyay, D K; Rajamani, V; Hanson, G N

1989-03-10

The Archean Kolar Schist Belt, south India, is a suture zone where two gneiss terranes and at least two amphibolite terranes with distinct histories were accrted. Amphibolites from the eastern and western sides of the schist belt have distinct incompatible element and isotopic characteristics sugesting that their volcanic protoliths were derived from dint mantle sources. The amphibolite and gneiss terranes were juxtaposed by horizontal compression and shearing between 2530 and 2420 million years ago (Ma) along a zone marked by the Kolar Schist Belt. This history of accretion of discrete crustal terranes resembles those of Phanerozoic convergent margins and thus suggests that plate tectonics operated on Earth by 2500 Ma.

Plate tectonics 2.5 billion years ago - Evidence at Kolar, south India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krogstad, E. J.; Hanson, G. N.; Balakrishnan, S.; Rajamani, V.; Mukhopadhyay, D. K.

1989-01-01

The Archean Kolar Schist Belt, south India, is a suture zone where two gneiss terranes and at least two amphibolite terranes with distinct histories were accreted. Amphibolites from the eastern and western sides of the schist belt have distinct incompatible element and isotopic characteristics suggesting that their volcanic protoliths were derived from different mantle sources. The amphibolite and gneiss terranes were juxtaposed by horizontal compression and shearing between 2530 and 2420 million years ago (Ma) along a zone marked by the Kolar Schist Belt. This history of accretion of discrete crustal terranes resembles those of Phanerozoic convergent margins and thus suggests that plate tectonics operated on earth by 2500 Ma.

Beginning the Modern Regime of Subduction Tectonics in Neoproterozoic time: Inferences from Ophiolites of the Arabian-Nubian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, R.

2003-04-01

It is now clear that the motive force for plate tectonics is provided by the sinking of dense lithosphere in subduction zones. Correspondingly, the modern tectonic regime is more aptly called ``subduction tectonics" than plate tectonics, which only describes the way Earth's thermal boundary layer adjusts to subduction. The absence of subduction tectonics on Mars and Venus implies that special circumstances are required for subduction to occur on a silicate planet. This begs the question: When did Earth's oceanic lithosphere cool sufficiently for subduction to began? This must be inferred from indirect lines of evidence; the focus here is on the temporal distribution of ophiolites. Well-preserved ophiolites with ``supra-subduction zone" (SSZ) affinities are increasingly regarded as forming when subduction initiates as a result of lithospheric collapse (± a nudge to get it started), and the formation of ophiolitic lithosphere in evolving forearcs favors their emplacement and preservation. The question now is what percentage of ophiolites with ``supra-subduction zone" (SSZ) chemical signatures formed in forearcs during subduction initiation events? Most of the large, well-preserved ophiolites (e.g., Oman, Cyprus, California, Newfoundland) may have this origin. If so, the distribution in space and time of such ophiolites can be used to identify ``subduction initiation" events, which are important events in the evolution of plate tectonics. Such events first occurred at the end of the Archean (˜2.5Ga) and again in the Paleoproterozoic (˜1.8 Ga), but ophiolites become uncommon after this. Well-preserved ophiolites become abundant in Neoproterozoic time, at about 800±50 Ma. Ophiolites of this age are common and well-preserved in the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS) of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Saudi Arabia. ANS ophiolites mostly contain spinels with high Cr#, indicating SSZ affinities. Limited trace element data on pillowed lavas supports this interpretation. Boninites are unusual melts of harzburgite that result from asthenospheric upwelling interactng with slab-derived water. This environment is only common during subduction initiation events. Boninites associated with ophiolites have been reported from Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea, but most of the geochemical studies of ANS ophiolitic basalts are based on studies that are a decade or more old. The abundance of ANS ophiolites implies an episode of subduction initiation occurred in Neoproterozoic time.

MEVTV study: Early tectonic evolution of Mars: Crustal dichotomy to Valles Marineris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, Herbert V.; Schultz, Richard A.

1990-01-01

Several fundamental problems were addressed in the early impact, tectonic, and volcanic evolution of the martian lithosphere: (1) origin and evolution of the fundamental crustal dichotomy, including development of the highland/lowland transition zone; (2) growth and evolution of the Valles Marineris; and (3) nature and role of major resurfacing events in early martian history. The results in these areas are briefly summarized.

Implications for the tectonic transition zone of active orogeny in Hoping drainage basin, by landscape evolution at the multi-temporal timescale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Q.; Chen, R. F.; Lin, W.; Hsieh, P. S.

2015-12-01

In an actively orogeny the landscape are transient state of disequilibrium in response to climatic and tectonic inputs. At the catchment scale, sensitivity of river systems plays an important role in landscape evolution. Hoping drainage basin is located at the tectonic transition zone in the north-eastern Taiwan, where the behavior of Philippine Sea plate switches from overriding above the east-dipping Eurasian Continental plate to northward subducting under the Ryukyu arc. However, extensive deep-seated landslides, debris flow, and numerous large alluvial terraces can be observed, suggesting strong surface processes in this watershed. This effect on regional climate fundamentally changed the landscape by reconfiguring drainage patterns and creating a vast influx of sediments into the basin. In this study we review the morphological evidence from multi-temporal timescale, including in-situ cosmogenic nuclides denudation rate and suspension load data, coupled with the analysis of the longitudinal profiles. The main goal of this study is to compare Holocene erosion rates with thermochronology and radiometric dating of river terraces to investigate the erosion history of Hoping area. The result shows that short-term erosion rate is around twice as large as the long-term denudation rate, which might due to the climate-driven erosion events such as typhoon-induced landslide. We've also mapped detail morphological features by using the high-resolution LiDAR image, which help us to identify not only the landslide but also tectonic features such as lineation, fault scarps, and fracture zones. The tectonic surface features and field investigation results show that the drainage basin is highly fractured, suggesting that even though the vertical tectonic activity rate is small, the horizontal shortening influenced by both southward opening of the back-arc Okinawa trough and the north-western collision in this area is significant. This might cause the reducing in rock strength and increase the hillslope erosion during heavy rainfall. By studying the erosion rate of Hoping River watershed we can understand more about surface processes in dynamic landscape, and more over, to establish a comprehensive understanding about the evolution of the ongoing Taiwan arc-continental collision process.

Crustal Magnetic Field Anomalies and Global Tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storetvedt, Karsten

2014-05-01

A wide variety of evidence suggests that the ruling isochron (geomagnetic polarity versus age) hypothesis of marine magnetic lineations has no merit - undermining therefore one of the central tenets of plate tectonics. Instead, variable induction by the ambient geomagnetic field is likely to be the principal agent for mega-scale crustal magnetic features - in both oceanic and continental settings. This revitalizes the fault-controlled susceptibility-contrast model of marine magnetic lineations, originally proposed in the late 1960s. Thus, the marine magnetic 'striping' may be ascribed to tectonic shearing and related, but variable, disintegration of the original iron-oxide mineralogy, having developed primarily along one of the two pan-global sets of orthogonal fractures and faults. In this way, fault zones (having the more advanced mineral alteration) would be characterized by relatively low susceptibility, while more moderately affected crustal sections (located between principal fault zones) would be likely to have less altered oxide mineralogy and therefore higher magnetic susceptibility. On this basis, induction by the present geomagnetic field is likely to produce oscillating magnetic field anomalies with axis along the principal shear grain. The modus operandi of the alternative magneto-tectonic interpretation is inertia-driven wrenching of the global Alpine age palaeo-lithosphere - triggered by changes in Earth's rotation. Increasing sub-crustal loss to the upper mantle during the Upper Mesozoic had left the ensuing Alpine Earth in a tectonically unstable state. Thus, sub-crustal eclogitization and associated gravity-driven delamination to the upper mantle led to a certain degree of planetary acceleration which in turn gave rise to latitude-dependent, westward inertial wrenching of the global palaeo-lithosphere. During this process, 1) the thin and mechanically fragile oceanic crust were deformed into a new type of broad fold belts, and 2) the continents were subjected to relative 'in situ' rotations (mostly moderate). Examples of marine magnetic lineations with landward continuation along prominent transcurrent fault zones, and the fact that striped marine magnetic anomalies may display orthogonal networks - concordant with the ubiquitous system of rectilinear fractures, faults and joints - corroborate the wrench tectonic interpretation of crustal field anomalies.

Venus Chasmata: A Lithospheric Stretching Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solomon, S. C.; Head, J. W.

1985-01-01

An outstanding problem for Venus is the characterization of its style of global tectonics, an issue intimately related to the dominant mechanism of lithospheric heat loss. Among the most spectacular and extensive of the major tectonic features on Venus are the chasmata, deep linear valleys generally interpreted to be the products of lithospheric extension and rifting. Systems of chasmata and related features can be traced along several tectonic zones up to 20,000 km in linear extent. A lithospheric stretching model was developed to explain the topographic characteristics of Venus chasmata and to constrain the physical properties of the Venus crust and lithosphere.

75 FR 57167 - Safety Zone; CLS Fall Championship Hydroplane Race, Lake Sammamish, WA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-20

... waters of Lake Sammamish, WA for the Composite Laminate Specialties (CLS) Fall Championship Hydroplane... Delegation No. 0170.1 0 2. Add Sec. 165.T13-162 to read as follows: Sec. 165.T13-162 Safety Zone; Composite...

Serpentinite-driven Exhumation of the UHP Lago di Cignana Unit in the Fossil Alpine Plate Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scambelluri, M.; Gilio, M.; Angiboust, S.; Godard, M.; Pettke, T.

2015-12-01

The Lago di Cignana Unit (LCU) is a coesite- [1] and diamond-bearing [2] slice of oceanic-derived eclogites and metasediments recording Alpine UHP metamorphism at 600 °C-3.2 GPa (~110 km depth) [3]. The LCU is tectonically sandwiched between the eclogitic Zermatt-Saas Zone (ZSZ; 540 °C-3.2 GPa) [4] and the blueschist Combin Zone (400 °C-0.9 GPa) [5] along a tectonic structure joining HP units recording a ~1.2 GPa (40 km) pressure difference. So far, the ZSZ has been attributed to normal HP conditions and the mechanism driving exhumation and accretion of the LCU in its present structural position is not fully understood.We performed petrography and bulk-rock trace element analyses of rocks from LCU and ZSZ serpentinites. We observed that, while serpentinites in the core of the ZSZ show normal subduction zone trace elements and REE's patterns, the Ol+Ti-chu+Chl veins and host serpentinites enveloping the LCU are strongly enriched in sediment-derived fluid-mobile elements (U, Th, Nb, Ta, Ce, Y, As, Sb) and REE's: their patterns well match those of the closely associated LCU-UHP rocks.The presence of extremely enriched Ol+Ti-chu+Chl veins in the serpentinites at direct contact with the UHP Lago di Cignana Unit suggests that fluid exchange between serpentinite and LCU crustal rocks occurred at peak metamorphic conditions. Their coupling therefore occurred during subduction burial and/or peak UHP conditions. As such, the buoyancy force originating from the relatively light serpentinites fuelled the exhumation of the Lago di Cignana Unit. In this contest, the tectonic contact between the Zermatt-Saas Zone and the Combin Zone evolved into a true tectonic plate interface surface.1. Reinecke (1998). Lithos 42(3), 147-189; 2. Frezzotti et al. (2011). Nat. Geosci. 4(10), 703-706; 3. Groppo et al. (2009). J. Metam. Geol. 27(3), 207-231; 4. Angiboust et al. (2009). Terra Nova 21(3), 171-180; 5. Reddy et al. (1999). J. Metam. Geol. 17, 573-590.

A geological interpretation of Seasat-SAR imagery of Jamaica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wadge, G.; Dixon, T. H.

1984-01-01

Spaceborne radar imagery obtained from Seasat allows an unobscured large-scale view of Jamaica that can be used for geological interpretation. Lineaments and textures visible in these images were mapped and compared with the known geology of the Tertiary karst limestones covering the central and western parts of the island. Some of these radar textures correlate with lithological units, while others follow tectonically-controlled zones or structural blocks. Mapping of radar lineaments has led to the recognition of three new aspects of Jamaican faults: (1) a major through-going NE-SW fault system, termed here the Vere-Annotto lineament; (2) a series of curving scissor faults in the central part of the island; and (3) the related observation that the dominant NNW-SSE tectonic fabric of the central part of the island takes the form of an elongate sigmoid in plan view. During most of the Neogene Jamaica has been part of an active zone of left-lateral transform motion between the Caribbean and North American plates and is a region of anomalous uplift. The radar imagery is a sensitive recorder of the deformation undergone by the karst limestones in this tectonic regime. Some of the observations are explained with models for a complex, evolving shear zone.

Effect of basement structure and salt tectonics on deformation styles along strike: An example from the Kuqa fold-thrust belt, West China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neng, Yuan; Xie, Huiwen; Yin, Hongwei; Li, Yong; Wang, Wei

2018-04-01

The Kuqa fold-thrust belt (KFTB) has a complex thrust-system geometry and comprises basement-involved thrusts, décollement thrusts, triangle zones, strike-slip faults, transpressional faults, and pop-up structures. These structures, combined with the effects of Paleogene salt tectonics and Paleozoic basement uplift form a complex structural zone trending E-W. Interpretation and comprehensive analysis of recent high-quality seismic data, field observations, boreholes, and gravity data covering the KFTB has been performed to understand the characteristics and mechanisms of the deformation styles along strike. Regional sections, fold-thrust system maps of the surface and the sub-salt layer, salt and basement structure distribution maps have been created, and a comprehensive analysis of thrust systems performed. The results indicate that the thrust-fold system in Paleogene salt range can be divided into five segments from east to west: the Kela-3, Keshen, Dabei, Bozi, and Awate segments. In the easternmost and westernmost parts of the Paleogene salt range, strike-slip faulting and basement-involved thrusting are the dominant deformation styles, as basement uplift and the limits of the Cenozoic evaporite deposit are the main controls on deformation. Salt-core detachment fold-thrust systems coincide with areas of salt tectonics, and pop-up, imbricate, and duplex structures are associated with the main thrust faults in the sub-salt layer. Distribution maps of thrust systems, basement structures, and salt tectonics show that Paleozoic basement uplift controlled the Paleozoic foreland basin morphology and the distribution of Cenozoic salt in the KFTB, and thus had a strong influence on the segmented structural deformation and evolution of the fold-thrust belt. Three types of transfer zone are identified, based on the characteristics of the salt layer and basement uplift, and the effects of these zones on the fault systems are evaluated. Basement uplift and the boundary of the salt deposit generated strike-slip faults in the sub-salt layer and supra-salt layers at the basin boundary (Model A). When changes in the basement occurred within the salt basin, strike-slip faults controlled the deformation styles in the sub-salt layer and shear-zone dominated in the supra-salt layer (Model B). A homogeneous basement and discontinues salt layer formed different accommodation zones in the sub- and supra-salt layers (Model C). In the sub-salt layer the thrusts form imbricate structures on the basal décollement, whereas the supra-salt layer shows overlapping, discontinuous faults and folds with kinds of salt tectonics, and has greater structural variation than the sub-salt layer.

Comparing The North-east German Basin With The Polish Basin, Influenced By Major Crustal Fractures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamarche, J.; Scheck, M.; Otto, V.; Bayer, U.; Lewerenz, B.

The North-East German Basin (NEGB) and the Polish Basin (PB) are two intraplate sedimentary basins in Central Europe, the development of which was controlled by deep crustal structures: the Elbe Fault System and the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone, re- spectively. 3D structural models performed separately for each basin led to indepen- dent interpretations showing major similarities, but also significant differences. The outlook of the comparison between the NEGB and the PB is to lead to a joined 3D structural model, which allows reconstructing the synthetic geodynamic evolution of the area. The NEGB and PB are NW-SE-oriented. Both were initiated during Late Carboniferous and Lower Permian, when the post-Variscan rifting affected the com- posite Palaeozoic basement of Central Europe. During Triassic to Cretaceous times, both basins evolved due to thermal subsidence and pulses of tectonic subsidence. At the end of Cretaceous, the basins were tectonically inverted. The sedimentary succes- sions of the NEGB and PB are comparable. Particularly, the Zechstein salt induced comparable sedimentary structures and provided a decoupling level between pre- and post-Zechstein rocks during the Late Cretaceous tectonic inversion in both basins. At the crustal scale, both basins are presently limited to the SW by the NW-SE-oriented Elbe Fault System, that correlates with a positive gravity anomaly. Finally, both basins show a N-S differentiation regarding the detailed subsidence history, the structural set- ting and the salt pattern. In spite of the very similar tectonic evolution of the NEGB and the PB, their large-scale geometry and inversion-related structures are different. The NEGB is asymmetric with a shallow northern slope and a steep bounding fault at the SW margin (Elbe Fault System). In the NEGB, the Late Cretaceous tectonic inversion resulted in asymmetric uplift of the SW' border along the Elbe Fault Sys- tem, and in decreasing deformation in the cover towards North. In contrast, the PB is a symmetric basin, that developed above the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone. The tectonic inversion resulted in a rather symmetric swell, uplifted along the axis of the former basin. The occurrence and rejuvenation of the deep-seated Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone is held responsible for the symmetry of the PB during its development and later inver- sion, whereas the reactivation of the Elbe Fault Zone induced asymmetric deformation in the Mesozoic cover at the SW margin of the NEGB.

Structural and stratigraphic framework and spatial distribution of permeability of the Atlantic coastal plain, North Carolina to New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, Philip Monroe; Miller, James A.; Swain, Frederick Morrill

1972-01-01

This report describes and interprets the results of a detailed subsurface mapping program undertaken in that part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain which extends from the South Carolina and North Carolina border through Long Island, N.Y. Data obtained from more than 2,200 wells are analyzed. Seventeen chronostratigraphic units are mapped in the subsurface. They range in age from Jurassic(?) to post-Miocene. The purpose of the mapping program was to determine the external and internal geometry of mappable chronostratigraphic units and to derive and construct a permeability-distribution network for each unit based upon contrasts in the textures and compositions of its contained sediments. The report contains a structure map and a combined isopach, lithofacies, and permeability-distribution map for each of the chronostratigraphic units delineated in the subsurface. In addition, it contains a map of the top of the basement surface. These maps, together with 36 stratigraphic cross sections, present a three-dimensional view of the regional subsurface hydrogeology. They provide focal points of reference for a discussion of regional tectonics, structure, stratigraphy, and permeability distribution. Taken together and in chronologic sequence, the maps constitute a detailed sedimentary model, the first such model to be constructed for the middle Atlantic Coastal Plain. The chronostratigraphic units mapped record a structural history dominated by lateral and vertical movement along a system of intersecting hinge zones. Taphrogeny, related to transcurrent faulting, is the dominant type of deformation that controlled the geometry of the sedimentary model. Twelve of the seventeen chronostratigraphic units mapped have depositional alinements and thickening trends that are independent of the present-day configuration of the underlying basement surface. These 12 units, classified as genetically unrooted units, are assigned to a first-order tectonic stage. A structural model is proposed whose alinements of positive and negative structural features are accordant with the depositional geometry of the chronostratigraphic units assigned to this tectonic stage. The dominant features of the structural model are northeast-plunging half grabens arranged en echelon and bordered by northeast-plunging fault-block anticlines. Tension-type hinge zones that strike north lie athwart the half grabens. Five of the seventeen chronostratigraphic units mapped have depositional alinements and thickening trends that are accordant with the present-day configuration of the underlying basement surface. These five units, classified as genetically rooted units, are assigned to a second-order tectonic stage. A structural model is proposed whose alinements of positive and negative features are accordant with the depositional geometry of the chronostratigraphic units assigned to this tectonic stage. The dominant feature of this model is a graben that stands tangential to southeast-plunging asymmetrical anticlines. Tension-type hinge zones that strike northeast lie athwart the graben. To account for the semiperiodic realinement of structural features that has characterized the history of the region and as a working hypothesis, we propose that the dominant tectonic element, which is present in the area between north Florida and Long Island, N.Y., is a unit-structural block, a ?basement? block, bounded by wrench-fault zones. We propose that forces derived principally from the rotation and precession of the earth act on the unit-structural block and deform it. Two tectonic models are proposed. One model is compatible with the structural and sedimentary geometries that are associated with chronostratigraphic units assigned to a first-order tectonic stage. It features tension-type hinge zones that strike north and shear-type hinge zones that strike northeast. The other model is compatible with the structural and sedimentary geometries associated with chronostratigraphi

Stratigraphy, Structure and Tectonics of the Eyjafjarðaráll Rift, Abandoned Southern Segment of the Kolbeinsey Ridge, North Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandsdottir, B.; Karson, J. A.; Magnúsdóttir, S.; Detrick, B.; Driscoll, N. W.

2017-12-01

The multi-branched plate boundary across Iceland is made up of divergent and oblique rifts, and transform zones, characterized by entwined extensional and transform tectonics. The Tjörnes Fracture Zone (TFZ) is a complex transform linking the northern rift zone (NVZ) on land with the offshore Kolbeinsey Ridge. The TFZ lacks a clear topographic expression typical of oceanic fracture zones. The transform zone is roughly 150 km long (E-W) by 50-75 km wide (N-S) with three N-S trending pull-apart basins bounded by a complex array of normal and oblique-slip faults. The offshore extension of the NVZ, the Grímsey Oblique Rift, is composed of several active volcanic systems with N-S trending fissure swarms, including the Skjálfandadjúp Basin (SB). The magma-starved southern extension of the KR, the 80 km NS and 15-20 EW Eyjafjarðaráll Rift (ER), is made up of dominantly normal faults merging southwards with a system of right-lateral strike-slip faults with vertical displacement up to 15 m in the Húsavík Flatey Fault Zone (HFFZ). The northern ER is a 500-700 m deep asymmetric rift, framed by normal faults with 20-25 m vertical displacement, To the south, transform movement associated with the HFFZ has created a NW- striking pull-apart basin with frequent earthquake swarms. Details of the tectonic framework of the ER are documented in a compilation of data from aerial photos, satellite images, field mapping, multibeam bathymetry, high-resolution seismic reflection surveys (Chirp) and seismicity. The TFZ rift basins contain post-glacial sediments of variable thickness. Strata in the western ER and SB basins dip steeply E along the normal faults, towards the deepest part of the rift. The eastern side of the ER and SB basins differ considerably from the western side, with near-vertical faults. Correlation of Chirp reflection data and tephrachronology from a sediment core reveal major rifting episodes between 10-12.1 kyrs BP activating both the Eyjafjarðaráll and Skjálfandadjúp rift basins, followed by smaller-scale fault movements throughout Holocene. These vertical fault movements reflect elevated tectonic activity during early postglacial time coinciding with isostatic rebound and enhanced volcanism within Iceland.

Creep of phyllosilicates at the onset of plate tectonics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amiguet, Elodie; Reynard, Bruno; Caracas, Razvan

Plate tectonics is the unifying paradigm of geodynamics yet the mechanisms and causes of its initiation remain controversial. Some models suggest that plate tectonics initiates when the strength of lithosphere is lower than 20-200 MPa, below the frictional strength of lithospheric rocks (>700 MPa). At present-day, major plate boundaries such as the subduction interface, transform faults, and extensional faults at mid-oceanic ridge core complexes indicate a transition from brittle behaviour to stable sliding at depths between 10 and 40 km, in association with water-rock interactions forming phyllosilicates. We explored the rheological behaviour of lizardite, an archetypal phyllosilicate of the serpentinemore » group formed in oceanic and subduction contexts, and its potential influence on weakening of the lithospheric faults and shear zones. High-pressure deformation experiments were carried out on polycrystalline lizardite - the low temperature serpentine variety - using a D-DIA apparatus at a variety of pressure and temperature conditions from 1 to 8 GPa and 150 to 400 C and for strain rates between 10{sup -4} and 10{sup -6} s{sup -1}. Recovered samples show plastic deformation features and no evidence of brittle failure. Lizardite has a large rheological anisotropy, comparable to that observed in the micas. Mechanical results and first-principles calculations confirmed easy gliding on lizardite basal plane and show that the flow stress of phyllosilicate is in the range of the critical value of 20-200 MPa down to depths of about 200 km. Thus, foliated serpentine or chlorite-bearing rocks are sufficiently weak to account for plate tectonics initiation, aseismic sliding on the subduction interface below the seismogenic zone, and weakening of the oceanic lithosphere along hydrothermally altered fault zones. Serpentinisation easing the deformation of the early crust and shallow mantle reinforces the idea of a close link between the occurrence of plate tectonics and water at the surface of the Earth.« less

Expanding extension, subsidence and lateral segmentation within the Santorini - Amorgos basins during Quaternary: Implications for the 1956 Amorgos events, central - south Aegean Sea, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomikou, P.; Hübscher, C.; Papanikolaou, D.; Farangitakis, G. P.; Ruhnau, M.; Lampridou, D.

2018-01-01

New bathymetric and seismic reflection data from the Santorini-Amorgos Tectonic Zone in the southern Cyclades have been analysed and a description of the morphology and tectonic structure of the area has been presented. The basins of Anhydros, Amorgos and Santorini-Anafi have been distinguished together with the intermediate Anhydros Horst within the NE-SW oriented Santorini-Amorgos Tectonic Zone which has a length of 60-70 km and a width of 20-25 km. The basins represent tectonic grabens or semi-grabens bordered by the active marginal normal faults of Santorini-Anafi, Amorgos, Ios, Anhydros and Astypalaea. The Santorini-Anafi, Amorgos and Ios marginal faults have their footwall towards the NW where Alpine basement occurs in the submarine scarps and their hangingwall towards the southeast, where the Quaternary sediments have been deposited with maximum thickness of 700 m. Six sedimentary Units 1-6 have been distinguished in the stratigraphic successions of the Santorini-Anafi and the western Anhydros Basin whereas in the rest area only the upper four Units 3-6 have been deposited. This shows the expansion of the basin with subsidence during the Quaternary due to ongoing extension in a northwest-southeast direction. Growth structures are characterized by different periods of maximum deformation as this is indicated by the different sedimentary units with maximum thickness next to each fault. Transverse structures of northwest-southeast direction have been identified along the Santorini-Amorgos Tectonic Zone with distinction of the blocks/segments of Santorini, Anhydros/Kolumbo, Anhydros islet and Amorgos. Recent escarpments with 7-9 m offset observed along the Amorgos Fault indicate that this was activated during the first earthquake of the 7.5 magnitude 1956 events whereas no recent landslide was found in the area that could be related to the 1956 tsunami.

Tectonic evolution of the Troodos Ophiolite within the Tethyan Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dilek, Yildirim; Thy, Peter; Moores, Eldridge M.; Ramsden, Todd W.

1990-08-01

A new tectonic model reconciles conflicting structural and geochemical evidence for the origin of the Troodos ophiolite, a well-preserved remnant of Neotethyan oceanic crust. Grabens and normal faults within the sheeted dike complex and the extrusive sequence of the Troodos ophiolite resemble those of oceanic spreading centers. Diverse intrusive and tectonic contact relationships between the sheeted dike complex and the underlying plutonic sequence indicate multiple and episodic intrusion of magma and along- and across-strike variation in volcanic and tectonic activity during development of oceanic crust. Coupled with the existence of the Arakapas transform fault to the south, these structural and intrusive relationships suggest origin at an intersection between a spreading center and a transform fault. The arclike chemistry of sheeted dikes and related extrusive rocks and the inferred highly depleted and hydrous nature of the mantle source of the late stage intrusive and extrusive rocks argue, however, for generation of part of the ophiolite within a subduction zone environment. Regional reconstructions suggest that the Mesozoic Neotethys may have evolved as a marginal basin both to the Afro-Arabian continent and the Paleotethyan ocean over an active or recently active south dipping subduction zone. The Troodos ophiolite and other eastern Mediterranean ophiolites, whose magma compositions were affected by the subducted Paleotethyan slab, may have formed along east-west trending spreading centers separated by north-south trending transform faults within this marginal basin. A rapid change in relative plate motion in late Cretaceous time between Eurasia and Afro-Arabia created a regional compressive regime that may have resulted in plate boundary reorganizations within the Neotethyan realm and in initiation of north dipping subduction zone(s) beneath the Troodos and other ophiolites in the region. The apparent forearc setting of the Troodos ophiolite is a consequence of this intraoceanic displacement after its formation and thus is unrelated to its generation.

Bayesian inference and interpretation of centroid moment tensors of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence, Kyushu, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hallo, Miroslav; Asano, Kimiyuki; Gallovič, František

2017-09-01

On April 16, 2016, Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu region, Japan, was devastated by a shallow M JMA7.3 earthquake. The series of foreshocks started by M JMA6.5 foreshock 28 h before the mainshock. They have originated in Hinagu fault zone intersecting the mainshock Futagawa fault zone; hence, the tectonic background for this earthquake sequence is rather complex. Here we infer centroid moment tensors (CMTs) for 11 events with M JMA between 4.8 and 6.5, using strong motion records of the K-NET, KiK-net and F-net networks. We use upgraded Bayesian full-waveform inversion code ISOLA-ObsPy, which takes into account uncertainty of the velocity model. Such an approach allows us to reliably assess uncertainty of the CMT parameters including the centroid position. The solutions show significant systematic spatial and temporal variations throughout the sequence. Foreshocks are right-lateral steeply dipping strike-slip events connected to the NE-SW shear zone. Those located close to the intersection of the Hinagu and Futagawa fault zones are dipping slightly to ESE, while those in the southern area are dipping to WNW. Contrarily, aftershocks are mostly normal dip-slip events, being related to the N-S extensional tectonic regime. Most of the deviatoric moment tensors contain only minor CLVD component, which can be attributed to the velocity model uncertainty. Nevertheless, two of the CMTs involve a significant CLVD component, which may reflect complex rupture process. Decomposition of those moment tensors into two pure shear moment tensors suggests combined right-lateral strike-slip and normal dip-slip mechanisms, consistent with the tectonic settings of the intersection of the Hinagu and Futagawa fault zones.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Escape tectonism in the Gulf of Thailand: Paleogene left-lateral pull-apart rifting in the Vietnamese part of the Malay Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fyhn, Michael B. W.; Boldreel, Lars O.; Nielsen, Lars H.

2010-03-01

The Malay Basin represents one of the largest rift basins of SE Asia. Based on a comprehensive 2-D seismic database tied to wells covering mainly Vietnamese acreage, the evolution of the Vietnamese part of the basin is outlined and a new tectonic model is proposed for the development of the basin. The Vietnamese part of the Malay Basin comprises a large and deep Paleogene pull-apart basin formed through Middle or Late Eocene to Oligocene left-lateral strike-slip along NNW-trending fault zones. The Tho Chu Fault Zone constitutes a significant Paleogene left-lateral strike-slip zone most likely associated with SE Asian extrusion tectonism. The fault zone outlines a deep rift that widens to the south and connects with the main Malay Basin. In the central northern part of the basin, a series of intra-basinal left-lateral fracture zones are interconnected by NW to WNW-trending extensional faults and worked to distribute sinistral shearing across the width of the basin. Extensive thermal sagging throughout the Neogene has led to the accommodation of a very thick sedimentary succession. Moderate rifting resumed during the Early Miocene following older structural fabric. The intensity of rifting increases towards the west and was probably related to coeval extension in the western part of the Gulf of Thailand. Neogene extension culminated before the Pliocene, although faults in places remains active. Late Neogene basin inversion has been attributed to c. 70 km of right-lateral movement across major c. N-S-trending faults in the central part of the basin. However, the lack of inversion in Vietnamese territory only seems to merit a few kilometers of dextral inversion.

Tectonic evolution of the Yarlung suture zone, Lopu Range region, southern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskowski, Andrew K.; Kapp, Paul; Ding, Lin; Campbell, Clay; Liu, XiaoHui

2017-01-01

The Lopu Range, located 600 km west of Lhasa, exposes a continental high-pressure metamorphic complex beneath India-Asia (Yarlung) suture zone assemblages. Geologic mapping, 14 detrital U-Pb zircon (n = 1895 ages), 11 igneous U-Pb zircon, and nine zircon (U-Th)/He samples reveal the structure, age, provenance, and time-temperature histories of Lopu Range rocks. A hornblende-plagioclase-epidote paragneiss block in ophiolitic mélange, deposited during Middle Jurassic time, records Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous subduction initiation followed by Early Cretaceous fore-arc extension. A depositional contact between fore-arc strata (maximum depositional age 97 ± 1 Ma) and ophiolitic mélange indicates that the ophiolites were in a suprasubduction zone position prior to Late Cretaceous time. Five Gangdese arc granitoids that intrude subduction-accretion mélange yield U-Pb ages between 49 and 37 Ma, recording Eocene southward trench migration after collision initiation. The south dipping Great Counter Thrust system cuts older suture zone structures, placing fore-arc strata on the Kailas Formation, and sedimentary-matrix mélange on fore-arc strata during early Miocene time. The north-south, range-bounding Lopukangri and Rujiao faults comprise a horst that cuts the Great Counter Thrust system, recording the early Miocene ( 16 Ma) transition from north-south contraction to orogen-parallel (E-W) extension. Five early Miocene (17-15 Ma) U-Pb ages from leucogranite dikes and plutons record crustal melting during extension onset. Seven zircon (U-Th)/He ages from the horst block record 12-6 Ma tectonic exhumation. Jurassic—Eocene Yarlung suture zone tectonics, characterized by alternating episodes of contraction and extension, can be explained by cycles of slab rollback, breakoff, and shallow underthrusting—suggesting that subduction dynamics controlled deformation.

Dynamics of seismogenerating structures in the frontal zone of the Kolyma-Omolon superterrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imaeva, L. P.; Imaev, V. S.; Koz'min, B. M.

2016-07-01

To develop a model for the dynamics of seismogenerating structures in the frontal zone of the Kolyma-Omolon superterrane (Chersky seismotectonic zone), the following aspects are analyzed: structural-tectonic position, deep structure parameters, active faults, and fields of tectonic stresses as revealed from solutions of focal mechanisms of strong earthquakes and kinematic types of Late Cenozoic fold deformations and faults. It is found that a certain dynamic setting under transpressional conditions takes place and it was caused by the interaction between structures of the Eurasian, North American, and Okhotsk lithospheric plates within regional segments of the Chersky zone (Yana-Indigirka and Indigirka-Kolyma). These conditions are possible if the Kolyma-Omolon block located in the frontal zone of the North American Plate was an indenter. Due to this, some terranes of different geodynamic origin underwent horizontal shortening, under which particular blocks of segments were pushed out laterally along the orogenic belt, on a system of conjugated strike-slip faults of different directions and hierarchical series, in the northwest and southeast directions, respectively, to form the main seismogenerating reverse-fault and thrust structures with the maximum seismic potential ( M ≥ 6.5).

High seismic velocity (7.x) lower crustal layers in cratonic North America: a view from xenoliths and EarthScope seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahan, K. H.; Barnhart, K. R.; Schulte-Pelkum, V.; Blackburn, T.; Bowring, S. A.; Dudas, F. O.

2010-12-01

Continental crust worldwide has local areas with a lowermost layer characterized by unusually high seismic P velocities of over 7 km/s. The presence (or absence) of these high-velocity layers, as well as their thickness, composition and degree of heterogeneity, can have a profound influence on the rheological properties and behavior of the lower crust. These data also provide fundamental information about lithospheric growth and destruction processes. In North America, high-velocity layers have been inferred for portions of a significant number of seismic refraction lines, as well as from surface wave and receiver function studies. However, the 2-D and localized nature of most existing studies leave many open questions regarding the full spatial extent of these layers (e.g. correlations with Archean vs Proterozoic terranes, collisional or accretionary boundaries, rift zones or plume tracks, etc.). EarthScope’s USArray provides an exceptional opportunity to improve our knowledge of the distribution of 7.x layers in North America. Similarly, xenoliths provide a complimentary opportunity to investigate compositional, geochronological, and petrophysical characteristics of the lower crust in selected areas. In Montana and Wyoming, where seismic experiments reveal an anomalously thick (up to 25 km) 7.x layer, our studies emphasize the heterogeneity in modes of formation, physical properties, and age of the lower crust. We highlight an example from xenoliths exhumed by Eocene minettes from the Great Falls Tectonic Zone in central Montana. The suite includes mafic garnet granulites, mafic eclogite, and felsic granulites with peak pressures of 0.8-1.5+ GPa, consistent with derivation from depths of 28-55+ km. Multiple samples preserve evidence for prograde burial and some are polymetamorphic. One sample (likely a restite from melted supracrustal material) contains evidence for an early mid-crustal metamorphic event followed by an increase in pressure from <0.8 to >1.0 GPa. Another sample records prograde breakdown of plagioclase and peak eclogite-facies conditions, followed by retrograde decompression and reentry into the plagioclase stability field. Prograde burial may represent thickening during collision across the Great Falls Tectonic Zone. Calculated seismic velocities are also heterogeneous with data from samples within the seismically defined 7.x layer ranging from 6.5 to 7.5 km/s. Zircon, monazite, titanite, and rutile U-(Th)-Pb data indicate igneous, metamorphic and/or fluid flow events at 2.7-2.6 Ga, 2.1 Ga, 1.8-1.7 Ga, and 1.3 Ga. Collectively, the data point to incremental assembly of the 7.x layer in Montana from Archean to Mesoproterozoic time. Other potentially similar studies across the continent, especially when combined with seismic techniques employing EarthScope’s USArray and other experiments, allow significant improvements in the development of models for the formation, evolution and present day structure of the North American lithosphere.

The analysis of the Tectonics - SSS - Seismicity System in the 3D-model of the Rasvumchorr Mine - Central Open Pit Natural and Technical System (Khibiny)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhirov, Dmitry; Klimov, Sergey; Zhirova, Anzhela; Panteleev, Alexey; Rybin, Vadim

2017-04-01

Main hazardous factors during the operation of deposits represent tectonics (structural dislocation), strain and stress state (SSS), and seismicity. The cause and effect relationships in the Fault Tectonics - SSS - Seismicity system were analyzed using a 3D geological and structural Rasvumchorr Mine - Central Open Pit model. This natural and technical system (NTS) has resulted from the development of the world-class apatite-nepheline deposits the Apatite Circus and Rasvumchorr Plateau. The 3D model integrates various spatial data on the earth's surface topography before and after mining, geometry of mines and dumps, SSS measurements and rock pressure, seismicity, fault tectonics and etc. The analysis of the 3D model has clearly demonstrated the localization of three main seismic emanation zones in the areas of maximum anthropogenic variation of the initial rock state, and namely: ore pass zone under the Southern edge of the Central open pit, collapse and joining zone of the Rasvumchorr Mine and NW edge of the open pit, and zone under the Apatite Circus plate - collapse console. And, on the contrary, in the area of a large dump under the underground mine, a perennial seismic minimum zone was identified. The relation of the seismicity and fault tectonics was revealed only in three local sectors near come certain echelon fissures of the Main Fault(MF). No confinement of increased seismicity areas to the MF and other numerous echelon fissures is observed. The same picture occurs towards manifestations of rock pressure. Only an insignificant part of echelon fissures (including low rank of hierarchy) controls hazardous manifestations of rock pressure (dumps, strong deformations of the mine contour, etc.). It is shown that the anthropogenic factor (explosive, geometry and arrangement of mined spaces and collapse console), as well as the time factor significantly change orientation and structure (contrast and heterogeneity) of the stress fields. Time series of natural geophysical field fluctuations were additionally analyzed in order to find relationships with the seismicity. A sustainable regular relationship between the seismicity and solar and lunar tides has been observed; though, medium (classes 3 to 6) and high (class 7 and above) energy values of the events reveal various symmetry towards the Lunar cycle phases. The relationship of seismicity with other geophysical fields, e.g., geomagnetic disturbances, is defined as weak to very weak. The anthropogenic (man-induced) factor mostly influences the seismicity in the NTS rock masses. A law for shifting of maximum seismicity zones following the advance of the mining front has been found. The 3D model integrates various spatial data on the earth's surface topography before and after mining, geometry of mines and dumps, SSS measurements, and rock pressure, seismicity, fault tectonics, and other manifestations. The study is made within R&D topic No. 0231-2015-0013. The collection, processing, and analysis of data for natural stress fields became possible due to the support from RSF grant 14-17-00751.

Structural features of northern Tarim basin: Implications for regional tectonics and petroleum traps

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong Jia; Juafu Lu; Dongsheng Cai

1998-01-01

The rhombus-shaped Tarim basin in northwestern China is controlled mainly by two left-lateral strike-slip systems: the northeast-trending Altun fault zone along its southeastern side and the northeast-trending Aheqi fault zone along its northwestern side. In this paper, we discuss the northern Tarim basin`s structural features, which include three main tectonic units: the Kalpin uplift, the Kuqa depression, and the North Tarim uplift along the northern margin of the Tarim basin. Structural mapping in the Kalpin uplift shows that a series of imbricated thrust sheets have been overprinted by strike-slip faulting. The amount of strike-slip displacement is estimated to be 148more » km by restoration of strike-slip structures in the uplift. The Kuqa depression is a Mesozoic-Cenozoic foredeep depression with well-developed flat-ramp structures and fault-related folds. The Baicheng basin, a Quaternary pull-apart basin, developed at the center of the Kuqa depression. Subsurface structures in the North Tarim uplift can be divided into the Mesozoic-Cenozoic and the Paleozoic lithotectonic sequences in seismic profiles. The Paleozoic litho-tectonic sequence exhibits the interference of earlier left-lateral and later right-lateral strike-slip structures. Many normal faults in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic litho-tectonic sequence form the negative flower structures in the North Tarim uplift; these structures commonly directly overlie the positive flower structures in the Paleozoic litho-tectonic sequence. The interference regions of the northwest-trending and northeast-trending folds in the Paleozoic tectonic sequence have been identified to have the best trap structures. Our structural analysis indicates that the Tarim basin is a transpressional foreland basin rejuvenated during the Cenozoic.« less

Quantitative morphometric analysis for the tectonic characterisation of northern Tunisia.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camafort, Miquel; Pérez-Peña, José Vicente; Booth-Rea, Guillermo; Ranero, César R.; Gràcia, Eulàlia; Azañón, José Miguel; Melki, Fetheddine; Ouadday, Mohamed

2016-04-01

Northern Tunisia is characterized by low deformation rates and low to moderate seismicity. Although instrumental seismicity reaches maximum magnitudes of Mw 5.5, some historical earthquakes have occurred with catastrophic consequences in this region. Aiming to improve our knowledge of active tectonics in Tunisia, we carried out both a quantitative morphometric analysis and field study in the north-western region. We applied different morphometric tools, like river profiles, knickpoint analysis, hypsometric curves and integrals and drainage pattern anomalies in order to differentiate between zones with high or low recent tectonic activity. This analysis helps identifying uplift and subsidence zones, which we relate to fault activity. Several active faults in a sparse distribution were identified. A selected sector was studied with a field campaign to test the results obtained with the quantitative analysis. During the fieldwork we identified geological evidence of recent activity and a considerable seismogenic potential along El Alia-Teboursouk (ETF) and Dkhila (DF) faults. The ETF fault could be responsible of one of the most devastating historical earthquakes in northern Tunisia that destroyed Utique in 412 A.D. Geological evidence include fluvial terraces folded by faults, striated and cracked pebbles, clastic dikes, sand volcanoes, coseismic cracks, etc. Although not reflected in the instrumental seismicity, our results support an important seismic hazard, evidenced by the several active tectonic structures identified and the two seismogenic faults described. After obtaining the current active tectonic framework of Tunisia we discuss our results within the western Mediterranean trying to contribute to the understanding of the western Mediterranean tectonic context. With our results, we suggest that the main reason explaining the sparse and scarce seismicity of the area in contrast with the adjacent parts of the Nubia-Eurasia boundary is due to its extended continental platform and its lack of proto-oceanic crust northward.

Upper-mantle origin of the Yellowstone hotspot

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christiansen, R.L.; Foulger, G.R.; Evans, J.R.

2002-01-01

Fundamental features of the geology and tectonic setting of the northeast-propagating Yellowstone hotspot are not explained by a simple deep-mantle plume hypothesis and, within that framework, must be attributed to coincidence or be explained by auxiliary hypotheses. These features include the persistence of basaltic magmatism along the hotspot track, the origin of the hotspot during a regional middle Miocene tectonic reorganization, a similar and coeval zone of northwestward magmatic propagation, the occurrence of both zones of magmatic propagation along a first-order tectonic boundary, and control of the hotspot track by preexisting structures. Seismic imaging provides no evidence for, and several contraindications of, a vertically extensive plume-like structure beneath Yellowstone or a broad trailing plume head beneath the eastern Snake River Plain. The high helium isotope ratios observed at Yellowstone and other hotspots are commonly assumed to arise from the lower mantle, but upper-mantle processes can explain the observations. The available evidence thus renders an upper-mantle origin for the Yellowstone system the preferred model; there is no evidence that the system extends deeper than ???200 km, and some evidence that it does not. A model whereby the Yellowstone system reflects feedback between upper-mantle convection and regional lithospheric tectonics is able to explain the observations better than a deep-mantle plume hypothesis.

Fabric evolution across a discontinuity between lower and upper crustal domains from field, microscopic, and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility studies in central eastern Eritrea, NE Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghebreab, W.; Kontny, A.; Greiling, R. O.

2007-06-01

In the Neoproterozoic East African Orogen (EAO) of Eritrea, lower to middle crustal high-grade metamorphic rocks are juxtaposed against low-grade upper crustal rocks along diffuse tectonic contact zones or discontinuities. In the central eastern part of Eritrea, such a tectonic zone is exposed as a low-angle shear zone separating two distinct high- and low-grade domains, the Ghedem and Bizen, respectively. Integrated field, microfabric, and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) studies show that this low-angle shear zone formed during late deformation, D2, with top-to-the-E/SE sense of motion. The hanging wall upper crustal volcanosedimentary schists are mainly paramagnetic and the footwall middle crustal mylonitized orthogneisses are mainly ferrimagnetic. Magnetic fabric studies revealed a good agreement between metamorphic/mylonitic and magnetic foliations (Kmin) and helped to explain fabric development in the shear zone. The magnetic lineations (Kmax) reflect stretching lineations where stretched mineral aggregates dominate fine-grained mylonitic matrices and intersection lineations where microstructural studies revealed two fabric elements. AMS directional plots indicate that the orientations of the magnetic lineation and of the pole to the magnetic foliation vary systematically across the shear zone. While Kmax axes form two broad maxima oriented approximately N-S and E-W, the Kmin axes change from subhorizontal, generally westward inclination in the west to moderate to steep inclination in the direction of tectonic movement to the east. Because there is a systematic change in inclination of Kmin for individual samples, all samples together form a fairly well defined cluster distribution. The distribution of Kmin in combination with the E-W scattered plot of the Kmax is in accordance with the E/SE flow of mylonites over exhumed Damas core complex in the late Neoproterozoic. During the Cenozoic, the Red Sea rift-related detachments exploited the late orogenic shear zone, indicating that the discontinuities between ductile middle and brittle upper crustal layers in the region are reactivated low-angle shear zones and possible sites of core complexes.

Earthquake slip weakening and asperities explained by thermal pressurization.

PubMed

Wibberley, Christopher A J; Shimamoto, Toshihiko

2005-08-04

An earthquake occurs when a fault weakens during the early portion of its slip at a faster rate than the release of tectonic stress driving the fault motion. This slip weakening occurs over a critical distance, D(c). Understanding the controls on D(c) in nature is severely limited, however, because the physical mechanism of weakening is unconstrained. Conventional friction experiments, typically conducted at slow slip rates and small displacements, have obtained D(c) values that are orders of magnitude lower than values estimated from modelling seismological data for natural earthquakes. Here we present data on fluid transport properties of slip zone rocks and on the slip zone width in the centre of the Median Tectonic Line fault zone, Japan. We show that the discrepancy between laboratory and seismological results can be resolved if thermal pressurization of the pore fluid is the slip-weakening mechanism. Our analysis indicates that a planar fault segment with an impermeable and narrow slip zone will become very unstable during slip and is likely to be the site of a seismic asperity.

Geophysical-geological studies of possible extensions of the New Madrid Fault Zone. Annual report, 1982. Vol. 1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hinze, W.J.; Braile, L.W.; Keller, G.R.

1983-05-01

An integrated geophysical/geologic program is being conducted to evaluate the rift complex hypothesis as an explanation for the earthquake activity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone and its extensions, to refine our knowledge of the rift complex, and to investigate the possible northern extensions of the New Madrid Fault Zone, especially its possible connection to the Anna, Ohio seismogenic region. Drillhole basement lithologies are being investigated to aid in tectonic analysis and geophysical interpretation, particularly in the Anna, Ohio area. Gravity and magnetic modeling combined with limited seismic reflection studies in southwest Indiana are interpreted as confirming speculation that anmore » arm of the New Madrid Rift Complex extends northeasterly into Indiana. The geologic and geophysical evidence confirm that the basement lithology in the Anna, Ohio area is highly variable reflecting a complex geologic history. The data indicate that as many as three major Late Precambrian tectonic features intersect within the basement of the Anna area suggesting that the seismicity may be related to basement zones of weakness.« less

Tectonic study of the extension of the New Madrid fault zone near its intersection with the 38th parallel lineament

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Braile, L.W.; Hinze, W.J.; Sexton, J.L.

1982-06-01

Gravity, magnetic, geologic, and seismicity data have been combined in a seismotectonic analysis of the New Madrid seismic zone. Previous studies have presented evidence for several rift zones in this area (Upper Mississippi enmbayment), including the Reelfoot rift, a late precambrian-early Paleozoic failed arm which extends north-northeast from the ancient continental margin. We suggest that the northern terminus of the Reelfoot rift forms a rift complex, with arms extending northeast into southwestern Indiana, northwest along the Mississippi River, and east into western Kentucky, which appears to correlate well with the seismicity in the area. This correlation suggests that faults associatedmore » with this rift complex are being reactivated in the contemporary stress field (east-northeast compression). If this interpretation is valid, it represents a seismotectonic model which can be used to predict the extent of future seismicity in the New Madrid seismic zone. The proposed rift complex also provides a coherent model for the tectonic development of this region of the North American midcontinent.« less

Disparate Tectonic Settings of Devastating Earthquakes in Mexico, September 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.; Chen, W. P.; Ning, J.

2017-12-01

Large earthquakes associated with thrust faulting along the plate interface typically pose the highest seismic risk along subduction zones. However, both damaging earthquakes in Mexico of September 2017 are notable exceptions. The Tehuantepec event on the 8th (Mw 8.1) occurred just landward of the trench but is associated with normal faulting, akin to the large (Ms 8) historical event of 1931 that occurred about 200 km to the northwest along this subduction zone. The Puebla earthquake (on the 19th, Mw 7.1) occurred almost 300 km away from the trench where seismic imaging had indicated that the flat-lying slab steepens abruptly and plunges aseismically into the deep mantle. Here we show that both types of tectonic settings are in fact common along a large portion of the Mexican subduction zone, thus identifying source zones of potentially damaging earthquakes away from the plate interface. Additionally, modeling of broadband waveforms made clear that another significant event (Mw 6.1) on the 23rd, is associated with shallow normal faulting in the upper crust, not directly related to the two damaging earthquakes.

Ups and downs in western Crete (Hellenic subduction zone)

PubMed Central

Tiberti, Mara Monica; Basili, Roberto; Vannoli, Paola

2014-01-01

Studies of past sea-level markers are commonly used to unveil the tectonic history and seismic behavior of subduction zones. We present new evidence on vertical motions of the Hellenic subduction zone as resulting from a suite of Late Pleistocene - Holocene shorelines in western Crete (Greece). Shoreline ages obtained by AMS radiocarbon dating of seashells, together with the reappraisal of shoreline ages from previous works, testify a long-term uplift rate of 2.5–2.7 mm/y. This average value, however, includes periods in which the vertical motions vary significantly: 2.6–3.2 mm/y subsidence rate from 42 ka to 23 ka, followed by ~7.7 mm/y sustained uplift rate from 23 ka to present. The last ~5 ky shows a relatively slower uplift rate of 3.0–3.3 mm/y, yet slightly higher than the long-term average. A preliminary tectonic model attempts at explaining these up and down motions by across-strike partitioning of fault activity in the subduction zone. PMID:25022313

Development of fluid overpressures in crustal faults and implications for earthquakes mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leclère, Henri; Cappa, Frédéric; Faulkner, Daniel; Armitage, Peter; Blake, Oshaine; Fabbri, Olivier

2013-04-01

The development and maintenance of fluid overpressures strongly influence the mechanical behavior of the crust and especially crustal fault zones. The mechanisms allowing fluid pressure build-up are still open questions, and their influence on tectonic and fault weakening processes remain unclear. The determination of the hydraulic and mechanical properties of crustal fault zone elements is a key aspect to improve our understanding of the fluid-tectonic interactions and more particularly the role of fluids in fault mechanics and earthquake triggering. Here we address this question combining geological observations, laboratory experiments and hydromechanical models of an active crustal fault-zone in the Ubaye-Argentera area (southeastern France). Previous studies showed that the fluids located in the fault zone developed overpressures between 7 and 26 MPa, that triggered intense seismic swarms (i.e. 16,000 events in 2003-2004) (Jenatton et al., 2007; Daniel et al., 2011; Leclère et al., 2012). The fault-zone studied here is located in the Argentera external crystalline massif and is connected to regional NW-SE steeply-dipping dextral strike-slip faults with an offset of several kilometers. The fault zone cuts through migmatitic gneisses composed of quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, biotite and minor muscovite. It exposes several anastomosed core zones surrounded by damage zones with a pluri-decametric total width. The core zones are made up of centimetric to pluridecimetric phyllosilicate-rich gouge layers while the damage zones are composed of pluri-metric phyllonitic rock derived from mylonite. The permeability and elastic moduli of the host rock, damage zone and fault core were measured from plugs with a diameter of 20 mm and lengths between 26 to 51 mm, using a high-pressure hydrostatic fluid-flow apparatus. Measurements were made with confining pressures ranging from 30 to 210 MPa and using argon pore fluid pressure of 20 MPa. Data show a variation of the permeability values of one order of magnitude between host rock and fault zone and a decrease of 50% of the elastic properties between host rock and core zone. The heterogeneity of properties is related to the development of different microstructures across the fault-zone during the tectonic history. From these physical property values and the fault zone architecture, we analyze the effects of sudden mechanical loading on the development of fluid overpressures in fault-zone. To do this, we use a series of 1-D hydromechanical numerical models to show that sudden mechanical stress increase is a viable mechanism for fluid overpressuring in fault-zone with spatially-varying elastic and hydraulic properties. Based on these results, we discuss the implications for earthquake triggering.on crustal-scale faults.

The nature of the Ailao Shan-Red River (ASRR) shear zone: Constraints from structural, microstructural and fabric analyses of metamorphic rocks from the Diancang Shan, Ailao Shan and Day Nui Con Voi massifs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Junlai; Tang, Yuan; Tran, My-Dung; Cao, Shuyun; Zhao, Li; Zhang, Zhaochong; Zhao, Zhidan; Chen, Wen

2012-03-01

The structural geology, timing of shearing, and tectonic implications of the ASRR shear zone, one of the most striking lineaments in Southeast Asia, have been the topics of extensive studies over the past few decades. The Xuelong Shan (XLS), Diancang Shan (DCS), Ailao Shan (ALS) and Day Nui Con Voi (DNCV) metamorphic massifs along the shear zone have preserved important information on its structural and tectonic evolution. Our field structural analysis, detailed microstructural and fabric analysis, as well as the quartz, sillimanite and garnet fabric studies of the sheared rocks from the massifs demonstrate the dominant roles of three deformation episodes during Cenozoic tectonic evolution in the shear zone. Among the contrasting structural and microstructural associations in the shear zone, D2 structures, which were formed at the brittle to ductile transition during large-scale left-lateral shearing in the second deformation episode, predominate over the structural styles of the other two deformation episodes. Discrete micro-shear zones with intensive grain size reduction compose the characteristic structural style of D2 deformation. In addition, several types of folds (early shearing folds, F21, and late-shearing folds, F22) were formed in the sheared rocks, including discrete to distributed mylonitic foliation, stretching lineation and shear fabrics (e.g., mica fish, domino structures, as well as sigma and delta fabrics). A sequence of microstructures from syn-kinematic magmatic flow, high-temperature solid-state deformation, to brittle-ductile shearing is well-preserved in the syn-kinematic leucocratic intrusions. Deformation structures from the first episode (D1) are characterized by F1 folds and distributed foliations (S1) in rocks due to pure shearing at high temperatures. They are preserved in weakly sheared (D2) rocks along the eastern margin of the ALS belt or in certain low-strain tectonic enclaves within the shear zone. Furthermore, semi-brittle deformation structures, such as hot striae and discrete retrogression zones, are attributed to normal-slip shearing in the third deformation episode (D3), which was probably locally active, along the eastern flank of the DCS range, for example. There are four quartz c-axis fabric patterns in the mylonitic rocks, including type A point maxima, type B Y point maxima with crossed girdles superimposition, type C quadrant maxima, as well as type D point and quadrant maxima combination. They are consistent with microscopic observations of microstructures of high-temperature pure shearing, low-temperature simple shearing and their superimposition. Integrated microstructural analysis and fabric thermometer studies provide information on both high temperature (up to 750 °C) and dominant low-temperature (300-600 °C) deformations of quartz grains in different rock types. Sillimanite and garnet fabrics, especially the latter, were primarily formed at the peak metamorphism during high-temperature pure shearing. The above structural, microstructural and fabric associations were generated in the tectonic framework of the Indian-Eurasian collision. The low-temperature microstructures and fabrics are attributed to left-lateral shearing along the ASRR shear zone from 27 to 21 Ma during the southeastward extrusion of the Indochina block, which postdated high-temperature deformation at the peak metamorphism during the collision.

Karstic slope "breathing": morpho-structural influence and hazard implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devoti, Roberto; Falcucci, Emanuela; Gori, Stefano; Eliana Poli, Maria; Zanferrari, Adriano; Braitenberg, Carla; Fabris, Paolo; Grillo, Barbara; Zuliani, David

2016-04-01

The study refers to the active slope deformation detected by GPS and tiltmeter stations in the Cansiglio karstic plateau located in the western Carnic Prealps (NE Italy). The observed transient deformation clearly correlates with the rainfall, so that the southernmost border of the Plateau reacts instantly to heavy rains displaying a "back and forth" deformation up to a few centimeters wide, with different time constants, demonstrating a response to different catchment volumes. We carried out a field survey along the southern Cansiglio slope, to achieve structural characterization of the relief and to verify the possible relation between structural features and the peculiar geomorphological setting dominated by widespread karstic features. The Cansiglio plateau develops on the frontal ramp anticline of the Cansiglio thrust, an about ENE-WSW trending, SSE-verging, low angle thrust, belonging to the Neogene-Quaternary front of the eastern Southern Alps. The Cansiglio thrust outcrops at the base of the Cansiglio plateau, where it overlaps the Mesozoic carbonates on the Miocene-Quaternary terrigenous succession. All along its length cataclastic limestone largely outcrop. The Cansiglio thrust is bordered by two transfer zones probably inherited from the Mesozoic paleogeography: the Caneva fault in the west and the Col Longone fault in the east. The carbonatic massif is also characterized by a series of about northward steeply dipping reverse minor faults and a set of subvertical joints parallel to the axes of the Cansiglio anticline. Other NNW-SSE and NNE-SSW conjugate faults and fractures perpendicular to the Cansiglio southern slope are also identified. This structural setting affect pervasively the whole slope and may determine centimetre- to metre-scale rock prisms. Interestingly, along the topmost portion of the slope, some dolines and swallow holes show an incipient coalescence, that trends parallel to the massif front and to the deformation zones related to the reverse fault. Such a dolines alignment forms a ridge parallel elongated trench, about 4 km long, which is a typical morpho-structural feature of slopes undergoing large scale gravitational instability (deep seated gravitational slope deformations). The trench is interrupted towards the NE by several coalescent and slide scarps. Such geomorphic evidence testifies to the occurrence of landslides events (mainly rockslides and rock falls) that sourced from the top portion of the slope, as local collapses of the sector affected by the trench. Our observations, as a whole, suggest that morpho-structural framework of the Cansiglio south-eastern slope is highly influenced by tectonic features related to the complex tectonic deformation. The structural setting is locally favoring the nucleation of karstic landforms (dolines, swallow holes and ipokarstic features). Moreover, the presence of widespread tectonic features lead gravitational instability affecting the slope, linked to the high local relief of the mountain front, may trigger collapse of sectors of the slope in rock falls phenomena. In this perspective, therefore, the continuous "back and forth" movements of the slope observed by GPS time series analysis induced by rainfall may progressively weaken the slope and render it prone to landsliding.

Geodynamics and synchronous filling of rift-type basin evolved through compression tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papdimitriou, Nikolas; Nader, Fadi; Gorini, Christian; Deschamps, Remy

2016-04-01

The Levant Basin falls in the category of frontier basins, and is bounded by the Eratosthenes seamount to the West, the Nile cone delta to the south, Cyprus to the north and Lebanon to the east. The Levant Basin was initially a rift type basin, which is located at a major plate boundary since the Late Triassic. It evolved later on through compression tectonics. The post-rift phase prevailed since the Late Jurassic and is expressed by the gradual initiation of a passive margin. A thick infill, mostly of deep water sediments (about 12 km thick) is accounted for the Levant Basin. The post-rift sediments are pinching-out along the slope of the well preserved (and imaged) eastern margin of the Eratosthenes seamount, which is essentially made up of Mesozoic platform carbonates (about 5 km). Thus, the Eratosthenes carbonate platform was adjacent to the deep marine facies of the Levant Basin until the late Cretaceous/Cenozoic. At that time, both the Eratosthenes seamount and the Levant Basin became part of a foreland basin along the Cyprus Arc zone as a result of the collision of the African and Eurasian plates. The objective of this contribution is to investigate the timing and the mechanisms of flexural subsidence as well as the sedimentary filling of Levant Basin (through a source-to-sink approach) in a well-deformed tectonic region. The interpretation of twenty-four 2D seismic profiles coupled with the available ODP wells, offshore Cyprus, aims to define the primary reflectors and seismic packages. Then, concepts of seismic stratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy are applied to achieve a better understanding of the tectonostratigraphy and sedimentary architecture of the Eratosthenes seamount (as an isolated carbonate platform) and its surroundings. Recent offshore discoveries south of the Eratosthenes seamount (e.g., Zhor) have confirmed the presence of gas accumulations exceeding 30Tcf in subsalt Lower Miocene carbonate buildups, making out the understanding of the evolution of this new frontier hydrocarbon province of great importance.

Crustal Structure of the Yakutat Microplate: Constraints from STEEP Wide-angle Seismic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christeson, G. L.; van Avendonk, H.; Gulick, S. P.; Worthington, L.; Pavlis, T.

