Morphology and palaeoenvironmental interpretation of deformed soft-sediment clasts: examples from within Late Pleistocene glacial outwash, Tempo Valley, Northern Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, Jasper

1999-10-01

Glacial outwash, deposited during deglaciation of the late Devensian ice sheet, is present as a flat-topped valley fill in the Tempo Valley on the southern flanks of the Fintona Hills, Northern Ireland. Sedimentologically, the outwash comprises well-sorted and interbedded rippled to massive sands which record distal deposition within a proglacial water body. Beds of ripple-drift cross-laminated sands contain deformed (folded and contorted) soft-sediment clasts which are composed mainly of silt and clay. The soft-sediment clasts were deformed prior to final deposition because clast a- b planes lie conformable to sand laminae which are undeformed. Morphological characteristics of the soft-sediment clasts, and their facies context, provide evidence for transport mechanisms, depositional environment, and processes of clast deformation. The soft-sediment clasts were transported into a proglacial water body by unidirectional water currents (˜1.5-2.5 m s -1). Sediment transport processes include sediment bypassing within the water column, a low bedload component, and grain flow activity during waning flow stages. The overall morphology of soft-sediment clasts records between 1 and 3 distinct phases of hydroplastic deformation prior to emplacement. The deformation phases are recognised on the basis of morphologically `unrolling' the superimposed folds of the soft-sediment clasts. Deformation structures (i.e. fold style) and direction of the principal stress axis relative to clast axes suggest that clasts were reoriented with respect to water flow direction following each deformation phase. Processes of deformation include folding-over of the clast along its b axis into two or more components, crumpling and abrasion of the outer margins of the b plane, and squashing of the clast c axis (some of which may be post-depositional deformation). The presence of silt- and clay-rich soft-sediment clasts within the outwash succession suggests that they were ripped-up from shallow and irregular pools on the glacier forefield, into which fine sediments accumulated after flood or meltwater events, and transported distally into a proglacial water body. These inferences based on facies evidence and styles of hydroplastic deformation impact on reconstructions of local palaeogeography, and the wider interpretation of similar soft-sediment clasts in the geological record.

Syn-eruptive, soft-sediment deformation of deposits from dilute pyroclastic density current: triggers from granular shear, dynamic pore pressure, ballistic impacts and shock waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douillet, G. A.; Taisne, B.; Tsang-Hin-Sun, E.; Muller, S. K.; Kueppers, U.; Dingwell, D. B.

2015-05-01

Soft-sediment deformation structures can provide valuable information about the conditions of parent flows, the sediment state and the surrounding environment. Here, examples of soft-sediment deformation in deposits of dilute pyroclastic density currents are documented and possible syn-eruptive triggers suggested. Outcrops from six different volcanoes have been compiled in order to provide a broad perspective on the variety of structures: Soufriere Hills (Montserrat), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Ubehebe craters (USA), Laacher See (Germany), and Tower Hill and Purrumbete lakes (both Australia). The variety of features can be classified in four groups: (1) tubular features such as pipes; (2) isolated, laterally oriented deformation such as overturned or oversteepened laminations and vortex-shaped laminae; (3) folds-and-faults structures involving thick (>30 cm) units; (4) dominantly vertical inter-penetration of two layers such as potatoids, dishes, or diapiric flame-like structures. The occurrence of degassing pipes together with basal intrusions suggest fluidization during flow stages, and can facilitate the development of other soft-sediment deformation structures. Variations from injection dikes to suction-driven, local uplifts at the base of outcrops indicate the role of dynamic pore pressure. Isolated, centimeter-scale, overturned beds with vortex forms have been interpreted to be the signature of shear instabilities occurring at the boundary of two granular media. They may represent the frozen record of granular, pseudo Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Their recognition can be a diagnostic for flows with a granular basal boundary layer. Vertical inter-penetration and those folds-and-faults features related to slumps are driven by their excess weight and occur after deposition but penecontemporaneous to the eruption. The passage of shock waves emanating from the vent may also produce trains of isolated, fine-grained overturned beds that disturb the surface bedding without occurrence of a sedimentation phase in the vicinity of explosion centers. Finally, ballistic impacts can trigger unconventional sags producing local displacement or liquefaction. Based on the deformation depth, these can yield precise insights into depositional unit boundaries. Such impact structures may also be at the origin of some of the steep truncation planes visible at the base of the so-called "chute and pool" structures. Dilute pyroclastic density currents occur contemporaneously with seismogenic volcanic explosions. They can experience extremely high sedimentation rates and may flow at the border between traction, granular and fluid-escape boundary zones. They are often deposited on steep slopes and can incorporate large amounts of water and gas in the sediment. These are just some of the many possible triggers acting in a single environment, and they reveal the potential for insights into the eruptive and flow mechanisms of dilute pyroclastic density currents.

Soft-sediment deformation structures interpreted as seismites in the uppermost Aptian to lowermost Albian transgressive deposits of the Chihuahua basin (Mexico)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blanc, E.J.-P.; Blanc-Aletru, M. -C.; Mojon, P.-O.

1997-01-01

Several levels of soft-sediment deformation structures (s.-s.d.s.) cut by synsedimentary normal faults have been observed in the transition beds between the "Las Vigas" and "La Virgen" formations (Cretaceous) in the northeastern part of the Chihuahua basin in Mexico. These structures consisted of four kinds of motifs (floating breccias, flame-like structures, large pillow structures, and wavy structures). They are restricted to five "stratigraphic" levels (??1-??5) and surrounded by undeformed beds in fluvio-lacustrine and tidal deposits and can be traced over a distance of several hundred meters. This deformation is interpreted to have resulted from the combined effects of liquidization and shear stress in soft-sediments due to local earthquakes in the area which could have been generated during the rifting stage of the Chihuahua basin. New constraints placed on the age of the "Las Vigas" Formation (bracketed by Late Aptian charophytes at the bottom and colomiellids of late Aptian to earliest Albian age at the top) suggest that this synrift tectonism lasted at least until the end of the Aptian.

Small-scale seismogenic soft sediment deformation (Hirlatzhöhle, Upper Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salomon, Martina Lan; Grasemann, Bernhard; Plan, Lukas; Gier, Susanne

2014-05-01

The Hirlatz Cave lies in the Dachstein Massif about 2 km SW of Hallstatt, in the Upper Austrian Salzkammergut. With a length of 101 km, this karst cave, located in the Dachstein nappe (Northern Calcareous Alps), is the second largest known cave system in Austria. Within the cave, in the so-called Lehmklamm, located 2.8 km southeast of the cave entrance, laminated (mm-scale) Quaternary clay-sized sediments with interbedded fine-grained sandy layers are preserved. In these layers, numerous soft sediment deformation structures are preserved in many layers. The unconsolidated sediments show rhythmic layering of brighter, carbonate and quartz rich, and darker, more clay mineral rich horizontal varve-like layers, that are assumed to be fluvio-lacustrine deposits. The present study focuses on a very detailed documentation of an approximately 6.8 x 3 m vertical outcrop that was cut by a small brook. Centimeter to millimeter sized water escape structures (intruded cusps and flame structures), folds (detachment folds, fault bend folds) and faults (normal faults, fault propagation folds, bookshelf faults) are described. Because of the geometric analogy to seismogenic structures which have been described at two orders of magnitude larger scales from areas close to the Dead Sea Fault, we suggest that the formation of the investigated soft-sediment structures was also triggered by seismic events. The structures were mainly formed by three different mechanism: (i) North directed gravitational gliding near the sediment surface; (ii) Liquefaction resulting in a density discontinuity and decreasing in shear strength within in the stratified layers; (iii) Extensional faulting that cut through the stratified layers. Observations of coarsening upwards into sandy layers on the top of the outcrop and current ripple indicate a north-directed flow under phreatic conditions, which is opposite to the present flow direction of the vadose water in the cave. The fact that deformation and erosion mostly occur in the uppermost meter of the outcrop wall suggests a higher seismic activity and at least periodically higher flow rates during sedimentation of the younger deposits. Since several extremely deformed layers occur between undeformed ones, we suggest that deformation of the layers occurred only in the uppermost highly water saturated sediments and that several seismic events lead to the formation of the observed structures. A possible source responsible for the seismic event is the Salzach-Ennstal-Mariazeller-Puchberger (SEMP) strike-slip fault, which accommodates the active extrusion of the Eastern Alps towards the Pannonian Basin.

Ocean deformation processes at the Caribbean-North America-South America triple junction: Initial results of the 2007 ANTIPLAC marine survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benard, F.; Deville, E.; Le Drezen, E.; Loubrieu, B.; Maltese, L.; Patriat, M.; Roest, W.; Thereau, E.; Umber, M.; Vially, R.

2007-12-01

Marine geophysical data (multibeam and seismic lines) acquired in 2007 (ANTIPLAC survey) in the North-South Americas-Caribbean triple point (Central Atlantic, Barracuda and Tiburon ridges area), provide information about the structure, the tectonic processes and the timing of the deformation in this large diffuse zone of polyphase deformation. The deformation of the plate boundary between the north and south Americas is distributed on several structures located in the Atlantic plain, at the front of the Barbados accretionary prism. In this area of deformation of the Atlantic oceanic lithosphere, the main depressions and transform troughs are filled by Late Pliocene-Pleistocene turbidite sediments, especially in the Barracuda trough, north of Barracuda ridge. These sediments are not issued from the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc but they are sourced from the East, probably by the Orinoco turbidite distal system, through channels transiting in the Atlantic abyssal plain. These Late Pliocene- Quaternary sediments show locally spectacular evidences of syntectonic deformation. It can be shown notably that Barracuda ridge includes a pre-existing transform fault system which has been folded and uplifted very recently during Pleistocene times. This recent deformation has generate relieves up to 2 km high with associated erosion processes notably along the northern flank the Barracuda ridge. The subduction of these recently deformed ridges induces deformation of earlier structures within the Barbados accretionary prism. These asperities within the Atlantic oceanic lithosphere which is subducted in the Lesser Antilles active margin are correlated with the zone of intense seismic activity below the volcanic arc.

Micromorphology in unconsolidated landslide sediments - investigating mass movement deposits at a different scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaeger, Daniel; Menzies, John

2015-04-01

In order to reliably reconstruct a landslide event, its triggers, movements and the main factors of influence, a profound knowledge of the slide masses' inner architecture and their internal processes is of great importance. As van der Meer (1996) states, micromorphology permits a complete examination of particles, matrix and all components contained in unconsolidated sediments, as well as an insight into their internal arrangement. So far, thin sections and micromorphology are mainly used for studying marine, periglacial and glacial sediments (e.g. Maltman 1988; van der Meer 1993, Menzies 2000, van Fliet-Lanoe 2010, van der Meer & Menzies 2011). Comparatively little work has been carried out with a focus on landslides (e.g. Bertran & Texier 1999). Therefore, our work is a first attempt at investigating unconsolidated deposits of landslides in the low mountain areas of southern Germany using micromorphological tools. The objective was to observe sedimentary microstructures in order to gain an understanding of the sediments' internal movement, deformation etc. during a slide event. On the investigated landslides near Ebermannstadt (Franconian Alb), Gailnau (Frankenhöhe region) and Talheim (Swabian Alb) samples were taken from small pits or outcrops (depths between 50 cm - 300 cm below the surface) in the upper, central and lower part (foot) of the slide mass. The thin section analyses revealed several differences between the three environments and within the specific landslides themselves. Most prominently, several structures (e.g. water-escape-structures, flow-noses and rotational structures) indicate a crucial impact of water in all three slide masses. Furthermore, the thin sections showed heterogeneous compositions of different sediment materials and aggregates, presumably transported, mixed together and deformed during the slide movement. In Ebermannstadt and Talheim, several ductile and brittle deformation structures (rotational structures, marbled structures, fractures, crushed grains) were obvious in those deposits, proving a rather turbulent mass movement with pervasive pressure and stress and varying phases of deformation. In contrast, thin sections from Gailnau only provided very slight deformation structures, which lead to the assumption of a completely different and steadier type of movement with less pressure. Downslope, samples from all landslides showed accumulations of broken fragments with plasma filling out (parts of) the joints, while samples from the front areas (foot) revealed plasma-dominated, structureless, homogenized sediments with varying amounts of sand particles but with few fragments in it. This leads to the assumption of water-saturated plasma being squeezed out of the main accumulation body during its deposition, creating a flow-type movement in the foremost part of both landslides. The results significantly improved the understanding of the behavior of the landslides as several details in terms of processes and structures could be revealed. The micromorphological analyses also helped to validate presumptions gathered from geomorphological mapping and geophysical soundings. Although continuing research into the microstructure of landslide deposits is necessary, our investigations already illustrate the potential value of micromorphology in this environment. References - Bertran, P. & Texier, J.-P. (1999). Facies and microfacies of slope deposits. Catena 35: 99-121. - Maltman, A. J. (1988). The importance of shear zones in naturally deformed wet sediments. Tectonophysics 145: 163-175. - Menzies, J. (2000). Micromorphological analyses of microfabrics and microstructures, indicative of deformation processes. In: Maltman, A. J. Hubbard, B., Hambrey, M.J. (Eds.): Deformations of Glacial Materials. Geological Society, London, 245-258. - van der Meer, J. J. M. (1993). Microscopic evidence of subglacial deformation. Quaternary Science Reviews 12: 553-587. - van der Meer, J.J.M. (1996): Micromorphology. In: Menzies, J. (Ed.): Past Glacial Environments - Sediments, Forms and Techniques. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 335-356. - van der Meer, J. J. M. & Menzies, J. (2011). The micromorphology of unconsolidated sediments. Sedimentary Geology 238: 213-232. - van Fliet-Lanoe, B. (2010). Frost action. In: Stoops, G. Marcelino, V., Mees, F.: Interpretation of micromorphological features of soils and regoliths. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 81-108.

Soft-sediment deformation structures interpreted as seismites in the uppermost Aptian to lowermost Albian transgressive deposits of the Chihuahua basin (Mexico)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blanc, E.J.-P.; Blanc-Aletru, M. -C.; Mojon, P.-O.

1998-01-01

Several levels of soft-sediment deformation structures (s.-s.d.s.) cut by synsedimentary normal faults have been observed in the transition beds between the "Las Vigas" and "La Virgen" formations (Cretaceous) in the northeastern part of the Chihuahua basin in Mexico. These structures consisted of four kinds of motifs (floating breccias, flame-like structures, large pillow structures, and wavy structures). They are restricted to five "stratigraphie" levels (Z1-Z5) and surrounded by undeformed beds in fluvio-lacustrine and tidal deposits and can be traced over a distance of several hundred meters. This deformation is interpreted to have resulted from the combined effects of liquidization and shear stress in soft-sediments due to local earthquakes in the area which could have been generated during the rifting stage of the Chihuahua basin. New constraints placed on the age of the "Las Vigas" Formation (bracketed by Late Aptian charophytes at the bottom and colomiellids of late Aptian to earliest Albian age at the top) suggest that this synrift tectonism lasted at least until the end of the Aptian. ?? Springer-Verlag 1998.

Structural analysis and tectonic evolution of the eastern Binalud Mountains, NE Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheikholeslami, M. R.; Kouhpeyma, M.

2012-10-01

The Binalud Mountains are situated in the south of the Kopeh Dagh as a transitional zone between the Alborz and Central Iran zones. The Palaeotethys suture of the north Iran is located in this area. The Binalud Mountains consists of relatively thick successions of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. The earliest deformation, a polyphase synmetamorphic deformation which occurred entirely in ductile conditions, is distinguished in the metamorphic rocks of the eastern part. D1, D2 and D3 deformation phases are related to this deformation. The D4 deformation affected the area after a period of sedimentation and erosion. The thrust faults of the central and southern part of the eastern Binalud were classified as structures related to the D5 tectonic event. From the geodynamic point of view, in Late Palaeozoic times the studied area formed an oceanic trench generated by the subduction of the Palaeotethys oceanic lithosphere beneath the Turan Plate. In the Late Triassic, the Early Cimmerian Event resulted in a collisional type orogeny generating a transpression polyphase deformation and the metamorphism of Permian and older sediments. Following this collision, granite intrusions were emplaced in the area and caused contact metamorphism. The exhumation and erosion of the rocks deformed and metamorphosed during Early Cimmerian Event caused the formation of molassic type sediments in a Rhaetian-Lias back arc basin. The continuation of convergence between the Turan and Iran Plates caused the metamorphism of these sediments and their transformation to phyllite and meta-sandstone. During Late Mesozoic and Early Cenozoic times, the convergence between Central Iran and Turan Plates continued and a NE compression caused folding of the Cretaceous and older rocks in the Kopeh Dagh area. In the Binalud area this deformation caused the generation of several thrust fault systems with S to SW vergence, resulting in a thrusting of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic successions on each other and on the Neogene sediments at the southern border of the Binalud Mountains.

Analysis of soft-sediment deformation structures in Neogene fluvio-lacustrine deposits of Çaybağı Formation, Eastern Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koç Taşgin, Calibe; Türkmen, İbrahim

2009-06-01

During the Neogene, both strike-slip and extensional regimes coexisted in eastern Turkey and, a number of fault-bounded basins associated with the East Anatolian Fault System developed. The Çaybağı Formation (Late Miocene-Early Pliocene) deposited in one of these basins consists of fluvio-lacustrine deposits. Numerous soft-sediment deformation structures are encountered in this formation, particularly in conglomerates, medium- to coarse-grained tuffaceous sandstones and claystones: folded structures (slumps, convolute laminations, and simple recumbent folds), water-escape structures (intruded sands, internal cusps, interpenetrative cusps and sand volcanoes), and load structures (load casts, pseudonodules, flame structures, and pillow structures). These structures are produced by liquefaction and/or fluidization of the unconsolidated sediments during a seismic shock. Consequently, the existence of seismically-induced deformation structures in the Çaybağı Formation and the association with a Neogene intraformational unconformity, growth faults, and reverse faults in the Çaybağı basin attest to the tectonic activity in this area during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene. The East Anatolian Fault System, in particular the Uluova fault zone, is the most probable seismogenic source. Earthquakes with a magnitude of over 5 in the Richter scale can be postulated.

Unusual seismogenic soft-sediment deformation structures in Cambrian epicratonic carbonate deposits, western Colorado, U.S.A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myrow, P.; Chen, J.

2013-12-01

A wide variety of unusual penecontemporaneous deformation structures exist in grainstone and flat-pebble conglomerate beds of the Upper Cambrian strata, western Colorado, including slide scarps, thrusted beds, irregular blocks and internally deformed beds. Slide scarps are characterized by concave-up, sharp surfaces that truncate one or more underlying beds. Thrusted beds record movement of a part of a bed onto itself along a moderate to steeply inclined (generally 25°-40°) ramp. The hanging wall lenses in cases show fault-bend geometries, with either intact or mildly deformed bedding. Irregular bedded to internally deformed blocks isolated on generally flat upper bedding surfaces are similar in composition to the underlying beds. These features represent parts of beds that were detached, moved up onto, and some distances across, the laterally adjacent undisturbed bed surfaces. The blocks moved either at the sediment-water interface or intrastratally at shallow depths within overlying muddy deposits. Finally, internally deformed beds have large blocks, fitted fabrics of highly irregular fragments, and contorted lamination, which represent heterogeneous deformation, such as brecciation and liquefaction. The various deformation structures were most probably triggered by earthquakes, considering the nature of deformation (regional distribution of liquefaction structures, and the brittle segmentation and subsequent transportation of semi-consolidated beds) and the reactivation of Mesoproterozoic, crustal-scale shear zones in the central Rockies during the Late Cambrian. Features produced by initial brittle deformation are unusual relative to most reported seismites, and may represent poorly recognized to unrecognized seismogenic structures in the rock record.

Polygonal deformation bands in sandstone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonellini, Marco; Nella Mollema, Pauline

2017-04-01

We report for the first time the occurrence of polygonal faults in sandstone, which is compelling given that layer-bound polygonal fault systems have been observed so far only in fine-grained sediments such as clay and chalk. The polygonal faults are dm-wide zones of shear deformation bands that developed under shallow burial conditions in the lower portion of the Jurassic Entrada Fm (Utah, USA). The edges of the polygons are 1 to 5 meters long. The shear deformation bands are organized as conjugate faults along each edge of the polygon and form characteristic horst-like structures. The individual deformation bands have slip magnitudes ranging from a few mm to 1.5 cm; the cumulative average slip magnitude in a zone is up to 10 cm. The deformation bands heaves, in aggregate form, accommodate a small isotropic horizontal extension (strain < 0.005). The individual shear deformation bands show abutting T-junctions, veering, curving, and merging where they mechanically interact. Crosscutting relationships are rare. The interactions of the deformation bands are similar to those of mode I opening fractures. Density inversion, that takes place where under-compacted and over-pressurized layers (Carmel Fm) lay below normally compacted sediments (Entrada Sandstone), may be an important process for polygonal deformation bands formation. The gravitational sliding and soft sediment structures typically observed within the Carmel Fm support this hypothesis. Soft sediment deformation may induce polygonal faulting in the section of the Entrada Sandstone just above the Carmel Fm. The permeability of the polygonal deformation bands is approximately 10-14 to 10-13 m2, which is less than the permeability of the host, Entrada Sandstone (range 10-12 to 10-11 m2). The documented fault networks have important implications for evaluating the geometry of km-scale polygonal fault systems in the subsurface, top seal integrity, as well as constraining paleo-tectonic stress regimes.

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility as a tool for recognizing core deformation: reevaluation of the paleomagnetic record of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosenbaum, Joseph; Reynolds, Richard T.; Smoot, Joseph; Meyer, Robert

2000-01-01

At Owens Lake, California, paleomagnetic data document the Matuyama/Brunhes polarity boundary near the bottom of a 323-m core (OL-92) and display numerous directional fluctuations throughout the Brunhes chron. Many of the intervals of high directional dispersion were previously interpreted to record magnetic excursions. For the upper ~120 m, these interpretations were tested using the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), which typically defines a subhorizontal planar fabric for sediments deposited in quiet water. AMS data from intervals of deformed core, determined from detailed analysis of sedimentary structures, were compared to a reference AMS fabric derived from undisturbed sediment. This comparison shows that changes in the AMS fabric provide a means of screening core samples for deformation and the associated paleomagnetic record for the adverse effects of distortion. For that portion of core OL-92 studied here (about the upper 120 m), the combined analyses of sedimentary structures and AMS data demonstrate that most of the paleomagnetic features, previously interpreted as geomagnetic excursions, are likely the result of core deformation.

Numerical models of diapiric structures: comparison of the 2D finite deformation field between Rayleigh-Taylor like and down-built like diapirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Lukas; Schmeling, Harro; Koyi, Hemin

2013-04-01

Magmatic and salt diapirs are common structures in different tectonic regimes. Salt diapirs can act as possible hydrocarbon traps and, moreover, they could be used as repositories for nuclear waste disposal. Understanding the evolution and the dynamics of diapirs as well as their driving mechanisms has fundamental and applied significance. In general, salt diapirs seem to be driven by differential loading of sediments creating an uneven load that drives the salt from high to low pressure areas, e.g. a down-built diapir. Magmatic diapirs, instead, seem to be driven by buoyancy where lighter material rises vertically through a heavier overburden, i.e. a classical Rayleigh-Taylor instability [RTI]. These different driving mechanisms and dynamics strongly govern the internal deformation of the diapirs. In this study, we use a two-dimensional finite difference code (FDCON) in combination with a marker and cell method to calculate the finite deformation within diapiric structures. Thereby, we distinguish between the two different driving mechanisms, i.e. the differential loading and the buoyancy. We calculate the different finite deformation patterns during the evolution of RTI's and down-built diapirs for different viscosity ratios m = -?buoyant- ?overburden. The deformation pattern in the buoyant layer shows similarities for both diapiric structures, like high shear deformation at the bottom, a high finite deformation within the middle of the stem, and an increasing maximum finite deformation for a decreasing m. However, the strain partitioning between the overburden and the source layer is different within down-built diapirs compared to the RTI's, even for down-built diapirs with m = 1. Thus a higher amount of the total strain induced by down-building is concentrated within the buoyant layer. Moreover, in the case of viscosity ratios of m = 0.1 or 1 the sinking overburden units create an internal rotation within the diapiric bulb. This rotation depends indirectly on the sedimentation rate as it determines the width of the sediment basin; the higher the sedimentation rate, the wider the basins and the weaker the internal rotation. In addition, the viscous drag between the sinking overburden and the rising diapir creates a stronger and wider band of finite deformation along the edges of the down-built diapir in comparison to the RTI.

Subaqueous Sediment Remobilization and Development of Syndepositional Deformational Structures on Mars: A Kinematic Approach from the Noachian Terby Crater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, R.; Das, P.; Basu Sarbadhikari, A.

2017-12-01

A 2 km thick layered sequence within the Noachian Terby crater ( 174 km diameter, 28.0°S - 74.0°E), located at the Northern rim of Hellas basin, has been re-classified here into three major categories, i.e. mega-slump, debris flows, and turbidites based on sedimentation process. A wide spectrum of deformation structures, such as large scale isoclinal moderately inclined fold, pinch and swells, disharmonic folds, sediment loading structure, normal faults and thrust duplexes, suggest that amplitude of the syndepositional deformation spanned from hydroplastic to brittle domains. These structures provide ample evidences of sediment remobilization in Terby. The dominance of such mass-flow deposits in different stratigraphic horizons indicates that the basin was reactivated in frequent intervals during the filling process. However, an undeformed thinning-up sequence of beds, well exhibited at the basinal-lows, identified as ponded/confined turbidites, indicates that the basin experienced a stable bathymetric condition at the up-dip areas of the mega-slumps. An overall enrichment of phyllosilicates and scarcity of large boulders at the basin margins indicates that the provenance materials were deposited under stable and low-energy condition before being transported and re-deposited within the crater during the Terby impact. We presume that the inter-crater layered terrain of Hellas acted as a provenance of Terby's mass-transport deposits.

Structural architecture and petrophysical properties of the Rocca di Neto extensional fault zone developed in the shallow marine sediments of the Crotone Basin (Southern Apennines, Italy).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pizzati, Mattia; Balsamo, Fabrizio; Iacumin, Paola; Swennen, Rudy; Storti, Fabrizio

2017-04-01

In this contribution we describe the architecture and petrophysical properties of the Rocca di Neto extensional fault zone in loose and poorly lithified sediments, located in the Crotone forearc basin (south Italy). To this end, we combined fieldwork with microstructural observations, grain size analysis, and in situ permeability measurements. The studied fault zone has an estimated maximum displacement of 80-90 m and separates early Pleistocene age (Gelasian) sands in the footwall from middle Pleistocene (Calabrian) silty clay in the hangingwall. The analysed outcrop consists of about 70 m section through the fault zone mostly developed in the footwall block. Fault zone consists of four different structural domains characterized by distinctive features: (1) <1 m-thick fault core (where the majority of the displacement is accommodated) in which bedding is transposed into foliation imparted by grain preferential orientation and some black gouges decorate the main slip surfaces; (2) zone of tectonic mixing characterized by a set of closely spaced and anastomosed deformation bands parallel to the main slip surface; (3) about 8 m-thick footwall damage zone characterized by synthetic and antithetic sets of deformation bands; (4) zone of background deformation with a few, widely-spaced conjugate minor faults and deformation bands. The boundary between the relatively undeformed sediments and the damage zone is not sharp and it is characterized by a progressive decrease in deformation intensity. The silty clay in the hangingwall damage zone is characterized by minor faults. Grain size and microstructural data indicate that particulate flow with little amount of cataclasis is the dominant deformation mechanism in both fault core rocks and deformation bands. Permeability of undeformed sediments is about 70000 mD, whereas the permeability in deformation bands ranges from 1000 to 18000 mD; within the fault core rocks permeability is reduced up to 3-4 orders of magnitude respect to the undeformed domains. Structural and petrophysical data suggest that the Rocca di Neto fault zone may compartmentalize the footwall block due to both juxtaposition of clay-rich lithology in the hangingwall and the development of low permeability fault core rocks.

Extension, sedimentation and diapirism: understanding evolution of diapiric structures in the Central High Atlas using analogue modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moragas, Mar; Vergés, Jaume; Nalpas, Thierry; Saura, Eduard; Diego Martín-Martín, Juan; Messager, Grégoire; Hunt, David William

2017-04-01

Analogue modelling has proven to be an essential tool for the study and analysis of the mechanisms involved in tectonic processes. Applied to salt tectonics, analogue modelling has been used to understand the mechanisms that trigger the onset of diapirs and the evolution of diapiric structures and minibasins. Analogue modelling has also been applied to analyse the impact of the progradation of sedimentary systems above a ductile layer, representing the source of diapirs. However, these models did not consider ongoing tectonic processes during progradation. To analyse how extension and sedimentary progradation influence on the formation of diapiric structures and their geometries, we present models composed of a mildly extension followed by post-extension period. Each model includes a particular sedimentary pattern: homogeneous sedimentation during extension and post-extension, homogeneous sedimentation during extension followed by prograding sedimentation during post-extension and prograding sedimentation during both extension and post-extension. Proximal high sedimentation rates enhance the mobilization of ductile material towards growing diapirs, resulting well-developed passive diapirs. Diapirs from distal domain of the model with post-extension progradation show silicone extrusions, that are caused by the decreased sedimentation rate associated to the progradation. By contrast, reduced sedimentation in the distal part of the model with syn- and post-extension progradation (3.5 times smaller than in the proximal domain) causes a limited migration of the silicone and hampers the transition from reactive diapirs to active and passive diapirs. These models show that the ratio between diapir growth and sedimentation rate, the time of the onset of the progradation and the relative thickness of the sedimentary cover beneath the prograding system have a clear impact on the final diapiric geometries. Additionally, we present two models with increasing amounts of shortening (6% and 10%). These models show that the presence and location of diapirs clearly controls the distribution of the deformation associated with the inversion, primarily affecting the post-diapiric layers in the vicinities of the salt structures whereas very little deformation occurs away from diapirs. This deformation pattern is observed in the Early to Middle Jurassic Tazoult salt wall and Azourki diapir of the Central High Atlas (Morocco). These structures show that the deformation associated with the Alpine orogeny is focused on the sedimentary units fossilizing the salt structures and mainly localised above them. The presented results provide key information that can be applied to other diapiric structures of the Central High Atlas diapiric basin and similar examples elsewhere. This study was part of a collaborative research project funded by Statoil Research Centre, Bergen (Norway). Additional funding by the CSIC-FSE 2007-2013 JAE-Doc postdoctoral research contract (E.S.), the projects Intramural Especial (CSIC 201330E030) and MITE (CGL 2014-59516). and by the Grup Consolidat de Recerca "Geologia Sedimentària" de la Generalitat de Catalunya (2014GSR251). We are grateful to Statoil for its support and permission to publish this study.

Syndepositional tectonics recorded by soft-sediment deformation and liquefaction structures (continental Lower Permian sediments, Southern Alps, Northern Italy): Stratigraphic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berra, F.; Felletti, F.

2011-04-01

The Lower Permian succession of the Central Southern Alps (Lombardy, Northern Italy) was deposited in fault-controlled continental basins, probably related to transtensional tectonics. We focussed our study on the stratigraphic record of the Lower Permian Orobic Basin, which consists of a 1000 m thick succession of prevailing continental clastics with intercalations of ignimbritic flows and tuffs (Pizzo del Diavolo Formation, PDV) resting on the underlying prevailing pyroclastic flows of the Cabianca Volcanite. The PDV consists of a lower part (composed of conglomerates passing laterally to sandstones and distally to silt and shales), a middle part (pelitic, with carbonates) and an upper part (alternating sandstone, silt and volcanic flows). Syndepositional tectonics during the deposition of the PDV is recorded by facies distribution, thickness changes and by the presence of deformation and liquefaction structures interpreted as seismites. Deformation is recorded by both ductile structures (ball-and-pillow, plastic intrusion, disturbed lamination, convolute stratification and slumps) and brittle structures (sand dykes and autoclastic breccias). Both the sedimentological features and the geodynamic setting of the depositional basin confidently support the interpretation of the described deformation features as related to seismic shocks. The most significant seismically-induced deformation is represented by a slumped horizon (about 4 m thick on average) which can be followed laterally for more than 5 km. The slumped bed consists of playa-lake deposits (alternating pelites and microbial carbonates, associated with mud cracks and vertebrate tracks). The lateral continuity and the evidence of deposition on a very low-angle surface along with the deformation/liquefaction of the sediments suggest that the slump was triggered by a high-magnitude earthquake. The stratigraphic distribution of the seismites allows us to identify time intervals of intense seismic activity, which correspond to rapid and basin-wide changes in the stratigraphical architecture of the depositional basin and/or to the reprise of the volcanic activity. The nature of the structures and their distribution suggest that the magnitude of the earthquakes responsible for the observed structures was likely higher than 5 (in order to produce sediment liquefaction) and probably reached intensity as high as 7 or more. The basin architecture suggests that the foci of these earthquakes were located close to the fault-controlled borders of the basin or within the basin itself.

Modelling the Deformation Front of a Fold-Thrust Belt: the Effect of an Upper Detachment Horizon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burberry, C. M.; Koyi, H.; Nilfouroushan, F.; Cosgrove, J. W.

2008-12-01

Structures found at the deformation fronts of fold-thrust belts are variable in type, geometry and spatial organisation, as can be demonstrated from comparisons between structures in the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt, Iran and the Sawtooth Range, Montana. A range of influencing factors has been suggested to account for this variation, including the mechanical properties and distribution of any detachment horizons within the cover rock succession. A series of analogue models was designed to test this hypothesis, under conditions scaled to represent the Sawtooth Range, Montana. A brittle sand pack, containing an upper ductile layer with variable geometry, was shortened above a ductile base and the evolution of the deformation front was monitored throughout the deformation using a high-accuracy laser scanner. In none of the experiments did the upper detachment horizon cover the entire model. In experiments where it pinched out perpendicular to the shortening direction, a triangle zone was formed when the deformation front reached the pinch out. This situation is analogous to the Teton Canyon region structures in the Sawtooth Range, Montana, where the Cretaceous Colorado Shale unit pinches out at the deformation front, favouring the development of a triangle zone in this region. When the pinch out was oblique to the shortening direction, a more complex series of structures was formed. However, when shortening stopped before the detachment pinch out was reached, the deformation front structures were foreland-propagating and no triangle zone was observed. This situation is analogous to foreland-propagating thrust structures developed at the deformation front in the Swift Dam region of the Sawtooth Range, Montana and to the development of fault-bend folds at the deformation front of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt, Iran. We suggest that the presence of a suitable intermediate detachment horizon within a sediment pile can be invoked as a valid explanation for the development of varied deformation front structures in fold-thrust belts. Specifically, the spatial extent of the upper detachment horizon with respect to the spatial extent of the deformed region is a key influence on the development of deformation front structures. However, we acknowledge that factors such as basement structure and variable sedimentation within the foreland basin may also be key influences on deformation front structures in other fold-thrust belts.

Identifying active structures in the Kayak Island and Pamplona Zones: Implications for offshore tectonics of the Yakutat Microplate, Gulf of Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worthington, Lindsay L.; Gulick, Sean P. S.; Pavlis, Terry L.

Within the northern Gulf of Alaska, the Yakutat (YAK) microplate obliquely collides with and subducts beneath the North American (NA) continent at near-Pacific plate velocities. We investigate the extent that thin-skinned deformation on offshore structures located within the western portion of the unsubducted YAK block accommodates YAK-NA convergence. We compare faulting and folding observed on high-resolution and basin-scale multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection data with earthquake locations and surface ruptures observed on high-resolution bathymetric data. Holocene sediments overlying the Kayak Island fault zone (KIZ), previously interpreted as a region of active contraction, are relatively flat-lying, suggesting that active convergence within the KIZ is waning. Seismic reflection profiles east of KIZ show up to ˜200 m of undisturbed sediments overlying older folds in the Bering Trough, indicating that this area has been tectonically inactive since at least the last ˜1.3 Ma. Farther east, MCS profiles image active deformation in surface sediments along the eastern edge of the Pamplona zone (PZ) fold-and-thrust belt, that are collocated with a concentration of earthquake events that continues southwest to Khitrov Ridge and onshore through Icy Bay. These observations suggest that during the late Quaternary offshore shallow deformation style changed from distributed across the western Yakutat block to localized at the eastern edge of the PZ with extrusion of sediments southwest through the Khitrov Ridge area to the Aleutian Trench. This shallow deformation is interpreted as deformation of an accretionary complex above a shallow decollement.

Subglacial conditions under the Weichselian Ice Sheet (Central-WesternPoland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szuman, Izabela

2010-05-01

The bed underlying the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet in Poland consisted of an unlithified material susceptible under appropriate subglacial conditions to active deformations under the normal and the driving stress. The thermodynamics at the ice-sediment contact zone had a significant influence for the ice movement character, especially velocity and the ice cap longitudinal profile. Clues of those paleoglaciological processes are recorded in structures and textures of subglacial sediments and the deformation structures are one of the most useful indicator for processes interpretation in basal environment The research area is placed in the Great Poland Lowland in the central-western part of Poland. Detailed investigations were carried out in several outcrops situated within the range of maximal Leszno (Brandenburger) phase extent and recessional Poznan phase (Frankfurter) of the Weichselian Ice Sheet. Those glacial events are not sufficiently dated however, it is known, that they probably took place between 20 000 and 16 000 BP in this region. The purpose of this study is to propose a model of subglacial conditions during till deposition under advancing Weichselian Ice Sheet using the lithofacies analysis as a main tool. Sedimentological analysis in each of the places of investigation was carried out by the means of a macroscopic evidence of deposits texture and structure together with the detailed identification of contact boundaries between individual lithofacies, till fabric measurements on the basis of at least 30 elongated clasts, the calculation of eigenvectors and eigenvalues and laboratory analysis of grain-size distribution using wet and dry (mechanical) sieving techniques. Results show that the fabric characteristics of subglacial tills and underlying sediments are significantly diversified. In general three types of subglacial tills were recognized - lodgement, deformation and melt-out till. Some of vertical profiles showed complexes of lithofacies, and the others individual lithofacies. The internal structure of tills was massive and disturbed to bedded. In some of the till stratas there were clearly visible interbeded clays, sands lenses, structures of intraclasts flowage, subglacial canals filled by sands and gravels. Underlying sediments present variable structure as well ranging from ductile to brittle. Some of them are showing traces of dilatancy processes, faults, flame structures, while there are also deposits without any disturbations. In a few sites glacimylonityzation zones were visible at the till-underlying sediments contact border. Deposits of this belt own feature of till as well as the sediments lying below, but could not be classified as a one of them. This facts suggests dynamically changing conditions of the ice-sediments interference, caused mostly by the changes in lithology bringing variety of substratum permeability, porewater pressure, deformation styles and a cumulation of stress in some areas, resulting in a zonality of coupling and decoupling ice and sediments.