2008-12-01

In Fall 2008 we will conduct a seismic program focusing on the Yakutat microplate. As part of this study we plan to acquire two wide-angle profiles: an onshore-offshore northwest-southeast oriented profile extending from the Bering glacier onto the continental shelf and across the Dangerous River Zone, and an offshore northeast-southwest oriented profile extending from the ocean basin across the Transition fault and into Yakutat Bay. The sound source will be the R/V Langseth's tuned 6600 cu. in., 36 air gun array. Ocean bottom seismometers will be positioned at ~15 km spacing, and Texan seismometers at 1-4 km spacing across the Bering Glacier. Coincident deep-penetrating seismic reflection data will be acquired on the marine portion of both profiles using a 8-km, 640-channel solid hydrophone streamer. Existing models for the Yakutat microplate disagree as to whether it is a continental fragment attached to normal oceanic crust or an oceanic plateau, and if the deep structure changes from west to east across the Dangerous River Zone. In the continental fragment model uplift is concentrated along crustal-scale thrust faulting at the ocean crust boundary (Dangerous River Zone?) resulting in focused and rapid erosion. In the oceanic plateau model more distributed, regional uplift is expected which will produce widespread exhumation with net erosion potentially coupled with glacial cycles. Thus distinguishing between these models, which we expect to accomplish with our planned seismic program, is vital for linking tectonics to erosion on both spatial and temporal scales.

Early Permian transgressive-regressive cycles: Sequence stratigraphic reappraisal of the coal-bearing Barakar Formation, Raniganj Basin, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Biplab; Bhattacharjee, Joyeeta; Bandyopadhyay, Sandip; Banerjee, Sudipto; Adhikari, Kalyan

2018-03-01

The present research is an attempt to assess the Barakar Formation of the Raniganj Gondwana Basin, India, in the frame of fluvio-marine (estuarine) depositional systems using sequence stratigraphic elements. Analysis of predominant facies associations signify deposition in three sub-environments: (i) a river-dominated bay-head delta zone in the inner estuary, with transition from braided fluvial channels (FA-B1) to tide-affected meandering fluvial channels and flood plains (FA-B2) in the basal part of the succession; (ii) a mixed energy central basin zone, which consists of transitional fluvio-tidal channels (FA-B2), tidal flats, associated with tidal channels and bars (FA-B3) in the middle-upper part of the succession; and (iii) a wave-dominated outer estuary (coastal) zone (FA-B4 with FA-B3) in the upper part of the succession. Stacked progradational (P1, P2)-retrogradational (R1, R2) successions attest to one major base level fluctuation, leading to distinct transgressive-regressive (T-R) cycles with development of initial falling stage systems tract (FSST), followed by lowstand systems tract (LST) and successive transgressive systems tracts (TST-1 and TST-2). Shift in the depositional regime from regressive to transgressive estuarine system in the early Permian Barakar Formation is attributed to change in accommodation space caused by mutual interactions of (i) base level fluctuations in response to climatic amelioration and (ii) basinal tectonisms (exhumation/sagging) related to post-glacial isostatic adjustments in the riftogenic Gondwana basins.

Anomalous heat flow belt along the continental margin of Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamza, Valiya M.; Vieira, Fabio P.; Silva, Raquel T. A.

2018-01-01

A comprehensive analysis of thermal gradient and heat flow data was carried out for sedimentary basins situated in the continental margin of Brazil (CMB). The results point to the existence of a narrow belt within CMB, where temperature gradients are higher than 30 °C/km and the heat flow is in excess of 70 mW/m2. This anomalous geothermal belt is confined between zones of relatively low to normal heat flow in the adjacent continental and oceanic regions. The width of the belt is somewhat variable, but most of it falls within the range of 100-300 km. The spatial extent is relatively large in the southern (in the basins of Pelotas, Santos and Campos) and northern (in the basins of Potiguar and Ceará) parts, when compared with those in the central parts (in the basins of South Bahia, Sergipe and Alagoas). The characteristics of heat flow anomalies appear to be compatible with those produced by thermal sources at depths in the lower crust. Hence, magma emplacement at the transition zone between lower crust and upper mantle is considered the likely mechanism producing such anomalies. Seismicity within the belt is relatively weak, with focal depths less than 10 km for most of the events. Such observations imply that "tectonic bonding" between continental and oceanic segments, at the transition zone of CMB, is relatively weak. Hence, it is proposed that passive margins like CMB be considered as constituting a type of plate boundary that is aseismic at sub-crustal levels, but allows for escape of significant amounts of earth's internal heat at shallow depths.

An investigation on near wall transport characteristics in an adiabatic upward gas-liquid two-phase slug flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Donghong; Che, Defu

2007-08-01

The near-wall transport characteristics, inclusive of mass transfer coefficient and wall shear stress, which have a great effect on gas-liquid two-phase flow induced internal corrosion of low alloy pipelines in vertical upward oil and gas mixing transport, have been both mechanistically and experimentally investigated in this paper. Based on the analyses on the hydrodynamic characteristics of an upward slug unit, the mass transfer in the near wall can be divided into four zones, Taylor bubble nose zone, falling liquid film zone, Taylor bubble wake zone and the remaining liquid slug zone; the wall shear stress can be divided into two zones, the positive wall shear stress zone associated with the falling liquid film and the negative wall shear stress zone associated with the liquid slug. Based on the conventional mass transfer and wall shear stress characteristics formulas of single phase liquid full-pipe turbulent flow, corrected normalized mass transfer coefficient formula and wall shear stress formula are proposed. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data. The shear stress and the mass transfer coefficient in the near wall zone are increased with the increase of superficial gas velocity and decreased with the increase of superficial liquid velocity. The mass transfer coefficients in the falling liquid film zone and the wake zone of leading Taylor bubble are lager than those in the Taylor bubble nose zone and the remaining liquid slug zone, and the wall shear stress associated falling liquid film is larger than that associated the liquid slug. The mass transfer coefficient is within 10-3 m/s, and the wall shear stress below 103 Pa. It can be concluded that the alternate wall shear stress due to upward gas-liquid slug flow is considered to be the major cause of the corrosion production film fatigue cracking.

Seismic anisotropy in localized shear zones versus distributed tectonic fabrics: examples from geologic and seismic observations in western North America and the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahan, Kevin H.; Schulte-Pelkum, Vera; Condit, Cailey; Leydier, Thomas; Goncalves, Philippe; Raju, Anissha; Brownlee, Sarah; Orlandini, Omero F.

2017-04-01

Modern methods for detecting seismic anisotropy offer an array of promising tools for imaging deep crustal deformation but also present challenges, especially with respect to potential biases in both the detection methods themselves as well as in competing processes for localized versus distributed deformation. We address some of these issues from the geophysical perspective by employing azimuthally dependent amplitude and polarity variations in teleseismic receiver functions combined with a compilation of published rock elasticity tensors from middle and deep crustal rocks, and from the geological perspective through studies of shear zone deformation processes. Examples are highlighted at regional and outcrop scales from western North America and the European Alps. First, in regional patterns, strikes of seismically detected fabric from receiver functions in California show a strong alignment with current strike-slip motion between the Pacific and North American plates, with high signal strength near faults and from depths below the brittle-ductile transition suggesting these faults have deep ductile roots. In contrast, despite NE-striking shear zones being the most prominent features portrayed on Proterozoic tectonic maps of the southwestern USA, receiver function anisotropy from the central Rocky Mountain region appears to more prominently reflect broadly distributed Proterozoic fabric domains that preceded late-stage localized shear zones. Possible causes for the discrepancy fall into two categories: those that involve a) bias in seismic sampling and/or b) deformation processes that lead to either weaker anisotropy in the shear zones compared to adjacent domains or to a symmetry that is different from that conventionally assumed. Most of these explanations imply that the seismically sampled domains contain important structural information that is distinct from the shear zones. The second set of examples stem from studies of outcrop-scale shear zones in upper amphibolite-facies (0.9-1.0 GPa, 700 °C) mafic metagabbro from Precambrian exposures in Montana (USA) and in greenschist-facies (0.7-0.8 GPa, 450-500 °C) metagranites from the External Crystalline Massifs of the European Central Alps. The shear zones are characterized by strain gradients from undeformed coarse-grained protoliths to very fine grained ultramylonite, and by microstructures dominated by CPO-producing deformation mechanisms in the protomylonite and CPO-weakening mechanisms such as dissolution-precipitation creep and grain boundary sliding in the ultramylonite. In the mafic mylonites, the result is a lower seismic anisotropy ( 2%) in the core of the shear zones despite a well-developed hornblende shape-preferred orientation. Preliminary observations of these examples suggest that marginal gradients may contribute as much or more to the bulk anisotropy signal compared to the higher strained cores of these structures. If true, a similar effect could explain some otherwise puzzling anisotropy studies of larger scale shear zones such as from the Himalaya where anisotropy tilt proximal to the Main Himalayan Thrust is notably steeper than expected. In conclusion, while some anisotropy studies of crustal scale deformation patterns are relatively straightforward, others will require careful consideration of the limitations and potential future improvements to seismic detection methods, including ground truthing based on samples and exposures as well as a better understanding of physical processes involved in deformation localization.

The Maritsa strike-slip shear zone between Kostenets and Krichim towns, South Bulgaria — Structural, petrographic and isotope geochronology study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naydenov, Kalin; Peytcheva, Irena; von Quadt, Albrecht; Sarov, Stoyan; Kolcheva, Krastina; Dimov, Dimo

2013-06-01

The present study describes the characteristics of the Maritsa Shear Zone (MSZ), a major tectonic element in the Balkanides in South Central Bulgaria. Metamorphic rocks of four lithotectonic units — Madan, Chepinska, Asenitsa and Thrace units crop out in the study area. Strike-slip ductile deformation in MSZ affects the Thrace Lithotectonic Unit (TLU) for up to 15 km. The stratigraphy of this unit is divided in two: Parvenets succession and variegated succession. U-Pb zircon dating reveals Late Jurassic protolith age for metagranitoids and metagabbros of the variegated succession. For its metasedimentary part Triassic to Upper Jurassic age is suggested based on the strontium isotope signature of the marbles. The Parvenets succession affiliates to the Variscan metamorphic basement of Europe. The metamorphic evolution of the zone is subdivided into synmetamorphic strike-slip deformations and annealing stages. The ductile shearing occurred in greenschist to lower amphibolite facies between 130 Ma (discordant U-Pb ages) and 82-78 Ma (late-syntectonic granites). This stage is connected with the oblique collision of the Rhodope Late Jurassic arc with the European platform. With the docking of the arc and the triggering of the strike-slip movements, MSZ represents an orogen-scale border between the Rhodope south-vergent thrust complex and the north-vergent deformations in the Srednogorie and Sakar-Strandzha zones. During the Late Cretaceous MSZ is the contact between the Srednogorie magmatic arc (part of the Apuseni-Banat-Timok-Srednogorie Belt) and the Rhodopean metamorphic core complexes. NW-SE dextral faulting characterized the brittle tectonics along the zone. Strike-slip faults of the southern border of the TLU are transferred into reverse faults, along which the TLU overthrusted Oligocene sediments. MSZ is an orogen-scale transpressional shear zone and an important border in the structure of the Balkanides. This multidisciplinary research emphasizes its role as a major tectonic element by presenting new structural, petrographic and isotope geochronology data.

36 CFR 13.1304 - Ice fall hazard zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Ice fall hazard zones. 13.1304 Section 13.1304 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM UNITS IN ALASKA Special Regulations-Kenai Fjords National Park General...

Deep seismic reflection evidence for ancient subduction and collision zones within the continental lithosphere of northwestern Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balling, N.

2000-12-01

Deep seismic profiling experiments in the region of NW Europe (including BABEL in the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea, Mobil Search in the Skagerrak and MONA LISA in the North Sea) have demonstrated the existence of seismic reflectors in the mantle lithosphere beneath the Baltic Shield, the Tornquist Zone and the North Sea basins. Different sets of reflectors are observed, notably dipping and sub-horizontal. Dipping, distinct reflectivity, which may be followed from Moho/Moho offsets into the deeper parts of the continental lithosphere, is of special interest because of its tectonic and geodynamic significance. Such reflectivity, observed in several places, dipping 15-35° and covering a depth range of 30-90 km, constrained by surface geological information and radiometric age data, is interpreted to represent fossil, ancient subduction and collison zones. Subduction slabs with remnant oceanic basaltic crust transformed into eclogite is assumed, in particular, to generate deep seismic reflectivity. Deep seismic evidence is presented for subduction, crustal accretion and collision processes with inferred ages from 1.9 to 1.1 Ga from the main structural provinces within the Baltic Shield including Svecofennian, Transscandinavian Igneous Belt, Gothian and Sveconorwegian. Along the southwestern border of Baltica (in the southeastern North Sea) south-dipping crustal and sub-crustal reflectivity is observed down to a depth of about 90 km, close to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. These structures are interpreted to reveal a lithosphere-scale Caledonian (ca. 440 Ma) suture zone resulting from the closure of the Tornquist Sea/Thor Ocean and the amalgamation of Baltica and Eastern Avalonia. These results demonstrate that deep structures within the continental lithosphere, originating from early crust-forming plate tectonic processes, may survive for a very long time and form seismic marker reflectivity of great value in geotectonic interpretation and reconstructions. Furthermore, the depth of dipping reflectivity from ancient structures, such as subduction slabs, significantly contributes information about the thickness of the coherent lithosphere. The seismic observations and our interpretations support plate tectonic and structural models, suggesting crustal growth and amalgamation of tectonic units in the Baltic Shield and along its southwestern margin generally from the northeast (in present-day orientation) towards the southwest and west, likely to result in regional deep structural and tectonic age zonations.

Oblique reactivation of lithosphere-scale lineaments controls rift physiography - the upper-crustal expression of the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone, offshore southern Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Thomas B.; Jackson, Christopher A.-L.; Bell, Rebecca E.; Duffy, Oliver B.

2018-04-01

Pre-existing structures within sub-crustal lithosphere may localise stresses during subsequent tectonic events, resulting in complex fault systems at upper-crustal levels. As these sub-crustal structures are difficult to resolve at great depths, the evolution of kinematically and perhaps geometrically linked upper-crustal fault populations can offer insights into their deformation history, including when and how they reactivate and accommodate stresses during later tectonic events. In this study, we use borehole-constrained 2-D and 3-D seismic reflection data to investigate the structural development of the Farsund Basin, offshore southern Norway. We use throw-length (T-x) analysis and fault displacement backstripping techniques to determine the geometric and kinematic evolution of N-S- and E-W-striking upper-crustal fault populations during the multiphase evolution of the Farsund Basin. N-S-striking faults were active during the Triassic, prior to a period of sinistral strike-slip activity along E-W-striking faults during the Early Jurassic, which represented a hitherto undocumented phase of activity in this area. These E-W-striking upper-crustal faults are later obliquely reactivated under a dextral stress regime during the Early Cretaceous, with new faults also propagating away from pre-existing ones, representing a switch to a predominantly dextral sense of motion. The E-W faults within the Farsund Basin are interpreted to extend through the crust to the Moho and link with the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone, a lithosphere-scale lineament, identified within the sub-crustal lithosphere, that extends > 1000 km across central Europe. Based on this geometric linkage, we infer that the E-W-striking faults represent the upper-crustal component of the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone and that the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone represents a long-lived lithosphere-scale lineament that is periodically reactivated throughout its protracted geological history. The upper-crustal component of the lineament is reactivated in a range of tectonic styles, including both sinistral and dextral strike-slip motions, with the geometry and kinematics of these faults often inconsistent with what may otherwise be inferred from regional tectonics alone. Understanding these different styles of reactivation not only allows us to better understand the influence of sub-crustal lithospheric structure on rifting but also offers insights into the prevailing stress field during regional tectonic events.

Internal tectonic structure of the Central American Wadati-Benioff zone based on analysis of aftershock sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Å PičáK, Aleš; Hanuš, VáClav; VaněK, JiřÃ.­; BěHounková, Marie

2007-09-01

Relocated Engdahl et al. (1998) global seismological data for 10 aftershock sequences were used to analyze the internal tectonic structure of the Central American subduction zone; the main shocks of several of these were the most destructive and often referenced earthquakes in the region (e.g., the 1970 Chiapas, 1983 Osa, 1992 Nicaragua, 1999 Quepos, 2001 El Salvador earthquakes). The spatial analysis of aftershock foci distribution was performed in a rotated Cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z) related to the Wadati-Benioff zone, and not in a standard coordinate system (ϕ, λ, h are latitude, longitude, focal depth, respectively). Available fault plane solutions were also transformed into the plane approximating the Wadati-Benioff zone. The spatial distribution of earthquakes in each aftershock sequence was modeled as either a plane fit using a least squares approximation or a volume fit with a minimum thickness rectangular box. The analysis points to a quasi-planar distribution of earthquake foci in all aftershock sequences, manifesting the appurtenance of aftershocks to fracture zones. Geometrical parameters of fracture zones (strike, dip, and dimensions) hosting individual sequences were calculated and compared with the seafloor morphology of the Cocos Plate. The smooth character of the seafloor correlates with the aftershock fracture zones oriented parallel to the trench and commonly subparallel to the subducting slab, whereas subduction of the Cocos Ridge and seamounts around the Quepos Plateau coincides with steeply dipping fracture zones. Transformed focal mechanisms are almost exclusively (>90%) of normal character.

Internal tectonic structure of the Central American Wadati-Benioff zone based on analysis of aftershock sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Špičák, Aleš; Hanuš, Václav; Vaněk, Jiří; Běhounková, Marie

2007-09-01

Relocated Engdahl et al. (1998) global seismological data for 10 aftershock sequences were used to analyze the internal tectonic structure of the Central American subduction zone; the main shocks of several of these were the most destructive and often referenced earthquakes in the region (e.g., the 1970 Chiapas, 1983 Osa, 1992 Nicaragua, 1999 Quepos, 2001 El Salvador earthquakes). The spatial analysis of aftershock foci distribution was performed in a rotated Cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z) related to the Wadati-Benioff zone, and not in a standard coordinate system ($\\varphi$, λ, h are latitude, longitude, focal depth, respectively). Available fault plane solutions were also transformed into the plane approximating the Wadati-Benioff zone. The spatial distribution of earthquakes in each aftershock sequence was modeled as either a plane fit using a least squares approximation or a volume fit with a minimum thickness rectangular box. The analysis points to a quasi-planar distribution of earthquake foci in all aftershock sequences, manifesting the appurtenance of aftershocks to fracture zones. Geometrical parameters of fracture zones (strike, dip, and dimensions) hosting individual sequences were calculated and compared with the seafloor morphology of the Cocos Plate. The smooth character of the seafloor correlates with the aftershock fracture zones oriented parallel to the trench and commonly subparallel to the subducting slab, whereas subduction of the Cocos Ridge and seamounts around the Quepos Plateau coincides with steeply dipping fracture zones. Transformed focal mechanisms are almost exclusively (>90%) of normal character.

Seismic Tomography of the Arabian-Eurasian Collision Zone and Surrounding Areas

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-20

zone. The crustal models correlate well with geologic and tectonic features. The upper mantle tomograms show the images of the subducted Neotethys...We first obtain Pn and Sn velocities using local and regional arrival time data. Second, we obtain the 3-D crustal P and S velocity models...teleseismic tomography provides a high-resolution, 3-D P-wave velocity model for the crust, upper mantle, and the transition zone. The crustal models

Western Rainier Seismic Zone Airborne Laser Swath Mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, David J.; Haugerud, Ralph A.; Johnson, Samuel Y.; Scott, Kevin M.; Weaver, Craig S.; Martinez, Diana M.; Zeigler, John C.; Latypov, Damir

2003-01-01

Airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM) of the Puget Lowland conducted by TerraPoint LLC for the Purget Sound Lidar Concortium (PSLC), has been successful in revealing Holocene fault scarps and lendsliders hidden beneath the dense, temperate rain forest cover and in quantifying shoreline terrace uplift. Expanding the PSLC efforts, NASA-USGS collaboration is now focusing on topographic mapping of seismogenic zones adjacent to volcanois in the western Cascades range in order to assess the presence of active faulting and tectonic deformation, better define the extend of lahars and understand their flow processes, and characterize landslide occurrence. Mapping of the western Rainier zone (WRZ) was conducted by TerraPoint in late 2002, after leaf fall and before snow accumulation. The WRZ is a NNW-trending, approx. 30 km-long zone of seismicity west of Mount Rainier National Park. The Puget Lowland ALSM methods were modified to accommodate challenges posed by the steep, high relief terrian. The laser data, acquired with a density of approx. 2 pulses /sq m, was filtered to identify returns from the ground from which a bare Earth digital elevation model (DEM) was produced with a grid size of 1.8 m. The RMS elevation accuracy of the DEM in flat, unvegetated areas is approx. 10cm based on consistency between overlapping flight swaths and comparisons to ground control points. The resulting DEM substantially improves upon Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and USGS photogrammetric mapping. For example, the DEM defines the size and spatial distribution of flood erratics left by the Electron lahar and of megaclasts within the Round Pass lahar, important for characterizing the lahar hydraulics. A previously unknown lateral levee on the Round Pass lahar is also revealed. In addition, to illustrating geomorfic feature within the WRZ, future plans for laser mapping of the Saint Helens and Darrington seismic zones will be described.

Using Tectonic Tremor to Constrain Seismic-wave Attenuation in Cascadia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Littel, G.; Thomas, A.; Baltay, A.

2017-12-01

In addition to fast, seismic slip, many subduction zones also host slow, largely aseismic slip, accompanied by a weak seismic signal known as tectonic tremor. Tremor is a small amplitude, low-frequency seismic signal that originates at the plate interface, down-dip of where large earthquakes typically occur. The Cascadia subduction zone has not seen a large megathrust earthquake since 1700, yet its recurrence interval of 350-500 years motivates heightened interest in understanding the seismic hazard of the region. Of great importance is to understand the degree to which waves are attenuated as they leave the plate interface and travel towards populated regions of interest. Ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) relate ground motion to a number of parameters, including earthquake magnitude, depth, style of faulting, and anelastic attenuation, and are typically determined empirically from earthquake ground motion recordings. In Cascadia, however, earthquakes of the moderate size typically used to constrain GMPEs occur relatively infrequently compared to tectonic tremor events, which, in contrast, occur periodically approximately every 10-19 months. Studies have shown that the abundant tectonic tremor in Cascadia, despite its small amplitudes, can be used to constrain seismic wave attenuation in GMPEs. Here we quantify seismic wave attenuation and determine its spatial variations in Cascadia by performing an inversion using tremor ground motion amplitudes, taken as peak ground acceleration (PGA) and peak ground velocity (PGV) from 1 min window waveforms of each individual tremor event. We estimate the anelastic attenuation parameter for varying regional sections along the Cascadia margin. Changes in seismic-wave attenuation along the Cascadia Subduction Zone could result in significantly different ground motions in the event of a very large earthquake, hence quantifying attenuation may help to better estimate the severity of shaking in densely populated metropolitan areas such as Vancouver, Seattle and Portland.

Subduction-driven recycling of continental margin lithosphere.

PubMed

Levander, A; Bezada, M J; Niu, F; Humphreys, E D; Palomeras, I; Thurner, S M; Masy, J; Schmitz, M; Gallart, J; Carbonell, R; Miller, M S

2014-11-13

Whereas subduction recycling of oceanic lithosphere is one of the central themes of plate tectonics, the recycling of continental lithosphere appears to be far more complicated and less well understood. Delamination and convective downwelling are two widely recognized processes invoked to explain the removal of lithospheric mantle under or adjacent to orogenic belts. Here we relate oceanic plate subduction to removal of adjacent continental lithosphere in certain plate tectonic settings. We have developed teleseismic body wave images from dense broadband seismic experiments that show higher than expected volumes of anomalously fast mantle associated with the subducted Atlantic slab under northeastern South America and the Alboran slab beneath the Gibraltar arc region; the anomalies are under, and are aligned with, the continental margins at depths greater than 200 kilometres. Rayleigh wave analysis finds that the lithospheric mantle under the continental margins is significantly thinner than expected, and that thin lithosphere extends from the orogens adjacent to the subduction zones inland to the edges of nearby cratonic cores. Taking these data together, here we describe a process that can lead to the loss of continental lithosphere adjacent to a subduction zone. Subducting oceanic plates can viscously entrain and remove the bottom of the continental thermal boundary layer lithosphere from adjacent continental margins. This drives surface tectonics and pre-conditions the margins for further deformation by creating topography along the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. This can lead to development of secondary downwellings under the continental interior, probably under both South America and the Gibraltar arc, and to delamination of the entire lithospheric mantle, as around the Gibraltar arc. This process reconciles numerous, sometimes mutually exclusive, geodynamic models proposed to explain the complex oceanic-continental tectonics of these subduction zones.

Balancing the plate motion budget in the South Island, New Zealand using GPS, geological and seismological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Laura M.; Beavan, John; McCaffrey, Robert; Berryman, Kelvin; Denys, Paul

2007-01-01

The landmass of New Zealand exists as a consequence of transpressional collision between the Australian and Pacific plates, providing an excellent opportunity to quantify the kinematics of deformation at this type of tectonic boundary. We interpret GPS, geological and seismological data describing the active deformation in the South Island, New Zealand by using an elastic, rotating block approach that automatically balances the Pacific/Australia relative plate motion budget. The data in New Zealand are fit to within uncertainty when inverted simultaneously for angular velocities of rotating tectonic blocks and the degree of coupling on faults bounding the blocks. We find that most of the plate motion budget has been accounted for in previous geological studies, although we suggest that the Porter's Pass/Amberley fault zone in North Canterbury, and a zone of faults in the foothills of the Southern Alps may have slip rates about twice that of the geological estimates. Up to 5 mm yr-1 of active deformation on faults distributed within the Southern Alps <100 km to the east of the Alpine Fault is possible. The role of tectonic block rotations in partitioning plate boundary deformation is less pronounced in the South Island compared to the North Island. Vertical axis rotation rates of tectonic blocks in the South Island are similar to that of the Pacific Plate, suggesting that edge forces dominate the block kinematics there. The southward migrating Chatham Rise exerts a major influence on the evolution of the New Zealand plate boundary; we discuss a model for the development of the Marlborough fault system and Hikurangi subduction zone in the context of this migration.

Geological constraints on the mechanism of tectonic tremor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirkpatrick, J. D.

2016-12-01

Observations of tectonic tremor in a wide variety of tectonic settings suggest that transitional behavior involving contemporaneous shear fracture and aseismic creep transients occurs in many major faults. Seismological and geophysical data indicate shear failure on critically stressed faults, likely under low effective stress conditions, are consistent characteristics, even though rock types and grain scale deformation mechanisms vary at these different locations. Geological observations could add additional insight into the specific failure mechanisms if the structures that form during tremor episodes can be identified. Exhumed shear zones often contain folded, boudinaged and/or dynamically recrystallized veins that record cyclical fracture and viscous deformation representing mixed bulk rheology. Examples from a Cretaceous transpressional continental shear zone in the Sierra Nevada, CA, include quartz-filled veins meters to tens of meters long with millimeters to centimeters of shear offset that preferentially developed along foliation planes in a high strain zone. Ambient temperatures during deformation were 400-600°C, and opening mode vein orientations and abundance suggest fluid pressure was near lithostatic at times. The orientation and spatial distribution of the veins indicate they formed under differential stress large enough for shear failure with pore pressures sufficiently high for the rocks to be critically stressed along mechanically weak foliation planes. Bulk deformation of the surrounding rock was accommodated viscously by crystal plastic deformation mechanisms. The mode of fracturing and overall behavior of the system was controlled by the local competition between the rates of stress recovery following fracture and stress drop, and pore pressure build up. The inferred mixed rheology recorded by the veins is phenomenologically similar to tremor. These shear fractures, and the conditions of failure they record, could be comparable to the mechanism that produces tectonic tremor.

Tectonic controls on the genesis of ignimbrites from the Campanian Volcanic Zone, southern Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rolandi, G.; Bellucci, F.; Heizler, M.T.; Belkin, H.E.; de Vivo, B.

2003-01-01

The Campanian Plain is an 80 x 30 km region of southern Italy, bordered by the Apennine Chain, that has experienced subsidence during the Quaternary. This region, volcanologically active in the last 600 ka, has been identified as the Campanian Volcanic Zone (CVZ). The products of three periods of trachytic ignimbrite volcanism (289-246 ka, 157 ka and 106 ka) have been identified in the Apennine area in the last 300 ka. These deposits probably represent distal ash flow units of ignimbrite eruptions which occurred throughout the CVZ. The resulting deposits are interstratified with marine sediments indicating that periods of repeated volcano-tectonic emergence and subsidence may have occurred in the past. The eruption, defined as the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI), with the largest volume (310 km3), occurred in the CVZ 39 ka ago. The products of the CI eruption consist of two units (unit-1 and unit-2) formed from a single compositionally zoned magma body. Slightly different in composition, three trachytic melts constitute the two units. Unit-1 type A is an acid trachyte, type B is a trachyte and type C of unit-2 is a mafic trachyte. The CI, vented from pre-existing neotectonic faults, formed during the Apennine uplift, Initially the venting of volatile-rich type A magma deposited the products to the N-NE of the CVZ. During the eruption, the Acerra graben already affected by a NE-SW fault system, was transected by E-W faults, forming a cross-graben that extended to the gulf of Naples. E-W faults were then further dislocated by NE-SW transcurrent movements. This additional collapse significantly influenced the deposition of the B-type magma of unit-1, and the C-type magma of unit-2 toward the E-SE and S, in the Bay of Naples. The pumice fall deposit underlying the CI deposits, until now thought to be associated with the CI eruption, is not a strict transition from plinian to CI-forming activity. It is derived instead from an independent source probably located near the Naples area. This initial volcanic activity is assumed to be a precursor to the CI trachytic eruptions, which vented along regional faults.

Structural evidence for northeastward movement on the Chocolate Mountains thrust, southeasternmost Calfornia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dillon, J.T.; Haxel, G.B.; Tosdal, R.M.

1990-11-10

The Late Cretaceous Chocolate Mountains thrust of southeastern California and southwestern Arizona places a block of Proterozoic and Mesozoic continental crust over the late Mesozoic continental margin oceanic sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the regionally distinctive Orocopia Schist. The Chocolate Mountains thrust is interpreted as a thrust (burial, subduction) fault rather than a low-angle normal (exhumation, unroofing, uplift) fault. The Chocolate Mountains thrust zone contains sparse to locally abundant mesoscopic asymmetric folds. Fabric relations indicate that these folds are an integral part of and coeval with the thrust zone. On a lower hemisphere equal-area plot representing the orientation and sensemore » of asymmetry of 80 thrust zone folds from 36 localities, spread over an area 60 by 10 km, Z folds plot northwest of and S folds plot southeast of a northeast-southwest striking vertical plane of overall monoclinic symmetry. The only sense of movement consistent with the collective asymmetry of the thrust zone folds is top to the northeast. Paleomagnetic data suggest that the original sense of thrusting, prior to Neogene vertical axis tectonic rotation related to the San Andreas fault system, was northward. The essential point is that movement of the upper plate of the Chocolate Mountains thrust evidently was continentward. Continentward thrusting suggests a tectonic scenario in which an insular or peninsular microcontinental fragment collided with mainland southern California. Alternative tectonic models involving subduction of the Orocopia Schist eastward beneath continental southern California circumvent the suture problem but are presently not supported by any direct structural evidence.« less

Geophysical investigations of underplating at the Middle American Trench, weathering in the critical zone, and snow water equivalent in seasonal snow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St. Clair, James

This dissertation consists of four chapters that are broadly related through the use of geophysical methods to investigate Earth processes. In Chapter 1, an along-strike seismic reflection/refraction data set is used to investigate the plate boundary beneath the forearc offshore Costa Rica. The convergent margin offshore Costa Rica is representative of the 19,000 km of subduction zones that are considered to be erosive, or that experience a net mass loss over time. At these margins, sediments along with material that is tectonically eroded from the overlying plate are presumably carried down the subduction zones and recycled into the mantle. In addition to the mass that they represent, sediments, eroded upper-plate material, and subducted oceanic crust carry fluids into the subduction zone, which influence both magma generating processes and the chemical composition of arc lavas. Thus, understanding the ultimate fate of subducted material along these margins is critical for evaluating both the chemical and mass balances. Beneath the forearc offshore Costa Rica, we observe an ˜40 km long, 1-to-3 km-thick lens of material sitting directly above the subducting Cocos plate. Directly above this lens, the forearc shows evidence for long-term uplift consistent with the steady growth of this lens. Our results suggest that the convergent margin at Costa Rica experience simultaneous outer-forearc erosion and underplating beneath the inner forearc. In Chapter 2, a combination of three-dimensional stress modeling and landscape scale geophysical imaging is used to test the hypothesis that topographic perturbations to regional stress fields control lateral variations in bedrock permeability. The permeability of bedrock fractures influences groundwater flow, water and nutrient availability for biota, chemical weathering rates, and the long-term evolution of life-sustaining layer at Earth's surface commonly referred to as the "critical zone" (CZ). The results of this study indicate that to a first order, the permeability structure of the CZ can be predicted with knowledge of the regional tectonic stress field and local topography. In landscapes characterized by strongly compressive tectonic stresses or closely space ridges and valleys, deep zones of permeable bedrock are found beneath ridges, while the depth to impermeable bedrock beneath drainages is comparatively shallow. In landscapes characterized by weakly compressive tectonic stresses or widely spaced ridges and valleys, the depth to impermeable bedrock is approximately uniform throughout the landscape. In Chapter 3, a semi-automated method of estimating snow water equivalent (SWE) in seasonal snow packs from common offset Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data is presented. Many mountainous regions of the world depend on seasonal snow for fresh water resources. Water forecasting relies principally on historical records that relate SWE observations at a limited number of locations to stream discharge. As climate change contributes to a wider range of variability in seasonal snow fall, water forecasts are likely to become less reliable, thus there is a need to find new methods of estimating how much water is stored in seasonal snow. GPR has been shown to be an effective tool for measuring SWE if the radar velocity can be measured. In this chapter, a method that was originally developed to measure seismic velocities from zero-offset seismic reflection data is applied to common-offset GPR data collected over seasonal snow. The method involves suppressing continuous reflections in the image so that the velocity information contained in diffracted energy can be exploited. The filtered images are migrated through a suite of velocities and the velocity that best focus the diffracted energy is chosen on the basis of the varimax norm, which measures how peaked the energy distribution is. GPR derived SWE estimates agree with manual measurements within the uncertainty bounds of both methods. In Chapter 4, a travel-time tomography code written in Matlab is presented. Rays are traced using the shortest path algorithm, smoothness constraints are implemented with first and second order derivative operators, and the inversion is carried out with built in Matlab functions. The primary strength of this code lies is the ability to automate monte-carlo uncertainty analyses in which a data set is inverted many times with different starting models. The code is tested with a synthetic data set.

Tectonics, recent geodynamics and seismicity of Azerbaijan part of the Greater Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aliyev, Fuad; Kangarli, Talat; Rahimov, Fuad; Murtuzov, Zaur; Aliyev, Ziya

2016-04-01

Transition area of the Eastern Caucasus - Caspian Megadepression corresponds to a periclinal submergence zone of the mountain folded structure of the Greater Caucasus under Pliocene-Holocenic sedimentary complex of Caspian megabasin. Being a part of Alpine-Himalayan folded belt, Greater Caucasus has formed during alpine stage of tectogenesis under geodynamic conditions of convergent interactions between Northern and Southern Caucasus continental microplates. This process has been accompanied by pseudosubduction of the first plate under the second with formation of allochtonous accretion prism above underthrust zone. Modern folding and napping structure of the orogeny has formed as a result of the horizontal movements of different phases and subphases of alpine tectogenesis, that are presented represented by Late Cimmerian - Wallachian tectonic phases within Azerbaijan territory. Limited by meridional fault-slip zones, Caspian megadepression present itself as a young structure that layered on sublatitudinal convergent zone and developed during Late Miocene (10 million years ago) as a flexure zone between two indenters which actively move northward provoking their separation from the African continent and Arabian plate in the west and secession from Central Iranian plate of the Lut block in the east. The acting movement of Arabian plate to the north results in accumulation of the horizontal stress at the current stage of tectogenesis. Current process reveals itself both in the fragmentation of Southern and Northern Caucasus continental microplates into various-size blocks along the general and anti-Caucasus trended faults, and in consideration horizontal and vertical movements within the convergence zone. All these factors define the complexity of geodynamic condition revealed here, in which seismic activity of a transition zone become apparent. There exist the seismic zones here that are confined both to a convergence line and to the fault zones that confine Caspian megadepression or complicate its' inner structure. Under lateral compression conditions, the small-size dynamic blocks that form the inner structure of the earth crust in a transition zone is standing as a reason of formation of the transpressive deformations, which combine moving along bordering of transversal dislocations with the compression structures like Main Caucasus strike faults in a trend of convergent (pseudosubduction) interaction of Southern and Northern Caucasus continental microplates. During such regime a multiple elastic stress accumulation zones are developing, that are confined to mentioned dislocations and their connection knots. Namely, exceeding of a breakage point of the rocks by accumulated elastic deformations, results in earthquakes and destructions in such tectonically vulnerable transition zones.

Granitoid magmatism of Alarmaut granite-metamorphic dome, West Chukotka, NE Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luchitskaya, M. V.; Sokolov, S. D.; Bondarenko, G. E.; Katkov, S. M.

2009-04-01

Main tectonic elements of West Chukotka are Alazey-Oloy, South-Anyui and Anyui-Chukotka fold systems, formed as a result of collision between structures of North-Asian continent active margin and Chukotka microcontinent [1-3]. South-Anyui fold system, separating Alazey-Oloy and Anyui-Chukotka systems, is considered as suture zon, formed as a result of oceanic basin closing [4-6]. Continent-microcontinent collision resulted in formation of large orogen with of northern and southern vergent structures, complicated by strike-slip deformations [7, 8]. Within Anyui-Chukotka fold system several rises, where most ancient deposits (crystalline basement and Paleozoic cover of Chukotka microcontinent) are exposed, were distinguished [2, 9-11]. Later they were considered as granite-metamorphic domes [12-14]. Alarmaut dome is located at West Chukotka to the north from Bilibino city and is traced from south to north in more than 120 km. General direction of structure is discordant to prevailing NW extensions of tectonic elements of the region. Paleozoic-Triassic deposits are exposed within the Alarmaut dome: 1) D3-C1 - crystalline schists, quartz-feldspar metasandstones, quartzites, marbles (700 m) [11]; 2) C1 - marblized limestones, quartz-feldspar metasandstones, quartzites, amphibole-pyroxene crystalline schists. Limestones contain corals, indicating Visean age of deposits [11]. Metamorphism reaches amphibolite facies, maximum P-T conditions are 660°С and 5 kbar. Migmatites, indicating in situ partial melting, are observed. Intensity of deformations of Paleozoic rocks increases at the boundary with Triassic deposits [11]; in the western part of dome slices of Pz rocks are separated by blastomylonite horizons [14]. Within Alramaut dome granitoids of Lupveem batholith (central part of dome), Bystrinsky pluton (southeastern part), and small Koyvel' and Kelil'vun plutons were studied. New U-Pb SHRIMP zircon data indicate Early Cretaceous (117-112 m.a.) age of granitoids [15]. Analyses of cores of some zircons from granodiorites of Lupveem batholith indicate Precambrian age of protolith (717, 1070.4 and 1581.5 m.a.) [15]. 40Ar-39Ar age of synmetamorphic biotite varies from 108 to 103 m.a. [15]. Intrusive rocks of Alarmaut dome are represented by wide spectrum of rocks: diorites, Q diorites, Q monzodiorites, granodiorites, tonalites, granites. Granodiorites and granites contain mafic enclaves of monzonites and Q monzonites. SiO2 contents in rocks of Alarmaut dome varies from 58,55% in diorites to 71,3% in granites; in enclaves - from 54,6% in monzonites to 61.89% in Q monzonites. Granitoids are normal and subalkaline rocks according to SiO2 vs K2O+Na2O and belong to high-K calc-alkaline and shoshonite series according to K2O vs SiO2. They are mainly metaluminous rocks (ASI < 1.0). REE patterns of intermediate rocks are characterized by LREE enrichment, HREE depletion and insignificant negative Eu-anomaly (LaN/YbN=8,42-15,69; Eu/Eu*=0,66-0,94). Granodiorites and granites REE patterns are more enriched in LREE, more depleted in HREE and have deeper negative Eu-anomaly (LaN/YbN=11,48-45,6; Eu/Eu*=0,47-0,81). REE patterns of monzonites from enclaves in granites and granodiorites are similar to patterns of host rocks. REE patterns of intermediate rocks and granodiorites are well correlated with those of "mafic root" rocks of K2 Kigluaik pluton from the core part of the same name gneiss dome, Seward Peninsula, Alaska [16], and K1-2 granitoids of Chauna fold zone, West Chukotka [17]. Spidergrams of granitoids and enclaves are similar and characterized by LILE, LREE enrichment and Nb, Sr, P, Ti depletion, typical for supra-subduction magmatites. On F1-F2 diagram [18], separating granitoids by geodynamic settings, granitoids fall in the field of collisional granites; on Rb vs Y+Nb diagram, along the boundary between the fields of syncollisional granites and volcanic arc granites, but within the field of postcollisional [19]. Geochronological and structural data indicate temporal relation between magmatism, metamorphism and deformations, accompanying formation of dome structure. Structural data also indicate the dome formation between two regional strike-slips. Strike-slip deformations of terminal stage of collision might have resulted in local zones of extensions [6, 8]. Intrusive contacts of studied granitoid plutons with already deformed host deposits indicate their postcollisional origin. Wide petrographical spectrum of granitoids, hornblende and biotite existence in granites, metaluminous high-K and shoshonite character, biotites compositions allow belonging them to high-K granites of I-type. Appearance of I-type granites in postcollisional setting is usually related to crustal anatexis under the influence of hot asthenospheric mantle due to delamination of lower parts of lithosphere. At the same time the processes of mingling of magmas of different composition, assimilation, fractional crystallization take place. Thus, in tectonic scenario of Alarmaut dome formation except dominating submergence of Chukotka microcontinent margin beneath the structures of North-Asian craton active margin we should assume slab-breakoff or delamination of lithospheric mantle which might have facilitated heat transfer, necessary for melting of granite magma. Aptian-Albian volcanism, localized in postcollisional extensional structures, confirms this assumption. Interrelations of major oxides in granitoids show that compositions of Alarmaut intermediate rocks fall in the fields of melts, experimentally obtained during partial melting of amphibolites, and compositions of granodiorites and granites, along the boundary zone of partial melts of greywackes and dacites, tonalites. Heterogeneity of granitoids source composition or different level of magma contamination by ancient crustal material is confirmed by Sr-Nd data. It is expressed in significant dispersal of ɛNd(Т) and 87Sr/86Sr values in granitoids. Work is carried out at the financial support of RFBR (projects № 07-05-00255, 08-05-00547), leading scientific school NSh-3172.2008.5, Programs of basic researches ONZ RAS 6. References 1. Parfenov L.M. Continental margins and island arcs of Mesozoides of North-East Asia. Novosibirsk, 1984. 192 p. (in Russian) 2. Zonenshain L.P., Kuz'min M.I., Natapov L.M. Tectonics of lithospheric plates of USSR territory // М.: Nauka, 1990. V. 2. 327 p. (in Russian) 3. Sokolov S.D. Classification and hierarchy of fold constructions. М. GEOS. 2008. P.71-100. (in Russian) 4. Seslavinsky K.B. South-Anyui suture zone (West Chukotka) // Dokl. AN USSR. 1979. V. 249. P. 1181-1185 (in Russian) 5. Natal'in B.A. Early Mesozoic eugeosynclinal systems in the northern part of Circum-Pacifica. М.: Nauka. 1984. 136 p. (in Russian) 6. Sokolov S.D., Bondarenko G.Ye., Morozov O.L.,. Shekhovtsov V.A., Glotov S.P.,. Ganelin A.V., Kravchenko-Berezhnoy I.R. The South Anyui Suture, NE Arctic Russia: facts and problems to solve. Tectonic Evolution of the Bering Shelf-Chukchi Sea-Arctic Margin and Adjacent Landmasses. Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. Paper, 2002, 360. P. 209-224 7. Sokolov S.D., Bondarenko G.E., Morozov O.L., Luchitskaya M.V. Tectonics of junction zone between Verkhoyan-Chukotka and Koryak-Kamchatka fold // Byul. MOIP. Otd. Geol. 2001. V. 76. Is.6. P.24-37. (in Russian) 8. Bondarenko G.E. Tectonics and geodynamic evolution of Mesozoides of north framework of Pacific Ocean. М.: MGU, 2004. 46 p. (in Russian) 9. Til'man S.M. Comparative tectonics of Mesozoides of northern part of Pacific rim. Novosibirsk: Nauka. 1973. 325 p. (in Russian) 10. Grantz A., Moore T. E., Roeske S.M. Gulf of Alaska to Arctic Ocean: Geological Society of America Continental-Ocean Transect A-3, scale 1:500,000. Menlo Park, California, 1991, 72 р. 11. Sadovsky A.I. Geologic map of USSR, scale 1:200000. Anyui-Chauna series. Paper R-58-XXVII, XXVIII. (Ed: Gel'man M.L.) Explanatory report. Leningrad: VSEGEI, 1970, 84 p. (in Russian) 12. Gel'man M.L. Phanerozoic granite-metamorphic domes at Russian North-East. Paper 2. Magmatism, metamorphism and migmatization in Late Mesozoic domes // Pacific geology. 1996. V. 15. № 1. P. 84-93. (in Russian) 13. Bering Strait Geologic Field Party, Koolen metamorphic complex, NE Russia: implications for the tectonic evolution of the Bering Strait region // Tectonics, vol. 16, no. 5, p. 713-729 14. Bondarenko G.E., Luchitskaya M.V. Mesozoic tectonic evolution of Alarmaut rise // Byul. MOIP. Otd. Geol. V. 78. Is. 3. P. 25-38. (in Russian) 15. Katkov S.M., Strikland A., Miller E.L. Age of granite batholiths in the Anyui-Chukotka Foldbelt // Doklady. Earth Sciences. 2007. Vol. 414. № 4. P. 515-518. 16. Amato J.M., Wright J.E. Potassic mafic magtism in the Kigluaik gneiss dome, northern Alaska: a geochemical study of arc magmatism in an extensional tectonic setting // J. Geophys. Res. 1997. Vol.102. N B4. P.8065-8084 17. Tikhomirov P.L., Luchitskaya M.V., Kravchenko-Berezhnoy I.R. Comparison of Cretaceous granitoids of the Chaun tectonic zone to those of the Taigonos Peninsula, NE Asia: rock chemistry, composition of rock forming minerals, and conditions of formation // Stephan Mueller series. Geology and Tectonic Origins of Northeast Russia: A Tribute to Leonid Parfenov (in press) 28. Velikoslavinsky S.D. Geochemical typification of acid magmatic rocks of leading geodynamic settings // Petrology. 2003. V. 11. № 4. P.363-380. (in Russian) 19. Pearce J.A. Sources and settings of granitic rocks // Episodes. 1996. V. 19. N. 4. P. 120-125

Use of Digital Elevation Models to understand map landforms and history of the magmatism Khibiny Massif (Kola Peninsula, Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chesalova, Elena; Asavin, Alex

2016-04-01

This work presents an improved geomorphological methodology that uses 3D model of relief, remotely-sensed data, geological, geophysical maps and tools of Geographical Information Systems. On the basis of maps of 1: 50,000 and 1: 200,000 the Digital Elevation model (DEM) of Khibiny massif was developed. We used software ARC / INFO v10.2 ESRI. A DEM was used for analyzing landform by extracting the slope gradient, curvature, valley pro?les, slope, aspect and so on. The results were gradually re?ned from the interpretation of satellite imagery and geological map Geomorphological analysis will allow us to determine spatial regularities in inner massive construction. We try to found areas where gas emissions (CH4/H2) enrich, according to morphometry, geology, tectonic and other environments. The main regional blocks were de?ned by different morphological evidences: impression zone, similar to subsidence caldera; uplift zone, domed area (located in the highest part of massif and zone of intersection of main faults) and others. It says that there are the few stages in the development of the Khibiny massif. There is no common concept of the consequence of intrudes magmatic phases now. And we hope that our geomorphical analysis take a new evidences about this problems. Locations of the blocks' borders (tectonic zones) were recognized by lineament analysis of valleys and tectonic faults presented in relief. Erosion system is represented by valleys of 4 ranks. It inherits the zone of tectonic disturbances 3 groups of faults were recognized: 1) Global lineament system cross whole peninsula - existing before Khibiny massif intrusion; 2) Faults associated with the formation of the intrusive phases sequence and magma differentiation and with later collision history during magma cooling; 3) Crack system related to neotectonic process. We believed that if different magmatic phases intrude in similar tectonic environment, the common spatial system of faults will be formed. Really we observed a confederated system of contraction faults for different phases suggests that the differentiation within the intrusion is implemented as a single magma chamber for different intrusive phases. It remains an open question - which fault system (old or young) is more productive to gas emissions? The discrepancy of the geological structures and land forms is established. • Impression zone is represented by foyaites (high-strength rocks) • Uplift zone - rischorrites, khibinites (low-strength rocks) • Trough valley - weakened zone of tectonic faults - yuvites, urtites, rischorrites (low-strength rocks) • In the lowest part of depression zone - carbonatite stock It looks like an inversion of lithomorphic properties and the rock's morphological expression - it is a subject to uplift tectonics. Positive forms of relief (domed area and swells) could be formed due to the intrusion of secondary highly differentiated melts of low density. Also our early studies con?rm that rischorrites is one of the more rich ?uid gases rocks in Khibina massive. And we expect the strong emission of gas in the areas of distribution of these rock. Low density and increase buoyancy of magma, as a result of high gas concentration, can increase difference between density of cumulus minerals and intercumulus melts. This inversion between melt density and cumulus density, which are formed during chamber melt differentiation, and their low viscosity can cause formation of the local swells. Swells are located in the areas of crossing tectonic faults. This can lead to vertical movements, caused by elevating power of micro diapirs. Such diapirs forms are observed on the block diagrams of apatite ores in Koashve (Ivanyuk et. al., 2012). We observe such structure in middle zone of Khibiny massif, near Kuelporr deposit, about 15 km long and 5 km width and one with less size near Rasvumchorr deposit, about 10x3 km. This is the area of rischorrite's appearance. And in this area we see locations of the most intense free gas emission. The technical possibilities that are offered by Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) facilitate the geomorphological investigation of inhospitable and inaccessible mountain areas Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are valuable tools for approximation of the real world's continuous surface. They allow a visual analysis of the earth's surface morphology, quanti?cation of sediment volumes and the calculation of topographic derivatives such as the slope gradient, slope aspect and pro?le curvature that consume ?eld investigations and optimize time The project has been sponsored by programmm Presidium of RAS P44. Reference Ivanyuk G, Kalashnikov A, Mikhailova J, Konoplyova N, Goryainov P, Yakovenchuk V, Pakhomovsky Y. Self-Organization of the Khibiny Alkaline Massif (Kola Peninsula, Russia). In Earth Sciences, Dr. Imran Ahmad Dar(Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-861-8, InTech, Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/earth-sciences/self-organization-of-the-khibiny-alkaline -massif -kolapeninsula-russia INTECH Open Access Publisher; 2012, Head7, P.131-156.

Long-term seismic observations along Myanmar-Sunda subduction margin: insights for 2004 M w > 9.0 earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Prosanta Kumar; Banerjee, Jayashree; Shamim, Sk; Mohanty, Manoranjan

2018-03-01

The present study investigates the temporal variation of few seismic parameters between the Myanmar (Zone I), Andaman-Nicobar-Northwest Sumatra (Zone II), Southeast Sumatra-West Indonesia (Zone III) and East Indonesia (Zone IV) converging boundaries in reference to the generation of 26 December 2004 M w > 9.0 off-Sumatra mega-earthquake event. The four segments are distinguished based on tectonics parameters, distinct geological locations, great earthquake occurrences, and the Wadati-Benioff zone characteristics. Two important seismic parameters such as seismic energy and b values are computed over a time-window of 6-month period during the entire 1976-2013 period for these segments. The b values show a constant decrease in Zones II, III, and IV, whereas the Zone I does not show any such pattern prior to the 2004 mega-event. The release of seismic energy was also gradually decreasing in Zones II and III till the 2004 event, and little similar pattern was also noted in Zone IV. This distinct observation might be indicating that the stress accumulation was dominant near the Sumatra-Java area located towards southeast of Zone II and northwest of Zone III. The released strain energy during the 2004 event was subsequently migrated towards north, rupturing 1300 km of the boundary between the Northwest Sumatra and the North Andaman. The occurrence of 2004 mega-event was apparently concealed behind the long-term seismic quiescence existing near the Sumatra and Nicobar margin. A systematic study of the patterns of seismic energy release and b values, and the long-term observation of collective behaviour of the margin tectonics might have had given clues to the possibility of the 2004 mega-event.

Evidence for long-lived subduction of an ancient tectonic plate beneath the southern Indian Ocean: Ancient Slab Beneath the Indian Ocean

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simmons, N. A.; Myers, S. C.; Johannesson, G.

In this study, ancient subducted tectonic plates have been observed in past seismic images of the mantle beneath North America and Eurasia, and it is likely that other ancient slab structures have remained largely hidden, particularly in the seismic-data-limited regions beneath the vast oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Here we present a new global tomographic image, which shows a slab-like structure beneath the southern Indian Ocean with coherency from the upper mantle to the core-mantle boundary region—a feature that has never been identified. We postulate that the structure is an ancient tectonic plate that sank into the mantle along anmore » extensive intraoceanic subduction zone that migrated southwestward across the ancient Tethys Ocean in the Mesozoic Era. Slab material still trapped in the transition zone is positioned near the edge of East Gondwana at 140 Ma suggesting that subduction terminated near the margin of the ancient continent prior to breakup and subsequent dispersal of its subcontinents.« less

Evidence for long-lived subduction of an ancient tectonic plate beneath the southern Indian Ocean: Ancient Slab Beneath the Indian Ocean

DOE PAGES

Simmons, N. A.; Myers, S. C.; Johannesson, G.; ...

2015-11-14

In this study, ancient subducted tectonic plates have been observed in past seismic images of the mantle beneath North America and Eurasia, and it is likely that other ancient slab structures have remained largely hidden, particularly in the seismic-data-limited regions beneath the vast oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Here we present a new global tomographic image, which shows a slab-like structure beneath the southern Indian Ocean with coherency from the upper mantle to the core-mantle boundary region—a feature that has never been identified. We postulate that the structure is an ancient tectonic plate that sank into the mantle along anmore » extensive intraoceanic subduction zone that migrated southwestward across the ancient Tethys Ocean in the Mesozoic Era. Slab material still trapped in the transition zone is positioned near the edge of East Gondwana at 140 Ma suggesting that subduction terminated near the margin of the ancient continent prior to breakup and subsequent dispersal of its subcontinents.« less

High-Resolution 3D P-Wave Velocity Model in the Trans-European Suture Zone in Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polkowski, M.; Grad, M.; Ostaficzuk, S.

2014-12-01

Poland is located on conjunction of major European tectonic units - the Precambrian East European Craton and the Paleozoic Platform of Central and Western Europe. This conjunction is known as Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ). Geological and seismic structure under area of Poland is well studied by over one hundred thousand boreholes, over thirty deep seismic refraction and wide angle reflection profiles and other methods: vertical seismic profiling, magnetic, gravity, magnetotelluric, thermal. Compilation of these studies allows creation of detailed, high-resolution 3D P-wave velocity model for entire Earth's crust in the area of Poland. Model provides detailed six layer sediments (Tertiary and Quaternary, Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic, Permian, old Paleozoic), consolidated / crystalline crust and uppermost mantle. Continental suturing is a fundamental part of the plate tectonic cycle, and knowing its detailed structure allows understanding plate tectonic cycle. We present a set of crustal cross sections through the TESZ, illustrating differentiation in the structure between Precambrian and Wariscan Europe. National Science Centre Poland provided financial support for this work by NCN grant DEC- 2011/02/A/ST10/00284.

Tectonics earthquake distribution pattern analysis based focal mechanisms (Case study Sulawesi Island, 1993–2012)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ismullah M, Muh. Fawzy, E-mail: mallaniung@gmail.com; Lantu,; Aswad, Sabrianto

Indonesia is the meeting zone between three world main plates: Eurasian Plate, Pacific Plate, and Indo – Australia Plate. Therefore, Indonesia has a high seismicity degree. Sulawesi is one of whose high seismicity level. The earthquake centre lies in fault zone so the earthquake data gives tectonic visualization in a certain place. This research purpose is to identify Sulawesi tectonic model by using earthquake data from 1993 to 2012. Data used in this research is the earthquake data which consist of: the origin time, the epicenter coordinate, the depth, the magnitude and the fault parameter (strike, dip and slip). Themore » result of research shows that there are a lot of active structures as a reason of the earthquake in Sulawesi. The active structures are Walannae Fault, Lawanopo Fault, Matano Fault, Palu – Koro Fault, Batui Fault and Moluccas Sea Double Subduction. The focal mechanism also shows that Walannae Fault, Batui Fault and Moluccas Sea Double Subduction are kind of reverse fault. While Lawanopo Fault, Matano Fault and Palu – Koro Fault are kind of strike slip fault.« less

Extensional tectonics during the igneous emplacement of the mafic-ultramafic rocks of the Barberton greenstone belt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dewit, M. J.

1986-01-01

The simatic rocks (Onverwacht Group) of the Barberton greenstone belt are part of the Jamestown ophiolite complex. This ophiolite, together with its thick sedimentary cover occupies a complex thrust belt. Field studies have identified two types of early faults which are entirely confined to the simatic rocks and are deformed by the later thrusts and associated folds. The first type of fault (F1a) is regional and always occurs in the simatic rocks along and parallel to the lower contacts of the ophiolite-related cherts (Middle Marker and equivalent layers). These fault zones have previously been referred to both as flaser-banded gneisses and as weathering horizons. In general the zones range between 1-30m in thickness. Displacements along these zones are difficult to estimate, but may be in the order of 1-100 km. The structures indicate that the faults formed close to horizontal, during extensional shear and were therefore low angle normal faults. F1a zones overlap in age with the formation of the ophiolite complex. The second type of faults (F1b) are vertical brittle-ductile shear zones, which crosscut the complex at variable angles and cannot always be traced from plutonic to overlying extrusive (pillowed) simatic rocks. F1b zones are also apparently of penecontemporaneous origin with the intrusive-extrusive igneous processs. F1b zones may either represent transform fault-type activity or represent root zones (steepened extensions) of F1a zones. Both fault types indicate extensive deformation in the rocks of the greenstone belt prior to compressional overthrust tectonics.

Rapid biological speciation driven by tectonic evolution in New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craw, Dave; Upton, Phaedra; Burridge, Christopher P.; Wallis, Graham P.; Waters, Jonathan M.

2016-02-01

Collisions between tectonic plates lead to the rise of new mountain ranges that can separate biological populations and ultimately result in new species. However, the identification of links between tectonic mountain-building and biological speciation is confounded by environmental and ecological factors. Thus, there are surprisingly few well-documented examples of direct tectonic controls on terrestrial biological speciation. Here we present examples from New Zealand, where the rapid evolution of 18 species of freshwater fishes has resulted from parallel tectonic landscape evolution. We use numerical models to reconstruct changes in the deep crustal structure and surface drainage catchments of the southern island of New Zealand over the past 25 million years. We show that the island and mountain topography evolved in six principal tectonic zones, which have distinct drainage catchments that separated fish populations. We use new and existing phylogenetic analyses of freshwater fish populations, based on over 1,000 specimens from more than 400 localities, to show that fish genomes can retain evidence of this tectonic landscape development, with a clear correlation between geologic age and extent of DNA sequence divergence. We conclude that landscape evolution has controlled on-going biological diversification over the past 25 million years.

Crustal structure of the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau from the Songpan-Ganzi terrane to the Ordos basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liu, M.; Mooney, W.D.; Li, S.; Okaya, N.; Detweiler, S.

2006-01-01

The 1000-km-long Darlag-Lanzhou-Jingbian seismic refraction profile is located in the NE margin of the Tibetan plateau. This profile crosses the northern Songpan-Ganzi terrane, the Qinling-Qilian fold system, the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region, and the stable Ordos basin. The P-wave and S-wave velocity structure and Poisson's ratios reveal many significant characteristics in the profile. The crustal thickness increases from northeast to southwest. The average crustal thickness observed increases from 42??km in the Ordos basin to 63??km in the Songpan-Ganzi terrane. The crust becomes obviously thicker south of the Haiyuan fault and beneath the West-Qinlin Shan. The crustal velocities have significant variations along the profile. The average P-wave velocities for the crystalline crust vary between 6.3 and 6.4??km/s. Beneath the Songpan-Ganzi terrane, West-Qinling Shan, and Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region P-wave velocities of 6.3??km/s are 0.15??km/s lower than the worldwide average of 6.45??km/s. North of the Kunlun fault, with exclusion of the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region, the average P-wave velocity is 6.4??km/s and only 0.5??km/s lower than the worldwide average. A combination of the P-wave velocity and Poisson's ratio suggests that the crust is dominantly felsic in composition with an intermediate composition at the base. A mafic lower crust is absent in the NE margin of the Tibetan plateau from the Songpan-Ganzi terrane to the Ordos basin. There are low velocity zones in the West-Qinling Shan and the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region. The low velocity zones have low S-wave velocities and high Poisson's ratios, so it is possible these zones are due to partial melting. The crust is divided into two layers, the upper and the lower crust, with crustal thickening mainly in the lower crust as the NE Tibetan plateau is approached. The results in the study show that the thickness of the lower crust increases from 22 to 38??km as the crustal thickness increases from 42??km in the Ordos basin to 63??km in the Songpan-Ganzi terrane south of the Kunlun fault. Both the Conrad discontinuity and Moho in the West-Qinling Shan and in the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region are laminated interfaces, implying intense tectonic activity. The arcuate faults and large earthquakes in the Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region are the result of interaction between the Tibetan plateau and the Sino-Korean and Gobi Ala Shan platforms. ?? 2006.

Major effect of inherited rheology weakening in the crust and mantle on continental intraplate strain and seismicity rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gueydan, Frédéric; Mazzotti, Stephane

2017-04-01

Stable Continental Regions (SCR, i.e., intraplate) are commonly viewed as non-deforming and very high resistance lithosphere domains, except in localized regions of higher strain and seismicity rates that often related to fossilized tectonic zones acting as weaker domains (e.g., Rhine Graben, New Madrid). Two main categories of models have been proposed to explain strain concentration in SCR: Local stress concentration (fault intersection, erosion pulse, …) and local lithosphere weakness (high geotherm, mantle anisotropy, …). In order to test the respective role of these various parameters of the stress - rheology - strain relationship, we propose a simple 1D model to quantify first-order continental strain rate variations using laboratory and field-based rheology laws for the crust and mantle. In particular, we include new strain-weakening rheologies in order to simulate tectonic heritage. Within the framework of near-failure equilibrium between tectonic forces and strain rates, we show that inherited rheology weakening plays a fundamental role in allowing for and explaining strain and seismicity concentration in intraplate weak zones. A comparison with empirical strain rate estimations in SCR and intraplate weak zones shows that inherited weakening rheologies can increase local strain rates by as much as three orders of magnitude, about one to two orders higher than that permitted by other processes such as stress concentration, thermal anomaly, etc.