Along-strike variations of structural styles in the imbricated Molasse of Salzburg and Upper Austria: a 3-D seismic perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinsch, Ralph; Linzer, Hans-Gert

2010-05-01

At the southern border of the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin syntectonic deposits (Molasse Sediments) are partly incorporated into Alpine contractional deformation. Along the alpine chain style and timing of this deformation varies significantly. In this study we use one of the largest European on-shore 3-D seismic datasets, spanning the Molasse basin of Upper Austria and Salzburg states, to investigate the along-strike structural architecture of the alpine deformation front. In the Austrian Part of the Molasse basin, foredeep sedimentation started in Upper-Eocene times (Wagner, 1996). The sediments cover the European margin, consisting of a crystalline basement covered by variously thick Mesozoic sediments (Nachtmann und Wagner, 1987). In Oligocene to Lower Miocene times, syntectonic foredeep sedimentation took place in a deep marine environment, comprising an axial channel system (Linzer 2001, DeRuig and Hubbard, 2006). Parts of these syntectonic sediments are subsequently affected by the advancing thrust wedge. Within the study area, three distinct fold-and-thrust belt segments of different structural architecture can be defined. 1) The Perwang Imbricates are a promontory mostly situated in Salzburg at the border to Germany. Complexly deformed small thrust sheets evolve above a detachment horizon situated in Late Cretaceous shaly marls in Oligocene times. Syntectonic piggy-back and thrust top basins evolve (Covault et al. 2008), which are partly affected by subsequent Miocene overthrusting. 2) The Regau Segment is the area west of the Perwang lobe. It is dominated by few number of thrust sheets in the Molasse sediments. Instead, over-thrusting by the alpine wedge (pre-deformed Flysch and Helvetic thrust sheets) dominates. 3) The Sierning Imbricates segment is located further to the east, at the border of Upper Austria to Lower Austria. The structural inventory of this thrust belt is comprises varying numbers of thrust sheets along strike (1-5), ramp-flat-ramp geometries, tear faults as well as belt-parallel strike-slip faults. The differences in structural style along strike are interpreted to be caused by pre-deformational conditions (sediment thickness and distribution of potential decollement horizons) and varying tectonic pulses. Covault, J.A., Hubbard, S.M., Graham, S.A., Hinsch, R. and Linzer, H., 2008, Turbidite-reservoir architecture in complex foredeep-margin and wedge-top depocenters, Tertiary Molasse foreland basin system, Austria, Marine and Petroleum Geology, V26/3, 379-396 De Ruig, M. J., and Hubbard, S. M., 2006. Seismic facies and reservoir characteristics of a deep marine channel belt in the Molasse foreland basin. AAPG Bulletin, v. 90, p. 735-752 Linzer, H.-G., 2001, Cyclic channel systems in the Molasse foreland basin of the Eastern Alps- the effects of Late Oligocene foreland thrusting and Early Miocene lateral escape. AAPG Bulletin, 85, 118. Nachtmann, W., Wagner, L., 1987.Mesozoic and Early Tertiary evolution of the Alpine Foreland in Upper Austria and Salzburg, Austria. Tectonophysics, 137, 61-76 Wagner, L. R., 1996. Stratigraphy and hydrocarbons in the Upper Austrian Molasse Foredeep (active margin). In:Wessely, G., Liebl, W. (Eds.), Oil and Gas in Alpidic Thrustbelts and Basins of Central and Eastern Europe. EAGE Special Pub. 5, pp. 217-235.

Thin-skinned deformation of sedimentary rocks in Valles Marineris, Mars

USGS Publications Warehouse

Metz, Joannah; Grotzinger, John P.; Okubo, Chris; Milliken, Ralph

2010-01-01

Deformation of sedimentary rocks is widespread within Valles Marineris, characterized by both plastic and brittle deformation identified in Candor, Melas, and Ius Chasmata. We identified four deformation styles using HiRISE and CTX images: kilometer-scale convolute folds, detached slabs, folded strata, and pull-apart structures. Convolute folds are detached rounded slabs of material with alternating dark- and light-toned strata and a fold wavelength of about 1 km. The detached slabs are isolated rounded blocks of material, but they exhibit only highly localized evidence of stratification. Folded strata are composed of continuously folded layers that are not detached. Pull-apart structures are composed of stratified rock that has broken off into small irregularly shaped pieces showing evidence of brittle deformation. Some areas exhibit multiple styles of deformation and grade from one type of deformation into another. The deformed rocks are observed over thousands of kilometers, are limited to discrete stratigraphic intervals, and occur over a wide range in elevations. All deformation styles appear to be of likely thin-skinned origin. CRISM reflectance spectra show that some of the deformed sediments contain a component of monohydrated and polyhydrated sulfates. Several mechanisms could be responsible for the deformation of sedimentary rocks in Valles Marineris, such as subaerial or subaqueous gravitational slumping or sliding and soft sediment deformation, where the latter could include impact-induced or seismically induced liquefaction. These mechanisms are evaluated based on their expected pattern, scale, and areal extent of deformation. Deformation produced from slow subaerial or subaqueous landsliding and liquefaction is consistent with the deformation observed in Valles Marineris.

Characterisation of along- and across-strike variation of accretionary prism structure and insights into earthquake segmentation, Central Sumatran Forearc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, B.; Henstock, T.; McNeill, L. C.; Geersen, J.; Bull, J. M.

2013-12-01

The Central Sumatran Forearc exhibits along and across strike variations in morphology and deformation style; variations occur over distances of 10's to 100's of kilometres and are related to the varying oceanic basement topography and sediment input. We present a detailed interpretation of multi-channel seismic reflection (MCS) data offshore Central Sumatra to better characterise morphologic and structural variations; provide insight into fault development; relate structures to the varying input parameters; and identify any links to seismicity. The data were collected using a 5420 cu. in. gun array and recorded with a 192-channel, 2.4 km long streamer. Data coverage extends across strike from the deformation front to the outer forearc high with a few lines extending into the forearc basin; and along strike from 1.5οS to 3oN. In the southern part of our study area, from 1.5oS to 0.5oN, oceanic basement highs outcrop at the seafloor along the outer-arc high and the sediment section thickness varies from approximately 1.2 to 3.2 km at the trench. The accretionary prism is comprised of seaward-, landward- and mixed-vergence faults which apparently sole into the top of oceanic basement. Landward-vergent faults are concentrated at the deformation front near the subducting Wharton Fossil Ridge and seem to be associated with a relatively strong downgoing plate reflection. The larger accretionary prism structure is dominated by two relatively continuous, major fault-controlled structures that divide the prism into three strike-parallel belts. From 0.5oN to 2oN, the sediment section is approximately 2.3-4.3 km thick and we do not observe oceanic basement outcrops at the seafloor. Landward-vergent faults are less common and where present they are subordinate to relatively high-offset seaward-vergent faults at the deformation front. The larger prism structure has a convex profile which results from displacement on several major faults. North of 2oN, the sediment section at the trench is >4.5 km thick and a high-amplitude, negative polarity reflector is observed approximately 500 m above the oceanic basement. Landward-vergent faults are commonly observed at the deformation front. The larger accretionary prism structure transitions to the steep frontal prism and wide plateau geometry observed off Northern Sumatra. In the southern part of our study area, short wavelength variations in structure and plate boundary reflectivity, and the Batu Islands earthquake segment boundary are coincident with the subducting Wharton Fossil Ridge. Longer-wavelength changes in the overall prism structure observed across our study area are likely related to regional changes in sediment properties and thickness and may be linked to differing rupture characteristics.

Microscale evidence of liquefaction and its potential triggers during soft-bed deformation within subglacial traction tills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Emrys R.; Evans, David J. A.; van der Meer, Jaap J. M.; Lee, Jonathan R.

2018-02-01

Published conceptual models argue that much of the forward motion of modern and ancient glaciers is accommodated by deformation of soft-sediments within the underlying bed. At a microscale this deformation results in the development of a range of ductile and brittle structures in water-saturated sediments as they accommodate the stresses being applied by the overriding glacier. Detailed micromorphological studies of subglacial traction tills reveal that these polydeformed sediments may also contain evidence of having undergone repeated phases of liquefaction followed by solid-state shear deformation. This spatially and temporally restricted liquefaction of subglacial traction tills lowers the shear strength of the sediment and promotes the formation of "transient mobile zones" within the bed, which accommodate the shear imposed by the overriding ice. This process of soft-bed sliding, alternating with bed deformation, facilitates glacier movement by way of 'stick-slip' events. The various controls on the slip events have previously been identified as: (i) the introduction of pressurised meltwater into the bed, a process limited by the porosity and permeability of the till; and (ii) pressurisation of porewater as a result of subglacial deformation; to which we include (iii) episodic liquefaction of water-saturated subglacial traction tills in response to glacier seismic activity (icequakes), which are increasingly being recognized as significant processes in modern glaciers and ice sheets. As liquefaction operates only in materials already at very low values of effective stress, its process-form signatures are likely indicative of glacier sub-marginal tills.

Teratogenic versus mutagenic abnormalities in chironomid larvae exposed to zinc and lead.

PubMed

Martinez, Edward A; Moore, Barry C; Schaumloffel, John; Dasgupta, Nairanjana

2004-08-01

Before chironomid mouthpart deformities can be utilized as indicators of aquatic metal pollution with certainty, it must first be established that deformities are teratogenic and not mutagenic. A laboratory experiment was conducted to assess this question using Zn and Pb as causative agents. Parent populations were reared in sediments spiked with zinc (Zn) or lead (Pb) and their resulting offspring (F1 generation) were reared in clean sediments. The proportions of mouthpart deformities in C. tentans larvae were compared via logistic regression, accounting for time of exposure, between parent and offspring populations. Results indicate that 14% of chironomids from Zn-spiked sediment contained deformed menta and/or mandibles. However, the F1-Zn generation displayed a deformity of 1.7%. Larvae reared in Pb-spiked sediments displayed a deformity frequency of 9% and the F1 generations (F1-Pb a and F1-Pb b) had deformity proportion of 7 and 6%, respectively. We concluded that the deformities caused by Zn stress were morphological because the resulting F1 deformity frequencies declined to control levels. However, deformities caused by Pb appear to be genetic since F1 deformity percentages did not differ from the parent deformity frequency. Because larvae reared in Zn- and Pb-spiked sediments were larger than larvae reared in uncontaminated sediments, we could not conclude that Zn and Pb in the sediments stunted the development of C. tentans.

Chapter 34: Geology and petroleum potential of the rifted margins of the Canada Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houseknecht, D.W.; Bird, K.J.

2011-01-01

Three sides of the Canada Basin are bordered by high-standing, conjugate rift shoulders of the Chukchi Borderland, Alaska and Canada. The Alaska and Canada margins are mantled with thick, growth-faulted sediment prisms, and the Chukchi Borderland contains only a thin veneer of sediment. The rift-margin strata of Alaska and Canada reflect the tectonics and sediment dispersal systems of adjacent continental regions whereas the Chukchi Borderland was tectonically isolated from these sediment dispersal systems. Along the eastern Alaska-southern Canada margin, termed herein the 'Canning-Mackenzie deformed margin', the rifted margin is deformed by ongoing Brooks Range tectonism. Additional contractional structures occur in a gravity fold belt that may be present along the entire Alaska and Canada margins of the Canada Basin. Source-rock data inboard of the rift shoulders and regional palaeogeographic reconstructions suggest three potential source-rock intervals: Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Albian), Upper Cretaceous (mostly Turonian) and Lower Palaeogene. Burial history modelling indicates favourable timing for generation from all three intervals beneath the Alaska and Canada passive margins, and an active petroleum system has been documented in the Canning-Mackenzie deformed margin. Assessment of undiscovered petroleum resources indicates the greatest potential in the Canning-Mackenzie deformed margin and significant potential in the Canada and Alaska passive margins. ?? 2011 The Geological Society of London.

Convolute laminations and load structures in turbidites as indicators of flow reflections and decelerations against bounding slopes. Examples from the Marnoso-arenacea Formation (northern Italy) and Annot Sandstones (south eastern France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinterri, R.; Muzzi Magalhaes, P.; Tagliaferri, A.; Cunha, R. S.

2016-10-01

This work discusses the significance of particular types of soft-sediment deformations very common within turbidite deposits, namely convolute laminations and load structures. Detailed facies analyses of the foredeep turbidites in the Marnoso-arenacea Formation (northern Italy) and Annot Sandstones (south eastern France) show that these deformational structures tend to increase near morphological obstacles, concomitantly with contained-reflected beds. The lateral and vertical distribution of convolute laminae and load structures, as well as their geometry, has a well-defined depositional logic related to flow decelerations and reflections against bounding slopes. This evidence suggests an interaction between fine-grained sediment and the presence of morphologic relief, and impulsive and cyclic-wave loadings, which are produced by flow impacts or reflected bores and internal waves related to impinging bipartite turbidity currents.

Distribution of resistive and conductive structures in Nankai accretionary wedge reveals contrasting stress paths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conin, Marianne; Bourlange, Sylvain; Henry, Pierre; Boiselet, Aurelien; Gaillot, Philippe

2014-01-01

In this article, we study the characteristics and spatial distribution of the deformation structures along the Kumano transect of the Nankai accretionary wedge, and use this information to interpret the stress path followed by the sediments. Deformation structures are identified from logging while drilling (LWD) resistivity images of the materials surrounding the drill hole and from 3-dimensional X-ray CT-images of cores acquired during the IODP NanTroSEIZE project. The relative resistivity of the structures identified on logs and the strike, dip, and density of structures identified on CT scan images are measured. The analysis of dip and strike of structures indicates that most of the resistive structures identified on logging data correspond to compactive shear bands. Results also indicate that conductive structures predominate at the toe of the prism and above the main out of sequence thrust, in locations where past and recent erosion occurred. We propose several mechanisms that could explain the relation between erosion and the absence of compactive shear bands. We conclude that sediments followed different stress paths depending on their location within the wedge, and that those differences explain the distribution of deformation structures within the wedge. We also show the coexistence of dilatant and compactant structures in fault zones including the frontal thrust and mega splay fault, and we interpret the coexistence of these structures as a possible consequence of a transient fluid pressure.

Geomorphic response to tectonically-induced ground deformation in the Wabash Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fraser, G.S.; Thompson, T.A.; Olyphant, G.A.; Furer, L.; Bennett, S.W.

1997-01-01

Numerous low- to moderate-intensity earthquakes have been recorded in a zone of diffuse modern seismicity in southwest Indiana, southeast Illinois, and northernmost Kentucky. Structural elements within the zone include the Wabash Valley Fault System, the LaSalle Anticlinal Belt in western Illinois, and the Rough Creek-Shawneetown Fault System in northern Kentucky. The presence of seismically-induced liquefaction features in the near-surface alluvial sediments in the region indicates that strong ground motion has occurred in the recent geological past, but because the glacial and alluvial sediments in the Wabash Valley appear to be otherwise undisturbed, post-Paleozoic ground deformation resulting from movement on these structural elements has not yet been documented. Morphometric analysis of the land surface, detailed mapping of geomorphic elements in the valley, reconnaissance drilling of the Holocene and Pleistocene alluvium, and structural analysis of the bedrock underlying the valley were used to determine whether the geomorphology of the valley and the patterns of alluviation of the Wabash River were affected by surface deformation associated with the seismic zone during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Among the observed features in the valley that can be attributed to deformation are: (1) tilting of the modern land surface to the west, (2) preferred channel migration toward the west side of the valley, with concomitant impact on patterns of soil development and sedimentation rate, (3) a convex longitudinal profile of the Wabash River where it crosses the LaSalle Anticlinal Belt, and (4) increased incision of the river into its floodplain downstream from the anticlinal belt.

Chronology and tectonic controls of late tertiary deposition in the southwestern Tian Shan foreland, NW China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heermance, R.V.; Chen, J.; Burbank, D.W.; Wang, C.

2007-01-01

Magnetostratigraphy from the Kashi foreland basin along the southern margin of the Tian Shan in Western China defines the chronology of both sedimentation and the structural evolution of this collisional mountain belt. Eleven magnetostratigraphic sections representing ???13 km of basin strata provide a two- and three-dimensional record of continuous deposition since ???18 Ma. The distinctive Xiyu conglomerate makes up the uppermost strata in eight of 11 magnetostratigraphic sections within the foreland and forms a wedge that thins southward. The basal age of the conglomerate varies from 15.5??0.5 Ma at the northernmost part of the foreland, to 8.6??0.1 Ma in the central (medial) part of the foreland and to 1.9??0.2, ???1.04 and 0.7??0.1 Ma along the southern deformation front of the foreland basin. These data indicate the Xiyu conglomerate is highly time-transgressive and has prograded south since just after the initial uplift of the Kashi Basin Thrust (KBT) at 18.9??3.3 Ma. Southward progradation occurred at an average rate of ???3 mm year -1 between 15.5 and 2 Ma, before accelerating to ???10 mm year-1. Abrupt changes in sediment-accumulation rates are observed at 16.3 and 13.5 Ma in the northern part of the foreland and are interpreted to correspond to southward stepping deformation. A subtle decrease in the sedimentation rate above the Keketamu anticline is determined at ???4.0 Ma and was synchronous with an increase in sedimentation rate further south above the Atushi Anticline. Magnetostratigraphy also dates growth strata at <4.0, 1.4??0.1 and 1.4??0.2 Ma on the southern flanks the Keketamu, Atushi and Kashi anticlines, respectively. Together, sedimentation rate changes and growth strata indicate stepped migration of deformation into the Kashi foreland at least at 16.3, 13.5, 4.0 and 1.4 Ma. Progressive reconstruction of a seismically controlled cross-section through the foreland produces total shortening of 13-21 km and migration of the deformation front at 2.1-3.4 mm year-1 between 19 and 13.5 Ma, 1.4-1.6mm year-1 between 13.5 and 4.0 Ma and 10 mm year-1 since 4.0 Ma. Migration of deformation into the foreland generally causes (1) uplift and reworking of basin-capping conglomerate, (2) a local decrease of accommodation space above any active structure where uplift occurs, and hence a decrease in sedimentation rate and (3) an increase in accumulation on the margins of the structure due to increased subsidence and/or ponding of sediment behind the growing folds. Since 5-6 Ma, increased sediment-accumulation (???0.8 mm year-1) and gravel progradation (???10 mm year-1) rates appear linked to higher deformation rates on the Keketamu, Atushi and Kashi anticlines and increased subsidence due to loading from both the Tian Shan and Pamir ranges, and possibly a change in climate causing accelerated erosion. Whereas the rapid (???10 mm year-1) progradation of the Xiyu conglomerate after 4.0 Ma may be promoted by global climate change, its overall progradation since 15.5 Ma is due to the progressive encroachment of deformation into the foreland. ?? 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Sedimentary record of seismic events in the Eocene Green River Formation and its implications for regional tectonics on lake evolution (Bridger Basin, Wyoming)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Törő, Balázs; Pratt, Brian R.

2016-10-01

Outcrops and cores from the top of the lacustrine Tipton Member and the base of the Wilkins Peak Member ( 51.5 Ma) of the Eocene Green River Formation, Bridger Basin in southwestern Wyoming yield a wide variety of sedimentary deformation features many of which are laterally extensive for more than 50 km. They include various types of folds, load structures, pinch-and-swell structures, microfaults, breccias and sedimentary dikes. In most cases deformation is represented by hybrid brittle-ductile structures exhibiting lateral variation in deformation style. These occur in low-energy, profundal organic-rich carbonate mudstones (oil shales), trona beds, tuffs, and profundal to sublittoral silty carbonate deposited in paleolake Gosiute. The deformation is not specific to the depositional environment because sedimentary units stratigraphically higher with similar facies show no deformation. The studied interval lacks any evidence for possible trigger mechanisms intrinsic to the depositional environment, such as strong wave action, rapid sediment loading, evaporite dissolution and collapse, or desiccation, so 'endogenic' causes are ruled out. Thus, the deformation features are interpreted as seismites, and change in deformation style and inferred increase in intensity towards the south suggest that the earthquakes were sourced from the nearby Uinta Fault System. The 22 levels exhibiting seismites recognized in cores indicate earthquakes with minimum magnitudes between 6 and 7, minimum epicentral intensity (MCS) of 9, and varying recurrence intervals in the seismic history of the Uinta Fault System, with a mean apparent recurrence period of 8.1 k.y. using average sedimentation rates and dated tuffs; in detail, however, there are two noticeably active periods followed by relative quiescence. The stratigraphic position of these deformed intervals also marks the transition between two distinct stages in lake evolution, from the balanced-filled Tipton Member to the overlying, underfilled Wilkins Peak Member. Thus, these seismites are evidence for regional-scale changes in lacustrine sedimentation of Eocene Lake Gosiute in response to syndepositional tectonic activity. Analysis of synsedimentary deformation features is, therefore, a promising yet under-utilized tool to trace the tectonic evolution of lacustrine deposits of the Green River Formation and other tectonically active marine and non-marine basins.

Large-scale deformational systems in the South Polar Layered Deposits (Promethei Lingula, Mars): "Soft-sediment" and Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations Mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guallini, Luca; Brozzetti, Francesco; Marinangeli, Lucia

2012-08-01

The present study is the first attempt at a detailed structural and kinematic analysis of large-scale deformational systems observed in the South Polar Layered Deposits (SPLDs) in the Promethei Lingula (PL) margins (Mars). By systematically collecting attitude data referable to previously unknown deformational structures and defining the cross-cut relationships of the structures, we reconstructed a deformational history consisting of two superimposed, well-defined stages. The first stage is dominated by large-scale strike-slip and transtensional faults arranged into conjugate systems and delimiting shear zones that show a wide range of subsidiary structures, including normal and reverse faults, drag folds, boudins, S-C tectonites and sub-horizontal interstratal shear planes marked by sygmoidal boudins. Other typical structures referable to this event are ductile folds (locally true convolute folds) and lobes (ball-and-pillow structures) affecting certain marker beds of the succession. We suggest that the structural assemblage might be the expression of a shallow soft-sediment tectonics that possibly occurred during warm periods of the South Pole climate. The second stage seems to affect the weaker and in certain cases pre-deformed stratigraphic levels of the SPLD succession. This stage is mainly characterized by extensional deformations caused by gravity. The consequence of the deformations is the nucleation of Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations (DSGSDs) marked by typical morphostructures, such as scarps, trenches and bulging basal contractant zones. These phenomena were never observed within an ice cap. According to terrestrial modeling, these slow collapses were caused by (1) the presence of detachment levels (i.e., subhorizontal bedding planes) along which the ice-sheet margins can slide and (2) the development of listric faults within the glacial mass, which merge with sub-horizontal shear planes in the subsurface. The presence of complex deformational systems in the SPLD necessarily implies that a large-scale dynamics of the ice-sheet occurred in the past. The relatively fast internal creep and basal/internal sliding, inferable from the structure assemblage, can be due to partial melting of the ice possibly caused by climatic changes in the Promethei Lingula region. In this manner, we believe that climate heating (which, according to the literature, is likely caused by orbital variations) softened some of the SPLD layers, triggering or accelerating the ice sheet's outward movement. The evidence of a marked disharmonic deformational style through the SPLD succession suggests the possibility of local periodic compositional variations in the sequence.

Record of continental to marine transition from the Mesoproterozoic Ampani basin, Central India: An exercise of process-based sedimentology in a structurally deformed basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Partha Pratim; Saha, Subhojit; Das, Kaushik

2017-08-01

The Mesoproterozoic Ampani Group of rocks, a structurally deformed sedimentary package hosted within the Bastar Craton in central India, was studied for process-based facies and paleoenvironmental analyses. Outcrop mapping on 1:1500 scale, deconvolution of deformation pattern, and process-based facies analyses have led to the identification of fifteen facies types, clubbed under four facies associations. A range of paleoenvironmental settings varying from continental fluvial to distal marine shelf is inferred. Deductive paleohydrology revealed poorly-efficient 'dirty river' character for the Ampani River system with low water discharge. However, at times of catastrophic sheet floods release of sediments trapped at the river mouth in form of hyperpycnal underflows triggered formation of river mouth delta. Reworking of delta front sediment in wave-dominated coastline resulted development of beach-foreshore and shoreface (proximal to distal). Variation in the relative proportion of bar and interbar products within the shoreface successions exposed at different studied sections is interpreted as signature of relative bathymetric variation. The pro-deltaic Ampani shelf was storm infested. Tectonic perturbance in the basin hinterland in course of Ampani sedimentation is inferred from occurrence of a disparately thick lobate high-density flow deposit towards the top of shoreface succession and increase in feldspar content upward within the shoreface succession. Addition of detritus from a ∼1600 Ma Mesoproterozoic provenance in upper part of shoreface also strengthen the contention. Deconvolution of deformation pattern and delineation of environmental products ranging between continental and deep marine allowed us to infer the Ampani sediment package as fining-upward in character evolved in a transgressive mode.

Syn-eruptive, soft-sediment deformation of dilute pyroclastic density current deposits: triggers from granular shear, dynamic pore pressure, ballistic impacts and shock waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douillet, G. A.; Taisne, B.; Tsang-Hin-Sun, È.; Müller, S. K.; Kueppers, U.; Dingwell, D. B.

2014-12-01

Soft-sediment deformation produces intriguing sedimentary structures and can occur in diverse environments and from a variety of triggers. From the observation of such structures and their interpretation in terms of trigger mechanisms, valuable information can be extracted about former conditions. Here we document examples of syn-eruptive deformation in dilute pyroclastic density current deposits. Outcrops from 6 different volcanoes have been compiled in order to provide a broad perspective on the variety of structures: Ubehebe craters (USA), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Laacher See (Germany), Tower Hill and Purrumbete lake (both Australia). Isolated slumps as well as sinking pseudonodules are driven by their excess weight and occur after deposition but penecontemporaneous to the eruption. Isolated, cm-scale, overturned beds with vortex forms have been interpreted to be the signature of shear instabilities occurring at the boundary of two granular media. They may represent the frozen record of granular, pseudo Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Their recognition can be a diagnostic for flows with a granular basal boundary layer. The occurrence of degassing pipes together with basal intrusive dikes suggest fluidization during flow stages, and can facilitate the development of Kelvin-Helmholtz structures. The occurrence at the base of flow units of injection dikes in some outcrops compared with suction-driven local uplifts in others indicates the role of dynamic pore pressure. Variations of the latter are possibly related to local changes between depletive and accumulative dynamics of flows. Ballistic impacts can trigger unconventional sags producing local displacement or liquefaction. Based on the deformation depth, these can yield precise insights into depositional unit boundaries. Such impact structures may also be at the origin of some of the steep truncation planes visible at the base of the so-called "chute and pool" structures. Finally, the passage of shock waves emanating from the vent may be preserved in the form of trains of isolated, fine-grained overturned beds which may disturb the surface bedding without occurrence of a sedimentation phase in the vicinity of a vent. Dilute pyroclastic density currents occur contemporaneously with seismogenic volcanic explosions. They are often deposited on steep slopes and can incorporate large amounts of water and gas in the sediment. They can experience extremely high sedimentation rates and may flow at the border between traction, granular and fluid-escape boundary zones. These are just some of the many possible triggers acting in a single environment, and reveal the potential for insights into the eruptive mechanisms of dilute pyroclastic density currents.

Mechanical stratification of autochthonous salt: Implications from basin-scale numerical models of rifted margin salt tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ings, Steven; Albertz, Markus

2014-05-01

Deformation of salt and sediments owing to the flow of weak evaporites is a common phenomenon in sedimentary basins worldwide, and the resulting structures and thermal regimes have a significant impact on hydrocarbon exploration. Evaporite sequences ('salt') of significant thickness (e.g., >1km) are typically deposited in many cycles of seawater inundation and evaporation in restricted basins resulting in layered autochthonous evaporite packages. However, analogue and numerical models of salt tectonics typically treat salt as a homogeneous viscous material, often with properties of halite, the weakest evaporite. In this study, we present results of two-dimensional plane-strain numerical experiments designed to illustrate the effects of variable evaporite viscosity and embedded frictional-plastic ('brittle') sediment layers on the style of salt flow and associated deformation of the sedimentary overburden. Evaporite viscosity is a first-order control on salt flow rate and the style of overburden deformation. Near-complete evacuation of low-viscosity salt occurs beneath expulsion basins, whereas significant salt is trapped when viscosity is high. Embedded frictional-plastic sediment layers (with finite yield strength) partition salt flow and develop transient contractional structures (folds, thrust faults, and folded faults) in a seaward salt-squeeze flow regime. Multiple internal sediment layers reduce the overall seaward salt flow during sediment aggradation, leaving more salt behind to be re-mobilized during subsequent progradation. This produces more seaward extensive allochthonous salt sheets. If there is a density difference between the embedded layers and the surrounding salt, then the embedded layers 'fractionate' during deformation and either float to the surface or sink to the bottom (depending on density), creating a thick zone of pure halite. Such a process of 'buoyancy fractionation' may partially explain the apparent paradox of layered salt in autochthonous salt basins and thick packages of pure halite in allochthonous salt sheets.

Earthquake imprints on a lacustrine deltaic system: the Kürk Delta along the East Anatolian Fault (Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubert-Ferrari, Aurélia; El-Ouahabi, Meriam; Garcia-Moreno, David; Avsar, Ulas; Altinok, Sevgi; Schmidt, Sabine; Cagatay, Namik

2016-04-01

Delta contains a sedimentary record primarily indicative of water level changes, but particularly sensitive to earthquake shaking, which results generally in soft-sediment-deformation structures. The Kürk Delta adjacent to a major strike-slip fault displays this type of deformation (Hempton and Dewey, 1983) as well as other types of earthquake fingerprints that are specifically investigated. This lacustrine delta stands at the south-western extremity of the Hazar Lake and is bound by the East Anatolian Fault (EAF), which generated earthquakes of magnitude 7 in eastern Turkey. Water level changes and earthquake shaking affecting the Kurk Delta have been reevaluated combining geophysical data (seismic-reflection profiles and side-scan sonar), remote sensing images, historical data, onland outcrops and offshore coring. The history of water level changes provides a temporal framework regarding the sedimentological record. In addition to the commonly soft-sediment-deformation previously documented, the onland outcrops reveal a record of deformation (faults and clastic dykes) linked to large earthquake-induced liquefactions. The recurrent liquefaction structures can be used to obtain a paleoseismological record. Five event horizons were identified that could be linked to historical earthquakes occurring in the last 1000 years along the EAF. Sedimentary cores sampling the most recent subaqueous sedimentation revealed the occurrence of another type of earthquake fingerprint. Based on radionuclide dating (137Cs and 210Pb), two major sedimentary events were attributed to the 1874-1875 earthquake sequence along the EAF. Their sedimentological characteristics were inferred based X-ray imagery, XRD, LOI, grain-size distribution, geophysical measurements. The events are interpreted to be hyperpycnal deposits linked to post-seismic sediment reworking of earthquake-triggered landslides. A time constraint regarding this sediment remobilization process could be achieved thanks to the fact that the two studied sedimentary events are separated by less than one year.

Giant seismites and megablock uplift in the East African Rift: evidence for Late Pleistocene large magnitude earthquakes.

PubMed

Hilbert-Wolf, Hannah Louise; Roberts, Eric M

2015-01-01

In lieu of comprehensive instrumental seismic monitoring, short historical records, and limited fault trench investigations for many seismically active areas, the sedimentary record provides important archives of seismicity in the form of preserved horizons of soft-sediment deformation features, termed seismites. Here we report on extensive seismites in the Late Quaternary-Recent (≤ ~ 28,000 years BP) alluvial and lacustrine strata of the Rukwa Rift Basin, a segment of the Western Branch of the East African Rift System. We document examples of the most highly deformed sediments in shallow, subsurface strata close to the regional capital of Mbeya, Tanzania. This includes a remarkable, clastic 'megablock complex' that preserves remobilized sediment below vertically displaced blocks of intact strata (megablocks), some in excess of 20 m-wide. Documentation of these seismites expands the database of seismogenic sedimentary structures, and attests to large magnitude, Late Pleistocene-Recent earthquakes along the Western Branch of the East African Rift System. Understanding how seismicity deforms near-surface sediments is critical for predicting and preparing for modern seismic hazards, especially along the East African Rift and other tectonically active, developing regions.

Giant Seismites and Megablock Uplift in the East African Rift: Evidence for Late Pleistocene Large Magnitude Earthquakes

PubMed Central

Hilbert-Wolf, Hannah Louise; Roberts, Eric M.

2015-01-01

In lieu of comprehensive instrumental seismic monitoring, short historical records, and limited fault trench investigations for many seismically active areas, the sedimentary record provides important archives of seismicity in the form of preserved horizons of soft-sediment deformation features, termed seismites. Here we report on extensive seismites in the Late Quaternary-Recent (≤ ~ 28,000 years BP) alluvial and lacustrine strata of the Rukwa Rift Basin, a segment of the Western Branch of the East African Rift System. We document examples of the most highly deformed sediments in shallow, subsurface strata close to the regional capital of Mbeya, Tanzania. This includes a remarkable, clastic ‘megablock complex’ that preserves remobilized sediment below vertically displaced blocks of intact strata (megablocks), some in excess of 20 m-wide. Documentation of these seismites expands the database of seismogenic sedimentary structures, and attests to large magnitude, Late Pleistocene-Recent earthquakes along the Western Branch of the East African Rift System. Understanding how seismicity deforms near-surface sediments is critical for predicting and preparing for modern seismic hazards, especially along the East African Rift and other tectonically active, developing regions. PMID:26042601

Seismic velocity structure of the sediment seaward of Cascadia Subduction Zone deformation front

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, S.; Gibson, J. C.; Carbotte, S. M.; Canales, J. P.; Nedimovic, M. R.; Carton, H. D.

2015-12-01

We present seismic velocity structure of the sediment section seaward of the Cascadia Subduction Zone deformation front (DF), derived from multichannel seismic data acquired during the 2012 Juan de Fuca Ridge to Trench experiment. Detailed velocity analyses are conducted on every 100th prestack-time-migrated common reflection point gather (625 m spacing) within 45 km seaward of the DF along two ridge-to-trench transects offshore Oregon at 44.6˚N and Washington at 47.4˚N respectively, and on every 200th common mid-point gather (1250 m spacing) along a ~400 km-long trench-parallel transect ~15 km from the DF. We observe a landward increase of sediment velocity starting from ~15-20 km from the DF on both Oregon and Washington transects, which may result from increased horizontal compressive tectonic stress within the accretionary wedge and thermally induced dehydration processes in the sediment column. Although the velocity of near-basement sediments at 30 km from the DF is similar (~3.1 km/s) on both transects, the velocity increases are larger on the Washington transect, to ~4.0 km/s beneath the DF (sediment thickness ~3.2 km), than on the Oregon transect, to ~3.6 km/s beneath the DF (sediment thickness ~3.5 km). The long-wavelength sediment velocity structure on the trench-parallel transect confirms this regional difference in deep sediment velocity and also highlights variations related to a group of WNW-trending strike-slip faults along the margin. Offshore Washington, where higher sediment velocity seaward of the DF is observed, the accretionary wedge is wide with a decollement located close to the basement and landward-verging thrust faults. By contrast, offshore Oregon, the lower sediment velocity seaward of the DF is associated with a narrow accretionary wedge, a shallow decollement ~1 km above the basement, and seaward-verging thrust faults. The regional differences in deep sediment velocity may be related to the along-strike variation in sediment composition, esp. clay mineral content, which may modulate the pore fluid pressure in the sediment through dehydration reactions, and affect the mechanical properties of the accretionary wedge further landward.

Basic Study on Production Well Integrity for Methane Hydrate Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kakumoto, M.; Yoneda, J.; Katagiri, J.; Tenma, N.; Aoki, K.

2014-12-01

Methane Hydrate (MH) exist as an ice-like crystal under low-temperature and high-pressure condition, and it has gathering attention as a non-conventional natural gas resource. Depressurization method is a method to reduce the bottom hole pressure by submersible pump lowering water level in the production well, and gas and water is recovered by MH dissociation at the in situ. During the depressurization operation, consolidation and deformation of sediment occurs because of increase of effective stress by depressurization and changes in the soil structure by MH dissociation. Then consolidation and deformation of sediment makes negative friction between the production well and sediment, and large stress is occur in casing. Therefore there is concern that it may cause compression failure and shear failure of the production well. For safe MH development, it is necessary to grasp the deformation and stress vicinity of the production well. At first, we conducted push-out test to get friction strength between the different materials simulated the well and sediment. And we have done numerical analysis for integrity using by these data. The results of numerical analysis showed that the large deformation of sediment occur around the depressurization zone, and for the well, the large tensile stress in the vertical direction occur the upper vicinity of the depressurization zone.This study was financially supported by the Research Consortium for Methane Hydrate Resources in Japan (MH21 Research Consortium) planned by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The authors thank the entire personnel related to MH21 Research Consortium.

Morphological deformities in Chironomus spp. (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae as a tool for impact assessment of anthropogenic and environmental stresses on three rivers in the Juru river system, Penang, Malaysia.

PubMed

Al-Shami, Salman; Rawi, Che Salmah M; Nor, Siti Azizah M; Ahmad, Abu Hassan; Ali, Arshad

2010-02-01

Morphological deformities in parts of the head capsule of Chironomus spp. larvae inhabiting three polluted rivers (Permatang Rawa [PRR], Pasir [PR], and Kilang Ubi [KUR]) in the Juru River Basin, northeastern peninsular Malaysia, were studied. Samples of the fourth-instar larvae at one location in each river were collected monthly from November 2007 to March 2008 and examined for deformities of the mentum, antenna, mandible, and epipharyngis. At each sample location, in situ measurements of water depth, river width, water pH, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature were made. Samples of river water and benthic sediments were also collected monthly from each larval sample location in each river and taken to the laboratory for appropriate analysis. Total suspended solids (TSSs), ammonium-N, nitrate-N, phosphate-P, chloride, sulfate, and aluminum content in water were analyzed. Total organic matter and nonresidual metals in the sediment samples were also analyzed. Among the three rivers, the highest mean deformity (47.17%) was recorded in larvae collected from KUR that received industrial discharges from surrounding garment and rubber factories, followed by PRR (33.71%) receiving primarily residues of fertilizers and pesticides from adjacent rice fields, and PR (30.34%) contaminated primarily by anthropogenic wastes from the surrounding residential areas. Among the various head capsule structures, deformity of the mentum was strongly reflective of environmental stress and amounted to 27.9, 20.87, and 30.19% in the PRR, PR, and KUR, respectively. Calculated Lenat's toxic score index satisfactorily explained the influence of prevailing environmental variables on the severity of mentum deformities. Redundancy analysis and forward selection selected TSSs, sediment Zn, Mn, Cu, and Ni, and water pH, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, total organic matter, nitrate-N, chloride, phosphate-P, ammonium-N, sulfate, and aluminum as parameters that significantly affected some proportion of deformities. The total deformities correlated closely with deformities of mentum but only weakly with deformities in other parts of head. The total deformity incidence was strongly correlated with high contents of sediment Mn and Ni. The mentum and epipharyngis deformities incidence was highly correlated with an increase of TSSs, total aluminum, and ammonium-N and a decrease in pH and dissolved oxygen.