Extending Alaska's plate boundary: tectonic tremor generated by Yakutat subduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wech, Aaron G.

2016-01-01

The tectonics of the eastern end of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone are complicated by the inclusion of the Yakutat microplate, which is colliding into and subducting beneath continental North America at near-Pacific-plate rates. The interaction among these plates at depth is not well understood, and further east, even less is known about the plate boundary or the source of Wrangell volcanism. The drop-off in Wadati-Benioff zone (WBZ) seismicity could signal the end of the plate boundary, the start of aseismic subduction, or a tear in the downgoing plate. Further compounding the issue is the possible presence of the Wrangell slab, which is faintly outlined by an anemic, eastward-dipping WBZ beneath the Wrangell volcanoes. In this study, I performed a search for tectonic tremor to map slow, plate-boundary slip in south-central Alaska. I identified ∼11,000 tremor epicenters, which continue 85 km east of the inferred Pacific plate edge marked by WBZ seismicity. The tremor zone coincides with the edges of the downgoing Yakutat terrane, and tremors transition from periodic to continuous behavior as they near the aseismic Wrangell slab. I interpret tremor to mark slow, semicontinuous slip occurring at the interface between the Yakutat and North America plates. The slow slip region lengthens the megathrust interface beyond the WBZ and may provide evidence for a connection between the Yakutat slab and the aseismic Wrangell slab.

From an ocean floor wrench zone origin to transpressional tectonic emplacement of the Sithonia ophiolite, eastern Vardar Suture Zone, northern Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonev, Nikolay; Filipov, Petyo

2017-12-01

In the Hellenides of northern Greece, the Sithonia back-arc ophiolite constitute an element of the Vardar suture zone against the Chortiatis island arc magmatic suite, the Melissochori Formation and the Serbo-Macedonian Massif further north at the Mesozoic continental margin of Eurasia. A granodiorite from the Chortiatis island arc magmatic suite crystallized at 160 Ma as derived from new U-Pb zircon geochronology and confirms the end of arc magmatic activity that started at around 173 Ma. Located southerly of the Chortiatis island arc magmatic suite, the Sithonia ophiolite had igneous life from 159 to 149 Ma, and the ophiolite interfinger with clastic-carbonate Kimmeridgian sediments. Magmatic structures (i.e., sheeted dykes) in the ophiolite witness for NE-trending rift axis, while the transform faults and fracture zones sketch NW-SE transcurrent transtension-like propagation of the rift-spreading center at Sithonia that is consistent with a dextral wrench corridor already proposed for the ophiolite origin in the eastern Vardar zone. The tectonic emplacement of the Sithonia ophiolite involved dextral ENE to SE strike-slip sense of shear and SW and NE reverse thrust sense of shear on mostly steep foliation S1, subhorizontal lineation L1 and associated variably inclined F1 fold axes. This structural grain and kinematics are shared by adjacent Chortiatis island arc magmatic suite and the Melissochori Formation. The coexistence of strike-parallel and thrust components of displacement along discrete dextral strike-slip shear zones and internal deformation of the mentioned units is interpreted to result from a bulk dextral transpressive deformation regime developed in greenschist-facies metamorphic conditions. The back-arc ocean floor previous structural architecture with faults and fracture zones where Kimmeridgian sediments deposited in troughs was used by discrete strike-slip shear zones in which these sediments involved, and the shear zones become the sites for strain partitioning of transpressional deformation. Available biostratigraphic and radiometric age constraints define latest Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous (Tithonian-Berriasian to early Valanginian) time frame for the Sithonia ophiolite northeastward tectonic emplacement accomodated by dextral transpression that led to the ophiolite accretion to the Chortiatis island arc magmatic suite and its trench-fill exposed in the Melissochori Formation and further north toward the Serbo-Macedonian margin of Eurasia.

Geological and Geophysical Integration Regarding a Structural Evolution Modelling of a Suture Zone Controlled by a Cratonic Buttress - The Case of Dom Feliciano Orogenic Belt, SSE Brazil, Implications for Western Gondwana Assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruno, H.; Almeida, J.; Heilbron, M. C. P. L.; Salomão, M.

2017-12-01

The matters surrounding the amalgamation of tectonic blocks during the Brasiliano / Pan-African orogeny have been the main subject of study of several works in recent years. The main objective of this work is the hierarchy and discrimination of the boundaries between the known tectonic blocks, integrating geological and geophysical data. The geology of the study area is dominated by Precambrian terranes; Luís Alves Terrane, the vulcanosedimentary sequences of the Itajaí and Campo Alegre Basins, the metasedimentary sequences of the Brusque and Paranaguá Terranes and their granitic suites besides the granitoids of the Florianópolis Terrane. The shear zones and faults that separate these crustal blocks were developed during the Brasiliano / Pan-African orogenic cycle that led to the formation of the supercontinent Gondwana. These tectonic boundaries generally separate blocks of different rheology and crustal thickness. The integration of geological and geophysical data allowed the identification of important structural lineaments and crustal boundaries. The presented geodynamic model suggests that the suture between the block composed of the Brusque, Paranaguá and Florianópolis Terranes and the block composed by the Luís Alves Terrane is the Itajaí Perimbó Shear Zone, and not the Major Gercino Shear Zone as previously suggested. Considering the Itajaí Perimbó Shear Zone as the suture zone, the metassediments of the Brusque Terrane were deposited on the basement of the Florianópolis Terrane, hereby declared as part of the Angola Craton, and are correlated to the metassediments of the Paranaguá Terrane as a passive margin that in approximately ca. 650 My became active margin, functioning as a forearc basin. The oblique collision between the blocks would have occurred with the development of a dextral transpression in the Itajaí Perimbó Shear Zone, separating the Luís Alves Terrane from the Brusque Terrane, a sinistral transcurrence represented by the Palmital Shear Zone separating the Luís Alves Terrane from the Paranaguá Terrane and a frontal thrust, represented by the Icapara and Serra Negra Shear Zones, separating the already amalgamated block from the Luís Alves and Curitiba Terranes of the Paranaguá Terrane.

Water and the oxidation state of subduction zone magmas.

PubMed

Kelley, Katherine A; Cottrell, Elizabeth

2009-07-31

Mantle oxygen fugacity exerts a primary control on mass exchange between Earth's surface and interior at subduction zones, but the major factors controlling mantle oxygen fugacity (such as volatiles and phase assemblages) and how tectonic cycles drive its secular evolution are still debated. We present integrated measurements of redox-sensitive ratios of oxidized iron to total iron (Fe3+/SigmaFe), determined with Fe K-edge micro-x-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, and pre-eruptive magmatic H2O contents of a global sampling of primitive undegassed basaltic glasses and melt inclusions covering a range of plate tectonic settings. Magmatic Fe3+/SigmaFe ratios increase toward subduction zones (at ridges, 0.13 to 0.17; at back arcs, 0.15 to 0.19; and at arcs, 0.18 to 0.32) and correlate linearly with H2O content and element tracers of slab-derived fluids. These observations indicate a direct link between mass transfer from the subducted plate and oxidation of the mantle wedge.

Aftereffects of Subduction-Zone Earthquakes: Potential Tsunami Hazards along the Japan Sea Coast.

PubMed

Minoura, Koji; Sugawara, Daisuke; Yamanoi, Tohru; Yamada, Tsutomu

2015-10-01

The 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake is a typical subduction-zone earthquake and is the 4th largest earthquake after the beginning of instrumental observation of earthquakes in the 19th century. In fact, the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake displaced the northeast Japan island arc horizontally and vertically. The displacement largely changed the tectonic situation of the arc from compressive to tensile. The 9th century in Japan was a period of natural hazards caused by frequent large-scale earthquakes. The aseismic tsunamis that inflicted damage on the Japan Sea coast in the 11th century were related to the occurrence of massive earthquakes that represented the final stage of a period of high seismic activity. Anti-compressive tectonics triggered by the subduction-zone earthquakes induced gravitational instability, which resulted in the generation of tsunamis caused by slope failing at the arc-back-arc boundary. The crustal displacement after the 2011 earthquake infers an increased risk of unexpected local tsunami flooding in the Japan Sea coastal areas.

From thrusting to transpressional tectonics in the Aghdarband Basin (NE Iran): evidence for Cimmerian oblique convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanchi, Andrea; Balini, Marco; Ghassemi, Mohammad Reza; Zanchetta, Stefano

2010-05-01

The Aghdarband Basin, consisting of a strongly deformed arc-related Triassic marine succession, is a key-area for the study of the Cimmerian events, as it is unconformably covered by mid-Jurassic gently folded sediments entirely sealing the Cimmerian compressive structures. The basin developed during part of the Triassic in a highly mobile tectonic context suggested by abrupt facies variations and local unconformities. In addition, syn-sedimentary tectonic activity is testified by the occurrence of carbonate olistholiths in the deepest parts of the basin. The marine succession, spanning from Olenekian to lowermost Carnian, shows at the base continental conglomerates andsandstones, as well as basaltic lava flows, possibly of Early Triassic age. They are followed by the shallow water Sefid Kuh Limestone, in which an intraformational unconformity has been now identified. This unit is locally covered by deep-water limestones of the Nazarkardeh Fm. which interfinger with slope facies of the Sefid Kuh Limestone. The volcaniclastic sandstone layers of the Sina Fm follow up-section with a deep unconformity, marked in several places by deep erosion and tilting of the underlying units. The Sina Fm. is in turn unconformably covered by the coal bearing shales of the Miankhui Fm., with a Norian-Rhaetian age testified by plant megafossils, marking the end of marine sedimentation and of volcanic-arc activity. The Triassic units are overthrusted to the south by Upper Palaeozoic siliciclastic successions showing in some cases a LG metamorphic imprint. They largely include the Qara Geithan Fm. consisting of granitic rocks, acidic to basic volcanics, and locally also large blocks of Permian bioclastic limestones derived from the erosion of the Palaeotethys accretionary wedge, exposed south of Aghdarband. The whole succession of the Aghdarband Basin, including the unconformable Miankhui Fm., is deeply involved in a north-verging thrust stack which interacts in the northern part of the area with an important strike-slip shear zone. Several tectonic units have been recognized within the Triassic succession, causing repetitions of the whole stratigraphic succession. Two main thrust sheets are exposed in the southern part of the basin under the Upper Palaeozoic thrust stack. Thrust faults and folds consistently show a N-directed tectonic transport, suggested by dip-slip motion along S-dipping reverse faults and axial plane geometry. Deformation occurred at shallow levels taking to the formation of cataclastic shear zones and to disjunctive and pencil cleavage in the shale layers of the succession. The thrust sheets comprise the Miankhui Fm. which shows a thick basal coal layer (up to 10 m) deeply excavated at the Aghdarband Mine. Nice examples of coal-related tectonics are exposed in open pits and tunnels of the mine. Intensive deformation of the coal, forming complex shear zones with s-c bands, causes the décollement of the Miankhui beds which show intensive tectonic thickening and repetitions mainly caused by polyphase thrust imbrications and disharmonic folding. The northernmost part of the Triassic basin shows a very complex setting, with traspressional structures given by vertical strike-slip faults and closed to tight folds with steeply plunging axes. According to our new data, up to four tectonic slices can be distinguished in this complex area. This structural zone is directly bounded to the north by severely deformed LG metamorphic rocks resulting from a volcaniclastic succession with Devonian and Carboniferous marble layers. Systematic asymmetry of major and parasitic folds, as well as rotation and torsion of axial surfaces indicate a general left-lateral transpressional regime, whereas kinematic indicators along the main fault planes show both left- and right-lateral motions. According to our relative chronology, dextral movements follow in time the sinistral ones reactivating previous Cimmerian structures and displacing also the surrounding Jurassic to Neogene succession of Kopeh Dagh in relatively recent times. Fold analyses along the area of interaction between thrust structure and the transpressional zone suggest an intricate interference pattern between thrust-related folds and strike-slip brittle shear zones, suggesting that the latter caused a strong reorientation of previously formed folds. The extension of the traspressional zone, which can be followed for some 20 km across the study area, indicates that important left-lateral movements, roughly parallel to the orientation of the convergence zone, were active during the last stages of the Late Triassic Cimmerian event, in contrast to what indicated by previous authors in the Mashhad area.

Integrated geophysical investigations in a fault zone located on southwestern part of İzmir city, Western Anatolia, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drahor, Mahmut G.; Berge, Meriç A.

2017-01-01

Integrated geophysical investigations consisting of joint application of various geophysical techniques have become a major tool of active tectonic investigations. The choice of integrated techniques depends on geological features, tectonic and fault characteristics of the study area, required resolution and penetration depth of used techniques and also financial supports. Therefore, fault geometry and offsets, sediment thickness and properties, features of folded strata and tectonic characteristics of near-surface sections of the subsurface could be thoroughly determined using integrated geophysical approaches. Although Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Seismic Refraction Tomography (SRT) methods are commonly used in active tectonic investigations, other geophysical techniques will also contribute in obtaining of different properties in the complex geological environments of tectonically active sites. In this study, six different geophysical methods used to define faulting locations and characterizations around the study area. These are GPR, ERT, SRT, Very Low Frequency electromagnetic (VLF), magnetics and self-potential (SP). Overall integrated geophysical approaches used in this study gave us commonly important results about the near surface geological properties and faulting characteristics in the investigation area. After integrated interpretations of geophysical surveys, we determined an optimal trench location for paleoseismological studies. The main geological properties associated with faulting process obtained after trenching studies. In addition, geophysical results pointed out some indications concerning the active faulting mechanism in the area investigated. Consequently, the trenching studies indicate that the integrated approach of geophysical techniques applied on the fault problem reveals very useful and interpretative results in description of various properties of faulting zone in the investigation site.

Reinterpretation of Paleoproterozoic accretionary boundaries of the north-central United States based on a new aeromagnetic-geologic compilation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holm, D.K.; Anderson, R.; Boerboom, Terrence; Cannon, W.F.; Chandler, V.; Jirsa, M.; Miller, J.; Schneider, D.A.; Schulz, K.J.; Van Schmus, W. R.

2007-01-01

The Paleoproterozoic crust in the north-central U.S. represents intact juvenile terranes accreted to the rifted Archean Superior craton. A new tectonic province map, based on the interpretation of a new aeromagnetic compilation, published geologic maps, and recent geochronologic data, shows progressive accretion of juvenile arc terranes from ca. 1900-1600 Ma. Contrary to earlier models, geon 18 Penokean-interval crust is primarily confined to a ???2100 Ma tectonic embayment of the rifted Superior craton. The newly defined Spirit Lake tectonic zone, characterized by a sharp magnetic discontinuity that marks the southern limit of Archean and Penokean-interval rocks, is here interpreted to represent an eastern analog of the Cheyenne belt suture zone in southern Wyoming. South of this boundary, geon 17 Yavapai-interval rocks form the basement upon which 1750 Ma rhyolite and succeeding quartzite sequences were deposited. Substantial portions of the Penokean and Yavapai terranes were subsequently deformed during the 1650-1630 Ma Mazatzal orogeny. The northern boundary of the Mazatzal terrane is obscured by abundant 1470-1430 Ma "anorogenic" plutons that stitched the suture with the older Yavapai terrane rocks. These data reveal a progressive tectonic younging to the south as the Laurentian craton grew southward and stabilized during the Proterozoic. Late Mesoproterozoic rift magmatism produced pronounced geophysical anomalies, indicating strong, but localized crustal modification. In comparison to the western U.S., little tectonism has occurred here in the last 1 billion years, providing a uniquely preserved record of the Precambrian evolution of the continental U.S. lithosphere. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multifaulting in a tectonic syntaxis revealed by InSAR: The case of the Ziarat earthquake sequence (Pakistan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinel-Puysségur, B.; Grandin, R.; Bollinger, L.; Baudry, C.

2014-07-01

On 28-29 October 2008, within 12 h, two similar Mw = 6.4 strike-slip earthquakes struck Baluchistan (Pakistan), as part of a complex seismic sequence. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data reveal that the peak of surface displacement is near the Ziarat anticline, a large active fold affected by Quaternary strike-slip faulting. All coseismic interferograms integrate the deformation due to both earthquakes. As their causative faults ruptured close to each other, the individual signals cannot be separated. According to their focal mechanisms, each earthquake may have activated a NE-SW sinistral or a NW-SE dextral fault segment, which leads to four possible scenarios of fault orientations. A nonlinear inversion of the InSAR data set allows rejecting two scenarios. The best slip distributions on the two fault segments for the two remaining scenarios are determined by linear inversion. Stress-change modeling favors a scenario involving two abutting conjugate strike-slip faults. Two other fault segments accommodated left-lateral strike slip during the seismic sequence. The activated fault system includes multiple fault segments with different orientations and little surface expression. This may highlight, at a smaller scale, the distributed, possibly transient character of deformation within a broader right-lateral shear zone. It suggests that the activated faults delineate a small tectonic block extruding and subtly rotating within the shear zone. It occurs in the vicinity of the local tectonic syntaxis where orogenic structures sharply turn around a vertical axis. These mechanisms could participate in the long-term migration of active tectonic structures within this kinematically unstable tectonic syntaxis.

Seperating Long-term Hydrological Loading and Tectonic Deformation Observed with Multi-temporal SAR Interferometry and GPS in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LI, G.; Lin, H.

2014-12-01

From 2000 till present, most endorheic lakes in Tibetan plateau experienced quick increasing. Several largest lakes, gathered several meters depth water during one decade. Such massive mass increasing will lead to elastic and visco-elastic deformation of the ground. Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is one the most active tectonic places in the world; monitoring its ground deformation is essential, when loading effect is a nuisance item. Due to the sparse distribution of GPS sites and most are roving sites, it is hard to distinguish tectonic component from mass loading effect. In this research we took Selin Co Lake located at Nujiang-Bangoin suture zone and evaluated long time ground deformation at hundred kilometers scale by multi-temporal SAR interferometry and simulate the ground deformation by loading history evaluated by multi mission satellite altimetry and optical images observation. At Nujiang-Bangoin suture zone, where GPS presented the maximum ground subsidence in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of 3.6mm/a which was found at the shore of Selin Co Lake from 1999 to 2011, when it experienced water level increasing of 0.7m/a. A model of elastic plate lying over Newtonian viscous half-space matches well with the results of multi-temporal SAR interferometry and GPS observations. We concluded that near Selin Co Lake area, ground deformation is composed by both tectonic and hydrological loading part. As SAR image coverage is much smaller than tectonic scale, we contribute the deformation detected by InSAR to loading effect. After evaluating and removing the hydrological loading effect, we founds that Nujiang-Bangoin suture zone did not experience quick subsidence, but only limited to 0.5mm/a. Selin Co Lake's quick volume increasing caused 3mm/a subsidence rate to the nearest GPS site. The Second nearest site showed the 1.4mm/a subsidence totally, which were composed by 1.05mm/a hydrological loading effect and the rest was tectonic. We also found that Young's Modulus is the most essential parameter for loading effect simulation, and our simulation gave the similar Young's Modulus as the previous seismic tomographic INDEPTH III program did. Therefore with accurate seismic tomographic results and loading history detected by remote sensing could accurately simulate ground deformation caused by hydrological loading.

Subsurface geometry and evolution of the Seattle fault zone and the Seattle Basin, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

ten Brink, Uri S.; Molzer, P.C.; Fisher, M.A.; Blakely, R.J.; Bucknam, R.C.; Parsons, T.; Crosson, R.S.; Creager, K.C.

2002-01-01

The Seattle fault, a large, seismically active, east-west-striking fault zone under Seattle, is the best-studied fault within the tectonically active Puget Lowland in western Washington, yet its subsurface geometry and evolution are not well constrained. We combine several analysis and modeling approaches to study the fault geometry and evolution, including depth-converted, deep-seismic-reflection images, P-wave-velocity field, gravity data, elastic modeling of shoreline uplift from a late Holocene earthquake, and kinematic fault restoration. We propose that the Seattle thrust or reverse fault is accompanied by a shallow, antithetic reverse fault that emerges south of the main fault. The wedge enclosed by the two faults is subject to an enhanced uplift, as indicated by the boxcar shape of the shoreline uplift from the last major earthquake on the fault zone. The Seattle Basin is interpreted as a flexural basin at the footwall of the Seattle fault zone. Basin stratigraphy and the regional tectonic history lead us to suggest that the Seattle fault zone initiated as a reverse fault during the middle Miocene, concurrently with changes in the regional stress field, to absorb some of the north-south shortening of the Cascadia forearc. Kingston Arch, 30 km north of the Seattle fault zone, is interpreted as a more recent disruption arising within the basin, probably due to the development of a blind reverse fault.

Geometric description and analysis of metamorphic tectonites (Pelagonian Zone, Internal Hellenides, Northern Greece)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diamantopoulos, A.

2009-04-01

An assortment of alpine and pre-Permian metamorphic tectonites, belonging to the Pelagonian Zone of the Internal Hellenides, are analyzed from Askion, Vernon and Vorras mountains. They in fact compose the Upper plate of the Western Macedonia core complex, overlying Late Tertiary high-P rocks through large-scale detachment fautls (Diamantopoulos et al. 2007). This work wants to determine the architecture and the kinematic path of rocks in a 3D assumption. Field analysis concludes: a) Meta-sedimentary lithologies and amphibolites, meta-igneous lithologies, granitoid mylonites composed of augen fieldspar gneisses, Permo-Triassic fossiliferous rocks, meta-carbonates of Triassic-Jurassic age, a Jurassic mélange including meta-sedimentary lithologies, serpentinites and carbonate tectonic blocks, Mesozoic Ophiolites, Cretaceous limestones and conglomerates as well as flysch sediments compose the architecture of the study area, b) Multiple high and low-angle cataclastic zones of intense non-coaxial strain separate distinct pre-Permian lithologies, alpine from pre-alpine rocks, Triassic-Jurassic rocks from Permo-Triassic rocks, Jurassic mélange from flysch sediments, Jurassic mélange from Triassic-Jurassic rocks, Cretaceous rocks from the Jurassic mélange, Cretaceous limestones from flysch lithologies and Cretaceous rocks from serpentinites, c) Geometric analysis and description of asymmetric structures found in fault cores, damage zones and in the footwall-related rocks showed a prominent kinematic direction towards WSW in low-T conditions affected all the rock lithologies, d) Multiple S- and L- shape fabric elements in the pre-Permian and Permo-Triassic rocks appear an intricate orientation, produced by intense non-coaxial syn-metamorphic deformation, e) Sheath and isoclinal folds oriented parallel to the L-shape fabric elements as well as a major S-shape fabric element, producing macroscopic fold-like structures compose the main syn-metamorphic fabric elements in the pre-alpine tectonites, f) Discrete and distributed strain along the former boundaries and within footwall- and hangingwall rocks is connoted to control the bulk kinematic path of the involved sequences, g) Field evaluation of the structural geology and the tectonics connote the conjugate character of the cataclastically-deformed boundaries, causing overprinting of the pre-existed ductile-related geometries, h) For the age of the inferred WSW kinematic direction of the involved rocks we believe that it is closely associated with the tectonic superimposition of the Pelagonian Zone onto the Olympos tectonic window during post-Late Eocene times. Miocene to Quaternary faulting activity in all the scales overprint the above Late Tertiary perturbation, resulting a real complicated structural feature (Diamantopoulos 2006). Diamantopoulos A., 2006. Plio-Quaternary geometry and Kinematics of Ptolemais basin (Northern Greece). Implications for the intra-plate tectonics in Western Macedonia. Geologica Croatica 59/1, pages 85-96. Diamantopoulos A., Krohe A., Mposkos E., 2007. Structural asymmetry and distributed strain of low-T shear planes inducing evidence for orogen-scale kinematic partitioning during denudation of high-P rocks (Pelagonian Zone, Greece). Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 9, 03622.

The Main Shear Zone in Sør Rondane, East Antarctica: Implications for the late-Pan-African tectonic evolution of Dronning Maud Land

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruppel, Antonia S.; Läufer, Andreas; Jacobs, Joachim; Elburg, Marlina; Krohne, Nicole; Damaske, Detlef; Lisker, Frank

2015-06-01

Structural investigations in western Sør Rondane, eastern Dronning Maud Land (DML), provide new insights into the tectonic evolution of East Antarctica. One of the main structural features is the approximately 120 km long and several hundred meters wide WSW-ENE trending Main Shear Zone (MSZ). It is characterized by dextral high-strain ductile deformation under peak amphibolite-facies conditions. Crosscutting relationships with dated magmatic rocks bracket the activity of the MSZ between late Ediacaran to Cambrian times (circa 560 to 530 Ma). The MSZ separates Pan-African greenschist- to granulite-facies metamorphic rocks with "East African" affinities in the north from a Rayner-age early Neoproterozoic gabbro-tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite complex with "Indo-Antarctic" affinities in the south. It is interpreted to represent an important lithotectonic strike-slip boundary at a position close to the eastern margin of the East African-Antarctic Orogen (EAAO), which is assumed to be located farther south in the ice-covered region. Together with the possibly coeval left-lateral South Orvin Shear Zone in central DML, the MSZ may be related to NE directed lateral escape of the EAAO, whereas the Heimefront Shear Zone and South Kirwanveggen Shear Zone of western DML are part of the south directed branch of this bilateral system.

a Revision to the Tectonics of the Flores Back-Arc Thrust Zone, Indonesia?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tikku, A. A.

2011-12-01

The Flores and Bali Basins are continental basins in the Flores back-arc thrust zone associated with Eocene subduction of the Indo-Australian plate beneath the Sunda plate followed by Miocene to present-day inversion/thrusting. The basins are east of Java and north of the islands of Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Flores in the East Java Sea area of Indonesia. The tectonic interpretation of these basins is based on seismic, bathymetry and gravity data and is also supported by present-day GPS measurements that demonstrate subduction is no longer active across the Flores thrust zone. Current thinking about the area is that the Flores Basin (on the east end of the thrust zone) had the most extension in the back-arc thrust and may be a proto-oceanic basin, though the option of a purely continental extensional basin can not be ruled out. The Bali Basin (on the west end of the thrust zone) is thought to be shallower and have experienced less continental thinning and extension than the Flores Basin. Depth to basement estimates from recently collected marine magnetic data indicate the depth of the Bali Basin may be comparable to the depth of the Flores Basin. Analysis of the marine magnetic data and potential implications of relative plate motions will be presented.

Protracted tectono-metamorphic history of the SE Superior Province : contribution of 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology in the Abitibi-Opatica contact zone, Québec, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daoudene, Yannick; Tremblay, Alain; Ruffet, Gilles; Leclerc, François; Goutier, Jean

2015-04-01

Archean orogens mainly consist of greenstone belts juxtaposing deeper crustal domains of TTG-type plutonic rocks. The greenstone belts show regional folds, penetrative steeply-dipping fabrics, and localised shear zones, whereas the plutonic belts predominantly display dome structures. Concurrently, rocks in Archean orogens undergone MT/HT-LP/MP metamorphic conditions that vary, from upper to lower crustal domains, between greenschist- and granulite-facies, respectively. These structural and metamorphic variations are well-documented, but modes of deformation related to such orogens is still debated. Some studies suggest that the Archean tectonic processes were comparable to present-day plate tectonics and the Archean greenstone belts were interpreted as tectonic collages commonly documented in Phanerozoic subduction/collision zones. Alternative models propose that the Archean tectonics were different from those predicted by the plate tectonics paradigm, mainly due to the existence of a hotter mantle and a mechanically weak crust. In such models, the burying and exhumation of crustal rocks are attributed to the vertical transfer of material, resulting in the development of pop-down and domes structures. As a contribution of the study of mechanisms that might have operated during the Archean, we present a structural and metamorphic study of the contact zone between the Abitibi subprovince (ASP), which contains greenstone belts, and the Opatica subprovince (OSP), which is dominated by plutonic rocks, of the Superior Province. The 40Ar/39Ar dating of amphiboles and micas is used to constrain the age and duration of regional metamorphism and associated deformations. On the basis of seismic profiling, showing a north-dipping lithospheric-scale reflector, the ASP-OSP contact has been interpreted as the surficial trace of an Archean subduction zone. However, our structural analysis suggest that the ASP overlies the OSP and that the ASP-OSP contact does not show evidences of an important sub-vertical shearing deformation as expected if it was a major upper plate-lower plate boundary. Furthermore, the contact does not present significant metamorphic break between the two domains, but a progressive increasing of metamorphism toward the OSP, from greenschist- to amphibolite-facies conditions. Based on these structural and metamorphic characteristics, we suggest that the OSP exposes the deepest rocks at outcrop of an ASP-OSP crust in the study area. Regionally, the 40Ar/39Ar ages acquired during this study indicate that the ASP-OSP contact records a protracted metamorphic history that started around 2685 Ma. The structural and isotopic age data suggest that, from ~2685 Ma to ~2632 Ma, the deepest level of the ASP and the underlying OSP reached amphibolite-facies metamorphic conditions and that regional deformation was accommodated by an overall horizontal shortening and sub-vertical transfers of crustal material. Subsequently, the cooling of these crustal rocks was accompanied by strain localisation, which led to the development of oblique strike-slip shear zones from ~2600 Ma, when the lateral flowing of crustal material became predominant. Our 40Ar/39Ar data compared with metamorphic ages documented in adjacent areas of the Superior Province suggests that the peak and duration of regional metamorphism might have been coeval over a large region. This rather favours a mode of pervasive deformation as expected in vertical tectonics.

Detection of earthquake swarms at subduction zones globally: Insights into tectonic controls on swarm activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishikawa, T.; Ide, S.

2017-07-01

Earthquake swarms are characterized by an increase in seismicity rate that lacks a distinguished main shock and does not obey Omori's law. At subduction zones, they are thought to be related to slow-slip events (SSEs) on the plate interface. Earthquake swarms in subduction zones can therefore be used as potential indicators of slow-slip events. However, the global distribution of earthquake swarms at subduction zones remains unclear. Here we present a method for detecting such earthquake sequences using the space-time epidemic-type aftershock-sequence model. We applied this method to seismicity (M ≥ 4.5) recorded in the Advanced National Seismic System catalog at subduction zones during the period of 1995-2009. We detected 453 swarms, which is about 6.7 times the number observed in a previous catalog. Foreshocks of some large earthquakes are also detected as earthquake swarms. In some subduction zones, such as at Ibaraki-Oki, Japan, swarm-like foreshocks and ordinary swarms repeatedly occur at the same location. Given that both foreshocks and swarms are related to SSEs on the plate interface, these regions may have experienced recurring SSEs. We then compare the swarm activity and tectonic properties of subduction zones, finding that swarm activity is positively correlated with curvature of the incoming plate before subduction. This result implies that swarm activity is controlled either by hydration of the incoming plate or by heterogeneity on the plate interface due to fracturing related to slab bending.

Triple Junction Reorganizations: A Mechanism for the Initiation of the Great Pacific Fractures Zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pockalny, R. A.; Larson, R. L.; Grindlay, N. R.

2001-12-01

There are two general explanations for the initiation of oceanic transform faults that eventually evolve into fracture zones: transforms inherited from continental break-up and transforms acquired in response to a change in plate motions. These models are sufficient to explain the fracture zones in oceans formed by continental break-up. However, neither model accounts for the initiation of the large-offset, great Pacific fracture zones that characterized the Pacific-Farallon plate boundary prior to 25 Ma. Primarily, these models are unable to explain why the initial age of these fracture zones becomes progressively younger from the Mendocino fracture zone (\\~{ } 160 Ma) southward down to the Resolution FZ (\\~{ }84 Ma). We propose a new transform initiation mechanism for the great Pacific fracture zones, which is intimately tied to tectonic processes at triple junctions and directly related to the growth of the Pacific Plate. Recently acquired multibeam bathymetry and marine geophysics data collected along Pandora's Escarpment in the southwestern Pacific have identified the escarpment as the trace of the Pacific-Farallon-Phoenix triple junction on the Pacific Plate. Regional changes in the trend of the triple junction trace between 84-121 Ma roughly coincide with the initiation of the Marquesas, Austral and Resolution fracture zones. Bathymetry and backscatter data from the projected intersections of these fracture zones with the triple junction trace identify several anomalous structures that suggest tectonic reorganizations of the triple junction. We believe this reorganization created the initial transform fault(s) that ultimately became the large-offset, great Pacific fracture zones. Several possible mechanisms for initiating the transform faults are explored including microplate formation, ridge-tip propagation, and spontaneous transform fault formation.

Archean sedimentation and tectonics in southern Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kidd, W. S. F.

1984-01-01

Sequences in the Barberton Mountain Land greenstone belt (southern Africa) were examined to determine the nature of the sedimentary rocks, their tectonic implications, and their bearing on the present large-scale structural condition of the belt. Also assessed was whether there was evidence for a significant component of shallow-water-deposited sedimentary rocks in the parent materials of the Limpopo belt. The nature of a largehigh strain zone on the southern margin of the central Limpopo belt was examined.

GPS and seismological constraints on active tectonics and arc-continent collision in Papua New Guinea: Implications for mechanics of microplate rotations in a plate boundary zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Laura M.; Stevens, Colleen; Silver, Eli; McCaffrey, Rob; Loratung, Wesley; Hasiata, Suvenia; Stanaway, Richard; Curley, Robert; Rosa, Robert; Taugaloidi, Jones

2004-05-01

The island of New Guinea is located within the deforming zone between the Pacific and Australian plates that converge obliquely at ˜110 mm/yr. New Guinea has been fragmented into a complex array of microplates, some of which rotate rapidly about nearby vertical axes. We present velocities from a network of 38 Global Positioning System (GPS) sites spanning much of the nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The GPS-derived velocities are used to explain the kinematics of major tectonic blocks in the region and the nature of strain accumulation on major faults in PNG. We simultaneously invert GPS velocities, earthquake slip vectors on faults, and transform orientations in the Woodlark Basin for the poles of rotation of the tectonic blocks and the degree of elastic strain accumulation on faults in the region. The data are best explained by six distinct tectonic blocks: the Australian, Pacific, South Bismarck, North Bismarck, and Woodlark plates and a previously unrecognized New Guinea Highlands Block. Significant portions of the Ramu-Markham Fault appear to be locked, which has implications for seismic hazard determination in the Markham Valley region. We also propose that rapid clockwise rotation of the South Bismarck plate is controlled by edge forces initiated by the collision between the Finisterre arc and the New Guinea Highlands.

Susceptibility analysis for slides and rockfall: an example from the Northern Calcareous Alps (Vorarlberg, Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruff, Michael; Rohn, Joachim

2008-07-01

In this paper a tool for semi-quantitative susceptibility assessment at a regional scale is presented which is applicable at areas with complex geological setting. At a study area within the Northern Calcareous Alps geotechnical mappings were implemented into a Geographical Information System and analysed as grid data with a cell size of 25 m. The susceptibility to sliding and falling processes was considered according to five classes (very low, low, medium, high, very high). Susceptibility to sliding was analysed using an index method. The layers of lithology, bedding conditions, tectonic faults, slope angle, slope aspect, vegetation and erosion were combined iteratively. Dropout zones of rockfall material were determined with help of a Digital Elevation Model. The movement of rolling rock samples was modelled by a cost analysis of all potential rockfall trajectories. These trajectories were also divided into five susceptibility classes. The susceptibility maps are presented in a general way to be used by communities and spatial planners. Conflict areas of susceptibility and landuse were located and can be presented destinctively.

Geospeedometry in the inverted metamorphic gradient of the Nestos Thrust Zone in central Rhodope (Northern Greece)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cioldi, Stefania; Moulas, Evangelos; Burg, Jean-Pierre

2015-04-01

Thrust tectonics and inverted metamorphic gradients are major consequences of large and likely fast movements of crustal segments in compressional environments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the tectonic setting and the timescale of inverted metamorphic zonations related to crustal-scale thrusting. The aim is to contribute understanding the link between mechanical and thermal evolution of major thrust zones and to clarify the nature and the origin of orogenic heat. The Rhodope metamorphic complex (Northern Greece) is interpreted as a part of the Alpine-Himalaya orogenic belt and represents a collisional system with an association of both large-scale thrusting and pervasive exhumation tectonics. The Nestos Shear Zone overprints the suture boundary with a NNE-dipping pile of schists displaying inverted isograds. The inverted metamorphic zones start from chlorite-muscovite grade at the bottom and reach kyanite-sillimanite grades with migmatites in the upper structural levels. In order to reconstruct the thermo-tectonic evolution of inverted metamorphic zonation, reliable geochronological data are essential. 40Ar/39Ar geochronology with step-heating technique on white mica from micaschists provided a temporal resolution with the potential to characterize shearing. 40Ar/39Ar dating across the Nestos Shear Zone yields Late Eocene-Early Oligocene (40-30 Ma) cooling (~400-350° C) ages, which correspond to local thermo-deformation episodes linked to late and post-orogenic intrusions. U-Pb Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon geochronology on leucosomes from migmatitic orthogneisses were considered to estimate the age of peak metamorphic conditions, contemporaneous with anatexis. U-Pb ages of zircon rims specify regional partial melting during the Early Cretaceous (160-120 Ma). This is in disagreement with previous assertions, which argued that the formation of leucosomes in this region is Late Eocene (42-35 Ma) and implied multiple subductions and multiple metamorphic cycles during orogeny. Garnet geospeedometry considers the kinetic response of minerals and allowed estimating the absolute time-dependent thermal evolution by diffusive element profiles in garnet. Inverse-fitting numerical model considering Fractionation and Diffusion in GarnEt (FRIDGE) calculates garnet composition profiles by introducing P-T-t paths and bulk-rock composition of a specific sample. Preliminary results of Fe-Mg - Ca - Mn garnet fractionation-diffusion modelling indicate very short timescale (between 2 and 5 Ma) for peak metamorphic conditions in the Rhodope collisional system.

Structure of pseudotachylyte vein systems as a key to co-seismic rupture dynamics: the case of Gavilgarh-Tan Shear Zone, central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chattopadhyay, A.; Bhattacharjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.

2014-04-01

The secondary fractures associated with a major pseudotachylyte-bearing fault vein in the sheared aplitic granitoid of the Proterozoic Gavilgarh-Tan Shear Zone in central India are mapped at the outcrop scale. The fracture maps help to identify at least three different types of co-seismic ruptures, e.g., X-X', T1 and T2, which characterize sinistral-sense shearing of rocks, confined between two sinistral strike-slip faults slipping at seismic rate. From the asymmetric distribution of tensile fractures around the sinistral-sense fault vein, the direction of seismic rupture propagation is predicted to have occurred from west-southwest to east-northeast, during an ancient (Ordovician?) earthquake. Calculations of approximate co-seismic displacement on the faults and seismic moment ( M 0) of the earthquake are attempted, following the methods proposed by earlier workers. These estimates broadly agree to the findings from other studied fault zones (e.g., Gole Larghe Fault zone, Italian Alps). This study supports the proposition by some researchers that important seismological information can be extracted from tectonic pseudotachylytes of all ages, provided they are not reworked by subsequent tectonic activity.

A reconnaissance space sensing investigation of crustal structure for a strip from the eastern Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Plateau

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bechtold, I. C. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Analysis of ERTS-1 MSS imagery over the sourthern Basin-Range Province of California, Nevada, and Arizona has led to recognition of regional tectonic control of volcanism, plutonism, mineralization, and fault patterns. This conclusion is the result of geologic reconnaissance of anomalies observed in ERTS-1 and Apollo-9 data, guided by intermediate scale U-2 photography, SLAR, and relevant geologic literature. In addition to regional tectonic studies, the ERTS-1 imagery provides a basis for detailed research of relatively small geologic features. Interpretation of ERTS-1 and Apollo-9 space imagery and intermediate scale X-15 and U-2 photography indicates the presence of a major fault zone along the California-Nevada state line, here named the Pahrump fault zone. Field mapping confirms previously unreported evidence of fault breaks in bedrock, along range fronts and in Quaternary alluvium and lake sediments. Regional gravity lows and fault traces within the Pahrump fault zone from a general left stepping en echelon pattern. The trend and postulated diplacement for this fault are similar to other major strike slip fault zones in the southern Basin-Range Province.

Mineral chemistry of isotropic gabbros from the Manamedu Ophiolite Complex, Cauvery Suture Zone, southern India: Evidence for neoproterozoic suprasubduction zone tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yellappa, T.; Tsunogae, T.; Chetty, T. R. K.; Santosh, M.

2016-11-01

The dismembered units of the Neoproterozoic Manamedu Ophiolite Complex (MOC) in the Cauvery Suture Zone, southern India comprises a well preserved ophiolitic sequence of ultramafic cumulates of altered dunites, pyroxenites, mafic cumulates of gabbros, gabbro-norites and anorthosites in association with plagiogranites, isotropic gabbros, metadolerites, metabasalts/amphibolites and thin layers of ferruginous chert bands. The isotropic gabbros occur as intrusions in association with gabbroic anorthosites, plagiogranite and metabasalts/amphibolites. The gabbros are medium to fine grained with euhedral to subhedral orthopyroxenes, clinopyroxenes and subhedral plagioclase, together with rare amphiboles. Mineral chemistry of isotropic gabbros reveal that the clinopyroxenes are diopsidic to augitic in composition within the compositional ranges of En(42-59), Fs(5-12), Wo(31-50). They are Ca-rich and Na poor (Na2O < 0.77 wt%) characterized by high-Mg (Mg# 79-86) and low-Ti (TiO2 < 0.35 wt%) contents. The tectonic discrimination plots of clinopyroxene data indicate island arc signature of the source magma. Our study further confirms the suprasubduction zone origin of the Manamedu ophiolitic suite, associated with the subduction-collision history of the Neoproterozoic Mozambique ocean during the assembly of Gondwana supercontinent.

The mafic-ultramafic complex of Aniyapuram, Cauvery Suture Zone, southern India: Petrological and geochemical constraints for Neoarchean suprasubduction zone tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yellappa, T.; Venkatasivappa, V.; Koizumi, T.; Chetty, T. R. K.; Santosh, M.; Tsunogae, T.

2014-12-01

Several Precambrian mafic-ultramafic complexes occur along the Cauvery Suture Zone (CSZ) in Southern Granulite Terrain, India. Their origin, magmatic evolution and relationship with the associated high-grade rocks have not been resolved. The Aniyapuram Mafic-Ultramafic Complex (AMUC), the focus of the present study in southern part of the CSZ, is dominantly composed of peridotites, pyroxenites, gabbros, metagabbros/mafic granulites, hornblendites, amphibolites, plagiogranites, felsic granulites and ferruginous cherts. The rock types in the AMUC are structurally emplaced within hornblende gneiss (TTG) basement rocks and are highly deformed. The geochemical signature of the amphibolites indicates tholeiitic affinity for the protolith with magma generation in island arc-setting. N-MORB normalized pattern of the amphibolites show depletion in HFS-elements (P, Zr, Sm, Ti, and Y) and enrichment of LIL-elements (Rb, Ba, Th, Sr) with negative Nb anomalies suggesting involvement of subduction component in the depleted mantle source and formation in a supra-subduction zone tectonic setting. Our new results when correlated with the available age data suggest that the lithological association of AMUC represent the remnants of the Neoarchean oceanic lithosphere.

Venus tectonics: initial analysis from magellan.

PubMed

Solomon, S C; Head, J W; Kaula, W M; McKenzie, D; Parsons, B; Phillips, R J; Schubert, G; Talwani, M

1991-04-12

Radar imaging and altimetry data from the Magellan mission have revealed a diversity of deformational features at a variety of spatial scales on the Venus surface. The plains record a superposition of different episodes of deformation and volcanism; strain is both areally distributed and concentrated into zones of extension and shortening. The common coherence of strain patterns over hundreds of kilometers implies that many features in the plains reflect a crustal response to mantle dynamic processes. Ridge belts and mountain belts represent successive degrees of lithospheric shortening and crustal thickening; the mountain belts also show widespread evidence for extension and collapse both during and following crustal compression. Venus displays two geometrical patterns of concentrated lithospheric extension: quasi-circular coronae and broad rises with linear rift zones; both are sites of significant volcanism. No long, large-offset strike-slip faults have been observed, although limited local horizontal shear is accommodated across many zones of crustal shortening. In general, tectonic features on Venus are unlike those in Earth's oceanic regions in that strain typically is distributed across broad zones that are one to a few hundred kilometers wide, and separated by stronger and less deformed blocks hundreds of kilometers in width, as in actively deforming continental regions on Earth.

Study on moderate earthquake risk of the Xinfengjiang reservoir from 3D P-wave velocity structure and current seismicity parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Xiuwei; Wang, Xiaona; Huang, Yuanmin; Liu, Jiping; Tan, Zhengguang

2017-06-01

In this paper, we determined the Xingfengjiang Reservoir earthquake sequence location from June 2007 to July 2014 and 3D P-wave velocity structure by a simultaneous inversion method. On that basis, we mapped the b-value 3D distribution. The results show the low b-value distribution consists with the high velocity zone(HVZ) and most earthquakes occurred around the HVZ. Under the reservoir dam there is a strong tectonic deformation zone, as the centre exit Renzishi fault F2, Nanshan - Aotou faults F4, Heyuan fault F1 and Shijiao-xingang-baitian fault F5. M6.1 Xinfengjiang earthquake, 19 Mar 1962, occurred in the strong tectonic deformation zone, and now the zone b≥0.7, so a short period of the original earthquake occur more unlikely. The b-value of the HVZ under Xichang(in the northwest corner of XFJ Reservoir) ranges between 0.4 to 0.7 suggesting the rate of stress accumulations is greater than the speed of seismic energy release since 2012. We don’t exclude the possibility that the HVZ becomes the seismogenic asperity, and will occur M≥5 earthquake.

Differential preservation in the geologic record of intraoceanic arc sedimentary and tectonic processes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Draut, Amy; Clift, Peter D.

2013-01-01

Records of ancient intraoceanic arc activity, now preserved in continental suture zones, are commonly used to reconstruct paleogeography and plate motion, and to understand how continental crust is formed, recycled, and maintained through time. However, interpreting tectonic and sedimentary records from ancient terranes after arc–continent collision is complicated by preferential preservation of evidence for some arc processes and loss of evidence for others. In this synthesis we examine what is lost, and what is preserved, in the translation from modern processes to the ancient record of intraoceanic arcs. Composition of accreted arc terranes differs as a function of arc–continent collision geometry. ‘Forward-facing’ collision can accrete an oceanic arc on to either a passive or an active continental margin, with the arc facing the continent and colliding trench- and forearc-side first. In a ‘backward-facing’ collision, involving two subduction zones with similar polarity, the arc collides backarc-first with an active continental margin. The preservation of evidence for contemporary sedimentary and tectonic arc processes in the geologic record depends greatly on how well the various parts of the arc survive collision and orogeny in each case. Preservation of arc terranes likely is biased towards those that were in a state of tectonic accretion for tens of millions of years before collision, rather than tectonic erosion. The prevalence of tectonic erosion in modern intraoceanic arcs implies that valuable records of arc processes are commonly destroyed even before the arc collides with a continent. Arc systems are most likely to undergo tectonic accretion shortly before forward-facing collision with a continent, and thus most forearc and accretionary-prism material in ancient arc terranes likely is temporally biased toward the final stages of arc activity, when sediment flux to the trench was greatest and tectonic accretion prevailed. Collision geometry and tectonic erosion vs. accretion are important controls on the ultimate survival of material from the trench, forearc, arc massif, intra-arc basins, and backarc basins, and thus on how well an ancient arc terrane preserves evidence for tectonic processes such as subduction of aseismic ridges and seamounts, oblique plate convergence, and arc rifting. Forward-facing collision involves substantial recycling, melting, and fractionation of continent-derived material during and after collision, and so produces melts rich in silica and incompatible trace elements. As a result, forward-facing collision can drive the composition of accreted arc crust toward that of average continental crust.

Global organization of tectonic deformation on Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilotti, Frank; Connors, Chris; Suppe, John

1993-03-01

The geographic organization of surface deformation on Venus as on Earth is a key to understanding the global tectonic system. To date we have mapped the distribution of three unambiguous tectonic land forms on Venus: (1) linear foldbelts analogous to those at plate margins of the Earth; (2) linear rift zones, analogous to continental rifts on the Earth; and (3) distributed plains deformation in the form of wrinkle ridges and extensional faults and fractures. The linear foldbelts are the dominant structural style in the Northern Hemisphere; ninety percent of the planet's foldbelts lie above the equator. In contrast, compressive deformation in the Southern Hemisphere is dominated by two large, sweeping patterns of wrinkle ridges. The two hemispheres are divided by an equatorial region that is largely covered by rift zones and several large tessera blocks. A tectonic model of generally poleward convergence of the Northern Hemisphere explains the distribution of foldbelts and rift zones. In our model, a northern hemispherical plate (or system of plates) moves poleward and deforms along discrete, predominately longitudinal bands. We recognize four types of foldbelts based on their relationships to other large-scale tectonic features on Venus. There are foldbelts that lie within the low plains, foldbelts associated with coronae, novae and chasmata, foldbelts that lie at the margins of poly-deformed tessera plateaus, and the folded mountain belts around Lakshmi Planum. We see a geometric increase in the area of fold belts when normalized to percent area at a given latitude. This increase is consistent with our model of poleward convergence. Also, the orientations of most foldbelts are either approximately north-south or parallel to lines of latitude in the northern hemisphere. This observation is also consistent with the model in that the longitudinal bands are the result of the decreasing area of the sphere as the plate moves poleward and the latitudinal belts are the direct result of poleward compression. The trends of wrinkle ridges have been mapped over the planet and several large, sweeping patterns evidently reflect long-wavelength topography. Using wrinkle ridges as paleostress indicators, we have developed local and regional stress trajectory maps.

Subduction hinge migration: The backwards component of plate tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stegman, D.; Freeman, J.; Schellart, W.; Moresi, L.; May, D.

2005-12-01

There are approximately 50 distinct segments of subduction zones in the world, of which 40% have oceanic lithosphere subducting under oceanic lithosphere. All of these ocean-ocean systems are currently experiencing hinge-rollback, with the exception of 2 (Mariana and Kermadec). In hinge-rollback, the surface trace of the suduction zone (trench) is moving in the opposite direction as the plate is moving (i.e. backwards). Coincidentally, the fastest moving plate boundary in the world is actually the Tonga trench at an estimated 17 cm/yr (backwards). Although this quite important process was recognized soon after the birth of plate tectonic theory (Elsasser, 1971), it has received only a limited amount of attention (Garfunkel, 1986; Kincaid and Olson, 1987) until recently. Laboratory models have shown that having a three dimensional experiment is essential in order to build a correct understanding of subduction. We have developed a numerical model with the neccessary 3-D geometry capable of investigating some fundamental questions of plate tectonics: How does hinge-rollback feedback into surface tectonics and mantle flow? What can we learn about the forces that drive plate tectonics by studying hinge-rollback? We will present a quantatitive analysis of the effect of the lateral width of subduction zones, the key aspect to understanding the nature of hinge-rollback. Additionally, particular emphasis has been put on gaining intuition through the use of movies (a 3-D rendering of the numerical models), illustrating the time evolution of slab interactions with the lower mantle as seen in such fields as velocity magnitude, strain rate, viscosity, as well as the toroidal and poloidal components of induced flow. This investigation is well-suited to developing direct comparisons with geological and geophysical observations such as geodetically determined hinge retreat rates, geochemical and petrological observations of arc volcanics and back-arc ridge basalts, timing and distribution of metamorphic core complexes in backarc basins under extension, paleostress observables such surface movements and block rotations, observations of seismic anistropy determined by shear wave splitting, and the emerging studies of regional tomographic models of seismic anistropy.

Landforms along transverse faults parallel to axial zone of folded mountain front, north-eastern Kumaun Sub-Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luirei, Khayingshing; Bhakuni, S. S.; Negi, Sanjay S.

2017-02-01

The shape of the frontal part of the Himalaya around the north-eastern corner of the Kumaun Sub-Himalaya, along the Kali River valley, is defined by folded hanging wall rocks of the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT). Two parallel faults (Kalaunia and Tanakpur faults) trace along the axial zone of the folded HFT. Between these faults, the hinge zone of this transverse fold is relatively straight and along these faults, the beds abruptly change their attitudes and their widths are tectonically attenuated across two hinge lines of fold. The area is constituted of various surfaces of coalescing fans and terraces. Fans comprise predominantly of sandstone clasts laid down by the steep-gradient streams originating from the Siwalik range. The alluvial fans are characterised by compound and superimposed fans with high relief, which are generated by the tectonic activities associated with the thrusting along the HFT. The truncated fan along the HFT has formed a 100 m high-escarpment running E-W for ˜5 km. Quaternary terrace deposits suggest two phases of tectonic uplift in the basal part of the hanging wall block of the HFT dipping towards the north. The first phase is represented by tilting of the terrace sediments by ˜30 ∘ towards the NW; while the second phase is evident from deformed structures in the terrace deposit comprising mainly of reverse faults, fault propagation folds, convolute laminations, flower structures and back thrust faults. The second phase produced ˜1.0 m offset of stratification of the terrace along a thrust fault. Tectonic escarpments are recognised across the splay thrust near south of the HFT trace. The south facing hill slopes exhibit numerous landslides along active channels incising the hanging wall rocks of the HFT. The study area shows weak seismicity. The major Moradabad Fault crosses near the study area. This transverse fault may have suppressed the seismicity in the Tanakpur area, and the movement along the Moradabad and Kasganj-Tanakpur faults cause the neotectonic activities as observed. The role of transverse fault tectonics in the formation of the curvature cannot be ruled out.

Global organization of tectonic deformation on Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bilotti, Frank; Connors, Chris; Suppe, John

1993-01-01

The geographic organization of surface deformation on Venus as on Earth is a key to understanding the global tectonic system. To date we have mapped the distribution of three unambiguous tectonic land forms on Venus: (1) linear foldbelts analogous to those at plate margins of the Earth; (2) linear rift zones, analogous to continental rifts on the Earth; and (3) distributed plains deformation in the form of wrinkle ridges and extensional faults and fractures. The linear foldbelts are the dominant structural style in the Northern Hemisphere; ninety percent of the planet's foldbelts lie above the equator. In contrast, compressive deformation in the Southern Hemisphere is dominated by two large, sweeping patterns of wrinkle ridges. The two hemispheres are divided by an equatorial region that is largely covered by rift zones and several large tessera blocks. A tectonic model of generally poleward convergence of the Northern Hemisphere explains the distribution of foldbelts and rift zones. In our model, a northern hemispherical plate (or system of plates) moves poleward and deforms along discrete, predominately longitudinal bands. We recognize four types of foldbelts based on their relationships to other large-scale tectonic features on Venus. There are foldbelts that lie within the low plains, foldbelts associated with coronae, novae and chasmata, foldbelts that lie at the margins of poly-deformed tessera plateaus, and the folded mountain belts around Lakshmi Planum. We see a geometric increase in the area of fold belts when normalized to percent area at a given latitude. This increase is consistent with our model of poleward convergence. Also, the orientations of most foldbelts are either approximately north-south or parallel to lines of latitude in the northern hemisphere. This observation is also consistent with the model in that the longitudinal bands are the result of the decreasing area of the sphere as the plate moves poleward and the latitudinal belts are the direct result of poleward compression. The trends of wrinkle ridges have been mapped over the planet and several large, sweeping patterns evidently reflect long-wavelength topography. Using wrinkle ridges as paleostress indicators, we have developed local and regional stress trajectory maps.

Tectonic Deformation Pattern along the Longmen Shan Fault Zone in Eastern Tibet: Insights from Focal Mechanisms of the Wenchuan and Lushan Earthquake Sequences, Southwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, G.; Vallage, A.; Klinger, Y.; Long, F.; Wang, S.

2017-12-01

760 ML≥3.5 aftershocks of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the 2013 Lushan mainshock and its 87 ML≥3.5 aftershocks were selected to obtain focal mechanism solutions from CAP waveform inversion method (Zhu and Helmberger, 1996), along with strain rosette (Amelung and King, 1997) and Areal strain (As) (Vallage et al., 2014), we aimed to analyze the tectonic deformation pattern along the Longmen Shan (LMS) fault zone, southwestern China. The As values show that 93% compressional earthquakes for the Lushan sequence are of pure thrust for the southern segment of the LMS fault zone, while only 50% compressional and nearly 40% of strike-slip and oblique-thrust events for the Wenchuan sequence reflect the strike-slip component increase on the central-northern segment of the LMS fault zone, meaning many different faults responsible for the Wenchuan aftershock activity. The strain rosettes with purely NW-trending compressional white lobe for the entire 87 aftershocks and 4 different classes of magnitudes are very similar to that of the Lushan mainshock. We infer that the geological structures for the southern segment are of thrust faulting under NW compressional deformation. The strain rosettes exhibit self-similarity in terms of orientation and shape for all classes, reflecting that the deformation pattern of the southern segment is independent with earthquake size, and suggesting that each class is representative of the overall deformation for the southern segment. We obtained EW-oriented pure compressional strain rosette of the entire 760 aftershocks and NW-oriented white lobe with small NE-oriented black lobe of the Wenchuan mainshock, and this difference may reflect different tectonic deformation pattern during the co-seismic and post-seismic stages. The deformation segmentation along the Wenchuan coseismic surface rupture is also evidenced from the different orientation of strain rosettes, i.e., NW for the southern area, NE for the central and NNW for the northern parts. The above inferences indicate a very complicated tectonic deformation pattern related to the complex geological structure. The segment of the northern aftershock area without ruptures behaves an oblique compressional deformation.

Influence of Tectonics on the Channel Pattern of Alaknanda River in Srinagar Valley (Garhwal Himalaya)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Datt, Devi

2017-04-01

This paper describes the results of a continuing investigation of tectonic influence on channel pattern and morphology of Alaknanda River in Lesser Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Extensive field investigations using conventional methods supported by topographical sheets and remote sensing data (LISS IV), were undertaken.The results are classified into three sections :- tectonics, channel pattern and impact of tectonics on channel pattern. The channel length is divided into 8 meanders sets of 3 segments from Supana to Kirtinagar. Thereafter, a litho-tectonic map of the Srinagar valley was prepared. The style of active tectonics on deformation and characterization of fluvial landscape was investigated on typical strike-slip transverse faults near the zone of North Almora Thrust (NAT). NAT is a major tectonic unit of the Lesser Himalaya which passes through the northern margin from NW to SE direction.. The structural and lithological controls on the Alaknanda River system in Srinagar valley are reflected on distinct drainage patterns, abrupt change in flow direction, incised meandering, offset river channels, straight river lines, palaeo-channels, multi levels of terraces, knick points and pools in longitudinal profile. The results of the study show that the sinuosity index of the river is 1.35. Transverse faulting is very common along the NAT. An earlier generation of linear tectonic features were displaced by the latter phase of deformation. Significant deviations were observed in river channel at deformation junctions. Moreover, all 8 sets of meanders are strongly influenced by tectonic features. The meandering course is, thereby, correlated with tectonic features. It is shown that the river channel is strongly influenced by the tectonic features in the study area. Key Words: Tectonic, Meander, Channel pattern, deformation, Knick point.

SubductionGenerator: A program to build three-dimensional plate configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jadamec, M. A.; Kreylos, O.; Billen, M. I.; Turcotte, D. L.; Knepley, M.

2016-12-01

Geologic, geochemical, and geophysical data from subduction zones indicate that a two-dimensional paradigm for plate tectonic boundaries is no longer adequate to explain the observations. Many open source software packages exist to simulate the viscous flow of the Earth, such as the dynamics of subduction. However, there are few open source programs that generate the three-dimensional model input. We present an open source software program, SubductionGenerator, that constructs the three-dimensional initial thermal structure and plate boundary structure. A 3D model mesh and tectonic configuration are constructed based on a user specified model domain, slab surface, seafloor age grid file, and shear zone surface. The initial 3D thermal structure for the plates and mantle within the model domain is then constructed using a series of libraries within the code that use a half-space cooling model, plate cooling model, and smoothing functions. The code maps the initial 3D thermal structure and the 3D plate interface onto the mesh nodes using a series of libraries including a k-d tree to increase efficiency. In this way, complicated geometries and multiple plates with variable thickness can be built onto a multi-resolution finite element mesh with a 3D thermal structure and 3D isotropic shear zones oriented at any angle with respect to the grid. SubductionGenerator is aimed at model set-ups more representative of the earth, which can be particularly challenging to construct. Examples include subduction zones where the physical attributes vary in space, such as slab dip and temperature, and overriding plate temperature and thickness. Thus, the program can been used to construct initial tectonic configurations for triple junctions and plate boundary corners.

Crustal structure and tectonics of the northern part of the Southern Granulite Terrane, India

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rao, V.V.; Sain, K.; Reddy, P.R.; Mooney, W.D.

2006-01-01

Deep seismic reflection studies investigating the exposed Archean lower continental crust of the Southern Granulite Terrane, India, yield important constraints on the nature and evolution of the deep crust, including the formation and exhumation of granulites. Seismic reflection images along the Kuppam-Bhavani profile reveal a band of reflections that dip southward from 10.5 to 15.0??s two-way-time (TWT), across a distance of 50??km. The bottom of these reflections beneath the Dharwar craton is interpreted as the Moho. Further south, another reflection band dipping northward is observed. These bands of reflectivity constitute a divergent reflection fabric that converges at the Moho boundary observed at the Mettur shear zone. Reflection fabrics that intersect at a steep angle are interpreted as a collisional signature due to the convergence of crustal blocks, which we infer resulted in crustal thickening and the formation of granulites. Anomalous gravity and magnetic signatures are also observed across the Mettur shear zone. The gravity model derived from the Bouguer gravity data corroborates seismic results. The tectonic regime and seismic reflection profiles are combined in a 3-D representation that illustrates our evidence for paleo-subduction at a collision zone. The structural dissimilarities and geophysical anomalies suggest that the Mettur shear zone is a suture between the Dharwar craton in the north and another crustal block in the south. This study contributes significantly to our understanding of the operation of Archean plate tectonics, here inferred to involve collision and subduction. Furthermore, it provides an important link between the Gondwanaland and global granulite evolution occurring throughout the late Archean. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Wrench fault system and nappe emplacement in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.- A key area for Pan-African continental collision in East Africa?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauernhofer, A.; Wallbrecher, E.; Hauzenberger, C.; Fritz, H.; Loizenbauer, J.; Hoinkes, G.; Muhongo, S.; Mathu, E.

2003-04-01

In the Voi Area of Southern Kenya, the granulite facies rocks of the Taita Hills and the Tsavo East National Park (Galana River) can be divided into three structural domains: The Galana-East unit consists of an intercalation of flat lying metapelites and marbles of continental margin origin. These metasediments can be traced further east to the Umba Steppe (Between Mombasa and Tanga). Galana-West consists of a N-S oriented wrench fault zone with vertical foliation planes and horizontal stretching lineation. Numerous shear sense indicators always show sinistral shear sense. Amphibolites of MORB affinity are involved in this wrench fault zone. To the west, this zone is bordered by calc-alkaline metatonalites of the Sagala Hills. The westernmost unit consists of the Taita Hills. They form an imbricated pile of southwestward thrusted nappe sheets containing metapelites, marbles, and ultramafics. The Taita Hills may be explained as part of an accretionary wedge. Southwestward nappe thrusting is also the prominent structure in the Pare and Usambara Mountains of Northern Tanzania. The following model may may explain these observations: The Southern Kenya -- Northern Tanzania section of the Mozambique Belt is the result of continental collision tectonics. Remnants of an island arc and of an accretionary wedge that occur at least in the Voi area may be part of a former subduction zone. An oceanic domain between an eastern passive continental margin and a western terrane, now represented by the Tanzanian granulite belt has been closed incorporating island arc and accretionary wedge material. Oblique convergence of two continental blocks is suggested from wrench tectonics. The age of convergent tectonics is 530 -- 580 Ma, dated by Sm-Nd garnet-whole rock analysis. This is interpreted as the age of peak metamorphism.

The growth of a mountain belt forced by base-level fall: Tectonics and surface processes during the evolution of the Alborz Mountains, N Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballato, Paolo; Landgraf, Angela; Schildgen, Taylor F.; Stockli, Daniel F.; Fox, Matthew; Ghassemi, Mohammad R.; Kirby, Eric; Strecker, Manfred R.

2015-09-01

The idea that climatically modulated erosion may impact orogenic processes has challenged geoscientists for decades. Although modeling studies and physical calculations have provided a solid theoretical basis supporting this interaction, to date, field-based work has produced inconclusive results. The central-western Alborz Mountains in the northern sectors of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone constitute a promising area to explore these potential feedbacks. This region is characterized by asymmetric precipitation superimposed on an orogen with a history of spatiotemporal changes in exhumation rates, deformation patterns, and prolonged, km-scale base-level changes. Our analysis suggests that despite the existence of a strong climatic gradient at least since 17.5 Ma, the early orogenic evolution (from ∼36 to 9-6 Ma) was characterized by decoupled orographic precipitation and tectonics. In particular, faster exhumation and sedimentation along the more arid southern orogenic flank point to a north-directed accretionary flux and underthrusting of Central Iran. Conversely, from ∼6 to 3 Ma, erosion rates along the northern orogenic flank became higher than those in the south, where they dropped to minimum values. This change occurred during a ∼3-Myr-long, km-scale base-level lowering event in the Caspian Sea. We speculate that mass redistribution processes along the northern flank of the Alborz and presumably across all mountain belts adjacent to the South Caspian Basin and more stable areas of the Eurasian plate increased the sediment load in the basin and ultimately led to the underthrusting of the Caspian Basin beneath the Alborz Mountains. This underthrusting in turn triggered a new phase of northward orogenic expansion, transformed the wetter northern flank into a new pro-wedge, and led to the establishment of apparent steady-state conditions along the northern orogenic flank (i.e., rock uplift equal to erosion rates). Conversely, the southern mountain front became the retro-wedge and experienced limited tectonic activity. These observations overall raise the possibility that mass-distribution processes during a pronounced erosion phase driven by base-level changes may have contributed to the inferred regional plate-tectonic reorganization of the northern Arabia-Eurasia collision during the last ∼5 Ma.

Homogenous stretching or detachment faulting? Which process is primarily extending the Aegean crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumerics, C.; Ring, U.

2003-04-01

In extending orogens like the Aegean Sea of Greece and the Basin-and-Range province of the western United States, knowledge of rates of tectonic processes are important for understanding which process is primarily extending the crust. Platt et al. (1998) proposed that homogeneous stretching of the lithosphere (i.e. vertical ductile thinning associated with a subhorizontal foliation) at rates of 4-5 km Myr-1 is the dominant process that formed the Alboran Sea in the western Mediterranean. The Aegean Sea in the eastern Mediterranean is well-known for its low-angle normal faults (detachments) (Lister et al., 1984; Lister &Forster, 1996) suggesting that detachment faulting may have been the primary agent achieving ~>250 km (McKenzie, 1978) of extension since the Miocene. Ring et al. (2003) provided evidence for a very fast-slipping detachment on the islands of Syros and Tinos in the western Cyclades, which suggests that normal faulting was the dominant tectonic process that formed the Aegean Sea. However, most extensional detachments in the Aegean do not allow to quantify the amount of vertical ductile thinning associated with extension and therefore a full evaluation of the significance of vertical ductile thinning is not possible. On the Island of Ikaria in the eastern Aegean Sea, a subhorizontal extensional ductile shear zone is well exposed. We studied this shear zone in detail to quantify the amount of vertical ductile thinning associated with extension. Numerous studies have shown that natural shear zones usually deviate significantly from progressive simple shear and are characterized by pronounced shortening perpendicular to the shear zone. Numerous deformed pegmatitic veins in this shear zone on Ikaria allow the reconstruction of deformation and flow parameters (Passchier, 1990), which are necessary for quantifying the amount of vertical ductile thinning in the shear zone. Furthermore, a flow-path and finite-strain study in a syn-tectonic granite, which intruded into the shear zone, was carried out. Consistent results show that the mean kinematic vorticity number in the shear zone was close to 1, indicating that the bulk deformation path was close to simple shear. This in turn indicates that vertical ductile thinning was not important during extensional faulting. We conclude that detachment faulting was the primary agent that extended the Aegean crust.

Extensional Tectonics of SW Anatolia In relation to Slab Edge Processes in the Eastern Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaymakci, N.; Özacar, A.; Langereis, C. G.; Ozkaptan, M.; Koç, A.; Uzel, B.; Gulyuz, E.; Sözbilir, H.

2017-12-01

The tectonics of SW Anatolia is expressed in terms of emplacement of Lycian Nappes during the Eocene to Middle Miocene and synconvergent extension as part of the Aegean-West Anatolian extensional tectonic regime. Recent studies identified that there is a tear in the northwards subducting African Oceanic lithosphere along the Pliny-Strabo Trenches (PST). Such tears are coined as Subduction Transform-Edge Propagator (STEP) faults developed high angle to trenches. Hypothetically, the evolution of a STEP fault is somewhat similar to strike-slip fault zones and resultant asymmetric role-back of the subducting slab leads to differential block rotations and back arc type extension on the overriding plate. Recent studies claimed that the tear along the PST propagated NE on-land and developed Fethiye-Burdur Fault/Shear Zone (FBFZ) in SW Turkey. We have conducted a rigorous paleomagnetic study containing more than 3000 samples collected from 88 locations and 11700 fault slip data sets from 198 locations distributed evenly all over SW Anatolia spanning from Middle Miocene to Late Pliocene to test if FBFZ ever existed. The results show that there is slight (20°) counter-clockwise rotation distributed uniformly almost whole SW Anatolia and there is no change in the rotation senses and amounts on either side of the FBFZ implying no differential rotation within the zone. Additionally, constructed paleostress configurations, along the so-called FBFZ and within the 300 km diameter of the proposed fault zone, indicated that almost all the faults that are parallel to subparallel to the zone are almost pure normal faults similar to earthquake focal mechanisms suggesting active extension in the region. It is important to note that we have not encountered any significant strike-slip motion parallel to so-called "FBFZ" to support presence and transcurrent nature of it. On the contrary, the region is dominated by extensional deformation and strike-slip components are observed only on the NW-SE striking transfer faults, which are almost perpendicular to zone that accommodated extension and normal motion. We claim that the sinistral Fethiye Burdur Fault/shear (Zone) is a myth and there is no tangible evidence to support the existence of such a strike-slip fault or a shear zone. This research is supported by TUBITAK - Grant Number 111Y239.

Abrupt along-strike change in tectonic style: San Andreas fault zone, San Francisco Peninsula

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zoback, M.L.; Jachens, R.C.; Olson, J.A.

1999-01-01

Seismicity and high-resolution aeromagnetic data are used to define an abrupt change from compressional to extensional tectonism within a 10- to 15-km-wide zone along the San Andreas fault on the San Francisco Peninsula and offshore from the Golden Gate. This 100-km-long section of the San Andreas fault includes the hypocenter of the Mw = 7.8 1906 San Francisco earthquake as well as the highest level of persistent microseismicity along that ???470-km-long rupture. We define two distinct zones of deformation along this stretch of the fault using well-constrained relocations of all post-1969 earthquakes based a joint one-dimensional velocity/hypocenter inversion and a redetermination of focal mechanisms. The southern zone is characterized by thrust- and reverse-faulting focal mechanisms with NE trending P axes that indicate "fault-normal" compression in 7- to 10-km-wide zones of deformation on both sides of the San Andreas fault. A 1- to 2-km-wide vertical zone beneath the surface trace of the San Andreas is characterized by its almost complete lack of seismicity. The compressional deformation is consistent with the young, high topography of the Santa Cruz Mountains/Coast Ranges as the San Andreas fault makes a broad restraining left bend (???10??) through the southernmost peninsula. A zone of seismic quiescence ???15 km long separates this compressional zone to the south from a zone of combined normal-faulting and strike-slip-faulting focal mechanisms (including a ML = 5.3 earthquake in 1957) on the northernmost peninsula and offshore on the Golden Gate platform. Both linear pseudo-gravity gradients, calculated from the aeromagnetic data, and seismic reflection data indicate that the San Andreas fault makes an abrupt ???3-km right step less than 5 km offshore in this northern zone. A similar right-stepping (dilatational) geometry is also observed for the subparallel San Gregorio fault offshore. Persistent seismicity and extensional tectonism occur within the San Andreas right stepover region and at least 15 km along-strike both to the SE and NW. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake may have nucleated within the San Andreas right stepover, which may help explain the bilateral nature of rupture of this event. Our analysis suggests two seismic hazards for the San Francisco Peninsula in addition to the hazard associated with a M = 7 to 8 strike-slip earthquake along the San Andreas fault: the potential for a M ??? 6 normal-faulting earthquake just 5-8 km west of San Francisco and a M = 6+ thrust faulting event in the southern peninsula.

Role of the Western Anatolia Shear Zone (WASZ) in Neotectonics Evolution of the Western Anatolia Extended Terrain, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cemen, I.; Gogus, O. H.; Hancer, M.

2013-12-01

The Neotectonics period in western Anatolia Extended Terrain, Turkey (WAET) may have initiated in late Oligocene following the Eocene Alpine collision which produced the Izmir-Ankara suture zone. The Western Anatolia Shear Zone (WASZ) bounds the WAET to the east. The shear zone contains mostly normal faults in the vicinity of the Gulf of Gokova. However, its movement is mostly oblique slip from the vicinity of Tavas towards the Lake of Acigol where it makes a northward bend and possibly joins the Eskisehir fault zone to the north of the town of Afyon. The shear zone forms the southern and eastern margins of the Kale-Tavas, Denizli and Acigol basins. The shear zone is similar in its structural/tectonics setting to the Eastern California Shear zone (ECSZ) of the Basins and Ranges of North America Extended terrain which is also composed of many normal to oblique-slip faults and separates two extended terrains with different rates of extension. Western Anatolia experienced many devastating earthquakes within the last 2000 years. Many of the ancient Greek/Roman city states, including Ephesus, Troy, and Hierapolis were destroyed by large historical earthquakes. During the second half of the 20th century, the region experienced two major large earthquake giving normal fault focal mechanism solutions. They are the 1969, M=6.9 Alasehir and the 1970, M=7.1 Gediz earthquakes. These earthquakes had caused substantial damage and loss of life in the region. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the kinematics of the Cenozoic extensional tectonics and earthquake potential of the WASZ in the region, is very important, especially since the fault zone is very close to the major towns in eastern part of western Turkey, such as Mugla, Denizli, Sandikli, Dinar and Afyon.

A new subdivision of the central Sesia Zone (Aosta Valley, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuntoli, Francesco; Engi, Martin; Manzotti, Paola; Ballèvre, Michel

2015-04-01

The Sesia Zone in the Western Alps is a continental terrane probably derived from the NW-Adriatic margin and polydeformed at HP conditions during Alpine convergence. Subdivisions of the Sesia Zone classically have been based on the dominant lithotypes: Eclogitic Micaschist Complex, Seconda Zona Diorito-Kinzigitica, and Gneiss Minuti Complex. However, recent work (Regis et al., 2014) on what was considered a single internal unit has revealed that it comprises two or more tectonic slices that experienced substantially different PTDt-evolutions. Therefore, detailed regional petrographic and structural mapping (1:3k to 1:10k) was undertaken and combined with extensive sampling for petrochronological analysis. Results allow us to propose a first tectonic scheme for the Sesia Zone between the Aosta Valley and Val d'Ayas. A set of field criteria was developed and applied, aiming to recognize and delimit the first order tectonic units in this complex structural and metamorphic context. The approach rests on three criteria used in the field: (1) Discontinuously visible metasedimentary trails (mostly carbonates) considered to be monocyclic (Permo-Mesozoic protoliths); (2) mappable high-strain zones; and (3) visible differences in the metamorphic imprint. None of these key features used are sufficient by themselves, but in combination they allow us to propose a new map that delimits main units. We propose an Internal Complex with three eclogitic sheets, each 0.5-3 km thick. Dominant lithotypes include micaschists associated with mafic rocks and minor orthogneiss. The main foliation is of HP, dipping moderately NW. Each of these sheets is bounded by (most likely monometamorphic) sediments, <10-50 m thick. HP-relics (of eclogite facies) are widespread, but a greenschist facies overprint locally is strong close to the tectonic contact to neighbouring sheets. An Intermediate Complex lies NW of the Internal Complex and comprises two thinner, wedge-shaped units termed slices. These are composed of siliceous dolomite marbles, meta-granites and -diorites with few mafic boudins. The main foliation dips SE and is of greenschist facies, but omphacite, glaucophane, and garnet occur as relics. Towards the SW, the width of the Intermediate Complex is reduced from 0.5 km to a few meters. In the External Complex several discontinuous lenses occur; these comprise 2DK-lithotypes and are aligned with greenschist facies shear zones mapped within Gneiss Minuti. By combining these features, three main sheets were delimited in the External Complex, with the main foliation being of greenschist facies and dipping moderately SE. Petrological work and in situ U-Th-Pb dating of accessory phases is underway in several of these subunits of the Sesia Zone to constrain their PTDt-history and thus their Alpine assembly. REFERENCE Regis, D., Rubatto, D., Darling, J., Cenki-Tok, B., Zucali, M., Engi, M., 2014. Multiple metamorphic stages within an eclogite-facies terrane (Sesia Zone, Western Alps) revealed by Th-U-Pb petrochronology. J.Petrol. 55, 1429-1456.

Tectonics of the Easter plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engeln, J. F.; Stein, S.

1984-01-01

A new model for the Easter plate is presented in which rift propagation has resulted in the formation of a rigid plate between the propagating and dying ridges. The distribution of earthquakes, eleven new focal mechanisms, and existing bathymetric and magnetic data are used to describe the tectonics of this area. Both the Easter-Nazca and Easter-Pacific Euler poles are sufficiently close to the Easter plate to cause rapid changes in rates and directions of motion along the boundaries. The east and west boundaries are propagating and dying ridges; the southwest boundary is a slow-spreading ridge and the northern boundary is a complex zone of convergent and transform motion. The Easter plate may reflect the tectonics of rift propagation on a large scale, where rigid plate tectonics requires boundary reorientation. Simple schematic models to illustrate the general features and processes which occur at plates resulting from large-scale rift propagation are used.

The tectonic setting of the Seychelles, Mascarene and Amirante Plateaus in the Western Equatorial Indian Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mart, Y.

1988-01-01

A system of marine plateaus occurs in the western equatorial Indian Ocean, forming an arcuate series of wide and shallow banks with small islands in places. The oceanic basins that surround the Seychelles - Amirante region are of various ages and reflect a complex seafloor spreading pattern. The structural analysis of the Seychelle - Amirante - Mascarene region reflects the tectonic evolution of the western equatorial Indian Ocean. It is suggested that due to the seafloor spreading during a tectonic stage, the Seychelles continental block drifted southwestwards to collide with the oceanic crust of the Mascarene Basin, forming an elongated folded structure at first, and then a subduction zone. The morphological similarity, the lithological variability and the different origin of the Seychelles Bank, the Mascarene Plateau and the Amirante Arc emphasizes the significant convergent effects of various plate tectonic processes on the development of marine plateaus.

Tectonic and climatic controls on fan systems: The Kohrud mountain belt, Central Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Stuart J.; Arzani, Nasser; Allen, Mark B.

2014-04-01

Late Pleistocene to Holocene fans of the Kohrud mountain belt (Central Iran) illustrate the problems of differentiating tectonic and climatic drivers for the sedimentary signatures of alluvial fan successions. It is widely recognised that tectonic processes create the topography that causes fan development. The existence and position of fans along the Kohrud mountain belt, NE of Esfahan, are controlled by faulting along the Qom-Zefreh fault system and associated fault zones. These faults display moderate amounts of historical and instrumental seismicity, and so may be considered to be tectonically active. However, fluvial systems on the fans are currently incising in response to low Gavkhoni playa lake levels since the mid-Holocene, producing incised gullies on the fans up to 30 m deep. These gullies expose an interdigitation of lake deposits (dominated by fine-grained silts and clays with evaporites) and coarse gravels that characterise the alluvial fan sediments. The boundaries of each facies are mostly sharp, with fan sediments superimposed on lake sediments with little to no evidence of reworking. In turn, anhydrite-glauberite, mirabilite and halite crusts drape over the gravels, recording a rapid return to still water, shallow ephemeral saline lake sedimentation. Neither transition can be explained by adjustment of the hinterland drainage system after tectonic uplift. The potential influence in Central Iran of enhanced monsoons, the northward drift of the Intertopical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and Mediterranean climates for the early Holocene (~ 6-10 ka) point to episodic rainfall (during winter months) associated with discrete high magnitude floods on the fan surfaces. The fan sediments were deposited under the general influence of a highstand playa lake whose level was fluctuating in response to climate. This study demonstrates that although tectonism can induce fan development, it is the sensitive balance between aridity and humidity resulting from changes in the climate regime of Central Iran that influences the nature of fan sequences and how they interrelate to associated facies.

Numerical validation of the 'Pop-Down tectonics' as a structural frame for hot lithospheres with particular reference to the Hearne craton (Canadian Shield)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poh, Jonathan; Yamato, Philippe; Gapais, Denis; Duretz, Thibault; Ledru, Patrick

2017-04-01

The formation of the architecture of the main cratons of the Canadian Shield has been debated over the past three decades. Understanding the role of tangential Vs. vertical tectonics in the Rae craton is of great interest as the role of inherited structure is fundamental for the subsequent drainage of fluids and the formation of high to ultra-high grade unconformity-type uranium deposits. These deposits are located in the vicinity of the intersection between the unconformity at the base of the Paleoproterozoic Athabasca sedimentary basin (1.75-1.5 Ga) and the graphite-rich metasediments of the Wollaston-Mudjatik transition zone, one of the main fault system of the Rae Craton related to the Trans-Hudson orogeny (1.82-1.78 Ga). A new tectonic model, Pop-down tectonics, was proposed as the primary driving process to concentrate supracrustal materials, strains, fluid transfers and metal transport in permeability enhanced deformation zones. The sub-vertical structural patterns with regional horizontal shortening seen in the tectonic model appear to be consistent with field evidences and has the potential for sustaining strong fluid-rock interactions. In the light of previous analogue modelling studies, we test the viability of the Pop-down tectonics model in a thermo-mechanical framework. The numerical experiments are based on a series of 2D visco-elasto-plastic thermo-mechanical models. We employ various thermal and rheological parameters derived from laboratory experiments. The geometry, thermicity and kinematics of the models are further constrained by applying existing geophysical and geological data. We impose a fixed upper mantle temperature of 1330 °C and a thin crust ranging from 30 - 40 km. The outcome of the models will provide insights into the mechanical processes controlling the deformation of hot lithospheres in convergent settings.

Geologic Map of the Big Delta B-1 Quadrangle, East-Central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Day, Warren C.; O'Neill, J. Michael; Aleinikoff, John N.; Green, Gregory N.; Saltus, Richard W.; Gough, Larry P.

2007-01-01

Geologic mapping and U-Pb age dating of rocks from the Big Delta B-1 quadrangle, east-central Alaska, have yielded new insights into the geology and gold mineral resource for the headwater region of the Goodpaster River, northeast of Delta, Alaska. The area lies within the Yukon-Tanana Upland and is underlain by Paleozoic and Cretaceous crystalline bedrock and contains several gold mines and prospects. The Paleozoic units include biotite gneiss, quartzite interlayered with metapelite, and amphibolite gneiss. The Paleozoic units were intruded during the Devonian by tonalitic to granitic plutons, which, as a result of regional Mesozoic metamorphism and tectonism, are now augen gneiss and biotite orthogneiss. The Mesozoic regional metamorphism and ductile deformation of the entire Yukon-Tanana Upland culminated by the Late Cretaceous (about 116 Ma) as a result of northwest-directed regional transpression along the southern margin of the North American craton. This dynamothermal episode was followed by invasion of syn- to post-tectonic granodioritic to granitic batholiths during the Late Cretaceous (about 113-107 Ma), followed by a pulse of 100-95 Ma quartz feldspar porphyry intrusions. Gold mineralization is spatially associated with various post-tectonic Late Cretaceous granitic dikes and batholiths throughout the quadrangle. A northeast-trending structural corridor, described herein as the Black Mountain tectonic zone, both controlled the emplacement of some of the Cretaceous intrusive rocks, gold deposits, and prospects, as well as formed a deep-seated crustal conduit along which a subsequent rhyolite flow-dome complex erupted during the Paleocene. Tertiary uplift and erosion resulted in the development of extensive erosional pediments. Quaternary alpine glaciation carved beautiful, broad valleys in the eastern part of the quadrangle, leaving behind terminal moraines in the headwater region of the Goodpaster river drainage. Continued Holocene to Recent deformation along the Black Mountain tectonic zone has offset Tertiary terraces, as well as Quaternary fluvial and alluvial deposits, indicating that the area has a long, complex, and ongoing tectonic history.

Geographic information system (GIS) compilation of geophysical, geologic, and tectonic data for the Circum-North Pacific

USGS Publications Warehouse

Greninger, Mark L.; Klemperer, Simon L.; Nokleberg, Warren J.

1999-01-01

The accompanying directory structure contains a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) compilation of geophysical, geological, and tectonic data for the Circum-North Pacific. This area includes the Russian Far East, Alaska, the Canadian Cordillera, linking continental shelves, and adjacent oceans. This GIS compilation extends from 120?E to 115?W, and from 40?N to 80?N. This area encompasses: (1) to the south, the modern Pacific plate boundary of the Japan-Kuril and Aleutian subduction zones, the Queen Charlotte transform fault, and the Cascadia subduction zone; (2) to the north, the continent-ocean transition from the Eurasian and North American continents to the Arctic Ocean; (3) to the west, the diffuse Eurasian-North American plate boundary, including the probable Okhotsk plate; and (4) to the east, the Alaskan-Canadian Cordilleran fold belt. This compilation should be useful for: (1) studying the Mesozoic and Cenozoic collisional and accretionary tectonics that assembled this continental crust of this region; (2) studying the neotectonics of active and passive plate margins in this region; and (3) constructing and interpreting geophysical, geologic, and tectonic models of the region. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programs provide powerful tools for managing and analyzing spatial databases. Geological applications include regional tectonics, geophysics, mineral and petroleum exploration, resource management, and land-use planning. This CD-ROM contains thematic layers of spatial data-sets for geology, gravity field, magnetic field, oceanic plates, overlap assemblages, seismology (earthquakes), tectonostratigraphic terranes, topography, and volcanoes. The GIS compilation can be viewed, manipulated, and plotted with commercial software (ArcView and ArcInfo) or through a freeware program (ArcExplorer) that can be downloaded from http://www.esri.com for both Unix and Windows computers using the button below.

Tertiary plate tectonics and high-pressure metamorphism in New Caledonia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brothers, R.N.; Blake, M.C.

1973-01-01

The sialic basement of New Caledonia is a Permian-Jurassic greywacke sequence which was folded and metamorphosed to prehnite-pumpellyite or low-grade greenschist facies by the Late Jurassic. Succeeding Cretaceous-Eocene sediments unconformably overlie this basement and extend outwards onto oceanic crust. Tertiary tectonism occurred in three distinct phases. 1. (1) During the Late Eocene a nappe of peridotite was obducted onto southern New Caledonia from northeast to southwest, but without causing significant metamorphism in the underlying sialic rocks. 2. (2) Oligocene compressive thrust tectonics in the northern part of the island accompanied a major east-west subduction zone, at least 30 km wide, which is identified by an imbricate system of tectonically intruded melanges and by development of lawsonite-bearing assemblages in adjacent country rocks; this high-pressure mineralogy constituted a primary metamorphism for the Cretaceous-Eocene sedimentary pile, but was overprinted on the Mesozoic prehnite-pumpellyite metagreywackes. 3. (3) Post-Oligocene transcurrent faulting along a northwest-southeast line (the sillon) parallel to the west coast caused at least 150 km of dextral offset of the southwest frontal margin of the Eocene ultramafic nappe. At the present time, the tectonics of the southwest Pacific are related to a series of opposite facing subduction (Benioff) zones connected by transform faults extending from New Britain-Solomon Islands south through the New Hebrides to New Zealand and marking the boundary between the Australian and Pacific plates. Available geologic data from this region suggest that a similar geometry existed during the Tertiary and that the microcontinents of New Guinea, New Caledonia and New Zealand all lay along the former plate boundary which has since migrated north and east by a complex process of sea-floor spreading behind the active island arcs. ?? 1973.

Miocene exhumation of the Indus-Yarlung Suture Zone in NW India: An insight into the controls of tectonics and climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, G.; Robinson, D. M.; Orme, D. A.; Olree, E.; Bosu, S.

2016-12-01

Detritus from the India-Asia collision and subsequent Cenozoic tectonic events is preserved in sedimentary basins along the 2500 km long Indus-Yarlung Suture Zone (IYSZ) in India and Tibet. In northwest India, these Eocene-Miocene synorogenic sedimentary rocks are preserved in the Tar and Indus Groups. We use (U-Th)/He dating of detrital zircons from units within these sedimentary basins, including the Temesgam Formation at Temesgam, the Lower Nimu Formation and the Sumdo Formation in the Zanskar Gorge, and the Artsa Formation and the Miru Formation in the Upshi-Lato region. These analyses indicate a phase of rapid exhumation from 19-8 Ma. Possible explanations for these data include a combination of tectonic events and the influence of climate. Regional back-thrusting initiated at 20 Ma along the Great Counter Thrust, which buried the IYSZ footwall with the Lamayuru slope deposits of the Indian passive margin. In south Tibet, previous studies identify underthrusting of the Indian plate as a key factor for basin exhumation in the IYSZ, which may also be a driver in northwest India. The flow of the paleo-Indus river through the IYSZ in Early Miocene time might have been triggered by the onset of Asian monsoon at 24 Ma and its intensification between 18-10 Ma. Our data demonstrate a phase of rapid exhumation in northwest India from 19-8 Ma, which may be linked to all of these tectonic and climate influences. Data in this study are similar to the data of Carrapa et al. (2014) from south Tibet that show peak exhumation at 17 Ma, and suggest that a regional cooling episode, driven by tectonics and climate, might have prevailed in the Miocene along the IYSZ.

Temporal Variation of Tectonic Tremor Activity Associated with Nearby Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, K.; Van der Lee, S.; Hsu, Y. J.; Pu, H. C.

2017-12-01

Tectonic tremor and slow slip events, located downdip from the seismogenic zone, hold the key to recurring patterns of typical earthquakes. Several findings of slow aseismic slip during the prenucletion processes of nearby earthquakes have provided new insight into the study of stress transform of slow earthquakes in fault zones prior to megathrust earthquakes. However, how tectonic tremor is associated with the occurrence of nearby earthquakes remains unclear. To enhance our understanding of the stress interaction between tremor and earthquakes, we developed an algorithm for the automatic detection and location of tectonic tremor in the collisional tectonic environment in Taiwan. Our analysis of a three-year data set indicates a short-term increase in the tremor rate starting at 19 days before the 2010 ML6.4 Jiashian main shock (Chao et al., JGR, 2017). Around the time when the tremor rate began to rise, one GPS station recorded a flip in its direction of motion. We hypothesize that tremor is driven by a slow-slip event that preceded the occurrence of the shallower nearby main shock, even though the inferred slip is too small to be observed by all GPS stations. To better quantify what the necessary condition for tremor to response to nearby earthquakes is, we obtained a 13-year ambient tremor catalog from 2004 to 2016 in the same region. We examine the spatiotemporal relationship between tremor and 37 ML>=5.0 (seven events with ML>=6.0) nearby earthquakes located within 0.5 degrees to the active tremor sources. The findings from this study can enhance our understanding of the interaction among tremor, slow slip, and nearby earthquakes in the high seismic hazard regions.

Tectonic and Magmatic Controls on Extension and Crustalaccretion in Backarc Basins, Insights from the Lau Basin and Southern Mariana Trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sleeper, Jonathan D.

This dissertation examines magmatic and tectonic processes in backarc basins, and how they are modulated by plate- and mantle-driven mechanisms. Backarc basins initiate by tectonic rifting near the arc volcanic front and transition to magmatic seafloor spreading. As at mid-ocean ridges (MORs), spreading can be focused in narrow plate boundary zones, but we also describe a diffuse spreading mode particular to backarc basins. At typical MORs away from hot spots and other melting anomalies, spreading rate is the primary control on the rate of mantle upwelling and decompression melting. At backarc spreading centers, water derived from the subducting slab creates an additional mantle-driven source of melt and buoyant upwelling. Furthermore, because basins open primarily in response to trench rollback, which is inherently a non-rigid process, backarc extensional systems often have to respond to a constantly evolving stress regime, generating complex tectonics and unusual plate boundaries not typically found at MORs. The interplay between these plate- and mantle-driven processes gives rise to the variety of tectonic and volcanic morphologies peculiar to backarc basins. Chapter 2 is focused on the Fonualei Rift and Spreading Center in the Lau Basin. The southern portion of the axis is spreading at ultraslow (<20 mm/yr) opening rates in close proximity to the arc volcanic front and axial morphology abruptly changes from a volcanic ridge to spaced volcanic cones resembling arc volcanoes. Spreading rate and arc proximity appear to control transitions between two-dimensional and three-dimensional mantle upwelling and volcanism. In the second study (Chapter 3), I develop a new model for the rollback-driven kinematic and tectonic evolution of the Lau Basin, where microplate tectonics creates rapidly changing plate boundary configurations. The third study (Chapter 4) focuses on the southern Mariana Trough and the transitions between arc rifting, seafloor spreading, and a new mode of "diffuse spreading," where new crust is accreted in broad zones rather than along a narrow spreading axis, apparently controlled by a balance between slab water addition and its extraction due to melting and crustal accretion.

Geometry and kinematics of Majiatan Fold-and-thrust Belt, Western Ordos Basin: implication for Tectonic Evolution of North-South Tectonic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, D.

2017-12-01

The Helan-Chuandian North-South Tectonic Belt crossed the central Chinese mainland. It is a boundary of geological, geophysical, and geographic system of Chinese continent tectonics from shallow to deep, and a key zone for tectonic and geomorphologic inversion during Mesozoic to Cenozoic. It is superimposed by the southeastward and northeastward propagation of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in late Cenozoic. It is thus the critical division for West and East China since Mesozoic. The Majiatan fold-and-thrust belt (MFTB), locating at the central part of HCNSTB and the western margin of Ordos Basin, is formed by the tectonic evolution of the Helan-Liupanshan Mountains. Based on the newly-acquired high-resolution seismic profiles, deep boreholes, and surface geology, the paper discusses the geometry, kinematics, and geodynamic evolution of MFTB. With the Upper Carboniferous coal measures and the pre-Sinian ductile zone as the detachments, MFTB is a multi-level detached thrust system. The thrusting was mainly during latest Jurassic to Late Cretaceous, breaking-forward in the foreland, and resulting in a shortening rate of 25-29%. By structural restoration, this area underwent extension in Middle Proterozoic to Paleozoic, which can be divided into three phases of rifting such as Middle to Late Proterozoic, Cambiran to Ordovician, and Caboniferous to early Permian. It underwent compression since Late Triassic, including such periods as Latest Triassic, Late Jurassic to early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene, and Pliocene to Quaternary, with the largest shortening around Late Jurassic to early Cretaceous period (i.e. the mid-Yanshanian movement by the local name). However, trans-extension since Eocene around the Ordos Basin got rise to the formation the Yingchuan, Hetao, and Weihe grabens. It is concluded that MFTB is the leading edge of the intra-continental Helan orogenic belt, and formed by multi-phase breaking-forward thrusting during Late Jurassic to Cretaceous. During Cenozoic, MFTB is moderately modified by the northeastward compression due to the NE propagation of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and distinctly superimposed by the Yingchuan half-graben. North-South Tectonic Belt underwent a full cycle from extension during Middle Proterozoic to Paleozoic to compression since late Triassic.

Cenozoic stratigraphy and structure of the Chesapeake Bay region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powars, David S.; Edwards, Lucy E.; Kidwell, Susan M.; Schindler, J. Stephen

2015-01-01

The Salisbury embayment is a broad tectonic downwarp that is filled by generally seaward-thickening, wedge-shaped deposits of the central Atlantic Coastal Plain. Our two-day field trip will take us to the western side of this embayment from the Fall Zone in Washington, D.C., to some of the bluffs along Aquia Creek and the Potomac River in Virginia, and then to the Calvert Cliffs on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. We will see fluvial-deltaic Cretaceous deposits of the Potomac Formation. We will then focus on Cenozoic marine deposits. Transgressive and highstand deposits are stacked upon each other with unconformities separating them; rarely are regressive or lowstand deposits preserved. The Paleocene and Eocene shallow shelf deposits consist of glauconitic, silty sands that contain varying amounts of marine shells. The Miocene shallow shelf deposits consist of diatomaceous silts and silty and shelly sands. The lithology, thickness, dip, preservation, and distribution of the succession of coastal plain sediments that were deposited in our field-trip area are, to a great extent, structurally controlled. Surficial and subsurface mapping using numerous continuous cores, auger holes, water-well data, and seismic surveys has documented some folds and numerous high-angle reverse and normal faults that offset Cretaceous and Cenozoic deposits. Many of these structures are rooted in early Mesozoic and/or Paleozoic NE-trending regional tectonic fault systems that underlie the Atlantic Coastal Plain. On Day 1, we will focus on two fault systems (stops 1–2; Stafford fault system and the Skinkers Neck–Brandywine fault system and their constituent fault zones and faults). We will then see (stops 3–5) a few of the remaining exposures of largely unlithified marine Paleocene and Eocene strata along the Virginia side of the Potomac River including the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum boundary clay. These exposures are capped by fluvial-estuarine Pleistocene terrace deposits. On Day 2, we will see (stops 6–9) the classic Miocene section along the ~25 miles (~40 km) of Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, including a possible fault and structural warping. Cores from nearby test holes will also be shown to supplement outcrops.

Passive bookshelf faulting driven by gravitational spreading as the cause of the tiger-stripe-fracture formation and development in the South Polar Terrain of Enceladus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, A.; Pappalardo, R. T.

2013-12-01

Detailed photogeologic mapping of the tiger-stripe fractures in the South Polar Terrain (SPT) of Enceladus indicates that these structures are left-slip faults and terminate at hook-shaped fold-thrust zones and/or Y-shaped horsetail splay-fault zones. The semi-square-shaped tectonic domain that hosts the tiger-stripe faults is bounded by right-slip and left-slip faults on the north and south edges and fold-thrust and extensional zones on the western and eastern edges. We explain the above observations by a passive bookshelf-faulting model in which individual tiger-stripe faults are bounded by deformable wall rocks accommodating distributed deformation. Based on topographic data, we suggest that gravitational spreading had caused the SPT to spread unevenly from west to east. This process was accommodated by right-slip and left-slip faulting on the north and south sides and thrusting and extension along the eastern and southern margins of the tiger-stripe tectonic domain. The uneven spreading, expressed by a gradual northward increase in the number of extensional faults and thrusts/folds along the western and eastern margins, was accommodated by distributed right-slip simple shear across the whole tiger-stripe tectonic domain. This mode of deformation in turn resulted in the development of a passive bookshelf-fault system characterized by left-slip faulting on individual tiger-stripe fractures.

Types and Evolution of Gas Hydrate System along the Tectonically Active Zones of the Western Pacific: Nankai Trough vs. Eastern Margin of Japan Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, R.; Tomaru, H.; Takeuchi, L.; Hiruta, A.; Ishizaki, O.; Aoyama, C.; Machiyama, H.; Goto, T.

2007-12-01

A series of sea-going surveys of marine gas hydrates around Japan Islands for more than a decade has revealed characteristic and contrasting features and evolution of gas hydrate system between the Nankai subduction zone and the Joetsu Basin of Japan Sea. Gas hydrate of the Nankai trough largely occurs as pore-filling type, laterally extending in turbidites. Methane is depleted in C-13, mostly derived from microbial brake-down of organic matters. Strong and continuous BSRs occur at around 270 mbsf, corresponding to the base of gas hydrate stability (BGHS). Furthermore, double BSRs with weak reflector (BSR-2) 20-30 m below BSR appear in uplifting knolls. BSR-2 is explained as a relic BSR, which coincides with BGHS. Combination effects of uplifting of gas hydrate bearing sediments and sea-level fall are likely to have caused shoaling of BGHS and BSRs, dissociation of gas hydrate between old and new BRSs, and further accumulation of gas hydrates above BSR. Thus the recycling of methane at BGHS triggered by glacial sea level fall contributed for the development of subsurface gas hydrate deposits. Joetsu basin is located on a newly formed convergent boundary between Eurasia and Philippine Sea Plates. Well-defined circular pockmarks with ca.500 m in diameter develop on the folded and faulted Umitaka spur and Joetsu knoll in the basin. A number of circular swells and mounds, 200-500 m in diameter, have been also recognized nearby the pockmarks. Thus the Umitaka spur and perhaps Joetsu knoll are characterized by rough topography of pockmarks and mounds. Methane of plumes and gas hydrate originates in deep-seated thermogenic gases with relatively heavy carbon. 3D seismic profiles clearly depict gas chimney structures below pockmark-mound zones, and gigantic methane plumes stand on the mounds not in the pockmarks. Pockmarks are often considered as vent holes, however, those of the Joestu Basin are quite. BSRs occur at about 150 mbsr, corresponding to very high heat flow, and are widely distributed throughout the area, while no double BSRs are observed. BSRs within gas chimneys are very strong and often exhibit pull-up structure. A number of piston corers have recovered chunks of massive gas hydrate from the mounds. ROV dives observed gas hydrates exposed atop the mounds. Furthermore, electric ocean floor survey has revealed that sediments below the pockmark-mound zones were not conductive. These lines of evidence suggest that the mounds are more-or-less composed of or at least contain significant amounts of methane. Sea-level fall during the last glacial, 120 m in Japan Sea, should have caused instability of gas hydrate, in particular, those within pockmarks. Pull-up structures within the chimney seem to support the model that the mounds are gas hydrate dome and the pockmark, probably a relic hydrate mound. Glacial sea level fall should have caused massive dissociation of subsurface methane hydrate as in case of the Nankai trough. However the methane from the dissociation of massive hydrate in the chimney should escape to seawater to form a crater-like depression pockmarks. Considering active venting, gigantic plumes, inferred violent venting and perhaps floating of massive gas hydrates, gas hydrate deposits are to be formed during warmer, high-sea level periods, and episodic dissociation and massive emission of methane to ocean/atmosphere system.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barr, G.E.; Borns, D.J.; Fridrich, C.

A comprehensive collection of scenarios is presented that connect initiating tectonic events with radionuclide releases by logical and physically possible combinations or sequences of features, events and processes. The initiating tectonic events include both discrete faulting and distributed rock deformation developed through the repository and adjacent to it, as well as earthquake-induced ground motion and changes in tectonic stress at the site. The effects of these tectonic events include impacts on the engineered-barrier system, such as container rupture and failure of repository tunnels. These effects also include a wide range of hydrologic effects such as changes in pathways and flowmore » rates in the unsaturated and saturated zones, changes in the water-table configuration, and in the development of perched-water systems. These scenarios are intended go guide performance-assessment analyses and to assist principal investigators in how essential field, laboratory, and calculational studies are used. This suite of scenarios will help ensure that all important aspects of the system disturbance related to a tectonic scenario are captured in numerical analyses. It also provides a record of all options considered by project analysts to provide documentation required for licensing agreement. The final portion of this report discusses issues remaining to be addressed with respect to tectonic activity. 105 refs.« less

The Effect of a Tectonic Stress Field on Coal and Gas Outbursts

PubMed Central

An, Fenghua; Cheng, Yuanping

2014-01-01

Coal and gas outbursts have always been a serious threat to the safe and efficient mining of coal resources. Ground stress (especially the tectonic stress) has a notable effect on the occurrence and distribution of outbursts in the field practice. A numerical model considering the effect of coal gas was established to analyze the outburst danger from the perspective of stress conditions. To evaluate the outburst tendency, the potential energy of yielded coal mass accumulated during an outburst initiation was studied. The results showed that the gas pressure and the strength reduction from the adsorbed gas aggravated the coal mass failure and the ground stress altered by tectonics would affect the plastic zone distribution. To demonstrate the outburst tendency, the ratio of potential energy for the outburst initiation and the energy consumption was used. Increase of coal gas and tectonic stress could enhance the potential energy accumulation ratio, meaning larger outburst tendency. The component of potential energy for outburst initiation indicated that the proportion of elastic energy was increased due to tectonic stress. The elastic energy increase is deduced as the cause for a greater outburst danger in a tectonic area from the perspective of stress conditions. PMID:24991648

Formation of Cretaceous Cordilleran and post-orogenic granites and their microgranular enclaves from the Dalat zone, southern Vietnam: Tectonic implications for the evolution of Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shellnutt, J. Gregory; Lan, Ching-Ying; Van Long, Trinh; Usuki, Tadashi; Yang, Huai-Jen; Mertzman, Stanley A.; Iizuka, Yoshi; Chung, Sun-Lin; Wang, Kuo-Lung; Hsu, Wen-Yu

2013-12-01

Cordilleran-type batholiths are useful in understanding the duration, cyclicity and tectonic evolution of continental margins. The Dalat zone of southern Vietnam preserves evidence of Late Mesozoic convergent zone magmatism superimposed on Precambrian rocks of the Indochina Block. The Dinhquan, Deoca and Ankroet plutons and their enclaves indicate that the Dalat zone transitioned from an active continental margin producing Cordilleran-type batholiths to highly extended crust producing within-plate plutons. The Deoca and Dinhquan plutons are compositionally similar to Cordilleran I-type granitic rocks and yield mean zircon U/Pb ages between 118 ± 1.4 Ma and 115 ± 1.2 Ma. Their Sr-Nd whole rock isotopes (ISr = 0.7044 to 0.7062; εNd(T) = - 2.4 to + 0.2) and zircon Hf isotopes (εHf(T) = + 8.2 ± 1.2 and + 6.4 ± 0.9) indicate that they were derived by mixing between a mantle component and an enriched component (i.e. GLOSS). The Ankroet pluton is chemically similar to post-orogenic/within-plate granitic rocks and has a zircon U/Pb age of 87 ± 1.6 Ma. Geobarometric calculations indicate that amphibole within the Ankroet pluton crystallized at a depth of ~ 6 kbar which is consistent with the somewhat more depleted Sr-Nd isotope (ISr = 0.7017 to 0.7111; εNd(T) = - 2.8 to + 0.6) and variable εHf(T) compositions suggesting a stronger influence of crustal material in the parental magma. The compositional change of the Dalat zone granitic rocks during the middle to late Cretaceous indicates that the tectonic regime evolved from a continental arc environment to one of post-orogenic extension. The appearance of sporadic post-90 Ma magmatism in the Dalat zone and along the eastern margin of Eurasian indicates that there was no subsequent orogenic event and the region was likely one of highly extended crust that facilitated the opening of the South China Sea during the latter half of the Cenozoic.

A combined magnetometry and gravity study across Zagros orogeny in Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abedi, Maysam; Oskooi, Behrooz

2015-11-01

In this work, the structural geology and the tectonic conditions of the Zagros orogeny along the route of Qom to Kermanshah cities were investigated using the combined geophysical methods of the airborne magnetometry and the ground-based gravity data. Airborne magnetometry data of Iran with a line space of survey, 7.5 km, were used to model the magnetic susceptibility property along the route. At first, the airborne magnetic data were stably 500-m downward continued to the ground surface in order to enhance minor changes of the Earth's magnetic field over the studied region. Afterward, 3D inverse modeling of the magnetic data was implemented to the downward continued data, and subsequently the section of magnetic susceptibility variation along the desired route was extracted and imaged at depth. The acquired model could appropriately predict the observed magnetic data, showing low misfit values between the observation and the predicted data. The analytic signal filter was applied to the reduced-to-pole (RTP) magnetic data leading to the determination of the active and probable hidden faults in the structural zones of the Zagros, such as Sanandaj-Sirjan, Central Domain (CD) and Urumieh-Dokhtar based upon the generated peaks along the profile of analytic signal filter. In addition, the density variations of the subsurface geological layers were determined by 3D inverting of the ground-based gravity data over the whole study area, and extracting this property along the route. The joint models of magnetic susceptibility and density variation could appropriately localize the traces of faults along with the geologically and tectonically structural boundaries in the region. The locations of faults correspond well to the variation of geophysical parameters on the inverted sections. Probable direction, slope and extension at depth of these faults were also determined on the sections, indicating a high tectonized zone of the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (SSZ) parallel to the zone of the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Assemblage (UDMA). The UDMA zone increases the magnetic and the Bouguer anomalies by intruding into the CD zone as well.

The Geology of the Persian Gulf-Gulf of Oman Region: A Synthesis (Paper 6R0118)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, David A.; Uchupi, Elazar; White, Robert S.

1986-08-01

During the Mesozoic most of the Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf, south-western Iran, and eastern Iraq constituted the Arabian platform. Deformation of the Musandam Peninsula in the Late Cretaceous and mid-Tertiary by compression (subduction) from the east and southwest, collision of the Arabian platform and Eurasian plate along the Zagros Crush zone during the Oligocene or early Miocene, and emplacement of the Zagros Mountains by gravitational sliding during the Neogene and Pleistocene have reduced the platform area to the Persian Gulf. Other factors that contributed to the reduction of the Arabian platform include the uplift of the Arabian Peninsula during the opening of the Red Sea in the Tertiary, tectonism of the Infracambrian Hormuz salt, upwarp of the platform sediment cover by basement uplift and/or salt tectonics, and a 600- to 400-m drop in sea level since the Cretaceous. At present, tectonism in the region is restricted to the northern edge of the Gulf of Oman where the Arabian plate is subducting the Eurasian plate from the south and to the Zagros Crush zone where the Arabian and Eurasian plates are colliding with one another.

Mesozoic Deformation and Its Geological Significance in the Southern Margin of the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Rongwei; Liu, Hailing; Yao, Yongjian; Wang, Yin

2018-05-01

The pre-Eocene history of the region around the present South China Sea is not well known. New multi-channel seismic profiles provide valuable insights into the probable Mesozoic history of this region. Detailed structural and stratigraphic interpretations of the multi-channel seismic profiles, calibrated with relevant drilling and dredging data, show major Mesozoic structural features. A structural restoration was done to remove the Cenozoic tectonic influence and calculate the Mesozoic tectonic compression ratios. The results indicate that two groups of compressive stress with diametrically opposite orientations, S(S)E-N(N)W and N(N)W-S(S)E, were active during the Mesozoic. The compression ratio values gradually decrease from north to south and from west to east in each stress orientation. The phenomena may be related to the opening of the proto-South China Sea (then located in south of the Nansha block) and the rate at which the Nansha block drifted northward in the late Jurassic to late Cretaceous. The Nansha block drifted northward until it collided and sutured with the southern China margin. The opening of the present South China Sea may be related to this suture zone, which was a tectonic zone of weakness.

Albari granodiorite - a typical calcalkaline diapir of volcanic arc stage from the Arabian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radain, Abdulaziz A.

Granodiorite rocks of the Arabian Shield are generally considered to be collision-related granitoids. However, there are some granodiorites that were formed during the volcanic arc stage. Major and trace elements studies are carried out on Albari diapiric granodiorite to reveal its tectonic environment. This intrusive rock type is common in the Taif arc province (Mahd adh Dhahab quadrangle) of the Asir microplate near the border of the southeast dipping subduction zone that ended up with arc-arc collision (Asir-Hijaz microplates) along the now known Bir Umq suture zone. The granodiorite exhibits a calcalkaline trend on ternary AFM and K 2ONa 2OCaO diagrams. Tectonic discrimination diagrams using multicationic parameters (R1 = 4Sill(Na+K)2(Fe+Ti); R2 = 6Ca+2Mg+Al), SiO 2-trace elements (Nb, Y, Rb), and Y versus Nb and Rb versus (Y+Nb) indicate a destructive active plate margin or volcanic arc stage tectonic environment. Albari calcalkaline granodiorite might have been derived directly from partial melting of subducted oceanic crust or overlying mantle contaminated with variable amounts of intermediate (quartz diorite, diorite, tonalite, trondhjemite) early and late volcanic arc-related plutonic country rocks.

Geodetic evidence for continuing tectonic activity of the Carboneras fault (SE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echeverria, Anna; Khazaradze, Giorgi; Asensio, Eva; Masana, Eulalia

2015-11-01

The Carboneras fault zone (CFZ) is a prominent onshore-offshore strike-slip fault that forms part of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone (EBSZ), located in SE Spain. In this work, we show for the first time, the continuing tectonic activity of the CFZ and quantify its geodetic slip-rates using continuous and campaign GPS observations conducted during the last decade. We find that the left-lateral motion dominates the kinematics of the CFZ, with a strike-slip rate of 1.3 ± 0.2 mm/yr along the N48° direction. The shortening component is significantly lower and poorly constrained. Recent onshore and offshore paleoseismic and geomorphic results across the CFZ suggest a minimum Late Pleistocene to present-day strike-slip rate of 1.1 mm/yr. Considering the similarity of the geologic and geodetic slip rates measured at different points along the fault, the northern segment of the CFZ must have been slipping approximately at a constant rate during the Quaternary. Regarding the eastern Alpujarras fault zone corridor (AFZ), located to the north of the CFZ, our GPS measurements corroborate that this zone is active and exhibits a right-lateral motion. These opposite type strike-slip motion across the AFZ and CFZ is a result of a push-type force due to Nubia and Eurasia plate convergence, which, in turn, causes the westward escape of the block bounded by these two fault zones.

Progressive magmatism and evolution of the Variscan suture in southern Iberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braid, James A.; Murphy, J. Brendan; Quesada, Cecilio; Gladney, Evan R.; Dupuis, Nicolle

2018-04-01

Magmatic activity is an integral component of orogenic processes, from arc magmatism during convergence to post-collisional crustal melting. Southern Iberia exposes a Late Paleozoic suture zone within Pangea and where a crustal fragment of Laurussia (South Portuguese Zone) is juxtaposed with parautochthonous Gondwana (Ossa Morena Zone). Fault-bounded oceanic metasedimentary rocks, mélanges and ophiolite complexes characterize the suture zone and are intruded by plutonic rocks and mafic dykes. The generation and emplacement of these intrusive rocks and their relationship to development of the suture zone and the orogen are undetermined. Field evidence combined with U/Pb (zircon) geochronology reveals three main phases of plutonism, a pre-collisional unfoliated gabbroic phase emplaced at ca 354 Ma, crosscut by a syn-tectonic ca 345 Ma foliated granodiorite phase followed by a ca 335 Ma granitic phase. Geochemical analyses (major, trace, rare earth elements) indicate that the gabbro exhibits a calc-alkaline arc signature whereas the granodiorite and granite are typical of post-collisional slab break-off. Taken together, these data demonstrate a protracted development of the orogen and support a complex late stage evolution broadly similar to the tectonics of the modern eastern Mediterranean. In this scenario, the highly oblique closure of a small tract of oceanic lithosphere postdates the main collision event resulting in escape of parautochthonous and allochthonous terranes toward the re-entrant.

Multidisciplinary approach for the characterization of a new Late Cretaceous continental arc in the Central Pontides (Northern Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellero, Alessandro; Ottria, Giuseppe; Sayit, Kaan; Catanzariti, Rita; Frassi, Chiara; Cemal Göncüoǧlu, M.; Marroni, Michele; Pandolfi, Luca

2016-04-01

In the Central Pontides (Northern Turkey), south of Tosya, a tectonic unit consisting of not-metamorphic volcanic rocks and overlying sedimentary succession is exposed inside a fault-bounded elongated block. It is restrained within a wide shear zone, where the Intra-Pontide suture zone, the Sakarya terrane and the Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone are juxtaposed as result of strike-slip activity of the North Anatolian shear zone. The volcanic rocks are mainly basalts and basaltic andesites (with their pyroclastic equivalents) associated with a volcaniclastic formation made up of breccias and sandstones that are stratigraphically overlain by a Marly-calcareous turbidite formation. The calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy points to a late Santonian-middle Campanian age (CC17-CC21 Zones) for the sedimentary succession. The geochemistry of the volcanic rocks reveals an active continental margin setting as evidenced by the enrichment in Th and LREE over HFSE, and the Nb-enriched nature of these lavas relative to N-MORB. As highlighted by the performed arenite petrography, the occurrence of continent-derived clastics in the sedimentary succession supports the hypothesis of a continental arc-derived volcanic succession. Alternative geodynamic reconstructions are proposed, where this tectonic unit could represent a slice derived from the northern continental margin of the Intra- Pontide or Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan oceanic basins.

Geochemical and geochronological constrains on the Chiang Khong volcanic rocks (northwestern Thailand) and its tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Xin; Feng, Qinglai; Chonglakmani, Chongpan; Monjai, Denchok

2013-12-01

Volcanic rocks in northwestern Thailand exposed dominantly in the Chiang Khong area, are commonly considered to be genetically linked to the tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean. The volcanic rocks consist mainly of andesitic to rhyolitic rocks and are traditionally mapped as Permian-Triassic sequences. Our zircon U-Pb geochronological results show that two andesitic samples (TL-1-B and TL-31-B), are representative of the Doi Yao volcanic zone, and give a mean weighted age of 241.2±4.6 Ma and 241.7±2.9 Ma, respectively. The rhyolitic sample (TL-32-B1) from the Doi Khun Ta Khuan volcanic zone erupted at 238.3±3.8 Ma. Such ages indicate that Chiang Khong volcanic rocks erputed during the early Middle Triassic period. Seven samples from the Doi Yao and Doi Khun Ta Khuan zones exhibit an affinity to arc volcanics. Three rhyolitic samples from the Chiang Khong area have a geochemical affinity to both arc and syn-collisional volcanic rocks. The Chiang Khong arc volcanic rocks can be geochemically compared with those in the Lampang area in northern Thailand, also consistent with those in Jinghong area of southwestern Yunnan. This indicates that the Chiang Rai arc-volcanic zone might northwardly link to the Lancangjiang volcanic zone in southwestern China.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eisses, A.; Kell, A.; Kent, G.

Amy Eisses, Annie M. Kell, Graham Kent, Neal W. Driscoll, Robert E. Karlin, Robert L. Baskin, John N. Louie, Kenneth D. Smith, Sathish Pullammanappallil, 2011, Marine and land active-source seismic investigation of geothermal potential, tectonic structure, and earthquake hazards in Pyramid Lake, Nevada: presented at American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, Dec. 5-9, abstract NS14A-08.

Simple Physical Model for the Probability of a Subduction- Zone Earthquake Following Slow Slip Events and Earthquakes: Application to the Hikurangi Megathrust, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaneko, Yoshihiro; Wallace, Laura M.; Hamling, Ian J.; Gerstenberger, Matthew C.

2018-05-01

Slow slip events (SSEs) have been documented in subduction zones worldwide, yet their implications for future earthquake occurrence are not well understood. Here we develop a relatively simple, simulation-based method for estimating the probability of megathrust earthquakes following tectonic events that induce any transient stress perturbations. This method has been applied to the locked Hikurangi megathrust (New Zealand) surrounded on all sides by the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake and SSEs. Our models indicate the annual probability of a M≥7.8 earthquake over 1 year after the Kaikoura earthquake increases by 1.3-18 times relative to the pre-Kaikoura probability, and the absolute probability is in the range of 0.6-7%. We find that probabilities of a large earthquake are mainly controlled by the ratio of the total stressing rate induced by all nearby tectonic sources to the mean stress drop of earthquakes. Our method can be applied to evaluate the potential for triggering a megathrust earthquake following SSEs in other subduction zones.

Fluid-driven seismicity in a stable tectonic context: The Remiremont fault zone, Vosges, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audin, Laurence; Avouac, Jean-Philippe; Flouzat, Mireille; Plantet, Jean-Louis

2002-03-01

Some relocated seismic events, which have small magnitudes (ML < 4.8), are found to align along a 40 km-long fault zone flanking the southern Vosges Massif to the west. It joins to the south with the epicentral area of the historical 1682 earthquake (Io = VIII MSK). The Remiremont cluster was preceded by a period of seismic coalescence and triggered outward of bilateral seismic migration. The 1984 seismic crisis developed along a well defined 3 km-long vertical plane. In both cases, migration rates of the order of 5-10 km/yr over 30 km-long distances are determined. This pattern requires some mechanism of stress interaction which must act over distances of the order of 1 to 20 km within years. Given the low tectonic activity and the magnitudes of the events the stress transfer cannot result from co-seismic elastic loading or from transient strain at depth. We suggest that the seismic activity reflect rupture of asperities driven by fluid-flow in a zone of relatively high permeability.

Anisotropy of electrical conductivity of the excavation damaged zone in the Mont Terri Underground Rock Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicollin, Florence; Gibert, Dominique; Lesparre, Nolwenn; Nussbaum, Christophe

2010-04-01

Electrical resistivity measurements were performed to characterize the anisotropy of electrical resistivity of the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) at the end-face of a gallery in the Opalinus clay of the Mont Terri Underground Rock Laboratory (URL). The data were acquired with a combination of square arrays in 18 zones on the gallery's face and in two series of four boreholes perpendicular to the face. Each data set is independently inverted using simulated annealing to recover the resistivity tensor. Both the stability and the non-uniqueness of the inverse problem are discussed with synthetic examples. The inversion of the data shows that the face is split in two domains separated by a tectonic fracture, with different resistivity values but with a common orientation. The direction of the maximum resistivity is found perpendicular to the bedding plane, and the direction of minimum resistivity is contained in the face's plane. These results show that the geo-electrical structure of the EDZ is controlled by a combination of effects due to tectonics, stratigraphy, and recent fracturing produced by the excavation of the gallery.

Structure and metamorphism of the Franciscan Complex, Mt. Hamilton area, Northern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blake, M.C.; Wentworth, C.M.

1999-01-01

Truncation of metamorphic isograds and fold axes within coherent terranes of Franciscan metagraywacke by intervening zones of melange indicate that the melange is tectonic and formed after the subduction-related metamorphism and folding. These relations are expressed in two terranes of blueschist-facies rocks of the Franciscan Complex in the Mt. Hamilton area, northern California-the Jurassic Yolla Bolly terrane and the structurally underlying Cretaceous Burnt Hills terrane. Local preservation in both terranes of basal radiolarian chert and oceanic basalt beneath continent-derived metagraywacke and argillite demonstrates thrust repetition within the coherent terranes, although these relations are scarce near Mt. Hamilton. The metagraywackes range from albite-pumpellyite blueschists to those containing well-crystallized jadeitic pyroxene, and a jadeite-in isograd can be defined in parts of the area. Primary bedding defines locally coherent structural orientations and folds within the metagraywacke units. These units are crosscut by thin zones of tectonic melange containing blocks of high-grade blueschist, serpentinite, and other exotic rocks, and a broader, but otherwise identical melange zone marks the discordant boundary between the two terranes.

Provenance of the Walash-Naopurdan back-arc-arc clastic sequences in the Iraqi Zagros Suture Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Sarmad A.; Sleabi, Rajaa S.; Talabani, Mohammad J. A.; Jones, Brian G.

2017-01-01

Marine clastic rocks occurring in the Walash and Naopurdan Groups in the Hasanbag and Qalander areas, Kurdistan region, Iraqi Zagros Suture Zone, are lithic arenites with high proportions of volcanic rock fragments. Geochemical classification of the Eocene Walash and Oligocene Naopurdan clastic rocks indicates that they were mainly derived from associated sub-alkaline basalt and andesitic basalt in back-arc and island arc tectonic settings. Major and trace element geochemical data reveal that the Naopurdan samples are chemically less mature than the Walash samples and both were subjected to moderate weathering. The seaway in the southern Neotethys Ocean was shallow during both Eocene and Oligocene permitting mixing of sediment from the volcanic arcs with sediment derived from the Arabian continental margin. The Walash and Naopurdan clastic rocks enhance an earlier tectonic model of the Zagros Suture Zone with their deposition occurring during the Eocene Walash calc-alkaline back-arc magmatism and Early Oligocene Naopurdan island arc magmatism in the final stages of intra-oceanic subduction before the Miocene closure and obduction of the Neotethys basin.

Cenozoic forearc tectonics in northeastern Japan: Relationships between outer forearc subsidence and plate boundary kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regalla, Christine

Here we investigate the relationships between outer forearc subsidence, the timing and kinematics of upper plate deformation and plate convergence rate in Northeast Japan to evaluate the role of plate boundary dynamics in driving forearc subsidence. The Northeastern Japan margin is one of the first non-accretionary subduction zones where regional forearc subsidence was argued to reflect tectonic erosion of large volumes of upper crustal rocks. However, we propose that a significant component of forearc subsidence could be the result of dynamic changes in plate boundary geometry. We provide new constraints on the timing and kinematics of deformation along inner forearc faults, new analyses of the evolution of outer forearc tectonic subsidence, and updated calculations of plate convergence rate. These data collectively reveal a temporal correlation between the onset of regional forearc subsidence, the initiation of upper plate extension, and an acceleration in local plate convergence rate. A similar analysis of the kinematic evolution of the Tonga, Izu-Bonin, and Mariana subduction zones indicates that the temporal correlations observed in Japan are also characteristic of these three non-accretionary margins. Comparison of these data with published geodynamic models suggests that forearc subsidence is the result of temporal variability in slab geometry due to changes in slab buoyancy and plate convergence rate. These observations suggest that a significant component of forearc subsidence at these four margins is not the product of tectonic erosion, but instead reflects changes in plate boundary dynamics driven by variable plate kinematics.

High-P metamorphic rocks from the Himalaya and their tectonic implication ? a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jan, M. Qasim

The suture zones bordering the Indian subcontinent on the E, N and W are characterized in several places by the occurrence of ophiolitic complexes and tectonic melanges. High-P metamorphic rocks have recently been discovered in the melanges in Burma, Naga Hills, southern Tibet, eastern and western Ladakh, Kohistan (Jijal, Allai, Shangla) and Khost (Afghanistan). The development of these rocks has an important bearing on the plate tectonics of the Himalaya. The High-P metamorphic rocks belong to prehnite-pumpellyite, blueschist and high-P greenschist facies but extensive garnet-granulites have developed at 35 km depth in Jijal. In the Indus-Zangbo suture zone (IZS) the high-P metamorphism is complemented to the N by low- or medium-P metamorphism and calc-alkaline magmatism in Tibet, Ladakh as well as Kohistan. High-P metamorphism in Jijal has been dated at 104 Ma, in Shangla at 70-100 Ma and in western Ladakh during mid-Cretaceous. Elsewhere, the timing of the high-P metamorphism is not known but a Cretaceous age is inferred. Since collision along the IZS occurred during Eocene, the high-P metamorphism is therefore related to the northwards subduction of the neo-Tethyan lithosphere under Tibet or late Mesozoic magmatic arcs. The timing of high-P metamorphism coincides with the breakup of India from Gondwanaland and its rapid northwards movement, whereas the tectonic melanges may principally have formed during Eocene collision and obduction.