Fluidized-sediment pipes in Gale crater, Mars, and possible Earth analogs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rubin, David M.; Fairen, A.G.; Frydenvang, J.; Gasnault, O.; Gelfenbaum, Guy R.; Goetz, W.; Grotzinger, J.P.; Le Mouélic, S.; Mangold, N.; Newsom, H.; Oehler, D. Z.; Rapin, W.; Schieber, J.; Wiens, R.C.

2017-01-01

Since landing in Gale crater, the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has traversed fluvial, lacustrine, and eolian sedimentary rocks that were deposited within the crater ∼3.6 to 3.2 b.y. ago. Here we describe structures interpreted to be pipes formed by vertical movement of fluidized sediment. Like many pipes on Earth, those in Gale crater are more resistant to erosion than the host rock; they form near other pipes, dikes, or deformed sediment; and some contain internal concentric or eccentric layering. These structures provide new evidence of the importance of subsurface aqueous processes in shaping the near-surface geology of Mars.

Structural parallels between terrestrial microbialites and Martian sediments: are all cases of `Pareidolia'?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizzo, Vincenzo; Cantasano, Nicola

2017-10-01

The study analyses possible parallels of the microbialite-known structures with a set of similar settings selected by a systematic investigation from the wide record and data set of images shot by NASA rovers. Terrestrial cases involve structures both due to bio-mineralization processes and those induced by bacterial metabolism, that occur in a dimensional field longer than 0.1 mm, at micro, meso and macro scales. The study highlights occurrence on Martian sediments of widespread structures like microspherules, often organized into some higher-order settings. Such structures also occur on terrestrial stromatolites in a great variety of `Microscopic Induced Sedimentary Structures', such as voids, gas domes and layer deformations of microbial mats. We present a suite of analogies so compelling (i.e. different scales of morphological, structural and conceptual relevance), to make the case that similarities between Martian sediment structures and terrestrial microbialites are not all cases of `Pareidolia'.

A Bed-Deformation Experiment Beneath Engabreen, Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iverson, N. R.; Hooyer, T. S.; Fischer, U. H.; Cohen, D.; Jackson, M.; Moore, P. L.; Lappegard, G.; Kohler, J.

2001-12-01

Although deformation of sediment beneath ice masses may contribute to their motion and may sometimes enable fast glacier flow, both the kinematics and mechanics of deformation are controversial. This controversy stems, in part, from subglacial measurements that are difficult to interpret. Measurements have been made either beneath ice margins or remotely through boreholes with interpretive limitations caused by uncertain instrument position and performance, uncertain sediment thickness and bed geometry, and unknown disturbance of the bed and stress state by drilling. We have used a different approach made possible by the Svartisen Subglacial Laboratory, which enables human access to the bed of Engabreen, Norway, beneath 230 m of temperate ice. A trough (2 m x 1.5 m x 0.4 m deep) was blasted in the rock bed and filled with sediment (75 percent sand and gravel, 20 percent silt, 5 percent clay). Instruments were placed in the sediment to record shear deformation (tiltmeters), dilation and contraction, total normal stress, and pore-water pressure. Pore pressure was manipulated by feeding water to the base of the sediment with a high-pressure pump, operated in a rock tunnel 4 m below the bed surface. After irregular deformation during closure of ice on the sediment, shear deformation and volume change stopped, and total normal stress became constant at 2.2 MPa. Subsequent pump tests, which lasted several hours, induced pore-water pressures greater than 70 percent of the total normal stress and resulted in shear deformation over most of the sediment thickness with attendant dilation. Ice separated from the sediment when effective normal stress was lowest, arresting shear deformation. Displacement profiles during pump tests were similar to those observed by Boulton and co-workers at Breidamerkurjökull, Iceland, with rates of shear strain increasing upward toward the glacier sole. Such deformation does not require viscous deformation resistance and is expected in a Coulomb material, a model for till advocated by B. Kamb.

Paleohydrologic controls on soft-sediment deformation in the Navajo Sandstone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryant, Gerald; Cushman, Robert; Nick, Kevin; Miall, Andrew

2016-10-01

Many workers have noted the presence of contorted cross-strata in the Navajo Sandstone and other ancient eolianites, and have recognized their significance as indicators of sediment saturation during the accumulation history. Horowitz (1982) proposed a general model for the production of such features in ancient ergs by episodic, seismically induced liquefaction of accumulated sand. A key feature of that popular model is the prevalence of a flat water table, characteristic of a hyper-arid climatic regime, during deformation. Under arid climatic conditions, the water table is established by regional flow and liquefaction is limited to the saturated regions below the level of interdune troughs. However, various paleohydrological indicators from Navajo Sandstone outcrops point toward a broader range of water table configurations during the deformation history of that eolianite. Some outcrops reveal extensive deformation complexes that do not appear to have extended to the contemporary depositional surface. These km-scale zones of deformation, affecting multiple sets of cross-strata, and grading upward into undeformed crossbeds may represent deep water table conditions, coupled with high intensity triggers, which produced exclusively intrastratal deformation. Such occurrences contrast with smaller-scale complexes formed within the zone of interaction between the products of soft-sediment deformation and surface processes of deposition and erosion. The Horowitz model targets the smaller-scale deformation morphologies produced in this near-surface environment. This study examines the implications of a wet climatic regime for the Horowitz deformation model. It demonstrates how a contoured water table, characteristic of humid climates, may have facilitated deformation within active bedforms, as well as in the accumulation. Intra-dune deformation would enable deflation of deformation features during the normal course of dune migration, more parsimoniously accounting for: the frequent occurrence of erosionally truncated deformation structures in the Navajo Sandstone; the production of such erosional truncations during bedform climb and aggradation of the accumulation; and the dramatic fluctuations in the water table required to deposit dry eolian sand, deform those deposits under saturated conditions, and then dry the deformed sand to enable deflation.

Ice stream motion facilitated by a shallow-deforming and accreting bed

PubMed Central

Spagnolo, Matteo; Phillips, Emrys; Piotrowski, Jan A.; Rea, Brice R.; Clark, Chris D.; Stokes, Chris R.; Carr, Simon J.; Ely, Jeremy C.; Ribolini, Adriano; Wysota, Wojciech; Szuman, Izabela

2016-01-01

Ice streams drain large portions of ice sheets and play a fundamental role in governing their response to atmospheric and oceanic forcing, with implications for sea-level change. The mechanisms that generate ice stream flow remain elusive. Basal sliding and/or bed deformation have been hypothesized, but ice stream beds are largely inaccessible. Here we present a comprehensive, multi-scale study of the internal structure of mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGLs) formed at the bed of a palaeo ice stream. Analyses were undertaken at macro- and microscales, using multiple techniques including X-ray tomography, thin sections and ground penetrating radar (GPR) acquisitions. Results reveal homogeneity in stratigraphy, kinematics, granulometry and petrography. The consistency of the physical and geological properties demonstrates a continuously accreting, shallow-deforming, bed and invariant basal conditions. This implies that ice stream basal motion on soft sediment beds during MSGL formation is accommodated by plastic deformation, facilitated by continuous sediment supply and an inefficient drainage system. PMID:26898399

Glacitectonic rafting and associated deformation of mid-Pleistocene glacigenic sediments, near Central Graben, central North Sea; results of a 2D High-Resolution Geophysical Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaughan-Hirsch, David

2013-04-01

Glacitectonic rafts are defined as dislocated slabs of bedrock or unconsolidated sediments, transported from their original position by glacial action. These relatively thin, slab-like bodies feature transport distances ranging from tens of meters to hundreds of kilometers. They occur as either single rafts, or multiple stacked bodies associated with a variety of ice-pushed landforms. Internally, rafts frequently appear undeformed although at a larger scale, they may be folded or cut by shear zones and brittle faults. However, the processes leading to the detachment, transport and subsequent emplacement of the rafts remain uncertain. This work describes the results of a geophysical 2D seismic survey of thrust-bound glacitectonic rafts and associated deformation structures, occurring within mid-Pleistocene glacigenic sediments of the Central Graben, central North Sea. The total shortened length of the rafted section is 2.4km, comprising a series of nine discrete rafts which individually range from 235m to 1018m in length. The principle basal detachment occurs at the erosive contact between Aberdeen Ground Formation and overlying Ling Bank Formation. The ice-proximal (northern) limit of rafting is defined by the presence of a large-scale palaeo-channel oriented perpendicular to the direction of rafting, composed of sediments of the Ling Bank Formation and the Forth Formation. The observed deformation structures infer a mean tectonic direction of 178°, indicating that they are associated with an active glacial advance from the north. The resulting deformation creates a minimum lateral shortening throughout the observed sequence of 35%, typifying a strongly compressional regieme associated with rafting. Throughout the surveyed area, structurally younger rafts are found to be emplaced towards the south, compared to the structurally older rafts which are emplaced towards the south-east. This distinction is suggested to be caused by early rafts creating an obstacle to transport for later stages of deformation, resulting in strike-slip basal detachment being associated with the later rafts. Localised distributions of high amplitude surfaces located adjacent to the primary detachment surface are identified through amplitude extraction techniques. These are indicative of migration and collection of gas along the inclined lower surfaces of rafted blocks. They represent a gas risk for drilling operations and demonstrate the significance and possible hazards of glacitectonic deformation to the exploration industry. A model for raft detachment and emplacement is proposed whereby; i) saturated sediments within the palaeo-channel are subject to pressurisation associated with overburden caused by over-riding ice, ii) elevated pore-water pressure develops along the principle detachment surface of the rafts, iii) early stages of deformation consist of ice-distal (southern) blocks becoming emplaced at relatively low angles of inclination, iv) with more proximal blocks accumulating as an imbricate thrust-stack sequence at relatively high angles of elevation. This interpretation suggests a significant subglacial hydrological control upon raft detachment and transport, with fluctuations between an extensional and compressive deformation regime caused by a switch from actively advancing glacial conditions to an oscillating ice-margin at this location. Tectono-stratigraphic evidence indicates that rafting occurring throughout the site is likely to be associated with a glacial advance of the Anglian (MIS 12).

Steps Towards Understanding Large-scale Deformation of Gas Hydrate-bearing Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S.; Deusner, C.; Haeckel, M.; Kossel, E.

2016-12-01

Marine sediments bearing gas hydrates are typically characterized by heterogeneity in the gas hydrate distribution and anisotropy in the sediment-gas hydrate fabric properties. Gas hydrates also contribute to the strength and stiffness of the marine sediment, and any disturbance in the thermodynamic stability of the gas hydrates is likely to affect the geomechanical stability of the sediment. Understanding mechanisms and triggers of large-strain deformation and failure of marine gas hydrate-bearing sediments is an area of extensive research, particularly in the context of marine slope-stability and industrial gas production. The ultimate objective is to predict severe deformation events such as regional-scale slope failure or excessive sand production by using numerical simulation tools. The development of such tools essentially requires a careful analysis of thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical behavior of gas hydrate-bearing sediments at lab-scale, and its stepwise integration into reservoir-scale simulators through definition of effective variables, use of suitable constitutive relations, and application of scaling laws. One of the focus areas of our research is to understand the bulk coupled behavior of marine gas hydrate systems with contributions from micro-scale characteristics, transport-reaction dynamics, and structural heterogeneity through experimental flow-through studies using high-pressure triaxial test systems and advanced tomographical tools (CT, ERT, MRI). We combine these studies to develop mathematical model and numerical simulation tools which could be used to predict the coupled hydro-geomechanical behavior of marine gas hydrate reservoirs in a large-strain framework. Here we will present some of our recent results from closely co-ordinated experimental and numerical simulation studies with an objective to capture the large-deformation behavior relevant to different gas production scenarios. We will also report on a variety of mechanically relevant test scenarios focusing on effects of dynamic changes in gas hydrate saturation, highly uneven gas hydrate distributions, focused fluid migration and gas hydrate production through depressurization and CO2 injection.

Fault architecture and deformation processes within poorly lithified rift sediments, Central Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loveless, Sian; Bense, Victor; Turner, Jenni

2011-11-01

Deformation mechanisms and resultant fault architecture are primary controls on the permeability of faults in poorly lithified sediments. We characterise fault architecture using outcrop studies, hand samples, thin sections and grain-size data from a minor (1-10 m displacement) normal-fault array exposed within Gulf of Corinth rift sediments, Central Greece. These faults are dominated by mixed zones with poorly developed fault cores and damage zones. In poorly lithified sediment deformation is distributed across the mixed zone as beds are entrained and smeared. We find particulate flow aided by limited distributed cataclasis to be the primary deformation mechanism. Deformation may be localised in more competent sediments. Stratigraphic variations in sediment competency, and the subsequent alternating distributed and localised strain causes complexities within the mixed zone such as undeformed blocks or lenses of cohesive sediment, or asperities at the mixed zone/protolith boundary. Fault tip bifurcation and asperity removal are important processes in the evolution of these fault zones. Our results indicate that fault zone architecture and thus permeability is controlled by a range of factors including lithology, stratigraphy, cementation history and fault evolution, and that minor faults in poorly lithified sediment may significantly impact subsurface fluid flow.

New Interpretations of the Rayn Anticlines in the Arabian Basin Inferred from Gravity Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AlMogren, S. M.; Mukhopadhyay, M.

2014-12-01

The Ryan Anticlines comprise of a regularly-spaced set of super-giant anticlines oriented NNW, developed due to E-W compression in the Arabian Basin. Most prominent of these being: the Ghawar Anticline, followed by the Summan, Khurais Anticlines and Qatar Arch. Gravity anomaly is largely characteristic for both Ryan Anticlines and its smaller size version the Jinadriah Anticline in the Riyadh Salt Basin. It displays a bipolar gravity field - a zone of gravity high running along the fold axis that is flanked by asymmetric gravity lows. Available structural models commonly infer structural uplift for the median gravity high but ignore the flanking lows. Here we interpret the bipolar gravity anomaly due primarily to such anticline structures, while, the flanking gravity lows are due to greater sediment thickness largely compacted and deformed over the basement depressions. Further complexities are created due to the salt layer and its migration at the lower horizons of sediment strata. Such diagnostic gravity anomaly pattern is taken here as an evidence for basement tectonics due to prevailing crustal dynamics in the Arabian Basin. Density inversion provides details on the subsurface density variation due to the folding and structural configuration for the sediment layers, including the salt layer, affected by basement deformation. This interpretation is largely supported by gravity forward and inversion models given in the present study what is partly constrained by the available seismic, MT and deep resistivity lines and surface geologic mapping. Most of the oil-gas fields in this part of the Arabian Basin are further known for salt diapirism. In this study the gravity interpretation help in identification of salt diapirism directly overlying the basement is firstly given here for Jinadriah Anticline; that is next extended to a regional geologic cross-section traversing the Ryan Anticlines to infer probable subsurface continuation of salt diapirs directly overlying the metamorphosed basement, sediment deformation pattern skirting the anticlines as well as their relationship of faulting to basement tectonics.

Timing of deformation and rapid subsidence in the northern Altiplano, Peru: Insights from detrital zircon geochronology of the Ayaviri hinterland basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, B. K.; Perez, N. D.; Saylor, J. E.

2011-12-01

Although age constraints on crustal deformation and sediment accumulation prove critical to testing hypotheses of orogenic plateau construction, a common lack of marine facies, volcanic tuffs, and suitable fossils hinders many attempts at chronological reconstructions. A series of elevated retroarc basins along the axis of the Andean orogenic belt provide opportunities to define the timing of deformation and transformation from foreland to hinterland basin configurations. In this study, we present new U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in the Ayaviri intermontane basin of southern Peru (~4 km elevation) in the northern part of the central Andean (Altiplano) plateau. Nearly all sandstone samples show strong unimodal U-Pb age peaks (generally defined by > 5-50 zircons), suggesting these age peaks represent syndepositional volcanism and can be regarded as accurate estimates of true depositional (stratigraphic) age. Integration of these ages with structural and stratigraphic relationships demonstrate the utility of zircon U-Pb geochronology in defining both (1) the timing of basin partitioning and (2) the pace of sediment accumulation. (1) U-Pb ages for several sandstone samples from growth-strata packages associated with two basin-bounding faults reveal structural partitioning of the Ayaviri basin from late Oligocene to Miocene time. In the north, displacement along the southwest-directed Ayaviri thrust fault commenced in late Oligocene time (~28-24 Ma), inducing initial structural partitioning of an upper Eocene-Oligocene, > 5 km thick succession potentially representing an early Andean retroarc foreland basin. In the south, the Ayaviri basin was further disrupted by initial displacement along the northeast-directed Pasani thrust fault in early to middle Miocene time (~18-15 Ma). (2) Additional U-Pb analyses from the Ayaviri basin fill help delimit the long-term rates of sedimentation, suggesting relatively short-lived (< 5 Myr) pulses of accelerated accumulation. Rapid increases in Miocene sediment accumulation rates may reflect rapid subsidence driven by local thrust loading or piecemeal removal of lower crust/lithosphere, hypotheses to be considered by ongoing paleoelevation studies in the region. This approach highlights the potential for detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology to constrain deformation timing and tempo of sedimentation in proximal, coarse-grained basin-fill successions that are typically not amenable to chronostratigraphic techniques.

Late Miocene-Early Pliocene reactivation of the Main Boundary Thrust: Evidence from the seismites in southeastern Kumaun Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Anurag; Srivastava, Deepak C.; Shah, Jyoti

2013-05-01

Tectonic history of the Himalaya is punctuated by successive development of the faults that run along the boundaries between different lithotectonic terrains. The Main Boundary Fault, defining the southern limit of the Lesser Himalayan terrain, is tectonically most active. A review of published literature reveals that the nature and age of reactivation events on the Main Boundary Fault is one of the poorly understood aspects of the Himalayan orogen. By systematic outcrop mapping of the seismites, this study identifies a Late Miocene-Early Pliocene reactivation on the Main Boundary Thrust in southeast Kumaun Himalaya. Relatively friable and cohesionless Neogene sedimentary sequences host abundant soft-sediment deformation structures in the vicinity of the Main Boundary Thrust. Among a large variety of structures, deformed cross-beds, liquefaction pockets, slump folds, convolute laminations, sand dykes, mushroom structures, fluid escape structures, flame and load structures and synsedimentary faults are common. The morphological attributes, the structural association and the distribution pattern of the soft-sediment deformation structures with respect to the Main Boundary Fault strongly suggest their development by seismically triggered liquefaction and fluidization. Available magnetostratigraphic age data imply that the seismites were developed during a Late Miocene-Early Pliocene slip on the Main Boundary Thrust. The hypocenter of the main seismic event may lie on the Main Boundary Thrust or to the north of the study area on an unknown fault or the Basal Detachment Thrust.

Visualisation and analysis of shear-deformation bands in unconsolidated Pleistocene sand using ground-penetrating radar: Implications for paleoseismological studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandes, Christian; Igel, Jan; Loewer, Markus; Tanner, David C.; Lang, Jörg; Müller, Katharina; Winsemann, Jutta

2018-05-01

Deformation bands in unconsolidated sediments are of great value for paleoseismological studies in sedimentary archives. Using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), we investigated an array of shear-deformation bands that developed in unconsolidated Pleistocene glacifluvial Gilbert-type delta sediments. A dense grid (spacing 0.6 m) of GPR profiles was measured on top of a 20 m-long outcrop that exposes shear-deformation bands. Features in the radargrams could be directly tied to the exposure. The shear-deformation bands are partly represented by inclined reflectors and partly by the offset of reflections at delta clinoforms. 3-D interpretation of the 2-D radar sections shows that the bands have near-planar geometries that can be traced throughout the entire sediment volume. Thin sections of sediment samples show that the analysed shear-deformation bands have a denser grain packing than the host sediment. Thus they have a lower porosity and smaller pore sizes and therefore, in the vadose zone, the deformation bands have a higher water content due to enhanced capillary forces. This, together with the partially-developed weak calcite cementation and the distinct offset along the bands, are likely the main reasons for the clear and unambiguous expression of the shear-deformation bands in the radar survey. The study shows that deformation-band arrays can clearly be detected using GPR and quickly mapped over larger sediment volumes. With the 3-D analysis, it is further possible to derive the orientation and geometry of the bands. This allows correlation of the bands with the regional fault trend. Studying deformation bands in unconsolidated sediments with GPR is therefore a powerful approach in paleoseismological studies. Based on our data, we postulate that the outcrop is part of a dextral strike-slip zone that was reactivated by glacial isostatic adjustment.

Morphogenesis of the SW Balearic continental slope and adjacent abyssal plain, Western Mediterranean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camerlenghi, Angelo; Accettella, Daniela; Costa, Sergio; Lastras, Galderic; Acosta, Juan; Canals, Miquel; Wardell, Nigel

2009-06-01

We present the seafloor morphology and shallow seismic structure of the continental slope south-east of the Balearic promontory and of the adjacent Algero-Balearic abyssal plain from multibeam and chirp sonar data. The main purpose of this research was to identify the sediment pathways from the Balearic promontory to the Algero-Balearic deep basin from the Early Pliocene to the Present. The morphology of the southern Balearic margin is controlled by a SW-NE structural trend, whose main expressions are the Emile Baudot Escarpment transform fault, and a newly discovered WSW-ENE trend that affects the SW end of the escarpment and the abyssal plain. We relate the two structural trends to right-lateral simple shear as a consequence of the Miocene westward migration of the Gibraltar Arc. Newly discovered steep and narrow volcanic ridges were probably enabled to grow by local transtension along the transform margin. Abyssal plain knolls and seahills relate to the subsurface deformation of early stage halokinetic structures such as salt rollers, salt anticlines, and salt pillows. The limited thickness of the overburden and the limited amount of deformation in the deep basin prevent the formation of more mature halokinetic structures such as diapirs, salt walls, bulbs, and salt extrusions. The uppermost sediment cover is affected by a dense pattern of sub-vertical small throw normal faults resulting from extensional stress induced in the overburden by subsurface salt deformation structures. Shallow gas seismic character and the possible presence of an active polygonal fault system suggest upward fluid migration and fluid and sediment expulsion at the seafloor through a probable mud volcano and other piercement structures. One large debris flow deposit, named Formentera Debris Flow, has been identified on the lower slope and rise of the south Formentera margin. Based on current observations, we hypothesize that the landslide originating the Formentera Debris Flow occurred in the Holocene, perhaps in historical times.

Deformation Analyses and Lithologic Characterization in Overpressured Basins Based on Logging While Drilling and Wireline Results from the Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iturrino, G. J.; Pirmez, C.; Moore, J. C.; Reichow, M. K.; Dugan, B. E.; Sawyer, D. E.; Flemings, P. B.; Shipboard Scientific Party, I.

2005-12-01

IODP Expedition 308 drilled transects along the Brazos-Trinity IV and Ursa Basins in the western and eastern Gulf of Mexico, respectively, for examining how sedimentation, overpressure, fluid flow, and deformation are coupled in passive margin settings. A total of eight holes were logged using either logging while drilling (LWD) or wireline techniques to evaluate the controls on slope stability, understand the timing of sedimentation and slumping, establish the petrophysical properties of shallow sediments, and provide a better understanding of turbidite systems. Overall, the log responses vary for the different lithostratigraphic units and associated regional seismic reflectors. The data acquired also make bed-to-bed correlation between sites possible, which is valuable for the study of sandy turbidites and studies of regional deformation. The thick sedimentary successions drilled at these basins show records of the evolution of channel-levee systems composed of low relief channels that were incapable of confining the turbidity currents causing an overspill of sand and silt. In addition, mass transport deposits at shallow depths, and transitions between interbedded silt, sand, and mud units are common features identified in many of the downhole logging data. In the Ursa Basin sediments, resistivity-at-the-bit images show significant deformation of the overlying hemipelagic drape and distal turbidites that were drilled in these areas. Numerous dipping beds throughout these intervals with dips ranging from 5 to 55 degrees confirm core observations. Steeply deformed beds, with dips as high as 65 degrees, and folded and faulted beds suggest down slope remobilization as mass-transport deposits. Resistivity images also show evidence of these mass-transport deposits where steep dips and folds suggest the presence of overturned beds within a series of cyclic intervals that we interpret as a succession of sand-silt-mud lamina. Preliminary structural analyses suggest that many of the deformation features trend in an E-W direction with the majority dipping to the north.

Deposition and deformation of stratified rocks in the northern Nia Mensa region of Valles Marineris, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okubo, C. H.

2016-12-01

Large-scale structural and geologic mapping based on HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) digital elevation models reveals new details of the depositional environment for the stratified rocks in the northern Nia Mensa region of eastern Candor Chasma, Valles Marineris, Mars. The map area encompasses the contact between massive sedimentary rocks that comprise most of Nia Mensa and the stratified sedimentary and mass-wasting deposits exposed between Nia Mensa and the north wall of eastern Candor Chasma. The area contains a stratified fan-like deposit on the lower slopes of Nia Mensa. The strata within this deposit dip outward at < 10°, away from its morphologic apex, consistent with an origin as a depositional fan (rather than being carved into a fan shape by erosion). Whether this fan has a subaerial or submarine origin has not yet been determined. Additionally, the fan and surrounding stratified rocks exhibit evidence of soft-sediment deformation in the form of clastic dikes and contorted bedding, indicating that these deposits were water-saturated at the time of deformation. Finally, the northern section of the map area encompasses part of a fractured rise, and deposits interpreted as mud flows mantle the top of this rise. Inferred flow directions suggest that the mud erupted out of these fractures. These findings place constraints on the depositional environment of the local stratified bedrock. The presence of the fan deposit indicates that lateral transport was a component in the depositional history of these sediments. Therefore the sediments did not form entirely as a mantling deposit, such as air fall ash or sediments settled out of a water column. The soft-sediment deformation and subsurface mobilized sediments indicate that groundwater was present in the area after emplacement of the stratified deposits, but before its lithification. These findings point to a wet-playa to lacustrine depositional environment.

Textures of water-rich mud sediments from the continental margin offshore Costa Rica (IODP expeditions 334 and 344)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuehn, Rebecca; Stipp, Michael; Leiss, Bernd

2017-04-01

During sedimentation and burial at continental margins, clay-rich sediments develop crystallographic preferred orientations (textures) depending on the ongoing compaction as well as size distribution and shape fabrics of the grains. Such textures can control the deformational properties of these sediments and hence the strain distribution in active continental margins and also the frictional behavior along and around the plate boundary. Strain-hardening and discontinuous deformation may lead to earthquake nucleation at or below the updip limit of the seismogenic zone. We want to investigate the active continental margin offshore Costa Rica where the oceanic Cocos plate is subducted below the Caribbean plate at a rate of approximately 9 cm per year. The Costa Rica trench is well-known for shallow seismogenesis and tsunami generation. As it is an erosive continental margin, both the incoming sediments from the Nazca plate as well as the slope sediments of the continental margin can be important for earthquake nucleation and faulting causing sea-floor breakage. To investigate texture and composition of the sediments and hence their deformational properties we collected samples from varying depth of 7 different drilling locations across the trench retrieved during IODP expeditions 334 and 344 as part of the Costa Rica Seismogenesis Project (CRISP). Texture analysis was carried out by means of synchrotron diffraction, as only this method is suitable for water-bearing samples. As knowledge on the sediment composition is required as input parameter for the texture data analysis, additional X-ray powder diffraction analysis on the sample material has been carried out. Samples for texture measurements were prepared from the original drill cores using an internally developed cutter which allows to produce cylindrical samples with a diameter of about 1.5 cm. The samples are oriented with respect to the drill core axis. Synchrotron texture measurements were conducted at the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) in Grenoble and the DESY (German Electron Synchrotron) in Hamburg. Samples were measured in transmission mode perpendicular to their cylinder axis with a beam diameter of 500 µm. Measurements were taken from 0 to 175° in 5° steps resulting in 36 images from a 2D image plate detector. Measurement time was in a range from 1 to 3 seconds. Due to the different, low symmetric mineral phases a large number of mostly overlapping reflections results. Such data can only be analyzed by the Rietveld method, in our case implemented in the software package MAUD (Materials Analysis Using Diffraction). Preliminary results show distinct textures depending on the composition and the origin of the samples, i.e. on drilling location and depth, which may be critical for strain localization and faulting of these samples. The results are also important for the analysis of experimentally deformed samples from the same drill cores which showed structurally weak and structurally strong deformation behavior during triaxial compression.

Evolution and timing of salt diapirism in the Iranian sector of the Persian Gulf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perotti, Cesare; Chiariotti, Luca; Bresciani, Ilenia; Cattaneo, Luciano; Toscani, Giovanni

2016-06-01

The Iranian sector of the Persian Gulf is affected by more than 30 large diapiric structures triggered by the mobilization of the Infracambrian Hormuz Complex, an evaporite-rich unit that overlies Precambrian basement at the base of the sedimentary succession. Nineteen non-piercing diapirs, without any appreciable salt intrusion into the upper succession, were studied in detail and retro-deformed by the decompaction and unfolding of 13 seismic horizons that were identified by the interpretation of a dense grid of 2D seismic lines and calibrated by well data. Salt uplift had begun by the Early Palaeozoic and persists to the present day, with major pulses of intensity during the Middle Triassic, Cenomanian, Late Oligocene, and post-Middle Miocene. The structural reconstructions and the analysis of the progressive deformation of the study diapirs do not show any link between diapiric uplift and local tectonic structures, and no clear correlation with the regional geodynamic events acting at the boundary of the Arabian plate. On the contrary, the salt uplift seems strongly influenced by the differential rate of sedimentation that affected the whole study basin (more than 40,000 km2), with a coefficient of correlation between the salt uplift rate and the differential rate of sedimentation (expressed by the standard deviation of the sedimentation rate calculated over the entire basin) of 0.95. This downbuilding mechanism of diapiric growth is apparently induced by differential sedimentation over long distances (several tens of kilometers), showing that the flow of salt affected the whole basin and not just the areas around the single diapiric structures.

Transient Deformation Patterns in Response to Quaternary Glacial Advance-Retreat Across the Offshore St. Elias Mountains, southern Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worthington, L. L.; Clary, W. A.; Daigle, H.; Koons, P. O.; Gulick, S. P. S.; Jaeger, J. M.

2016-12-01

The southern Alaska margin, home to the St. Elias Mountains, the highest coastal mountain range on Earth experiencing the highest erosion rates on Earth, provides a superb setting for evaluating competing influences of rheological and climate control on orogen development. Previous studies have recognized this potential, but conclusions were limited due to the absence of information on the time-dependent behavior of climate and rheological processes. These limitations can now be surpassed due to 1) the recent availability of high-precision age constraints on the structural and stratigraphic evolution of offshore sediments and structures and 2) geotechnical information on the extent of dewatering and related spatial changes in the material properties of these sediments. We correlate emerging results from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 341 Sites U1420 and U1421 with regional seismic data across the continental shelf and slope to determine the spatial and temporal evolution of thrusting in response to Yakutat-North American convergence. Our mapping shows that the pattern of faulting changed from distributed across the shelf to highly localized away from the primary glacial depocenter over the course of one glacial cycle. Core samples suggest that the glacially derived sediment is overpressured, with pore pressures possibly reaching >90% of lithostatic stress. Elevated pore pressures develop rapidly in response to focused glaciomarine sedimentation, in addition to direct ice loading, and may induce a transient state of wedge reorganization manifested as a change in localization of deformation. This relationship suggests that the additive response of pore pressure variations over glacial cycles throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene result in constant reorganization of deformation style and location.

Acoustic architecture of glaciolacustrine sediments deformed during zonal stagnation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet; Mazinaw Lake, Ontario, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyles, Nicholas; Doughty, Mike; Boyce, Joseph I.; Mullins, Henry T.; Halfman, John D.; Koseoglu, Berkant

2003-03-01

In North America, the last (Laurentide) Ice Sheet retreated from much of the Canadian Shield by 'zonal stagnation'. Masses of dead ice, severed from the main ice sheet by emerging bedrock highs, downwasted in situ within valleys and lake basins and were commonly buried by sediment. Consequently, the flat sediment floors of many valleys and lakes are now pitted by steep-sided, enclosed depressions (kettle basins) that record the melt of stagnant ice blocks and collapse of sediment. At Mazinaw Lake in eastern Ontario, Canada, high-resolution seismic reflection, magnetic and bathymetric surveys, integrated with onland outcrop and hammer seismic investigations, were conducted to identify the types of structural disturbance associated with the formation of kettle basins in glaciolacustrine sediments. Basins formed as a result of ice blocks being trapped within a regionally extensive proglacial lake (Glacial Lake Iroquois ˜12,500 to 11,400 years BP) that flooded eastern Ontario during deglaciation. Kettles occur within a thick (>30 m) succession of parallel, high-frequency acoustic facies consisting of rhythmically laminated (varved?) Iroquois silty-clays. Iroquois strata underlying and surrounding kettle basins show large-scale normal faults, fractures, rotational failures and incoherent chaotically bedded sediment formed by slumping and collapse. Mazinaw Lake lies along part of the Ottawa Graben and while neotectonic earthquake activity cannot be entirely dismissed, deformation is most likely to have occurred as a result of the rapid melt of buried ice blocks. Seismic data do not fully penetrate the entire basin sediment fill but the structure and topography of bedrock can be inferred from magnetometer data. The location and shape of buried ice masses was closely controlled by the graben-like form of the underlying bedrock surface.

Structural characteristics of the décollement zone and underthrust sediments in the Nankai accretionary prism: Geologic architectures in the Site C0023, IODP Expedition 370

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Y.; Okutsu, N.; Yamada, Y.; Bowden, S.; Tonai, S.; Yang, K.; Tsang, M. Y.; Hirose, T.; Kamiya, N.

2017-12-01

Expedition 370 penetrated the accretionary prism, plate boundary décollement zone, and underthrust sediment and touched the basement basalt on the Philippine Sea Plate. The drilling site (C0023) is located 4 km NE from the legacy sites, Sites 808 and 1174. Compared to the legacy sites, the décollement zone is characterized by weak and intermittent negative reflectors in the seismic profile. Onboard physical properties, e.g. porosity and P-wave velocity data, indeed show the smaller gaps at the top of the décollement zone. The nature of the deformation along the décollement zone represented 40 m thick phacoidal deformation zone composed of fragmented mudstone with slickenlines on the surfaces in the Sites 808 and 1174. Compare with this, décollement zone in Site C0023 represented the weaker and non-localized deformation zone comprised of alternating zone of 1 m thick phacoidal deformation zones and a few 10 m of intact intervals in the Site C0023. Many normal faults striking parallel to the trench were identified just below the décollement zone, which is indicative of non-localized deformations along the décollement zone. Many of these faults were accompanied with calcite and sulphate mineral veins (anhydrite and barite), indicative of high-temperature fluid migration just above the ridge-spreading center. Based on the paleomagnetic restoration of structure to the geologic coordinate, attitudes of the bedding and fault planes in the Site C0023 are controlled by two factors: 1) subduction/accretion producing the trench-parallel bedding strikes and trench-perpendicular principal stress and 2) ridge spreading that produces ridge-parallel bedding and vein strikes. The former developed in the accretionary prism and the upper part of the underthrust sediment (<900 mbsf), whereas the latter occurs in the lower part (>900 mbsf). These tectonic variations might affect fluid migration pathways.

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.

Kinematics of Mass Transport Deposits revealed by magnetic fabrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinberger, R.; Levi, T.; Alsop, G. I.; Marco, S.

2017-08-01

The internal deformation and movement directions of Mass Transport Deposits (MTDs) are key factors in understanding the kinematics and dynamics of their emplacement. Although these are relatively easy to recover from well-bedded sediments, they are more difficult to deduce from massive beds without visible strain markers. In order to test the applicability of using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) to determine MTD movement, we compare AMS fabrics, with structural measurements of visible kinematic indicators. Our case study involves the structural analysis of slumped lake sediments extensively exposed in MTDs within the Dead Sea Basin. Structural analyses of MTDs outcropping for >100 km reveal radial transport directions toward the basin depocenter. We show that the AMS fabrics display the same transport directions as inferred from structural analyses. Based on this similarity, we outline a robust procedure to obtain the transport direction of slumped MTDs from AMS fabrics. Variations in the magnetic fabrics and anisotropies in fold-thrust systems within the slumps match the various structural domains. We therefore suggest that magnetic fabrics and anisotropy variations in drill cores may reflect internal deformation within the slumps rather than different slumps. Obtaining magnetic fabrics from MTDs provides a viable way to infer the transport directions and internal deformation of MTDs and reconstruct the basin depocenter in ancient settings. The present results also have implications beyond the kinematics of MTDs, as their geometry resembles fold-thrust systems in other geological settings, scales, and tectonic environments.

Development of a Shallow Decollement Along the South-Central Chile Margin from 2D Seismic Reflection Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, K.; Bangs, N. L.; Arnulf, A. F.; Trehu, A. M.; Contreras Reyes, E.

2017-12-01

In January and February, 2017, we acquired approximately 5,000 km of deep-penetrating 2D seismic reflection data along the Chile trench between 30° - 44°S as a part of the 2017 Crustal Examination from Valdivia to Illapel to Characterize Huge Earthquakes (CEVICHE) project, on the R/V Langseth. We used a 6,600 in3 airgun source to shoot every 50 m and recorded shots on a 15,100 m, 1212 channel streamer. This survey targeted the structure of this subduction zone across the slip regions of the 2015 Illapel (Mw 8.3), the 2010 Maule (Mw 8.8), and 1960 Valdivia (Mw 9.5) earthquakes. Two dip lines between 37.5°S and 39°S, within the overlapping slip areas of the Maule and Valdivia earthquakes, show a range in the style of initial thrust faulting at the deformation front. At 37.5°S, just south of the Arauco Peninsula, protothrusts at the deformation front are typical of many well-sedimented trench sections in subduction zones worldwide. Here we observe incipient landward-dipping thrusts consisting of 15 faults with typical horizontal spacing of 750 m that can be seen to extend down through the entire 2.5 km thick sediment sequence to the top of the subducting ocean crust. Some form conjugate fault pairs, but all have small offsets of 10-50 m. These thrusts appear to sole into a proto-decollement located just above the top of the ocean crust; however, farther landward beneath the lower slope, a thick, 2.5 km, sequence of layered sediment can be traced > 20 km into the subduction zone. The position of the primary decollement appears to be located near the top of the trench sediment sequence, well above the proto-decollement, allowing subduction of the entire trench sequence. A second line at 39°S across the deformation front shows no frontal thrusts or apparent deformation within the 1.5 km thick section of trench sediment. All of the incoming sediment appears to be subducting beneath a stable decollement that we can image near the top of the trench sediment sequence. The decollement along the northern line may be currently stepping down and transitioning from minimal accretion, typical of this segment of the Chile margin, to accretion of the entire trench section. Alternatively, the initial deformation at the toe may cease and allow slip to shift upward to the shallow decollement and continue to subduct the entire trench sediment section.