Geologic evolution of the Kastel trough and its implications on the Adiyaman oil fields, SE Turkey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coskun, Bu.

1990-05-01

Oil field developments of the Adiyaman area one of the main oil producing zones in southeast Turkey, have been highly influenced by geologic evolution of the Kastel trough which is situated in front of the suture zone between the Arabian and Anatolian plates. The Upper Cretaceous movements created many paleostructural trends in the Kastel trough where important dolomitic and porous reservoirs exist. The most important tectonic event, which appeared during the Upper Cretaceous movements, is the accumulation of the Kocali-Karadut ophiolitic complex, advancing from the north to the south in the Kastel trough, where heavy materials caused formation of amore » structural model favoring generation and migration and entrapment of oil in the reservoir rocks. Due to the presence of the Kocali-Karadut complex in the Kastel trough the following zones have been distinguished. (1) North Uplift Area. Situated under the allochthonous units, many thrust and reverse faults characterize this zone. The presence of paleohighs, where primary dolomites develop, allows the appearance of some oil fields in the region. This is the main future exploration zone in southeast Turkey. (2) Accumulation Area. Advancing from the north to the south, the allochthonous Kocali-Karadut complex filled the Kastel trough creating a deep graben whose flanks present generally normal faults. (3) Structural Belt. Important paleohighs constitute an exploration trend in this zone where dolomitic and porous carbonates contain actual oil fields. (4) South Accumulation Area. Distant from the Arabian-Anatolian suture zone, regional tectonics and sedimentology show this zone remained deeply buried during geologic time; good source rocks were deposited during the Cretaceous. (5) South Uplift Area. This area corresponds to the northern flank of the huge regional Mardin high in southeast Turkey where new oil fields have been discovered.« less

Dynamics of continental rift propagation: the end-member modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Wijk, J. W.; Blackman, D. K.

2005-01-01

An important aspect of continental rifting is the progressive variation of deformation style along the rift axis during rift propagation. In regions of rift propagation, specifically transition zones from continental rifting to seafloor spreading, it has been observed that contrasting styles of deformation along the axis of rift propagation are bounded by shear zones. The focus of this numerical modeling study is to look at dynamic processes near the tip of a weak zone in continental lithosphere. More specifically, this study explores how modeled rift behavior depends on the value of rheological parameters of the crust. A three-dimensional finite element model is used to simulate lithosphere deformation in an extensional regime. The chosen approach emphasizes understanding the tectonic forces involved in rift propagation. Dependent on plate strength, two end-member modes are distinguished. The stalled rift phase is characterized by absence of rift propagation for a certain amount of time. Extension beyond the edge of the rift tip is no longer localized but occurs over a very wide zone, which requires a buildup of shear stresses near the rift tip and significant intra-plate deformation. This stage represents a situation in which a rift meets a locked zone. Localized deformation changes to distributed deformation in the locked zone, and the two different deformation styles are balanced by a shear zone oriented perpendicular to the trend. In the alternative rift propagation mode, rift propagation is a continuous process when the initial crust is weak. The extension style does not change significantly along the rift axis and lengthening of the rift zone is not accompanied by a buildup of shear stresses. Model predictions address aspects of previously unexplained rift evolution in the Laptev Sea, and its contrast with the tectonic evolution of, for example, the Gulf of Aden and Woodlark Basin.

A revision of the Norian Conchostracan Zonation in North America and its implications for Late Triassic North American tectonic history

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weems, Robert E.; Lucas, Spencer G.

2015-01-01

Collections of Upper Triassic (Norian) conchostracans from the upper Cumnock and lower Sanford formations (North Carolina), Bull Run Formation (Virginia), Gettysburg Formation (Pennsylvania), Passaic Formation (New Jersey), Blomidon Formation (Nova Scotia), and Redonda Formation (New Mexico) have significantly expanded our knowledge of the Norian conchostracan faunas in these units. These collections show that the temporal and spatial distribution of Norian conchostracans in North America is more complex and more environmentally controlled than previously thought. The new collections require a revision and simplification of the published conchostracan zonation for this interval. The revised zonation, based almost entirely on evolution within the lineage of the conchostracan genus Shipingia, consists of five zones: the Shipingia weemsi-Euestheria buravasi zone (Lacian), the Shipingia mcdonaldi zone (lower Alaunian), the Shipingia hebaozhaiensis zone (upper Alaunian), the Shipingia olseni zone (lower and middle Sevatian), and the Shipingia gerbachmanni zone (upper Sevatian). A new species of Norian conchostracan, Wannerestheria kozuri, is described from the Groveton Member of the Bull Run Formation (Virginia). Two new members (Plum Run and Fairfield members) are named in the Gettysburg Formation (Gettysburg Basin, Maryland and Pennsylvania). The distribution of upper Carnian and Norian strata in the Fundy, Newark, Gettysburg, and Culpeper basins indicates that there was a significant, previously undetected tectonic reorganization within these basins that occurred around the Carnian-Norian boundary. The presence of an upper Norian-lower Rhaetian unconformity within the Newark Supergroup is reaffirmed. A re-evaluation of the conchostracan record from the Redonda Formation of the Chinle Group in New Mexico indicates that the four conchostracan-bearing lacustrine beds in this unit are part of only a single, consistently recognizable conchostracan zone, which we here designate as the Shipingia gerbachmanni zone.

Fluid chemistry and evolution of hydrothermal fluids in an Archaean transcrustal fault zone network: The case of the Cadillac Tectonic Zone, Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neumayr, P.; Hagemann, S.G.; Banks, D.A.; Yardley, B.W.D.; Couture, J.-F.; Landis, G.P.; Rye, R.

2007-01-01

Detailed fluid geochemistry studies on hydrothermal quartz veins from the Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or areas along the transcrustal Cadillac Tectonic Zone (CTZ) indicate that unmineralized (with respect to gold) sections of the CTZ contained a distinct CO2-dominated, H2S-poor hydrothermal fluid. In contrast, both gold mineralized sections of the CTZ (e.g., at Orenada #2) and associated higher order shear zones have a H2O-CO2 ?? CH4-NaCl hydrothermal fluid. Their CO2/H2S ratios indicate H2S-rich compositions. The Br/Cl compositions in fluid inclusions trapped in these veins indicate that hydrothermal fluids have been equilibrated with the crust. Oxygen isotope ratios from hydrothermal quartz veins in the CTZ are consistently 2??? more enriched than those of associated higher order shear zones, which are interpreted to be a function of greater fluid/rock ratios in the CTZ and lower fluid/rock ratios, and more efficient equilibration of the hydrothermal fluid with the wall rock, in higher order shear zones. An implication from this study is that the lower metal endowment of the transcrustal CTZ, when compared with the higher metal endowment in higher order shear zones (ratio of about 1 : 1000), may be the result of the lack of significant amounts of H2O-H2S rich fluids in most of the CTZ. In contrast, gold mineralization in the higher order shear zones appear to be controlled by the high H2S activity of the aqueous fluids, because gold was likely transported in a bisulfide complex and was deposited during sulfidation reactions in the wall rock and phase separation in the quartz veins. ?? 2007 NRC Canada.

Silurian to Early Carboniferous plate tectonic model of Central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golonka, Jan; Barmuta, Jan; Barmuta, Maria

2014-05-01

The presented plate tectonic model focuses on Silurian to Early Carboniferous evolution of Central Europe with special attention given to the Sudetes region (north and north-east part of the Bohemian Massif). During our studies, we tested alternative models focused on the position of the Armorican terranes, known as the Armorican Terrane Assembly (ATA) (e.g.: Matte, 2001) and tried to refine the existing reconstructions, which describe Armorica as an individual continent during the Late Silurian and Devonian (e.g. Lewandowski, 2003, Winchester, 2002). Our plate tectonic model depict that these small blocks were scattered along the northern margin of Gondwana, where they formed the "Armorican Spour" as suggested by Kroner and Romer (2013). The seaways were present between blocks. Because of the north dipping subduction zone along the southern margin of the Laurussia continent the back-arc basin and island arc were formed. The narrowing of the Rheic ocean led to the complicated collision of Gondwana and Laurussia. Three main stages of this event can be distinguished: (1) collision of the Armorican Spour with the Laurussian island arc, (2) back-arc basin closure, (3) final Gondwana and Laurussian collision. Those stages correlate well with Variscan Subduction Zone System proposed by Kroner and Romer (2013). Interactive modeling performed in GPlates, shows that the presented model is valid from kinematic and geometrical point of view. Kroner U., Romer R., L., 2013, Two plates - many subduction zones: the Variscan orogeny reconsidered. Gondwana Research, 24: 298-329. Lewandowski M., 2003, Assembly of Pangea: Combined paleomagnetic and paleoclimatic approach, Advances in Geophysics, 46: 199-236 Matte P., 2001, The Variscan collage and orogeny (480 290 Ma) and the tectonic definition of the Armorica microplate: a review. Terra Nova, 13: 122¨C128. Winchester J., A., The Pace TMR Network Team, 2002, Palaeozoic amalgamation of Central Europe: new results from recent geological and geophysical investigations, Tectonophysics, 360: 5-21

GeoBioScience: Red Wood Ants as Bioindicators for Active Tectonic Fault Systems in the West Eifel (Germany)

PubMed Central

Berberich, Gabriele; Schreiber, Ulrich

2013-01-01

Simple Summary In a 1.140 km² study area of the volcanic West Eifel, approx. 3,000 Red Wood Ant (RWA; Formica rufa-group) mounds had been identified and correlated with tectonically active gas-permeable faults, mostly strike-slip faults. Linear alignment of RWA mounds and soil gas anomalies distinctly indicate the course of these faults, while clusters of mounds indicate crosscut zones of fault systems, which can be correlated with voids caused by crustal block rotation. This demonstrates that RWA are bioindicators for identifying active fault systems and useful where information on the active regime is incomplete or the resolution by technical means is insufficient. Abstract In a 1.140 km² study area of the volcanic West Eifel, a comprehensive investigation established the correlation between red wood ant mound (RWA; Formica rufa-group) sites and active tectonic faults. The current stress field with a NW-SE-trending main stress direction opens pathways for geogenic gases and potential magmas following the same orientation. At the same time, Variscan and Mesozoic fault zones are reactivated. The results showed linear alignments and clusters of approx. 3,000 RWA mounds. While linear mound distribution correlate with strike-slip fault systems documented by quartz and ore veins and fault planes with slickensides, the clusters represent crosscut zones of dominant fault systems. Latter can be correlated with voids caused by crustal block rotation. Gas analyses from soil air, mineral springs and mofettes (CO2, Helium, Radon and H2S) reveal limiting concentrations for the spatial distribution of mounds and colonization. Striking is further the almost complete absence of RWA mounds in the core area of the Quaternary volcanic field. A possible cause can be found in occasionally occurring H2S in the fault systems, which is toxic at miniscule concentrations to the ants. Viewed overall, there is a strong relationship between RWA mounds and active tectonics in the West Eifel. PMID:26487413

Remotely triggered nonvolcanic tremor in Sumbawa, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Florian; Lupi, Matteo; Miller, Stephen

2015-04-01

Nonvolcanic (or tectonic) tremor is a seismic phenomenom which can provide important information about dynamics of plate boundaries but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Tectonic tremor is often associated with slow-slip (termed episodic tremor and slip) and understanding the mechanisms driving tremor presents an important challenge because it is likely a dominant aspect of the evolutionary processes leading to tsunamigenic, megathrust subduction zone earthquakes. Tectonic tremor is observed worldwide, mainly along major subduction zones and plate boundaries such as in Alaska/Aleutians, Cascadia, the San Andreas Fault, Japan or Taiwan. We present, for the first time, evidence for triggered tremor beneath the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. The island of Sumbawa, Indonesia, is part of the Lesser Sunda Group about 250 km north of the Australian/Eurasian plate collision at the Java Trench with a convergence rate of approximately 70 mm/yr. We show surface wave triggered tremor beneath Sumbawa in response to three teleseismic earthquakes: the Mw9.0 2011 Tohoku earthquake and two oceanic strike-slip earthquakes (Mw 8.6 and Mw8.2) offshore of Sumatra in 2012. Tremor amplitudes scale with ground motion and peak at 180 nm/s ground velocity on the horizontal components. A comparison of ground motion of the three triggering events and a similar (nontriggering) Mw7.6 2012 Philippines event constrains an apparent triggering threshold of approximately 1 mm/s ground velocity or 8 kPa dynamic stress. Surface wave periods of 45-65 s appear optimal for triggering tremor at Sumbawa which predominantly correlates with Rayleigh waves, even though the 2012 oceanic events have stronger Love wave amplitudes and triggering potential. Rayleigh wave triggering, low-triggering amplitudes, and the tectonic setting all favor a model of tremor generated by localized fluid transport. We could not locate the tremor because of minimal station coverage, but data indicate several potential source volumes including the Flores Thrust, the Java subduction zone, or Tambora volcano.

Integration of remote sensing, geochemical and field data in the Qena-Safaga shear zone: Implications for structural evolution of the Eastern Desert, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Din, Gamal Kamal; Abdelkareem, Mohamed

2018-05-01

The Qena-Safaga shear zone (QSSZ) represents a significant structural characteristic in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Remote Sensing, field and geochemical data were utilized in the present study. The results revealed that the QSSZ dominated by metamorphic complex (MC) that intruded by syn-tectonic granitoids. The low angle thrust fault brings calc-alkaline metavolcanics to overlie MC and its association. Subsequently, the area is dissected by strike-slip faults and the small elongated basins of Hammamat sediments of Precambrian were accumulated. The MC intruded by late-to post-tectonic granites (LPG) and Dokhan Volcanics which comprise felsic varieties forming distinctive columnar joints. Remote sensing analysis and field data revealed that major sub-vertical conspicuous strike-slip faults (SSF) including sinistral NW-SE and dextral ca. E-W shaped the study area. Various shear zones that accompanying the SSF are running NW-SE, NE-SW, E-W, N-S and ENE-WSW. The obtained shear sense presented a multiphase of deformation on each trend. i.e., the predominant NW-SE strike-slip fault trend started with sinistral displacement and is reactivated during later events to be right (dextral) strike slip cutting with dextral displacement the E-W trending faults; while NE-SW movements are cut by both the N-S and NNW - SSE trends. Remote sensing data revealed that the NW-SE direction that dominated the area is associated with hydrothermal alteration processes. This allowed modifying the major and trace elements of the highly deformed rocks that showed depletion in SiO2 and enrichments in Fe2O3, MnO, Al2O3, TiO2, Na2O, K2O, Cu, Zn and Pb contents. The geochemical signatures of major and trace elements revealed two types of granites including I-type calc-alkaline granites (late-to post-tectonic) that formed during an extensional regime. However, syn-tectonic granitoids are related to subduction-related environment.

The Importance of Southern Hemisphere CZOs for Evaluating Spatial Patterns of Chemical Structure in the Critical Zone and Assisting Human Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chadwick, O.

2014-12-01

The US Critical Zone Exploration Network (CZEN) is a network of sites designed to provide a better understanding of the integrated Earth surface system. The capacity of the critical zone to withstand perturbations, whether driven by climate, land use change, or spread of invasive species, depends on its chemical composition and physical state, which in turn depends on the time evolution of the critical zone. Many temperate and/or tectonically active critical zones contain a relatively short history due to rapid erosion but tectonically quiescent, tropical regions of the planet contain much longer records that need to be understood to cover the full suite of critical zone processes. Southern Hemisphere Critical Zone Observatories such as those proposed for Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa and for portions of the Yilgarn Craton in Western Australa will allow us to extend our temporal understanding of development of spatial heterogeneity in the chemical and physical structure of the critical zone. In addition to considering Earth and climate boundary conditions, these sites incorporate the roles that humans play in driving critical zone processes. For instance along the edges of KNP there is strong evidence of soil erosions due to periurbanization and small-scale agriculture. The existence of KNP provides an important contrast between a "natural" and "human-dominated" landscape that can be exploited to evaluate human impacts on critical zone resources and to develop targeted mitigation strategies. Western Australia has an exploitive economy that relies on large-scale agriculture and mineral extraction, both are intensive users of water which is scarce. The proposed CZO there will be partly focused on managing water under intense economic pressures. It is evident that if funding can be found for these sites they will enhance both critical zone science and practical applied science.

Florida: A Jurassic transform plate boundary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Klitgord, Kim D.; Popenoe, Peter; Schouten, Hans

1984-01-01

Magnetic, gravity, seismic, and deep drill hole data integrated with plate tectonic reconstructions substantiate the existence of a transform plate boundary across southern Florida during the Jurassic. On the basis of this integrated suite of data the pre-Cretaceous Florida-Bahamas region can be divided into the pre-Jurassic North American plate, Jurassic marginal rift basins, and a broad Jurassic transform zone including stranded blocks of pre-Mesozoic continental crust. Major tectonic units include the Suwannee basin in northern Florida containing Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, a central Florida basement complex of Paleozoic age crystalline rock, the west Florida platform composed of stranded blocks of continental crust, the south Georgia rift containing Triassic sedimentary rocks which overlie block-faulted Suwannee basin sedimentary rocks, the Late Triassic-Jurassic age Apalachicola rift basin, and the Jurassic age south Florida, Bahamas, and Blake Plateau marginal rift basins. The major tectonic units are bounded by basement hinge zones and fracture zones (FZ). The basement hinge zone represents the block-faulted edge of the North American plate, separating Paleozoic and older crustal rocks from Jurassic rifted crust beneath the marginal basins. Fracture zones separate Mesozoic marginal sedimentary basins and include the Blake Spur FZ, Jacksonville FZ, Bahamas FZ, and Cuba FZ, bounding the Blake Plateau, Bahamas, south Florida, and southeastern Gulf of Mexico basins. The Bahamas FZ is the most important of all these features because its northwest extension coincides with the Gulf basin marginal fault zone, forming the southern edge of the North American plate during the Jurassic. The limited space between the North American and the South American/African plates requires that the Jurassic transform zone, connecting the Central Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico spreading systems, was located between the Bahamas and Cuba FZ's in the region of southern Florida. Our plate reconstructions combined with chronostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic information for the Gulf of Mexico, southern Florida, and the Bahamas indicate that the gulf was sealed off from the Atlantic waters until Callovian time by an elevated Florida-Bahamas region. Restricted influx of waters started in Callovian as a plate reorganization, and increased plate separation between North America and South America/Africa produced waterways into the Gulf of Mexico from the Pacific and possibly from the Atlantic.

Structural-tectonic zoning of the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, Oleg; Sobolev, Nikolay; Morozov, Andrey; Shokalsky, Sergey; Kashubin, Sergey; Grikurov, Garrik; Tolmacheva, Tatiana; Rekant, Pavel; Petrov, Evgeny

2017-04-01

Structural-tectonic zoning of the Arctic is based on the processing of geological and geophysical data and bottom sampling materials produced within the project "Atlas of Geological Maps of the Circumpolar Arctic." Zoning of the Arctic territories has been conducted taking into account the Earth's crust types, age of consolidated basement, and features of geological structure of the sedimentary cover. Developed legend for the zoning scheme incorporates five main groups of elements: continental and oceanic crust, folded platform covers, accretion-collision systems, and provinces of continental cover basalts. An important feature of the structural-tectonic zoning scheme is designation of continental crust in the central regions of the Arctic Ocean, the existence of which is assumed on the basis of numerous geological data. It has been found that most of the Arctic region has continental crust with the exception of the Eurasian Basin and the central part of the Canada Basin, which are characterized by oceanic crust type. Thickness of continental crust from seismic data varies widely: from 30-32 km on the Mendeleev Rise to 18-20 km on the Lomonosov Ridge, decreasing to 8-10 km in rift structures of the Podvodnikov-Makarov Basin at the expense of reduction of the upper granite layer. New data confirm similar basement structure on the western and eastern continental margins of the Eurasian oceanic basin. South to north, areas of Neoproterozoic (Baikalian) and Paleozoic (Ellesmerian) folding are successively distinguished. Neoproterozoic foldbelt is observed in Central Taimyr (Byrranga Mountains). Continuation of this belt in the eastern part of the Arctic is Novosibirsk-Chukchi fold system. Ellesmerian orogen incorporates the northernmost areas of Taimyr and Severnaya Zemlya, wherefrom it can be traced to the Geofizikov Spur of the Lomonosov Ridge and further across the De Long Archipelago and North Chukchi Basin to the north of Alaska Peninsula and in the Beaufort Sea. From the north, Ellesmerides are limited by the Precambrian continental blocks - North Kara and Mendeleev Rise, the sedimentary cover within which is represented by undisturbed Paleozoic and Mesozoic deposits. Analysis of the geological and tectonic maps and the map of the Arctic basement structure indicates that the heterogeneous crustal structure of the Arctic Ocean and its continental framing were formed as a result of simultaneous development and interaction of three large paleo-oceans in the Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic - Paleo-Asian, Proto-Atlantic and Paleo-Pacific oceans. A conceptual model that represents our understanding of structural relationships and crustal types of the main Arctic Basin structures is quite simple. The Arctic Basin is bounded by continental margins with continental crust: relatively elevated Barents-Kara - in the west, and generally submerged Amerasia margin - in the east. The latter represents a continental "bridge" formed by thinned and stretched continental crust. It connects two opposite continents - Laurentia and Eurasia, and is essentially a fragmented, tectonically mobile structure.

Age of amphibolites associated with alpine peridotites in the Dinaride ophiolite zone, Yugoslavia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanphere, M.A.; Coleman, R.G.; Karamata, S.; Pamic, J.

1975-01-01

Amphibolites associated with alpine peridotites in the Central Ophiolite zone in Yugoslavia have K-Ar ages of 160-170 m.y. These amphibolites and associated peridotites underwent deep-seated metamorphism prior to tectonic emplacement into the sedimentary-volcanic assemblage of the Dinarides. The alpine peridotites and associated local rocks of the ophiolite suite are interpreted as Jurassic oceanic crust and upper mantle. ?? 1975.

Superposition of tectonic structures leading elongated intramontane basin: the Alhabia basin (Internal Zones, Betic Cordillera)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Martos, Manuel; Galindo-Zaldivar, Jesús; Martínez-Moreno, Francisco José; Calvo-Rayo, Raquel; Sanz de Galdeano, Carlos

2017-10-01

The relief of the Betic Cordillera was formed since the late Serravallian inducing the development of intramontane basins. The Alhabia basin, situated in the central part of the Internal Zones, is located at the intersection of the Alpujarran Corridor, the Tabernas basin, both trending E-W, and the NW-SE oriented Gádor-Almería basin. The geometry of the basin has been constrained by new gravity data. The basin is limited to the North by the Sierra de Filabres and Sierra Nevada antiforms that started to develop in Serravallian times under N-S shortening and to the south by Sierra Alhamilla and Sierra de Gádor antiforms. Plate convergence in the region rotated counter-clockwise in Tortonian times favouring the formation of E-W dextral faults. In this setting, NE-SW extension, orthogonal to the shortening direction, was accommodated by normal faults on the SW edge of Sierra Alhamilla. The Alhabia basin shows a cross-shaped depocentre in the zone of synform and fault intersection. This field example serves to constrain recent counter-clockwise stress rotation during the latest stages of Neogene-Quaternary basin evolution in the Betic Cordillera Internal Zones and underlines the importance of studying the basins' deep structure and its relation with the tectonic structures interactions.

Paleoseismology of the Mt. Narryer Fault Zone, West Central Western Australia: a Multi-Segment Intraplate Fault System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitney, B. B.; Clark, D.; Hengesh, J.

2014-12-01

The Western Australia shear zone (WASZ) is a 2000 km long fault system within the intraplate region of Australia. A paleoseismological study of faults and fault-related folds comprising the Mount Narryer fault zone (MNfz) in the southern WASZ reveals a late Quaternary history of repeated morphogenic earthquake occurrence that has profoundly influenced the planform and course of the Murchison, Roderick, and Sanford Rivers. Folding in the near surface sediments is the predominant style of surface expression of reactivated basement faults which is consistent with other neotectonic structures throughout the Western Australia shear zone. CRN and OSL estimates of exposure and burial ages of fault-related folds and fold derived colluvium provide constraint on Late Quaternary slip rates on the underlying faults of ~0.05 - 0.1 mm/a. In the case of the Roderick River fault scarp, 2-3m high tectonic risers separating inset terraces where the Murchison River crosses the scarp are consistent with multiple late Quaternary seismic events on the order of magnitude Mw 7.1-7.3. Mid-Pleistocene ages of tectonically deformed strata in the MNfz are consistent with the timing of collision between the Australian extended margin and Savu-Rote ridge 0.2-1.8 Ma.

The tectonic fabric of the ocean basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, Kara J.; Müller, R. Dietmar; Wessel, Paul; Whittaker, Joanne M.

2011-12-01

We present a global community data set of fracture zones (FZs), discordant zones, propagating ridges, V-shaped structures and extinct ridges, digitized from vertical gravity gradient (VGG) maps. We use a new semi-automatic FZ tracking program to test the precision of our hand-digitized traces and find a Mean Absolute Deviation of less than 3.4 km from the raw VGG minima that most clearly delineate each feature, and less than 5.4 km from the FZ location predicted by fitting model profiles to the VGG data that represent the morphology of the individual FZs. These offsets are small considering gravity data only provide an approximation for the underlying basement morphology. We further investigate the origin of non-FZ seafloor fabric by combining published abyssal hill heights computed from gravity anomalies with global half-spreading rates. A residual abyssal hill height grid, with spreading rate effects removed, combined with our interpreted tectonic fabric reveals several types of seafloor fabric distinct from typical abyssal hills. Where discordant zones do not overprint abyssal hill signals, residual abyssal hill height anomalies correspond to seafloor that accreted near mantle thermal anomalies or zones of melt-depletion. Our analysis reveals several areas where residual abyssal hill height anomalies reflect pseudo-faults and extinct ridges associated with ridge propagation and/or microplate formation in the southern Pacific Ocean.

Cenozoic lithospheric deformation in Northeast Asia and the rapidly-aging Pacific Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Ting; Moresi, Louis; Zhao, Dapeng; Sandiford, Dan; Whittaker, Joanne

2018-06-01

Northeast Asia underwent widespread rifting and magmatic events during the Cenozoic. The geodynamic origins of these tectonic events are often linked to Pacific plate subduction beneath Northeast Asia. However, the Japan Sea did not open until the late Oligocene, tens of millions of years after Pacific Plate subduction initiation in the Paleocene. Moreover, it is still not clear why the Baikal Rift Zone extension rate increased significantly after the late Miocene, while the Japan Sea opening ceased at the same time. Geodynamic models suggest these enigmatic events are related to the rapidly-aging Pacific Plate at the trench after Izanagi-Pacific spreading ridge subduction. Subduction of the young Pacific Plate delayed the Japan Sea opening during the Eocene while advection of the old Pacific Plate towards the trench increases seafloor age rapidly, allowing the Japan Sea to open after the early Miocene. The Japan Sea opening promotes fast trench retreat and slab stagnation, with subduction-induced wedge zone convection gradually increasing its extent during this process. The active rifting center associated with wedge zone convection upwelling also shifts inland-ward during slab stagnation, preventing further Japan Sea spreading while promoting the Baikal Rift Zone extension. Our geodynamic model provides a good explanation for the temporal-spatial patterns of the Cenozoic tectonic and magmatic events in Northeast Asia.

Angola seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neto, Francisco António Pereira; França, George Sand; Condori, Cristobal; Sant'Anna Marotta, Giuliano; Chimpliganond, Cristiano Naibert

2018-05-01

This work describes the development of the Angolan earthquake catalog and seismicity distribution in the Southwestern African Plate, in Angola. This region is one of the least seismically active, even for stable continental regions (SCRs) in the world. The maximum known earthquake had a magnitude of 6.0 Ms, while events with magnitudes of 4.5 have return period of about 10 years. Events with magnitude 5 and above occur with return period of about 20 years. Five seismic zones can be confirmed in Angola, within and along craton edges and in the sedimentary basins including offshore. Overall, the exposed cratonic regions tend to have more earthquakes compared to other regions such as sedimentary basins. Earthquakes tend to occur in Archaic rocks, especially inside preexisting weakness zones and in tectonic-magmatic reactivation zones of Mesozoic and Meso-Cenozoic, associated with the installation of a wide variety of intrusive rocks, strongly marked by intense tectonism. This fact can be explained by the models of preexisting weakness zones and stress concentration near intersecting structures. The Angolan passive margin is also a new region where seismic activity occurs. Although clear differences are found between different areas along the passive margin, in the middle near Porto Amboim city, seismic activity is more frequent compared with northwestern and southwestern regions.

Subducting plate geology in three great earthquake ruptures of the western Alaska margin, Kodiak to Unimak

USGS Publications Warehouse

von Huene, Roland E.; Miller, John J.; Weinrebe, Wilhelm

2012-01-01

Three destructive earthquakes along the Alaska subduction zone sourced transoceanic tsunamis during the past 70 years. Since it is reasoned that past rupture areas might again source tsunamis in the future, we studied potential asperities and barriers in the subduction zone by examining Quaternary Gulf of Alaska plate history, geophysical data, and morphology. We relate the aftershock areas to subducting lower plate relief and dissimilar materials in the seismogenic zone in the 1964 Kodiak and adjacent 1938 Semidi Islands earthquake segments. In the 1946 Unimak earthquake segment, the exposed lower plate seafloor lacks major relief that might organize great earthquake rupture. However, the upper plate contains a deep transverse-trending basin and basement ridges associated with the Eocene continental Alaska convergent margin transition to the Aleutian island arc. These upper plate features are sufficiently large to have affected rupture propagation. In addition, massive slope failure in the Unimak area may explain the local 42-m-high 1946 tsunami runup. Although Quaternary geologic and tectonic processes included accretion to form a frontal prism, the study of seismic images, samples, and continental slope physiography shows a previous history of tectonic erosion. Implied asperities and barriers in the seismogenic zone could organize future great earthquake rupture.

Generalized mathematical model of red muds’ thickener of alumina production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorova, E. R.; Vinogradova, A. A.

2018-03-01

The article describes the principle of a generalized mathematical model of the red mud’s thickener construction. The model of the red muds’ thickener of alumina production consists of sub-models of flocculation zones containing solid fraction feed slurry, free-fall and cramped sedimentation zones or effective sedimentation zones, bleaching zones. The generalized mathematical model of thickener allows predicting the content of solid fraction in the condensed product and in the upper discharge. The sub-model of solid phase aggregation allows one to count up average size of floccules, which is created during the flocculation process in feedwell. The sub-model of the free-fall and cramped sedimentation zone allows one to count up the concentration profile taking into account the variable cross-sectional area of the thickener. The sub-model of the bleaching zone is constructed on the basis of the theory of the precipitation of Kinc, supplemented by correction factors.

Earthquakes in Stable Continental Crust.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston, Arch C.; Kanter, Lisa R.

1990-01-01

Discussed are some of the reasons for earthquakes which occur in stable crust away from familiar zones at the ends of tectonic plates. Crust stability and the reactivation of old faults are described using examples from India and Australia. (CW)

Evidence for a Major Late Precambrian Tectonic Event (RIFTING?) in the Eastern Midcontinent Region, United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, G. R.; Bland, A. E.; Greenberg, J. K.

1982-04-01

Recently acquired gravity and aeromagnetic data delineate a large linear gravity anomaly which extends through eastern Kentucky and Tennessee and coincides with a zone of complex, high-amplitude magnetic anomalies. Basement lithologies in the area can be interpreted as a bimodal volcanic suite which is locally peralkaline in nature. These volcanics appear to be metamorphosed where they lie east of the Grenville front, suggesting they predate the Grenville metamorphic event. The available gravity, aeromagnetic, seismic refraction, and petrologic data, along with regional correlations, suggest that the best tectonic interpretation of these data is that a Keweenawan rift zone extended through the area. This rift can be roughly outlined by the gravity high, which is locally offset, suggesting the presence of transform faults. The boundaries of this rift have been locally reactivated and, in fact, a recent earthquake was located along its western boundary in northern Kentucky.

Ages of fracturing and resurfacing in the Amenthes region, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxwell, Ted A.; Mcgill, George E.

1988-01-01

An attempt is made to determine whether there is any tectonic evidence in the relatively recent history of the boundary zone that will place contraints on the origin of the Martian dichotomy. It is found that the timing of resurfacing events and structural modification of outlier plateaus and mesas in the Martian eastern hemisphere provides a contraint on the history of tectonic events along the cratered terrain-northern plains boundary. The circumferential grabens surrounding the Isidis basin ceased forming before the final emplacement of ridged plains on the adjacent northern lowlands. The cratered plateau east of the Isidis basin includes two crater populations; stripping of the rims of craters was complete before downfalling of the transition zone between the cratered terrain and the northern plains, and a young population of craters on the plateau records the same age as the ridged plains units north of the boundary.

Preservation of amorphous ultrafine material: A proposed proxy for slip during recent earthquakes on active faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirono, Tetsuro; Asayama, Satoru; Kaneki, Shunya; Ito, Akihiro

2016-11-01

The criteria for designating an “Active Fault” not only are important for understanding regional tectonics, but also are a paramount issue for assessing the earthquake risk of faults that are near important structures such as nuclear power plants. Here we propose a proxy, based on the preservation of amorphous ultrafine particles, to assess fault activity within the last millennium. X-ray diffraction data and electron microscope observations of samples from an active fault demonstrated the preservation of large amounts of amorphous ultrafine particles in two slip zones that last ruptured in 1596 and 1999, respectively. A chemical kinetic evaluation of the dissolution process indicated that such particles could survive for centuries, which is consistent with the observations. Thus, preservation of amorphous ultrafine particles in a fault may be valuable for assessing the fault’s latest activity, aiding efforts to evaluate faults that may damage critical facilities in tectonically active zones.

Geophysical survey reveals tectonic structures in the Amundsen Sea embayment, West Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gohl, K.; Eagles, G.; Netzeband, G.; Grobys, J.W.G.; Parsiegla, N.; Schlüter, P.; Leinweber, V.; Larter, R.D.; Uenzelmann-Neben, G.; Udintsev, G.B.

2007-01-01

Island Bay (PIB) reveal the crustal thickness and some tectonic features. The Moho is 24-22 km deep on the shelf. NE-SW trending magnetic and gravity anomalies and the thin crust indicate a former rift zone that was active during or in the run-up to breakup between Chatham Rise and West Antarctica before or at 90 Ma. NW-SE trending gravity and magnetic anomalies, following a prolongation of Peacock Sound, indicate the extensional southern boundary to the Bellingshausen Plate which was active between 79 and 61 Ma.

The Bossoroca Complex, São Gabriel Terrane, Dom Feliciano Belt, southernmost Brazil: Usbnd Pb geochronology and tectonic implications for the neoproterozoic São Gabriel Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gubert, Mauricio Lemos; Philipp, Ruy Paulo; Stipp Basei, Miguel Angelo

2016-10-01

Usbnd Pb LA-ICPMS geochronological analyses were carried out on zircon grains from metavolcanic rocks of the Bossoroca Complex and for one ash tuff of the Acampamento Velho Formation of the Camaquã Basin, in order to understand the evolution of the Neoproterozoic São Gabriel magmatic arc. A total of 42 analyses of igneous zircon grains were performed in three samples. The results yielded Usbnd Pb ages of 767.2 ± 2.9 Ma for the metavolcanic agglomerate (BOS-02); 765 ± 10 Ma for the metacrystal tuff (BOS-03) and 565.8 ± 4.8 Ma for the ash tuff (BOS-04). The Orogenic Cycle in Brazil is characterized by a set of orogenic belts consisting of petrotectonic associations juxtaposed by two collisional events that occurred at the end of the Neoproterozoic. In southern Brazil this orogeny formed the Dom Feliciano Belt, a unit composed of associations of rocks developed during two major orogenic events called São Gabriel (900-680 Ma) and Dom Feliciano (650-540 Ma). The main São Gabriel associations are tectonically juxtaposed as elongated strips according to the N20-30°E direction, bounded by ductile shear zones. The Bossoroca Complex comprises predominantly metavolcano-sedimentary rocks, characterized by medium-K calc-alkaline association generated in a cordillera-type magmatic arc. The volcanism occurred in sub-aerial environment, developing deposits generated by flow, resurgence and fall, sporadically interrupted by subaqueous epiclastic deposits, suggesting an arc related basin. The São Gabriel Terrane contains the petrotectonic units that represent the closure of the Charrua Ocean associated to the subduction period of the Brasiliano Orogenic Cycle in the Sul-rio-grandense Shield.

Milankovic's "end of the world"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milicevic, Vlado

2009-07-01

The Milankovic's numerical trajectory of secular changes of pole's rotation has shown that its latest positions in positive infinity can be observed on the North Pole of the Siberian plate. Milankovic with his discovers 'end of the world' or total end of activity in asthenosphere. In other words, he discovers plate tectonics of pole's (convergence, divergence, and transform movement), earthquakes, subduction zones, sea floor spreading, etc. This is not just the end of the atmosphere existence, water or life on the planet, but also a geodynamic, co-mechanic and co-climatological climax. This is the beginning of the ice ages. The pole of rotation, by Milankovic, reaches φ = +49° 34'; λ = +65° 16' for the Northern Hemisphere or φ = -130° 26'; λ = -65° 16' for Southern Hemisphere. Based on this data and according to the pole spreading of lithosphere, it is possible to recognize future climatic zones under geographical latitudes and longitudes. These are also known as the green zones, the most endangered continental places. The entire Europe and the parts of Asia will be under ice. Studying the continent of North America we can observe only a part of Canada is under ice (up to 60 of geographical longitude). This will happen due to continuous Atlantic sea floor spreading, and also due to the counterclockwise rotation of the North American plate. This will cause the continents to move away from the North Pole. The problem of some time units and numerical secular positions, Milankovic calculated and graphically presented, still stands as one of the greatest planetary enigmas. Their close picture is available through geophysical, geodetic, and mathematical methods, satellites, stations on the Earth's surface and also through practicing new technology. The mentioned "end of the world" does not present the end of the Earth's cosmic phase. It does not correspond to astronomical age determinants and further planetary deviation. Milankovic has experienced and mathematically presented cinematic planetary model of continents. He further included the water areas, atmosphere, and living beings. The Milankovic's "end of the world" is just an end of the pole's tectonics, critical temperatures and fluidly fall in the atmosphere. Also, it is the ending of the seismic phase, rift genesis, subdaction, and radioactivity. However, all together will not have any further consequences on the other structures, especially not on the Earth's nucleus. The Milankovic's end of the world resembles the minimization of mechanical secular changes of the pole rotation. The Earth's rotation itself stays unchanged or barely changed.

Seismicity and active tectonics in the Alboran Sea, Western Mediterranean: Constraints from an offshore-onshore seismological network and swath bathymetry data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grevemeyer, Ingo; Gràcia, Eulàlia; Villaseñor, Antonio; Leuchters, Wiebke; Watts, Anthony B.

2015-12-01

Seismicity and tectonic structure of the Alboran Sea were derived from a large amphibious seismological network deployed in the offshore basins and onshore in Spain and Morocco, an area where the convergence between the African and Eurasian plates causes distributed deformation. Crustal structure derived from local earthquake data suggests that the Alboran Sea is underlain by thinned continental crust with a mean thickness of about 20 km. During the 5 months of offshore network operation, a total of 229 local earthquakes were located within the Alboran Sea and neighboring areas. Earthquakes were generally crustal events, and in the offshore domain, most of them occurred at crustal levels of 2 to 15 km depth. Earthquakes in the Alboran Sea are poorly related to large-scale tectonic features and form a 20 to 40 km wide NNE-SSW trending belt of seismicity between Adra (Spain) and Al Hoceima (Morocco), supporting the case for a major left-lateral shear zone across the Alboran Sea. Such a shear zone is in accord with high-resolution bathymetric data and seismic reflection imaging, indicating a number of small active fault zones, some of which offset the seafloor, rather than supporting a well-defined discrete plate boundary fault. Moreover, a number of large faults known to be active as evidenced from bathymetry, seismic reflection, and paleoseismic data such as the Yusuf and Carboneras faults were seismically inactive. Earthquakes below the Western Alboran Basin occurred at 70 to 110 km depth and hence reflected intermediate depth seismicity related to subducted lithosphere.

Magnetotelluric Imaging of Lower Crustal Melt and Lithospheric Hydration in the Rocky Mountain Front Transition Zone, Colorado, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feucht, D. W.; Sheehan, A. F.; Bedrosian, P. A.

2017-12-01

We present an electrical resistivity model of the crust and upper mantle from two-dimensional (2-D) anisotropic inversion of magnetotelluric data collected along a 450 km transect of the Rio Grande rift, southern Rocky Mountains, and High Plains in Colorado, USA. Our model provides a window into the modern-day lithosphere beneath the Rocky Mountain Front to depths in excess of 150 km. Two key features of the 2-D resistivity model are (1) a broad zone ( 200 km wide) of enhanced electrical conductivity (<20 Ωm) in the midcrust to lower crust that is centered beneath the highest elevations of the southern Rocky Mountains and (2) hydrated lithospheric mantle beneath the Great Plains with water content in excess of 100 ppm. We interpret the high conductivity region of the lower crust as a zone of partially molten basalt and associated deep-crustal fluids that is the result of recent (less than 10 Ma) tectonic activity in the region. The recent supply of volatiles and/or heat to the base of the crust in the late Cenozoic implies that modern-day tectonic activity in the western United States extends to at least the western margin of the Great Plains. The transition from conductive to resistive upper mantle is caused by a gradient in lithospheric modification, likely including hydration of nominally anhydrous minerals, with maximum hydration occurring beneath the Rocky Mountain Front. This lithospheric "hydration front" has implications for the tectonic evolution of the continental interior and the mechanisms by which water infiltrates the lithosphere.

Tectonic Evolution of the Çayirhan Neogene Basin (Ankara), Central Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behzad, Bezhan; Koral, Hayrettin; İşb&idot; l, Duygu; Karaaǧa; ç, Serdal

2016-04-01

Çayırhan (Ankara) is located at crossroads of the Western Anatolian extensional region, analogous to the Basin and Range Province, and suture zone of the Neotethys-Ocean, which is locus of the North Anatolian Transform since the Late Miocene. To the north of Çayırhan (Ankara), a Neogene sedimentary basin comprises Lower-Middle Miocene and Upper Miocene age formations, characterized by swamp, fluvial and lacustrine settings respectively. This sequence is folded and transected by neotectonic faults. The Sekli thrust fault is older than the Lower-Middle Miocene age formations. The Davutoǧlan fault is younger than the Lower-Middle Miocene formations and is contemporaneous to the Upper Miocene formation. The Çatalkaya fault is younger than the Upper Miocene formation. The sedimentary and tectonic features provide information on mode, timing and evolution of this Neogene age sedimentary basin in Central Turkey. It is concluded that the region underwent a period of uplift and erosion under the influence of contractional tectonics prior to the Early-Middle Miocene, before becoming a semi-closed basin under influence of transtensional tectonics during the Early-Middle Miocene and under influence of predominantly extensional tectonics during the post-Late Miocene times. Keywords: Tectonics, Extension, Transtension, Stratigraphy, Neotectonic features.

A reconnaissance space sensing investigation of crustal structure for a strip from the eastern Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Plateau

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liggett, M. A. (Principal Investigator)

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Research progress in an investigation using ERTS-1 MSS imagery to study regional tectonics and related natural resources is summarized. Field reconnaissance guided by analysis of ERTS-1 imagery has resulted in development of a tectonic model relating strike-slip faulting to crustal extension in the southern Basin Range Province. The tectonics of the northern Death Valley-Furnace Creek Fault Zone and spacially associated volcanism and mercury mineralization were also investigated. Field work in the southern Sierra Nevada has confirmed the existence of faults and diabase dike swarms aligned along several major lineaments first recognized in ERTS-1 imagery. Various image enhancement and analysis techniques employed in the study of ERTS-1 data are summarized.

Lg wave attenuation in southeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau and the Indochina Peninsula and its implications of potential crustal flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, X.; Zhao, L. F.; Xie, X. B.; Yao, Z. X.

2017-12-01

Mechanisms that accommodate tectonic deformation in southeastern Tibetan Plateau and the Indochina Peninsula have been under heated debate between two popular end-number models, rigid block extrusion and viscous crustal flow channel, while recent studies suggest that they are not irreconcilable (e.g., Liu et al., 2014). To provide new insights into regional tectonic evolution, we collect 22,242 vertical seismograms and perform the Lg wave attenuation tomography at 58 individual frequencies between 0.05-10.0 Hz to investigate Lg wave attenuation in this region. The resultant broadband Lg wave attenuation model exhibits strong lateral variation that correlates with regional tectonics. A significant low Q belt, originating in the southeast Tibet, striking southeast and connecting to northern South China Sea, is the most conspicuous feature in our Lg Q maps, indicating intense crustal deformation and tectonic activities. For the northwestern part of this belt, two low Q channels joint beneath Songpan-Ganzi block but separate beneath Chuan-Dian block (eastern channel) and northern Sibumasu block (western channel) encountering Chuxiong basin in the central Chuan-Dian. This acute Lg attenuation may be resulted from viscous lower crust, thermal activities, shear heating along strike-slip fault and fractured brittle upper crust. The two channels are also consistent with zones of low seismic velocity and high conductivity between depth of 20 and 40 km (Bai et al., 2010; Bao et al., 2015), indicating possible partial-molten mid and lower crust. Together with evidences from paleo-elevation reconstruction and seismic anisotropy (Li et al., 2015; Wei et al., 2013), gravity-driven flow of viscous partial-molten mid-lower crust, which underlies brittle upper crust, is suggested and the mechanism that ductile flow of thickened lower crust uplifts topography and drags brittle upper crust to move with respect to each other may accommodate regional tectonics. We attribute distinct low Q zones beneath Yinggehai basin to ultra-thick sediment and sever thermal activities, and another obvious low Q zone beneath Sumatra Islands to dozens of volcanos. This work is supported by the Earthquake Experimental Field, CEA (grants 2016 CESE 0203) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 41374065, 41630210).

Late Cenozoic thermochronology and exhumation history of central Anatolia: Implications for the timing and nature of transition from collision to escape tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomson, S. N.; Lefebvre, C.; Umhoefer, P. J.; Darin, M. H.; Whitney, D.; Teyssier, C. P.

2016-12-01

The central part of the Anatolian microplate in Turkey forms a complex tectonic zone situated between ongoing convergence of the Arabian and Eurasian plates to the east, and lateral escape of the Anatolian microplate as a rigid block to the west facilitated by two major strike-slip faults (the North and East Anatolian fault zones) that transitions westward into an extensional tectonic regime in western Turkey and the Aegean Sea related to subduction retreat. However, the geodynamic processes behind the transition from collision to escape, and the timing and nature of this transition, are complex and remain poorly understood. To gain a better understanding of the timing and nature of this transition, including the debated timing of ca. 35-20 Ma onset of collision between Arabia and Eurasia, we have undertaken a comprehensive low-temperature thermochronologic study in central Turkey to provide a record of exhumation patterns. We have collected over 150 samples, focused on the Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex (CACC), the Central Anatolian fault zone (CAFZ - proposed as a major lithosphere-scale structure that may also be related to onset of tectonic escape), and Eocene to Neogene sedimentary basins. Results include 113 apatite fission track (FT) ages (62 bedrock ages and 51 detrital ages), 26 detrital zircon FT ages, 218 apatite (U-Th)/He (He) ages from 84 mostly bedrock samples, and 15 zircon He ages from 6 bedrock samples. Our most significant new finding is identification of an early Miocene (ca. 22-15 Ma) phase of rapid cooling seen in the CACC. These cooling ages are localized in the footwalls of several large high-angle NW-SE trending normal faults, and imply significant footwall uplift and exhumation at this time. This early Miocene exhumation is restricted to entirely west of the CAFZ, and supports this fault marking a major tectonic transition active at this time. East of the CAFZ, AFT ages in sedimentary rocks show Eocene and older detrital ages despite much higher elevations (up to 3000m) suggesting uplift of the fault block east of CAFZ occurred since the late Miocene. An earlier Eocene (40-35 Ma) phase of cooling and exhumation is identified in deformed Paleocene-Eocene sedimentary rocks either side of the CAFZ likely related to a regional episode of shortening during final closure of the inner Tauride suture.

Transverse zones controlling the structural evolution of the Zipaquira Anticline (Eastern Cordillera, Colombia): Regional implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, Helbert; Jiménez, Giovanny

2016-08-01

We report paleomagnetic, magnetic fabric and structural results from 21 sites collected in Cretaceous marine mudstones and Paleogene continental sandstones from the limbs, hinge and transverse zones of the Zipaquira Anticline (ZA). The ZA is an asymmetrical fold with one limb completely overturned by processes like gravity and salt tectonics, and marked by several axis curvatures. The ZA is controlled by at least two (2) transverse zones known as the Neusa and Zipaquira Transverse Zones (NTZ and ZTZ, respectively). Magnetic mineralogy methods were applied at different sites and the main carriers of the magnetic properties are paramagnetic components with some sites being controlled by hematite and magnetite. Magnetic fabric analysis shows rigid-body rotation for the back-limb in the ZA, while the forelimb is subjected to internal deformation. Structural and paleomagnetic data shows the influence of the NTZ and ZTZ in the evolution of the different structures like the ZA and the Zipaquira, Carupa, Rio Guandoque, Las Margaritas and Neusa faults, controlling several factors as vergence, extension, fold axis curvature and stratigraphic detatchment. Clockwise rotations unraveled a block segmentation following a discontinuos model caused by transverse zones and one site reported a counter clockwise rotation associated with a left-lateral strike slip component for transverse faults (e.g. the Neusa Fault). We propose that diverse transverse zones have been active since Paleogene times, playing an important role in the tectonic evolution of the Cundinamarca sub-basin and controlling the structural evolution of folds and faults with block segmentation and rotations.

Fabrics and geochronology of the Wushan ductile shear zone: Tectonic implications for the Shangdan suture zone in the Qinling orogen, Central China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Xiao; Sun, Shengshi; Dong, Yunpeng; Yang, Zhao; Liu, Xiaoming; He, Dengfeng

2017-04-01

The ductile shearing along the Shangdan suture zone during the Paleozoic time is a key to understand the collisional deformation and tectonic regime of amalgamation between the North China Block and the South China Blocks. The Wushan ductile shear zone, a branch of the Shangdan suture, records mylonitic deformation that affected granitic and felsic rocks outcropping in an over 1 km wide belt in the western Qinling Orogenic belt. Shear sense indicators and kinematic vorticity number (0.79-0.99) of the mylonites reveal a dextral shear deformation. The quartz c-axis fabrics indicate activation of combined basal and rhomb slip, prism slip and prism slip. The dynamic recrystallization of quartz is accommodated by combined subgrain rotation and grain boundary migration. These characteristics suggest that the mylonites experienced ductile shear deformation under amphibolite facies conditions at temperatures of 500-650 C. Zircons from granitic mylonite yield a U-Pb age of 910 ± 4.8 Ma, which represents the formation age of the protolith of the mylonite. The ductile shear zone was intruded by a granitic dyke, which yields a zircon U-Pb age of 403 ± 3.5 Ma constraining the minimum age of the ductile shear deformation. Together with regional geology and available geochronological data, these structural characteristics and ages indicate that the Wushan ductile shear zone was formed by dextral shearing following the N-S shortening as a result of collision between the North China and South China blocks along the Shangdan suture.

Fabrics and geochronology of the Wushan ductile shear zone: Tectonic implications for the Shangdan suture zone in the Qinling orogen, Central China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Xiao; Sun, Shengsi; Dong, Yunpeng; Yang, Zhao; Liu, Xiaoming; He, Dengfeng

2017-05-01

The ductile shearing along the Shangdan suture zone during the Paleozoic time is a key to understand the collisional deformation and tectonic regime of amalgamation between the North China Block and the South China Blocks. The Wushan ductile shear zone, a branch of the Shangdan suture, records mylonitic deformation that affected granitic and felsic rocks outcropping in an over 1 km wide belt in the western Qinling Orogenic belt. Shear sense indicators and kinematic vorticity number (0.79-0.99) of the mylonites reveal a dextral shear deformation. The quartz c-axis fabrics indicate activation of combined basal and rhomb slip, prism slip and prism slip. The dynamic recrystallization of quartz is accommodated by combined subgrain rotation and grain boundary migration. These characteristics suggest that the mylonites experienced ductile shear deformation under amphibolite facies conditions at temperatures of ∼500-650 °C. Zircons from granitic mylonite yield a U-Pb age of 910 ± 4.8 Ma, which represents the formation age of the protolith of the mylonite. The ductile shear zone was intruded by a granitic dyke, which yields a zircon U-Pb age of 403 ± 3.5 Ma constraining the minimum age of the ductile shear deformation. Together with regional geology and available geochronological data, these structural characteristics and ages indicate that the Wushan ductile shear zone was formed by dextral shearing following the N-S shortening as a result of collision between the North China and South China blocks along the Shangdan suture.

Quantitative kinematic analysis within the Khlong Marui shear zone, southern Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanjanapayont, Pitsanupong; Grasemann, Bernhard; Edwards, Michael A.; Fritz, Harald

2012-02-01

The NNE trending Khlong Marui shear zone has a strong geomorphic signal with marked fault-strike parallel topographic ridges. The lithologies within the strike-slip zone mainly consist of vertical layers of mylonitic meta-sedimentary rocks associated with orthogneisses, mylonitic granites, and pegmatitic veins. The pegmatitic veins concordantly intrude the mylonitic foliation but were sheared at the rims indicating syn-kinematic emplacement. Microstructures and mineral assemblages suggest that the rocks in the area have been metamorphosed at amphibolite facies and low to medium greenschist facies by the first deformation. The Khlong Marui shear zone was deformed under dextral simple shear flow with a small finite strain. The ductile-to-brittle deformation involves a period of exhumation of lenses of higher grade rocks together with low grade fault rocks probably associated with positive flower structures. The final stage brittle deformation is reflected by normal faulting and formation of proto-cataclasites to cataclasites of the original mylonitic meta-sedimentary host rock. Although clear age-constraints are still missing, we use regional relationships to speculate that earlier dextral strike-slip displacement of the Khlong Marui shear zone was related to the West Burma and Shan-Thai collision and subduction along the Sunda Trench in the Late Cretaceous, while the major exhumation period of the ductile lens was tectonically influenced by the early India-Asia collision. The changing stress field has responded by switching from dextral strike-slip to normal faulting in the Khlong Marui shear zone, and is associated with "escape tectonics" arising from the overall India-Asia collision.

Geophysical evidence of pre-sag rifting and post-rifting fault reactivation in the Parnaíba basin, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes de Castro, David; Hilário Bezerra, Francisco; Adolfo Fuck, Reinhardt; Vidotti, Roberta Mary

2016-04-01

This study investigated the rifting mechanism that preceded the prolonged subsidence of the Paleozoic Parnaíba basin in Brazil and shed light on the tectonic evolution of this large cratonic basin in the South American platform. From the analysis of aeromagnetic, aerogravity, seismic reflection and borehole data, we concluded the following: (1) large pseudo-gravity and gravity lows mimic graben structures but are associated with linear supracrustal strips in the basement. (2) Seismic data indicate that 120-200 km wide and up to 300 km long rift zones occur in other parts of the basins. These rift zones mark the early stage of the 3.5 km thick sag basin. (3) The rifting phase occurred in the early Paleozoic and had a subsidence rate of 47 m Myr-1. (4) This rifting phase was followed by a long period of sag basin subsidence at a rate of 9.5 m Myr-1 between the Silurian and the late Cretaceous, during which rift faults propagated and influenced deposition. These data interpretations support the following succession of events: (1) after the Brasiliano orogeny (740-580 Ma), brittle reactivation of ductile basement shear zones led to normal and dextral oblique-slip faulting concentrated along the Transbrasiliano Lineament, a continental-scale shear zone that marks the boundary between basement crustal blocks. (2) The post-orogenic tectonic brittle reactivation of the ductile basement shear zones led to normal faulting associated with dextral oblique-slip crustal extension. In the west, pure-shear extension induced the formation of rift zones that crosscut metamorphic foliations and shear zones within the Parnaíba block. (3) The rift faults experienced multiple reactivation phases. (4) Similar processes may have occurred in coeval basins in the Laurentia and Central African blocks of Gondwana.

Stress state and movement potential of the Kar-e-Bas fault zone, Fars, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkarinejad, Khalil; Zafarmand, Bahareh

2017-08-01

The Kar-e-Bas or Mengharak basement-inverted fault is comprised of six segments in the Zagros foreland folded belt of Iran. In the Fars region, this fault zone associated with the Kazerun, Sabz-Pushan and Sarvestan faults serves as a lateral transfer zone that accommodates the change in shortening direction from the western central to the eastern Zagros. This study evaluates the recent tectonic stress regime of the Kar-e-Bas fault zone based on inversion of earthquake focal mechanism data, and quantifies the fault movement potential of this zone based on the relationship between fault geometric characteristics and recent tectonic stress regimes. The trend and plunge of σ 1 and σ 3 are S25°W/04°-N31°E/05° and S65°E/04°-N60°W/10°, respectively, with a stress ratio of Φ = 0.83. These results are consistent with the collision direction of the Afro-Arabian continent and the Iranian microcontinent. The near horizontal plunge of maximum and minimum principle stresses and the value of stress ratio Φ indicate that the state of stress is nearly strike-slip dominated with little relative difference between the value of two principal stresses, σ 1 and σ 2. The obliquity of the maximum compressional stress into the fault trend reveals a typical stress partitioning of thrust and strike-slip motion in the Kar-e-Bas fault zone. Analysis of the movement potential of this fault zone shows that its northern segment has a higher potential of fault activity (0.99). The negligible difference between the fault-plane dips of the segments indicates that their strike is a controlling factor in the changes in movement potential.

Geology and U-Pb Zircon ages of the Kavacik Leucogranite in the Bornova Flysch Zone (Western Anatolia, Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Güngör, Talip; Hasözbek, Altuǧ; Akal, Cüneyt; Mertz-Kraus, Regina; Peştemalci Üregel, Reyhan

2016-04-01

The Bornova Flysch Zone comprises an olistostrome-melange situated NE-SW direction between the Izmir Ankara Suture Zone and the Menderes Massif. The Bornova Flysch Zone is mainly composed of slightly deformed Late Cretaceous to Paleocene sandstone and shale with Mesozoic limestone and oceanic crustal associations. These large-scale blocks in the matrix of the Bornova Flysch Zone are mostly defined as limestone, basalt, serpentinite and radiolarian cherts. In this study, granitic bodies, situated in the Bornova Flysch Zone, named as Kavacik leucogranite is examined for the first time, in terms its geological features and its U-Pb zircon crystallization ages. Kavacik leucogranite displays a typical granitic texture and its composition indicates ranging between granitic to granodioritic in composition with lack of mafic minerals. The geochemical features of the granite indicate the I-type and subalkaline nature of the granitic body. The geochemical signatures of the Kavacik granite points out Volcanic Arc Granitoids as similarly seen in Karaburun granite. U-Pb zircon LA ages were also obtained from the Kavacik granite ranging between 224.5 ± 2.0 Ma and 230.0 ± 2.8 Ma. Early Triassic zircon ages are also previously observed in the Karaburun Peninsula (Karaburun Granite) and the Menderes Massif (Odemis-Kiraz Submassif). The initial geological boundary relation of the Kavacik Leucogranite is not clear in the field and likely displays tectonic boundary features in the matrix of the Bornova Flysch Zone. Overall, the geochemical features of the Kavacik leucogranite and similar leucomagmatic bodies in the Western Anatolia points out the subduction-related tectonic setting is favorable during the Triassic time.

Volcano-tectonic implications of 3-D velocity structures derived from joint active and passive source tomography of the island of Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Park, J.; Morgan, J.K.; Zelt, C.A.; Okubo, P.G.

2009-01-01

We present a velocity model of the onshore and offshore regions around the southern part of the island of Hawaii, including southern Mauna Kea, southeastern Hualalai, and the active volcanoes of Mauna Loa, and Kilauea, and Loihi seamount. The velocity model was inverted from about 200,000 first-arrival traveltime picks of earthquakes and air gun shots recorded at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). Reconstructed volcanic structures of the island provide us with an improved understanding of the volcano-tectonic evolution of Hawaiian volcanoes and their interactions. The summits and upper rift zones of the active volcanoes are characterized by high-velocity materials, correlated with intrusive magma cumulates. These high-velocity materials often do not extend the full lengths of the rift zones, suggesting that rift zone intrusions may be spatially limited. Seismicity tends to be localized seaward of the most active intrusive bodies. Low-velocity materials beneath parts of the active rift zones of Kilauea and Mauna Loa suggest discontinuous rift zone intrusives, possibly due to the presence of a preexisting volcanic edifice, e.g., along Mauna Loa beneath Kilauea's southwest rift zone, or alternatively, removal of high-velocity materials by large-scale landsliding, e.g., along Mauna Loa's western flank. Both locations also show increased seismicity that may result from edifice interactions or reactivation of buried faults. New high-velocity regions are recognized and suggest the presence of buried, and in some cases, previously unknown rift zones, within the northwest flank of Mauna Loa, and the south flanks of Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Mauna Kea. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

Rotation and strain rate of Sulawesi from geometrical velocity field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarsito, D. A.; Susilo, Simons, W. J. F.; Abidin, H. Z.; Sapiie, B.; Triyoso, W.; Andreas, H.

2017-07-01

One of methods that can be used to determine the tectonic deformation status is rate estimation from geometric rotation and strain using quantitative velocity data from GPS observations. Microplate Sulawesi region located in the zone of triple junction (Eurasia, Australia and Philippine Sea Plates) has very complex tectonic and seismic condition, which is why become very important to know its recent deformation status in order to study neo-tectonic and disaster mitigation. Deformation rate quantification is estimated in two parameters: rotation and geodetic strain rate of each GPS station Delaunay triangle in the study area. The analysis in this study is not done using the grids since there is no rheological information at location that can be used as the interpolation-extrapolation constraints. Our analysis reveals that Sulawesi is characterized by rapid rotation in several different domains and compression-strain pattern that varies depending on the type and boundary conditions of microplate. This information is useful for studying neo tectonic deformation status and earthquake disaster mitigation.

The Amount and Preferred Orientation of Simple-shear in a Deformation Tensor: Implications for Detecting Shear Zones and Faults with GPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, A. M.; Griffiths, J. H.