The effects of tectonic deformation and sediment allocation on shelf habitats and megabenthic distribution and diversity in southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Switzer, Ryan D.; Parnell, P. Ed; Leichter, James L.; Driscoll, Neal W.

2016-02-01

Landscape and seascape structures are typically complex and manifest as patch mosaics within characteristic biomes, bordering one another in gradual or abrupt ecotones. The underlying patch structure in coastal shelf ecosystems is driven by the interaction of tectonic, sedimentary, and sea level dynamic processes. Animals and plants occupy and interact within these mosaics. Terrestrial landscape ecological studies have shown that patch structure is important for ecological processes such as foraging, connectivity, predation, and species dynamics. The importance of patch structure for marine systems is less clear because far fewer pattern-process studies have been conducted in these systems. For many coastal shelf systems, there is a paucity of information on how species occupy shelf seascapes, particularly for seascapes imbued with complex patch structure and ecotones that are common globally due to tectonic activity. Here, we present the results of a study conducted along a myriameter-scale gradient of bottom and sub-bottom geological forcing altered by tectonic deformation, sea level transgression and sediment allocation. The resulting seascape is dominated by unconsolidated sediments throughout, but also exhibits increasing density and size of outcropping patches along a habitat patch gradient forced by the erosion of a sea level transgressive surface that has been deformed and tilted by tectonic forcing. A combination of sub-bottom profiling, multibeam bathymetry, and ROV surveys of the habitats and the demersal megafauna occupying the habitats indicate (1) significant beta diversity along this gradient, (2) biological diversity does not scale with habitat diversity, and (3) species occupy the patches disproportionately (non-linearly) with regard to the proportional availability of their preferred habitats. These results indicate that shelf habitat patch structure modulates species specific processes and interactions with other species. Further studies are needed to examine experimentally the mechanics of how patch structure modulates ecological processes in shelf systems. Our results also provide further support for including multiple spatial scales of patch structure for the application of remote habitat sensing as a surrogate for biological community structure.

Sediment Transport Dynamics and Bedform Evolution During Unsteady Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, H.; Parsons, D. R.; Ockelford, A.; Hardy, R. J.; Ashworth, P. J.; Best, J.

2016-12-01

Dunes are ubiquitous features in sand bed rivers and estuaries, and their formation, growth and kinematics play a dominant role in boundary flow structure, flow resistance and sediment transport processes. However, bedform evolution and dynamics during the rising/falling limb of a flood wave remain poorly understood. Herein, we report on a series of flume experiments, undertaken at the University of Hull's Total Environment Simulator flume/wave tank facility, with imposed flow variations and different hydrographs: i) a sudden (shock) change, ii) a fast flood wave and iii) a slow flood wave. Our analysis shows that, because of changes of sediment transport mechanisms with discharge, the sediment flux rather than bedform migration rate is a more appropriate parameter to relate to transport stage. This is particularly the case during bedload transport dominated periods at lower flow discharge, where a strong power law relationship was detected. In terms of varying processes across the hydrograph limbs, bedform evolution during the rising limb is dominated not only by bedform amalgamation but also by the washing out of smaller-scale bedforms. Furthermore, bedform growth is independent of the rising rate of the hydrograph limb, while evolution of bedform decay is affected by the rate of discharge decrease. This results in an anticlockwise hysteresis between transport stage and total flux was found in fast wave experiment, indicating a significant role of the change in sediment transport mechanisms on bedform evolution. Moreover, analysis on the variation of deformation fraction (F, ratio of the deformation flux to the total bed material flux) suggests that net degradation of the bed enhances bedform deformation and leads to a higher F ( 0.65). This work extends our knowledge on how dunes generate and develop under variable flows and has begun to explore how variations in transport stage can be coupled with the variation in sediment transport mechanisms, and/or sediment supply which can help improve the modelling of sediment transport processes.

Large-scale glacitectonic deformation in response to active ice sheet retreat across Dogger Bank (southern central North Sea) during the Last Glacial Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Emrys; Cotterill, Carol; Johnson, Kirstin; Crombie, Kirstin; James, Leo; Carr, Simon; Ruiter, Astrid

2018-01-01

High resolution seismic data from the Dogger Bank in the central southern North Sea has revealed that the Dogger Bank Formation records a complex history of sedimentation and penecontemporaneous, large-scale, ice-marginal to proglacial glacitectonic deformation. These processes led to the development of a large thrust-block moraine complex which is buried beneath a thin sequence of Holocene sediments. This buried glacitectonic landsystem comprises a series of elongate, arcuate moraine ridges (200 m up to > 15 km across; over 40-50 km long) separated by low-lying ice marginal to proglacial sedimentary basins and/or meltwater channels, preserving the shape of the margin of this former ice sheet. The moraines are composed of highly deformed (folded and thrust) Dogger Bank Formation with the lower boundary of the deformed sequence (up to 40-50 m thick) being marked by a laterally extensive décollement. The ice-distal parts of the thrust moraine complex are interpreted as a "forward" propagating imbricate thrust stack developed in response to S/SE-directed ice-push. The more complex folding and thrusting within the more ice-proximal parts of the thrust-block moraines record the accretion of thrust slices of highly deformed sediment as the ice repeatedly reoccupied this ice marginal position. Consequently, the internal structure of the Dogger Bank thrust-moraine complexes can be directly related to ice sheet dynamics, recording the former positions of a highly dynamic, oscillating Weichselian ice sheet margin as it retreated northwards at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum.

The growth of geological structures by repeated earthquakes: 2, Field examples of continental dip-slip faults

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stein, R.S.; King, G.C.P.; Rundle, J.B.

1988-01-01

A strong test of our understanding of the earthquake cycle is the ability to reproduce extant faultbounded geological structures, such as basins and ranges, which are built by repeated cycles of deformation. Three examples are considered for which the structure and fault geometry are well known: the White Wolf reverse fault in California, site of the 1952 Kern County M=7.3 earthquake, the Lost River normal fault in Idaho, site of the 1983 Borah Peak M=7.0 earthquake, and the Cricket Mountain normal fault in Utah, site of Quaternary slip events. Basin stratigraphy and seismic reflection records are used to profile the structure, and coseismic deformation measured by leveling surveys is used to estimate the fault geometry. To reproduce these structures, we add the deformation associated with the earthquake cycle (the coseismic slip and postseismic relaxation) to the flexure caused by the observed sediment load, treating the crust as a thin elastic plate overlying a fluid substrate. -from Authors

Geology of the continental margin beneath Santa Monica Bay, Southern California, from seismic-reflection data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fisher, M.A.; Normark, W.R.; Bohannon, R.G.; Sliter, R.W.; Calvert, A.J.

2003-01-01

We interpret seismic-reflection data, which were collected in Santa Monica Bay using a 70-in3 generator-injector air gun, to show the geologic structure of the continental shelf and slope and of the deep-water, Santa Monica and San Pedro Basins. The goal of this research is to investigate the earthquake hazard posed to urban areas by offshore faults. These data reveal that northwest of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the Palos Verdes Fault neither offsets the seafloor nor cuts through an undeformed sediment apron that postdates the last sea level rise. Other evidence indicates that this fault extends northwest beneath the shelf in the deep subsurface. However, other major faults in the study area, such as the Dume and San Pedro Basin Faults, were active recently, as indicated by an arched seafloor and offset shallow sediment. Rocks under the lower continental slope are deformed to differing degrees on opposite sides of Santa Monica Canyon. Northwest of this canyon, the continental slope is underlain by a little-deformed sediment apron; the main structures that deform this apron are two lower-slope anticlines that extend toward Point Dume and are cored by faults showing reverse or thrust separation. Southeast of Santa Monica Canyon, lower-slope rocks are deformed by a complex arrangement of strike-slip, normal, and reverse faults. The San Pedro Escarpment rises abruptly along the southeast side of Santa Monica Canyon. Reverse faults and folds underpinning this escarpment steepen progressively southeastward. Locally they form flower structures and cut downward into basement rocks. These faults merge downward with the San Pedro Basin fault zone, which is nearly vertical and strike slip. The escarpment and its attendant structures diverge from this strike-slip fault zone and extend for 60 km along the margin, separating the continental shelf from the deep-water basins. The deep-water Santa Monica Basin has large extent but is filled with only a thin (less than 1.5-km) section of what are probably post-Miocene rocks and sediment. Extrapolating ages obtained from Ocean Drilling Program site 1015 indicates that this sedimentary cover is Quaternary, possibly no older than 600 ka. Folds and faults along the base of the San Pedro Escarpment began to form during 8-13 ka ago. Refraction-velocity data show that high-velocity rocks, probably the Catalina Schist or Miocene volcanic rocks, underlie the sedimentary section. The San Pedro Basin developed along a strike-slip fault, widens to the southeast, and is deformed by faults having apparent reverse separation and by folds near Redondo Canyon and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Strengthening of synthetic quartz-rich sediments during time-dependent compaction due to pressure solution-precipitation compaction creep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noda, H.; Okazaki, K.; Katayama, I.

2013-12-01

During diagenesis, incohesive sediments are compacted and gain strength against shear deformation for a geologically long time scale. The evolution of shear strength as well as the change in the mechanical and hydraulic characteristics under shear deformation is of significant importance in considering deformation at shallow part of the subduction zones and in accretionary prisms. Sediments after induration due to time-dependent diagenesis process probably deform with increases in porosity and permeability much more significantly than normally compacted incohesive sediments. An active fault in a shallow incohesive medium may favor thermal pressurization of pore fluid when slid rapidly, while the lack of time-dependent healing effect may cause stable (e.g., rate-strengthening) frictional property there. On the other hand, indurated sediments may deform with significant post-failure weakening, and thus exhibit localization of deformation or unstable behavior. In order to investigate how the time-dependent compaction and induration affect the mechanical and hydraulic characteristics of sediments under deformation, we have conducted a series of compaction experiments under hydrothermal conditions (at temperatures from R.T. to 500 °C, 200 MPa confining pressure, 100 MPa pore water pressure, and for various time), and following triaxial deformation experiments for the compacted samples, with monitoring permeability and storage capacity with pore pressure oscillation method [Fischer and Paterson, 1992]. Previous work [e.g., Niemeijer et at., 2003] reported that under the adopted conditions, quartz aggregate deforms by pressure solution-precipitation creep. The initial synthetic sediments have been prepared by depositing commercially available crushed quartzite the grain size of which is about 6 μm on average. 4 cm long samples have been extracted from the middle of 10 cm long deposited columns. The experiments have been performed with a gas-medium apparatus in Hiroshima University. As the compaction time and temperature increases, compressional strain increases and the synthetic sediments gain shear strength, flow stress during triaxial deformation tests. An uncooked sample yielded immediately on application of differential stress, and showed strengthening during triaxial deformation test with σ1-σ3 about 150 MPa at 0.1 compressional strain. On the other hand, a sample compacted at 500 °C for 5 hours (about 0.1 of isotropic compressional strain) deformed mainly elastically up to about 100 MPa differential stress. At 0.02 compressional strain σ1-σ3 reached 200 MPa which is the experimental limitation due to compressional strength of porous alumina spacers. In the presentation, we will focus on the relation between mechanical behavior under shear and the compressional strain during preceding compaction experiments.

Neogene deformation of thrust-top Rzeszów Basin (Outer Carpathians, Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uroda, Joanna

2015-04-01

The Rzeszów Basin is a 220 km2 basin located in the frontal part of Polish Outer Carpathians fold-and-thrust belt. Its sedimentary succession consist of ca. 600 m- thick Miocene evaporates, litoral and marine sediments. This basin developed between Babica-Kąkolówka anticline and frontal thrust of Carpathian Orogen. Rzeszów thrust-top basin is a part of Carpathian foreland basin system- wedge-top depozone. The sediments of wedge -top depozone were syntectonic deformed, what is valuable tool to understand kinematic history of the orogen. Analysis of field and 3D seismic reflection data showed the internal structure of the basin. Seismic data reveal the presence of fault-bend-folds in the basement of Rzeszów basin. The architecture of the basin - the presence of fault-releated folds - suggest that the sediments were deformed in last compressing phase of Carpathian Orogen deformation. Evolution of Rzeszów Basin is compared with Bonini et.al. (1999) model of thrust-top basin whose development is controlled by the kinematics of two competing thrust anticlines. Analysis of seismic and well data in Rzeszów basin suggest that growth sediments are thicker in south part of the basin. During the thrusting the passive rotation of the internal thrust had taken place, what influence the basin fill architecture and depocentre migration opposite to thrust propagation. Acknowledgments This study was supported by grant No 2012/07/N/ST10/03221 of the Polish National Centre of Science "Tectonic activity of the Skole Nappe based on analysis of changes in the vertical profile and depocentre migration of Neogene sediments in Rzeszów-Strzyżów area (Outer Carpathians)". Seismic data by courtesy of the Polish Gas and Oil Company. References Bonini M., Moratti G., Sani F., 1999, Evolution and depocentre migration in thrust-top basins: inferences from the Messinian Velona Basin (Northern Apennines, Italy), Tectonophysics 304, 95-108.

Surface slip and off-fault deformation patterns in the 2013 MW 7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake: Implications for controls on the distribution of near-surface coseismic slip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zinke, Robert; Hollingsworth, James; Dolan, James F.

2014-12-01

Comparison of 398 fault offsets measured by visual analysis of WorldView high-resolution satellite imagery with deformation maps produced by COSI-Corr subpixel image correlation of Landsat-8 and SPOT5 imagery reveals significant complexity and distributed deformation along the 2013 Mw 7.7 Balochistan, Pakistan earthquake. Average slip along the main trace of the fault was 4.2 m, with local maximum offsets up to 11.4 m. Comparison of slip measured from offset geomorphic features, which record localized slip along the main strand of the fault, to the total displacement across the entire width of the surface deformation zone from COSI-Corr reveals ˜45% off-fault deformation. While previous studies have shown that the structural maturity of the fault exerts a primary control on the total percentage of off-fault surface deformation, large along-strike variations in the percentage of strain localization observed in the 2013 rupture imply the influence of important secondary controls. One such possible secondary control is the type of near-surface material through which the rupture propagated. We therefore compared the percentage off-fault deformation to the type of material (bedrock, old alluvium, and young alluvium) at the surface and the distance of the fault to the nearest bedrock outcrop (a proxy for sediment thickness along this hybrid strike slip/reverse slip fault). We find significantly more off-fault deformation in younger and/or thicker sediments. Accounting for and predicting such off-fault deformation patterns has important implications for the interpretation of geologic slip rates, especially for their use in probabilistic seismic hazard assessments, the behavior of near-surface materials during coseismic deformation, and the future development of microzonation protocols for the built environment.

Assessing sediments from Upper Mississippi River navigational pools using a benthic invertebrate community evaluation and the sediment quality triad approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Canfield, T.J.; Brunson, E.L.; Dwyer, F.J.; Ingersoll, C.G.; Kemble, N.E.

1998-01-01

Benthic invertebrate samples were collected from 23 pools in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) and from one station in the Saint Croix River (SCR) as part of a study to assess the effects of the extensive flooding of 1993 on sediment contamination in the UMR system. Sediment contaminants of concern included both organic and inorganic compounds. Oligochaetes and chironomids constituted over 80% of the total abundance in samples from 14 of 23 pools in the UMR and SCR samples. Fingernail clams comprised a large portion of the community in three of 23 UMR pools and exceeded abundances of 1,000/m2 in five of 23 pools. Total abundance ranged from 250/m2 in samples from pool 1 to 22,389/m2 in samples from pool 19. Abundance values are comparable with levels previously reported in the literature for the UMR. Overall frequency of chironomid mouthpart deformities was 3% (range 0-13%), which is comparable to reported incidence of deformities in uncontaminated sediments previously evaluated. Sediment contamination was generally low in the UMR pools and the SCR site. Correlations between benthic measures and sediment chemistry and other abiotic parameters exhibited few significant or strong correlations. The sediment quality triad (Triad) approach was used to evaluate data from laboratory toxicity tests, sediment chemistry, and benthic community analyses; it showed that 88% of the samples were not scored as impacted based on sediment toxicity, chemistry, and benthic measures. Benthic invertebrate distributions and community structure within the UMR in the samples evaluated in the present study were most likely controlled by factors independent of contaminant concentrations in the sediments.

Structural and microstructural evolution of fault zones in Cretaceous poorly lithified sandstones of the Rio do Peixe basin, Paraiba, NE Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balsamo, Fabrizio; Nogueira, Francisco; Storti, Fabrizio; Bezerra, Francisco H. R.; De Carvalho, Bruno R.; André De Souza, Jorge

2017-04-01

In this contribution we describe the structural architecture and microstructural features of fault zones developed in Cretaceous, poorly lithified sandstones of the Rio do Peixe basin, NE Brazil. The Rio do Peixe basin is an E-W-trending, intracontinental half-graben basin developed along the Precambrian Patos shear zone where it is abutted by the Porto Alegre shear zone. The basin formed during rifting between South America and Africa plates and was reactivated and inverted in a strike-slip setting during the Cenozoic. Sediments filling the basin consist of an heterolithic sequence of alternating sandstones, conglomerates, siltstone and clay-rich layers. These lithologies are generally poorly lithified far from the major fault zones. Deformational structures in the basin mostly consist of deformation band-dominated fault zones. Extensional and strike-slip fault zones, clusters of deformation bands, and single deformation bands are commonly well developed in the proximity of the basin-boundary fault systems. All deformation structures are generally in positive relief with respect to the host rocks. Extensional fault zones locally have growth strata in their hangingwall blocks and have displacement generally <10 m. In map view, they are organized in anastomosed segments with high connectivity. They strike E-W to NE-SW, and typically consist of wide fault cores (< 1 m in width) surrounded by up to few-meter wide damage zones. Fault cores are characterized by distributed deformation without pervasive strain localization in narrow shear bands, in which bedding is transposed into foliation imparted by grain preferred orientation. Microstructural observations show negligible cataclasis and dominant non-destructive particulate flow, suggesting that extensional fault zones developed in soft-sediment conditions in a water-saturated environment. Strike-slip fault zones commonly overprint the extensional ones and have displacement values typically lower than about 2 m. They are arranged in conjugate system consisting of NNW-SSE- and WNW-ESE-trending fault zones with left-lateral and right-lateral kinematics, respectively. Compared to extensional fault zones, strike-slip fault zones have narrow fault cores (few cm thick) and up to 2-3 m-thick damage zones. Microstructural observations indicate that cataclasis with pervasive grain size reduction is the dominant deformation mechanisms within the fault core, thus suggesting that late-stage strike-slip faulting occurred when sandstones were partially lithified by diagenetic processes. Alternatively, the change in deformation mechanisms may indicate faulting at greater depth. Structural and microstructural data suggest that fault zones in the Rio do Peixe basin developed in a progression from "ductile" (sensu Rutter, 1986) to more "brittle" deformation during changes from extensional to strike-slip kinematic fields. Such rheological and stress configuration evolution is expected to impact the petrophysical and permeability structure of fault zones in the study area.

Kinematic analysis of melange fabrics: Examples and applications from the McHugh Complex, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kusky, T.M.; Bradley, D.C.

1999-01-01

Permian to Cretaceous melange of the McHugh Complex on the Kenai Peninsula, south-central Alaska includes blocks and belts of graywacke, argillite, limestone, chert, basalt, gabbro, and ultramafic rocks, intruded by a variety of igneous rocks. An oceanic plate stratigraphy is repeated hundreds of times across the map area, but most structures at the outcrop scale extend lithological layering. Strong rheological units occur as blocks within a matrix that flowed around the competent blocks during deformation, forming broken formation and melange. Deformation was noncoaxial, and disruption of primary layering was a consequence of general strain driven by plate convergence in a relatively narrow zone between the overriding accretionary wedge and the downgoing, generally thinly sedimented oceanic plate. Soft-sediment deformation processes do not appear to have played a major role in the formation of the melange. A model for deformation at the toe of the wedge is proposed in which layers oriented at low angles to ??1 are contracted in both the brittle and ductile regimes, layers at 30-45??to ??1 are extended in the brittle regime and contracted in the ductile regime, and layers at angles greater than 45??to ??1 are extended in both the brittle and ductile regimes. Imbrication in thrust duplexes occurs at deeper levels within the wedge. Many structures within melange of the McHugh Complex are asymmetric and record kinematic information consistent with the inferred structural setting in an accretionary wedge. A displacement field for the McHugh Complex on the lower Kenai Peninsula includes three belts: an inboard belt of Late Triassic rocks records west-to-east-directed slip of hanging walls, a central belt of predominantly Early Jurassic rocks records north-south directed displacements, and Early Cretaceous rocks in an outboard belt preserve southwest-northeast directed slip vectors. Although precise ages of accretion are unknown, slip directions are compatible with inferred plate motions during the general time frame of accretion of the McHugh Complex. The slip vectors are interpreted to preserve the convergence directions between the overriding and underriding plates, which became more oblique with time. They are not considered indicative of strain partitioning into belts of orogen-parallel and orogen-perpendicular displacements, because the kinematic data are derived from the earliest preserved structures, whereas fabrics related to strain partitioning would be expected to be superimposed on earlier accretion-related fabrics.Permian to Cretaceous melange of the McHugh Complex on the Kenai Peninsula, south-central Alaska includes blocks and belts of graywacke, argillite, limestone, chert, basalt, gabbro, and ultramafic rocks, intruded by a variety of igneous rocks. An oceanic plate stratigraphy is repeated hundreds of times across the map area, but most structures at the outcrop scale extend lithological layering. Strong rheological units occur as blocks within a matrix that flowed around the competent blocks during deformation, forming broken formation and melange. Deformation was noncoaxial, and disruption of primary layering was a consequence of general strain driven by plate convergence in a relatively narrow zone between the overriding accretionary wedge and the downgoing, generally thinly sedimented oceanic plate. Soft-sediment deformation processes do not appear to have played a major role in the formation of the melange. A model for deformation at the toe of the wedge is proposed in which layers oriented at low angles to ??1 are contracted in both the brittle and ductile regimes, layers at 30-45?? to ??1 are extended in the brittle regime and contracted in the ductile regime, and layers at angles greater than 45?? to ??1 are extended in both the brittle and ductile regimes. Imbrication in thrust duplexes occurs at deeper levels within the wedge. Many structures within melange of the McHugh Complex are asymmetric and record

Map showing distribution of small-scale deformation structures in a part of the upper coastal plain of South Carolina and adjacent Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

McDowell, R.C.; Houser, B.B.

1983-01-01

Fieldwork was done principally by vehicle along roads, but also included railroad cuts and excavation sites, such as quarries and landfills. Natural exposures are rare and provided no examples of deformation structures for this study. The geologic units exposed in the area are chiefly clastic sediments deposited in nearshore marine to continental environments. They include semi-consolidated sand, silt, clay, and rare thin impure limestone beds of Late Cretaceous to Eocene age (fig. 2). These sedimentary beds generally have a gentle regional dip to the southeast (Faye and Prowell, 1982, p. 6).

Dilatant shear band formation and diagenesis in calcareous, arkosic sandstones, Vienna Basin (Austria)

PubMed Central

Lommatzsch, Marco; Exner, Ulrike; Gier, Susanne; Grasemann, Bernhard

2015-01-01

The present study examines deformation bands in calcareous arkosic sands. The investigated units can be considered as an equivalent to the Matzen field in the Vienna Basin (Austria), which is one of the most productive oil reservoirs in central Europe. The outcrop exposes carbonate-free and carbonatic sediments of Badenian age separated by a normal fault. Carbonatic sediments in the hanging wall of the normal fault develop dilation bands with minor shear displacements (< 2 mm), whereas carbonate-free sediments in the footwall develop cataclastic shear bands with up to 70 cm displacement. The cataclastic shear bands show a permeability reduction up to 3 orders of magnitude and strong baffling effects in the vadose zone. Carbonatic dilation bands show a permeability reduction of 1-2 orders of magnitude and no baffling structures. We distinguished two types of deformation bands in the carbonatic units, which differ in deformation mechanisms, distribution and composition. Full-cemented bands form as dilation bands with an intense syn-kinematic calcite cementation, whereas the younger loose-cemented bands are dilatant shear bands cemented by patchy calcite and clay minerals. All analyzed bands are characterized by a porosity and permeability reduction caused by grain fracturing and cementation. The changed petrophysical properties and especially the porosity evolution are closely related to diagenetic processes driven by varying pore fluids in different diagenetic environments. The deformation band evolution and sealing capacity is controlled by the initial host rock composition. PMID:26300577

Dynamic Passage of Topography Beneath the Southern Costa Rica Forearc seen with Seismic Stratigraphy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, J. H.; Kluesner, J. W.; Silver, E. A.

2014-12-01

3D seismic reflection data (CRISP) collected across the southern Costa Rica margin reveals that a thick, deforming sedimentary wedge underlies the younger slope sediments (Silver et al., this meeting). The older wedge material and younger slope sediments are separated by a high-amplitude regional unconformity. Seismic stratigraphy of the sedimentary strata overlying this regional unconformity reflects a dynamic deformation history of the margin. The younger slope sediments contain series of more localized unconformities, separating sedimentary units as thick as 1 km that reveal a dynamically changing set of inverted, overlapping basins. The geometry of these overlapping, inverted basins indicate sequential uplift events. The direction of basin thickening varies upsection, and these basins are cut by both thrust and normal faults and are deformed by folding. Structural development appears to be controlled by relief on the subducting plate interface, which induces uplift and subsidence and thereby controls the pattern of erosion and deposition. We interpret the evolution of these inverted stratigraphic packages as forming from subducting topography. Correlating these seismic-stratigraphic packages to recent drilling based on preliminary magnetostratigraphy from IODP site U1413 (Expedition 344 Scientists, 2013), allows us to date the passage of the subducting plate topography beginning ~2 Ma.

Soft sediment deformation associated with the East Patna Fault south of the Ganga River, northern India: Influence of the Himalayan tectonics on the southern Ganga plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Aditya K.; Pati, Pitambar; Sharma, Vijay

2017-08-01

The geomorphic, tectonic and seismic aspects of the Ganga plain have been studied by several workers in the recent decades. However, the northern part of this tectonically active plain has been the prime focus in most of the studies. The region to the south of the Ganga River requires necessary attention, especially, regarding the seismic activities. The region lying immediately south of the Outer Himalayas (i.e. the Ganga plain) responds to the stress regime of the Himalayan Frontal Thrust Zone by movement along the existing basement faults (extending from the Indian Peninsula) and creating new surface faults within the sediment cover as well. As a result, several earthquakes have been recorded along these basement faults, such as the great earthquakes of 1934 and 1988 associated with the East Patna Fault. Large zones of ground failure and liquefaction in north Bihar (close to the Himalayan front), have been recorded associated with these earthquakes. The present study reports the soft sediment deformation structures from the south Bihar associated with the prehistoric earthquakes near the East Patna Fault for the first time. The seismites have been observed in the riverine sand bed of the Dardha River close to the East Patna Fault. Several types of liquefaction-induced deformation structures such as pillar and pocket structure, thixotropic wedge, liquefaction cusps and other water escape structures have been identified. The location of the observed seismites within the deformed zone of the East Patna Fault clearly indicates their formation due to activities along this fault. However, the distance of the liquefaction site from the recorded epicenters suggests its dissociation with the recorded earthquakes so far and hence possibly relates to any prehistoric seismic event. The occurrence of the earthquakes of a magnitude capable of forming liquefaction structure in the southern Ganga plain indicates the transfer of stress regime far from the Himalayan front into the peninsular region through these basement faults. Northward extension of the East Patna Fault coincides with the region of the Himalayan front, which corresponds to a less slip potential. Therefore, an association of frequent earthquakes in this region indicates strain release along the East Patna Fault.

Oblique Collision of the Leeward Antilles, Offshore Venezuela: Linking Onshore and Offshore Data from BOLIVAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beardsley, A. G.; Avé Lallemant, H. G.; Levander, A.; Clark, S. A.

2006-12-01

The kinematic history of the Leeward Antilles (offshore Venezuela) can be characterized with the integration of onshore outcrop data and offshore seismic reflection data. Deformation structures and seismic interpretation show that oblique convergence and wrench tectonics have controlled the diachronous deformation identified along the Caribbean - South America plate boundary. Field studies of structural features in outcrop indicate one generation of ductile deformation (D1) structures and three generations of brittle deformation (F1 - F3) structures. The earliest deformation (D1/F1) began ~ 110 Ma with oblique convergence between the Caribbean plate and South American plate. The second generation of deformation (F2) structures initiated in the Eocene with the extensive development of strike-slip fault systems along the diffuse plate boundary and the onset of wrench tectonics within a large-scale releasing bend. The most recent deformation (F3) has been observed in the west since the Miocene where continued dextral strike-slip motion has led to the development of a major restraining bend between the Caribbean plate transform fault and the Oca - San Sebastian - El Pilar fault system. Deformation since the late Cretaceous has been accompanied by a total of 135° clockwise rotation. Interpretation of 2D marine reflection data indicates similar onshore and offshore deformation trends. Seismic lines that approximately parallel the coastline (NW-SE striking) show syndepositional normal faulting during F1/F2 and thrust faulting associated with F3. On seismic lines striking NNE-SSW, we interpret inversion of F2 normal faults with recent F3 deformation. We also observe both normal and thrust faults related to F3. The thick sequence of recent basin sedimentation (Miocene - Recent), interpreted from the seismic data, supports the ongoing uplift and erosion of the islands; as suggested by fluid inclusion analysis. Overall, there appears to be a strong correlation between onshore micro- and mesoscopic deformational structures and offshore macro-scale structural features seen in the reflection data. The agreement of features supports our regional deformation and rotation model along the Caribbean - South America obliquely convergent plate boundary.

Detrital record of initial basement exhumation along the Laramide deformation front, southern Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bush, Meredith A.; Horton, Brian K.; Murphy, Michael A.; Stockli, Daniel F.

2016-09-01

New geochronological constraints on upper crustal exhumation in the southern Rocky Mountains help delineate the latest Cretaceous-Paleogene history of drainage reorganization and landscape evolution during Laramide flat-slab subduction beneath western North America. Detrital zircon U-Pb results for the Raton basin of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico define the inception of coarse-grained siliciclastic sedimentation and a distinctive shift in provenance, from distal to proximal sources, that recorded shortening-related uplift and unroofing along the Laramide deformation front of the northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This Maastrichtian-early Paleocene ( 70-65 Ma) change—from distal foreland accumulation of sediment derived from the thin-skinned Cordilleran (Sevier) fold-thrust belt to coarse-grained sedimentation proximal to a Laramide basement block uplift—reflects cratonward (eastward) deformation advance and reorganization of drainage systems that supplied a large volume of Paleocene-lower Eocene sediments to the Gulf of Mexico. The timing of unroofing along the eastern deformation front is synchronous with basement-involved shortening across the interior of the Laramide province, suggesting abrupt wholesale uplift rather than a systematic inboard advance of deformation. The growth and infilling of broken foreland basins within the interior and margins of the Laramide province had a significant impact on continental-scale drainage systems, as several ponded/axial Laramide basins trapped large volumes of sediment and induced reorganization of major source-to-sink sediment pathways.

From Subduction to a Compressional transform system: Diffuse Deformation Processes at the Southeastern Boundary of the Caribbean Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deville, E.; Padron, C.; Huyghe, P.; Callec, Y.; Lallemant, S.; Lebrun, J.; Mascle, A.; Mascle, G.; Noble, M.

2006-12-01

Geophysical data acquired in the southeastern Caribbean marine area (CARAMBA survey of the French O/V Atalante) provide new information about the deformation processes occurring in this subduction-to-strike-slip transitions zone. The 65 000 km2 of multibeam data and 5600 km of seismic reflection and 3.5 kHz profiles which have been collected evidence that the connection between the Barbados accretionary prism and the south Caribbean transform system is partitioned between a wide variety of recently active tectonic superficial features (complex folding, diffuse faulting, and mud volcanism), which accommodate the relative displacement between the Caribbean and the South America plates. The active deformation within the sedimentary pile is mostly aseismic (creeping) and this deformation is relatively diffuse over a large diffuse plate boundary. There is no direct fault connection between the front of the Barbados prism and the strike-slip system of northern Venezuela. The toe thrust system at the southern edge of the Barbados prism, exhibits clear en-echelon geometry. The geometry of the syntectonic deposits evidence the diachronism of the deformation processes. Notably, it is well evidenced that early folds have been sealed by the recent turbidite deposits, whereas, some of the fold and thrust structures were active recently. Within this active compressional region, extension growth faults develop on the platform and on the slope of the Orinoco delta along a WNW-ESE trending en-echelon fault system that we called the Orinoco Delta Fault Zone (ODFZ). This fault system is clearly oblique with respect to the present-day Orinoco delta slope. These faults are not simply related to a passive gravitary collapse of the sediments accumulated on the Orinoco platform. Though there a decoupling between the shallow deformation processes in the sediments and the deep deformation characterized by earthquake activity, the ODFZ is inferred to be partly controlled by deep structures associated the shearing of the lithosphere at depth (probably at the Continent-Ocean Boundary).

Fault structure, properties and activity of the Makran Accretionary Prism and implications for seismogenic potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, G. L.; McNeill, L. C.; Henstock, T.; Bull, J. M.

2011-12-01

The Makran subduction zone is the widest accretionary prism in the world (~400km), generated by convergence between the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates. It represents a global end-member, with a 7km thick incoming sediment section. Accretionary prisms have traditionally been thought to be aseismic due to the presence of unconsolidated sediment and elevated basal pore pressures. The seismogenic potential of the Makran subduction zone is unclear, despite a Mw 8.1 earthquake in 1945 that may have been located on the plate boundary beneath the prism. In this study, a series of imbricate landward dipping (seaward verging) thrust faults have been interpreted across the submarine prism (outer 70 km) using over 6000km of industry multichannel seismic data and bathymetric data. A strong BSR (bottom simulating reflector) is present throughout the prism (excluding the far east). An unreflective décollement is interpreted from the geometry of the prism thrusts. Two major sedimentary units are identified in the input section, the lower of which contains the extension of the unreflective décollement surface. Between 60%-100% of the input section is currently being accreted. The geometry of piggy-back basin stratigraphy shows that the majority of thrusts, including those over 50km from the trench, are recently active. Landward thrusts show evidence for reactivation after periods of quiescence. Negative polarity fault plane reflectors are common in the frontal thrusts and in the eastern prism, where they may be related to increased fault activity and fluid expulsion, and are rarer in older landward thrusts. Significant NE-SW trending basement structures (The Murray Ridge and Little Murray Ridge) on the Arabian plate intersect the deformation front and affect sediment input to the subduction zone. Prism taper and structure are apparently primarily controlled by sediment supply and the secondary influence of subducting basement ridges. The thick, likely distal, sediment section in the west produces a prism with a simple imbricate structure. As basement depth is reduced over the Little Murray Ridge, the accretionary prism structure (fault spacing and deformation front position) changes. In the east, proximity to the Murray Ridge and triple junction is expressed through a reduction in prism width and reduced fault activity. The resulting prism structure and morphology can ultimately be used to assess likely sediment properties and hence seismic potential at the plate boundary.

Using Airborne Radar Stratigraphy to Model Surface Accumulation Anomaly and Basal Control over Deformed Basal Ice in Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, I.; Bell, R. E.; Creyts, T. T.; Wolovick, M.

2013-12-01

Large deformed ice structures have been imaged at the base of northern Greenland ice sheet by IceBridge airborne radar. Numerous deformed structures lie along the base of both Petermann Glacier and Northeast Ice stream catchments covering 10-13% of the catchment area. These structures may be combinations of basal freeze-on and folded ice that overturns and inverts stratigraphy. In the interior, where the ice velocity is low, the radar imaged height of the deformed structures are frequently a significant fraction of the ice thickness. They are related to basal freeze on and stick-slip at the base of the ice sheet and may be triggered by subglacial water, sediments or local geological conditions. The larger ones (at times up to 700 m thick and 140 km long) perturb the ice stratigraphy and create prominent undulations on the ice surface and modify the local surface mass balance. Here, we investigate the relationship between the deformed structures and surface processes using shallow and deep ice radar stratigraphy. The surface undulations caused by the deformed structures modulate the pattern of local surface snow accumulation. Using normalized differences of several near-surface stratigraphic layers, we have calculated the accumulation anomaly over these deformed structures. The accumulation anomalies can be as high as 20% of the local surface accumulation over some of the larger surface depressions caused by these deformed structures. We observe distinct differences in the phases of the near-surface internal layers on the Petermann and Northeast catchments. These differences indicate that the deformed bodies over Petermann are controlled by conditions at the bed different from the Northeast Ice stream. The distinctly different near-surface stratigraphy over the deformed structures in the Petermann and Northeast catchments have opened up a number of questions including their formation and how they influence the ice dynamics, ice stratigraphy and surface mass balance. In this study we will model the different physical conditions at the bed and ice rheology from their distinct signatures in the near-surface strata. The results will identify the distinct mechanisms that form these bodies and their control over the surface morphology and snow accumulation.

Liquefaction features interpreted as seismites in the Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine deposits of the Neuquén Basin (Northern Patagonia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moretti, M.; Ronchi, A.

2011-04-01

Superbly exposed soft-sediment deformation structures in Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine deposits along the southern border of the depression area called Bajo de Añelo (Departamento de Añelo, Neuquén Basin) have been analysed. In the study area, five stratigraphic sections were measured in detail: facies distributions and stacking patterns show that these sediments result from the interaction between fluvial and lacustrine systems, represented by cross-bedded and rippled strata, and varved deposits. The lateral extent of the deformation is some hundred metres and the deformed bed involves the lower-mid part of the 30-metre-thick succession. Deformation affects about 1.5 m of coarse-grained sand, fine-grained sand and rare gravel alternations. The base and top of the deformed layer are defined by planar surfaces: undeformed beds of similar thickness, lithology and facies to the deformed layer occur above and below. Deformation is represented by a complex vertical succession of disturbed layers: each layer shows a general load-structure morphology. It can be described as a multilayered unstable density gradient system: in each bed a partial gravitational re-adjustment occurred after liquefaction. Unequal loading related to lateral variation of both bed thickness and grain packing and porosity is a probable additional driving force that can be described in the undeformed beds. Trigger mechanism recognition for the observed liquefaction features can be based on the study of the geometry of deformed beds and on facies analysis results. Two key factors drive our interpretation: (1) the occurrence of undeformed beds below and above the deformed bed; (2) deformed and undeformed beds showing the same sedimentological features. These field data allow us to exclude the action of internal erosive and/or sedimentary processes (such as overloading, wave action, etc.) as possible trigger agents for liquefaction since deformation is totally absent in beds with similar sedimentary features. Furthermore, each internal erosive and/or sedimentary process can be discussed and easily excluded by analysing its specific signature in the geological record. Having excluded every possible internal trigger (autokinetic processes), the observed liquefaction effects can reasonably be interpreted as seismically induced (allokinetic trigger). From this point of view, this deformed bed is an important record of seismic activity in this sector of the Neuquén Basin during the Pleistocene.