2007-05-01

At the 2005 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, Griffiths and Johnson [2005] introduced a method of extracting from the deformation-gradient (and velocity-gradient) tensor the amount and preferred orientation of simple-shear associated with 2-D shear zones and faults. Noting the 2-D is important because the shear zones and faults in Griffiths and Johnson [2005] were assumed non-dilatant and infinitely long, ignoring the scissors- like action along strike associated with shear zones and faults of finite length. Because shear zones and faults can dilate (and contract) normal to their walls and can have a scissors-like action associated with twisting about an axis normal to their walls, the more general method of detecting simple-shear is introduced and called MODES "method of detecting simple-shear." MODES can thus extract from the deformation-gradient (and velocity- gradient) tensor the amount and preferred orientation of simple-shear associated with 3-D shear zones and faults near or far from the Earth's surface, providing improvements and extensions to existing analytical methods used in active tectonics studies, especially strain analysis and dislocation theory. The derivation of MODES is based on one definition and two assumptions: by definition, simple-shear deformation becomes localized in some way; by assumption, the twirl within the deformation-gradient (or the spin within the velocity-gradient) is due to a combination of simple-shear and twist, and coupled with the simple- shear and twist is a dilatation of the walls of shear zones and faults. The preferred orientation is thus the orientation of the plane containing the simple-shear and satisfying the mechanical and kinematical boundary conditions. Results from a MODES analysis are illustrated by means of a three-dimensional diagram, the cricket- ball, which is reminiscent of the seismologist's "beach ball." In this poster, we present the underlying theory of MODES and illustrate how it works by analyzing the three- dimensional displacements measured with the Global Positioning System across the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake ground rupture in Taiwan. In contrast to the deformation zone in the upper several meters of the ground below the surface detected by Yu et al. [2001], MODES determines the orientation and direction of shift of a shear zone representing the earthquake fault within the upper several hundred or thousand meters of ground below the surface. Thus, one value of the MODES analysis in this case is to provide boundary conditions for dislocation solutions for the subsurface shape of the main rupture during the earthquake.

Concepts for diamond exploration in "on/off craton" areas—British Columbia, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simandl, George J.

2004-09-01

The tectonic setting of British Columbia (BC) differs from classic diamond-bearing intracratonic regions such as the Northwest Territories and South Africa. Nevertheless, several diamond occurrences have been reported in BC. It is also known that parts of the province are underlain by Proterozoic and possibly Archean basement. Because the continents of today are composites of fragments of ancient continents, it is possible that some of the regions underlain by old crystalline basement in eastern British Columbia were associated with a deep crustal keel. The keel may have predated the break-up of the early Neoproterozoic supercontinent called Rodinia and was preserved possibly until the Triassic. Some of these old continental fragments may have been displaced relative to their position of origin and dissociated from their keel, or the keel may have since been destroyed. Such fragments represent favourable exploration grounds in terms of the "Diamondiferous Mantle Root" model (DMR model) if they were intersected by kimberlites or lamproites prior to displacement or destruction of their underlying deep keel. Therefore, extrapolation of fragments of the diamond-bearing Precambrian basement from the Northwest Territories or Alberta to BC provides a sufficient reason for initiating reconnaissance indicator mineral surveys. The "Eclogite Subduction Zone" model (ES model) predicts formation of diamonds at lower pressure (i.e., depth) than required by the DMR model in convergent tectonic settings. Although not proven, this model is supported by thermal modeling of cold subduction zones and recent discoveries of diamonds in areas characterized by convergent tectonic settings. If the ES model is correct, then the parts of BC with a geological history similar to today's "cold" subduction zones, such as Honshu (Japan), or to continental collision zones, such as Kokchetav massif (Kazakhstan) and the Dabie-Sulu Terrane (east central China), may be diamondiferous. The terranes where geological evidences suggest an ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphic event followed by rapid tectonic exhumation (which could have prevented complete resorption of diamonds on their journey to the surface) are worth investigating. If UHP rocks were intercepted at depth by syn- or post-subduction diamond elevators, such as kimberlites, lamproites, lamprophyres, nephelinites or other alkali volcanic rocks of deep-seated origin, the diamond potential of the area would be even higher.

A multidisciplinary study in the geodynamic active western Eger rift (Central Europe): The Quaternary volcanic complex Mytina and the recent CO2-degassing zone Hartousov

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flechsig, C.; Heinicke, J.; Kaempf, H. W.; Nickschick, T.; Mrlina, J.

2013-12-01

The Eger rift (Central Europe) belongs to the European Cenozoic rift system and represents an approximately 50 km wide and 300 km long ENE-WSW striking continental rift that formed during the Upper Cretaceous-Tertiary transition. This rift zone is one of the most active seismic regions in Central Europe. Especially, the western part of the Eger rift area is dominated by ongoing hidden magmatic processes in the intra-continental lithospheric mantle. Besides of known quaternary volcanoes, these processes take place in absence of any presently active volcanism at the surface. However, they are expressed by a series of phenomena distributed over a relatively large area, like occurrence of repeated earthquake swarms, surface exhalation of mantle-derived and CO2-enriched fluids at mofettes and mineral springs, and enhanced heat flow. At present this is the only known intra-continental region where such deep-seated, active lithospheric processes currently occur. The aim of the project is to investigate the tectonic/geologic near surface structure and the degassing processes of the mofette field of Hartousov, where soil gas measurements (concentration and flux rate) in an area of appr. 3x2 km traced a permeable NS extended segment of a fault zone and revealed highly permeable Diffuse Degassing Structures (DDS). The second target is volcanic environment of the Quaternary volcanic complex Mytina maar and the cinder cone Zelezna hurka/Eisenbühl. The investigations are intended to clarify: a) the spatio-temporal reconstruction of the maar complex, and the palaeo volcanic scenario (geological model, tectonic settings, distribution of pyroclastica, b) the geological structure and the tectonic control of the recent degassing zone, and c) the comperative interpretation of both regions in the consideration of potential future volcanic risk assessment in sub-regions of the western Eger Rift. To investigate both regions the following methods are used: geoelectrics, geomagnetics, shallow seismics, gravity and CO2-soil gas measurements, petrographic/petrophysical and remote sensing data. The results will be serve as for better understanding of geologic, volcanic and tectonic settings of the two regions as well as for the preparation of the ICDP drilling project 'Drilling the Eger rift' with a multidisciplinary approach consisting of geophysical, geochemical and other disciplines to understand the role of crustal fluid activity for swarm earthquake generation.

Drilling to investigate processes in active tectonics and magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shervais, J.; Evans, J.; Toy, V.; Kirkpatrick, J.; Clarke, A.; Eichelberger, J.

2014-12-01

Coordinated drilling efforts are an important method to investigate active tectonics and magmatic processes related to faults and volcanoes. The US National Science Foundation (NSF) recently sponsored a series of workshops to define the nature of future continental drilling efforts. As part of this series, we convened a workshop to explore how continental scientific drilling can be used to better understand active tectonic and magmatic processes. The workshop, held in Park City, Utah, in May 2013, was attended by 41 investigators from seven countries. Participants were asked to define compelling scientific justifications for examining problems that can be addressed by coordinated programs of continental scientific drilling and related site investigations. They were also asked to evaluate a wide range of proposed drilling projects, based on white papers submitted prior to the workshop. Participants working on faults and fault zone processes highlighted two overarching topics with exciting potential for future scientific drilling research: (1) the seismic cycle and (2) the mechanics and architecture of fault zones. Recommended projects target fundamental mechanical processes and controls on faulting, and range from induced earthquakes and earthquake initiation to investigations of detachment fault mechanics and fluid flow in fault zones. Participants working on active volcanism identified five themes: the volcano eruption cycle; eruption sustainability, near-field stresses, and system recovery; eruption hazards; verification of geophysical models; and interactions with other Earth systems. Recommended projects address problems that are transferrable to other volcanic systems, such as improved methods for identifying eruption history and constraining the rheological structure of shallow caldera regions. Participants working on chemical geodynamics identified four major themes: large igneous provinces (LIPs), ocean islands, continental hotspot tracks and rifts, and convergent plate margins (subduction zones). This workshop brought together a diverse group of scientists with a broad range of scientific experience and interests. A particular strength was the involvement of both early-career scientists, who will initiate and carry out these new research programs, and more senior researchers with many years of experience in scientific drilling and active tectonics research. Each of the themes and questions outlined above has direct benefits to society, including improving hazard assessment, direct monitoring of active systems for early warning, renewable and non-renewable resource and energy exploitation, and predicting the environmental impacts of natural hazards, emphasizing the central role that scientific drilling will play in future scientific and societal developments.

Seafloor Tectonic Fault Fabric and the Evolution of the Walvis Ridge-Rio Grande Rise Hot Spot Twins in the South Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sager, W. W.; Engfer, D.; Thoram, S.; Koppers, A. A. P.; Class, C.

2015-12-01

Walvis Ridge (WR) and Rio Grande Rise (RGR) are Cretaceous-Cenozoic large igneous provinces (LIPs) formed by the Tristan-Gough hot spot interacting with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). Although hot spot-ridge interaction has long been considered a primary factor controlling WR-RGR morphology, details are fuzzy owing to sparse geophysical data. We examined tectonic fabric revealed in satellite altimetry-derived gravity data to infer details about RGR-WR evolution. Plate tectonic reconstructions indicate that the main RGR plateau and large N-S plateau in the eastern WR erupted at the same point at ~90 Ma. Over the next ~8 Myr, these conjunct LIPs formed a "V" shape with a basin in between. Curved fracture zones within the basin imply the two LIPs formed around a microplate. The prominent rift in the middle of RGR formed nearly perpendicular to the RGR-WR intersection, suggesting an extensional microplate boundary. Hot spot eruptions continued at the MAR, emplacing the eastern WR and two main RGR plateaus until ~60 Ma. During this period, the N-S trending Eastern Rio Grande Rise (ERGR) was erupted along the MAR. Both the ERGR and WR formed bathymetric lineaments parallel to seafloor fault fabric and were likely connected. This resulted in WR seamounts with a "tadpole" shape, the head being small to medium seamounts on the WR track and the tails being low, spreading-fabric-parallel ridges extending up to ~150 km northward. Similar, small seamounts are found in the contemporaneous ERGR. Another critical observation is that the WR-RGR formed at a large crustal discontinuity (~700 km at anomaly C33, ~84 Ma) at one or more fracture zone offsets. By late Cenozoic time (anomaly C5, ~10 Ma), the offset was reduced by half while several new fracture zones formed at the junction between RGR and WR. This implies a connection between ridge reorganization and RGR-WR volcanism that may have resulted from the fracture zones becoming oblique to the spreading direction as Euler poles for South America - Africa shifted. Finally, after ~60 Ma, volcanism emplaced seamounts mainly on the African plate and hot spot volcanism at the MAR was greatly reduced. Results from the present study augment recently published findings of a strong link between the formation of the RGR-WR LIP and spreading ridge tectonics.

Hazardous Waste Cleanup: General Electric - Hudson Falls in Hudson Falls, New York

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This 25-acre site is within an area of residential and industrial zoning in the Village of Hudson Falls. The site is generally flat, but has a near-vertical drop to the Hudson River along its western boundary. The facility has been divided into four areas

Geology of a Stable Intraplate Region: The Cape Verde/Canary Basin,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-03-01

reflection records indicate a possible Eocene age up- lifting. Extensive island volcanism and sill and dike emplacement occurred during Miocene. Many abyssal...hills and small scale faults are related to this Miocene tectonic phase. Island volcanism has a con- tinuing influence on the sedimentary sections. The...Plate is capable of generating zones of weak- nesses. These weakness zones could be expected to localize island volcanism , create north/south-trending

Major occurrences and reservoir concepts of marine clathrate hydrates: Implications of field evidence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Booth, J.S.; Winters, W.J.; Dillon, William P.; Clennell, M.B.; Rowe, M.M.

1998-01-01

This paper is part of the special publication Gas hydrates: relevance to world margin stability and climatic change (eds J.P. Henriet and J. Mienert). Questions concerning clathrate hydrate as an energy resource, as a factor in modifying global climate and as a triggering mechanism for mass movements invite consideration of what factors promote hydrate concentration, and what the quintessential hydrate-rich sediment may be. Gas hydrate field data, although limited, provide a starting point for identifying the environments and processes that lead to more massive concentrations. Gas hydrate zones are up to 30 m thick and the vertical range of occurrence at a site may exceed 200 m. Zones typically occur more than 100m above the phase boundary. Thicker zones are overwhelmingly associated with structural features and tectonism, and often contain sand. It is unclear whether an apparent association between zone thickness and porosity represents a cause-and-effect relationship. The primary control on the thickness of a potential gas hydrate reservoir is the geological setting. Deep water and low geothermal gradients foster thick gas hydrate stability zones (GHSZs). The presence of faults, fractures, etc. can favour migration of gas-rich fluids. Geological processes, such as eustacy or subsidence, may alter the thickness of the GHSZ or affect hydrate concentratiion. Tectonic forces may promote injection of gas into the GHSZ. More porous and permeable sediment, as host sediment properties, increase storage capacity and fluid conductivity, and thus also enhance reservoir potential.

GeoBioScience: Red Wood Ants as Bioindicators for Active Tectonic Fault Systems in the West Eifel (Germany).

PubMed

Berberich, Gabriele; Schreiber, Ulrich

2013-05-17

In a 1.140 km² study area of the volcanic West Eifel, a comprehensive investigation established the correlation between red wood ant mound (RWA; Formica rufa-group) sites and active tectonic faults. The current stress field with a NW-SE-trending main stress direction opens pathways for geogenic gases and potential magmas following the same orientation. At the same time, Variscan and Mesozoic fault zones are reactivated. The results showed linear alignments and clusters of approx. 3,000 RWA mounds. While linear mound distribution correlate with strike-slip fault systems documented by quartz and ore veins and fault planes with slickensides, the clusters represent crosscut zones of dominant fault systems. Latter can be correlated with voids caused by crustal block rotation. Gas analyses from soil air, mineral springs and mofettes (CO₂, Helium, Radon and H₂S) reveal limiting concentrations for the spatial distribution of mounds and colonization. Striking is further the almost complete absence of RWA mounds in the core area of the Quaternary volcanic field. A possible cause can be found in occasionally occurring H₂S in the fault systems, which is toxic at miniscule concentrations to the ants. Viewed overall, there is a strong relationship between RWA mounds and active tectonics in the West Eifel.

The distribution and composition characteristics of siliceous rocks from Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt, South China: constraint on the tectonic evolution of plates in South China.

PubMed

Li, Hongzhong; Zhai, Mingguo; Zhang, Lianchang; Zhou, Yongzhang; Yang, Zhijun; He, Junguo; Liang, Jin; Zhou, Liuyu

2013-01-01

The Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt is a significant tectonic zone between the Yangtze and Cathaysian plates, where plentiful hydrothermal siliceous rocks are generated. Here, the authors studied the distribution of the siliceous rocks in the whole tectonic zone, which indicated that the tensional setting was facilitating the development of siliceous rocks of hydrothermal genesis. According to the geochemical characteristics, the Neopalaeozoic siliceous rocks in the north segment of the Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt denoted its limited width. In comparison, the Neopalaeozoic Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt was diverse for its ocean basin in the different segments and possibly had subduction only in the south segment. The ocean basin of the north and middle segments was limited in its width without subduction and possibly existed as a rift trough that was unable to resist the terrigenous input. In the north segment of the Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt, the strata of hydrothermal siliceous rocks in Dongxiang copper-polymetallic ore deposit exhibited alternative cycles with the marine volcanic rocks, volcanic tuff, and metal sulphide. These sedimentary systems were formed in different circumstances, whose alternative cycles indicated the release of internal energy in several cycles gradually from strong to weak.

Overview of Recent Coastal Tectonic Deformation in the Mexican Subduction Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez-Herrera, M. Teresa; Kostoglodov, Vladimir; Urrutia-Fucugauchi, Jaime

2011-08-01

Holocene and Pleistocene tectonic deformation of the coast in the Mexico subudction margin is recorded by geomorphic and stratigraphic markers. We document the spatial and temporal variability of active deformation on the coastal Mexican subduction margin. Pleistocene uplift rates are estimated using wave-cut platforms at ca. 0.7-0.9 m/ka on the Jalisco block coast, Rivera-North America tectonic plate boundary. We examine reported measurements from marine notches and shoreline angle elevations in conjunction with their radiocarbon ages that indicate surface uplift rates increasing during the Holocene up to ca. 3 ± 0.5 m/ka. In contrast, steady rates of uplift (ca. 0.5-1.0 m/ka) in the Pleistocene and Holocene characterize the Michoacan coastal sector, south of El Gordo graben and north of the Orozco Fracture Zone (OFZ), incorporated within the Cocos-North America plate boundary. Significantly higher rates of surface uplift (ca. 7 m/ka) across the OFZ subduction may reflect the roughness of subducting plate. Absence of preserved marine terraces on the coastal sector across El Gordo graben likely reflects slow uplift or coastal subsidence. Stratigraphic markers and their radiocarbon ages show late Holocene (ca. last 6 ka bp) coastal subsidence on the Guerrero gap sector in agreement with a landscape barren of marine terraces and with archeological evidence of coastal subsidence. Temporal and spatial variability in recent deformation rates on the Mexican Pacific coast may be due to differences in tectonic regimes and to localized processes related to subduction, such as crustal faults, subduction erosion and underplating of subducted materials under the southern Mexico continental margin.

Tectonic environments of South American porphyry copper magmatism through time revealed by spatiotemporal data mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butterworth, N.; Steinberg, D.; Müller, R. D.; Williams, S.; Merdith, A. S.; Hardy, S.

2016-12-01

Porphyry ore deposits are known to be associated with arc magmatism on the overriding plate at subduction zones. While general mechanisms for driving magmatism are well established, specific subduction-related parameters linking episodes of ore deposit formation to specific tectonic environments have only been qualitatively inferred and have not been formally tested. We develop a four-dimensional approach to reconstruct age-dated ore deposits, with the aim of isolating the tectonomagmatic parameters leading to the formation of copper deposits during subduction. We use a plate tectonic model with continuously closing plate boundaries, combined with reconstructions of the spatiotemporal distribution of the ocean floor, including subducted portions of the Nazca/Farallon plates. The models compute convergence rates and directions, as well as the age of the downgoing plate through time. To identify and quantify tectonic parameters that are robust predictors of Andean porphyry copper magmatism and ore deposit formation, we test two alternative supervised machine learning methods; the "random forest" (RF) ensemble and "support vector machines" (SVM). We find that a combination of rapid convergence rates ( 100 km/Myr), subduction obliquity of 15°, a subducting plate age between 25-70 Myr old, and a location far from the subducting trench boundary (>2000 km) represents favorable conditions for porphyry magmatism and related ore deposits to occur. These parameters are linked to the availability of oceanic sediments, the changing small-scale convection around the subduction zone, and the availability of the partial melt in the mantle wedge. When coupled, these parameters could influence the genesis and exhumation of porphyry copper deposits.

Micro-seismicity and seismotectonic study in Western Himalaya-Ladakh-Karakoram using local broadband seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanna, Nagaraju; Gupta, Sandeep; Prakasam, K. S.

2018-02-01

We document the seismic activity and fault plane solutions (FPSs) in the Western Himalaya, Ladakh and Karakoram using data from 16 broadband seismographs operated during June 2002 to December 2003. We locate 206 earthquakes with a local magnitude in the range of 1.5 to 4.9 and calculate FPSs of 19 selected earthquakes based on moment tensor solutions. The earthquakes are distributed throughout the study region and indicate active tectonics in this region. The observed seismicity pattern is quite different than a well-defined pattern of seismicity, along the Main Central Thrust zone, in the eastern side of the study region (i.e., Kumaon-Garhwal Himalaya). In the Himalaya region, the earthquakes are distributed in the crust and upper mantle, whereas in the Ladakh-Karakoram area the earthquakes are mostly confined up to crustal depths. The fault plane solutions show a mixture of thrust, normal and strike-slip type mechanisms, which are well corroborated with the known faults/tectonics of the region. The normal fault earthquakes are observed along the Southern Tibet Detachment, Zanskar Shear Zone, Tso-Morari dome, and Kaurik-Chango fault; and suggest E-W extension tectonics in the Higher and Tethys Himalaya. The earthquakes of thrust mechanism with the left-lateral strike-slip component are seen along the Kistwar fault. The right-lateral strike-slip faulting with thrust component along the bending of the Main Boundary Thrust and Main Central Thrust shows the transpressional tectonics in this part of the Himalaya. The observed earthquakes with right-lateral strike-slip faulting indicate seismically active nature of the Karakoram fault.

Seismic‐wave attenuation determined from tectonic tremor in multiple subduction zones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yabe, Suguru; Baltay, Annemarie S.; Ide, Satoshi; Beroza, Gregory C.

2014-01-01

Tectonic tremor provides a new source of observations that can be used to constrain the seismic attenuation parameter for ground‐motion prediction and hazard mapping. Traditionally, recorded earthquakes of magnitude ∼3–8 are used to develop ground‐motion prediction equations; however, typical earthquake records may be sparse in areas of high hazard. In this study, we constrain the distance decay of seismic waves using measurements of the amplitude decay of tectonic tremor, which is plentiful in some regions. Tectonic tremor occurs in the frequency band of interest for ground‐motion prediction (i.e., ∼2–8  Hz) and is located on the subducting plate interface, at the lower boundary of where future large earthquakes are expected. We empirically fit the distance decay of peak ground velocity from tremor to determine the attenuation parameter in four subduction zones: Nankai, Japan; Cascadia, United States–Canada; Jalisco, Mexico; and southern Chile. With the large amount of data available from tremor, we show that in the upper plate, the lower crust is less attenuating than the upper crust. We apply the same analysis to intraslab events in Nankai and show the possibility that waves traveling from deeper intraslab events experience more attenuation than those from the shallower tremor due to ray paths that pass through the subducting and highly attenuating oceanic crust. This suggests that high pore‐fluid pressure is present in the tremor source region. These differences imply that the attenuation parameter determined from intraslab earthquakes may underestimate ground motion for future large earthquakes on the plate interface.

Prospects of gold mineralization in the Gilgit-Baltistan Province of Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, M. T.; Khan, S. D.; Tahirkheli, T.; Ahmad, L.; Miandad, S.; Rehman, A. U.; Ali, L.

2012-12-01

Gilgit-Baltistan province is the northern most province of Pakistan having its eastern, northern and western boarders with India, China and Afghanistan respectively. The geology of this province is unique as it has the spectacular tectonic entities of Asiatic plate (AP), Indian plate (IP) and the Kohistan-Ladakh arc (KLA). The Northern Suture Zone (NSZ) or Main Karakoram Thrust (MKT) separate the KLA from AP in the north while the Maim Mantle Thrust (MMT) separate the KLA from IP in the south. These different tectonic events have generated various types of igneous and metamorphic rocks in the form of gigantic mountain chains in the region. Considering the metallogenic provinces related to such types of tectonic environments world over, it can be suggested that the Gigit-Baltistan province may have the potential for the occurrence of economic mineral deposits. The present study is the follow-up of the previous studies for exploration of gold and base metals conducted by the Austrominerals and the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) in the region. On the basis of PMDC extensive stream sediments geochemical survey of the province and delineated number of anomalous catchment areas for gold mineralization. In order to find the source bed-rock of gold, we have identified various alteration zones in these catchment areas by applying Remote sensing techniques by using both multispectral (LANDSAT, ASTER and Geoeye) and hyperspectral (Hyperion) data. Most of the alteration zones were found in steep high altitude inaccessible terrains. During this study, few of the accessible alteration zones in Golo Das, Bagrot valley, Shigri Bala, Machulu and Ranthak areas were selected for geological filed work and collection of proper samples from the alteration zones and host rocks for the identification of possible gold mineralization. In all these localities, the alteration zones are present along shear zones where the sulfide mineralization commonly occurs in the form of mainly pyrite and chalcopyrite with subordinate amount of bornite and tetrahedrite. Surface leaching of these phases to malachite, azurite and limonite is common. Quartz veining, silicification, carbonization and at places brecciation are the common features of these alteration zones. The concentrations of gold were found in the range of 3ppb to 112ppb, <5- 95ppb, 1ppb to 545ppb, 1ppb to 385 and 1ppb to 318ppb in the alteration zones of Golo Das, Bagrot valley, Shigri Bala, Machulu and Ranthak areas respectively. The barren rock samples have generally <5ppb gold. This is indicative of the multi-times enrichment of gold in the alteration zones. The sulfide mineralization along with gold in the alteration zones could be attributed to the hydrothermal/epithermal activity involving meteoric, igneous and or metamorphic fluid individually or mixture of these. The occurrence of dioritic intrusions (igneous fluid source) and the transitional dilated zones (metamorphic fluid source) on the major reactivated thrust fault (i.e., NSZ) in the vicinity of these alteration zones strengthen these observations. However, isotopic studies are underway to solve this problem. This study suggests that the alteration zones in the studied areas have the potential to be explored in detail for possible economical gold mineralization.

Holocene compression in the Acequión valley (Andes Precordillera, San Juan province, Argentina): Geomorphic, tectonic, and paleoseismic evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audemard, M.; Franck, A.; Perucca, L.; Laura, P.; Pantano, Ana; Avila, Carlos R.; Onorato, M. Romina; Vargas, Horacio N.; Alvarado, Patricia; Viete, Hewart

2016-04-01

The Matagusanos-Maradona-Acequión Valley sits within the Andes Precordillera fold-thrust belt of western Argentina. It is an elongated topographic depression bounded by the roughly N-S trending Precordillera Central and Oriental in the San Juan Province. Moreover, it is not a piggy-back basin as we could have expected between two ranges belonging to a fold-thrust belt, but a very active tectonic corridor coinciding with a thick-skinned triangular zone, squeezed between two different tectonic domains. The two domains converge, where the Precordillera Oriental has been incorporated to the Sierras Pampeanas province, becoming the western leading edge of the west-verging broken foreland Sierras Pampeanas domain. This latter province has been in turn incorporated into the active deformation framework of the Andes back-arc at these latitudes as a result of enhanced coupling between the converging plates due to the subduction of the Juan Fernández ridge that flattens the Nazca slab under the South American continent. This study focuses on the neotectonics of the southern tip of this N-S elongated depression, known as Acequión (from the homonym river that crosses the area), between the Del Agua and Los Pozos rivers. This depression dies out against the transversely oriented Precordillera Sur, which exhibits a similar tectonic style as Precordillera Occidental and Central (east-verging fold-thrust belt). This contribution brings supporting evidence of the ongoing deformation during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene of the triangular zone bounded between the two leading and converging edges of Precordillera Central and Oriental thrust fronts, recorded in a multi-episodic lake sequence of the Acequión and Nikes rivers. The herein gathered evidence comprise Late Pleistocene-Holocene landforms of active thrusting, fault kinematics (micro-tectonic) data and outcrop-scale (meso-tectonic) faulting and folding of recent lake and alluvial sequences. In addition, seismically-induced effects already reported in the literature by this working team further support the tectonic activity of neighboring faults in the Holocene. As a concluding remark we could state that the ongoing deformation in the region under study is driven by a compressional regime whose maximum horizontal stress in the late Pleistocene-Holocene is roughly east-west oriented. This is further supported by focal mechanism solutions.

Gravity tectonics and seismic gaps in the mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, H. S.

1974-01-01

The concept of gravity tectonics is applied to reveal the major clue as to the conditions which result in the correspondence of seismic and tectonic gaps in the mantle. An asymptotic theory is developed for the calculation of the thrust and moment when a descending lithospheric plate encounters resistance to its downward motion in the mesosphere. Dynamic analysis falls into two parts: (1) deriving equations for forces in the descending lithosphere, (2) deducing moment distribution which causes the detachment of lithosphere. For the analysis of forces a mathematical theory of shells is given. In order to determine the detachment mechanism, solutions of equations are obtained by asymptotic integration. It is found that a thrust N sub phi coupled with a moment M sub phi due to gravitational forces generated by density contrast may play a key role in the initial detachment of a piece of descending lithosphere. The results are in agreement with the observed seismic gaps beneath South America, Toga-Fiji, New Zealand and New Hebrides regions.

Localized Failure Promoted by Heterogeneous Stresses in Tectonic Mélanges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, N. J.; Rowe, C. D.; Ujiie, K.

2017-12-01

Within the shallow (<10 km depth) portion of subduction zones, tectonic mélanges are produced by distributed shear within downgoing sediments above the oceanic plate. Basaltic slabs (incorporated into the sediments through plucking and underplating) and sandstone layers form boudins within a shale dominated matrix due to strength contrasts within this zone of distributed shear. These tectonic mélanges are the host rocks of seismicity in subduction zones at shallow depths. Fluidized gouge and pseudotachylytes are evidence for paleoseismicity within exposures of mélanges, and occur preferentially along the contacts between shale matrix mélange and sandstone or basaltic layers. Detailed mapping within the Mugi Mélange, Japan has revealed basalt boudins enclosed by a cataclasite matrix derived from basalt. We model the stress concentrations around the strong basaltic boudins and slabs using the Power-Law Creep (PLC) toolbox developed at the University of Maine, which uses Asymptotic Expansion Homogenization (AEH) over a finite element mesh to determine the instantaneous stress distributions in a multiphase system. We model the shale matrix mélange to be deforming through a modified flow law for viscous creep based on coupled frictional sliding and pressure solution, where at a strain rate of 10-12 s-1 the flow stress is 10 MPa under the temperature (190 ºC) and pressure ( 100 MPa) conditions during deformation, and describe the behaviour of the basaltic blocks using experimentally-derived power law flow laws. The results show that at the strain rates calculated based on plate-rate motion, differential stresses high enough to cause comminution of the basalts ( 300 MPa) correspond strongly to areas around the blocks with basalt derived cataclasites. Within the basalt derived cataclasites, thin zones of ultracataclasite record localized slip. We hypothesize that the heterogeneous stress distributions within subduction mélanges: 1) fractures the strong basalt thereby facilitating weakening through fluid-rock interactions, and 2) promotes localized slip (and occasionally seismicity) within these zones of altered basalt along the margins of strong intact basalt.

Crustal structure and tectonics of the Hidaka Collision Zone, Hokkaido (Japan), revealed by vibroseis seismic reflection and gravity surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arita, Kazunori; Ikawa, Takashi; Ito, Tanio; Yamamoto, Akihiko; Saito, Matsuhiko; Nishida, Yasunori; Satoh, Hideyuki; Kimura, Gaku; Watanabe, Teruo; Ikawa, Takeshi; Kuroda, Toru

1998-05-01

This study is the first integrated geological and geophysical investigation of the Hidaka Collision Zone in southern Central Hokkaido, Japan, which shows complex collision tectonics with a westward vergence. The Hidaka Collision Zone consists of the Idon'nappu Belt (IB), the Poroshiri Ophiolite Belt (POB) and the Hidaka Metamorphic Belt (HMB) with the Hidaka Belt from west to east. The POB (metamorphosed ophiolites) is overthrust by the HMB (steeply eastward-dipping palaeo-arc crust) along the Hidaka Main Thrust (HMT), and in turn, thrusts over the Idon'nappu Belt (melanges) along the Hidaka Western Thrust (HWT). Seismic reflection and gravity surveys along a 20-km-long traverse across the southern Hidaka Mountains revealed hitherto unknown crustal structures of the collision zone such as listric thrusts, back thrusts, frontal thrust-and-fold structures, and duplex structures. The main findings are as follows. (1) The HMT, which dips steeply at the surface, is a listric fault dipping gently at a depth of ˜7 km beneath the eastern end of the HMB, and cutting across the lithological boundaries and schistosity of the Hidaka metamorphic rocks. (2) A second reflector is detected 1 km below the HMT reflector. The intervening part between these two reflectors is inferred to be the POB, which is only little exposed at the surface. This inference is supported by the high positive Bouguer anomalies along the Hidaka Mountains. (3) The shallow portion of the IB at the front of the collision zone has a number of NNE-dipping reflectors, indicative of imbricated fold-and-thrust structures. (4) Subhorizontal reflectors at a depth of 14 km are recognized intermittently at both sides of the seismic profile. These reflectors may correspond to the velocity boundary (5.9-6.6 km/s) previously obtained from seismic refraction profiling in the northern Hidaka Mountains. (5) These crustal structures as well as the back thrust found in the eastern end of the traverse represent characteristics of collisional tectonics resulting from the two collisional events since the Early Tertiary.

Geodynamical Evolution of the En echelon Basins in the Hexi Corridor: Implications From 3-D Numerical Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W.; Shi, Y.; Zhang, H.; Cheng, H.

2017-12-01

The Hexi Corridor, located between the Alax block and the Caledon fold belt in the North Qilian Mountains, is the forefront area of northward thrust of the Tibet Plateau. Most notably, this active tectonic region consists of a series of faults and western-northwest trending Cenozoic basins. Therefore, it's a pivotal part in terms of recording tectonic pattern of the Tibet Plateau and also demonstrating the northward growth of Tibetan Plateau. In order to explain the mechanism of formation and evolution of the paired basins in the Hexi Corridor and based on the visco-elasticity-plasticity constitutive relation, we construct a 3-D finite element numerical model, including the Altun Tagh fault zone, the northern Qilian Shan-Hexi corridor faults system and the Haiyuan fault zone in northeast of the Tibet Plateau.The boundary conditions are constrained by GPS observations and fault slip rate provided by field geology, with steady rate of deformation of north-south compression and lateral shear along the approximately east-west strike fault zones.In our numerical model, different blocks are given different mechanical features and major fault zones are assumed mechanical weak zones. The long-term (5Ma) accumulation of lithospheric stress, displacement and fault dislocation of the Hexi Corridor and its adjacent regions are calculated in different models for comparison. Meanwhile, we analyze analyzed how the crustal heterogeneity affecting the tectonic deformations in this region. Comparisons between the numerical results and the geological observations indicate that under compression-shear boundary conditions, heterogeneous blocks of various scales may lead to the development of en echelon faults and basins in the Hexi corridor. And the ectonic deformation of Alax and the North Qilian Mountains are almost simultaneous, which may be earlier than the initiation of en echelon basins in the Hexi Corridor and the faults between the en echelon basins. Calculated horizontal and vertical deformation rate are in agreement with geological data. The calculation of deformation process is helpful for understanding the geological evolution history of the northeastwards growth of the Tibetan Plateau.

Earthquake Forecasting in Northeast India using Energy Blocked Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohapatra, A. K.; Mohanty, D. K.

2009-12-01

In the present study, the cumulative seismic energy released by earthquakes (M ≥ 5) for a period 1897 to 2007 is analyzed for Northeast (NE) India. It is one of the most seismically active regions of the world. The occurrence of three great earthquakes like 1897 Shillong plateau earthquake (Mw= 8.7), 1934 Bihar Nepal earthquake with (Mw= 8.3) and 1950 Upper Assam earthquake (Mw= 8.7) signify the possibility of great earthquakes in future from this region. The regional seismicity map for the study region is prepared by plotting the earthquake data for the period 1897 to 2007 from the source like USGS,ISC catalogs, GCMT database, Indian Meteorological department (IMD). Based on the geology, tectonic and seismicity the study region is classified into three source zones such as Zone 1: Arakan-Yoma zone (AYZ), Zone 2: Himalayan Zone (HZ) and Zone 3: Shillong Plateau zone (SPZ). The Arakan-Yoma Range is characterized by the subduction zone, developed by the junction of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It shows a dense clustering of earthquake events and the 1908 eastern boundary earthquake. The Himalayan tectonic zone depicts the subduction zone, and the Assam syntaxis. This zone suffered by the great earthquakes like the 1950 Assam, 1934 Bihar and the 1951 Upper Himalayan earthquakes with Mw > 8. The Shillong Plateau zone was affected by major faults like the Dauki fault and exhibits its own style of the prominent tectonic features. The seismicity and hazard potential of Shillong Plateau is distinct from the Himalayan thrust. Using energy blocked model by Tsuboi, the forecasting of major earthquakes for each source zone is estimated. As per the energy blocked model, the supply of energy for potential earthquakes in an area is remarkably uniform with respect to time and the difference between the supply energy and cumulative energy released for a span of time, is a good indicator of energy blocked and can be utilized for the forecasting of major earthquakes. The proposed process provides a more consistent model of gradual accumulation of strain and non-uniform release through large earthquakes and can be applied in the evaluation of seismic risk. The cumulative seismic energy released by major earthquakes throughout the period from 1897 to 2007 of last 110 years in the all the zones are calculated and plotted. The plot gives characteristics curve for each zone. Each curve is irregular, reflecting occasional high activity. The maximum earthquake energy available at a particular time in a given area is given by S. The difference between the theoretical upper limit given by S and the cumulative energy released up to that time is calculated to find out the maximum magnitude of an earthquake which can occur in future. Energy blocked of the three source regions are 1.35*1017 Joules, 4.25*1017 Joules and 0.12*1017 in Joules respectively for source zone 1, 2 and 3, as a supply for potential earthquakes in due course of time. The predicted maximum magnitude (mmax) obtained for each source zone AYZ, HZ, and SPZ are 8.2, 8.6, and 8.4 respectively by this model. This study is also consistent with the previous predicted results by other workers.

The 2008 M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake - a human-caused event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klose, C. D.

2013-12-01

A catalog of global human-caused earthquakes shows statistical evidence that the triggering of earthquakes by large-scale geoengineering activities depends on geological and tectonic constrains (in Klose 2013). Such geoengineering activities also include the filling of water reservoirs. This presentation illuminates mechanical and statistical aspects of the 2008 M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in light of the hypothesis of being NOT human-caused. However, available data suggest that the Wenchuan earthquake was triggered by the filling of the Zipungpu water reservoir 30 months prior to the mainshock. The reservoir spatially extended parallel and near to the main Beichuan fault zone in a highly stressed reverse fault regime. It is mechanically evident that reverse faults tend to be very trigger-sensitive due to mass shifts (static loads) that occur on the surface of the Earth's crust. These circumstances made a triggering of a seismic event of this magnitude at this location possible (in Klose 2008, 2012). The data show that the Wenchuan earthquake is not an outlier. From a statistical view point, the earthquake falls into the upper range of the family of reverse fault earthquakes that were caused by humans worldwide.

Revisit of Criteria and Evidence for the Tectonic Erosion vs Accretion in East Asian Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, G.; Hamahashi, M.

2015-12-01

Accretionary and erosive margins provide tectonic end-members in subduction zone and how these tectonic processes might be recorded and recognizable in ancient subduction complexes remains a challenging issue. Tectonic erosion includes sediment subduction and basal erosion along the plate boundary megathrust and drags down the crust of the upper plate into the mantle. Geologic evidence for the erosion is commonly based on lost geological tectono-stratigraphic data, i.e. gaps in the record and indirect phenomena such as subsidence of the forearc slopes. A topographically rough surface such as seamount has been suggested to work like an erosive saw carving the upper plate. Another mechanism of basal erosion has been suggested to be hydrofracturing of upper plate materials due to dehydration-induced fluid pressures, resulting in entrainment of upper plate materials into the basal décollement. Considering the interaction between the ~30 km thick crust of the upper plate and subducting oceanic plate, a subduction dip angle of ~15°, and convergent rate of ~10 cm/year, at least ~1 Ma of continuous basal erosion is necessary to induce clear subsidence of the forearc because the width of plate interface between the upper crustal and subducting plates is about 115 km (30/cos15°). In several examples of subduction zones, for example the Japan Trench and the Middle America Trench off Costa Rica, the subsidence of a few thousand metres of the forearc, combined with a lack of accretionary prism over a period of several million years, suggest that the erosive condition needs to be maintained for several to tens of million years.Such age gaps in the accretionary complex, however, do not automatically imply that tectonic erosion has taken place, as other interpretations such as no accretion, cessation of subduction, and/or later tectonic modification, are also possible. Recent drilling in the forearc of the Nankai Trough suggests that the accretion was ceased between ~12 Ma to ~8 Ma due to the transference of subduction from the Pacific Plate to the Philippine Sea Plate, as opposed to the continuous subduction of the Phillipine Sea Plate with subduction erosion.

Investigation of Tectonic Boundaries in Taiwan Obtained with a Hierarchical Clustering of Dense GNSS Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, A.; Hashimoto, M.; Hu, J. C.; Fukahata, Y.

2017-12-01

Taiwan Island is composed of many geological structures. The main tectonic feature is the collision of the Luzon volcanic arc with the Eurasian continent, which propagates westward and generates complicated crustal deformation. One way to model crustal deformation is to divide Taiwan island into man rigid blocks that moves relatively each other along the boundaries (deformation zones) of the blocks. Since earthquakes tend to occur in the deformation zones, identification of such tectonic boundaries is important. So far, many tectonic boundaries have been proposed on the basis of geology, geomorphology, seismology and geodesy. However, which is the most significant boundary depends on disciplines and there is no way to objectively classify them. Here, we introduce an objective method to identify significant tectonic boundaries with a hierarchical representation proposed by Simpson et al. [2012].We apply a hierarchical agglomerative clustering algorithm to dense GNSS horizontal velocity data in Taiwan. One of the significant merits of the hierarchical representation of the clustering results is that we can consistently explore crustal structures from larger to smaller scales. This is because a higher hierarchy corresponds to a larger crustal structure, and a lower hierarchy corresponds to a smaller crustal structure. Relative motion between clusters can be obtained from this analysis.The first major boundary is identified along the eastern margin of the Longitudinal Valley, which corresponds to the separation of the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian continental margin. The second major boundary appears along the Chaochou fault and the Chishan fault in southwestern Taiwan. The third major boundary appears along the eastern margin of the coastal plane. The identified major clusters can be divided into several smaller blocks without losing consistency with geological boundaries. For example, the Fengshun fault, concealed beneath thick sediment layers, is identified. Furthermore, obtained relative motion between clusters demands a reverse fault or a left lateral fault in the off shore of the coastal range.Our clustering based block modeling is consistent with tectonics of Taiwan, implying that observed crustal deformation in Taiwan can be attributed to motion or deformation of shallow structures.

Structural analysis and Miocene-to-Present tectonic evolution of a lithospheric-scale, transcurrent lineament: The Sciacca Fault (Sicilian Channel, Central Mediterranean Sea)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorik, Jakub; Toscani, Giovanni; Lodolo, Emanuele; Civile, Dario; Bonini, Lorenzo; Seno, Silvio

2018-01-01

Seismo-stratigraphic and structural analysis of a large number of multichannel seismic reflection profiles acquired in the northern part of the Sicilian Channel allowed a 3-D reconstruction of a regional NS-trending transfer zone which displays a transcurrent tectonic regime, and that is of broad relevance for its seismotectonic and geodynamic implications. It is constituted of two major transcurrent faults delimiting a 30-km-wide, mostly undeformed basin. The western fault (Capo Granitola) does not show clear evidence of present-day tectonic activity, and toward the south it is connected with the volcanic area of the Graham Bank. The eastern fault (Sciacca) is structurally more complex, showing active deformation at the sea-floor, particularly evident along the Nerita Bank. The Sciacca Fault is constituted of a master and splay faults compatible with a right-lateral kinematics. Sciacca Fault is superimposed on an inherited weakness zone (a Mesozoic carbonate ramp), which borders to the east a 2.5-km-thick Plio-Quaternary basin, and that was reactivated during the Pliocene. A set of scaled claybox analogue models was carried out in order to better understand the tectonic processes that led to the structural setting displayed by seismic data. Tectonic structures and uplift/subsidence patterns generated by the models are compatible with the 3-D model obtained from seismic reflection profiles. The best fit between the tectonic setting deriving from the interpretation of seismic profiles and the analogue models was obtained considering a right-lateral movement for the Sciacca Fault. Nevertheless, the stress field in the study area derived from GPS measurements does not support the present-day modelled right-lateral kinematics along the Sciacca Fault. Moreover, seismic events along this fault show focal mechanisms with a left-lateral component. We ascribe the slip change along the Sciacca Fault, from a right-lateral transcurrent regime to the present-day left-lateral kinematics to a change of principal horizontal stress direction starting from Late Pliocene.

Episodic Rifting Events Within the Tjörnes Fracture Zone, an Onshore-Offshore Ridge-Transform in N-Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandsdottir, B.; Magnusdottir, S.; Karson, J. A.; Detrick, R. S.; Driscoll, N. W.

2015-12-01

The multi-branched plate boundary across Iceland is made up of divergent and oblique rifts, and transform zones, characterized by entwined extensional and transform tectonics. The Tjörnes Fracture Zone (TFZ), located on the coast and offshore Northern Iceland, is a complex transform linking the northern rift zone (NVZ) on land with the Kolbeinsey Ridge offshore. Extension across TFZ is partitioned across three N-S trending rift basins; Eyjafjarðaráll, Skjálfandadjúp (SB) and Öxarfjörður and three WNW-NW oriented seismic lineaments; the Grímsey Oblique Rift, Húsavík-Flatey Faults (HFFs) and Dalvík Lineament. We compile the tectonic framework of the TFZ ridge-transform from aerial photos, satellite images, multibeam bathymetry and high-resolution seismic reflection data (Chirp). The rift basins are made up of normal faults with vertical displacements of up to 50-60 m, and post-glacial sediments of variable thickness. The SB comprises N5°W obliquely trending, eastward dipping normal faults as well as N10°E striking, westward dipping faults oriented roughly perpendicular to the N104°E spreading direction, indicative of early stages of rifting. Correlation of Chirp reflection data and tephrachronology from a sediment core within SB reveal major rifting episodes between 10-12.1 kyrs BP activating the whole basin, followed by smaller-scale fault movements throughout Holocene. Onshore faults have the same orientations as those mapped offshore and provide a basis for the interpretation of the kinematics of the faults throughout the region. These include transform parallel right-lateral, strike-slip faults separating domains dominated by spreading parallel left-lateral bookshelf faults. Shearing is most prominent along the HFFs, a system of right-lateral strike-slip faults with vertical displacement up to 15 m. Vertical fault movements reflect increased tectonic activity during early postglacial time coinciding with isostatic rebound enhancing volcanism within Iceland.

Root-zone temperature and nitrogen affect the yield and secondary metabolite concentration of fall- and spring-grown, high-density leaf lettuce.

PubMed

Bumgarner, Natalie R; Scheerens, Joseph C; Mullen, Robert W; Bennett, Mark A; Ling, Peter P; Kleinhenz, Matthew D

2012-01-15

Understanding the effects of temperature and nitrogen levels on key variables, particularly under field conditions during cool seasons of temperate climates, is important. Here, we document the impact of root-zone heating and nitrogen (N) fertility on the accumulation and composition of fall- and spring-grown lettuce biomass. A novel, scalable field system was employed. Direct-seeded plots containing a uniform, semi-solid, and nearly stable rooting medium were established outdoors in 2009 and 2010; each contained one of eight combinations of root-zone heating (-/+) and N fertility (0, 72, 144, and 576 mg day(-1)). Root-zone heating increased but withholding N decreased biomass accumulation in both years. Low N supplies were also associated with greater anthocyanin and total antioxidant power but lower N and phosphorus levels. Tissue chlorophyll a and vitamin C levels tracked root-zone temperature and N fertility more closely in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Experimentally imposed root-zone temperature and N levels influenced the amount and properties of fall- and spring-grown lettuce tissue. Ambient conditions, however, dictated which of these factors exerted the greatest effect on the variables measured. Collectively, the results point to the potential for gains in system sustainability and productivity, including with respect to supplying human nutritional units. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Wilson study cycles: Research relative to ocean geodynamic cycles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kidd, W. S. F.

1985-01-01

The effects of conversion of Atlantic (rifted) margins to convergent plate boundaries; oceanic plateaus at subduction zones; continental collision and tectonic escape; southern Africa rifts; and global hot spot distribution on long term development of the continental lithosphere were studied.

The Chelyabinsk Meteorite Hits an Anomalous Zone in the Urals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochemasov, G. G.

2013-09-01

The Chelyabinsk meteorite is "strange" because it hits an area in the Urals where anomalous events are observed: shining skies, light balls, UFOs, electrphonic bolids. The area tectonically occurs at the intersection of two fold belts: Urals and Timan.

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for Sumatra, Indonesia and across the Southern Malaysian Peninsula

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petersen, M.D.; Dewey, J.; Hartzell, S.; Mueller, C.; Harmsen, S.; Frankel, A.D.; Rukstales, K.

2004-01-01

The ground motion hazard for Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula is calculated in a probabilistic framework, using procedures developed for the US National Seismic Hazard Maps. We constructed regional earthquake source models and used standard published and modified attenuation equations to calculate peak ground acceleration at 2% and 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years for rock site conditions. We developed or modified earthquake catalogs and declustered these catalogs to include only independent earthquakes. The resulting catalogs were used to define four source zones that characterize earthquakes in four tectonic environments: subduction zone interface earthquakes, subduction zone deep intraslab earthquakes, strike-slip transform earthquakes, and intraplate earthquakes. The recurrence rates and sizes of historical earthquakes on known faults and across zones were also determined from this modified catalog. In addition to the source zones, our seismic source model considers two major faults that are known historically to generate large earthquakes: the Sumatran subduction zone and the Sumatran transform fault. Several published studies were used to describe earthquakes along these faults during historical and pre-historical time, as well as to identify segmentation models of faults. Peak horizontal ground accelerations were calculated using ground motion prediction relations that were developed from seismic data obtained from the crustal interplate environment, crustal intraplate environment, along the subduction zone interface, and from deep intraslab earthquakes. Most of these relations, however, have not been developed for large distances that are needed for calculating the hazard across the Malaysian peninsula, and none were developed for earthquake ground motions generated in an interplate tectonic environment that are propagated into an intraplate tectonic environment. For the interplate and intraplate crustal earthquakes, we have applied ground-motion prediction relations that are consistent with California (interplate) and India (intraplate) strong motion data that we collected for distances beyond 200 km. For the subduction zone equations, we recognized that the published relationships at large distances were not consistent with global earthquake data that we collected and modified the relations to be compatible with the global subduction zone ground motions. In this analysis, we have used alternative source and attenuation models and weighted them to account for our uncertainty in which model is most appropriate for Sumatra or for the Malaysian peninsula. The resulting peak horizontal ground accelerations for 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years range from over 100% g to about 10% g across Sumatra and generally less than 20% g across most of the Malaysian peninsula. The ground motions at 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years are typically about 60% of the ground motions derived for a hazard level at 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years. The largest contributors to hazard are from the Sumatran faults.

State Defense Force Monograph Series. Fall 2007, Special Units

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

authors and the visual panorama of artists and film makers. Those World War Two soldiers for whom “taps” has not yet been sounded may still remember the...Defense Force Monograph Series, Fall 2007, SPECIAL UNITS The Primary Zone will encompass the direct blast and thermal effects of the detonation and also...structural damage and the immediate fires from the thermal effects, although there may be secondary fires outside the Primary Zone. For a 10kt

Geophysical interpretations west of and within the northwestern part of the Nevada Test Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grauch, V.J.; Sawyer, D.A.; Fridrich, C.J.

1997-12-31

This report focuses on interpretation of gravity and new magnetic data west of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and within the northwestern part of NTS. The interpretations integrate the gravity and magnetic data with other geophysical, geological, and rock property data to put constraints on tectonic and magmatic features not exposed at the surface. West of NTS, where drill hole information is absent, these geophysical data provide the best available information on the subsurface. Interpreted subsurface features include calderas, intrusions, basalt flows and volcanoes, Tertiary basins, structurally high pre-Tertiary rocks, and fault zones. New features revealed by this study includemore » (1) a north-south buried tectonic fault east of Oasis Mountain, which the authors call the Hogback fault; (2) an east striking fault or accommodation zone along the south side of Oasis Valley basin, which they call the Hot Springs fault; (3) a NNE striking structural zone coinciding with the western margins of the caldera complexes; (4) regional magnetic highs that probably represent a thick sequence of Tertiary volcanic rocks; and (5) two probable buried calderas that may be related to the tuffs of Tolicha Peak and of Sleeping Butte, respectively.« less

Evidence for subduction in the ice shell of Europa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kattenhorn, Simon A.; Prockter, Louise M.

2014-10-01

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has one of the youngest planetary surfaces in the Solar System, implying rapid recycling by some mechanism. Despite ubiquitous extension and creation of new surface area at dilational bands that resemble terrestrial mid-ocean spreading zones, there is little evidence of large-scale contraction to balance the observed extension or to recycle ageing terrains. We address this enigma by presenting several lines of evidence that subduction may be recycling surface material into the interior of Europa’s ice shell. Using Galileo spacecraft images, we produce a tectonic reconstruction of geologic features across a 134,000 km2 region of Europa and find, in addition to dilational band spreading, evidence for transform motions along prominent strike-slip faults, as well as the removal of approximately 20,000 km2 of the surface along a discrete tabular zone. We interpret this zone as a subduction-like convergent boundary that abruptly truncates older geological features and is flanked by potential cryolavas on the overriding ice. We propose that Europa’s ice shell has a brittle, mobile, plate-like system above convecting warmer ice. Hence, Europa may be the only Solar System body other than Earth to exhibit a system of plate tectonics.

Note on seismic hazard assessment using gradient of uplift velocities in the Turan block (Central Asia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaboyedoff, M.; Derron, M.-H.; Manby, G. M.

2005-01-01

Uplift gradients can provide the location of highly strained zones, which can be considered to be seismic. The Turan block (Central Asia) contains zones with high gradient of uplift velocities, above the threshold 0.04mm km-1year-1. Some of these zones are associated with important seismic activity and others are not correlated with any recent important recorded earthquakes, however, recent faults scarps as well as diverted rivers may indicate a recent tectonic activity. This threshold of gradient is probably a significant rheologic property of the upper crust. On the basis of these considerations the Uzboy river area is proposed as a potential high seismic hazard zone.

Integrating GIS-based geologic mapping, LiDAR-based lineament analysis and site specific rock slope data to delineate a zone of existing and potential rock slope instability located along the grandfather mountain window-Linville Falls shear zone contact, Southern Appalachian Mountains, Watauga County, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gillon, K.A.; Wooten, R.M.; Latham, R.L.; Witt, A.W.; Douglas, T.J.; Bauer, J.B.; Fuemmeler, S.J.

2009-01-01

Landslide hazard maps of Watauga County identify >2200 landslides, model debris flow susceptibility, and evaluate a 14km x 0.5km zone of existing and potential rock slope instability (ZEPRSI) near the Town of Boone. The ZEPRSI encompasses west-northwest trending (WNWT) topographic ridges where 14 active/past-active rock/weathered rock slides occur mainly in rocks of the Grandfather Mountain Window (GMW). The north side of this ridgeline is the GMW / Linville Falls Fault (LFF) contact. Sheared rocks of the Linville Falls Shear Zone (LFSZ) occur along the ridge and locally in the valley north of the contact. The valley is underlain principally by layered granitic gneiss comprising the Linville Falls/Beech Mountain/Stone Mountain Thrust Sheet. The integration of ArcGIS??? - format digital geologic and lineament mapping on a 6m LiDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) digital elevation model (DEM) base, and kinematic analyses of site specific rock slope data (e.g., presence and degree of ductile and brittle deformation fabrics, rock type, rock weathering state) indicate: WNWT lineaments are expressions of a regionally extensive zone of fractures and faults; and ZEPRSI rock slope failures concentrate along excavated, north-facing LFF/LFSZ slopes where brittle fabrics overprint older metamorphic foliations, and other fractures create side and back release surfaces. Copyright 2009 ARMA, American Rock Mechanics Association.

Structural and tectonic setting of the Charleston, South Carolina, region: Evidence from the Tertiary stratigraphic record

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weems, R.E.; Lewis, W.C.

2002-01-01

Eleven upper Eocene through Pliocene stratigraphic units occur in the subsurface of the region surrounding Charleston, South Carolina. These units contain a wealth of information concerning the long-term tectonic and structural setting of that area. These stratigraphic units have a mosaic pattern of distribution, rather than a simple layered pattern, because deposition, erosion, and tectonic warping have interacted in a complex manner through time. By generating separate structure-contour maps for the base of each stratigraphic unit, an estimate of the original basal surface of each unit can be reconstructed over wide areas. Changes in sea level over geologic time generate patterns of deposition and erosion that are geographically unique for the time of each transgression. Such patterns fail to persist when compared sequentially over time. In some areas, however, there has been persistent, repetitive net downward of upward movement over the past 34 m.y. These repetitive patterns of persistent motion are most readily attributable to tectonism. The spatial pattern of these high and low areas is complex, but it appears to correlate well with known tectonic features of the region. This correlation suggests that the tectonic setting of the Charleston region is controlled by scissors-like compression on a crustal block located between the north-trending Adams Run fault and the northwest-trending Charleston fault. Tectonism is localized in the Charleston region because it lies within a discrete hinge zone that accommodates structural movement between the Cape Fear arch and the Southeast Georgia embayment.

A review of structural patterns and melting processes in the Archean craton of West Greenland: Evidence for crustal growth at convergent plate margins as opposed to non-uniformitarian models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polat, Ali; Wang, Lu; Appel, Peter W. U.

2015-11-01

The Archean craton of West Greenland consists of many fault-bounded Eoarchean to Neoarchean tectonic terranes (crustal blocks). These tectonic terranes are composed mainly of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) gneisses, granitic gneisses, metavolcanic-dominated supracrustal belts, layered anorthositic complexes, and late- to post-tectonic granites. Rock assemblages and geochemical signatures in these terranes suggest that they represent fragments of dismembered oceanic island arcs, consisting mainly of TTG plutons, tholeiitic to calc-alkaline basalts, boninites, picrites, and cumulate layers of ultramafic rocks, gabbros, leucogabbros and anorthosites, with minor sedimentary rocks. The structural characteristics of the terrane boundaries are consistent with the assembly of these island arcs through modern style of horizontal tectonics, suggesting that the Archean craton of West Greenland grew at convergent plate margins. Several supracrustal belts that occur at or near the terrane boundaries are interpreted as relict accretionary prisms. The terranes display fold and thrust structures and contain numerous 10 cm to 20 m wide bifurcating, ductile shear zones that are characterized by a variety of structures including transposed and redistributed isoclinal folds. Geometrically these structures are similar to those occurring on regional scales, suggesting that the Archean craton of West Greenland can be interpreted as a continental scale accretionary complex, such as the Paleozoic Altaids. Melting of metavolcanic rocks during tectonic thickening in the arcs played an important role in the generation of TTGs. Non-uniformitarian models proposed for the origin of Archean terranes have no analogs in the geologic record and are inconsistent with structural, lithological, petrological and geochemical data collected from Archean terranes over the last four decades. The style of deformation and generation of felsic rocks on outcrop scales in the Archean craton of West Greenland and the Mesozoic Sulu orogenic belt of eastern China are similar, consistent with the formation of Archean continental crust by subduction zone processes.

Magmatic versus tectonic influence in the Eolian arc: the case of Vulcano and Lipari islands revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruch, Joel; Di Lorenzo, Riccardo; Vezzoli, Luigina Maria; De Rosa, Rosanna; Acocella, Valerio; Catalano, Stefano; Romagnoli, Gino

2014-05-01

The prevalent influence of magma versus tectonics for the edification and the evolution of volcanic zones is matter of debate. Here we focus on Vulcano and Lipari, two active volcanic islands located in the central sector of the Eolian arc (North of Sicily). Both systems are influenced by regional tectonics and affected by historical magmatic events taking place along a NS oriented structure, connecting both islands. We revisit and implement previous structural studies performed during the 1980's considering several new geophysical, geochemical and geodynamical findings. Four extensive structural campaigns have been performed on both islands and along the shorelines in 2012-2013 covering about 80% of the possible accessible outcrops. We collected ~500 measurements (e.g. faults, fractures and dikes) at 40 sites. Overall, most of the observed structures are oriented N-S and NNW-SSE, confirming previous studies, however, almost all features are strikingly dominated by an EW-oriented extensive regime, which is a novelty. These findings are supported by kinematic indicators and suggest a predominant dip-slip component (pitch from 80 and 130°) with alternating left and right kinematics. Marginal faulting in most recent formations have been observed, suggesting that the deformation may occur preferentially during transient deformation related to periods of magmatic activity, instead of resulting from continuous regional tectonic processes. Overall, fault and dike planes are characterized by a dominant eastward immersion, suggesting an asymmetric graben-like structure of the entire area. This may be explained by the presence of a topographic gradient connecting both islands to the deep Gioia basin to the East, leading to a preferential ample gravitational collapse. Finally, we propose a model in which the stress field rotates northward. It transits from a pure right lateral strike-slip regime along the Tindari fault zone (tectonic-dominant) to an extensive regime explained by the presence of magma at depth inducing a local magmatic stress field affecting structures on Vulcano and Lipari islands (magmatic dominant).

COMET-LICSAR: Systematic Deformation Monitoring of Fault Zones and Volcanoes with the Sentinel-1 Constellation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spaans, K.; Wright, T. J.; Hooper, A. J.; Hatton, E. L.; González, P. J.; Bhattarai, S.; Biggs, J.; Crippa, P.; Ebmeier, S. K.; Elliott, J.; Gaddes, M.; Li, Z.; Parsons, B.; Qiu, Q.; McDougall, A.; Walters, R. J.; Weiss, J. R.; Ziebart, M.

2017-12-01

The Sentinel-1 constellation represents a major advance in our ability to monitor our planet's hazardous tectonic and volcanic zones. Here we present the latest progress from COMET (*), where we are now providing deformation results to the community for volcanoes and the tectonic belts (**). COMET now responds routinely to most significant continental earthquakes - Sentinel-1 allows us to do this within a few days for most earthquakes. For example, after the M7.8 Kaikoura (New Zealand) earthquake we supplied a processed interferogram to the community just 5 hours and 37 minutes after the Sentinel-1 acquisition. By the end of 2017, we will be producing interferogram products systematically for all earthquakes larger than M 6.0. For deformation data to be useful for preparedness, we need accuracy on the order of 1 mm/yr or better. This requires mass processing of long time series of radar acquisitions. We are currently (July 2017) processing interferograms systematically for the entire Alpine-Himalayan belt ( 9000 x 2000 km) using our LiCSAR chain, making interferograms and coherence products available to the community. By December 2017, we plan to process a wider tectonic area and the majority of subaerial volcanoes. We currently serve displacement and coherence grids, but plan to provide average deformation rates and time series. Results are available through our dedicated portal (**), and are being linked to the ESA G-TEP and EPOS during 2017. We will show the latest results for tectonics and volcanism, and discuss how these can be used to build value-added products, including (i) maps of tectonic strain (ii) maps of seismic hazard (iii) volcano deformation alerts. The accuracy of these products will improve as the number of data products acquired by Sentinel-1 increases, and as the time series lengthen. *http://comet.nerc.ac.uk**http://comet.nerc.ac.uk/COMET-LiCS-portal/

COMET-LICSAR: Systematic Deformation Monitoring of Fault Zones and Volcanoes with the Sentinel-1 Constellation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spaans, K.; Wright, T. J.; Hooper, A. J.; Hatton, E. L.; González, P. J.; Bhattarai, S.; Biggs, J.; Crippa, P.; Ebmeier, S. K.; Elliott, J.; Gaddes, M.; Li, Z.; Parsons, B.; Qiu, Q.; McDougall, A.; Walters, R. J.; Weiss, J. R.; Ziebart, M.