Influence of soil development on the geomorphic evolution of landscapes: An example from the Transverse Ranges of California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eppes, M. C.; McFadden, L. D.; Matti, J.; Powell, R.

2002-03-01

Soil development can significantly influence the topographic evolution of a tectonically deforming mountain piedmont. Faults and folds associated with the North Frontal thrust system deform piedmont sediments of variable compositions along the north flank of the San Bernardino Mountains. The topographic expressions of folds with similar structural characteristics diverge appreciably, primarily as a function of differences in sediment composition and associated soil development. Soils with petrocalcic horizons in limestone- rich deposits are resistant to erosion, and anticlinal folds form prominent ridges. Folds forming in granite-derived deposits with argillic soil horizons are eroded and/or buried and are therefore topographically less pronounced. We propose that these landform contrasts can be explained by differences in soil-controlled hydrologic and erosion characteristics of deposits without calling upon changes in tectonic style along the mountain front.

Mechanical and hydraulic properties of Nankai accretionary prism sediments: Effect of stress path

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitajima, Hiroko; Chester, Frederick M.; Biscontin, Giovanna

2012-10-01

We have conducted triaxial deformation experiments along different loading paths on prism sediments from the Nankai Trough. Different load paths of isotropic loading, uniaxial strain loading, triaxial compression (at constant confining pressure, Pc), undrained Pc reduction, drained Pc reduction, and triaxial unloading at constant Pc, were used to understand the evolution of mechanical and hydraulic properties under complicated stress states and loading histories in accretionary subduction zones. Five deformation experiments were conducted on three sediment core samples for the Nankai prism, specifically from older accreted sediments at the forearc basin, underthrust slope sediments beneath the megasplay fault, and overthrust Upper Shikoku Basin sediments along the frontal thrust. Yield envelopes for each sample were constructed based on the stress paths of Pc-reduction using the modified Cam-clay model, and in situ stress states of the prism were constrained using the results from the other load paths and accounting for horizontal stress. Results suggest that the sediments in the vicinity of the megasplay fault and frontal thrust are highly overconsolidated, and thus likely to deform brittle rather than ductile. The porosity of sediments decreases as the yield envelope expands, while the reduction in permeability mainly depends on the effective mean stress before yield, and the differential stress after yield. An improved understanding of sediment yield strength and hydromechanical properties along different load paths is necessary to treat accurately the coupling of deformation and fluid flow in accretionary subduction zones.

Tectonic signatures on active margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogarth, Leah Jolynn

High-resolution Compressed High-Intensity Radar Pulse (CHIRP) surveys offshore of La Jolla in southern California and the Eel River in northern California provide the opportunity to investigate the role of tectonics in the formation of stratigraphic architecture and margin morphology. Both study sites are characterized by shore-parallel tectonic deformation, which is largely observed in the structure of the prominent angular unconformity interpreted as the transgressive surface. Based on stratal geometry and acoustic character, we identify three sedimentary sequences offshore of La Jolla: an acoustically laminated estuarine unit deposited during early transgression, an infilling or "healing-phase" unit formed during the transgression, and an upper transparent unit. The estuarine unit is confined to the canyon edges in what may have been embayments during the last sea-level rise. The healing-phase unit appears to infill rough areas on the transgressive surface that may be related to relict fault structures. The upper transparent unit is largely controlled by long-wavelength tectonic deformation due to the Rose Canyon Fault. This unit is also characterized by a mid-shelf (˜40 m water depth) thickness high, which is likely a result of hydrodynamic forces and sediment grain size. On the Eel margin, we observe three distinct facies: a seaward-thinning unit truncated by the transgressive surface, a healing-phase unit confined to the edges of a broad structural high, and a highly laminated upper unit. The seaward-thinning wedge of sediment below the transgressive surface is marked by a number of channels that we interpret as distributary channels based on their morphology. Regional divergence of the sequence boundary and transgressive surface with up to ˜8 m of sediment preserved across the interfluves suggests the formation of subaerial accommodation during the lowstand. The healing-phase, much like that in southern California, appears to infill rough areas in the transgressive surface. Reflectors within the laminated upper unit exhibit divergence towards the Eel River Syncline, which suggests that deposition in the syncline is syntectonic. The transgressive surface is offset across the Eureka Anticline indicating deformation has occurred since ˜10 ka. The relief observed along the transgressive surface is consistent with deformation rates measured onshore.

Tectonic evolution of the outer Izu-Bonin-Mariana fore arc system: initial results from IODP Expedition 352

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, W.; Ferre, E. C.; Robertson, A. H. F.; Avery, A. J.; Kutterolf, S.

2015-12-01

During International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 352, a section through the volcanic stratigraphy of the outer fore arc of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) system was drilled to trace magmatism, tectonics, and crustal accretion associated with subduction initiation. Structures within drill cores, borehole and site survey seismic data indicate that tectonic deformation in the outer IBM fore arc is mainly post-magmatic. Extension generated asymmetric sediment basins such as half-grabens at sites 352-U1439 and 352-U1442 on the upper trench slope. Along their eastern margins the basins are bounded by west-dipping normal faults. Deformation was localized along multiple sets of faults, accompanied by syn-tectonic pelagic and volcaniclastic sedimentation. The lowermost sedimentary units were tilted eastward by ~20°. Tilted beds were covered by sub-horizontal beds. Biostratigraphic constraints reveal a minimum age of the oldest sediments at ~ 35 Ma; timing of the sedimentary unconformities is between ~ 27 and 32 Ma. At sites 352-U1440 and 352-U1441 on the outer fore arc strike-slip faults are bounding sediment basins. Sediments were not significantly affected by tectonic tilting. Biostratigraphy gives a minimum age of the basement-cover contact between ~29.5 and 32 Ma. The post-magmatic structures reveal a multiphase tectonic evolution of the outer IBM fore arc. At sites 352-U1439 and 352-U1442, shear with dominant reverse to oblique reverse displacement was localized along subhorizontal fault zones, steep slickensides and shear fractures. These were either re-activated as or cut by normal-faults and strike-slip faults. Extension was also accommodated by steep to subvertical mineralized veins and extensional fractures. Faults at sites 352-U1440 and 352-U1441 show mainly strike-slip kinematics. Sediments overlying the igneous basement(maximum Late Eocene to Recent age), document ash and aeolian input, together with mass wasting of the fault-bounded sediment ponds.

Teratogenic and genotoxic responses of larval Chironomus (Diptera) to contaminated sediments

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

Hudson, L.A.; Muir, K.; Ciborowski, J.J.H.

1994-12-31

Sediment-associated contaminants can produce developmental or genotoxic stresses independently of their cytotoxic effects. In the laboratory, the authors exposed Chironomus larvae to mixtures of polluted (either Detroit R., MI, or cadmium or benzo-[a]-pyrene-spiked) sediment diluted with uncontaminated, formulated sediment. Second-instar Chironomus nr. salinarius were grown to 4th star in water filled 1-L jars containing 300 mL of contaminated:formulated sediment mixture in ratios of 1:0, 1:1, 1:3, 1:7, 1:15 or 0:1. Surviving larvae were preserved in Carnoy`s solution. Each larva`s head was slide-mounted and examined for deformities of the mentum. Polytene chromosome preparations were made from salivary glands of the samemore » animals using acid fuschin staining and examined for reduced relative size of the nuclear organizer (NO) indicative of inhibition of RNA synthesis activity. Incidence of chironomid deformities from control (0:1) sediments ({plus_minus}I SE) was 7.9 {plus_minus} 1.6% (N = 268): 4.0 {plus_minus} 1.5% of 178 control larvae examined displayed NO reduction. Incidence of mentum deformities and of NO reduction increased linearly with each doubling of Detroit R. concentration at 1:0 for deformities; 12.2 {plus_minus} 3.5% (N = 149) for NO reductions. Reduction of NO in a larva was unrelated to mentum condition, indicating that these are independent responses to contaminant stress. Equivalent results were obtained for exposure to single-compound sediments. This is the first documentation of controlled dose-response effects of contaminants on chironomid deformities.« less

Structural and geochemical characteristics of faulted sediments and inferences on the role of water in deformatiion, Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Caine, Jonathan S.; Minor, S.A.

2009-01-01

The San Ysidro fault is a spectacularly exposed normal fault located in the northwestern Albuquerque Basin of the Rio Grande Rift. This intrabasin fault is representative of many faults that formed in poorly lithified sediments throughout the rift. The fault is exposed over nearly 10 km and accommodates nearly 700 m of dip slip in subhorizontal, siliciclastic sediments. The extent of the exposure facilitates study of along-strike variations in deformation mechanisms, archi tecture, geochemistry, and permeability. The fault is composed of structural and hydrogeologic components that include a clay-rich fault core, a calcite-cemented mixed zone, and a poorly developed damage zone primarily consisting of deformation bands. Structural textures suggest that initial deformation in the fault occurred at low temperature and pressure, was within the paleosaturated zone of the evolving Rio Grande Rift, and was dominated by particulate flow. Little geochemical change is apparent across the fault zone other than due to secondary processes. The lack of fault-related geochemical change is interpreted to reflect the fundamental nature of water-saturated, particulate fl ow. Early mechanical entrainment of low-permeability clays into the fault core likely caused damming of groundwater flow on the up-gradient, footwall side of the fault. This may have caused a pressure gradient and flow of calcite-saturated waters in higher-permeability, fault-entrained siliciclastic sediments, ultimately promoting their cementation by sparry calcite. Once developed, the cemented and clay-rich fault has likely been, and continues to be, a partial barrier to cross-fault groundwater flow, as suggested by petrophysical measurements. Aeromagnetic data indicate that there may be many more unmapped faults with similar lengths to the San Ysidro fault buried within Rio Grande basins. If these buried faults formed by the same processes that formed the San Ysidro fault and have persistent low-permeability cores and cemented mixed zones, they could compartmentalize the basin-fill aquifers more than is currently realized, particularly if pumping stresses continue to increase in response to population growth. ?? 2009 Geological Society of America.

Internal architecture, permeability structure, and hydrologic significance of contrasting fault-zone types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rawling, Geoffrey C.; Goodwin, Laurel B.; Wilson, John L.

2001-01-01

The Sand Hill fault is a steeply dipping, large-displacement normal fault that cuts poorly lithified Tertiary sediments of the Albuquerque basin, New Mexico, United States. The fault zone does not contain macroscopic fractures; the basic structural element is the deformation band. The fault core is composed of foliated clay flanked by structurally and lithologically heterogeneous mixed zones, in turn flanked by damage zones. Structures present within these fault-zone architectural elements are different from those in brittle faults formed in lithified sedimentary and crystalline rocks that do contain fractures. These differences are reflected in the permeability structure of the Sand Hill fault. Equivalent permeability calculations indicate that large-displacement faults in poorly lithified sediments have little potential to act as vertical-flow conduits and have a much greater effect on horizontal flow than faults with fractures.

Liquification and soft-sediment deformation in a limestone megabreccia: The Ayabacas giant collapse, Cretaceous, southern Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callot, Pierre; Odonne, Francis; Sempere, Thierry

2008-12-01

In the back-arc basin of southern Peru, the bulk of the mid-Cretaceous carbonate platform collapsed near the Turonian-Coniacian boundary (~ 90-89 Ma), due to slope creation and resulting oversteepening. The resulting mass-wasting deposits, namely the Ayabacas Formation, consist of a megabreccia which is organised from NE to SW in relation with two major fault systems. Facies of sediment reworking (such as brecciation, liquification, sedimentary dykes and soft-sediment deformation) are described and four types of resedimentation facies are define. In the northeastern part of the study area, deposits mainly consist of a mixture of very heterometric clasts and blocks (millimetric to kilometric in size), mainly carbonate but also sandy-marly in nature, floating in sandy-marly matrix that exhibits features of liquification (sedimentary dykes and flows) and plastic deformation. Here, resedimentation facies are characterized by deformations and a brecciated facies at each observation scale (from aerial photographs to thin sections) and are therefore defined as fractal or multi-scale breccias. Some clasts and large amounts of the matrix were derived from the underlying clay-rich sandstones of the Murco Formation. These materials were prone to liquification and plastic deformation, allowing them to act as a sliding sole that facilitated the slides and the downslope movement of large limestone rafts. In the southwestern part of the study area, only limestone breccias are observed, in alternation with well-stratified levels. The sliding sole of plastically deformable siliciclastic sediments that previously acted as a lubricating layer was not present here, as materials were more deeply buried. Variations in the degree of sediment lithification from northeast to southwest are inferred to have existed before the collapse and also within the sedimentary succession in the northeastern part. In particular, limestones were well-cemented at the base of the carbonate succession and formed a cap that prevented water to escape from the underlying siliciclastic materials. Such a succession allowed the formation of limestone clasts and of a slide sole constituted by water-saturated siliciclastic materials. In the southern part of the study area, the slide surface was located within the Murco Formation in the upper part of the collapse and just above the Murco Formation downslope. The collapse was frontally confined as it was blocked downslope by a topographic high that folded the whole limestone succession. In the northern part of the study area, the slide surface was also within the Murco Formation in the upper part, but occurs within the limestone succession downslope, due to higher subsidence that buried the sediments more deeply. The compressional structures affecting the limestone succession in the south are not observed there, suggesting that the toe of the collapse was not blocked here.

Shallow methane hydrate system controls ongoing, downslope sediment transport in a low-velocity active submarine landslide complex, Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mountjoy, Joshu J.; Pecher, Ingo; Henrys, Stuart; Crutchley, Gareth; Barnes, Philip M.; Plaza-Faverola, Andreia

2014-11-01

Morphological and seismic data from a submarine landslide complex east of New Zealand indicate flow-like deformation within gas hydrate-bearing sediment. This "creeping" deformation occurs immediately downslope of where the base of gas hydrate stability reaches the seafloor, suggesting involvement of gas hydrates. We present evidence that, contrary to conventional views, gas hydrates can directly destabilize the seafloor. Three mechanisms could explain how the shallow gas hydrate system could control these landslides. (1) Gas hydrate dissociation could result in excess pore pressure within the upper reaches of the landslide. (2) Overpressure below low-permeability gas hydrate-bearing sediments could cause hydrofracturing in the gas hydrate zone valving excess pore pressure into the landslide body. (3) Gas hydrate-bearing sediment could exhibit time-dependent plastic deformation enabling glacial-style deformation. We favor the final hypothesis that the landslides are actually creeping seafloor glaciers. The viability of rheologically controlled deformation of a hydrate sediment mix is supported by recent laboratory observations of time-dependent deformation behavior of gas hydrate-bearing sands. The controlling hydrate is likely to be strongly dependent on formation controls and intersediment hydrate morphology. Our results constitute a paradigm shift for evaluating the effect of gas hydrates on seafloor strength which, given the widespread occurrence of gas hydrates in the submarine environment, may require a reevaluation of slope stability following future climate-forced variation in bottom-water temperature.

3-D Wave-Structure Interaction with Coastal Sediments - A Multi-Physics/Multi-Solution-Techniques Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

element method (BEM). Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and the particle finite element method ( PFEM ) will be used in the water/mine/sand domain...and deformable sandy seabed (median grain diameter: 0.2 mm) 12 SOLID/FEM SAND/SPH GEOMATERIALS FNPF/BEM FNPF/BEMRANS/ PFEM

Paleoseismological multi-theme study of seismically induced geological effects at Vendicari (south-eastern Sicily).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pirrotta, Claudia; Serafina Barbano, Maria

2010-05-01

Strong earthquakes can produce direct and permanent geological effects on the earth surface. Beyond surface faulting, other effects, such as landslides, liquefactions and ground deformations (seismites), take place in the epicentral area as a consequence of the seismic wave propagation in the sediments. Since the last three decades only, these features have been considered indicators of seismicity and their analysis (paleoseismological off-fault study) has been used as an useful tool for obtaining crucial information on the causative earthquake parameters. Such analyses are especially useful in areas where earthquakes occurred before the seismic instrument development or without clear evidence of surface faulting. Since paleoseismology is a youth discipline, the integration of innovative and multidisciplinary techniques and the updating of the case studies on seismites is of fundamental importance. During historical time south-eastern Sicily has been hit by strong earthquakes (M up to 7), such as the 1169, 1542 and 1693 events. Given the lack of surface faulting evidence, the real source location of these earthquakes is a still open question and represents the main gap of the Sicilian seismogenic framework, therefore paleosismological off-fault study can contribute to identify seismogenic sources. Along the NNE-SSW trending rocky coast of Vendicari, we detected a singular association of deformational structures affecting terrains up to Quaternary age. These structures are both soft sediment deformations (autoclastic breccias, diapyr-like injections, dikes and thyxotropic wedges), probably linked to liquefaction mechanisms, and fragile deformations, consisting of opened fractures generally filled by sediment (Neptunian dykes). With the aim to define the deformation mechanisms that affected the deposits at Vendicari, we studied in detail the local stratigraphic sequence and the deformational structures, performing a mesostructural study of the fractures and the analysis of the microscopic characteristic of the filling materials, as well. The systematic and paleostress analyses of the fractures highlighted a high variability in the architectural style and a high dispersion of the plane direction. This is probably linked to more than one deformative mechanism concurring in their development and masking the stress field. A coseismic brittle deformation, linked to the shaking and to the seismic wave propagation, and a lateral spreading and settlement mechanism with fissuring parallel to the coastline (driven by gravity under a moderate topographic gradients), are proposed as probable causes of the fracture development together with the tectonic stress field. However, the analysis of the fractures, filtered and cleaned up from the contribute of the disturb mechanisms, shows a stress field characterized by a probable NW-SE-trending σ1,which iscompatible with the active regional stress. The occurrence of violent coseismic deformation should be also testified by the development of the liquefaction-driven soft sediment deformations, observed in the area, that reveals the application of an horizontal shear stress and of a sudden high hydraulic pressure. The overall analysis of seismites at Vendicari highlights the occurrence of at least three triggering events, occurred after the Pleistocene age. They could be tentatively associate with the historical 1169, 1542 and 1693 earthquakes (I0 ≥X) or with similar or strongest paleoevents, considering the minimum epicentral distances and the minimum intensity at a site (Is ≥ IX) for which an earthquake is capable to induce these association of seismites. The paleoseismological study at Vendicari allowed us to upgrade the paleoseimological off-fault techniques and to increase the study cases in Sicily. Moreover, this study provides, if integrated with similar studies at regional scale, new and useful information on ancient earthquakes in a high-seismicity area like eastern Sicily, for a better characterization of the seismogenic sources.

Grain size and shape evolution of experimentally deformed sediments: the role of slip rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balsamo, Fabrizio; Storti, Fabrizio; De Paola, Nicola

2016-04-01

Sediment deformation within fault zones occurs with a broad spectrum of mechanisms which, in turn, depend on intrinsic material properties (porosity, grain size and shape, etc.) and external factors (burial depth, fluid pressure, stress configuration, etc.). Fieldworks and laboratory measurements conducted in the last years in sediments faulted at shallow depth showed that cataclasis and grain size reduction can occur very close to the Earth surface (<1-2 km), and that fault displacement is one of the parameters controlling the amount of grain size, shape, and microtextural modifications in fault cores. In this contribution, we present a new set of microstructural observations combined with grain size and shape distribution data obtained from quart-feldspatic loose sediments (mean grain diameter 0.2 mm) experimentally deformed at different slip rates from subseismic (0.01 mm/s, 0.1 mm/s, 1 mm/s, 1 cm/s, and 10 cm/s) to coseismic slip rates (1 m/s). The experiments were originally performed at sigma n=14 MPa, with the same amount of slip (1.3 m), to constrain the frictional properties of such sediments at shallow confining pressures (<1 km). After the experiments, the granular materials deformed in the 0.1-1 mm-thick slip zones were prepared for both grain size distribution analyses and microstructural and textural analyses in thin sections. Grain size distribution analyses were obtained with a Malvern Mastersizer 3000 particle size laser-diffraction analyser, whereas grain shape data (angularity) were obtained by using image analysis technique on selected SEM-photomicrographs. Microstructural observations were performed at different scales with a standard optical microscope and with a SEM. Results indicate that mean grain diameter progressively decreases with increasing slip rates up to ~20-30 m, and that granulometric curves systematically modify as well, shifting toward finer grain sizes. Obtained fractal dimensions (D) indicate that D increases from ~2.3 up to >3 moving from subseismic to coseismic slip rates. Grain angularity also changes with increasing slip rates, being particles more smoothed and rounded in sediments deformed at coseismic slip rates. As a whole, our results indicate that both grain size and shape distributions of experimentally deformed sediments progressively changes from subseismic to coseismic slip rate, thus helping to understand the deformation mechanisms in natural fault zones and to predict frictional and permeability properties of faults affecting shallow sediments.

Taxonomic and nontaxonomic responses to ecological changes in an urban lowland stream through the use of Chironomidae (Diptera) larvae.

PubMed

Cortelezzi, A; Paggi, A C; Rodríguez, M; Capítulo, A Rodrigues

2011-03-01

Biotic descriptors--both taxonomic (diversity indices, species richness, and indicator species) and nontaxonomic (biomass, oxygen consumption/production, and anatomical deformities)--are useful tools for measuring a stream's ecological condition. Nontaxonomic parameters detect critical effects not reflected taxonomically. We analyzed changes in Chironomidae populations as taxonomic parameters and mentum deformities as a nontaxonomic parameter for evaluating a South-American-plains stream (Argentina). We performed samplings seasonally (March, June, September, and December; 2005) and physical and chemical measurements at three sampling sites of the stream (DC1 at river source, through DC3 downstream). The specimens collected in sediment and vegetation were analyzed to investigate mouth deformities in Chironomidae larvae. We identified a total of 9 taxa from Chironomidae and Orthocladiinae subfamilies. Shannon's diversity index for Chironomidae decreased from 1.6 bits ind⁻¹ (DC1) to 0.3 bits ind⁻¹ (DC3). The total density of the Chironomidae exhibited a great increase in abundance at site DC3, especially that of Chironomus calligraphus. Chironomidae taxonomic composition also changed among the three sites despite their spatial proximity: C. calligraphus, Goeldichironomus holoprasinus, Parachironomus longistilus, and Polypedilum were present at all three; Corynoneura and Paratanytarsu at DC1 only; Cricotopus at DC1 and DC3; Apedilum elachistus notably at DC2 and DC3; and Parametriocnemus only at DC2. C. calligraphus individuals from DC1 showed no mentum deformities; only 2 from DC2 exhibited mouth-structure alterations; while specimens from DC3 presented the most abnormalities, especially during autumn and late winter. Type-II deformities (supernumerary teeth and gaps) were the most common. Anatomical deformities are sublethal effects representing an early alert to chemically caused environmental degradation. Mentum deformities in benthic-Chironomidae larvae constitute an effective biological-surveillance tool for detecting adverse conditions in sediments and evaluating sediment-quality-criteria compliance. Taxonomic (community composition) and nontaxonomic (condition of larval mouth parts) descriptors, used together, can indicate a stream's ecological state. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deepwater Fold-and-Thrust Belt Along New Caledonia's Western Margin: Relation to Post-obduction Vertical Motions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collot, J.; Patriat, M.; Etienne, S.; Rouillard, P.; Soetaert, F.; Juan, C.; Marcaillou, B.; Palazzin, G.; Clerc, C.; Maurizot, P.; Pattier, F.; Tournadour, E.; Sevin, B.; Privat, A.

2017-10-01

Classically, deepwater fold-and-thrust belts are classified in two main types, depending if they result from near- or far-field stresses and the understanding of their driving and triggering mechanism is poorly known. We present a geophysical data set off the western margin of New Caledonia (SW Pacific) that reveals deformed structures of a deepwater fold-and-thrust belt that we interpret as a near-field gravity-driven system, which is not located at a rifted passive margin. The main factor triggering deformation is inferred to be oversteepening of the margin slope by postobduction isostatic rebound. Onshore erosion of abnormally dense obducted material, combined with sediment loading in the adjacent basin, has induced vertical motions that have caused oversteepening of the margin. Detailed morphobathymetric, seismic stratigraphic, and structural analysis reveals that the fold-and-thrust belt extends 200 km along the margin, and 50 km into the New Caledonia Trough. Deformation is rooted at depths greater than 5 km beneath the seafloor, affects an area of 3,500 km2, and involves a sediment volume of approximately 13,000 km3. This deformed belt is organized into an imbricate fan system of faults, and one out-of-sequence thrust fault affects the seabed. The thrust faults are deeply rooted in the basin along a low-angle floor thrust and connected to New Caledonia Island along a major detachment. This study not only provides a better knowledge of the New Caledonia margin but also provides new insight into the mechanisms that trigger deepwater fold-and-thrust belts.

Mechanical properties and processes of deformation in shallow sedimentary rocks from subduction zones: An experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gadenne, Leslie; Raimbourg, Hugues; Champallier, Rémi; Yamamoto, Yuzuru

2014-12-01

To better constrain the mechanical behavior of sediments accreted to accretionary prism, we conducted triaxial mechanical tests on natural samples from the Miura-Boso paleo-accretionary prism (Japan) in drained conditions with confining pressures up to 200 MPa as well as postexperiments P-wave velocity (Vp) measurements. During experiments, deformation is principally noncoaxial and accommodated by two successive modes of deformation, both associated with strain-hardening and velocity-strengthening behavior: (1) compaction-assisted shearing, distributed in a several mm-wide shear zone and (2) faulting, localized within a few tens of μm-wide, dilatant fault zone. Deformation is also associated with (1) a decrease in Young's modulus all over the tests, (2) anomalously low Vp in the deformed samples compared to their porosity and (3) an increase in sensitivity of Vp to effective pressure. We interpret this evolution of the poroelastic properties of the material as reflecting the progressive breakage of intergrain cement and the formation of microcracks along with macroscopic deformation. When applied to natural conditions, these results suggest that the deformation style (localized versus distributed) of shallow (z < a few km) sediments is mainly controlled by the variations in stress/strain rate during the seismic cycle and is therefore independent of the porosity of sediments. Finally, we show that the effect of strain, through cement breakage and microcracks formation, may lower Vp for effective pressure up to 40 MPa. As a consequence, the low Vp anomalies observed in Nankai accretionary prisms by seismic imaging between 2 and 4 km depth could reflect sediment deformation rather than porosity anomalies.

Variable deep structure of a midcontinent fault and fold zone from seismic reflection: La Salle deformation belt, Illinois basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

McBride, J.H.

1997-01-01

Deformation within the United States mid-continent is frequently expressed as quasilinear zones of faulting and folding, such as the La Salle deformation belt, a northwest-trending series of folds cutting through the center of the Illinois basin. Seismic reflection profiles over the southern La Salle deformation belt reveal the three-dimensional structural style of deformation in the lower Paleozoic section and uppermost Precambrian(?) basement. Individual profiles and structural contour maps show for the first time that the folds of the La Salle deformation belt are underlain at depth by reverse faults that disrupt and offset intrabasement structure, offset the top of interpreted Precambrian basement, and accommodate folding of overlying Paleozoic strata. The folds do not represent development of initial dips by strata deposited over a preexisting basement high. Rather, the structures resemble subdued "Laramide-style" forced folds, in that Paleozoic stratal reflectors appear to be flexed over a fault-bounded basement uplift with the basement-cover contact folded concordantly with overlying strata. For about 40 km along strike, the dominant faults reverse their dip direction, alternating between east and west. Less well expressed antithetic or back thrusts appear to be associated with the dominant faults and could together describe a positive flower structure. The overall trend of this part of the La Salle deformation belt is disrupted by along-strike discontinuities that separate distinct fold culminations. Observations of dual vergence and along-strike discontinuities suggest an original deformation regime possibly involving limited transpression associated with distant late Paleozoic Appalachian-Ouachita mountain building. Moderate-magnitude earthquakes located west of the western flank of the La Salle deformation belt have reverse and strike-slip mechanisms at upper trustai depths, which might be reactivating deep basement faults such as observed in this study. The La Salle deformation belt is not necessarily typical of other well-known major midcontinent fault and fold zones, such as the Nemaha ridge, over which Paleozoic and younger sediments appear to simply be draped.

Rates and mechanics of rapid frontal accretion along the very obliquely convergent southern Hikurangi margin, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, Philip M.; de Lépinay, Bernard Mercier

1997-11-01

Analysis of seismic reflection profiles, swath bathymetry, side-scan sonar imagery, and sediment samples reveal the three-dimensional structure, morphology, and stratigraphic evolution of the central to southern Hikurangi margin accretionary wedge, which is developing in response to thick trench fill sediment and oblique convergence between the Australian and Pacific plates. A seismic stratigraphy of the trench fill turbidites and frontal part of the wedge is constrained by seismic correlations to an already established stratigraphic succession nearby, by coccolith and foraminifera biostratigraphy of three core and dredge samples, and by estimates of stratigraphic thicknesses and rates of accumulation of compacted sediment. Structural and stratigraphic analyses of the frontal part of the wedge yield quantitative data on the timing of inception of thrust faults and folds, on the growth and mechanics of frontal accretion under variable convergence obliquity, and on the amounts and rates of horizontal shortening. The data place constraints on the partitioning of geological strain across the entire southern Hikurangi margin. The principal deformation front at the toe of the wedge is discontinuous and represented by right-stepping thrust faulted and folded ridges up to 1 km high, which develop initially from discontinuous protothrusts. In the central part of the margin near 41°S, where the convergence obliquity is 50°, orthogonal convergence rate is slow (27 mm/yr), and about 75% of the total 4 km of sediment on the Pacific Plate is accreted frontally, the seismically resolvable structures within 30 km of the deformation front accommodate about 6 km of horizontal shortening. At least 80% of this shortening has occurred within the last 0.4±0.1 m.y. at an average rate of 12±3 mm/yr. This rate indicates that the frontal 30 km of the wedge accounts for about 33-55% of the predicted orthogonal contraction across the entire plate boundary zone. Despite plate convergence obliquity of 50°, rapid frontal accretion has occurred during the late Quaternary with the principal deformation front migrating seaward up to 50 km within the last 0.5 m.y. (i.e., at a rate of 100 km/m.y.). The structural response to this accretion rate has been a reduction in wedge taper and, consequently, internal deformation behind the present deformation front. Near the southwestern termination of the wedge, where there is an along-the-margin transition to continental transpressional tectonics, the convergence obliquity increases to >56°, and the orthogonal convergence rate decreases to 22 mm/yr, the wedge narrows to 13 km and is characterized simply by two frontal backthrusts and landward-verging folds. These structures have accommodated not more than 0.5 km of horizontal shortening at a rate of < 1 mm/yr, which represents < 5% of the predicted orthogonal shortening across the entire plate boundary in southern North Island. The landward-vergent structural domain may represent a transition zone from rapid frontal accretion associated with low basal friction and high pore pressure ratio in the central part of the margin, to the northern South Island region where the upper and lower plates are locked or at least very strongly coupled.

Seismogenic rotational slumps and translational glides in pelagic deep-water carbonates. Upper Tithonian-Berriasian of Southern Tethyan margin (W Sicily, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basilone, Luca

2017-07-01

Soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDSs), which reflect sediment mobilization processes, are helpful to identify punctual events of paleoenvironmental stresses. In the upper Tithonian-Berriasian calpionellid pelagic limestone of the Lattimusa Fm. outcropping in the Barracù section (W Sicily), paleoenvironmental restoration reveals the occurrence of a deep-water flat basin, characterised by undeformed planar bedding, laterally passing to a gentle slope where the deformed horizons alternate with undeformed beds. Here, two types of gravity slides have been differentiated on the basis of different kinds of SSDSs, brittle deformation, involved lithofacies, geometry and morphology. Type 1 slump sheets, involving marl-limestone couplets, are characterised by chaotic stratification, truncated beds, recumbent folds, tension gashes, clastic dikes and small-scale listric normal faults and thrusts. They moved downslope as a rotational slump, displaying the typical wedge-shaped morphology, becoming thicker toe-wards. Type 2 slump sheets, involving bed packages of lime mudstone, are characterised by arcuate slump scars developing downwards as listric normal faults, associated with rotational beds and bulging. Displaying tabular geometries, they moved coherently along an overall bedding parallel detachment surface as a translational glide characterised by sediment creep. Regional geology indicates that the basin (Sicanian), bordered by a stepped carbonate platform, was affected by synsedimentary tectonics throughout the Mesozoic. The synsedimentary extensional tectonics that affect the Upper Triassic-Jurassic deposits with steeped normal faults, causing tilt-block and instability of the seafloor through fluidization processes, triggered the rotational slumps of the lower portion of the section. Seismic shocks, induced by outside sector tectonics, like those recorded in the adjacent Busambra stepped carbonate platform margin, triggered the rotational slumps that are not related to local-scale faults. To explain the translational glides of the upper portion of the section, the aforementioned outside sector earthquakes produced instability of the sea-floor through thixotropy of marls. In this case, the driving forces (i.e., gravitational) were favoured by the uplifting trend that is well recorded in the Southern Tethyan continental margin. We suggest that the various early deformations represent rotational slump and sediment creep that may be characteristic for slump structures in pelagic carbonates, depending on the involved lithologies (i.e., paleoenvironmental setting) and the intensity/distance of the trigger mechanism (i.e., earthquake epicentre).

Origin of intraformational folds in the Jurassic Todilto Limestone, Ambrosia Lake uranium mining district, McKinley and Valencia counties, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Green, M.W.

1982-01-01

The Todilto Limestone of Middle Jurassic age in the Ambrosia Lake uranium mining district of McKinley and Valencia Counties, New Mexico, is the host formation for numerous small- to medium-sized uranium deposits in joints, shear zones, and fractures within small- to large-scale intraformational folds. The folds probably were formed as a result of differential sediment loading when eolian sand dunes of the overlying Summerville Formation of Middle Jurassic age migrated over soft, chemically precipitated, lime muds of the Todilto shortly after their deposition in a regressive, mixed fresh and saline lacustrine or marine environment of deposition. Encroachment of Summerville eolian dunes over soft Todilto lime muds was apparently a local phenomenon and was restricted to postulated beltlike zones which trended radially across the Todilto coastline toward the receding body of water. Intraformational folding is believed to be confined to the pathways of individual eolian dunes or clusters of dunes within the dune belts. During the process of sediment loading by migrating sand dunes, layers of Todilto lime mud were differentially compacted, contorted, and dewatered, producing both small- and large-scale plastic deformation structures, including convolute laminations, mounds, rolls, folds, and small anticlines and synclines. With continued compaction and dewatering, the mud, in localized areas, reached a point of desaturation at which sediment plasticity was lost. Prolonged loading by overlying dune sands thus caused faulting, shearing, fracturing, and jointing of contorted limestone beds. These areas or zones of deformation within the limestone became the preferred sites of epigenetic uranium mineralization because of the induced transmissivity created by sediment rupture. Along most of the prograding Todilto coastline, adjacent to the eolian dune belts, both interdune and coastal sabkha environments dominated during Todilto-Summerville time. Sediments in coastal areas consisted mainly of clay, silt, sandy silt, and very fine-grained sand, which was apparently derived from the winnowing of the finer grained fraction of sediment from adjacent dune fields during periods of eolian activity. Most of the sabkha sediments were probably carried in airborne suspension to the low-lying, ground-water-saturated coastal areas, where they were deposited as relatively uniform blanket-like layers. Deposition of sabkha deposits was apparently slow and uniform over most of the Todilto coastal areas and crested only small-scale deformation features in underlying Todilto rocks. Large-scale deformation features and uranium deposits are both notably absent in the Todilto where it is overlain by finer textured sabkha deposits in the Summerville.

The Interior Lowland Plains Unit of Mars: Evidence for a Possible Mud Ocean and Induced Tectonic Deformation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanaka, K. L.; Banerdt, W. B.

2000-01-01

We conclude from MOC and MOLA data that the northern plains of Mars were infilled by a sediment-rich, mud ocean. Evidence for subsidence within the north polar basin and reversed channel-floor gradients are consistent with tectonic deformation due to the sediment load.

Deformational sequence of a portion of the Michipicoten greenstone belt, Chabanel Township, Ontario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shrady, C. H.; Mcgill, G. E.

1986-01-01

Detailed mapping at a scale of one inch = 400 feet is being carried out within a fume kill, having excellent exposure, located in the southwestern portion of the Michipicoten Greenstone Belt near Wawa, Ontario. The rocks are metasediments and metavolcanics of lower greenschist facies. U-Pb geochronology indicates that they are at least 2698 + or - 11 Ma old. The lithologic packages strike northeast to northwest, but the dominant strike is approximately east-west. Sedimentary structures and graded bedding are well preserved, aiding in the structural interpretation of this multiply deformed area. At least six phases of deformation within a relatively small area of the Michipicoten Greenstone Belt have been tentatively identified. These include the following structural features in approximate order of occurrence: (0) soft-sediment structures; (1) regionally overturned rocks, flattened pebbles, bedding parallel cleavage, and early, approximately bedding parallel faults; (2) northwest to north striking cleavage; (3) northeast striking cleavage and associated folds, and at least some late movement on approximately bedding parallel faults; (4) north-northwest and northeast trending faults; and (5) diabase dikes and associated fracture cleavages. Minor displacement of the diabase dikes occurs on faults that appear to be reactivated older structures.

Stratigraphic record of Pliocene-Pleistocene basin evolution and deformation within the Southern San Andreas Fault Zone, Mecca Hills, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNabb, James C.; Dorsey, Rebecca J.; Housen, Bernard A.; Dimitroff, Cassidy W.; Messé, Graham T.

2017-11-01

A thick section of Pliocene-Pleistocene nonmarine sedimentary rocks exposed in the Mecca Hills, California, provides a record of fault-zone evolution along the Coachella Valley segment of the San Andreas fault (SAF). Geologic mapping, measured sections, detailed sedimentology, and paleomagnetic data document a 3-5 Myr history of deformation and sedimentation in this area. SW-side down offset on the Painted Canyon fault (PCF) starting 3.7 Ma resulted in deposition of the Mecca Conglomerate southwest of the fault. The lower member of the Palm Spring Formation accumulated across the PCF from 3.0 to 2.6 Ma during regional subsidence. SW-side up slip on the PCF and related transpressive deformation from 2.6 to 2.3 Ma created a time-transgressive angular unconformity between the lower and upper members of the Palm Spring Formation. The upper member accumulated in discrete fault-bounded depocenters until initiation of modern deformation, uplift, and basin inversion starting at 0.7 Ma. Some spatially restricted deposits can be attributed to the evolution of fault-zone geometric complexities. However, the deformation events at ca. 2.6 Ma and 0.7 Ma are recorded regionally along 80 km of the SAF through Coachella Valley, covering an area much larger than mapped fault-zone irregularities, and thus require regional explanations. We therefore conclude that late Cenozoic deformation and sedimentation along the SAF in Coachella Valley has been controlled by a combination of regional tectonic drivers and local deformation due to dextral slip through fault-zone complexities. We further propose a kinematic link between the 2.6-2.3 Ma angular unconformity and a previously documented but poorly dated reorganization of plate-boundary faults in the northern Gulf of California at 3.3-2.0 Ma. This analysis highlights the potential for high-precision chronologies in deformed terrestrial deposits to provide improved understanding of local- to regional-scale structural controls on basin formation and deformation along an active transform margin.

Impact and implications of the Afro-Eurasian collision south of Cyprus from reflection seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimke, Jennifer; Ehrhardt, Axel

2014-06-01

The Cyprus Arc in the Eastern Mediterranean represents the active collision front between the African and Eurasian (Anatolian) Plates. Along the Cyprus Arc, the Eratosthenes Seamount is believed to have been blocking the northward motion of the African Plate since the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene. Based on a dense grid of 2D reflection seismic profiles covering the Eratosthenes Seamount and western Levant Basin offshore Cyprus, new observations regarding the Cyprus Arc collision front at the triple transition zone Eratosthenes Seamount-Levant Basin-Hecataeus Rise are presented. The data show that the Levant Basin is filled with ~ 10 km of sediments of Early Mesozoic (probably Jurassic) to Plio-Quaternary age with only a localized deformation affecting the Miocene-Oligocene rock units. The sediments onlap directly against the steep eastern flank of the Eratosthenes Seamount to the west and the southern flank of the Hecataeus Rise to the north. The sediments show no deformation that could be associated with collision and are undeformed even very close to the two prominent structures. Pinching out of the Base Miocene reflector in the Levant Basin due to onlapping of the Middle Miocene reflector indicates uplift of the Eratosthenes Seamount and the Hecataeus Rise. In contrast to the Messinian Evaporites north of the Eratosthenes Seamount, the salt in the Levant Basin, even close to the Hecataeus Rise, is tectonically undeformed. It is proposed that the Eratosthenes Seamount, the western Levant Basin and the Hecataeus Rise act as one tectonic unit. This implies that the collision front is located north of this unit and that the Hecataeus Rise shields the sediments south of it from deformation associated with collision of the African and Anatolian Plates.

Kamenetsk—A new impact structure in the Ukrainian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurov, Eugene; Nikolaenko, Nikolay; Shevchuk, Helena; Yamnichenko, Anatoly

2017-12-01

The Kamenetsk impact structure is a deeply eroded simple crater that formed in crystalline rocks of the Ukrainian Shield. This study presents structural, lithologic, and shock metamorphic evidence for an impact origin of the Kamenetsk structure, which was previously described as a paleovolcano. The Kamenetsk structure is an oval depression that is 1.0-1.2 km in diameter and 130 m deep. The structure is deeply eroded, and only the lower part of the sequence of lithic breccia has been preserved in the deepest part of the crater to recent time, while the predominant part of impact rocks and postimpact sediments was eroded. Manifestations of shock metamorphism of minerals, especially planar deformation features in quartz and feldspars, were determined by petrographic investigations of lithic breccia that allowed us to determine the impact origin of the Kamenetsk structure. The erosion of the crater and surrounding target to a minimal depth of 220 m preceded the deposition of the postimpact sediments. The time of the formation of the Kamenetsk structure is bracketed within a wide interval from 2.0 to 2.1 Ga, the age of the crystalline target rocks, to the Late Miocene age of the sediments overlaying the crater. The deep erosion of the structure suggests it is probably Paleozoic in age.

Soft sediment deformation structures in a lacustrine sedimentary succession induced by volcano-tectonic activities: An example from the Cretaceous Beolgeumri Formation, Wido Volcanics, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Kyoungtae; Kim, Sung Won; Lee, Hong-Jin; Hwang, In Gul; Kim, Bok Chul; Kee, Won-Seo; Kim, Young-Seog; Gihm, Yong Sik

2017-08-01

The Cretaceous Beolgeumri Formation is composed of laminated mudstones intercalated with sandstones, chert, and a bed of lapilli tuff that were deposited in a lacustrine environment at the terminal part of a regional strike-slip fault systems on the southwestern Korean Peninsula. The Beolgeumri Formation contains various types of soft sediment deformation (SSD) structures that are characterized by a wide extent (< 4 km), lateral continuity (< 200 m), and vertical repetition. The SSD structures can be classified into six categories based on their morphological features and deformation styles: 1) fold structures, 2) load structures, 3) water-escape structures, 4) rip-down structures, 5) boudin structures, and 6) synsedimentary fault structures. Field examination of SSD structures together with an analysis of the sedimentological records of the Beolgeumri Formation indicate that the SSD structures formed largely by liquefaction and/or fluidization triggered by ground shaking during earthquakes. To constrain the timing of the development of SSD structures in the Beolgeumri Formation, we conducted sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon age dating of block sized lithic clasts bearing volcaniclastic deposits that conformably underlie (the Mangryeongbong Tuff) and overlie (the Ttandallae Tuff) the Beolgeumri Formation. The Mangryeongbong and Ttandallae Tuffs have ages of 86.63 ± 0.83 Ma and 87.24 ± 0.36 Ma, respectively, indicating that the Beolgeumri Formation was deposited during a short interval between major volcanic eruptions. The large lithic clasts of volcaniclastic deposits suggest that the Beolgeumri Formation was deposited adjacent to an active volcanic edifice(s). Syndepositional magmatic activities are suggested by the occurrence of a lapilli tuff bed in the Beolgeumri Formation and an igneous intrusion (intermediate sill) that is crosscut by a sand dike, as well as the similar age results of the underlying and overlying volcaniclastic deposits. Thus, we infer that the earthquakes that caused the development of SSD structures in the study area were closely related to syndepositional magmatic activities, as is the case for modern tectonic earthquakes around active volcanoes.

Role of Precambrian compositions and fabrics in the development of foreland structures, southern Front Range, Colorado

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

Chase, R.B.

1985-01-01

The Front Range terminates to the south as three basement-cored uplifts located north and west of the Canon City embayment. Precambrian units consist of foliated and non-foliated granitic rocks, augen gneiss, interlayered schist and gneiss, amphibolite, quartzite, and pegmatite. Precambrian deformations include at least three phases of folding, two phases of crenulation cleavage development, and local mylonitization. Metamorphic conditions reached those of cordierite-sillimanite grade. Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments surround and overlap the exposed uplifts to form south-plunging arches. Excellent three-dimensional exposure of structural relationships between Precambrian rocks and overlying Phanerozoic sediments is present. Deformation styles in the sedimentary cover aremore » strongly influenced by underlying Precambrian lithologies and structural orientations. Where the crystalline units are granitic, with steeply-dipping foliation or no directional fabric, uplifts are bounded by high angle faults. Some such faults show evidence of repeated movements and reversals dating back to Precambrian time. The boundary between mechanical basement and suprastructure is clearly not defined as the base of the sedimentary section. Balanced cross-sections constructed through the southern Front Range must include contemporaneous flexural folds and thrusts in Precambrian schistose and gneissic rocks as well as in Phanerozoic sedimentary layers.« less

Accretion in the wake of terrane collision: The Neogene accretionary wedge off Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fruehn, J.; von Huene, Roland E.; Fisher, M.A.

1999-01-01

Subduction accretion and repeated terrane collision shaped the Alaskan convergent margin. The Yakutat Terrane is currently colliding with the continental margin below the central Gulf of Alaska. During the Neogene the terrane's western part was subducted after which a sediment wedge accreted along the northeast Aleutian Trench. This wedge incorporates sediment eroded from the continental margin and marine sediments carried into the subduction zone on the Pacific plate. Prestack depth migration was performed on six seismic reflection lines to resolve the structure within this accretionary wedge and its backstop. The lateral extent of the structures is constrained by high-resolution swath bathymetry and seismic lines collected along strike. Accretionary structure consists of variably sized thrust slices that were deformed against a backstop during frontal accretion and underplating. Toward the northeast the lower slope steepens, the wedge narrows, and the accreted volume decreases notwith-standing a doubling of sediments thickness in the trench. In the northeasternmost transect, near the area where the terrane's trailing edge subducts, no frontal accretion is observed and the slope is eroded. The structures imaged along the seismic lines discussed here most likely result from progressive evolution from erosion to accretion, as the trailing edge of the Yakutat Terrane is subducting.

Multi-property characterization chamber for geophysical-hydrological investigations of hydrate bearing sediments

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

Seol, Yongkoo, E-mail: Yongkoo.Seol@netl.doe.gov; Choi, Jeong-Hoon; Dai, Sheng

With the increase in the interest of producing natural gas from methane hydrates as well as potential risks of massive hydrate dissociation in the context of global warming, studies have recently shifted from pure hydrate crystals to hydrates in sediments. Such a research focus shift requires a series of innovative laboratory devices that are capable of investigating various properties of hydrate-bearing sediments (HBS). This study introduces a newly developed high pressure testing chamber, i.e., multi-property characterization chamber (MPCC), that allows simultaneous investigation of a series of fundamental properties of HBS, including small-strain stiffness (i.e., P- and S-waves), shear strength, large-strainmore » deformation, stress-volume responses, and permeability. The peripheral coolant circulation system of the MPCC permits stable and accurate temperature control, while the core holder body, made of aluminum, enables X-ray computer tomography scanning to be easily employed for structural and morphological characterization of specimens. Samples of hydrate-bearing sediments are held within a rubber sleeve inside the chamber. The thick sleeve is more durable and versatile than thin membranes while also being much softer than oedometer-type chambers that are incapable of enabling flow tests. Bias introduced by the rubber sleeve during large deformation tests are also calibrated both theoretically and experimentally. This system provides insight into full characterization of hydrate-bearing sediments in the laboratory, as well as pressure core technology in the field.« less

Sediment budget on African passive margins: a record of margin bulges and far field very long wavelength deformations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillocheau, Francois; Robin, Cécile; Baby, Guillaume; Simon, Brendan; Rouby, Delphine; Loparev, Artiom

2017-04-01

The post-rift siliciclastic sediment budget of passive margins is a function of (1) the deformation (uplift) of the upstream catchment, of (2) the climate (precipitation) regime and of (3) the oceanic circulation (mainly since Miocene times). The main questions in source to sink studies are (1) to quantify the relative importance of the erosion due to uplifts or to precipitation changes and (2) to characterize the source of the sediments. A source to sink study was carried out in Western, Central and Austral Africa, characterized by anorogenic relief (plains and plateaus) that record long (several 100 km) to very long (several 1000 km) wavelength deformations respectively of lithospheric and mantle origin. The sink measurement was based on seismic lines and wells (industrial - IODP) using the VolumeEstimator software including the calculation of the uncertainties (Guillocheau et al., 2013, Basin Research). The source study was performed using dated stepped planation surfaces (etchplains and pediplains), mappable at catchments-scale (Guillocheau et al., in press, Gondwana Research). Results: (1) Deformation (uplift) is the dominant control of the sediment budget. Climate (precipitation) changes only enhance or inhibit a deformation-controlled flux. (2) The sources of siliciclastic sediments are either closed marginal bulges or far field domes due to mantle dynamics with river by-passing over long-lasting polygenic surfaces located between the bulges and domes. Two main periods of African-scale deformations (contemporaneous with an increase of the sedimentary flux) are confirmed, one during Late Cretaceous (Turonian-Coniacian) and the second around the Eocene-Oligocene boundary with a gap and intense chemical erosion from 75 Ma and mainly from 65 to 40 Ma.

Vertical-axis rotations and deformation along the active strike-slip El Tigre Fault (Precordillera of San Juan, Argentina) assessed through palaeomagnetism and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazzito, Sabrina Y.; Rapalini, Augusto E.; Cortés, José M.; Terrizzano, Carla M.

2017-03-01

Palaeomagnetic data from poorly consolidated to non-consolidated late Cenozoic sediments along the central segment of the active El Tigre Fault (Central-Western Precordillera of the San Juan Province, Argentina) demonstrate broad cumulative deformation up to 450 m from the fault trace and reveal clockwise and anticlockwise vertical-axis rotations of variable magnitude. This deformation has affected in different amounts Miocene to late Pleistocene samples and indicates a complex kinematic pattern. Several inherited linear structures in the shear zone that are oblique to the El Tigre Fault may have acted as block boundary faults. Displacement along these faults may have resulted in a complex pattern of rotations. The maximum magnitude of rotation is a function of the age of the sediments sampled, with largest values corresponding to middle Miocene-lower Pliocene deposits and minimum values obtained from late Pleistocene deposits. The kinematic study is complemented by low-field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility data to show that the local strain regime suggests a N-S stretching direction, subparallel to the strike of the main fault.

High-velocity basal sediment package atop oceanic crust, offshore Cascadia: Impacts on plate boundary processes and fluid migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, D. E.; Keranen, K. M.

2017-12-01

Differences in fluid pressure and mechanical properties at megathrust boundaries in subduction zones have been proposed to create varying seismogenic behavior. In Cascadia, where large ruptures are possible but little seismicity occurs presently, new seismic transects across the deformation front (COAST cruise; Holbrook et al., 2012) image an unusually high-wavespeed sedimentary unit directly overlying oceanic crust. Wavespeed increases before sediments reach the deformation front, and the well-laminated unit, consistently of 1 km thickness, can be traced for 50 km beneath the accretionary prism before imaging quality declines. Wavespeed is modeled via iterative prestack time migration (PSTM) imaging and increases from 3.5 km/sec on the seaward end of the profile to >5.0 km/s near the deformation front. Landward of the deformation front, wavespeed is low along seaward-dipping thrust faults in the Quaternary accretionary prism, indicative of rapid dewatering along faults. The observed wavespeed of 5.5 km/sec just above subducting crust is consistent with porosity <5% (Erickson and Jarrard, 1998), possibly reflecting enhanced consolidation, cementation, and diagenesis as the sediments encounter the deformation front. Beneath the sediment, the compressional wavespeed of uppermost oceanic crust is 3-4 km/sec, likely reduced by alteration and/or fluids, lowest within a propagator wake. The propagator wake intersects the plate boundary at an oblique angle and changes the degree of hydration of the oceanic plate as it subducts within our area. Fluid flow out of oceanic crust is likely impeded by the low-porosity basal sediment package except along the focused thrust faults. Decollements are present at the top of oceanic basement, at the top of the high-wavespeed basal unit, and within sedimentary strata at higher levels; the decollement at the top of oceanic crust is active at the toe of the deformation front. The basal sedimentary unit appears to be mechanically strong, similar to observations from offshore Sumatra, where strongly consolidated sediments at the deformation front are interpreted to facilitate megathrust rupture to the trench (Hupers et al., 2017). A uniformly strong plate interface at Cascadia may inhibit microseismicity while building stress that is released in great earthquakes.

Salt tectonics in an experimental turbiditic tank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sellier, Nicolas; Vendeville, Bruno

2010-05-01

We modelled the effect of the deposition of clastic sediments wedges along passive margin by combining two different experimental approaches. The first approach, which uses flume experiments in order to model turbiditic transport and deposition, had focused, so far mainly on the stratigraphic architecture and flow properties. But most experiments have not accounted for the impact of syndepositional deformation. The second approach is the classic tectonic modelling (sand-box experiments) is aimed essentially at understanding deformation, for example the deformation of a sediment wedge deposited onto a mobile salt layer. However, with this approach, the sediment transport processes are crudely modelled by adding each sediment layer uniformly, regardless of the potential influence of the sea-floor bathymetry on the depositional pattern. We designed a new tectono-stratigraphic modelling tank, which combines modelling of the turbiditic transport and deposition, and salt-related deformation driven by sediment loading. The set-up comprises a channel connected to a main water tank. A deformation box is placed at the mouth of the channel, on the base of the tank. The base of the box can be filled with various kinds of substrates either rigid (sand) or viscous (silicone polymer, simulating mobile salt layer having varying length and thickness). A mixture of fine-grained powder and water is maintained in suspension in a container, and then released and channelled toward the basin, generating an analogue of basin-floor fans or lobes. We investigated the effect of depositing several consecutive turbiditic lobes on the deformation of the salt body and its overburden. The dynamics of experimental turbidity currents lead to deposits whose thickness varied gradually laterally: the lobe is thick in the proximal region and thins progressively distally, thus creating a very gentle regional surface slope. As the fan grows by episodic deposition of successive turbiditic lobes, the model deforms spontaneously by vertical collapse and lateral spreading of the entire overburden. We conducted a series of systematic experiments varying the length and thickness of the salt body, as well as the sediment input and nature.

Sedimentary environment and tectonic deformations of the Neoproterozoic Iron formation at the Wadi El-Dabbah greenstone sequence, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiyokawa, S.; Suzuki, T.; Ikehara, M.; Horie, K.; Takehara, M.; Abd-Elmonem, H.; Dawoud, A. D. M.; El-Hasan, M. M.

2017-12-01

El-Dabbah area Central Eastern Desert of the Nubia Shield preserved Neoproterozoic lower green schist faces volcaniclastics greenstone sequence and covered strike-slip deformation related subaerial sedimentary sequence (Hammamat Group). The volcaniclastics greenstone sequence (El-Dabbah Formation) preserved several iron beds bearing well stratified sequence. Four tectonic deformation identified as this area; thrust deformation (D1), strike-slip deformation with transtension normal fault and strong left-lateral shear (D2), subaerial pull apart sediments basin formed strike-slip deformations (D3), and extensional deformation after the Hammamat Group sedimentation (D4). New age data from intrusions identified about 638 Ma white granite and about 660 Ma quartz porphyry. Based on the detail mapping, we reconstruct more than 5000m thick volcano sedimentary succession. At least, 10 iron rich sections were identified within 3500m thick volcano-sedimentary sequence. There are 14 iron formation sequence identified in this greenstone sequence. Each Iron sequences are bedded with greenish-black shales within massive volcaniclastics and lava flow. Iron formation is formed mostly fine grain magnetite deposited within volcanic mudstone and siltstone with gradual distribution. Timing of this iron sediment is identified within Sturtian glaciation (730-700Ma). However, there is no geological direct support evidence in the Snowball earth event at this greenstone sequence. The volcanic activities at this ocean already produced many Fe2+ to ocean water. Repeated iron precipitation occur during volcanic activity interphase period which produced oxidation of iron and produce oxyhydroxide with mud-silt sediment at bottom of ocean.

Evidences of Paleoearthquakes in Palaeolithic settlements within fluvial sequences of the Tagus Basin (Madrid, Central Spain).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Pablo G.; Rodríguez Pascua, M. A.; Pérez López, R.; Giner Robles, J. L.; Roquero, E.; Tapias, F.; López Recio, M.; Rus, I.; Morin, J.

2010-05-01

Multiple evidences of soft-sediment to brittle deformation within the Pleistocene fluvial terraces of the Tagus, Jarama, Tajuña and Manzanares river valleys have been described since the middle 20th Century. Cryoturbation, hydroplastic deformations due to underlying karstic collapses or halokinesis on the substratum of neogene gypsums, and seismic shaking have been proposed to interpret these structures. These deformations are typically concentrated in the +18-20 m terrace levels, and closely linked to well-known Palaeolithic sites, in some cases overlaying and/or affecting true prehistoric settlements (i.e. Arganda, Arriaga and Tafesa sites) within the Jarama and Manzanares valleys. The affected settlements typically display acheulian lithic industry linked to the scavenging of large Pleistocene mammals (i.e. Elephas antiquus). Commonly, deformational structures are concentrated in relatively thin horizons (10-50 cm thick) bracketed by undeformed fluvial sands and gravels. The soft-sediment deformations usually consist on medium to fine sized sands injected and protruded in overlaying flood-plain clayey silts, showing a wide variety of convolutes, injections, sand-dikes, dish and pillar structures, mud volcanoes, faults and folds, some times it is possible to undertake their 3D geometrical analysis due to the exceptional conservation of the structures (Tafesa). Recent geo-archaeological prospecting on the for the Palaeolithic Site of Arriaga (South Madrid City) conducted during the year 2009, let to find out an exceptional horizon of deformation of about 1.20 m thick. It consisted on highly disturbed and pervasively liquefacted sands, which hardly can be attributed to no-seismic processes. The acheulian lithic industry of the Madrid Region have been classically attributed the Late Middle Pleistocene (< 350 kyr BP), but recent OSL dating indicate that the basal horizons of the +18-20 m fluvial terraces hold ages younger than c.a. 120-100 kyr BP in this zone. All the evidences point to the occurrence of concentrated seismic activity during the OIS 5 (Last Interglaciar) interfering early human activity in the zone. Presently, the Tagus Basin is subject to moderate seismic activity with strongest seismic events not exceeding intensity VI MSK (1954 AD), but most of them related to the Jarama, Tajuña and Tagus river valleys, which are bounded by large linear escarpments carved in Miocene gypsums. These escarpments display a wide variety of brittle and ductile deformations, as well as clear geomorphological indicators of late Quaternary tectonic activity. Considering the recent ESI-2007 Scale, the reported structures indicate the occurrence of larger paleoearthquakes during the Middle-Late Pleistocene of at least local intensity VIII. This study has been supported by the DGPH de la Comunidad de Madrid, AUDEMA S.A. (Proyecto Arriaga-2009). This is a contribution of GQM-AEQUA.

Rapid sedimentation and overpressure in shallow sediments of the Bering Trough, offshore southern Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daigle, Hugh; Worthington, Lindsay L.; Gulick, Sean P. S.; Van Avendonk, Harm J. A.

2017-04-01

Pore pressures in sediments at convergent margins play an important role in driving chemical fluxes and controlling deformation styles and localization. In the Bering Trough offshore Southern Alaska, extreme sedimentation rates over the last 140 kyr as a result of glacial advance/retreats on the continental shelf have resulted in elevated pore fluid pressures in slope sediments overlying the Pamplona Zone fold and thrust belt, the accretionary wedge resulting from subduction of the Yakutat microplate beneath the North American Plate. Based on laboratory experiments and downhole logs acquired at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1421, we predict that the overpressure in the slope sediments may be as high as 92% of the lithostatic stress. Results of one-dimensional numerical modeling accounting for changes in sedimentation rate over the last 130 kyr predicted overpressures that are consistent with our estimates, suggesting that the overpressure is a direct result of the rapid sedimentation experienced on the Bering shelf and slope. Comparisons with other convergent margins indicate that such rapid sedimentation and high overpressure are anomalous in sediments overlying accretionary wedges. We hypothesize that the shallow overpressure on the Bering shelf/slope has fundamentally altered the deformation style within the Pamplona Zone by suppressing development of faults and may inhibit seismicity by focusing faulting elsewhere or causing deformation on existing faults to be aseismic. These consequences are probably long-lived as it may take several million years for the excess pressure to dissipate.

Glaciotectonic deformation associated with the Orient Point-Fishers Island moraine, westernmost Block Island Sound: further evidence of readvance of the Laurentide ice sheet

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poppe, Lawrence J.; Oldale, Robert N.; Foster, David S.; Smith, Shepard M.

2012-01-01

High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles collected across pro-glacial outwash deposits adjacent to the circa 18 ka b.p. Orient Point–Fishers Island end moraine segment in westernmost Block Island Sound reveal extensive deformation. A rhythmic seismic facies indicates the host outwash deposits are composed of fine-grained glaciolacustrine sediments. The deformation is variably brittle and ductile, but predominantly compressive in nature. Brittle deformation includes reverse faults and thrust faults that strike parallel to the moraine, and thrust sheets that extend from beneath the moraine. Ductile deformation includes folded sediments that overlie undisturbed deposits, showing that they are not drape features. Other seismic evidence for compression along the ice front consists of undisturbed glaciolacustrine strata that dip back toward and underneath the moraine, and angular unconformities on the sea floor where deformed sediments extend above the surrounding undisturbed correlative strata. Together, these ice-marginal glaciotectonic features indicate that the Orient Point–Fishers Island moraine marks a significant readvance of the Laurentide ice sheet, consistent with existing knowledge for neighboring coeval moraines, and not simply a stillstand as previously reported.

Use of benthic invertebrate community structure and the sediment quality triad to evaluate metal-contaminated sediment in the upper Clark Fork River, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Canfield, Timothy J.; Kemble, Nile E.; Brumbaugh, William G.; Dwyer, F. James; Ingersoll, Christopher G.; Fairchild, James F.

1994-01-01

The upper Clark Fork River, above Flathead River, is contaminated with large amounts of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn, and Zn ores from past mining activities. The contaminated area extends from the Butte and Anaconda area to at least 230 km downstream to Milltown Reservoir. Both the upper Clark Fork River and Milltown Reservoir have been designated as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund sites because of metal-contaminated bottom sediments. We evaluated the impacts of past mining activities on the Clark Fork River ecosystem using benthic invertebrate community assessment, residue chemistry, and toxicity testing. Oligochaeta and Chironomidae generally accounted for over 90% of the benthic invertebrate community in the soft sediment depositional areas. Taxa of Oligochaeta and Chironomidae were predominantly pollution tolerant. Higher numbers of Chironomidae genera were present at stations with higher concentrations of metals in sediment identified as toxic by the amphipod Hyalella azteca in 28-d exposures. Frequency of mouthpart deformities in genera of Chironomidae was low and did not correspond to concentrations of metals in sediment. Total abundance of organisms/m2 did not correspond to concentrations of metals in the sediment samples. Chemical analyses, laboratory toxicity tests, and benthic community evaluations all provide evidence of metal-induced degradation to aquatic communities in both the reservoir and the river. Using a weight-of-evidence approach-the Sediment Quality Triad - provided good concurrence among measures of benthic community structure, sediment chemistry, and laboratory toxicity.

New evidence for Oligocene to Recent slip along the San Juan fault, a terrane-bounding structure within the Cascadia forearc of southern British Columbia, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrichhausen, N.; Morell, K. D.; Regalla, C.; Lynch, E. M.

2017-12-01

Active forearc deformation in the southern Cascadia subduction zone is partially accommodated by faults in the upper crust in both Washington state and Oregon, but until recently, these types of active forearc faults have not been documented in the northern part of the Cascadia forearc on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Here we present new evidence for Quaternary slip on the San Juan fault that indicates that this terrane-bounding structure has been reactivated since its last documented slip in the Eocene. Field work targeted by newly acquired hi-resolution lidar topography reveals a deformed debris flow channel network developed within colluvium along the central portion of the San Juan fault, consistent with a surface-rupturing earthquake with 1-2 m of offset since deglaciation 13 ka. Near the western extent of the San Juan fault, marine sediments are in fault contact with mélange of the Pandora Peak Unit. These marine sediments are likely Oligocene or younger in age, given their similarity in facies and fossil assemblages to nearby outcrops of the Carmanah Group sediments, but new dating using strontium isotope stratigraphy will confirm this hypothesis. If these sediments are part of the Carmanah Group, they occur further east and at a higher elevation than previously documented. The presence of Oligocene or younger marine sediments, more than 400 meters above current sea level, requires a substantial amount of Neogene rock uplift that could have been accommodated by slip on the San Juan fault. A preliminary analysis of fault slickensides indicates a change in slip sense from left-lateral to normal along the strike of the fault. Until further mapping and analysis is completed, however, it remains unclear whether this kinematic change reflects spatial and/or temporal variability. These observations suggest that the San Juan fault is likely part of a network of active faults accommodating forearc strain on Vancouver Island. With the recent discovery of Quaternary slip on another nearby terrane-bounding fault, the Leech River fault, it is essential that these faults are identified and studied, in order to both understand their role in forearc deformation and characterize the seismic hazard that they pose.

3D Thermomechanical Modeling of Rifted Margins with Coupled Surface Processes: the North West Shelf, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moresi, L. N.; Beucher, R.; Morón, S.; Rey, P. F.; Salles, T.; Brocard, G. Y.; Farrington, R.; Giordani, J.; Mansour, J.

2017-12-01

Thermo-mechanical numerical models and analogue experiments with a layered lithosphere have emphasised the role played by the composition and thermal state of the lithosphere on the style of extension. The variation in rheological properties and the coupling between lithospheric layers promote depth-dependent extension with the potential for complex rift evolution over space and time. Local changes in the stress field due to loading / unloading of the lithosphere can perturb the syn and post-rift stability of the margins. We investigate how erosion of the margins and sedimentation within the basins integrate with the thermo-mechanical processes involved in the structural and stratigraphic evolution of the North West Shelf (NWS), one of the most productive and prospective hydrocarbon provinces in Australia. The complex structural characteristics of the NWS include large-scale extensional detachments, difference between amounts of crustal and lithospheric extension and prolonged episodes of thermal sagging after rifting episodes. It has been proposed that the succession of different extensional styles mechanisms (Cambrian detachment faulting, broadly distributed Permo-Carboniferous extension and Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous localised rift development) is best described in terms of variation in deformation response of a lithosphere that has strengthened from one extensional episode to the next. However, previous models invoking large-scale detachments fail to explain changes in extensional styles and overestimate the structural importance of relatively local detachments. Here, we hypothesize that an initially weak lithosphere would distribute deformation by ductile flow within the lower crust and that the interaction between crustal flow, thermal-evolution and sediment loading/unloading could explain some of the structural complexities recorded by the NWS. We run a series of fully coupled 3D thermo-mechanical numerical experiments that include realistic thermal and mechanical properties, as well as surface processes (erosion, sediments transport and sedimentation). This modeling approach aims to provide insights into the thermal and structural history of the NWS, and a better understanding of the complex interactions between tectonics and surface processes at rifted margins.

Identifying structural styles in Colombia

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

Wilson, W.P.; Van Nieuwenhuise, R.E.; Steuer, M.R.

1996-08-01

Much of our understanding of the Earth is from the study of surface geology and seismic, but many surface structures are responses to deformation which occurred below sedimentary layers. The practice within the petroleum industry is to use top-down processes of analyzing the surface to understand the subsurface, and observed surface structural styles tend to influence seismic interpretations. Yet many conditions which influenced the structural styles seen at the surface are different at depth. Since seismic is a time representation of the Earth, many interpretation pitfalls may exist within areas of complex geology. Also, its reliability decreases with depth andmore » with increasing geologic complexity. Forward modeling and pre-stack depth migration technologies are used to provide true depth images of the seismic data. Even with these advances in seismic imaging technology, the interpreter needs to incorporate additional data into the interpretation. Accurate structural identification requires the interpreter to integrate seismic with surface geology, remote sensing, gravity, magnetic data, geochemistry, fault-plane solutions from earthquakes, and regional tectonic studies. Incorporating these types of data into the interpretation will help us learn how basement is involved in the deformation of overlying sediments. A study of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia shows the deformation to be dominantly transpressional in style. Euler deconvolution of the areomagnetic data shows a highly fractured basement, steep fault lineaments, en echelon structures, and complex fault patterns, all of which would be typical of wrench-type deformation. Available surface geology, regional studies, earthquake data, and forward modeling support this interpretation.« less

Mechanisms and processes of stratal disruption and mixing in the development of mélanges and broken formations: Redefining and classifying mélanges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Festa, A.; Dilek, Y.; Pini, G. A.; Codegone, G.; Ogata, K.

2012-09-01

The terms mélange and broken formation have been used in different ways in the literature. The lack of agreement on their definition often leads to confusion and misinterpretations. An evaluation of the various uses of these terms allows us to consider several types of chaotic rock bodies originated by tectonic, sedimentary and diapiric processes in different tectonic settings. Our review of stratal disruption and mixing processes shows that there exists a continuum of deformation structures and processes in the generation of mélanges and broken formations. This continuum is directly controlled by the increase of the degree of consolidation with burial. In tectonically active environments, at the shallow structural levels, the occurrence of poorly consolidated sediments favors gravitational deformation. At deeper structural levels, the deformation related to tectonic forces becomes gradually more significant with depth. Sedimentary (and diapiric) mélanges and broken formations represent the products of punctuated stratal disruption mechanisms recording the instantaneous physical conditions in the geological environment at the time of their formation. The different kinematics, the composition and lithification degree of sediments, the geometry and morphology of the basins, and the mode of failure propagation control the transition between different types of mass-transported chaotic bodies, the style of stratal disruption, and the amount of rock mixing. Tectonically broken formations and mélanges record a continuum of deformation that occurs through time and different degrees of lithification during a progressive increase of the degree of consolidation and of the diagenetic and metamorphic mineral transformation. Systematic documentation of the mechanisms and processes of the formation of different broken formations and mélanges and their interplay in time and space are highly important to increase the understanding of the evolutionary history of accretionary wedges and orogenic belts.

Reconstructing the internal structure and long-term evolution of hazardous sinkholes combining trenching, electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) and ground penetrating radar (GPR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabregat, Ivan; Gutiérrez, Francisco; Roqué, Carles; Comas, Xavier; Zarroca, Mario; Carbonel, Domingo; Guerrero, Jesús; Linares, Rogelio

2017-05-01

The approaches aimed at characterising specific damaging sinkholes have received limited attention compared with other ground instability phenomena (e.g. landslides). Moreover, the practicality of the trenching technique in combination with numerical dating and retro-deformation analysis for sinkhole site-investigations has been barely explored. This work illustrates the advantages of combining geomorphic mapping, electrical resistivity imaging (ERI), ground penetrating radar (GPR) and trenching for sinkhole characterisation and shows how the trenching technique contributes to fill significant gaps that neither geomorphic nor geophysical methods can address. Two large sinkholes (> 200 m long) related to the interstratal karstification of evaporites and generated by contrasting subsidence mechanisms (sagging, collapse) were investigated in the Fluvia Valley, NE Spain. Although GPR data may provide high resolution information on subsidence-related stratigraphic and structural features at shallow depth, the profiles acquired in the investigated sites with 100 MHz shielded and 40 MHz unshielded antennae provided limited insight into the internal geometry of the sinkholes due to reduced signal penetration related to the presence of conductive clayey material. The ERI sections satisfactorily imaged the general geometry of the sagging and collapse subsidence structures up to depths higher than 100 m and clearly captured the basal contact of the low-resistivity sinkhole fill in the sections with adequate layout and resolution. The trenches, despite their limited depth (ca. 5 m) allowed us to obtain valuable objective information on several key aspects of the subsidence phenomenon: (1) mechanisms (deformation style) and kinematics (progressive versus episodic); (2) limits of ground deformation; (3) temporal evolution (expansion versus contraction); (4) chronology and timing of most recent deformation phase; (5) rates of subsidence and sedimentation; and (6) the role played by subsidence in the development of lacustrine environments and the associated sedimentation patterns.

Post-magmatic tectonic deformation of the outer Izu-Bonin-Mariana forearc system: initial results of IODP Expedition 352

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurz, Walter; Ferré, Eric C.; Robertson, Alastair; Avery, Aaron; Christeson, Gail L.; Morgan, Sally; Kutterorf, Steffen; Sager, William W.; Carvallo, Claire; Shervais, John; Party IODP Expedition 352, Scientific

2015-04-01

IODP Expedition 352 was designed to drill through the entire volcanic sequence of the Bonin forearc. Four sites were drilled, two on the outer fore arc and two on the upper trench slope. Site survey seismic data, combined with borehole data, indicate that tectonic deformation in the outer IBM fore arc is mainly post-magmatic. Post-magmatic extension resulted in the formation of asymmetric sedimentary basins such as, for example, the half-grabens at sites 352-U1439 and 352-U1442 located on the upper trench slope. Along their eastern margins these basins are bounded by west-dipping normal faults. Sedimentation was mainly syn-tectonic. The lowermost sequence of the sedimentary units was tilted eastward by ~20°. These tilted bedding planes were subsequently covered by sub-horizontally deposited sedimentary beds. Based on biostratigraphic constraints, the minimum age of the oldest sediments is ~ 35 Ma; the timing of the sedimentary unconformities lies between ~ 27 and 32 Ma. At sites 352-U1440 and 352-U1441, located on the outer forearc, post-magmatic deformation resulted mainly in strike-slip faults possibly bounding the sedimentary basins. The sedimentary units within these basins were not significantly affected by post-sedimentary tectonic tilting. Biostratigraphic ages indicate that the minimum age of the basement-cover contact lies between ~29.5 and 32 Ma. Overall, the post-magmatic tectonic structures observed during Expedition 352 reveal a multiphase tectonic evolution of the outer IBM fore arc. At sites 352-U1439 and 352-U1442, shear with dominant reverse to oblique reverse displacement was localized along distinct subhorizontal cataclastic shear zones as well as steeply dipping slickensides and shear fractures. These structures, forming within a contractional tectonic regime, were either re-activated as or cross-cut by normal-faults as well as strike-slip faults. Extension was also accommodated by steeply dipping to subvertical mineralized veins and extensional fractures. Faults observed at sites 352-U1440 and 352-U1441 show mainly strike-slip. The sediments overlying the igneous basement, of maximum Late Eocene to Recent age, document ash and aeolian input, together with mass wasting of the fault-bounded sediment ponds.

Size matters: The effects of displacement magnitude on the fluid flow properties of faults in poorly lithified sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loveless, S. E.; Bense, V.; Turner, J.

2011-12-01

Many aquifers worldwide occur in poorly lithified sediments, often in regions that experience active tectonic deformation. Faulting of these sediments introduces heterogeneities that may affect aquifer porosity and permeability, and consequently subsurface fluid flow and groundwater storage. The specific hydrogeological effects of faults depend upon the fault architecture and deformation mechanisms. These are controlled by factors such as rheology, stratigraphy and burial depth. Here, we analyse fault permeability in poorly lithified sediments as a function of fault displacement. We have carried out detailed outcrop studies of minor normal faults at five study sites within the rapidly extending Corinth rift, Central Greece. Gravel conglomerates of giant Gilbert delta facies form productive but localised shallow aquifers within the region. Exposures reveal dense (average 20 faults per 100 m) networks of minor (0.1 to 50 m displacement) normal faults within the uplifted sequences, proximal to many of the crustal-scale normal faults. Analysis of 42 faults shows that fault zones are primarily composed of smeared beds that can either retain their definition or mix with surrounding sediment. Lenses or blocks of sediment are common in fault zones that cut beds with contrasting rheology, and a few faults have a clay core and/or damage zone. Fault thickness increases at a rate of about 0.4 m per 10 m increase in displacement. Comparison of sediment micro-structures from the field, hand samples and thin sections show grain-scale sediment mixing, fracturing of clasts, and in some cases cementation, within fault zones. In faults with displacements >12 m we also find a number of roughly parallel, highly indurated shear planes, up to 20 mm in thickness, composed of highly fragmented clasts and a fine grained matrix. Image analysis of thin sections from hand samples collected in the field was used to quantify the porosity of fault zones and adjacent undeformed sediment. These data show a reduction in average porosity from 21% (± 4) in undisturbed sediments to 14% (± 8) within fault zones. We find that fault zone porosity decreases by approximately 5% per 1 m displacement (up to 2 m displacement), as sediments undergo greater micro-scale deformation. Porosity within the shear planes of larger displacement faults (> 12 m) is significantly less than 5%. In summary, with an increase in fault displacement there is an increase in fault thickness and decrease in fault zone porosity, in addition to the occurrence of extremely low porosity shear planes. Consequently, the impact of faults in poorly lithified sediment on fluid flow is, to a large degree, dependent upon the magnitude of fault displacement.