2016-12-01

The Sentinel-1 constellation represents a major advance in our ability to monitor our planet's hazardous tectonic and volcanic zones. Here we present the latest progress from COMET (*), where we are now providing deformation results to the community for volcanoes and the tectonic belts (**). COMET now responds routinely to most significant continental earthquakes - Sentinel-1 allows us to do this within a few days for most earthquakes. For example, after the M7.8 Kaikoura (New Zealand) earthquake we supplied a processed interferogram to the community just 5 hours and 37 minutes after the Sentinel-1 acquisition. By the end of 2017, we will be producing interferogram products systematically for all earthquakes larger than M 6.0. For deformation data to be useful for preparedness, we need accuracy on the order of 1 mm/yr or better. This requires mass processing of long time series of radar acquisitions. We are currently (July 2017) processing interferograms systematically for the entire Alpine-Himalayan belt ( 9000 x 2000 km) using our LiCSAR chain, making interferograms and coherence products available to the community. By December 2017, we plan to process a wider tectonic area and the majority of subaerial volcanoes. We currently serve displacement and coherence grids, but plan to provide average deformation rates and time series. Results are available through our dedicated portal (**), and are being linked to the ESA G-TEP and EPOS during 2017. We will show the latest results for tectonics and volcanism, and discuss how these can be used to build value-added products, including (i) maps of tectonic strain (ii) maps of seismic hazard (iii) volcano deformation alerts. The accuracy of these products will improve as the number of data products acquired by Sentinel-1 increases, and as the time series lengthen. *http://comet.nerc.ac.uk**http://comet.nerc.ac.uk/COMET-LiCS-portal/

Problems of the active tectonics of the Eastern Black Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javakhishvili, Z.; Godoladze, T.; Dreger, D. S.; Mikava, D.; Tvaliashvili, A.

2016-12-01

The Black Sea Basin is the part of the Arabian Eurasian Collision zone and important unit for understanding the tectonic process of the region. This complex basin comprises two deep basins, separated by the mid-Black Sea Ridge. The basement of the Black Sea includes areas with oceanic and continental crust. It was formed as a "back-arc" basin over the subduction zone during the closing of the Tethys Ocean. In the past decades the Black Sea has been the subject of intense geological and geophysical studies. Several papers were published about the geological history, tectonics, basement relief and crustal and upper mantle structure of the basin. New tectonic schemes were suggested (e. g. Nikishin et al 2014, Shillington et al. 2008, Starostenko et al. 2004 etc.). Nevertheless, seismicity of the Black Sea is poorly studied due to the lack of seismic network in the coastal area. It is considered, that the eastern basin currently lies in a compressional setting associated with the uplift of the Caucasus and structural development of the Caucasus was closely related to the evolution of the Eastern Black Sea Basin. Analyses of recent sequence of earthquakes in 2012 can provide useful information to understand complex tectonic structure of the Eastern Black Sea region. Right after the earthquake of 2012/12/23, National Seismic monitoring center of Georgia deployed additional 4 stations in the coastal area of the country, close to the epicenter area, to monitor aftershock sequence. Seismic activity in the epicentral area is continuing until now. We have relocated approximately 1200 aftershocks to delineate fault scarf using data from Georgian, Turkish and Russian datacenters. Waveforms of the major events and the aftershocks were inverted for the fault plane solutions of the events. For the inversion were used green's functions, computed using new 1D velocity model of the region. Strike-slip mechanism of the major events of the earthquake sequence indicates extensional features in the Eastern Black Sea Region as well.

Evolution Process and Structural Analysis of Precambrian Jirisan Metamorphic and Sancheong Anorthosite Complexes in the Jirisan Province, Yeongnam Massif, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, J. H.; Lee, D. S.

2016-12-01

The Jirisan metamorphic complex consists mainly of schist, blastoporphyritic granite gneiss, granitic gneiss, leucocratic gneiss, biotite gneiss, banded gneiss, migmatitic gneiss and granite gneiss. The Paleoproterozoic (1.87 1.79 Ga) Sancheong anorthosite complex, which intrude it, is classified into massive-type and foliation-type Sancheong anorthosite, Fe-Ti ore body, and mafic granulite which were formed from the multiple fractionation and polybaric crystallization of the coeval and cogenetic magma. These complexes went at least through three times of ductile deformation during Early Proterozoic Late Paleozoic. The D1 deformation formed sheath or "A" type folds and its characteristic orientation was uncertain due to the intensive multi-deformation superimposed after that. The D2 deformation occurred under the EW- or WNW-directed tectonic compression, and formed a regional NS or NNE trend of isoclinal and intrafolial folds and an extensive ductile shear zone accompanied by mylonitization. The D3 deformation occurred under the NS- or NNW-directed tectonic compression environment, and formed an EW or ENE trend of open and tight folds and a partial semibrittle shear zone accompanied by mylonitization, and rearranged the NS-trend pre-D3 structural elements into (E)NE or (W)NW direction. The D2 deformation generally increases from the center toward the margin of Sancheong anorthosite complex but is more intensive in the eastern than western parts of Sancheong anorthosite complex. While the D3 deformation is inversely more intensive in the its western than eastern parts. The D2 and D3 deformations are closely related to the distribution features of Sancheong anorthosite complex. These three tectonic events are expected to give important information in understanding and reconstructing the tectonic movement after the formation of Columbia Supercontinent as well as the present NS-trend tectonic frame of the Jirisan province of the Yeongnam massif, the Korean Peninsula.

Crustal structure of the southeastern Brazilian margin, Campos Basin, from aeromagnetic data: New kinematic constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanton, N.; Schmitt, R.; Galdeano, A.; Maia, M.; Mane, M.

2010-07-01

The continental and adjacent marginal features along southeast Brazil were investigated, focusing on the basement structural relationships between onshore and offshore provinces. Lateral and vertical variations in the magnetic anomalies provided a good correlation with the regional tectonic features. The sin-rift dykes and faults are associated with the magnetic lineaments and lie sub parallel to the Precambrian N45E-S45W basement structure of the Ribeira Belt, but orthogonally to the Cabo Frio Tectonic Domain (CFTD) basement, implying that: (1) the upper portion of the continental crust was widely affected by Mesozoic extensional deformation; and (2) tectonic features related to the process of break up of the Gondwana at the CFTD were form regardless of the preexisting structural basement orientation being controlled by the stress orientation during the rift phase. The deep crustal structure (5 km depth) is characterized by NE-SW magnetic "provinces" related to the Ribeira Belt tectonic units, while deep suture zones are defined by magnetic lows. The offshore Campos structural framework is N30E-S30W oriented and resulted from a main WNW-ESE direction of extension in Early Cretaceous. Transfer zones are represented by NW-SE and E-W oriented discontinuities. A slight difference in orientation between onshore (N45E) and offshore (N30E) structural systems seems to reflect a re-orientation of stress during rifting. We proposed a kinematical model to explain the structural evolution of this portion of the margin, characterized by polyphase rifting, associated with the rotation of the South American plate. The Campos Magnetic High (CMH), an important tectonic feature of the Campos Basin corresponds to a wide area of high crustal magnetization. The CMH wass interpreted as a magmatic feature, mafic to ultramafic in composition that extends down to 14 km depth and constitutes an evidence of intense crustal extension at 60 km from the coast.

Size distribution and roundness of clasts within pseudotachylytes of the Gangavalli Shear Zone, Salem, Tamil Nadu: An insight into its origin and tectonic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behera, Bhuban Mohan; Thirukumaran, V.; Soni, Aishwaraya; Mishra, Prasanta Kumar; Biswal, Tapas Kumar

2017-06-01

Gangavalli (Brittle) Shear Zone (Fault) near Attur, Tamil Nadu exposes nearly 50 km long and 1-3 km wide NNE-SSW trending linear belt of cataclasites and pseudotachylyte produced on charnockites of the Southern Granulite Terrane. Pseudotachylytes, as well as the country rock, bear the evidence of conjugate strike slip shearing along NNE-SSW and NW-SE directions, suggesting an N-S compression. The Gangavalli Shear Zone represents the NNE-SSW fault of the conjugate system along which a right lateral shear has produced seismic slip motion giving rise to cataclasites and pseudotachylytes. Pseudotachylytes occur as veins of varying width extending from hairline fracture fills to tens of meters in length. They carry quartz as well as feldspar clasts with sizes of few mm in diameter; the clast sizes show a modified Power law distribution with finer ones (<1000 {\\upmu }m2) deviating from linearity. The shape of the clasts shows a high degree of roundness (>0.4) due to thermal decrepitation. In a large instance, devitrification has occurred producing albitic microlites that suggest the temperature of the pseudotachylyte melt was >1000^{circ }\\hbox {C}. Thus, pseudotachylyte veins act as a proxy to understand the genetic process involved in the evolution of the shear zone and its tectonic settings.

Delicate balance of magmatic-tectonic interaction at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, revealed from slow slip events: Chapter 13

USGS Publications Warehouse

Montgomery-Brown, Emily; Poland, Michael; Miklius, Asta; Carey, Rebecca; Cayol, Valérie; Poland, Michael P.; Weis, Dominique

2015-01-01

Eleven slow slip events (SSEs) have occurred on the southern flank of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i, since 1997 through 2014. We analyze this series of SSEs in the context of Kilauea’s magma system to assess whether or not there are interactions between these tectonic events and eruptive/intrusive activity. Over time, SSEs have increased in magnitude and become more regular, with interevent times averaging 2.44 ± 0.15 years since 2003. Two notable SSEs that impacted both the flank and the magmatic system occurred in 2007, when an intrusion and small eruption on the East Rift Zone were part of a feedback with a SSE and 2012, when slow slip induced 2.5 cm of East Rift Zone opening (but without any change in eruptive activity). A summit inflation event and surge in East Rift Zone lava effusion was associated with a SSE in 2005, but the inferred triggering relation is not clear due to a poorly constrained slip onset time. Our results demonstrate that slow slip along Kilauea’s décollement has the potential to trigger and be triggered by activity within the volcano’s magma system. Since only three of the SSEs have been associated with changes in magmatic activity within the summit and rift zones, both the décollement and magma system must be close to failure for triggering to occur.

Survey explores active tectonics in northeastern Caribbean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carbó, A.; Córdoba, D.; Muñoz-Martín, A.; Granja, J.L.; Martín-Dávila, J.; Pazos, A.; Catalán, M.; Gómez, M.; ten Brink, Uri S.; von Hillebrandt, Christa; Payero, J.

2005-01-01

There is renewed interest in studying the active and complex northeastern Caribbean plate boundary to better understand subduction zone processes and for earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments [e.g., ten Brink and Lin, 2004; ten Brink et al., 2004; Grindlay et al., 2005]. To study the active tectonics of this plate boundary, the GEOPRICO-DO (Geological, Puerto Rico-Dominican) marine geophysical cruise, carried out between 28 March and 17 April 2005 (Figure 1), studied the active tectonics of this plate boundary.Initial findings from the cruise have revealed a large underwater landslide, and active faults on the seafloor (Figures 2a and 2c). These findings indicate that the islands within this region face a high risk from tsunami hazards, and that local governments should be alerted in order to develop and coordinate possible mitigation strategies.

Dynamic triggering

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hill, David P.; Prejean, Stephanie; Schubert, Gerald

2015-01-01

Dynamic stresses propagating as seismic waves from large earthquakes trigger a spectrum of responses at global distances. In addition to locally triggered earthquakes in a variety of tectonic environments, dynamic stresses trigger tectonic (nonvolcanic) tremor in the brittle–plastic transition zone along major plate-boundary faults, activity changes in hydrothermal and volcanic systems, and, in hydrologic domains, changes in spring discharge, water well levels, soil liquefaction, and the eruption of mud volcanoes. Surface waves with periods of 15–200 s are the most effective triggering agents; body-wave trigger is less frequent. Triggering dynamic stresses can be < 1 kPa.

Subduction Zones: Facts, Ideas, and Speculations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uyeda, Seiya

1979-01-01

Recent research studies of both classifications of ocean margins (active or of Pacific type and passive or of Atlantic variety) have yielded a considerable amount of new information leading to some new theories. These theories regarding different kinds of tectonic activity are discussed. (BT)

First Paleomagnetic Map of the Easternmost Mediterranean Derived from Combined Geophysical-Geological Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eppelbaum, Lev; Katz, Youri

2014-05-01

he easternmost Mediterranean is a tectonically complex region evolving in the long term and located in the midst of the progressive Afro-Eurasian collision (e.g., Ben-Avraham, 1978; Khain, 1984). Both rift-oceanic systems and terrane belts are known to have been formed in this collision zone (Stampfli et al., 2013). Despite years of investigation, the geological-geophysical structure of the easternmost Mediterranean is not completely known. The formation of its modern complex structure is associated with the evolution of the Neotethys Ocean and its margins (e.g., Ben-Avraham and Ginzburg, 1990; Robertson et al., 1991; Ben-Avraham et al., 2002). The easternmost Mediterranean was formed during the initial phase of the Neotethys in the Early and Late Permian (Golonka and Ford, 2000; Stampfli et al., 2013). At present this block of the ocean crust situated in the northern part of the Sinai plate (Ben-Avraham, 1978; Eppelbaum et al., 2012, 2014) is object of our investigation. The easternmost Mediterranean region has attracted increasing attention in connection with the recent discoveries of significant hydrocarbon deposits in this region (e.g., Montadert et al., 2010; Schenk et al., 2010; Eppelbaum et al., 2012). For example, Schenk et al. (2010) consider that more than 4 trillion m3 of recoverable gas is available in the Levant Basin (which located in the central part of the easternmost Mediterranean). Currently seismic prospecting is the main tool used in hydrocarbon deposit discovery. However, even sophisticated seismic data analysis (e.g., Hall et al., 2005; Roberts and Peace, 2007; Gardosh et al., 2010; Marlow et al., 2011; Lazar et al., 2012), fails to identify the full complex structural-tectonic mosaic of this region, and more importantly, is unable to clarify its baffling complex tectonic evolution. This highlights the need for combined analysis of geophysical data associated with the paleomagnetic and paleobiogeographic conditions that can yield deep paleotectonic criteria for oil and gas discovery in this region. Extensive geological-geophysical investigations have been carried out in this region, and a significant number of deep boreholes have been drilled. However integrated estimation of the deep structure of the hydrocarbon host deposits and their space-time evolution in terms of the modern geodynamics (first of all, plate tectonics: Ben-Avraham and Ginzburg, 1990; Robertson, 1998; Ben-Avraham et al., 2002, 2006; Jimenez-Munt et al., 2003; Le Pichon and Kreemer, 2010), are comparatively recent (Eppelbaum and Katz, 2011, 2012a; Eppelbaum et al., 2012, 2014). We elucidate this geodynamic relationship by examining the structural floors within the following tectonic-geophysical zones: (1) regions of development of continental crust of the Nubian, Arabian and Sinai plates, (2) remaining oceanic crust of the eastern Mediterranean, and (3) the thinned continental crust of the terrane belt. A series of new gravity and magnetic maps developed by employing satellite and airborne data (as well their transformations) accompanied by tectonic schemes were constructed (Eppelbaum and Katz, 2011; Eppelbaum et al., 2012a, 2012b, 2014). These new maps are crucial to a better understanding of the dynamics of hydrocarbon basin formation within the continental and shelf depressions, as well as the deep depressions of the easternmost Mediterranean where gas deposits in zones of oceanic crust evolution have only recently (April 2013) begun to be exploited. Careful attention should be paid to the blocks of oceanic (basaltic) crust with reverse magnetization that were discovered (Ben-Avraham et al., 2002; Eppelbaum, 2006). This issue was very briefly (Eppelbaum and Katz, 2012a) explained as paleomagnetic Kiama zone of inverse polarity and demands separate consideration. An integrated magnetic-gravity-seismic analysis conducted along three interpretation profiles unambiguously indicates the presence of blocks of the Earth's crust with reverse magnetization (Ben-Avraham et al., 2002). The results of 3D magnetic field modeling (advanced GSFC program was applied) along three profiles, enabled to detect a boundary between continental and oceanic crust. A reconstruction of the position of a reverse magnetized block of Earth crust enabled to obtain a magnetization zone with a S - N orientation and width reaching 70 km and length - about 200 km. Such a large, thick (about 10 km) zone of inverse magnetization must correspond to the significant and prolonged effect of inverse polarity in the Earth's magnetic field history. We suggest that this is the Kiama zone of inverse polarity that was first detected in the Late Carboniferous and Permian in Australia (Irving, 1966). Subsequent investigations (e.g., Khramov et al., 1974) have shown that the Kiama hyperzone underlies and is covered by zones of alternating polarity; i.e., Donetzk and Illawarra, respectively. According to zircon chronology the Kiama hyperzone extends over a period of 312-265 Ma (Khramov and Iosifidi, 2012), and according to K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar and various historical planetology methods this period extends of 293-242 Ma (Lapkin and Katz, 1990). Delineation and mapping of the Kiama reverse paleomagnetic zone on the basis of 3D combined modeling of magnetic and gravity fields creates a necessity for attraction of wide spectrum of other geophysical-geological data for substantiation of space-tectonic position of this zone. Practically this is a first real evidence of delineation such an ancient oceanic crust of the Late Paleozoic. On the basis of investigation of Mediterranean ophiolites of the Alpine belt, the most ancient crust of the eastern Mediterranean corresponds to Late Triassic - Jurassic (Robertson et al., 1991). According to the latest paleogeodynamic reconstructions (Stampfli et al., 2013), the Alpine belt is a complex structure and includes structures associated with Neotethys and Paleotethys oceans and with more ancient oceans. It is considered that the northern part of the Neotethys has been developed as active zone of the arc island tectonics, and southern part is bounded with Gondwana, belonged to the passive tectonic conjunction. Usually forming of the initial rift of the Neotethys Ocean in the east was presented as a common basin formed in the Early Permian, and in the west - as a collection of small rift basins which began to form after breakdown of the Hercynian fold belt. However, the easternmost Mediterranean does not correspond to any of these schemes. Earlier was considered that the oceanic crust was formed here as a result of movement to north a continental Tauride-Anatolian block. However, these constructions did not take into account earlier published paleomagnetic data (Robertson et al., 1991; Scotese, 1991). The modern paleogeodynamic reconstructions testify to position of the Tauride-Anatolian block in other place - in the northern side of the Paleotethys (Stampfli et al., 2013). The performed integrated geological-geophysical analysis (Katz and Eppelbaum, 1999; Eppelbaum, 2006; Eppelbaum and Katz, 2011, 2012a, 2012b; Eppelbaum et al., 2012, 2014)

Subduction zone decoupling/retreat modeling explains south Tibet (Xigaze) and other supra-subduction zone ophiolites and their UHP mineral phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butler, Jared P.; Beaumont, Christopher

2017-04-01

The plate tectonic setting in which proto-ophiolite 'oceanic' lithosphere is created remains controversial with a number of environments suggested. Recent opinions tend to coalesce around supra-subduction zone (SSZ) forearc extension, with a popular conceptual model in which the proto-ophiolite forms during foundering of oceanic lithosphere at the time of spontaneous or induced onset of subduction. This mechanism is favored in intra-oceanic settings where the subducting lithosphere is old and the upper plate is young and thin. We investigate an alternative mechanism; namely, decoupling of the subducting oceanic lithosphere in the forearc of an active continental margin, followed by subduction zone (trench) retreat and creation of a forearc oceanic rift basin, containing proto-ophiolite lithosphere, between the continental margin and the retreating subduction zone. A template of 2D numerical model experiments examines the trade-off between strength of viscous coupling in the lithospheric subduction channel and net slab pull of the subducting lithosphere. Three tectonic styles are observed: 1) C, continuous subduction without forearc decoupling; 2) R, forearc decoupling followed by rapid subduction zone retreat; 3) B, breakoff of subducting lithosphere followed by re-initiation of subduction and in some cases, forearc decoupling (B-R). In one case (BA-B-R; where BA denotes backarc) subduction zone retreat follows backarc rifting. Subduction zone decoupling is analyzed using frictional-plastic yield theory and the Stefan solution for the separation of plates containing a viscous fluid. The numerical model results are used to explain the formation of Xigaze group ophiolites, southern Tibet, which formed in the Lhasa terrane forearc, likely following earlier subduction and not necessarily during subduction initiation. Either there was normal coupled subduction before subduction zone decoupling, or precursor slab breakoff, subduction re-initiation and then decoupling. Rapid deep upper-mantle circulation in the models during subduction zone retreat can exhume and emplace material in the forearc proto-ophiolite from as deep as the mantle transition zone, thereby explaining diamonds and other 10-15 GPa UHP phases in Tibetan ophiolites.

The Sorong Fault Zone, Indonesia: Mapping a Fault Zone Offshore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melia, S.; Hall, R.

2017-12-01

The Sorong Fault Zone is a left-lateral strike-slip fault zone in eastern Indonesia, extending westwards from the Bird's Head peninsula of West Papua towards Sulawesi. It is the result of interactions between the Pacific, Caroline, Philippine Sea, and Australian Plates and much of it is offshore. Previous research on the fault zone has been limited by the low resolution of available data offshore, leading to debates over the extent, location, and timing of movements, and the tectonic evolution of eastern Indonesia. Different studies have shown it north of the Sula Islands, truncated south of Halmahera, continuing to Sulawesi, or splaying into a horsetail fan of smaller faults. Recently acquired high resolution multibeam bathymetry of the seafloor (with a resolution of 15-25 meters), and 2D seismic lines, provide the opportunity to trace the fault offshore. The position of different strands can be identified. On land, SRTM topography shows that in the northern Bird's Head the fault zone is characterised by closely spaced E-W trending faults. NW of the Bird's Head offshore there is a fold and thrust belt which terminates some strands. To the west of the Bird's Head offshore the fault zone diverges into multiple strands trending ENE-WSW. Regions of Riedel shearing are evident west of the Bird's Head, indicating sinistral strike-slip motion. Further west, the ENE-WSW trending faults turn to an E-W trend and there are at least three fault zones situated immediately south of Halmahera, north of the Sula Islands, and between the islands of Sanana and Mangole where the fault system terminates in horsetail strands. South of the Sula islands some former normal faults at the continent-ocean boundary with the North Banda Sea are being reactivated as strike-slip faults. The fault zone does not currently reach Sulawesi. The new fault map differs from previous interpretations concerning the location, age and significance of different parts of the Sorong Fault Zone. Kinematic analysis is underway to give a fresh understanding of the tectonic evolution of this complex zone of faulting and plate interaction.

Collision and subduction structure of the Izu-Bonin arc, central Japan: Recent studies from refraction/wide-angle reflection analysis and seismic tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arai, R.; Iwasaki, T.; Sato, H.; Abe, S.; Hirata, N.

2009-12-01

Since the middle Miocene, the Izu-Bonin arc has been colliding from south with the Honshu arc in central Japan associated with subduction of the Philippine Sea plate. This process is responsible for forming a complex crustal structure called the Izu collision zone. Geological studies indicate the several geological blocks derived from the Izu-Bonin arc, such as the Misaka Mountains (MM), the Tanzawa Mountains (TM) and the Izu Peninsula (IP), were accreted onto the Honshu crust in the course of the collision, forming several tectonic boundaries in and around this collision zone (e.g. Amano, 1991). Recent seismic experiments succeeded in revealing the deep crustal structure in the eastern part of the Izu collision zone by reflection analysis (Sato et al., 2005) and refraction/wide-angle reflection analysis (Arai et al., 2009). Although these studies delineate the collision boundary between the Honshu crust and TM, and the upper surface of the subducting Philippine Sea plate, the southern part of the profile including the Kozu-Matsuda Fault (KMF, the tectonic boundary between TM and IP) is not well constrained due to the poor ray coverage. Moreover, clear images of tectonic boundaries are not obtained for the central or western part of the collision zone. In order to construct the structure model dominated by collision and subduction for the whole part of the collision zone, we carried out the following two analyses: (1) refraction tomography of active source data including another profile line in the western part of the collision zone (Sato et al., 2006), and (2) seismic tomography combining active and passive source data. In the analysis (1), we applied first arrival seismic tomography (Zelt and Barton, 1998) to the refraction data .We inverted over 39,000 travel times to construct a P wave velocity model for the 75-km-long transect, and a fine-scale structure with strong lateral heterogeneity was recovered. We conducted checkerboard resolution test to evaluate a spatial resolution, and confirmed that the final model has an enough resolution down to the depth of 5 km. We also performed a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis (Korenaga et al, 2000) to estimate the posteriori model variance, showing that most velocities are well constrained with standard deviation of less than 0.20 km/s. Our result strongly indicates the existences of low velocity zones (< 6.0 km/s) along the tectonic boundaries and high velocity bodies (> 6.0 km/s) just beneath MM and TM, which correspond to the middle crust of the Izu-Bonin arc (Kodaira et al., 2007). In the analysis (2), hypocenters and velocity structure were simultaneously determined based on the double-difference method (Zhang and Thurber, 2003). The hypocenter distribution and final velocity structure obtained indicate several interesting features, including low velocity sedimentary layer (< 6.0 km/s) along the KMF and prominent seismic activity in the middle-lower crust (6.0-6.8 km/s) in the Izu-Bonin arc (10-25 km depth beneath TM). These results give us very important constraints for the collision process ongoing in our research area.

Mountain building processes during continent continent collision in the Uralides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, D.; Juhlin, C.; Ayala, C.; Tryggvason, A.; Bea, F.; Alvarez-Marron, J.; Carbonell, R.; Seward, D.; Glasmacher, U.; Puchkov, V.; Perez-Estaun, A.

2008-08-01

Since the early 1990's the Paleozoic Uralide Orogen of Russia has been the target of a significant research initiative as part of EUROPROBE and GEODE, both European Science Foundation programmes. One of the main objectives of these research programmes was the determination of the tectonic processes that went into the formation of the orogen. In this review paper we focus on the Late Paleozoic continent-continent collision that took place between Laurussia and Kazakhstania. Research in the Uralides was concentrated around two deep seismic profiles crossing the orogen. These were accompanied by geological, geophysical, geochronological, geochemical, and low-temperature thermochronological studies. The seismic profiles demonstrate that the Uralides has an overall bivergent structural architecture, but with significantly different reflectivity characteristics from one tectonic zone to another. The integration of other types of data sets with the seismic data allows us to interpret what tectonic processes where responsible for the formation of the structural architecture, and when they were active. On the basis of these data, we suggest that the changes in the crustal-scale structural architecture indicate that there was significant partitioning of tectonothermal conditions and deformation from zone to zone across major fault systems, and between the lower and upper crust. Also, a number of the structural features revealed in the bivergent architecture of the orogen formed either in the Neoproterozoic or in the Paleozoic, prior to continent-continent collision. From the end of continent-continent collision to the present, low-temperature thermochronology suggests that the evolution of the Uralides has been dominated by erosion and slow exhumation. Despite some evidence for more recent topographic uplift, it has so far proven difficult to quantify it.

Areas of Unsolved Problems in Caribbean Active Tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, P.

2015-12-01

I review some unsolved problems in Caribbean active tectonics. At the regional and plate scale: 1) confirm the existence of intraplate deformation zones of the central Caribbean plate that are within the margin of error of ongoing GPS measurements; 2) carry out field studies to evaluate block models versus models for distributed fault shear on the densely populated islands of Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands; 3) carry out paleoseismological research of key plate boundary faults that may have accumulated large strains but have not been previously studied in detail; 4) determine the age of onset and far-field effects of the Cocos ridge and the Central America forearc sliver; 4) investigate the origin and earthquake-potential of obliquely-sheared rift basins along the northern coast of Venezuela; 5) determine the age of onset and regional active, tectonic effects of the Panama-South America collision including the continued activation of the Maracaibo block; and 6) validate longterm rates on active subduction zones with improving, tomographic maps of subducted slabs. At the individual fault scale: 1) determine the mode of termination of large and active strike -slip faults and application of the STEP model (Septentrional, Polochic, El Pilar, Bocono, Santa Marta-Bucaramanaga); 2) improve the understanding of the earthquake potential on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone given "off-fault" events such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake; how widespread is this behavior?; and 3) estimate size of future tsunamis from studies of historic or prehistoric slump scars and mass transport deposits; what potential runups can be predicted from this information?; and 4) devise ways to keep rapidly growing, circum-Caribbean urban populations better informed and safer in the face of inevitable and future, large earthquakes.

Timing of mafic magmatism VS localization of the deformation: the Ivrea Zone (Italian Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bidault, M.; Geoffroy, L.; Arbaret, L.; Aubourg, C. T.

2017-12-01

Mafic magma emplacement is a common feature of continental extension systems, represented at initial stage by volcanic rifts and at more mature stage by volcanic passive margins. In those contexts, lithospheric extension is not isovolumic, magma being notably added to the crust while it is tectonically stretched and thinned. Crystal-scale power-law mechanisms responsible for the continuous flow of the lower crust during extension are composition- and temperature-dependent and additionally, very slow processes. However magma emplacement is a very rapid process. Its effect on the lower crust rheology is dual depending upon the time-scale of the processes: thermal weakening, when newly-formed hot intrusions emplace and heat their surrounding, and rheological chemical hardening when mafic intrusions are cold. Consequently, the localization and type of ductile deformation affecting the lower crust depend on the emplacement rate, volume and spatial organization of the mafic system. The Ivrea Zone is a well-known variscan continental crust section that underwent extension through first gravitational collapse in the Carboniferous and then lithospheric extension until the Permian. From the Late Carboniferous to the Permian, extension in the Ivrea Zone was associated with large volumes of magma intrusion within the lower crust. This volcanic rift stage predated the development of a non-volcanic passive margin during the Jurassic. The entire system was tilted 90° eastward during the Alpine orogeny but remained unaffected by significant metamorphism or pervasive strain. We combine new field observations, Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility data and trace-element geochemistry to investigate the timing, tectonic-setting and consequences of magma emplacement in the in-extension Ivrea lower crust. We propose a new tectonic history, highlighting time-dependent strain transfer and localization in the lower crust, in connection with mafic magma intrusion.

Gravity and Aeromagnetic Gradients within the Yukon-Tanana Upland, Black Mountain Tectonic Zone, Big Delta Quadrangle, east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Saltus, R.W.; Day, W.C.

2006-01-01

The Yukon-Tanana Upland is a complex composite assemblage of variably metamorphosed crystalline rocks with strong North American affinities. At the broadest scale, the Upland has a relatively neutral magnetic character. More detailed examination, however, reveals a fundamental northeast-southwest-trending magnetic gradient, representing a 20-nT step (as measured at a flight height of 300 m) with higher values to the northwest, that extends from the Denali fault to the Tintina fault and bisects the Upland. This newly recognized geophysical gradient is parallel to, but about 100 km east of, the Shaw Creek fault. The Shaw Creek fault is mapped as a major left-lateral, strike-slip fault, but does not coincide with a geophysical boundary. A gravity gradient coincides loosely with the southwestern half of the magnetic gradient. This gravity gradient is the eastern boundary of a 30-mGal residual gravity high that occupies much of the western and central portions of the Big Delta quadrangle. The adjacent lower gravity values to the east correlate, at least in part, with mapped post-metamorphic granitic rocks. Ground-based gravity and physical property measurements were made in the southeastern- most section of the Big Delta quadrangle in 2004 to investigate these geophysical features. Preliminary geophysical models suggest that the magnetic boundary is deeper and more fundamental than the gravity boundary. The two geophysical boundaries coincide in and around the Tibbs Creek region, an area of interest to mineral exploration. A newly mapped tectonic zone (the Black Mountain tectonic zone of O'Neill and others, 2005) correlates with the coincident geophysical boundaries.

Late Paleozoic tectonics of the Solonker Zone in the Wuliji area, Inner Mongolia, China: Insights from stratigraphic sequence, chronology, and sandstone geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Guanzhong; Song, Guangzeng; Wang, Hua; Huang, Chuanyan; Zhang, Lidong; Tang, Jianrong

2016-09-01

The geology in the Wuliji area (including the Enger Us and Quagan Qulu areas) is important for understanding the Late Paleozoic tectonics of the Solonker Zone. Ultramafic/mafic rocks in the Enger Us area, previously interpreted as an ophiolitic suture, are actually lava flows and sills in a Permian turbiditic sequence and a small body of fault breccia containing serpentinite. Subduction zone features, such as accretionary complexes, magmatic arc volcanics or LP/HP metamorphism are absent. Early Permian N-MORB mafic rocks and Late Permian radiolarian cherts accompanied by turbidites and tuffeous rocks indicate a deep water setting. In the Quagan Qulu area, outcrops of the Late Carboniferous to Permian Amushan Formation are composed of volcano-sedimenary rocks and guyot-like reef limestone along with a Late Permian volcano-sedimentary unit. A dacite lava in the Late Permian volcano-sedimentary unit yields a zircon U-Pb age of 254 Ma. The gabbros in the Quagan Qulu area are intruded into the Amushan Formation and caused contact metamorphism of country rocks. Sandstones in the Upper Member of the Amushan Formation contain detrital clasts of volcanic fragments and mineral clasts of crystalline basement rocks (i.e. biotite, muscovite and garnet). Geochemical analysis of volcaniclastic sandstones shows a magmatic affinity to both continental island arc (CIA) and active continental margin (ACM) tectonic settings. A Late Permian incipient rift setting is suggested by analyzing the lithostratigraphic sequence and related magmatism in the Wuliji area. The volcano-sedimentary rocks in the Wuliji area experienced a nearly N-S shortening that was probably related to the Early Mesozoic nearly N-S compression well developed in other areas close to the Wuliji area.

Multiple Emplacement and Exhumation History of the Late Mesozoic Dayunshan-Mufushan Batholith in Southeast China and Its Tectonic Significance: 2. Magnetic Fabrics and Gravity Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Wenbin; Chen, Yan; Chen, Ke; Wei, Wei; Faure, Michel; Lin, Wei

2018-01-01

The Late Mesozoic magmatic province is a prominent feature of the South China Block (SCB). However, the tectonic regimes associated with the magmatism are still elusive. A combined anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and gravity study has been carried out to determine the fabric patterns and shape at depth of the Dayunshan-Mufushan composite batholith in the north-central SCB. This is a companion paper to Part 1 that presented the structural and geochronological data of this batholith. The magnetic fabrics in the batholith interior predominantly reflect magma flow structures. Two distinct patterns of the magnetic lineations are defined, around NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE trends for the early-stage and late-stage intrusions of the batholith, respectively. The gravity survey reveals that the early-stage intrusion has a main feeder zone located below its northern part, while several linear feeder zones trending NNE-SSW are inferred for the late-stage intrusion. Integrating all results, a two-stage construction of the batholith with distinct tectonic regimes has been established. It is concluded that the early-stage intrusion experienced a southward magma transport during its emplacement, partially assisted by far-field compression from the north at ca. 150 Ma. Conversely, the emplacement and exhumation of the late-stage intrusion was accommodated by a NW-SE crustal stretching involving a lateral magma expansion above the multiple feeder zones (likely corresponding to extensional fractures) and ductile shearing during 132-95 Ma localized mainly along the Dayunshan detachment fault. Finally, we discuss the geodynamic linkage between the paleo-Pacific subduction and the Late Mesozoic tectonomagmatism in the SCB.

Seismic hazard assessment of the Kivu rift segment based on a new seismotectonic zonation model (western branch, East African Rift system)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delvaux, Damien; Mulumba, Jean-Luc; Sebagenzi, Mwene Ntabwoba Stanislas; Bondo, Silvanos Fiama; Kervyn, François; Havenith, Hans-Balder

2017-10-01

In the frame of the Belgian GeoRisCA multi-risk assessment project focusing on the Kivu and northern Tanganyika rift region in Central Africa, a new probabilistic seismic hazard assessment has been performed for the Kivu rift segment in the central part of the western branch of the East African rift system. As the geological and tectonic setting of this region is incompletely known, especially the part lying in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we compiled homogeneous cross-border tectonic and neotectonic maps. The seismic risk assessment is based on a new earthquake catalogue based on the ISC reviewed earthquake catalogue and supplemented by other local catalogues and new macroseismic epicenter data spanning 126 years, with 1068 events. The magnitudes have been homogenized to Mw and aftershocks removed. The final catalogue used for the seismic hazard assessment spans 60 years, from 1955 to 2015, with 359 events and a magnitude of completeness of 4.4. The seismotectonic zonation into 7 seismic source areas was done on the basis of the regional geological structure, neotectonic fault systems, basin architecture and distribution of thermal springs and earthquake epicenters. The Gutenberg-Richter seismic hazard parameters were determined by the least square linear fit and the maximum likelihood method. Seismic hazard maps have been computed using existing attenuation laws with the Crisis 2012 software. We obtained higher PGA values (475 years return period) for the Kivu rift region than the previous estimates. They also vary laterally in function of the tectonic setting, with the lowest value in the volcanically active Virunga - Rutshuru zone, highest in the currently non-volcanic parts of Lake Kivu, Rusizi valley and North Tanganyika rift zone, and intermediate in the regions flanking the axial rift zone.

Kinematics of a former oceanic plate of the Neotethys revealed by deformation in the Ulukışla basin (Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gürer, Derya; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; Matenco, Liviu; Corfu, Fernando; Cascella, Antonio

2016-10-01

Kinematic reconstruction of modern ocean basins shows that since Pangea breakup a vast area in the Neotethyan realm was lost to subduction. Here we develop a first-order methodology to reconstruct the kinematic history of the lost plates of the Neotethys, using records of subducted plates accreted to (former) overriding plates, combined with the kinematic analysis of overriding plate extension and shortening. In Cretaceous-Paleogene times, most of Anatolia formed a separate tectonic plate—here termed "Anadolu Plate"—that floored part of the Neotethyan oceanic realm, separated from Eurasia and Africa by subduction zones. We study the sedimentary and structural history of the Ulukışla basin (Turkey); overlying relics of this plate to reconstruct the tectonic history of the oceanic plate and its surrounding trenches, relative to Africa and Eurasia. Our results show that Upper Cretaceous-Oligocene sediments were deposited on the newly dated suprasubduction zone ophiolites ( 92 Ma), which are underlain by mélanges, metamorphosed and nonmetamorphosed oceanic and continental rocks derived from the African Plate. The Ulukışla basin underwent latest Cretaceous-Paleocene N-S and E-W extension until 56 Ma. Following a short period of tectonic quiescence, Eo-Oligocene N-S contraction formed the folded structure of the Bolkar Mountains, as well as subordinate contractional structures within the basin. We conceptually explain the transition from extension, to quiescence, to shortening as slowdown of the Anadolu Plate relative to the northward advancing Africa-Anadolu trench resulting from collision of continental rocks accreted to Anadolu with Eurasia, until the gradual demise of the Anadolu-Eurasia subduction zone.

A Review of Tectonic Models and Analytical Data from Almora-Dadeldhura Klippe, Northwest India and Far Western Nepal.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosu, S.; Robinson, D.; Saha, A.

2017-12-01

Tectonic models developed from the Himalayan thrust belt constitute three models- critical taper, channel flow and wedge extrusion. Their differences are manifested in predicted minimum shortening, deformation propagation style and tectonic architecture across the thrust belt. Recent studies from isolated synformal klippen composed of Greater and Tethyan Himalayan rock within the Himalayan thrust belt disagree over the tectonic history, especially in the Almora-Dadeldhura klippe, which is the largest klippe in the thrust belt. These recent studies are limited to one transect each, and two or fewer types of analytical data to justify their models. Due to the limited spatial coverage, these studies often reflect a narrow perspective in their tectonic models; thus, combining the data from these studies provides a holistic view of the regional tectonic history. This study compiled the available data across the 350 km wide Almora-Dadeldhura klippe, using petrology, stratigraphy, metamorphic history, microstructure, U-Pb ages of intrusive granite, monazite and muscovite ages of the shear zones, and exhumation ages from apatite fission track, along with original field observations, microstructure and microtexture data from 5 different transects in northwest India and far western Nepal. The review of the compiled data suggests that the Himalayan thrust belt in northwest India and far western Nepal is a forward propagating thrust system, and that the analytical data support the critical taper model.

Tremor, remote triggering and earthquake cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Z.

2012-12-01

Deep tectonic tremor and episodic slow-slip events have been observed at major plate-boundary faults around the Pacific Rim. These events have much longer source durations than regular earthquakes, and are generally located near or below the seismogenic zone where regular earthquakes occur. Tremor and slow-slip events appear to be extremely stress sensitive, and could be instantaneously triggered by distant earthquakes and solid earth tides. However, many important questions remain open. For example, it is still not clear what are the necessary conditions for tremor generation, and how remote triggering could affect large earthquake cycle. Here I report a global search of tremor triggered by recent large teleseismic earthquakes. We mainly focus on major subduction zones around the Pacific Rim. These include the southwest and northeast Japan subduction zones, the Hikurangi subduction zone in New Zealand, the Cascadia subduction zone, and the major subduction zones in Central and South America. In addition, we examine major strike-slip faults around the Caribbean plate, the Queen Charlotte fault in northern Pacific Northwest Coast, and the San Andreas fault system in California. In each place, we first identify triggered tremor as a high-frequency non-impulsive signal that is in phase with the large-amplitude teleseismic waves. We also calculate the dynamic stress and check the triggering relationship with the Love and Rayleigh waves. Finally, we calculate the triggering potential with the local fault orientation and surface-wave incident angles. Our results suggest that tremor exists at many plate-boundary faults in different tectonic environments, and could be triggered by dynamic stress as low as a few kPas. In addition, we summarize recent observations of slow-slip events and earthquake swarms triggered by large distant earthquakes. Finally, we propose several mechanisms that could explain apparent clustering of large earthquakes around the world.

Potential field signatures along the Zagros collision zone in Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abedi, Maysam; Fournier, Dominique; Devriese, Sarah G. R.; Oldenburg, Douglas W.

2018-01-01

The Zagros orogenic belt, known as an active fold-thrust belt, was formed in southwestern Iran due to the convergence of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. In this study, potential field data are inverted in 3D to image the variations of magnetic susceptibility and density contrast along the collision zone, resulting in better tectonic understanding of the studied region. Geophysical data measured by airborne magnetic and ground-based gravity systems are used to construct an integrated model that facilitates the interpretations of various tectonic zones across a 450-km line. This line intersects the main structural units from the SW portion of the Zagros belt. The constructed model reveals a contrast that indicates the transition between the two continental plates coinciding with the western boundaries of the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (SSZ) at the Main Zagros Thrust (MZT) fault. The subduction of the Arabian continental crust below the Iranian one is evident because of its lower susceptibility property and alternating sequence of high and low density regions. Higher susceptibility, magnetic remanence and density are the mainstays of the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Assemblage (UDMA) zone at the NE of the studied route, whereas lower values of these properties correspond to (1) the thin massive Tertiary-Neogene and Quaternary sediments of the central domain (CD) zone, and (2) the thick sedimentary and salt intrusion cover over the Zagros Fold-and-Thrust belt (ZFTB). Higher density of regions in the Arabian crust below the ZFTB implies that fault activities have caused significant vertical displacement of the basement. Finally, a simplified geological model is presented based upon the inversions of the geophysical data, in which the main geological units are divided along the studied route.

Transdomes: Emplacement of Migmatite Domes in Oblique Tectonic Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teyssier, C. P.; Rey, P. F.; Whitney, D. L.; Mondy, L. S.; Roger, F.

2014-12-01

Many migmatite domes are emplaced within wrench corridors in which a combination of strike-slip and extensional detachment zones (pull-apart, extensional relay, or transfer zones) focus deep-crust exhumation. The Montagne Noire dome (France, Variscan Massif Central) exemplifies wrench-related dome formation and displays the following structural, metamorphic, and geochronologic characteristics of a 'transdome': the dome is elongate in the direction of extension; foliation outlines a double dome separated by a high-strain zone; lineation is shallowly plunging with a fairly uniform trend that parallels the strike of the high-strain zone; subdomes contain recumbent structures overprinted by upright folds that affected upward by flat shear zones associated with detachment tectonics; domes display a large syn-deformation metamorphic gradient from core (upper amphibolite facies migmatite) to margin (down to greenschist facies mylonite); some rocks in the dome core experienced isothermal decompression revealed by disequilibrium reaction textures, particularly in mafic rocks (including eclogite); and results of U-Pb geochrononology indicate a narrow range of metamorphic crystallization from core to mantling schist spanning ~10 Myr. 3D numerical modeling of transdomes show that the dome solicits a larger source region of partially molten lower crust compared to 2D models; this flowing crust creates a double-dome architecture as in 2D models but there are differences in the predicted thermal history and flow paths. In a transtension setting, flow lines converge at depth (radial-centripetal flow) toward the zone of extension and diverge at shallow levels in a more uniform direction that is imposed by upper crust motion and deformation. This evolution produces a characteristic pattern of strain history, progressive fabric overprint, and P-T paths that are comparable to observed dome rocks.

Identifying active interplate and intraplate fault zones in the western Caribbean plate from seismic reflection data and the significance of the Pedro Bank fault zone in the tectonic history of the Nicaraguan Rise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ott, B.; Mann, P.

2015-12-01

The offshore Nicaraguan Rise in the western Caribbean Sea is an approximately 500,000 km2 area of Precambrian to Late Cretaceous tectonic terranes that have been assembled during the Late Cretaceous formation of the Caribbean plate and include: 1) the Chortis block, a continental fragment; 2) the Great Arc of the Caribbean, a deformed Cretaceous arc, and 3) the Caribbean large igneous province formed in late Cretaceous time. Middle Eocene to Recent eastward motion of the Caribbean plate has been largely controlled by strike-slip faulting along the northern Caribbean plate boundary zone that bounds the northern margin of the Nicaraguan Rise. These faults reactivate older rift structures near the island of Jamaica and form the transtensional basins of the Honduran Borderlands near Honduras. Recent GPS studies suggest that small amount of intraplate motion within the current margin of error of GPS measurements (1-3 mm/yr) may occur within the center of the western Caribbean plate at the Pedro Bank fault zone and Hess Escarpment. This study uses a database of over 54,000 km of modern and vintage 2D seismic data, combined with earthquake data and results from previous GPS studies to define the active areas of inter- and intraplate fault zones in the western Caribbean. Intraplate deformation occurs along the 700-km-long Pedro Bank fault zone that traverses the center of the Nicaraguan Rise and reactivates the paleo suture zone between the Great Arc of the Caribbean and the Caribbean large igneous province. The Pedro Bank fault zone also drives active extension at the 200-km-long San Andres rift along the southwest margin of the Nicaraguan Rise. Influence of the Cocos Ridge indentor may be contributing to reactivation of faulting along the southwesternmost, active segment of the Hess Escarpment.

Insights into the Timing, Origin, and Deformation of the Highland Mountains Gneiss Dome in Southwestern Montana, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, Lane Markes

The Highland Mountains of southwestern Montana offer a unique view of the Archean igneous and metamorphic rocks within the Great Falls tectonic zone (GFTZ). A Paleoproterozoic structural gneiss dome has been interpreted in the southern extent of the Highland Mountains. The ˜ 130km2 of exhumed metamorphic rocks and gneiss dome exposed in the Highland Mountains are the primary focus of this research. The formation of the Highland Mountains gneiss dome is proposed to be directly related to a northwest-side down detachment (the Steels Pass shear zone) that formed during terrane collision along the GFTZ. The field investigation determined foliation and lineation orientation measurements taken at 65 stations. Twenty-two field oriented samples were obtained from a variety of rock types distributed across the ˜ 24 km2 field area. Three field-based domains were established from the lithology, foliation, and lineation observations. Full-section X-ray maps of three sample thin-sections were collected via EPMA to identify all monazite grains. Twenty-eight grains were mapped at high-spatial resolution (0.3--6.0 mum). Thin section micro-structures observed show effects of a multistage deformation history with both dynamic and static recrystallization processes. Monazite geochronology of one thin section revealed two distinct populations of monazite grains; Archean (˜ 2.5 Ga) and Mesoproterozoic (˜ 1.5 Ga). The older population represents the crystallization age of either, or both the Medicine Hat block and the Wyoming province terranes. The younger population is hypothesized to have grown during deformation/alteration associated with the formation of the Belt-Purcell Rift Basin.

Metallogenic and tectonic significance of oxygen isotope data and whole-rock potassium-argon ages of the Nikolai Greenstone, McCarthy Quadrangle, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Silberman, M.L.; MacKevett, E.M.; Connor, C.L.; Matthews, Alan

1980-01-01

The Middle and (or) Late Triassic Nikolai Greenstone, part of the allochthonous terrane of Wrangellia, is typically altered and locally metamorphosed to prehnite-pumpellyite facies with chlorite and epidote as the most common secondary minerals. Intrinsic copper content averages 155 ppm, and two types of concentrations of copper in the Nikolai are common: (1) native copper fillings of amygdules and rubble zones typically near flow tops, and (2) veins and thin replacement zones that contain native copper and copper-iron sulfides in quartz-epidote or calcite gangue in faults and fractures. Oxygen isotope data from quartz and epidote from three copperbearing veins yield calculated ore fluid temperatures of approximately 200°C and 6180 of approximately +1 per mil in agreement with a metamorphicsegregation origin of these deposits, as suggested by Sinclair (1977). Seven K-Ar ages of chloritized greenstone, including those adjacent to veins fall on an initial argon diagram with a zero intercept and a slope which yields an isochron age of 112 + 11 m.y. The ages define a Cretaceous thermalmetamorphic episode which is responsible for alteration and mineralization. The episode is younger than a major Jurassic progeny, accompanied by granitic intrusion, in the area, and appears to be unaffected by minor granitic intrusion in the middle to late Tertiary. We believe the Cretaceous event is related to accretion of Wrangellia to its present relative position in North America. This age of accretion agrees with stratigraphic and structural evidence cited by other workers. 

Subduction on Venus and Implications for Volatile Cycling, Early Earth and Exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smrekar, S. E.; Davaille, A.; Mueller, N. T.; Dyar, M. D.; Helbert, J.; Barnes, H.

2017-12-01

Plate tectonics plays a key role in long-term climate evolution by cycling volatiles between the interior, surface and atmosphere. Subduction is a critical process. It is the first step in transitioning between a stagnant and a mobile lid, a means for conveying volatiles into the mantle, and a mechanism for creating felsic crust. Laboratory experiments using realistic rheology illuminate the deformation produced by plume-induced subduction (Davaille abstract). Characteristics include internal rifting and volcanism, external rift branches, with a partial arc of subduction creating a trench on the margins of the plume head, and an exterior flexural bulge with small strain extension perpendicular to the trench. These characteristics, along with a consistent gravity signature, occur at the two largest coronae (quasi-circular volcano-tectonic features) on Venus (Davaille et al. Nature Geos. 2017). This interpretation resolves a long-standing debate about the dual plume and subduction characteristics of these features. Numerous coronae also show signs of plume-induced subduction. At Astkhik Planum, subduction appears to have migrated beyond the margins of Selu Corona to create a 1600 km-long, linear subduction zone, along Vaidilute Rupes. The fractures that define Selu Corona merge with the trench to the north and a rift zone to the east, consistent with plume-induced subduction migrating outward from the corona. The lithosphere and crust are much thinner here than in other potential subduction zones. Subduction appears to have generated massive volcanism which could explain the 400 m elevation of the plateau. Within the plateau there are low-viscosity flow sets nearly 1000 km that may be associated with near infrared low emissivity in VIRTIS data. Unusual lava compositions might be indicative of recycling of CO2 or other volatiles into the lithosphere. Little evidence exists to illustrate how plate tectonics initiated on Earth, but Venus' high surface temperature makes it a good analog of Earth's Archean. There is increasing evidence that Venus is a dynamic planet with possible active and/or recent volcanism and subduction. Studying these processes on Venus provides a window into both early Earth and offers constraints on the conditions needed to initiate plate tectonics on exoplanets.

Tectonic reconstruction and geophysical investigations of IOCG occurrences: Great Bear magmatic zone, NT, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayward, N.; Corriveau, L.; Enkin, R. J.; Montreuil, J.

2012-12-01

The Geological Survey of Canada's (GSC) Geomapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM) Program is developing and applying new techniques to iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) mineral exploration. The Great Bear magmatic zone (GBmz) is the remnants of a Paleoproterozoic continental magmatic arc (~1.872-1.843 Ga), which hosts IOCG mineralisation, including the Au-Co-Bi-Cu NICO deposit. The arc, which was built upon the Hottah terrane during eastward subduction prior to accretion of the Fort Simpson terrane (Hoffman 1980; Hoffman and Bowring 1984; Hildebrand et al. 1987), is dominated by granodiorites with mafic and volcaniclastic rocks towards the margins. Rapakivi and coarse grained biotite granites (ca. 1.866 - 1.856 Ga, Bowring 1984; Gandhi et al. 2001) mark the final plutonic event (Hildebrand et al. 1987), which was followed by extensive NE-striking brittle conjugate faulting (Tirrul 1984), related to final accretion (Hildebrand at al. 2009; Cook 2011). A tectonic reconstruction of the GBmz, which resets major fault offsets associated with final accretion, is based on the interpretation of a new compilation of high-resolution aeromagnetic data (Hayward and Oneschuk 2011) and geological maps (e.g., Hildebrand 2011; Jackson 2008; Jackson and Ootes 2011). The reconstruction provides a snapshot of the geometry of the GBmz at the time of mineralisation (~1.873 - >1.866 Ga, Davis et al. 2011) and a tectonic model for the late-stage setting and evolution of the arc, important in understanding the context of the mineralisation. The model suggests that the NE-striking faults were preceded by extension, perhaps driven by shifting tectonic motions and slab-rollback (Dewey 1980), and associated with NNE-striking faults. Geophysical models developed for the NICO area, which integrate proprietary high-resolution magnetic and gravity data with GSC physical property data, extracted from 872 samples collected from NICO and other sites across the GBmz, clearly delineate the main ore zone and the majority of the local mineral showings. Applied regionally similar models accurately locate known deposits, including NICO and Sue Diane and prospects such as Terra, Grouard Lake, Cole Lake and Echo Bay, and offer possible targets for future exploration.

A petro-structural review of the Zermatt-Saas Fee zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schenker, Filippo Luca; Markus Schmalholz, Stefan; Baumgartner, Lukas

2014-05-01

The Zermatt-Saas Fee zone (ZSZ) is an imbricate of fragments of blueschist- to eclogite-facies metabasalts and metagabbros, serpentinites and mélange zones containing blocks of the above mentioned rocks. The ZSZ is usually interpreted as a fragment of oceanic crust belonging to the Piemont-Ligurian (Tethyan) Ocean that was accreted into the Alpine nappe pile. In the last decades the discovery of several Ultra-High Pressure (UHP, >2.7 GPa at 550-600 °C from coesite bearing eclogites and diamond-bearing fluid inclusions in garnet) localities lead to the interpretation of deep subduction (> 100 km) of the ZSZ in the Eocene, and subsequent uplift from mantle depth with high exhumation rates (e.g. Amato et al., 1999). However, these high pressures are in apparent contrast to the regional metamorphic conditions that reflect pressures peaking at < 2 GPa for 550-600°C (blueschist and eclogite mineral assemblages in mafic rocks). These latter metamorphic conditions do not need anomalous high burial histories and exhumation velocities higher than the plate velocities. The magnitude and distribution of pressure in the tectonic units of the ZSZ are important for constraining dynamic models for the evolution of the ZSZ and the Western Alps. Before entering into dynamic models, we propose a petro-structural overview where the published petrological data on pressure and temperature are critically reviewed, and positioned on a geological map and cross section in order to integrate them into the proper structural and tectonic framework. The questions we seek to answer are: How is the pressure distributed within the main tectonic units and within the entire ZSZ? Do we observe sharp or gradual pressure gradients within the ZSZ? Can the UHP conditions be averaged/extended to the entire ZSZ? If not, do they correspond to conditions of observable subunits, or do they reflect anomalies in the pressure field? Answering these questions is fundamental to better understand the thermobarometric evolution patterns of the ZSZ, to properly evaluate the geodynamic mechanism of accretion of oceanic crust into orogens, and to better understand the formation of tectonic nappes in general.

50 CFR 226.205 - Critical habitat for Snake River sockeye salmon, Snake River fall chinook salmon, and Snake River...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... salmon, Snake River fall chinook salmon, and Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon. 226.205 Section... Snake River sockeye salmon, Snake River fall chinook salmon, and Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon. The following areas consisting of the water, waterway bottom, and adjacent riparian zone of...

Epeirogeny and plate tectonics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menard, H. W.

1975-01-01

Vertical motions of the earth crust and their causes are considered in relation to epeirogenic phenomena. Factors discussed include: external loading and unloading; bending at subduction zones; internal density changes; and dynamic effects of mantle motion. The relationship between epeirogeny and drift is briefly reviewed along with oceanic epeirogeny.

Circum-Pacific accretion of oceanic terranes to continental blocks: accretion of the Early Permian Dun Mountain ophiolite to the E Gondwana continental margin, South Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Alastair

2016-04-01

Accretionary orogens, in part, grow as a result of the accretion of oceanic terranes to pre-existing continental blocks, as in the circum-Pacific and central Asian regions. However, the accretionary processes involved remain poorly understood. Here, we consider settings in which oceanic crust formed in a supra-subduction zone setting and later accreted to continental terranes (some, themselves of accretionary origin). Good examples include some Late Cretaceous ophiolites in SE Turkey, the Jurassic Coast Range ophiolite, W USA and the Early Permian Dun Mountain ophiolite of South Island, New Zealand. In the last two cases, the ophiolites are depositionally overlain by coarse clastic sedimentary rocks (e.g. Permian Upukerora Formation of South Island, NZ) that then pass upwards into very thick continental margin fore-arc basin sequences (Great Valley sequence, California; Matai sequence, South Island, NZ). Field observations, together with petrographical and geochemical studies in South Island, NZ, summarised here, provide evidence of terrane accretion processes. In a proposed tectonic model, the Early Permian Dun Mountain ophiolite was created by supra-subduction zone spreading above a W-dipping subduction zone (comparable to the present-day Izu-Bonin arc and fore arc, W Pacific). The SSZ oceanic crust in the New Zealand example is inferred to have included an intra-oceanic magmatic arc, which is no longer exposed (other than within a melange unit in Southland), but which is documented by petrographic and geochemical evidence. An additional subduction zone is likely to have dipped westwards beneath the E Gondwana margin during the Permian. As a result, relatively buoyant Early Permian supra-subduction zone oceanic crust was able to dock with the E Gondwana continental margin, terminating intra-oceanic subduction (although the exact timing is debatable). The amalgamation ('soft collision') was accompanied by crustal extension of the newly accreted oceanic slab, and also resulted in the formation of the overlying Maitai continental margin fore-arc basin (possibly related to rollback or a decrease in dip of the remaining subduction zone).Very coarse clastic material (up to ca. 700 m thick) including detached blocks of basaltic and gabbroic rocks, up to tens or metres in size (or more), was shed down fault scarps from relatively shallow water into a deeper water setting by gravity flow processes, ranging from rock fall, to debris flow, to turbidity currents. In addition, relatively fine-grained volcaniclastic-terrigenous sediment was input from an E Gondwana continental margin arc in the form of distal gravity flows, as indicated by geochemical data (e.g. Rare Earth Element analysis of sandstones and shales). The lowest part of the overlying Maitai fore-arc sequence in some areas is represented by hundreds of metres-thick sequences of mixed carbonate-volcaniclastic-terrigenous gravity flows (Wooded Peak Fm.), which are interpreted to have been derived from the E Gondwana continental margin and which finally accumulated in fault-controlled depocentres. Input of shallow-water carbonate material later waned and the Late Permian-Triassic Maitai fore-arc basin was dominated by gravity flows that were largely derived from a contemporaneous continental margin arc (partially preserved in present SE Australia). Subsequent tectonic deformation included on-going subduction, strike-slip and terrane accretion. The sedimentary covers of comparable accreted ophiolites elsewhere (e.g. Coast Range ophiolite, California) may reveal complementary evidence of fundamental terrane accretion processes. Acknowledgements: Hamish Campbell, Dave Craw, Mike Johnson, Chuck Landis, Nick Mortimer, Dhana Pillai and other members of the South Island geological research community

Constraints on the tectonics of the Mule Mountains thrust system, southeast California and southwest Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tosdal, R.M.

1990-01-01

The Mule Mountains thrust system crops out discontinuously over a 100-km-strike length in this Blythe-Quartzsite region. Along the thrust system, middle and upper crustal metamorphic and plutonic rocks of Proterozoic and Mesozoic age are thrust N-NE (015??-035??) over a lower plate metamorphic terrane. Stratigraphic, petrologic, and Pb isotopic ties for Jurassic granitoids and for Jurassic(?) and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks across the various parts of the thrust system indicate that related crustal blocks are superposed and preclude it from having large displacements. Deformation occurred under low greenschist facies metamorphic conditions in the upper crust. Movement along the thrust system was probably limited to no more than a few tens of kilometers and occurred between 79??2 Ma and 70??4 Ma. Results suggest that the thrust system forms the southern boundary of the narow zone of Cretaceous intracratonic deformation, and it is one of the last tectonic events in the zone prior to regional cooling. -from Author

Hydrologically-driven crustal stresses and seismicity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.

PubMed

Craig, Timothy J; Chanard, Kristel; Calais, Eric

2017-12-15

The degree to which short-term non-tectonic processes, either natural and anthropogenic, influence the occurrence of earthquakes in active tectonic settings or 'stable' plate interiors, remains a subject of debate. Recent work in plate-boundary regions demonstrates the capacity for long-wavelength changes in continental water storage to produce observable surface deformation, induce crustal stresses and modulate seismicity rates. Here we show that a significant variation in the rate of microearthquakes in the intraplate New Madrid Seismic Zone at annual and multi-annual timescales coincides with hydrological loading in the upper Mississippi embayment. We demonstrate that this loading, which results in geodetically observed surface deformation, induces stresses within the lithosphere that, although of small amplitude, modulate the ongoing seismicity of the New Madrid region. Correspondence between surface deformation, hydrological loading and seismicity rates at both annual and multi-annual timescales indicates that seismicity variations are the direct result of elastic stresses induced by the water load.

Preservation of amorphous ultrafine material: A proposed proxy for slip during recent earthquakes on active faults

PubMed Central

Hirono, Tetsuro; Asayama, Satoru; Kaneki, Shunya; Ito, Akihiro

2016-01-01

The criteria for designating an “Active Fault” not only are important for understanding regional tectonics, but also are a paramount issue for assessing the earthquake risk of faults that are near important structures such as nuclear power plants. Here we propose a proxy, based on the preservation of amorphous ultrafine particles, to assess fault activity within the last millennium. X-ray diffraction data and electron microscope observations of samples from an active fault demonstrated the preservation of large amounts of amorphous ultrafine particles in two slip zones that last ruptured in 1596 and 1999, respectively. A chemical kinetic evaluation of the dissolution process indicated that such particles could survive for centuries, which is consistent with the observations. Thus, preservation of amorphous ultrafine particles in a fault may be valuable for assessing the fault’s latest activity, aiding efforts to evaluate faults that may damage critical facilities in tectonically active zones. PMID:27827413

Seismic evidence of Quaternary faulting in the Benton Hills area, southeast Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Palmer, J.R.; Shoemaker, M.; Hoffman, D.; Anderson, N.L.; Vaughn, J.D.; Harrison, R.W.