Record of Subducting Topography revealed in 3D Seismic Imaging of Pleistocene unconformities, offshore Southern Costa Rica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, J. H.; Kluesner, J. W.; Silver, E. A.

2015-12-01

3D seismic reflection data (CRISP) collected across the southern Costa Rica forearc reveals broad, survey-wide erosional events in the upper ~1 km of slope sediments in the mid-slope to outer shelf. The upper 0-280 m of continuous, weakly deformed sediments, designated by IODP Expedition 344 as structural domain I, is bounded by a major erosional event, (CRISP-U1, dated near 1 Ma), suggesting wave-plain erosion from the present shelf break out to 25 km seaward, to a present-day water depth of 900-1300 m. The eastern toe of its surface is characterized by a large drainage system, likely including submarine channels that eroded to depths >1500 m below present-day water depth. CRISP-U1 is variably uplifted by a series of fault propagation folds and cut by an intersecting array of normal faults. Another, major erosional event, (CRISP-M1, approximately 2 Ma) extended from the outer shelf to the mid slope and removed 500-1000 m of material. Overlying CRISP-M1 is up to 1 km of sediments that are more deformed by fault propagation folds, back thrusts, and intersecting arrays of normal faults. Unconformities with smaller areal extent are variably found in these overlying sediments across the mid-slope to outer shelf, at present-day water depths >220 m. Below CRISP-M1, sediments are more densely deformed and also contain major unconformities that extend survey-wide. Both unconformities, CRISP-U1 and CRISP-M1, are encountered in well U1413 and are demarcated by major benthic foraminifera assemblage changes at 149 mbsf and ~504 mbsf (Harris et al., 2013, Proceeding of the IODP, Volume 344).CRISP-M1 is likely correlative to the major sediment facies and benthic foraminifera assemblage change found in U1379 at ~880 mbsf (Vannuchi et al., 2013). The unconformities and intersecting array of normal faults may demarcate the passing of topography on the downgoing Cocos plate, episodically lifting and then subsiding the Costa Rica margin, with amplitudes up to about 1 km.

Plate-boundary kinematics in the Alps: Motion in the Arosa suture zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ring, Uwe; Ratschbacher, Lothar; Frisch, Wolfgang

1988-08-01

The Arosa zone forms a melange complex along the Penninic/Austroalpine boundary and belongs to the main Alpine suture zone. Accretion and plate collision occurred during Cretaceous and lower Tertiary time. A mixture of ophiolitic rocks and pelagic sediments is imbricated with flysch and blocks of Austroalpine (continental) derivation. We present a description of deformation structures, an analysis of strain, and a kinematic interpretation based on structural work. Deformation histories of imbricates show a translation path that was west-directed between ca. 110 and 50 Ma and north-directed thereafter. The kinematics of the Arosa zone agrees with the recently deduced displacement history of the Austroalpine units in the Eastern Alps during the Cretaceous orogeny. This calls for a predominantly top-to-the-west imbrication of Austroalpine and Penninic units and is in contradiction to what is inferred in most models of the Eastern Alps. A direct relation between the deformation along the Austroalpine margin and relative plate motion existed.

Development of magnetic and elastic anisotropies in slates during progressive deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hrouda, František; Pros, Zdeněk; Wohlgemuth, Jiří

1993-05-01

Magnetic and elastic anisotropies were investigated in rocks of the Nízký Jeseník Mountains (northeast Bohemian Massif) ranging in lithology from almost unmetamorphosed sediments, through slate, to phyllite, and showing a range of structural styles from sedimentary, through spaced and slaty cleavage, to metamorphic schistosity. In unmetamorphosed and undeformed sedimentary rocks, both the anisotropies display close relationships to the sedimentary fabric. During the development of the spaced and slaty cleavage they are gradually re-oriented into the attitudes of the deformational fabrics, and in the rocks with metamorphic schistosity they are fully related to the deformational fabric elements, which can be oriented in a very different way from the original sedimentary structures. The magnetic anisotropy is mostly due to the preferred orientation of phyllosilicates generated during very weak regional metamorphism, and subordinately due to the preferred orientation of magnetite. The elastic anisotropy is probably controlled by the preferred orientation of phyllosilicates and by the existence of oriented systems of microcracks.

Rock-avalanche and ocean-resurge deposits in the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Evidence from the ICDP-USGS Eyreville cores, Virginia, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gohn, G.S.; Powars, D.S.; Dypvik, H.; Edwards, L.E.

2009-01-01

An unusually thick section of sedimentary breccias dominated by target-sediment clasts is a distinctive feature of the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure. A cored 1766-m-deep section recovered from the central part of this marine-target structure by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)-U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) drilling project contains 678 m of these breccias and associated sediments and an intervening 275-m-thick granite slab. Two sedimentary breccia units consist almost entirely of Cretaceous nonmarine sediments derived from the lower part of the target sediment layer. These sediments are present as coherent clasts and as autoclastic matrix between the clasts. Primary (Cretaceous) sedimentary structures are well preserved in some clasts, and liquefaction and fluidization structures produced at the site of deposition occur in the clasts and matrix. These sedimentary breccias are interpreted as one or more rock avalanches from the upper part of the transient-cavity wall. The little-deformed, unshocked granite slab probably was transported as part of an extremely large slide or avalanche. Water-saturated Cretaceous quartz sand below the slab was transported into the seafloor crater prior to, or concurrently with, the granite slab. Two sedimentary breccia units consist of polymict diamictons that contain cobbles, boulders, and blocks of Cretaceous nonmarine target sediments and less common shocked-rock and melt ejecta in an unsorted, unstratified, muddy, fossiliferous, glauconitic quartz matrix. Much of the matrix material was derived from Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene marine target sediments. These units are interpreted as the deposits of debris flows initiated by the resurge of ocean water into the seafloor crater. Interlayering of avalanche and debris-flow units indicates a partial temporal overlap of the earlier avalanche and later resurge processes. A thin unit of stratified turbidite deposits and overlying laminated fine-grained deposits at the top of the section represents the transition to normal shelf sedimentation. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Microstructural observations on hydrothermal veins of Site U1414, IODP Expedition 344 (CRISP 2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandstätter, Jennifer; Kurz, Walter; Rogowitz, Anna

2017-04-01

The erosive active margin offshore Osa Peninsula (Costa Rica) is characterized by the subducting Cocos Plate with its topographic height, the aseismic Cocos Ridge, which has lifted the seismogenic zone in the reach of scientific drilling. To understand the processes occurring in the subducting Cocos Plate in the vicinity to the Middle America Trench, we investigated microstructures in hydrothermal veins, transecting the lithified sediments and the igneous basement of IODP Hole U-1414A. Mechanical e-twinning occurred mainly in the blocky calcite veins in the lithified sediments, rather than in the fibrous calcite veins within the Cocos Ridge basalt. The differential stress, obtained from two different piezometers, indicate mean differential stresses of approximately 53 and 82 MPa. The majority of the twins show a significant thickness (up to 120 µm), straight twin boundaries and are indicative for deformation temperatures between 150 to 300°C. The presence of additional deformation structures, such as undulose extinction and subgrain boundaries, indicates intracrystalline-plastic deformation by dislocation creep. The comparison of the EBSD data from two samples within the lithified sedimentary unit indicates diverse deformation temperatures. Variation in subgrain size observed for the different samples can be related to local variations in differential stress. The results of different microstructural observations showed, that the deformational history of Site 344-U1414 is characterized by distinct tectonic phases, occurring during the movement of the Cocos Ridge from its location of origin (the Galapagos hotspot) to the convergent margin offshore Costa Rica. The causes for these changes in deformation mechanisms in the studied rocks are ascribed to magmatic advection resulting in an increase of temperature and decrease of critical resolved shear stresses, as well as the bending of the Cocos plate adjacent to the Middle American trench.

Pockmarks, fluid flow, and sediments outboard of the deformation front at the Cascadia Subduction Zone from analysis of multi-channel seismic and multi-beam sonar data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, J. C.; Carbotte, S. M.; Han, S.; Carton, H. D.; Canales, P.; Nedimovic, M. R.

2013-12-01

Evidence of active fluid flow and the nature of the sediment section near the Cascadia deformation front are explored using multi-channel (MCS) seismic and multi-beam sonar data collected in summer 2012 using the R/V Marcus G. Langseth during the Juan de Fuca Ridge to Trench Survey. The MCS data were collected along two full plate transects (the 'Oregon' and 'Washington' transects) and one trench parallel line using a 6600 cubic inch source, and an 8 km streamer with 636 channels (12.5 m spacing). The MCS data pre-stack processing sequence includes geometry definition, trace editing, F-K filter, and deconvolution. Velocity analysis is performed via semblance and constant velocity stacks in order to create a velocity model of the sediments and upper oceanic crust. The traces are then stacked, and post-stack time migrated. The sonar data were collected using the R/V Langseth's Kongsberg EM122 1°x1° multi-beam sonar with 288 beams and 432 total soundings across track. Using MB-system the sonar data are cleaned, and the bathymetry data are then gridded at 35 m, while the backscatter data are gridded at 15 m. From the high-resolution mapping data 48 pockmarks varying in diameter from 50 m - 1 km are identified within 60 km outboard of the deformation front. The surface expression of these large features in an area of heavy sedimentation is likely indicative of active fluid flow. In order to gain sub-seafloor perspective on these features the MCS data are draped below the bathymetry/backscatter grids using QPS Fledermaus. From this perspective, specific locations for detailed velocity and attribute analysis of the sediment section are chosen. Sediment velocity and attribute analysis also provide insight into apparent differences in the sediment section and décollement formation along the Oregon and Washington plate transects. While both lines intersect areas of dense pockmark concentration, the area around the Oregon transect has been shown to contain a continuous positive polarity sedimentary layer that is capping fluid expulsion above a reverse polarity protodécollement (e.g. Cochrane et al., 1994, JGR, 99, pp. 7033-7043). A décollement within the sediment section is not present along the Washington line (e.g. Gutscher et al., 2001, Geology, 29, pp. 379-382). However, this line does intersect the 'Bare' outcrops to the west, which have been shown to provide fluid recharge and discharge pathways for convective cooling of the crust (e.g. Fisher et al., 2003, Nature, 421, pp. 618-621). Detailed velocity models constructed from the MCS data will be used to investigate these regional differences. The location of the pockmarks and corresponding sediment properties will also be explored relative to regional variations in the structure of the deformation front and location of intraplate and interplate faulting.

Record of seismotectonic events in siliceous cyanobacterial sediments (Magadi cherts), Lake Magadi, Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behr, H.-J.; Röhricht, C.

The Quaternary sediments of Lake Magadi in the Kenya Rift include large volumes of chert. Before their lithification, these siliceous sediments underwent very strong deformation, as recorded by diapirism with pillow-chert mounds, extrusion along dykes and fault ramps, horizontal liquefaction slides with brecciation, slumping, as well as petee-, flow- and shear structures. Eugster (1969) considered these structures to have resulted from desiccation of Na-silicate precipitates (magadiite) that were deposited over wide areas and were several metres thick. Magadiite can remain soft over long periods; therefore, these ``Magadi-type cherts'' are called the type examples of inorganic cherts. However, field observations and microbiological studies of the cherts show that real inorganic cherts are rare at the type locality of Magadi-type cherts. Most of the cherts are older than the High Magadi Beds and developed from flat-topped calcareous bioherms of Pleurocapsa, Gloecocapsa, and other coccoid cyanobacteria, thinly bedded filamentous microbial mats, stromatolites, bacterial slimes, diatoms, Dascladiacea colonies and other organic matter. Silicification occurred from a silicasol via opal-A to opal-C with final recrystallisation to a chert of quartzine composition. The metabolic processes of cyanobacteria controlled the pH and influenced the dissolution-precipitation mechanism. Collapse, liquefaction and extrusion of the pre-lithified siliceous matrix was caused by seismotectonic rift activity, which activated fault scarplets and large-scale dyke systems. It led to liquefaction and other earthquake-induced structures along the fault ramps and on tilted blocks. Concentrated silicasols were generated by the interaction of alkaline waters with volcanic detritus, coupled with biochemical processes. After liquefaction and extrusion, the material solidified by spontaneous crystallisation in an environment that was characterised by highly variable pH and salinity. The Lake Magadi basin is a remarkable example of sedimentation in a continuously seismotectonically active basin. This paper presents a first description of the micro-organisms in Magadi-type cherts, the silicification process, and the deformation that occurred still in the putty-like state before lithification.

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.

Strong Deformation of the Thick Electric Double Layer around a Charged Particle during Sedimentation or Electrophoresis.

PubMed

Khair, Aditya S

2018-01-23

The deformation of the electric double layer around a charged colloidal particle during sedimentation or electrophoresis in a binary, symmetric electrolyte is studied. The surface potential of the particle is assumed to be small compared to the thermal voltage scale. Additionally, the Debye length is assumed to be large compared to the particle size. These assumptions enable a linearization of the electrokinetic equations. The particle appears as a point charge in this thick-double-layer limit; the distribution of charge in the diffuse cloud surrounding it is determined by a balance of advection due to the particle motion, Brownian diffusion of ions, and electrostatic screening of the particle by the cloud. The ability of advection to deform the charge cloud from its equilibrium state is parametrized by a Péclet number, Pe. For weak advection (Pe ≪ 1), the cloud is only slightly deformed. In contrast, the cloud can be completely stripped from the particle at Pe ≫ 1; consequently, electrokinetic effects on the particle motion vanish in this regime. Therefore, in sedimentation the drag limits to Stokes' law for an uncharged particle as Pe → ∞. Likewise, the particle velocity for electrophoresis approaches Huckel's result. The strongly deformed cloud at large Pe is predicted to generate a concomitant increase in the sedimentation field in a dilute settling suspension.

Thermal environment of the Southern Washington region of the Cascadia subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmi, Marie S.; Johnson, H. Paul; Harris, Robert N.

2017-08-01

Eleven recently collected multichannel seismic (MCS) profiles from the Cascadia Open-Access Seismic Transects experiment offshore Washington State are used to characterize the distribution of bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs) from seaward of the deformation front onto the continental shelf of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The 11 MCS lines consisted of nine lines perpendicular and two lines parallel to the Cascadia margin covering a 100 km along-strike region of the accretionary wedge. From these MCS profiles we generated a 3-D view of the Cascadia margin thermal structure by interpreting 40,232 individual BSR picks in terms of temperature and heat flow. Overall BSR-derived heat flow values decrease from approximately 95 mW m-2 10 km east of the deformation front to approximately 60 mW m-2 located 60 km landward of the deformation front. Anomalously low heat flow values near 25 mW m-2 on a prominent midmargin terrace indicate recent sediment failure within the accretionary prism. Localized differences between BSR heat flow and numerical models reflect an estimated regional mean vertical fluid flow of +0.53 cm yr-1 for the survey area, with localized fluid flow approaching a maximum of +3.8 cm yr-1. Distinct finite element models for the nine MCS profiles perpendicular to the deformation front reproduce BSR heat flow values, producing an overall root-mean-square misfit of 10.2 mW m-2. At the deformation front, the incoming oceanic sediment/crust interface temperatures vary from 164°C to 179°C, indicating the updip limit of the Cascadia seismogenic zone.

Deglaciation events in part of the Manchester South 7.5' quadrangle south-central New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stone, Byron D.

1971-01-01

The study-area lies in south-central New Hampshire, and is bordered on the west by the Merrimack River, the principal north-south drainage route of central New Hampshire. The classical two tills of New England outcrop in the area. In a unique exposure of the sandy upper till, a loose ablation unit overlies a compact basal unit. Both upper till facies overlie a sheared section of dense, olive-gray lower till. Outwash sequences mapped in the study-area are progressively younger to the north, indicating backwastage of the Wisconsinan ice sheet. Primary structures in proglacial Lake Merrimack sediments include contorted bedding, buckled laminae, and folds. A large slumped section in lake sediments exhibits three distinct deformation zones, characterized by brittle, ductile, and unconsolidated deformation. Cross-cutting relationships establish four fold generations and a deformation sequence in the slumped section. Slip in each fold generation was along nearly parallel slip-lines, as deduced from analyses of fold rotation senses. The primary and slump deformation features contrast sharply with the intense style of deformation of lake beds below till at an apparent ice readvance cut. The deduced drag fold slip-line agrees with till fabric point maxima and dip-slip on one group of thrust faults. A southerly movement of readvancing ice is inferred.The study-area was deglaciated about 13,000 years ago, according to a proposed deglaciation model for New Hampshire. The model is based on Nye's theoretical glacier surface gradient, and evidence for active retreat of the Wisconsinan ice sheet.

Structural analysis and implicit 3D modelling of Jwaneng Mine: Insights into deformation of the Transvaal Supergroup in SE Botswana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creus, P. K.; Basson, I. J.; Stoch, B.; Mogorosi, O.; Gabanakgosi, K.; Ramsden, F.; Gaegopolwe, P.

2018-01-01

Country rock at Jwaneng Diamond Mine provides a rare insight into the deformational history of the Transvaal Supergroup in southern Botswana. The ca. 235 Ma kimberlite diatremes intruded into late Archaean to Early Proterozoic, mixed, siliciclastic-carbonate sediments, that were subjected to at least three deformational events. The first deformational event (D1), caused by NW-SE directed compression, is responsible for NE-trending, open folds (F1) with associated diverging, fanning, axial planar cleavage. The second deformational event (D2) is probably progressive, involving a clockwise rotation of the principal stress to NE-SW trends. Early D2, which was N-S directed, involved left-lateral, oblique shearing along cleavage planes that developed around F1 folds, along with the development of antithetic structures. Progressive clockwise rotation of far-field forces saw the development of NW-trending folds (F2) and its associated, weak, axial planar cleavage. D3 is an extensional event in which normal faulting, along pre-existing cleavage planes, created a series of rhomboid-shaped, fault-bounded blocks. Normal faults, which bound these blocks, are the dominant structures at Jwaneng Mine. Combined with block rotation and NW-dipping bedding, a horst-like structure on the northwestern limb of a broad, gentle, NE-trending anticline is indicated. The early compressional and subsequent extensional events are consistent throughout the Jwaneng-Ramotswa-Lobatse-Thabazimbi area, suggesting that a large area records the same fault geometry and, consequently, deformational history. It is proposed that Jwaneng Mine is at or near the northernmost limit of the initial, northwards-directed compressional event.

Earthquake rupture dynamics in poorly lithified sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Paola, N.; Bullock, R. J.; Holdsworth, R.; Marco, S.; Nielsen, S. B.

2017-12-01

Several recent large earthquakes have generated anomalously large slip patches when propagating through fluid-saturated, clay-rich sediments near the surface. Friction experiments at seismic slip rates show that such sediments are extremely weak and deform with very little energy dissipation, which facilitates rupture propagation. Although dynamic weakening may explain the ease of rupture propagation through such sediments, it cannot account for the peculiar slow rupture velocity and low radiation efficiency exhibited by some large, shallow ruptures. Here, we integrate field and experimental datasets to describe on- and off-fault deformation in natural syn-depositional seismogenic faults (< 35 ka) in shallow, clay-rich, poorly lithified sediments from the Dead Sea Fault system, Israel. The data are then used to estimate the energy dissipated by on- and off-fault damage during earthquake rupture through shallow, clay-rich sediments. Our mechanical and field data show localised principal slip zones (PSZs) that deform by particulate flow, with little energy dissipated by brittle fracturing with cataclasis. Conversely, we show that coseismic brittle and ductile deformation in the damage zones outwith the PSZ, which cannot be replicated in small-scale laboratory experiments, is a significant energy sink, contributing to an energy dissipation that is one order of magnitude greater than that estimated from laboratory experiments alone. In particular, a greater proportion of dissipated energy would result in lower radiation efficiency, due to a reduced proportion of radiated energy, plus slower rupture velocity and more energy radiation in the low frequency range than might be anticipated from laboratory experiments alone. This result is in better agreement with seismological estimates of fracture energy, implying that off-fault damage can account for the geophysical characteristics of earthquake ruptures as they pass through clay-rich sediments in the shallow crust.

The southern Whidbey Island fault: An active structure in the Puget Lowland, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, S.Y.; Potter, C.J.; Armentrout, J.M.; Miller, J.J.; Finn, C.; Weaver, C.S.

1996-01-01

Information from seismic-reflection profiles, outcrops, boreholes, and potential field surveys is used to interpret the structure and history of the southern Whidbey Island fault in the Puget Lowland of western Washington. This northwest-trending fault comprises a broad (as wide as 6-11 km), steep, northeast-dipping zone that includes several splays with inferred strike-slip, reverse, and thrust displacement. Transpressional deformation along the southern Whidbey Island fault is indicated by alongstrike variations in structural style and geometry, positive flower structure, local unconformities, out-of-plane displacements, and juxtaposition of correlative sedimentary units with different histories. The southern Whidbey Island fault represents a segment of a boundary between two major crustal blocks. The Cascade block to the northeast is floored by diverse assemblages of pre-Tertiary rocks; the Coast Range block to the southwest is floored by lower Eocene marine basaltic rocks of the Crescent Formation. The fault probably originated during the early Eocene as a dextral strike-slip fault along the eastern side of a continental-margin rift. Bending of the fault and transpressional deformation began during the late middle Eocene and continues to the present. Oblique convergence and clockwise rotation along the continental margin are the inferred driving forces for ongoing deformation. Evidence for Quaternary movement on the southern Whidbey Island fault includes (1) offset and disrupted upper Quaternary strata imaged on seismic-reflection profiles; (2) borehole data that suggests as much as 420 m of structural relief on the Tertiary-Quaternary boundary in the fault zone; (3) several meters of displacement along exposed faults in upper Quaternary sediments; (4) late Quaternary folds with limb dips of as much as ???9??; (5) large-scale liquefaction features in upper Quaternary sediments within the fault zone; and (6) minor historical seismicity. The southern Whidbey Island fault should be considered capable of generating large earthquakes (Ms ???7) and represents a potential seismic hazard to residents of the Puget Lowland.

Mechanics of forearc basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassola, Teodoro; Willett, Sean D.; Kopp, Heidrun

2010-05-01

In this study, the mechanics of forearc basins will be the object of a numerical investigation to understand the relationships between wedge deformation and forearc basin formation. The aim of this work is to gain an insight into the dynamics of the formation of the forearc basin, in particular the mechanism of formation of accommodation space and the preservation of basin stratigraphy. Our tool is a two-dimensional numerical model that includes the rheological properties of the rock, including effective internal friction angle, effective basal friction angle and thermally-dependent viscosity. We also simulate different sedimentation rates in the basin, to study the influence of underfilled and overfilled basin conditions on wedge deformation. The stratigraphy of the basin will also be studied, because in underfilled conditions the sediments are more likely to undergo tectonic deformation due to inner wedge deformation. We compare the numerical model with basins along the Sunda-Java Trench. This margin shows a variety of structural-settings and basin types including underfilled and overfilled basins and different wedge geometries. We interpret and document these structural styles, using depth migrated seismic sections of the Sunda Trench, obtained in three surveys, GINCO (11/98 - 01/99), MERAMEX (16/09/04 - 7/10/04) and SINDBAD (9/10/06 - 9/11/06) and made available through the IFM-GEOMAR and the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften and Rohstoffe (BGR). One important aspect of these margins that we observe is the presence of a dynamic backstop, characterized by older accreted material, that, although deformed during and after accretion, later becomes a stable part of the upper plate. We argue that, following critical wedge theory, it entered into the stable field of a wedge either by steepening or weakening of the underlying detachment. As a stable wedge, this older segment of the wedge acts as a mechanical backstop for the frontal deforming wedge. This dynamic backstop moves seaward in time, in response to isostatic loading by the growing wedge, or due to seaward retreat of the slab with a consequent steepening of the base of the wedge.

An intramontane pull-apart basin in tectonic escape deformation: Elbistan Basin, Eastern Taurides, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusufoğlu, H.

2013-04-01

The Elbistan Basin in the east-Central Anatolia is an intramontane structural depression in the interior part of the Anatolide-Tauride Platform. The Neogene fill in and around Elbistan Basin develops above the Upper Devonian to lower Tertiary basement and comprises two units separated by an angular unconformity: (1) intensely folded and faulted Miocene shallow marine to terrestrial and lacustrine sediments and (2) nearly flat-lying lignite-bearing lacustrine (lower unit) and fluvial (upper unit) deposits of Plio-Quaternary Ahmetçik Formation. The former is composed of Lower-Middle Miocene Salyan, Middle-upper Middle Miocene Gövdelidağ and Upper Miocene Karamağara formations whereas the latter one is the infill of the basin itself in the present configuration of the Elbistan Basin. The basin is bound by normal faults with a minor strike-slip component. It commenced as an intramontane pull-apart basin and developed as a natural response to Early Pliocene tectonic escape-related strike-slip faulting subsequent to post-collisional intracontinental compressional tectonics during which Miocene sediments were intensely deformed. The Early Pliocene time therefore marks a dramatic changeover in tectonic regime and is interpreted as the beginning of the ongoing last tectonic evolution and deformation style in the region unlike to previous views that it commenced before that time. Consequently, the Elbistan Basin is a unique structural depression that equates the extensional strike-slip regime in east-Central Anatolia throughout the context of the neotectonical framework of Turkey across progressive collision of Arabia with Eurasia. Its Pliocene and younger history differs from and contrasts with that of the surrounding pre-Pliocene basins such as Karamağara Basin, on which it has been structurally superimposed.

Seismic structure of the southern Cascadia subduction zone and accretionary prism north of the Mendocino triple junction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gulick, S.P.S.; Meltzer, A.M.; Clarke, S.H.

1998-01-01

Four multichannel-seismic reflection profiles, collected as part of the Mendocino triple junction seismic experiment, image the toe of the southern Cascadia accretionary prism. Today, 250-600 m of sediment is subducting with the Gorda plate, and 1500-3200 m is accreting to the northern California margin. Faults imaged west and east of the deformation front show mixed structural vergence. A north-south trending, 20 km long portion of the central margin is landward vergent for the outer 6-8 km of the toe of the prism. This region of landward vergence exhibits no frontal thrust, is unusually steep and narrow, and is likely caused by a seaward-dipping backstop close to the deformation front. The lack of margin-wide preferred seaward vergence and wedge-taper analysis suggests the prism has low basal shear stress. The three southern lines image wedge-shaped fragments of oceanic crust 1.1-7.3 km in width and 250-700 m thick near the deformation front. These wedges suggest shortening and thickening of the upper oceanic crust. Discontinuities in the seafloor west of the prism provide evidence for mass wasting in the form of slump blocks and debris fans. The southernmost profile extends 75 km west of the prism imaging numerous faults that offset both the Gorda basin oceanic crust and overlying sediments. These high-angle faults, bounding basement highs, are interpreted as strike-slip faults reactivating structures originally formed at the spreading ridge. Northeast or northwest trending strike-slip faults within the basin are consistent with published focal mechanism solutions and are likely caused by north-south Gorda-Pacific plate convergence. Copyright 1998 by the American Geophysical Union.

Spatial variation in incidence of mouthpart deformities in larval chironomids (Diptera) from western Lake Erie

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

Hudson, L.A.; Ciborowski, J.J.H.; Corkum, L.D.

1995-12-31

The major source of contaminants to the sediments of the western basin of Lake Erie is the Detroit River. In order to determine if contaminant levels are reflected in incidences of genotoxicity of benthic invertebrates, the authors examined larvae of chironomids for mouthpart (mentum) deformities. Sediment genotoxicity is indicated when incidence of deformities in susceptible genera exceeds 5%. Samples were collected from three locations along the contaminant gradient extending from the Detroit River along the main shipping channel of the western basin. A composite sample was taken from several central locations in the western basin. Chironomids were hand-picked from ponarmore » grab or box core samples. The heads were mounted, identified to genus and examined for mentum deformities (extra or missing teeth). Chironomus dominated all samples. The incidence of deformities ({+-}SE) in Chironomus was greatest in the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River (7.8 {+-} 2.2%, n = 153), declined to 5.2 {+-} 1.4% (n = 233) in the center of the basin and was the lowest off East Sister Island (1.9 {+-} 0.9%, n = 210). The incidence of deformities was 4.4 {+-} 0.8% (n = 610) at a reference site on the Canadian side of the Detroit River (Crystal Bay). The spatial pattern of chironomid mentum deformities suggests that sediment genotoxicity declines from west to east in western Lake Erie.« less

Glacial sediments and landforms of Holderness, eastern England: A glacial depositional model for the North Sea Lobe of the British-Irish Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, David J. A.; Thomson, Stephen A.

2010-08-01

Borehole records and exposures at coastal cliffs and inland quarries around Holderness are used in a critical assessment of the glacial depositional environments that operated at the margin of the North Sea lobe of the British-Irish Ice Sheet at the Last Glacial Maximum. Four lithofacies associations (LFA) are recognized in the area: LFAs 1 and 4 are laminated to massive diamictons, traditionally called the Skipsea and Withernsea tills/members, and display deformation structures indicative of stress from the NE, attenuated rafts of soft bedrock lithologies, ice-bed separation (canal fill) features and pseudo-stratification, and clast macrofabric data predominantly indicate deformation only to low strains. They are interpreted as subaqueous deposits subsequently deformed by glacier ice to create end products that lie on the glacitectonite continuum. Localized increases in strain signature are equated with the development of shear zones between onshore thickening wedges of deformed, pre-existing lake sediment. LFA 2 comprises cross-bedded clinoforms, locally steepening into foresets, at the core of linear hummocks along the central spine of Holderness (LFA 2a) and rhythmically laminated silts and sands with dropstones (LFA 2b). These sediments are interpreted as coalescent glacilacustrine subaqueous outwash fans, fining distally to lake bottom rhythmites and varves. Ice-contact deposition is evident in compressional folding, faulting and hydrofracture filling due to ice overriding, and extensional faulting associated with localized ice melt-out. Depressions produced by folding or sagging provided the accommodation space for the later deposition of LFA 2 and 3 through syntectonic sedimentation. LFA 3 comprises flat-lying beds of well to poorly sorted cross-stratified sands and gravels, interpreted as proximal proglacial braided outwash deposits laid down largely in ribbon sandar defined by the topography of abandoned ice-contact glacilacustrine depo-centres. Well developed ice wedge pseudomorphs in LFA 3 record permafrost conditions during ice sheet marginal recession, indicating that North Sea lobe oscillations may have been non-climatic or surge related. A depositional model is proposed in which "advance" and "retreat" phase tills/glacitectonites and associated ice-contact lake sediments are the geological imprint of a single glaciation. The initial advance of the North Sea lobe is recorded by a westerly thinning advance till (LFA 1). Later LFA 1 and 4 retreat "tills" are strictly glacitectonites, and are thicker depositional units because later ice readvances encroached upon and cannibalized more substantial sequences of deglacial lake sediment and subaqueous ice-contact fans (LFA 2). Similar regional till architectures will be manifest wherever the palaeogeography resulted in the onshore flow of ice and the concomitant production of glacitectonites from glacial lake sediments.

Intrinsic And Extrinsic Controls On Unsteady Deformation Rates, Northern Apennine Mountains, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasio, D. J.; Gunderson, K. L.; Pazzaglia, F. J.; Kodama, K. P.

2017-12-01

The slip rates of faults in the Northern Apennine Mountains were unsteady at 104-105 year timescales during the Neogene and Quaternary. Fault slip rates were recovered from growth strata and uplifted fluvial terraces associated with the Salsomaggiore, Quatto Castella, and Castevetro fault-related folds, sampled along the Stirone, Enza, and Panaro Rivers, respectively. The forelimb stratigraphy of each anticline was dated using rock magnetic-based cyclostratigraphy, which varies with Milankovitch periodicity, multispecies biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, OSL luminescence dating, TCN burial dating, and radiocarbon dating of uplifted and folded fluvial terraces. Fault slip magnitudes were constrained with trishear forward models. We observed decoupled deformation and sediment accumulation rates at each structure. From 3.5Ma deformation of a thick and thin-skinned thrusts was temporally variable and controlled by intrinsic rock processes, whereas, the more regional Pede-Apenninic thrust fault, a thick-skinned thrust underlying the mountain front, was likely activated because of extrinsic forcing from foreland basin sedimentation rate accelerations since 1.4Ma. We found that reconstructed slip rate variability increased as the time resolution increased. The reconstructed slip history of the thin-skinned thrust faults was characterized relatively long, slow fold growth and associated fault slip, punctuated by shorter, more rapid periods limb rotation, and slip on the underlying thrust fault timed asynchronously. Thrust fault slip rates slip rates were ≤ 0.1 to 6 mm/yr at these intermediate timescales. The variability of slip rates on the thrusts is likely related to strain partitioning neighboring faults within the orogenic wedge. The studied structures slowed down at 1Ma when there was a switch to slower synchronous fault slip coincident with orogenic wedge thickening due to the emplacement of the out of sequence Pene-Apenninic thrust fault that was emplaced at 1.4±0.7 mm/yr. Both tectonic control and climate controlled variability on syntectonic sedimentation was observed in the growth sections.

Signs of Soft-Sediment Deformation at 'Slickrock'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Geological examination of bedding textures indicates three stratigraphic units in an area called 'Slickrock' located in the martian rock outcrop that NASA's Opportunity examined for several weeks. This is an image Opportunity took from a distance of 2.1 meters (6.9 feet) during the rover's 45th sol on Mars (March 10, 2004) and shows a scour surface or ripple trough lamination. These features are consistent with sedimentation on a moist surface where wind-driven processes may also have occurred.

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1

In Figure 1, interpretive blue lines indicate boundaries between the units. The upper blue line may coincide with a scour surface. The lower and upper units have features suggestive of ripples or early soft-sediment deformation. The central unit is dominated by fine, parallel stratification, which could have been produced by wind-blown ripples.

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 2

In Figure 2, features labeled with red letters are shown in an enlargement of portions of the image. 'A' is a scour surface characterized by truncation of the underlying fine layers, or laminae. 'B' is a possible soft-sediment buckling characterized by a 'teepee' shaped structure. 'C' shows a possible ripple beneath the arrow and a possible ripple cross-lamination to the left of the arrow, along the surface the arrow tip touches. 'D' is a scour surface or ripple trough lamination. These features are consistent with sedimentation on a moist surface where wind-driven processes may also have occurred.

Multiscale Sediment-Laden Flow Theory and Its Application in Flood Risk Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Z. X.; Pender, G.; Hu, P.

2011-09-01

Sediment-laden flows over erodible bed normally feature multiple time scales. The time scales of sediment transport and bed deformation relative to the flow essentially measure how fast sediment transport adapts to capacity regime in line with local flow scenario and the bed deforms as compared to the flow, which literally dictate if a capacity based and/or decoupled model is justified. This paper synthesizes the recently developed multiscale theory for sediment-laden flows over erodible bed, with bed load and suspended load transport respectively. It is unravelled that bed load transport can adapt to capacity sufficiently rapidly even under highly unsteady flows and thus a capacity model is mostly applicable, whereas a non-capacity model is critical for suspended sediment because of the lower rate of adaptation to capacity. Physically coupled modeling is critical for cases characterized by rapid bed variation. Applications are outlined on flash floods and landslide dam break floods.

Acoustic Velocity Of The Sediments Offshore Southwestern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, C.; Liu, C.; Huang, P.

2004-12-01

Along the Manila Trench south of 21øXN, deep-sea sediments are being underthrusted beneath the Taiwan accretionary prism which is composed of the Kaoping Slope and Hengchun Ridge. Offshore southwestern Taiwan, foreland sediments and Late Miocene strata of the Tainan Basin are being accreted onto the fold-and thrust belt of the syn-collision accretionary wedge of the Kaoping Slope. The Kaoping Slope consists of thick Neogene to Recent siliciclastics deformed by fold-and-thrust structures and mud diapers. These Pliocene-Quaternary sediments deposited in the Kaoping Shelf and upper slope area are considered to be paleo-channel deposits confined by NNE-SSW trend mud diapiric structure. Seismic P-wave velocities of the sediment deposited in the Kaoping Shelf and Kaoping Slope area are derived from mutichannel seismic reflection data and wide-angle reflection and refraction profiles collected by sonobuoys. Sediment velocity structures constrained from mutichannel seismic reflection data using velocity spectrum analysis method and that derived from sonobuoy data using tau-sum inversion method are compared, and they both provide consistent velocity structures. Seismic velocities were analyzed along the seismic profile from the surface to maximum depths of about 2.0 km below the seafloor. Our model features a sediment layer1 with 400 ms in thickness and a sediment layer2 with 600 ms in thickness. For the shelf sediments, we observe a linear interval velocity trend of V=1.53+1.91T in layer1, and V=1.86+0.87T in layer2, where T is the one way travel time within the layer. For the slop sediment, the trend of V=1.47+1.93T in layer1, and V=1.70+1.55T in layer2. The layer1¡¦s velocities gradients are similar between the shelf (1.91 km/sec2) and the slope(1.93 km/sec2). It means layer1 distributes over the slope and shelf widely. The result of the sediment velocity gradients in this area are in good agreement with that reported for the south Atlantic continental margins.

Salt structure and sediment thickness, Texas-Louisiana continental slope, northwestern Gulf of Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Martin, Raymond G.

1973-01-01

The objectives of this study were to determine the general configuration of the salt surface beneath the Texas-Louisiana continental slope and to isopach the Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary section lying upon it. The structure contour map discloses that the entire slope province between the shelf edge and Sigsbee Escarpment is underlain by salt structures which interconnect at relatively shallow subbottom depths. Salt structures on the slope south of Louisiana and eastern Texas can be grouped according to structural relief and size which define morphological belts of decreasing deformational maturity in a downslope direction. Off northern Mexico and southernmost Texas, salt structures are anticlinal and their trends suggest a structural relationship with the folds of the Mexican Ridge province to the south. Structural trends in the two slope areas meet in the corner of the northwestern gulf where salt structure may have been influenced by a seaward extension of the San Marcos Arch, or an abrupt change in subsalt structural topography. Sediment thickness above the top of salt on the slope averages about 1,400 m (4,620 ft) which is a smaller average than expected from previous estimates. In some synclinal basins between salt structures, sediments may be as thick as 4,000-5,000 m (12,000-17,000 ft). On the average, sedimentary deposits in basins on the upper slope are thicker than on the lower slope. From the isopach map of sediments above salt it is estimated that the U.S. continental slope off Texas and Louisiana contains a sedimentary volume of about 170,000 km3 (41,000 mi3). The bulk of this volume is situated in synclinal basins between domes and principally in those beneath the upper and middle slope regions.