1997-01-01

Two reflection seismic profiles at English Hill, across the southern edge of the Benton Hills escarpment, southeast Missouri, establish that geologic structures at English Hill are of tectonic origin. The lowland area to the south of the escarpment is relatively undisturbed. The geology at English Hill is structurally complex, and reflection seismic and geologic data indicate extensive and episodic faulting of Paleozoic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary strata. The individual faults have near-vertical fault surfaces with maximum vertical separations on the order of 15 m. They appear to be clustered in north-northeast trending zones that essentially parallel one of the dominant Benton Hills structural trends. These observations suggest that previously mapped Quaternary faults at English Hill are deep-seated and tectonic in origin. This paper documents recent faulting at English Hill and is the first time late Quaternary, surface-rupture faulting has been recognized in the middle Mississippi River Valley region outside of the New Madrid seismic zone. This has important implications for earthquake assessment in the midcontinent.

Tectonics and volcanism in central Mexico - A Landsat Thematic Mapper perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, C. A.; Harrison, C. G. A.

1989-01-01

Digitally enhanced Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images were used to map neotectonic deformation in central Mexico. This region has been studied for decades using a variety of geological and geophysical techniques, but synoptic mapping of neotectonic activity and major fault zones there, and an evaluation of their regional relationship to the character and location of volcanism were not previously possible until the application of synoptic, high resolution satellite imagery. Interpretation of the TM images shows that the tectonic deformation is closely linked in time and space to the dominantly calc-alkaline volcanics of the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB). The eruptive style and distribution of the volcanics is clearly related to the deformation resulting from relative motions of three large crustal blocks south of the MVB. Therefore, zones of weakness within the crust of central Mexico, which may be inherited from earlier episodes of deformation, are a principal factor controlling the oblique orientation of the MVB relative to the Acapulco Trench.

Sources of subsidence at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barbour, Andrew J.; Evans, Eileen; Hickman, Stephen H.; Eneva, Mariana

2016-01-01

At the Salton Sea Geothermal Field (SSGF) in Southern California, surface deformation associated with geologic processes including sediment compaction, tectonic strain, and fault slip may be augmented by energy production activities. Separating the relative contributions from natural and anthropogenic sources is especially important at the SSGF, which sits at the apex of a complex tectonic transition zone connecting the southern San Andreas Fault with the Imperial Fault; but this has been a challenging task so far. Here we analyze vertical surface velocities obtained from the persistent scatterer InSAR method and find that two of the largest subsidence anomalies can be represented by a set of volumetric strain nuclei at depths comparable to geothermal well completion zones. In contrast, the rates needed to achieve an adequate fit to the magnitudes of subsidence are almost an order of magnitude greater than rates reported for annual changes in aggregate net-production volume, suggesting that the physical mechanism responsible for subsidence at the SSGF is a complicated interplay between natural and anthropogenic sources.

Integrated geographic information systems (IGIS) analysis and definition of the tectonic framework of northern Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez Pina, Carlos Manuel

Crustal rupture structures reactivated in the course of the tectonic history of northern Mexico are the surface expressions of planes of weakness, in the form of simple or composite rectilinear features or slightly curved, defined as lineaments. Unless otherwise defined as strike-slip faults, lineaments are part of parallel and sub-parallel oblique convergent or oblique divergent tectonic zones cross cutting the Sierra Madre Occidental and northern Mexico, in a NW trend. These shear zones are the response to the oblique subduction of the Farallon plate beneath North America. Kinematic analysis of five selected sites in northern Mexico, three basins and two compressional shear zones, proved possible a combination of shear mechanism diagram and models from analogue materials, with satellite imagery and geographic information systems, as an aid to define strike-slip fault motion. This was done using a reverse engineering process by comparing geometries. One of the sites assessed, involving the Parras Basin, Coahuila Block (CB), San Marcos fault, a postulated PBF-1 fault, allowed for palinpastic reconstruction of the CB that corroborated the results of the vector motion defined, in addition to an extension of ˜25% in a northwest southeast direction. A GIS-based compilation and georeferenced regional structural studies by several researchers were used as ground control areas (GCA); their interpolation and interpretation, resulted in a tectonic framework map of northern Mexico. In addition, shaded relief models overlaid by the lineaments / fault layer allowed structural analyses of basins related to these major structures. Two important results were obtained from this study: the Tepehuanes-San Luis-fault (TSL) and the Guadalupe fault, named herein, displaces the Villa de Reyes graben, and the Aguascalientes graben, respectively, to the SE, confirming their left lateral vector motion; afterwards TSL was displaced south by the right lateral strike slip Taxco-San Miguel de Allende fault. The second result refers to the hypothesis that the Mesa Central was brought to its present location by a subduction zone located to the north. This subduction zone coincides with several researchers who postulated the idea. The compressional zones refer to segments of the Sinforosa and a postulated Aquinquari fault located in the stratotectonic Guerrero Terrane regarded as a highly mineralized zone. Negative anomalies near -200 milligals are strongly suggestive of a cratonic block identified in western Chihuahua, it being named the Western Chihuahua Cratonic Block (WCCB). In the southwestern portion of the North American craton the age provinces are well documented, but the block versus mobile belt idea has not been put forth or emphasized. The present study combines data of several types, sedimentological, structural, igneous geochemistry, and geochronologic data to evaluate this behavior in SW NA, and the proposed block is tested against these data. The presence of the WCCB is supported by a wide variety of data. Basins, troughs, aulacogens, bimodal volcanism, and other rift and rift shoulder features, characterize the spatially constrained mobile belts. Mobile belts surrounding the WCCB contain geologic records of the events going back to 1.4 Ga, with different aspects being dominant over geologic time. Mobile belts will participate in compression,(subduction), extension (rifting), and transform (lateral) faulting. The WCCB may have been derived from closely, adjacent, North American craton by mobile belt action. This study has shown that integration of data is essential, because allows detection of differences in hypotheses for the same event in the same area. This integration capability is what makes integrated geographic information systems a powerful tool, not only for their synergy, but because they can be combined with specific techniques that provide data before going to conduct fieldwork. Whether the issue of defining the tectonic framework of northern Mexico can be resolved or not, depends on the viability of integrating volumes of data from research, hypotheses, or maps, and put together under the same geographic frame.

Plate tectonic controls on atmospheric CO2 levels since the Triassic.

PubMed

Van Der Meer, Douwe G; Zeebe, Richard E; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J J; Sluijs, Appy; Spakman, Wim; Torsvik, Trond H

2014-03-25

Climate trends on timescales of 10s to 100s of millions of years are controlled by changes in solar luminosity, continent distribution, and atmosphere composition. Plate tectonics affect geography, but also atmosphere composition through volcanic degassing of CO2 at subduction zones and midocean ridges. So far, such degassing estimates were based on reconstructions of ocean floor production for the last 150 My and indirectly, through sea level inversion before 150 My. Here we quantitatively estimate CO2 degassing by reconstructing lithosphere subduction evolution, using recent advances in combining global plate reconstructions and present-day structure of the mantle. First, we estimate that since the Triassic (250-200 My) until the present, the total paleosubduction-zone length reached up to ∼200% of the present-day value. Comparing our subduction-zone lengths with previously reconstructed ocean-crust production rates over the past 140 My suggests average global subduction rates have been constant, ∼6 cm/y: Higher ocean-crust production is associated with longer total subduction length. We compute a strontium isotope record based on subduction-zone length, which agrees well with geological records supporting the validity of our approach: The total subduction-zone length is proportional to the summed arc and ridge volcanic CO2 production and thereby to global volcanic degassing at plate boundaries. We therefore use our degassing curve as input for the GEOCARBSULF model to estimate atmospheric CO2 levels since the Triassic. Our calculated CO2 levels for the mid Mesozoic differ from previous modeling results and are more consistent with available proxy data.

Plate tectonic controls on atmospheric CO2 levels since the Triassic

PubMed Central

Van Der Meer, Douwe G.; Zeebe, Richard E.; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.; Sluijs, Appy; Spakman, Wim; Torsvik, Trond H.

2014-01-01

Climate trends on timescales of 10s to 100s of millions of years are controlled by changes in solar luminosity, continent distribution, and atmosphere composition. Plate tectonics affect geography, but also atmosphere composition through volcanic degassing of CO2 at subduction zones and midocean ridges. So far, such degassing estimates were based on reconstructions of ocean floor production for the last 150 My and indirectly, through sea level inversion before 150 My. Here we quantitatively estimate CO2 degassing by reconstructing lithosphere subduction evolution, using recent advances in combining global plate reconstructions and present-day structure of the mantle. First, we estimate that since the Triassic (250–200 My) until the present, the total paleosubduction-zone length reached up to ∼200% of the present-day value. Comparing our subduction-zone lengths with previously reconstructed ocean-crust production rates over the past 140 My suggests average global subduction rates have been constant, ∼6 cm/y: Higher ocean-crust production is associated with longer total subduction length. We compute a strontium isotope record based on subduction-zone length, which agrees well with geological records supporting the validity of our approach: The total subduction-zone length is proportional to the summed arc and ridge volcanic CO2 production and thereby to global volcanic degassing at plate boundaries. We therefore use our degassing curve as input for the GEOCARBSULF model to estimate atmospheric CO2 levels since the Triassic. Our calculated CO2 levels for the mid Mesozoic differ from previous modeling results and are more consistent with available proxy data. PMID:24616495

Isotopic and paleomagnetic constraints on the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of south China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilder, Stuart A.; Gill, James; Coe, Robert S.; Zhao, Xixi; Liu, Zhongwei; Wang, Genxian; Yuan, Kuirong; Liu, Wenlong; Kuang, Guodun; Wu, Haoruo

1996-07-01

In order to better constrain the paleogeographic evolution of south China we measured Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic compositions for 23 Mesozoic granites that crop out throughout the area. Tightly grouped neodymium depleted mantle model ages (1.4 ± 0.3 Ga) suggest the region is underlain by relatively homogeneous Proterozoic crust and fail to define crustal provinces. Neither the isotopic nor geologic data suggest that a Mesozoic suture exists. However, granites possessing anomalously high Sm (>8 ppm) and Nd (>45 ppm) concentrations, relatively high initial epsilon neodymium (-4 to -8), and high but variable initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.759 to 0.713) form a northeast trending zone that coincides with two prominent Mesozoic basins. Southeast of the zone lie the majority of Mesozoic intrusives and Upper Triassic to Lower Cretaceous extensional basins found in south China. Mesozoic paleomagnetic poles are well clustered northwest of the zone. Pre-Cretaceous poles southeast of it are discordant with respect to those from the northwest. The only recognized tectonostratigraphic terrane in south China lies southeast of the zone. The terrane is bordered by a northeast trending sinistral fault that was active in the Mesozoic. Other faults in south China have similar attitudes, ages, and sense of shear. Together, the observations suggest that the Mesozoic tectonic regime in south China consisted of strike-slip activity plus concomitant rifting as terranes or fragments of similar crust were transported north along sinistral faults. The zone, defined by the granites enriched in Nd and Sm, demarcates displaced terranes to the southeast from relatively stable land to the northwest.

Potential geologic hazards on the eastern Gulf of Cadiz slope (SW Spain)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baraza, J.; Ercilla, G.; Nelson, C.H.

1999-01-01

Geologic hazards resulting from sedimentary, oceanographic and tectonic processes affect more than one third of the offshore Gulf of Cadiz, and are identified by interpreting high-resolution seismic profiles and sonographs. Hazards of sedimentary origin include the occurrence of slope instability processes in the form of single or multiple slumps occupying up to 147 km2 mainly concentrated in the steeper, upper slope area. Besides the presence of steep slopes, the triggering of submarine landslides is probably due to seismic activity and favoured by the presence of biogenic gas within the sediment. Gassy sediments and associated seafloor pockmarks cover more than 240 km2 in the upper slope. Hazards from oceanographic processes result from the complex system of bottom currents created by the interaction of the strong Mediterranean Undercurrent and the rough seafloor physiography. The local intensification of bottom currents is responsible for erosive processes along more than 1900 km2 in the upper slope and in the canyons eroded in the central area of the slope, undermining slopes and causing instability. The strong bottom currents also create a mobile seafloor containing bedforms in an area of the Gulf that extends more than 2500 km2, mostly in the continental slope terraces. Hazards of tectonic origin are important because the Gulf of Cadiz straddles two major tectonic regions, the Azores-Gibraltar fracture zone and the Betic range, which results in diapir uplift over an area of more than 1000 km2, and in active seismicity with earthquakes of moderate magnitude. Also, tsunamis produced by strong earthquakes occur in the Gulf of Cadiz, and are related to the tectonic activity along the Azores-Gibraltar fracture zone.

Late Quaternary uplift along the North America-Caribbean plate boundary: Evidence from the sea level record of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhs, Daniel R.; Schweig, Eugene S.; Simmons, Kathleen R.; Halley, Robert B.

2017-12-01

The tectonic setting of the North America-Caribbean plate boundary has been studied intensively, but some aspects are still poorly understood, particularly along the Oriente fault zone. Guantanamo Bay, southern Cuba, is considered to be on a coastline that is under a transpressive tectonic regime along this zone, and is hypothesized to have a low uplift rate. We tested this by studying emergent reef terrace deposits around the bay. Reef elevations in the protected, inner part of the bay are ∼11-12 m and outer-coast, wave-cut benches are as high as ∼14 m. Uranium-series analyses of corals yield ages ranging from ∼133 ka to ∼119 ka, correlating this reef to the peak of the last interglacial period, marine isotope stage (MIS) 5.5. Assuming a span of possible paleo-sea levels at the time of the last interglacial period yields long-term tectonic uplift rates of 0.02-0.11 m/ka, supporting the hypothesis that the tectonic uplift rate is low. Nevertheless, on the eastern and southern coasts of Cuba, east and west of Guantanamo Bay, there are flights of multiple marine terraces, at higher elevations, that could record a higher rate of uplift, implying that Guantanamo Bay may be anomalous. Southern Cuba is considered to have experienced a measurable but modest effect from glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) processes. Thus, with a low uplift rate, Guantanamo Bay should show no evidence of emergent marine terraces dating to the ∼100 ka (MIS 5.3) or ∼80 ka (MIS 5.1) sea stands and results of the present study support this.

Late Quaternary uplift along the North America-Caribbean plate boundary: Evidence from the sea level record of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, Daniel; Schweig, Eugene S.; Simmons, Kathleen; Halley, Robert B.

2017-01-01

The tectonic setting of the North America-Caribbean plate boundary has been studied intensively, but some aspects are still poorly understood, particularly along the Oriente fault zone. Guantanamo Bay, southern Cuba, is considered to be on a coastline that is under a transpressive tectonic regime along this zone, and is hypothesized to have a low uplift rate. We tested this by studying emergent reef terrace deposits around the bay. Reef elevations in the protected, inner part of the bay are ∼11–12 m and outer-coast, wave-cut benches are as high as ∼14 m. Uranium-series analyses of corals yield ages ranging from ∼133 ka to ∼119 ka, correlating this reef to the peak of the last interglacial period, marine isotope stage (MIS) 5.5. Assuming a span of possible paleo-sea levels at the time of the last interglacial period yields long-term tectonic uplift rates of 0.02–0.11 m/ka, supporting the hypothesis that the tectonic uplift rate is low. Nevertheless, on the eastern and southern coasts of Cuba, east and west of Guantanamo Bay, there are flights of multiple marine terraces, at higher elevations, that could record a higher rate of uplift, implying that Guantanamo Bay may be anomalous. Southern Cuba is considered to have experienced a measurable but modest effect from glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) processes. Thus, with a low uplift rate, Guantanamo Bay should show no evidence of emergent marine terraces dating to the ∼100 ka (MIS 5.3) or ∼80 ka (MIS 5.1) sea stands and results of the present study support this.

Control of the Lithospheric Mantle on intracontinental Deformation: Revival of Eastern U.S. Tectonism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biryol, C. B.; Wagner, L. S.; Fischer, K. M.; Hawman, R. B.

2016-12-01

The present tectonic configuration of the southeastern United States is a product of earlier episodes of arc accretion, continental collision and breakup. This region is located in the interior of the North American Plate, some 1500 km away from closest active plate margin. However, there is ongoing tectonism across the area with multiple zones of seismicity, rejuvenation of the Appalachians of North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and Cenozoic intraplate volcanism. The mechanisms controlling this activity and the modern-day state of stress remain enigmatic. Two factors often regarded as major contributors are plate strength and preexisting inherited structures. Recent improvements in broadband seismic data coverage in the region associated with the South Eastern Suture of the Appalachian Margin Experiment (SESAME) and EarthScope Transportable Array make it possible to obtain detailed information on the structure of the lithosphere in the region. Here we present new tomographic images of the upper mantle beneath the Southeastern United States, revealing large-scale structural variations in the upper mantle. Our results indicate fast seismic velocity patterns that can be interpreted as ongoing lithospheric foundering. We observe an agreement between the locations of these upper mantle anomalies and the location of major zones of tectonism, volcanism and seismicity, providing a viable explanation for modern-day activity in this plate interior setting long after it became a passive margin. Based on distinct variations in the geometry and thickness of the lithospheric mantle and foundered lithosphere, we propose that piecemeal delamination has occurred beneath the region throughout the Cenozoic, removing a significant amount of reworked/deformed mantle lithosphere. Ongoing lithospheric foundering beneath the eastern margin of stable North America explains significant variations in thickness of lithospheric mantle across the former Grenville deformation front.

A tribute to George Plafker

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fuis, Gary S.; Haeussler, Peter J.; Atwater, Brian F.

2015-01-01

In a long and distinguished career, George Plafker made fundamental advances in understanding of megathrust tectonics, tsunami generation, paleoseismology, crustal neotectonics, and Alaskan geology, chiefly by means of geological field observations. George discovered that giant earthquakes result from tens of meters of seismic slip on subduction megathrusts, and he did this before the theory of plate tectonics had become a paradigm. The discovery was founded on George's comprehensive mapping of land-level changes in the aftermath of the 1964 earthquake in Alaska, and on his follow-up mapping, in 1968, in the region of the 1960 earthquakes in Chile. The mapping showed paired, parallel belts of coseismic uplift largely offshore and coseismic subsidence mostly onshore – a pattern now familiar as the initial condition assumed in simulations of subduction-zone tsunamis. George recognized, moreover, that splay faulting can play a major role in tsunami generation, and he also distinguished carefully between tectonic and landslide sources for the multiple tsunamis that accounted for nearly all the fatalities associated with the 1964 Alaska earthquake. George's classic monographs on the 1964 earthquake include findings on subduction-zone paleoseismology that he soon extended to include stratigraphic evidence for cyclic vertical deformation at the Copper River Delta, as well as recurrent uplift evidenced by flights of marine terraces at Middleton Island. As a geologist of earthquakes, George also clarified the tectonics and hazards of crustal faulting in Alaska, California, and other areas worldwide. All the while, George was mapping bedrock geology in Alaska, where he contributed importantly to today's understanding of how terranes were accreted and modified. Especially important was his documentation of the origin, movement, subduction, and collision of the Yakutat terrane in southern Alaska.

Mesozoic Compressional Folds of the Nansha Waters, Southern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, R.; Liu, H.; Yao, Y.; Wang, Y.

2017-12-01

As an important part of the South China Sea, the southern margin of the South China Sea is fundamental to understand the interaction of the Eurasian, Pacific and Indian-Australian plates and the evolution of the South China Sea. Some multi-channel seismic profiles of the Nansha waters together with published drillings and dredge data were correlated for interpretation. The strata of the study region can be divided into the upper, middle and lower structural layers. The upper and middle structural layers with extensional tectonics are Cenozoic; the lower structural layer suffered compression is Mesozoic. Further structural restoration was done to remove the Cenozoic tectonic influence and to calculate the Mesozoic tectonic compression ratios. The results indicate that two diametrically opposite orientations of compressive stress, S(S)E towards N(N)W orientation and N(N)W towards S(S)E orientation respectively, once existed in the lower structural layer of the study area and shared the same variation trend. The compression ratio values gradually decrease both from the north to the south and from the west to the east in each stress orientation. The phenomena may be related to the opening of the proto-South China Sea (then located in south of the Nansha block) and the rate of the Nansha block drifted northward in Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous, which had pushed the Nansha block drifted northward until it collided and sutured with the Southern China Margin. Thus the opening of the present-day South China Sea may be related to this suture zone, which was tectonically weakness zone.Key words: Mesozoic compression; structural restoration; proto-South China Sea; Nansha waters; Southern South China Sea; Acknowledgements: The work was granted by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41476039, 91328205, 41576068 and 41606080).

Use of Data Layering to Address Changes in Nitrogen Management Zone Delineation

Treesearch

D.W. Franzen; T. Nanna

2006-01-01

Use of N management zones appears to be a practical method of revealing dominant patterns of residual soil nitrate in North Dakota crop fields, where fall soil nitrate sampling is a common N management tool. Delineation of zone boundaries to date has been a largely subjective process. A weighted, classified method of delineating nitrogen management zones is presented....

Investigation of the Crustal Structure in the Middle East from Body-Wave Analysis (POSTPRINT). Annual Report 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-05

Variations in the Zagros Fold and Trust Zone While crustal anisotropy may be indicative of tectonic stresses and alignments of faults and fracture zones...AFRL-RV-PS- AFRL-RV-PS- TP-2012-0042 TP-2012-0042 INVESTIGATION OF THE CRUSTAL STRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE EAST FROM BODY-WAVE ANALYSIS...DATES COVERED (From - To) 01 Sep 2010 to 19 Mar 2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE INVESTIGATION OF THE CRUSTAL STRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE EAST FROM

Double-Sided Wedge Model For Retreating Subduction Zones: Applications to the Apenninic and Hellenic Subduction Zones (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandon, M. T.; Willett, S.; Rahl, J. M.; Cowan, D. S.

2009-12-01

We propose a new model for the evolution of accreting wedges at retreating subduction zones. Advance and retreat refer to the polarity of the velocity of the overriding plate with respect to subduction zone. Advance indicates a velocity toward the subduction zone (e.g., Andes) and retreat, away from the subduction zone (e.g. Apennines, Crete). The tectonic mode of a subduction zone, whether advancing or retreating, is a result of both the rollback of the subducting plate and the absolute motion of the overriding plate. The Hellenic and Apenninic wedges are both associated with retreating subduction zones. The Hellenic wedge has been active for about 100 Ma, whereas the Apenninic wedge has been active for about 30 Ma. Comparison of maximum metamorphic pressures for exhumed rocks in these wedges (25 and 30 km, respectively) with the maximum thickness of the wedges at present (30 and 35 km, respectively) indicates that each wedge has maintained a relatively steady size during its evolution. This conclusion is based on the constraint that both frictional and viscous wedges are subject to the constraint of a steady wedge taper, so that thickness and width are strongly correlated. Both wedges show clear evidence of steady accretion during their full evolution, with accretionary fluxes of about 60 and 200 km2 Ma-1. These wedges also both show steady drift of material from the front to the rear of the wedge, with horizontal shortening dominating in the front of the wedge, and horizontal extension within the back of the wedge. We propose that these wedges represent two back-to-back wedges, with a convergent wedge on the leading side (proside), and a divergent wedge on the trailing side (retroside). In this sense, the wedges are bound by two plates. The subducting plate is familiar. It creates a thrust-sense traction beneath the proside of the wedge. The second plate is an “educting” plate, which is creates a normal-sense traction beneath the retroside of the wedge. The educting plate underlies the Tyrrenhian Sea west of the Apennines and the Cretean Sea north of Crete. The stretched crust that overlies this plate represents highly thinned wedge material that has been removed or decreted from the wedge. This decretion process accounts for the mean motion within the wedge, from pro to retro side, and the pervasive thinning within the retroside. It also explains how these wedges are able to maintain a steady wedge size with time. An important prediction of this model is that different deformational styles, involving thickening and thinning, can occur within the same tectonics setting. This is in contrast the widely cited idea that tectonic thinning is a late- or post-orogenic process.

Tectonic control of complex slope failures in the Ameka River Valley (Lower Gibe Area, central Ethiopia): Implications for landslide formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kycl, Petr; Rapprich, Vladislav; Verner, Kryštof; Novotný, Jan; Hroch, Tomáš; Mišurec, Jan; Eshetu, Habtamu; Tadesse Haile, Ezra; Alemayehu, Leta; Goslar, Tomasz

2017-07-01

Even though major faults represent important landslide controlling factors, the role the tectonic setting in actively spreading rifts plays in the development of large complex landslides is seldom discussed. The Ameka complex landslide area is located on the eastern scarp of the Gibe Gorge, approximately 45 km to the west of the Main Ethiopian Rift and 175 km to the southwest of Addis Ababa. Investigation of the complex landslide failures required a combination of satellite and airborne data-based geomorphology, geological field survey complemented with structural analysis, radiocarbon geochronology and vertical electric sounding. The obtained observations confirmed the multiphase evolution of the landslide area. We have documented that, apart from climatic and lithological conditions, the main triggering factor of the Ameka complex landslide is the tectonic development of this area. The E-W extension along the NNE-SSW trending Main Ethiopian Rift is associated with the formation of numerous parallel normal faults, such as the Gibe Gorge fault and the almost perpendicular scissor faults. The geometry of the slid blocks of coherent lithology have inherited the original tectonic framework, which suggests the crucial role tectonics play in the fragmentation of the compact rock-masses, and the origin and development of the Ameka complex landslide area. Similarly, the main scarps were also parallel to the principal tectonic features. The local tectonic framework is dominated by faults of the same orientation as the regional structures of the Main Ethiopian Rift. Such parallel tectonic frameworks display clear links between the extension of the Main Ethiopian Rift and the tectonic development of the landslide area. The Ameka complex landslide developed in several episodes over thousands of years. According to the radiocarbon data, the last of the larger displaced blocks (representing only 2% of the total area) most likely slid down in the seventh century AD. The main scarps, namely the high scarps in the western part, are unstable over the long term and toppling and falling-type slope movements can be expected here in the future.

Method for selectively orienting induced fractures in subterranean earth formations

DOEpatents

Shuck, Lowell Z.

1977-02-01

The orientation of hydraulically-induced fractures in relatively deep subterranean earth formations is normally confined to vertical projections along a plane parallel to the maximum naturally occurring (tectonic) compressive stress field. It was found that this plane of maximum compressive stress may be negated and, in effect, re-oriented in a plane projecting generally orthogonal to the original tectonic stress plane by injecting liquid at a sufficiently high pressure into a wellbore fracture oriented in a plane parallel to the plane of tectonic stress for the purpose of stressing the surrounding earth formation in a plane generally orthogonal to the plane of tectonic stress. With the plane of maximum compressive stress re-oriented due to the presence of the induced compressive stress, liquid under pressure is injected into a second wellbore disposed within the zone influenced by the induced compressive stress but at a location in the earth formation laterally spaced from the fracture in the first wellbore for effecting a fracture in the second wellbore along a plane generally orthogonal to the fracture in the first wellbore.

Habitability from Tidally Induced Tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia, Diana; Tan, Vivian Yun Yan; Zajac, Zachary

2018-04-01

The stability of Earth’s climate on geological timescales is enabled by the carbon–silicate cycle that acts as a negative feedback mechanism stabilizing surface temperatures via the intake and outgassing of atmospheric carbon. On Earth, this thermostat is enabled by plate tectonics that sequesters outgassed CO2 back into the mantle via weathering and subduction at convergent margins. Here we propose a separate tectonic mechanism—vertical recycling—that can serve as the vehicle for CO2 outgassing and sequestration over long timescales. The mechanism requires continuous tidal heating, which makes it particularly relevant to planets in the habitable zone of M stars. Dynamical models of this vertical recycling scenario and stability analysis show that temperate climates stable over timescales of billions of years are realized for a variety of initial conditions, even as the M star dims over time. The magnitude of equilibrium surface temperatures depends on the interplay of sea weathering and outgassing, which in turn depends on planetary carbon content, so that planets with lower carbon budgets are favored for temperate conditions. The habitability of planets such as found in the Trappist-1 system may be rooted in tidally driven tectonics.

Tectonic History and Deep Structure of the Demerara Plateau from Combined Wide-Angle and Reflection Seismic Data and Plate Kinematic Reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klingelhoefer, F.; Museur, T.; Roest, W. R.; Graindorge, D.; Chauvet, F.; Loncke, L.; Basile, C.; Poetisi, E.; Deverchere, J.; Lebrun, J. F.; Perrot, J.; Heuret, A.

2017-12-01

Many transform margins have associated intermediate depth marginal plateaus, which are commonly located between two oceanic basins. The Demerara plateau is located offshore Surinam and French Guiana. Plate kinematic reconstructions show that the plateau is located between the central and equatorial Atlantic in a position conjugate to the Guinean Plateau. In the fall of 2016, the MARGATS cruise acquired geophysical data along the 400 km wide Demerara plateau. The main objective of the cruise was to image the deep structure of the Demerara plateau and to study its tectonic history. A set of 4 combined wide-angle and reflection seismic profiles was acquired along the plateau, using 80 ocean-bottom seismometers, a 3 km long seismic streamer and a 8000 cu inch tuned airgun array. Forward modelling of the wide-angle seismic data on a profile, located in the eastern part of the plateau and oriented in a NE-SW direction, images the crustal structure of the plateau, the transition zone and the neighbouring crust of oceanic origin, up to a depth of 40 km. The plateau itself is characterised by a crust of 30 km thickness, subdivided into three distinct layers. However, the velocities and velocity gradients do not fit typical continental crust, with a lower crustal layer showing untypically high velocities and an upper layer having a steep velocity gradient. From this model we propose that the lowermost layer is probably formed from volcanic underplated material and that the upper crustal layer likely consists of the corresponding extrusive volcanic material, forming thick seaward-dipping reflector sequences on the plateau. A basement high is imaged at the foot of the slope and forms the ocean-continent transition zone. Further oceanward, a 5-6 km thick crust is imaged with velocities and velocity gradients corresponding to a thin oceanic crust. A compilation of magnetic data from the MARGATS and 3 previous cruises shows a high amplitude magnetic anomaly along the northern edge of the plateau thereby strengthening the hypothesis of an volcanic origin of at least part of the structure. We propose, that the plateau was formed by large-scale volcanism, possibly intruding into a thinner existing continental crust.

Depleted arc volcanism in the Alboran Sea and shoshonitic volcanism in Morocco: geochemical and isotopic constraints on Neogene tectonic processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gill, R. C. O.; Aparicio, A.; El Azzouzi, M.; Hernandez, J.; Thirlwall, M. F.; Bourgois, J.; Marriner, G. F.

2004-12-01

Samples of volcanic rocks from Alborán Island, the Alboran Sea floor and from the Gourougou volcanic centre in northern Morocco have been analyzed for major and trace elements and Sr-Nd isotopes to test current theories on the tectonic geodynamic evolution of the Alboran Sea. The Alborán Island samples are low-K tholeiitic basaltic andesites whose depleted contents of HFS elements (˜0.5×N-MORB), especially Nb (˜0.2×N-MORB), show marked geochemical parallels with volcanics from immature intra-oceanic arcs and back-arc basins. Several of the submarine samples have similar compositions, one showing low-Ca boninite affinity. 143Nd/ 144Nd ratios fall in the same range as many island-arc and back-arc basin samples, whereas 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios (on leached samples) are somewhat more radiogenic. Our data point to active subduction taking place beneath the Alboran region in Miocene times, and imply the presence of an associated back-arc spreading centre. Our sea floor suite includes a few more evolved dacite and rhyolite samples with ( 87Sr/ 86Sr) 0 up to 0.717 that probably represent varying degrees of crustal melting. The shoshonite and high-K basaltic andesite lavas from Gourougou have comparable normalized incompatible-element enrichment diagrams and Ce/Y ratios to shoshonitic volcanics from oceanic island arcs, though they have less pronounced Nb deficits. They are much less LIL- and LREE-enriched than continental arc analogues and post-collisional shoshonites from Tibet. The magmas probably originated by melting in subcontinental lithospheric mantle that had experienced negligible subduction input. Sr-Nd isotope compositions point to significant crustal contamination which appears to account for the small Nb anomalies. The unmistakable supra-subduction zone (SSZ) signature shown by our Alboran basalts and basaltic andesite samples refutes geodynamic models that attribute all Neogene volcanism in the Alboran domain to decompression melting of upwelling asthenosphere arising from convective thinning of over-thickened lithosphere. Our data support recent models in which subsidence is caused by westward rollback of an eastward-dipping subduction zone beneath the westernmost Mediterranean. Moreover, severance of the lithosphere at the edges of the rolling-back slab provides opportunities for locally melting lithospheric mantle, providing a possible explanation for the shoshonitic volcanism seen in northern Morocco and more sporadically in SE Spain.

Using Seismic Interferometry to Investigate Seismic Swarms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matzel, E.; Morency, C.; Templeton, D. C.

2017-12-01

Seismicity provides a direct means of measuring the physical characteristics of active tectonic features such as fault zones. Hundreds of small earthquakes often occur along a fault during a seismic swarm. This seismicity helps define the tectonically active region. When processed using novel geophysical techniques, we can isolate the energy sensitive to the fault, itself. Here we focus on two methods of seismic interferometry, ambient noise correlation (ANC) and the virtual seismometer method (VSM). ANC is based on the observation that the Earth's background noise includes coherent energy, which can be recovered by observing over long time periods and allowing the incoherent energy to cancel out. The cross correlation of ambient noise between a pair of stations results in a waveform that is identical to the seismogram that would result if an impulsive source located at one of the stations was recorded at the other, the Green function (GF). The calculation of the GF is often stable after a few weeks of continuous data correlation, any perturbations to the GF after that point are directly related to changes in the subsurface and can be used for 4D monitoring.VSM is a style of seismic interferometry that provides fast, precise, high frequency estimates of the Green's function (GF) between earthquakes. VSM illuminates the subsurface precisely where the pressures are changing and has the potential to image the evolution of seismicity over time, including changes in the style of faulting. With hundreds of earthquakes, we can calculate thousands of waveforms. At the same time, VSM collapses the computational domain, often by 2-3 orders of magnitude. This allows us to do high frequency 3D modeling in the fault region. Using data from a swarm of earthquakes near the Salton Sea, we demonstrate the power of these techniques, illustrating our ability to scale from the far field, where sources are well separated, to the near field where their locations fall within each other's uncertainty ellipse. We use ANC to create a 3D model of the crust in the region. VSM provides better illumination of the active fault zone. Measures of amplitude and shape are used to refine source properties and locations in space and waveform modeling allows us to estimate near-fault seismic structure.

A detailed map of the 660-kilometer discontinuity beneath the izu-bonin subduction zone.

PubMed

Wicks, C W; Richards, M A

1993-09-10

Dynamical processes in the Earth's mantle, such as cold downwelling at subduction zones, cause deformations of the solid-state phase change that produces a seismic discontinuity near a depth of 660 kilometers. Observations of short-period, shear-to-compressional wave conversions produced at the discontinuity yield a detailed map of deformation beneath the Izu-Bonin subduction zone. The discontinuity is depressed by about 60 kilometers beneath the coldest part of the subducted slab, with a deformation profile consistent with the expected thermal signature of the slab, the experimentally determined Clapeyron slope of the phase transition, and the regional tectonic history.

Vertical tectonics at an active continental margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houlié, N.; Stern, T. A.

2017-01-01

Direct observations of vertical movements of the earth's surface are now possible with space-based GPS networks, and have applications to resources, hazards and tectonics. Here we present data on vertical movements of the Earth's surface in New Zealand, computed from the processing of GPS data collected between 2000 and 2015 by 189 permanent GPS stations. We map the geographical variation in vertical rates and show how these variations are explicable within a tectonic framework of subduction, volcanic activity and slow slip earthquakes. Subsidence of >3 mm/yr is observed along southeastern North Island and is interpreted to be due to the locked segment of the Hikurangi subduction zone. Uplift of 1-3 mm/yr further north along the margin of the eastern North Island is interpreted as being due to the plate interface being unlocked and underplating of sediment on the subduction thrust. The Volcanic Plateau of the central North Island is being uplifted at about 1 mm/yr, which can be explained by basaltic melts being injected in the active mantle-wedge at a rate of ∼6 mm/yr. Within the Central Volcanic Region there is a 250 km2 area that subsided between 2005 and 2012 at a rate of up to 14 mm/yr. Time series from the stations located within and near the zone of subsidence show a strong link between subsidence, adjacent uplift and local earthquake swarms.

The Distribution and Composition Characteristics of Siliceous Rocks from Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay Joint Belt, South China: Constraint on the Tectonic Evolution of Plates in South China

PubMed Central

Li, Hongzhong; Zhai, Mingguo; Zhang, Lianchang; Zhou, Yongzhang; Yang, Zhijun; He, Junguo; Liang, Jin; Zhou, Liuyu

2013-01-01

The Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt is a significant tectonic zone between the Yangtze and Cathaysian plates, where plentiful hydrothermal siliceous rocks are generated. Here, the authors studied the distribution of the siliceous rocks in the whole tectonic zone, which indicated that the tensional setting was facilitating the development of siliceous rocks of hydrothermal genesis. According to the geochemical characteristics, the Neopalaeozoic siliceous rocks in the north segment of the Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt denoted its limited width. In comparison, the Neopalaeozoic Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt was diverse for its ocean basin in the different segments and possibly had subduction only in the south segment. The ocean basin of the north and middle segments was limited in its width without subduction and possibly existed as a rift trough that was unable to resist the terrigenous input. In the north segment of the Qinzhou Bay-Hangzhou Bay joint belt, the strata of hydrothermal siliceous rocks in Dongxiang copper-polymetallic ore deposit exhibited alternative cycles with the marine volcanic rocks, volcanic tuff, and metal sulphide. These sedimentary systems were formed in different circumstances, whose alternative cycles indicated the release of internal energy in several cycles gradually from strong to weak. PMID:24302882

Formation of tectonic peperites from alkaline magmas intruded into wet sediments in the Beiya area, western Yunnan, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xu, Xing-Wang; Cai, Xin-Ping; Zhong, Jia-You; Song, Bao-Chang; Peters, Stephen G.

2007-01-01

Tertiary (3.78 Ma to 3.65 Ma) biotite-K-feldspar porphyritic bodies intrude Tertiary, poorly consolidated lacustrine sedimentary rocks in the Beiya mineral district in southwestern China. The intrusives are characterized by a microcrystalline and vitreous-cryptocrystalline groundmass, by replacement of some tabular K-feldspar phenocrysts with microcrystalline chlorite and calcite, and by Fe-rich rings surrounding biotite phenocrysts. Peculiar structures, such as contemporary contact faults and slickensides, ductile shear zones and flow folds, foliation and lineations, tension fractures, and banded and boudin peperites, are developed along the contact zones of the intrusives. These features are related to the forceful intrusion of the alkaline magmas into the wet Tertiary sediments. The partially consolidated magmas were deformed and flattened by continued forceful magma intrusion that produced boudinaged and banded peperites. These peperites characterized by containing oriented deformation fabrics are classified as tectonic peperites as a new type of peperite, and formation of these tectonic peperites was related to fracturing of magmas caused by forceful intrusion and shear deformation and to contemporary migration and injection of fluidized sediments along fractures that dismembered the porphyritic magma. Emplacement of the magma into the wet sediments in the Beiya area is interpreted to be related to a large pressure difference rather than to the buoyancy force.

"Geometric" planetology and origin of the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochemasov, Gennady G.

2010-05-01

The comparative wave planetology [1 & othres] demonstrates graphically its main conceptual point: orbits make structures. The structures are produced by a warping action of stationary waves induced in bodies by non-circular orbits with periodically changing bodies' accelerations. A geometric model of tectonic granulation of planets is a schematic row of even circles adorned with granules radius of which increases in direction from Sun to the outer planets. It was shown that the granule radii are inversely proportional to the orbital frequencies of planets. Thus, there is a following row of these radii: Mercury πR/16, Venus πR/6, Earth πR/4, Mars πR/2, asteroids πR/1. It was also shown that these radii well correlate with planetary surface "ruggedness". This observation led to a conception of the "relief-forming potential of planets"[2]. So, this potential is rather weak in Mercury and Venus, rather high in Mars and intermediate in Earth. Certainly, orbital eccentricities were even higher at the earlier period of planet formation, at debris zones of their accretion causing scattering debris material. This scattering was small at Mercury' and Venus' zones, large at the Mars' zone and intermediate at the Earth's zone. Consequently, gravity kept debris in the first zones, allowed them escape in the martian zone, and allowed to have separated debris sub zone in the vicinity of the Earth's zone or around not fully consolidated (accreted) Earth. Rejecting the giant impact hypotheses of Moon formation as contradicting the fact of the ubiquitous wave induced tectonic dichotomy of celestial bodies (Theorem1 [3]) one should concentrate at hypotheses dealing with formation of the satellite from primordial debris in a near-Earth heliocentric orbit or in a circumterrestrial orbit from debris wave separated from the Earth' zone of accretion. Wave scattering of primordial material from an accretion zone or from a not fully accreted (consolidated) body is a normal process traces of which one observes now in presence of satellites around all planets except Venus and Mercury (both have smallest wave induced granula sizes: R/6 and R/16, correspondingly). So, Venus during its formation was not able to throw away enough solids to form a satellite (but degassing was important, nearly complete and the huge atmosphere is there). Earth with the larger amplitude of its granula forming waves produced enough solids to make a satellite (during a pre-planet stage from accretion debris or during earlier stages of debris accretion into a body). Mars with still larger granula forming waves (granula size R/2) threw away a lot of material but its small gravity now keeps only two small satellites. The martian body itself warped by huge waves lost a lot of its mass and is semi-destructed. In the asteroid belt still larger wave (granula size R/1, and in the 1:1 resonance with the fundamental wave !) scattered away almost all primary mass of material and there was no chance to gather any decent planetary body. In the outer Solar system large planets with important gravities keep "exuberant" satellite systems and debris rings. The wave comparative planetology, thus, introducing the conception of warping structurizing waves, is not surprised by the Moon appearance. What is needed, just to recognize a special position of Earth in the planetary sequence determining its orbital frequency and thus a size of its tectonic granulation. References: [1] Kochemasov, G.G. (1992) Concerted wave supergranulation of the solar system bodies // 16th Russian-American microsymposium on planetology, Abstracts, Moscow, Vernadsky Inst. (GEOKHI), p. 36-37. [2] Kochemasov G.G. (2009) New Concepts in Global Tectonics Newsletter, # 51, 58-61. [3] Kochemasov G. (1999) Geophys. Res. Abstr., V.1, #3, 700.

Boron Isotopes as Tracers of the Tectonic Origin and Geological History of Serpentinites in Subduction and Suture Zones.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, C.; Harlow, G. E.; Flores, K. E.; Angiboust, S.

2017-12-01

Serpentinites are known to play a key role in subduction, because they contain significant water content and can be enriched in elements such as As, B, Li, Sb, and U. They originate by hydration of peridotite by two different processes: (i) by a seawater source reacting with peridotite beneath the ocean crust and (ii) by reaction of peridotite at the base of the mantle-wedge with fluids released from the slab during subduction. In suture zones, it is relatively common to find serpentinite from both exhumed subduction channel mélange (from the mantle wedge) and ophiolite (from the oceanic crust), but recognizing them and their tectonic origin can be difficult. A recent study based on samples from the Guatemala Suture Zone demonstrated that boron (B) isotopes can be used as a probe of the fluid from which serpentinites form. Serpentinites from an ophiolite complex have positive δ11B, as expected for peridotites hydrated by seawater-derived fluid, whereas serpentinite samples from the matrix of the mélange (coming from the roof of the subducting channel) have negative δ11B, in agreement with hydration of mantellic peridotites by fluids released at 30-70 km depth from metamorphic rocks. Serpentinites from tectonically well-constrained locations were selected to extend our knowledge of metasomatism in subduction-related areas. The trace-element contents and B isotopes were measured in situ, respectively by LA-ICP-MS and LA-MC-ICP-MS on samples from the oceanic crust (ophiolite = Guatemala, Iran, Cuba), the subduction forearc (Nicaragua), and the mantle wedge (Guatemala, Iran, Japan, Myanmar). The spider diagrams and REE patterns, as well as a B/La vs. As/La diagram do not show any reliable difference to distinguish the tectonic origin of the serpentinite. However, in a δ11B vs. B content diagram, the serpentinites seem to plot in a triangle with fluid endmembers representing (i) seawater (δ11B = 40‰, [B] = 5ppm), (ii) metabasite-issued metamorphic fluids, and (iii) metasediments-issued metamorphic fluids (δ11B varies with temperature from +19 to - 15‰, [B] badly constrained but likely varies with depth (i.e., T) from hundreds (in metasediments) to few (in metabasites) ppm). Thus, the tectonic origin of serpentinites encountered in suture areas as well as the fluid(s) responsible of it might be defined in a δ11B vs. B diagram.

Serpentinite slices within a tectonic zone at the base of the Juvavic nappe system in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria): characterization and origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boehm, Katharina; Schuster, Ralf; Wagreich, Michael; Koller, Friedrich; Wimmer-Frey, Ingeborg

2014-05-01

The investigated serpentinites are present in an ENE-WSW orientated tectonic zone at the base of Juvavic nappes (Northern Calcareous Alps), situated at the eastern margin of the Eastern Alps (Lower Austria). They form small tectonically squeezed slices, which are embedded in Permotriassic schists and Middle to Upper Triassic limestones. These serpentinites play an important, but not yet understood role in reconstructing Neotethys evolution, Alpine Orogeny and the correlation of Dinarides and Alps. The largest serpentinite body near to Unterhöflein is 400 to 100 meters in size and was investigated by mineralogical (XRD) and petrological/geochemical (XRF) methods. The primary mineral composition is olivine + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + chrome spinel. Pseudomorphs of pyroxenes are visible macroscopically, but almost all primary minerals are replaced by serpentine minerals. Former olivine is converted to chrysotile minerals, which show typical reticulate textures, orthopyroxene turned into lizardite pseudomorphs and chrome spinel is almost completely altered to magnetite. Major contents of chrysotile-α, chrysotile-γ and lizardite and minor antigorite, as well as secondary minerals like talc, chlorite and hydrogrossular were identified with XRD. Results from whole rock geochemistry indicate harzburgitic precursor rocks for the serpentinites. According to the low antigorite content, the rocks have only a weak metamorphic imprint and therefore an obduction rather than a subduction history is likely. This leads to the assumption that these serpentinites possibly originate from the Neotethys and not from the Penninic oceanic realm. Further, the tectonic position of the serpentinite slices is in close vicinity to sediments of the Meliata unit which also occur between Juvavic and underlying Tirolic nappe system (Mandl & Ondrejickova, 1993). Additionally, remnants from ophiolite nappes are found reworked into the surrounding Upper Cretaceous Gosau Group. In the latter also chrome spinel detritus is present. In contrast to the altered chrome spinels in the investigated serpentinites, the spinels from Gosau Group are well preserved and they show similarities to those of Dinaric Cretaceous basins, concerning their harzburgitic and lherzolitic sources (Stern & Wagreich, 2013). If the investigated serpentinites belong to obducted material from Neothetys oceanic realm, a tectonic model of a slab-tearing induced sinistral strike-slip zone could explain the position in the Eastern Alps. However, the relationship to other basic magmatic rocks from several other localities in similar positions, mostly occurring within evaporitic sediments of Permian Haselgebirge (Schorn et al., 2013), has to be clarified.

Atla Regio, Venus: Geology and origin of a major equatorial volcanic rise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Senske, D. A.; Head, James W., III

1992-01-01

Regional volcanic rises form a major part of the highlands in the equatorial region of Venus. These broad domical uplands, 1000 to 3000 km across, contain centers of volcanism forming large edifices and are associated with extension and rifting. Two classes of rises are observed: (1) those that are dominated by tectonism, acting as major centers for converging rifts such as Beta Regio and Alta Regio, and are termed tectonic junctions; and (2) those forming uplands characterized primarily by large-scale volcanism forming edifices. Western Eistla Regio and Bell Regio, where zones of extension and rifting are less developed. Within this second class of features the edifices are typically found at the end of a single rift, or are associated with a linear belt of deformation. We examine the geologic characteristics of the tectonic junction at Alta Regio, concentrating on documenting the styles of volcanism and assessing mechanisms for the formation of regional topography.

Tectonics and evolution of the Juan Fernandez microplate at the Pacific-Nazca-Antarctic triple junction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson-Fontana, S.; Larson, R. L.; Engein, J. F.; Lundgren, P.; Stein, S.

1986-01-01

Magnetic and bathymetric profiles derived from the R/V Endeavor survey and focal mechanism studies for earthquakes on two of the Juan Fernandez microplate boundaries are analyzed. It is observed that the Nazca-Juan Fernandez pole is in the northern end of the microplate since the magnetic lineation along the East Ridge of the microplate fans to the south. The calculation of the relative motion of the Juan Fernandez-Pacific-Nazca-Antarctic four-plate system using the algorithm of Minster et al. (1974) is described. The development of tectonic and evolutionary models of the region is examined. The tectonic model reveals that the northern boundary of the Juan Fernandez microplate is a zone of compression and that the West Ridge and southwestern boundary are spreading obliquely; the evolutionary model relates the formation of the Juan Fernandez microplate to differential spreading rates at the triple junction.

Tests of crustal divergence models for Aphrodite Terra, Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grimm, Robert E.; Solomon, Sean C.

1989-01-01

This paper discusses the characteristics of Aphrodite Terra, the highland region of Venus which is considered to be a likely site of mantle upwelling, active volcanism, and extensional tectonics, and examines the relation of these features to three alternative kinematic models for the interaction of mantle convection with the surface. These the 'vertical tectonics' model, in which little horizontal surface displacement results from mantle flow; the 'plate divergence' model, in which shear strain from large horizontal displacements is accommodated only in narrow zones of deformation; and the 'distributed deformation' model, in which strain from large horizontal motions is broadly accommodated. No convincing observational evidence was found to support the rigid-plate divergence, while the evidence of large-scale horizontal motions of Aphrodite argues against purely vertical tectonics. A model is proposed, involving a broad disruption of a thin lithosphere. In such a model, lineaments are considered to be surface manifestations of mantle convective flow.

Tharsis block tectonics on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raitala, Jouko T.

1988-01-01

The concept of block tectonics provides a framework for understanding many aspects of Tharsis and adjoining structures. This Tharsis block tectonics on Mars is manifested partly by mantle-related doming and partly by response to loading by subsequent volcanic construction. Although the origin of the volcanism from beneath Tharsis is a subject of controversy explanations have to include inhomogeneities in Martian internal structure, energy distribution, magma accumulation and motion below the lithosphere. Thermal convection can be seen as a necessary consequence for transient initial phase of Martian cooling. This produced part of the elevated topography with tensional stresses and graben systems radial to the main bulge. The linear grabens, radial to the Tharsis center, can be interpreted to indicate rift zones that define the crustal block boundaries. The load-induced stresses may then have contributed on further graben and ridge formation over an extended period of time.

Distribution and timing of thick transient air-fall deposits in Electris: Implications for the nature of the upland plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grant, J. A.; Schultz, P. H.

1987-01-01

A large area in the Electris region of Mars is (or once was) covered by an unconformable and etched deposit. Although interpreted as lava filling volcano-tectonic depressions or fluvial deposits filling large degraded craters, more recent work has shown the deposit is more likely the result of air-fall deposition. Crater densities on both the surface of the deposit and on exhumed, underlying ridged plains indicate that the deposit was emplaced and eroded over a relatively short time. These crater statistics also demonstate that the relative age of the Electris deposit is similar to those obtained for other unconformable deposits, thereby suggesting they may be related.

Multi-scale strain localization within orthogneiss during subduction and exhumation (Tenda unit, Alpine Corsica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaudoin, Alexandre; Augier, Romain; Jolivet, Laurent; Raimbourg, Hugues; Jourdon, Anthony; Scaillet, Stéphane; Cardello, Giovanni Luca

2016-04-01

Strain localization depends upon scale-related factors resulting in a gap between small-scale studies of deformation mechanisms and large-scale numerical and tectonic models. The former often ignore the variations in composition and water content across tectonic units, while the latter oversimplify the role of the deformation mechanisms. This study aims to heal this gap, by considering microstructures and strain localization not only at a single shear zone-scale but across a 40km-wide tectonic unit and throughout its complex polyphased evolution. The Tenda unit (Alpine Corsica) is an external continental unit mainly composed of granites, bounded by the East Tenda Shear Zone (ETSZ) that separates it from the overlying oceanic-derived HP tectonic units. Previous studies substantially agreed on (1) the burial of the Tenda unit down to blueschist-facies conditions associated with top-to-the-west shearing (D1) and (2) subsequent exhumation accommodated by a localized top-to-the-east shear zone (D2). Reaction-softening is the main localizing mechanism proposed in the literature, being associated with the transformation of K-feldspar into white-mica. In this work, the Tenda unit is reviewed through (1) the construction of a new field-based strain map accompanied by cross-sections representing volumes of rock deformed at different grades related to large-scale factors of strain localization and (2) the structural study of hand-specimens and thin-sections coupled with EBSD analysis in order to target the deformation processes. We aim to find how softening and localization are in relation to the map-scale distribution of strain. The large-scale study shows that the whole Tenda unit is affected by the two successive stages of deformation. However, a more intense deformation is observed along the eastern margin, which originally led to the definition of the ETSZ, with a present-day anastomosed geometry of deformation. Strain localization is clearly linked to rheological/lithological contrasts as it concentrates either along preexisting intrusive and tectonic contacts. As K-feldspar-poor granites remain relatively undeformed, reaction-softening seems to be a major mechanism during D1. However, evidences suggest that this mechanism is in competition with dynamic recrystallization: at outcrop and hand-specimen scale, the correlation between localized structures such as C-planes and phengite-rich zones is not always observed. This same competition remains active during D2 where top-to-the-east C-planes are common in phengite-rich layers, but an overall grain-size reduction is also observed across the different strain grades, suggesting that dynamic recrystallization remains active during the whole story. Final localization is sometimes observed in phengite-poor aplitic ultramylonites characterized by a very fine quartz-albite matrix suggesting that grain-size sensitive flow would be the major mechanism involved in the final rheology of the ETSZ.

Metamorphic and tectonic evolution of Ceuta peninsula (Internal Rif): new interpretation in the framework of arc and back arc evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Homonnay, Emmanuelle; Lardeaux, Jean-Marc; Corsini, Michel; Cenki-Tok, Bénédicte; Bosch, Delphine; Munch, Philippe; Romagny, Adrien; Ouazzani-Touhami, Mohamed

2016-04-01

In the last twenty years, various geophysical investigations have established that the Western Mediterranean opened in a subduction context as a back arc domain. In the Alboran basin the dip of the subduction plane is eastwards or southeastwards depending of considered models. If the geological records of back-arc opening are well-known, the arc-related tectonic and petrologic evolutions are still poorly documented. In order to decipher these markers, we focalised structural, petrological and thermo-chronological studies on the Ceuta peninsula located in the Rif belt, on the western part of the Gibraltar arc to the North of Morocco. The present-day tectonic pile is constituted by: (1) the upper Ceuta unit, composed of High Pressure and High Temperature metapelites retromorphosed under Amphibolite-facies condition, with Ultra-High Pressure relicts, and pyrigarnite and spinel bearing peridotites boudins at its base, (2) the lower Monte Hacho unit, with orthogneisses metamorphosed under Amphibolite-facies conditions. Structural analysis indicates a polyphase tectonic evolution: (1) an earlier deformation phase only observed in the UHP metapelites and characterized by a steep S1 foliation plane, (2) a main deformation phase associated to a pervasive gently dipping S2 foliation plane bearing a L2 stretching lineation and synschistose folds whose axes are parallel to L2 and (3) a late deformation phase which developed S3 foliation plane and L3 stretching lineation coeval with development of narrow normal ductile shear zones. A zone of increasing deformation, several dozen meters wide, is identified as a major ductile shear zone involving the peridotitic lenses at the base of the metapelites of the Ceuta unit and overlaying this upper unit on top of the orthogneisses of the Monte Hacho lower unit. The attitude of mylonitic foliation and stretching and mineral lineations as well as the numerous shear sense indicators observed in the shear zone are consistent with a thrusting toward the NE. Furthermore, biotite-sillimanite bearing S2 foliation affecting the whole of crustal rocks is contemporaneous with the movement on this main ductile thrusting. We combined garnet-biotite and GASP thermo-barometers with thermodynamic modelling (Theriak-Domino) in order to constrain pressure and temperature conditions of D2 and D3 tectono-metamorphic events. P-T conditions of D2 deformation are in the range 7-10kbar and 770-820°C and are compatible with syn-tectonic partial melting. D3 deformation event occurred at 1-7kbar and 400-550°C. These metamorphic conditions reflect abnormally high geothermal gradients during both shortening and thinning and are clearly compatible with the thermal evolution recognized in continental arcs. Preliminary U-Th-Pb (monazite, zircon and xenotime) and previous Ar39/Ar40 (micas) analyses, furnished similar ages around 21 Ma for D2 and D3 events, suggesting a very fast transition from arc to back-arc dynamics.

Tethys and the evolution in Afghanistan: tectonics and mineral resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okaya, N.; Onishi, C. T.; Mooney, W. D.

2009-12-01

The tectonic history and mineral resources of Afghanistan are related to the closing of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean and the opening of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. As part of this process, oceanic sediments and continental fragments were accreted onto northern Afghanistan during the Mesozoic Cimmerian orogeny. Deposits in the Paleo-Tethys Ocean iare presently represented by a thick sequence of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks within the Tajik/Turan block, part of the Eurasian continent in northern Afghanistan. The accreted micro-continents of the Cimmerian orogeny include: (1) the Farah block, (2) the Helmand block and (3) the exotic Kabul block. Later, during the Cretaceous, the East Nuristan island arc and the intra-oceanic island arc of Kohistan were sutured. Major faults in Afghanistan include: (1) the Herat fault, an E-W suture zone between the Eurasia continent and the terrains of the Cimmerian orogeny; (2) the N-S Punjao suture located between the Farah and Helmand blocks; and (3) the NE-SW oriented Chaman fault, part of a transpressional plate boundary located near the border with Pakistan. Such a complex blend of geology and tectonics gives host to abundant mineral resources. We summarize the tectonic evolution of Afghanistan in a series of lithospheric cross-sections, beginning at about 400 Ma., and identify the mineral resources in the context of the regional tectonics.

Seismic and Geophysical Characterization of Northern Asia

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

coast of the Arctic Ocean. Very little independent data exist on the crustal structure or composition in this area. The 10 mHz data, sampling at...greater depth, quite accurately maps the tectonically active and younger regions as lower velocity zones, while regions associated with old cratons show

Photogeologic and thermal infrared reconnaissance surveys of the Los Negritos-Ixtlan de los Hervores geothermal area, Michoacan, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomez, Valle R.; Friedman, J.D.; Gawarecki, S.J.; Banwell, C.J.

1970-01-01

New techniques, involving interpretation of panchromatic, ektachrome and ektachrome infrared aerographic photogaphs and thermographic infrared imagery recording emission from the earth's surface in middle and far infrared wavelengths (3-5??m and 8-14??m), are being introduced in geothermal investigations in Mexico to identify outstanding structural and geologic features in a rapid and economical manner. The object of this work is to evaluate the new airborne infrared techniques and equipment as a complement to the data obtained from panchromatic aerial photography. This project is part of the Mexican remote sensing program of natural resources carried out under the auspices of the Comision Nacional del Espacio Exterior and in which the Research Institute (Instituto de Investigaciones de la Industria Electrica) is actively participating. The present study was made cooperatively with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey. The Los Negritos-Ixtlan de los Hervores geothermal fields are located east of Lake Chapala at the intersection of the Sierra Madre occidental and the west-central segment of the neovolcanic axis of Mexico. The two principal zones of hydrothermal activity occur in a tectonic trench filled with lake sediments of the Quaternary intercalated with Quaternary and Holocene volcanic rocks and characterized by an intricate system of block-fault tectonics, part of the Chapala-Acambay tectonic system, along which there has been volcanic activity in modern time. Surface manifestations of geothermal activity consist of relatively high heat flow and hot springs, small geysers and small steam vents aligned along an E-W axis at Ixtlan, possibly at the intersection of major fault trends and mud volcanoes and hot pools aligned NE-SW at Los Negritos. More than 20 exit points of thermal waters are shown on infrared imagery to be aligned along an extension of the Ixtlan fault between Ixtlan and El Salitre. A narrow zone of hydrothermal alteration and deposition at the surface is identifiable on the infrared imagery of this area, closey related spatially to a resistivity low at depth. Extinct geothermal areas near El Salitre, Ixtlan, and farther west at San Gregorio are clearly delineated on both infrared images and infrared ektachrome photographs. Predawn infrared images also show high-angle fault zones suggesting the dominance of block tectonics in much of the area. Special image enhancement techniques applied to the original magnetic tape records will be required for more precise identification of warm ground zones and for a qualitative or semiquantitative estimate of ground radiance associated with anomalously high convective heat flow. ?? 1971.

A synthesis of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous crustal evolution along the southern margin of the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka microplate and implications for defining tectonic boundaries active during opening of Arctic Ocean basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Till, Alison B.

2016-01-01

A synthesis of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous collision-related metamorphic events in the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka microplate clarifies its likely movement history during opening of the Amerasian and Canada basins. Comprehensive tectonic reconstructions of basin opening have been problematic, in part, because of the large size of the microplate, uncertainties in the location and kinematics of structures bounding the microplate, and lack of information on its internal deformation history. Many reconstructions have treated Arctic Alaska and Chukotka as a single crustal entity largely on the basis of similarities in their Mesozoic structural trends and similar late Proterozoic and early Paleozoic histories. Others have located Chukotka near Siberia during the Triassic and Jurassic, on the basis of detrital zircon age populations, and suggested that it was Arctic Alaska alone that rotated. The Mesozoic metamorphic histories of Arctic Alaska and Chukotka can be used to test the validity of these two approaches.A synthesis of the distribution, character, and timing of metamorphic events reveals substantial differences in the histories of the southern margin of the microplate in Chukotka in comparison to Arctic Alaska and places specific limitations on tectonic reconstructions. During the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous, the Arctic Alaska margin was subducted to the south, while the Chukotka margin was the upper plate of a north-dipping subduction zone or a zone of transpression. An early Aptian blueschist- and greenschist-facies belt records the most profound crustal thickening event in the evolution of the orogen. It may have resulted in thicknesses of 50–60 km and was likely the cause of flexural subsidence in the foredeep of the Brooks Range. This event involved northern Alaska and northeasternmost Chukotka; it did not involve central and western Chukotka. Arctic Alaska and Chukotka evolved separately until the Aptian thickening event, which was likely a result of the rotation of Arctic Alaska into central and western Chukotka. In northeastern Chukotka, the thickened rocks are separated from the relatively little thickened continental crust of the remainder of Chukotka by the oceanic rocks of the Kolyuchin-Mechigmen zone. The zone is a candidate for an Early Cretaceous suture that separated most of Chukotka from northeast Chukotka and Alaska. Albian patterns of magmatism, metamorphism, and deformation in Chukotka and the Seward Peninsula may represent an example of escape tectonics that developed in response to final amalgamation of Chukotka with Eurasia.