Submarine creeping landslide deformation controlled by the presence of gas hydrates: The Tuaheni Landslide Complex, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gross, Felix; Mountjoy, Joshu; Crutchle, Garethy; Koch, Stephanie; Bialas, Jörg; Pecher, Ingo; Woelz, Susi; Dannowski, Anke; Carey, Jon; Micallef, Aaron; Böttner, Christoph; Huhn, Katrin; Krastel, Sebastian

2016-04-01

Methane hydrate occurrence is bound to a finite pressure/temperature window on continental slopes, known as the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). Hydrates within sediment pore spaces and fractures are recognized to act like a cement, increasing shear strength and stabilizing slopes. However, recent studies show that over longer strain periods methane hydrates can undergo ductile deformation. This combination of short term strengthening and longer term ductile behavior is implicated in the development of slow creeping submarine landforms within the GHSZ. In order to study this phenomenon, a new high-resolution seismic 3D volume was acquired at the Tuaheni Landslide Complex (TLC) at the Hikurangi margin offshore the North Island of New Zealand. Parts of TLC have been interpreted as a slow moving landslide controlled by the gas hydrate system. Two hypotheses for its slow deformation related to the presence of methane hydrates have been proposed: i) Hydrofracturing, driven by gas pressure at the base of the GHSZ, allows pressurized fluids to ascend toward the seafloor, thereby weakening the shallow debris and promoting failure. ii) The mixture of methane hydrates and sediment results in a rheology that behaves in a ductile way under sustained loading, resulting in slow deformation comparable to that of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial rock glaciers. The 3D dataset reveals the distribution of gas and the extend of gas hydrate stability within the deformed debris, as well as deformation fabrics like tectonic-style faulting and a prominent basal décollement, known to be a critical element of terrestrial earth-flows and rock glaciers. Observations from 3D data indicate that the TLC represents the type example of a new submarine landform - an active creeping submarine landslide - which is influenced by the presence of gas hydrates. The morphology, internal structure and deformation of the landslide are comparable with terrestrial- and extra-terrestrial earth flows and rock-glaciers.

Assessing contamination in Great Lakes sediments using benthic invertebrate communities and the sediment quality triad approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Canfield, Timothy J.; Dwyer, F. James; Fairchild, James F.; Haverland, Pamela S.; Ingersoll, Christopher G.; Kemble, Nile E.; Mount, David R.; La Point, Thomas W.; Burton, G. Allen; Swift, M. C.

1996-01-01

Sediments in many Great Lakes harbors and tributary rivers are contaminated. As part of the USEPA's Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediment (ARCS) program, a number of studies were conducted to determine the nature and extent of sediment contamination in Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC). This paper describes the composition of benthic invertebrate communities in contaminated sediments and is one in a series of papers describing studies conducted to evaluate sediment toxicity from three AOC's (Buffalo River, NY; Indiana Harbor, IN; Saginaw River, MI), as part of the ARCS Program. Oligochaeta (worms) and Chironomidae (midge) comprised over 90% of the benthic invertebrate numbers in samples collected from depositional areas. Worms and midge consisted of taxa identified as primarily contaminant tolerant organisms. Structural deformities of mouthparts in midge larvae were pronounced in many of the samples. Good concurrence was evident between measures of laboratory toxicity, sediment contaminant concentration, and benthic invertebrate community composition in extremely contaminated samples. However, in moderately contaminated samples, less concordance was observed between the benthos community composition and either laboratory toxicity test results or sediment contaminant concentration. Laboratory sediment toxicity tests may better identify chemical contamination in sediments than many commonly used measures of benthic invertebrate community composition. Benthic measures may also reflect other factors such as habitat alteration. Evaluation of non-contaminant factors are needed to better interpret the response of benthic invertebrates to sediment contamination.

Shallow structure and its formation process of an active flexure in the forearc basin of the central Nankai subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashi, J.; Ikehara, K.; Omura, A.; Ojima, T.; Murayama, M.

2013-12-01

ENE-WSW trending active faults, named Enshu fault system, are developed in the forearc basins of the eastern and central Nankai subduction zone. Three parallel faults developed in the Enshu forearc basin of the eastern Nankai have right lateral slip on the basis of dextral displacement of the canyon axis. Moreover, bathymetry data and side-scan sonar imageries indicate relative uplift of the northern region and the multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection profiles show northward dipping fault planes. In the central Nankai subuduction zone, an ENE-WSW trending step is distributed at the northern part of the Kumano forearc basin and is regarded as the western extension of the Enshu fault system. Although MCS records show deformations including an anticlinal fold beneath the bathymetric step, they have less resolution to identify deformation of basin sequence just below the seafloor. In contrast, deformation seems to reach to the seafloor on a profile by SBP mounted on a mother ship. Investigation of shallow deformation structures is significant for understanding of recent tectonic activity. We carried out deep towed SBP survey by ROV NSS (Navigable Sampling System) during Hakuho-maru KH-11-9 cruise. High resolution mapping of shallow structures was successfully conducted by a chirp SBP system of EdgeTech DW-106. ROV NSS also has capability to take a long core with a pinpoint accuracy around complex topographic region. The Kumano forearc basin is topographically divided into the northern part at a water depth of 2038 m and the other major region at a depth of 2042 m by the ENE-WSW linear step. Three deep towed SBP lines intersected this topographical step and revealed the following structures. This step is composed of 100 m wide gentle slope with an inclination of about 8 degrees. An anticlinal axis is located beneath the upper edge of this slope. Sedimentary layers continue at this slope region without any abut/termination and rapidly increase their thickness toward the seaward and the landward of the slope. This suggests that the anticlinal ridge trapped sediments from the landward region, and overflowed sediments thinly covered the slope and filled the basin floor seaward of it. Because the upper 25 m sequence recognized by deep towed SBP shows no fault deformation, the step is interpreted to be caused by flexure deformation. An acoustically transparent layer is observed in this area. The thickness of this layer is 1 m at the slope and 5 m at the other regions. Four core samples indicate that the transparent layer correspond to the sequence younger than 10,000 years ago. The sequence landward of the slope indicates growth strata: thinning toward the anticlinal axis and increase of tilt angle downward. This structure is recognized from the seafloor to the strata below the transparent layer suggesting continuous deformation to the present. It is inferred that the flexure structure observed on the deep towed SBP data was formed by a landward dipping thrust fault estimated on the MCS profiles. Flower structures on the MCS data also suggest strike slip displacement and are consistent to the deformation in the Enshu forearc basin 80 km northeast of the study area.

Modeling the Sedimentation of Red Blood Cells in Flow under Strong External Magnetic Body Force using a Lattice Boltzmann Fictitious Domain Method

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

Shi, Xing; Lin, Guang

To model the sedimentation of the red blood cell (RBC) in a square duct and a circular pipe, the recently developed technique derived from the lattice Boltzmann method and the distributed Lagrange multiplier/fictitious domain method (LBM-DLM/FD) is extended to employ the mesoscopic network model for simulations of the sedimentation of the RBC in flow. The flow is simulated by the lattice Boltzmann method with a strong magnetic body force, while the network model is used for modeling RBC deformation. The fluid-RBC interactions are enforced by the Lagrange multiplier. The sedimentation of the RBC in a square duct and a circularmore » pipe is simulated, revealing the capacity of the current method for modeling the sedimentation of RBC in various flows. Numerical results illustrate that that the terminal setting velocity increases with the increment of the exerted body force. The deformation of the RBC has significant effect on the terminal setting velocity due to the change of the frontal area. The larger the exerted force is, the smaller the frontal area and the larger deformation of the RBC are.« less

Structural and diagenetic evolution of deformation bands in contractional and extensional tectonic regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichhubl, P.; O'Brien, C. M.; Elliott, S. J.

2016-12-01

Mechanisms of brittle deformation of sediments and sedimentary rock change with burial because of increasing confining stress, change in pore fluid chemical and temperature conditions, and diagenetic state. In the field, these changes are observed in a transition from early non-cataclastic to later cataclastic deformation bands and to joint-based structures. Jurassic eolian sandstones in the San Rafael monocline and adjacent San Rafael Desert region, Utah, allow comparison of deformation band structures and their diagenetic attributes in contractional and extensional tectonic settings in close proximity. In the Entrada and Navajo Sandstones, we observe up to six generations of deformation bands, with earliest non-cataclastic bands having diffuse boundaries to host rock, and short and irregular traces. Later bands are cataclastic, more sharply defined, with long and straight traces. Cataclastic bands in the San Rafael monocline are interpreted to form as reverse faults during progressive rotation of the steeply dipping fold limb, resulting in an array of bands of varying dip. Bands in the San Rafael Desert form as normal faults with a narrower dip range. Although structural characteristics of bands differ in extensional and contractional tectonic regimes, cataclastic bands in either regime have comparable amount of porosity loss and quartz cementation indicating that tectonic regime does not influence band diagenesis. Abundance of quartz cement in bands, determined by point counting of SEM images, increases from earlier to later generations of bands and, within a single generation, with increasing slip along the band, reaching up to 24% of band volume. This trend is attributed to an increase in cataclasis with increasing host rock cementation and confining stress during burial, and, within the same generation, with increasing slip. Porosity loss by cementation tends to dominate over porosity loss by mechanical compaction. These findings demonstrate that quartz cementation and thus band permeability are primarily controlled by the degree of cataclasis in the bands, and highlight the interdependence of mechanical deformation and chemical diagenetic processes in deformation bands.

Comparison of coseismic near-field and off-fault surface deformation patterns of the 1992 Mw 7.3 Landers and 1999 Mw 7.1 Hector Mine earthquakes: Implications for controls on the distribution of surface strain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milliner, C. W. D.; Dolan, J. F.; Hollingsworth, J.; Leprince, S.; Ayoub, F.

2016-10-01

Subpixel correlation of preevent and postevent air photos reveal the complete near-field, horizontal surface deformation patterns of the 1992 Mw 7.3 Landers and 1999 Mw 7.1 Hector Mine ruptures. Total surface displacement values for both earthquakes are systematically larger than "on-fault" displacements from geologic field surveys, indicating significant distributed, inelastic deformation occurred along these ruptures. Comparison of these two data sets shows that 46 ± 10% and 39 ± 22% of the total surface deformation were distributed over fault zones averaging 154 m and 121 m in width for the Landers and Hector Mine events, respectively. Spatial variations of distributed deformation along both ruptures show correlations with the type of near-surface lithology and degree of fault complexity; larger amounts of distributed shear occur where the rupture propagated through loose unconsolidated sediments and areas of more complex fault structure. These results have basic implications for geologic-geodetic rate comparisons and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis.

Mud volcanoes of the Orinoco Delta, Eastern Venezuela

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aslan, A.; Warne, A.G.; White, W.A.; Guevara, E.H.; Smyth, R.C.; Raney, J.A.; Gibeaut, J.C.

2001-01-01

Mud volcanoes along the northwest margin of the Orinoco Delta are part of a regional belt of soft sediment deformation and diapirism that formed in response to rapid foredeep sedimentation and subsequent tectonic compression along the Caribbean-South American plate boundary. Field studies of five mud volcanoes show that such structures consist of a central mound covered by active and inactive vents. Inactive vents and mud flows are densely vegetated, whereas active vents are sparsely vegetated. Four out of the five mud volcanoes studied are currently active. Orinoco mud flows consist of mud and clayey silt matrix surrounding lithic clasts of varying composition. Preliminary analysis suggests that the mud volcano sediment is derived from underlying Miocene and Pliocene strata. Hydrocarbon seeps are associated with several of the active mud volcanoes. Orinoco mud volcanoes overlie the crest of a mud-diapir-cored anticline located along the axis of the Eastern Venezuelan Basin. Faulting along the flank of the Pedernales mud volcano suggests that fluidized sediment and hydrocarbons migrate to the surface along faults produced by tensional stresses along the crest of the anticline. Orinoco mud volcanoes highlight the proximity of this major delta to an active plate margin and the importance of tectonic influences on its development. Evaluation of the Orinoco Delta mud volcanoes and those elsewhere indicates that these features are important indicators of compressional tectonism along deformation fronts of plate margins. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterizing the Inner Accretionary Prism of the Nankai Trough with 3D Seismic and Logging While Drilling at IODP Site C0002

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boston, B.; Moore, G. F.; Jurado, M. J.; Sone, H.; Tobin, H. J.; Saffer, D. M.; Hirose, T.; Toczko, S.; Maeda, L.

2014-12-01

The deeper, inner parts of active accretionary prisms have been poorly studied due the lack of drilling data, low seismic image quality and typically thick overlying sediments. Our project focuses on the interior of the Nankai Trough inner accretionary prism using deep scientific drilling and a 3D seismic cube. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 348 extended the existing riser hole to more than 3000 meters below seafloor (mbsf) at Site C0002. Logging while drilling (LWD) data included gamma ray, resistivity, resistivity image, and sonic logs. LWD analysis of the lower section revealed on the borehole images intense deformation characterized by steep bedding, faults and fractures. Bedding plane orientations were measured throughout, with minor gaps at heavily deformed zones disrupting the quality of the resistivity images. Bedding trends are predominantly steeply dipping (60-90°) to the NW. Interpretation of fractures and faults in the image log revealed the existence of different sets of fractures and faults and variable fracture density, remarkably high at fault zones. Gamma ray, resistivity and sonic logs indicated generally homogenous lithology interpretation along this section, consistent with the "silty-claystone" predominant lithologies described on cutting samples. Drops in sonic velocity were observed at the fault zones defined on borehole images. Seismic reflection interpretation of the deep faults in the inner prism is exceedingly difficult due to a strong seafloor multiple, high-angle bedding dips, and low frequency of the data. Structural reconstructions were employed to test whether folding of seismic horizons in the overlying forearc basin could be from an interpreted paleothrust within the inner prism. We used a trishear-based restoration to estimate fault slip on folded horizons landward of C0002. We estimate ~500 m of slip from a steeply dipping deep thrust within the last ~0.9 Ma. Folding is not found in the Kumano sediments near C0002, where normal faults and tilting dominate the modern basin deformation. Both logging and seismic are consistent in characterizing a heavily deformed inner prism. Most of this deformation must have occurred during or before formation of the overlying modern Kumano forearc basin sediments.

Microstructural study of natural fractures in Cape Roberts Project 3 core, Western Ross Sea, Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Millan, C.; Wilson, T.; Paulsen, T.

2007-01-01

Microstructures in natural fractures in core recovered offshore from Cape Roberts, Ross Sea, Antarctica, provide new constraints on the relative timing of faulting and sedimentation in the Victoria Land Basin along the Transantarctic Mountain rift flank. This study characterizes the textures, fabrics and grain-scale structures from thin section analysis of samples of microfaults, veins, and clastic dikes. Microfaults are abundant and display two different types of textures, interpreted to record two different deformation modes: pre-lithification shearing and brittle faulting of cohesive sediment. Both clastic dikes and calcite veins commonly follow fault planes, indicating that injections of liquefied sediment and circulating fluids used pre-existing faults as conduits. The close association of clastic injections, diagenetic mineralization, and faulting indicates that faulting was synchronous with deposition in the rift basin

Fault slip rates in the modern new madrid seismic zone

PubMed

Mueller; Champion; Guccione; Kelson

1999-11-05

Structural and geomorphic analysis of late Holocene sediments in the Lake County region of the New Madrid seismic zone indicates that they are deformed by fault-related folding above the blind Reelfoot thrust fault. The widths of narrow kink bands exposed in trenches were used to model the Reelfoot scarp as a forelimb on a fault-bend fold; this, coupled with the age of folded sediment, yields a slip rate on the blind thrust of 6.1 +/- 0.7 mm/year for the past 2300 +/- 100 years. An alternative method used structural relief across the scarp and the estimated dip of the underlying blind thrust to calculate a slip rate of 4.8 +/- 0.2 mm/year. Geometric relations suggest that the right lateral slip rate on the New Madrid seismic zone is 1.8 to 2.0 mm/year.

Influence of inherited structures on the growth of basement-cored ranges, basin inversion and foreland basin development in the Central Andes, from apatite fission-track and apatite Helium thermochronology.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zapata, S.; Sobel, E. R.; Del Papa, C.; Jelinek, A. R.; Muruaga, C.

2017-12-01

The Central Andes in NW of Argentina is part of a long-lived subduction zone, active since the Paleozoic. This region experienced several tectonic cycles; each of which created an unique set of structures and may have reactivated preexisting structures. These inherited structures may exert a first-order control over the different foreland deformational styles observed along the strike in the Central Andes. Our study area is located between 26°S and 28°S on the transition between the broken foreland (Santa Barbara system), which expresses a combination of thin-skin and thick-skin styles, and the Sierras Pampeanas, which is deform in a thick-skin style. The Cumbres Calchaquies range and the associated Choromoro Basin are located in the northern part of the study area, and are the southern expression of the Santa Barbara system. Published thermochronology data suggest that the rocks from the basement experienced Late Cretaceous and Late Miocene exhumation; the associated sedimentary rocks within the Choromoro basin experienced Paleogene and Late Miocene deformational phases. In contrast, the Sierra Aconquija range, located immediately south on the transition to the Sierras Pampeanas (thick skin) foreland basin, exhibit larger amounts of Miocene exhumation and lack of Cretaceous exhumation; the associated sedimentary rocks from the Tucuman basin have not been deformed since the Cretaceous. Our goal is to understand the evolution of the structural blocks and the structures responsible for the along strike changes in foreland basin deformational styles and their relation with inherited structures from previous tectonic cycles. We are obtaining new apatite U-Th/He and fission track data to reconstruct the thermal history of the basement, accompanied by U-Pb geochronology and stratigraphy to constrain the evolution of the associated sedimentary basins. Preliminary results combined with published data suggest that inherited structures within the study area have evolved through different tectonic cycles, controlling the thicknes and the geometry of the sediments within the Mesozoic rift basin, the Miocene amount of exhumation in the basement-cored ranges and the deformation style of the associated foreland basins.

Event sedimentation in low-latitude deep-water carbonate basins, Anegada passage, northeast Caribbean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chaytor, Jason D.; ten Brink, Uri S.

2015-01-01

The Virgin Islands and Whiting basins in the Northeast Caribbean are deep, structurally controlled depocentres partially bound by shallow-water carbonate platforms. Closed basins such as these are thought to document earthquake and hurricane events through the accumulation of event layers such as debris flow and turbidity current deposits and the internal deformation of deposited material. Event layers in the Virgin Islands and Whiting basins are predominantly thin and discontinuous, containing varying amounts of reef- and slope-derived material. Three turbidites/sandy intervals in the upper 2 m of sediment in the eastern Virgin Islands Basin were deposited between ca. 2000 and 13 600 years ago, but do not extend across the basin. In the central and western Virgin Islands Basin, a structureless clay-rich interval is interpreted to be a unifite. Within the Whiting Basin, several discontinuous turbidites and other sand-rich intervals are primarily deposited in base of slope fans. The youngest of these turbidites is ca. 2600 years old. Sediment accumulation in these basins is low (−1) for basin adjacent to carbonate platform, possibly due to limited sediment input during highstand sea-level conditions, sediment trapping and/or cohesive basin walls. We find no evidence of recent sediment transport (turbidites or debris flows) or sediment deformation that can be attributed to the ca. M7.2 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake whose epicentre was located on the north wall of the Virgin Islands Basin or to recent hurricanes that have impacted the region. The lack of significant appreciable pebble or greater size carbonate material in any of the available cores suggests that submarine landslide and basin-wide blocky debris flows have not been a significant mechanism of basin margin modification in the last several thousand years. Thus, basins such as those described here may be poor recorders of past natural hazards, but may provide a long-term record of past oceanographic conditions in ocean passages.

Fold-Thrust mapping using photogrammetry in Western Champsaur basin, SE France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Totake, Y.; Butler, R.; Bond, C. E.

2016-12-01

There is an increasing demand for high-resolution geometric data for outcropping geological structures - not only to test models for their formation and evolution but also to create synthetic seismic visualisations for comparison with subsurface data. High-resolution 3D scenes reconstructed by modern photogrammetry offer an efficient toolbox for such work. When integrated with direct field measurements and observations, these products can be used to build geological interpretations and models. Photogrammetric techniques using standard equipment are ideally suited to working in the high mountain terrain that commonly offers the best outcrops, as all equipment is readily portable and, in the absence of cloud-cover, not restricted to the meteorological and legal restrictions that can affect some airborne approaches. The workflows and approaches for generating geological models utilising such photogrammetry techniques are the focus of our contribution. Our case study comes from SE France where early Alpine fore-deep sediments have been deformed into arrays of fold-thrust complexes. Over 1500m vertical relief provides excellent outcrop control with surrounding hillsides providing vantage points for ground-based photogrammetry. We collected over 9,400 photographs across the fold-thrust array using a handheld digital camera from 133 ground locations that were individually georeferenced. We processed the photographic images within the software PhotoScan-Pro to build 3D landscape scenes. The built photogrammetric models were then imported into the software Move, along with field measurements, to map faults and sedimentary layers and to produce geological cross sections and 3D geological surfaces. Polylines of sediment beds and faults traced on our photogrammetry models allow interpretation of a pseudo-3D geometry of the deformation structures, and enable prediction of dips and strikes from inaccessible field areas, to map the complex geometries of the thrust faults and deformed strata in detail. The resultant structural geometry of the thrust zones delivers an exceptional analogue to inaccessible subsurface fold-thrust structures which are often challenging to obtain a clear seismic image.

Depositional environments during the Late Palaeozoic ice age (LPIA) in northern Ethiopia, NE Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bussert, Robert

2014-11-01

The Late Palaeozoic sediments in northern Ethiopia record a series of depositional environments during and after the Late Paleozoic ice age (LPIA). These sediments are up to 200 m thick and exceptionally heterogeneous in lithofacies composition. A differentiation of numerous types of lithofacies associations forms the basis for the interpretation of a large range of depositional processes. Major glacigenic lithofacies associations include: (1) sheets of diamictite, either overlying glacially eroded basement surfaces or intercalated into the sediment successions, and representing subglacial tillites, (2) thick massive to weakly stratified muddy clast-poor diamictites to lonestone-bearing laminated mudstones originating from a combination of suspension settling of fines and iceberg rainout, (3) lensoidal or thin-bedded diamictites deposited from debris flows, (4) wedges of traction and gravity transported coarse-grained sediments deposited in outwash fans, (5) irregular wedges or sheets of mudstones deformed primarily by extension and incorporating deformed beds or rafts of other lithofacies formed by slumping, and (6) irregular bodies of sandstone, conglomerate and diamictite deformed by glacial pushing. The dominance of laminated or massive clast-bearing mudstones in most successions indicates ice-contact water bodies as the major depositional environment. Into this environment, coarse-grained sediments were transported by various gravity driven transport processes, including dropstone activity of ice-bergs, slumping, cohesive debris flow, hyperconcentrated to concentrated flow, hyperpycnal flow, and by turbidity flow. Close to glacier termini, wedge-shaped bodies of conglomerate, sandstone, diamictite and mudstone were deposited primarily in subaqueous outwash-fans. Soft-sediment deformation of these sediments either records ice push during glacier advance or re-sedimentation by slumping. Apart from an initial glacier advance when thick ice of temperate or polythermal glaciers covered the whole basin, many sections document at least a second major phase of ice advance and retreat, and some sections additional minor advance-retreat cycles. Whether most of the LPIA sediments in northern Ethiopia were deposited in lakes or in fjords is not yet clear. Although univocal evidence of marine conditions is missing, the presence of carbonate-rich beds and the trace fossil assemblage are compatible with a restricted marine environment such as broad palaeofjords affected by strong freshwater discharge during deglaciation. A restricted marine environment for most of the sediments in northern Ethiopia could challenge models of the LPIA sediments in Arabia as primarily glaciolacustrine and glaciofluviatile deposits.

Age and evolution of thin-skinned deformation in Zacatecas, Mexico: Sevier orogeny evidence in the Mexican Fold-Thrust Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez-Peña, César Francisco; Chávez-Cabello, Gabriel

2017-07-01

Integrating U-Pb ages from zircons of syn- and postectonic intrusives emplaced in folded pre- and synorogenic marine sedimentary rocks, it is proposed that thin-skinned deformation in the Concepción del Oro salient of the Mexican Fold Thrust Belt in northern Zacatecas, Mexico, was active between 92 and 71.6 Ma. The intrusives Pico de Teyra and El Peñuelo (U-Pb zircon ages: 76.9 and 72.5 Ma) show internal tectonic foliations and horizontal shear zones that cut off aplitic veins, which apparently developed syntectonically to thin-skinned deformation. Other intrusives like Saltillito (71.6 Ma) and Concepción del Oro are clearly postectonic because they are undeformed internally, cut regional structures and are younger than syntectonic plutons. Biostratigraphic ages reported for synorogenic sediments (Concepción del Oro and Parras formations) indicate that regional thin-skinned deformation was active between Early Turonian and Late Campanian, which is in agreement with syn and postectonic intrusive emplacement ages in the area. Nevertheless, the thin-skinned structures are disrupted by a younger NNW-SSE high angle reverse and normal faults that uplifts the San Julián Block in the west and truncate the Concepción del Oro salient, suggesting a post-Paleocene thick-skinned stage of deformation. In this work, we propose that style and age of thin-skinned deformation is similar to the Sevier orogeny in the Rocky Mountains.

The Rock Elm meteorite impact structure, Wisconsin: Geology and shock-metamorphic effects in quartz

USGS Publications Warehouse

French, B.M.; Cordua, W.S.; Plescia, J.B.

2004-01-01

The Rock Elm structure in southwest Wisconsin is an anomalous circular area of highly deformed rocks, ???6.5 km in diameter, located in a region of virtually horizontal undeformed sedimentary rocks. Shock-produced planar microstructures (PMs) have been identified in quartz grains in several lithologies associated with the structure: sandstones, quartzite pebbles, and breccia. Two distinct types of PMs are present: P1 features, which appear identical to planar fractures (PFs or cleavage), and P2 features, which are interpreted as possible incipient planar deformation features (PDFs). The latter are uniquely produced by the shock waves associated with meteorite impact events. Both types of PMs are oriented parallel to specific crystallographic planes in the quartz, most commonly to c(0001), ??112??2, and r/z101??1. The association of unusual, structurally deformed strata with distinct shock-produced microdeformation features in their quartz-bearing rocks establishes Rock Elm as a meteorite impact structure and supports the view that the presence of multiple parallel cleavages in quartz may be used independently as a criterion for meteorite impact. Preliminary paleontological studies indicate a minimum age of Middle Ordovician for the Rock Elm structure. A similar age estimate (450-400 Ma) is obtained independently by combining the results of studies of the general morphology of complex impact structures with estimated rates of sedimentation for the region. Such methods may be applicable to dating other old and deeply eroded impact structures formed in sedimentary target rocks.

Inconsistency in the analysis of morphological deformities in chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) larvae.

PubMed

Salmelin, Johanna; Vuori, Kari-Matti; Hämäläinen, Heikki

2015-08-01

The incidence of morphological deformities of chironomid larvae as an indicator of sediment toxicity has been studied for decades. However, standards for deformity analysis are lacking. The authors evaluated whether 25 experts diagnosed larval deformities in a similar manner. Based on high-quality digital images, the experts rated 211 menta of Chironomus spp. larvae as normal or deformed. The larvae were from a site with polluted sediments or from a reference site. The authors revealed this to a random half of the experts, and the rest conducted the assessment blind. The authors quantified the interrater agreement by kappa coefficient, tested whether open and blind assessments differed in deformity incidence and in differentiation between the sites, and identified those deformity types rated most consistently or inconsistently. The total deformity incidence varied greatly, from 10.9% to 66.4% among experts. Kappa coefficient across rater pairs averaged 0.52, indicating insufficient agreement. The deformity types rated most consistently were those missing teeth or with extra teeth. The open and blind assessments did not differ, but differentiation between sites was clearest for raters who counted primarily absolute deformities such as missing and extra teeth and excluded apparent mechanical aberrations or deviations in tooth size or symmetry. The highly differing criteria in deformity assignment have likely led to inconsistent results in midge larval deformity studies and indicate an urgent need for standardization of the analysis. © 2015 SETAC.

Signature of Transpressional Tectonics in the Holocene Stratigraphy of Lake Azuei, Haiti: Preliminary Results From a High-Resolution Subbottom Profiling Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cormier, M. H.; Sloan, H.; Boisson, D.; Brown, B.; Guerrier, K.; Hearn, C. K.; Heil, C. W., Jr.; Kelly, R. P.; King, J. W.; Knotts, P.; Lucier, O. F.; Momplaisir, R.; Stempel, R.; Symithe, S. J.; Ulysse, S. M. J.; Wattrus, N. J.

2017-12-01

The left-lateral Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault (EPGF) is one of two transform systems that define the Northern Caribbean plate boundary zone. Relative motion across its trace ( 10 mm/yr) evolves from nearly pure strike-slip in western Haiti to transpressional in eastern Haiti, where the fault system may terminate against a south-dipping oblique reverse fault. Lake Azuei is a large (10 km x 25 km) and shallow (< 30 m deep) lake that lies in the direct extension of the EPGF in eastern Haiti. A single core previously collected in the lake suggests high sedimentation rates at its depocenter ( 6 mm/yr). The shallow lake stratigraphy is therefore expected to faithfully record any tectonic deformation that occurred within the past few thousand years. In January 2017, we acquired a grid of high-resolution ( 10 cm), shallow penetration ( 4 to 5 m) subbottom seismic (CHIRP) profiles spaced 1.2 km apart across the entire lake. A new bathymetric map compiled from these CHIRP data and some prior echosounder survey reveals a flat lake floor (<0.01°) surrounded by steep ( 5°) shoreline slopes. The CHIRP profiles highlight several gentle folds that protrude from the flat lakebed near the southern shore, an area where transpressional deformation is presumably focused. Thin (< 20 cm) horizontal strata from the lakebed can be traced onto the flanks of these gentle folds and pinch out in an upward curve. They also often pinch upward onto the base of the shoreline slopes, indicating that young sediments on the lakebed bypassed the folds as well as the shoreline slopes. We interpret this feature as diagnostic of sediments deposited by turbidity currents. The fact that young turbidites pinch out in upward curves suggests that the folds are actively growing, and that active contractional structures (folds and/or blind thrust faults) control much of the periphery of the lake. A few sediment cores were strategically located where beds are pinching out in order to maximize stratigraphic records. Two of these cores successfully penetrated strata imaged by the CHIRP profiles. On-going Pb210 dating of sediment samples from the cores should constrain sedimentation rates and thus help quantify the rates of the tectonic deformation.

Geometry and kinematics of accretionary wedge faults inherited from the structure and rheology of the incoming sedimentary section; insights from 3D seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Rebecca; Orme, Haydn; Lenette, Kathryn; Jackson, Christopher; Fitch, Peter; Phillips, Thomas; Moore, Gregory

2017-04-01

Intra-wedge thrust faults represent important conduits for fluid flow in accretionary prisms, modulating pore fluid pressure, effective stress and, ultimately, the seismic hazard potential of convergent plate boundaries. Despite its importance, we know surprisingly little regarding the 3D geometry and kinematics of thrust networks in accretionary prisms, largely due to a lack of 3D seismic reflection data providing high-resolution, 3D images. To address this we here present observations from two subduction zones, the Nankai and Lesser Antilles margins, where 3D seismic and borehole data allow us to constrain the geometry and kinematics of intra-wedge fault networks and to thus shed light on the mechanisms responsible for their structural style variability. At the Muroto transect, Nankai margin we find that the style of protothrust zone deformation varies markedly along-strike over distances of only a few km. Using structural restoration and quantitative fault analysis, we reveal that in the northern part of the study area deformation occurred by buckle folding followed by faulting. Further south, intra-wedge faults nucleate above the décollement and propagate radially with no folding, resulting in variable connectivity between faults and the décollement. The seismic facies character of sediments immediately above the décollement varies along strike, with borehole data revealing that, in the north, where buckle folding dominates un-cemented Lower Shikoku Basin sediments overlie the décollement. In contrast, further south, Opal CT-cemented, and thus rigid Upper Shikoku Basin sediments overlie the décollement. We suggest these along-strike variations in diagenesis and thus rheology control the observed structural style variability. Near Barbados, at the Lesser Antilles margin, rough subducting plate relief is blanketed by up to 700 m of sediment. 3D seismic data reveal that basement relief is defined by linear normal fault blocks and volcanic ridges, and sub-circular seamounts. The youngest, most basinward thrusts in the wedge strike NW-SE; however, 17 km landward, towards the wedge core, they strike NE-SW. The orientation of the more landward faults correlates with the trend of linear basement relief, whereas thrust fault orientations close to the deformation front are perpendicular to the convergence direction. We notice that oceanic crust that has been subducted is characterised by NE-SW striking, now-inverted normal faults, with some faults extending up through the entire sedimentary section. We suggest that the NE-SW orientation of thrust faults has been inherited from linear basement ridges. In contrast, basement currently subducting beneath the deformation front is dominated by seamounts and is devoid of more linear features. Here, there are no pre-existing normal faults available for reactivation and thrust faults develop perpendicular to the convergence direction. We show that the incoming plate properties have a profound effect on the geometry of accretionary wedges; it would be difficult to elucidate this without 3D seismic data. Our insights provide new hypotheses that can be tested with numerical and laboratory models.

Volcanoes Behave as Composite Materials: Implications for Modeling Magma Chambers, Dikes, and Surface Deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leiss, B.; Gudmundsson, A.; Philipp, S. L.

2005-12-01

By definition, composite volcanoes are composed of numerous alternating material units or layers such as lavas, sediments, and pyroclastics. Commonly, these layers have widely different mechanical properties. In particular, some lava flows and welded pyroclastic flows may be stiff (with a high Young's modulus), whereas others, such as non-welded pyroclastic units and sediments, may be soft (with a low Young's modulus). As a consequence, even if the loading (tectonic stress, magmatic pressure, or displacement) is uniform, the stresses within the composite volcano will vary widely. In this sense, the behavior of composite volcanoes is similar to that of general composite materials. The deformation of the surface of a volcano during an unrest period results from stresses generated by processes and parameters such as fluid pressure in a geothermal field or a magma chamber, a regional tectonic event, and a dike injection. Here we present new numerical models on mechanics of magma chambers and dikes, and the associated surface deformation of composite volcanoes. The models show that the surface deformation during magma-chamber inflation and deflation depends much on the chamber geometry, the loading conditions, and the mechanical properties of the rock units that constitute the volcano. The models also indicate that the surface deformation induced by a propagating dike depends much on the mechanical properties of the layers between the dike tip and the surface. In particular, the numerical results show that soft layers and weak contacts between layers may suppress the dike-induced tensile stresses and the associated surface deformation. Many dikes may therefore become injected and arrested at shallow depths in a volcano while giving rise to little or no surface deformation. Traditional analytical surface-deformation models such as a point source (Mogi model) for a magma-chamber pressure change and a dislocation for a dike normally assume the volcano to behave as a homogeneous, isotropic half space. The present numerical results, combined with field studies, indicate that such analytical models may yield results that have little similarity with the actual structure being modeled.

Hydrodynamic and Sediment Responses of Open Channels to Exposed Pipe Encasements

PubMed Central

Mao, J. Q.; Zhang, H. Q.; Dai, H. C.; Yuan, B. H.; Hu, T. F.

2015-01-01

The effects of exposed pipe encasements on the local variation of hydrodynamic and sediment conditions in a river channel are examined. Laboratory experiments are performed to assess the response of water level, flow regime and bed deformation to several representative types of concrete encasements. The experimental conditions considered are: three types of exposed pipe encasements exposed on the bed, including trapezoidal shape, circular-arc shape and polygonal shape, and three sets of discharges, including annual discharge, once-in-3-year flood, and once-in-50-year flood. Our experiments show that: (1) the amount of backwater definitely depends on the encasement geometric shape and the background discharge; (2) smaller discharges generally tend to induce local scour of river bed downstream of the encasement, and the order of sensitivity of bed deformation to the encasement geometric shape is trapezoidal > circular-arc > polygonal; (3) comparatively speaking, the polygonal encasement may be considered as a suitable protective structure for pipelines across alluvial rivers, with relatively modest effects on the local hydrodynamic conditions and bed stabilization. PMID:26588840

A Thick, Deformed Sedimentary Wedge in an Erosional Subduction Zone, Southern Costa Rica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silver, E. A.; Kluesner, J. W.; Edwards, J. H.; Vannucchi, P.

2014-12-01

A paradigm of erosional subduction zones is that the lower part of the wedge is composed of strong, crystalline basement (Clift and Vannucchi, Rev. Geophys., 42, RG2001, 2004). The CRISP 3D seismic reflection study of the southern part of the Costa Rica subduction zone shows quite the opposite. Here the slope is underlain by a series of fault-cored anticlines, with faults dipping both landward and seaward that root into the plate boundary. Deformation intensity increases with depth, and young, near-surface deformation follows that of the deeper structures but with basin inversions indicating a dynamic evolution (Edwards et al., this meeting). Fold wavelength increases landward, consistent with the folding of a landward-thickening wedge. Offscraping in accretion is minimal because incoming sediments on the lower plate are very thin. Within the wedge, thrust faulting dominates at depth in the wedge, whereas normal faulting dominates close to the surface, possibly reflecting uplift of the deforming anticlines. Normal faults form a mesh of NNW and ENE-trending structures, whereas thrust faults are oriented approximately parallel to the dominant fold orientation, which in turn follows the direction of roughness on the subducting plate. Rapid subduction erosion just prior to 2 Ma is inferred from IODP Expedition 334 (Vannucchi et al., 2013, Geology, 49:995-998). Crystalline basement may have been largely removed from the slope region during this rapid erosional event, and the modern wedge may consist of rapidly redeposited material (Expedition 344 Scientists, 2013) that has been undergoing deformation since its inception, producing a structure quite different from that expected of an eroding subduction zone.

Clastic Pipes: Proxies of High Water Tables and Strong Ground Motion, Jurassic Carmel Formation, Southern Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheatley, David; Chan, Marjorie

2015-04-01

Multiple soft sediment deformation features from bed-scale to basin-scale are well preserved within the Jurassic Carmel Formation of Southern Utah. Field mapping reveals thousands of small-scale clastic injectite pipes (10 cm to 10 m diameter, up to 20 m tall) in extremely high densities (up to 500+ pipes per 0.075 square kilometers). The pipes weather out in positive relief from the surrounding host strata of massive sandstone (sabkha) and crossbedded sands with minor conglomerate and shale (fluvial) deposits. The host rock shows both brittle and ductile deformation. Reverse, normal, and antithetical faulting is common with increased frequency, including ring faults, surrounding the pipes. The pipes formed from liquefaction and subsequent fluidization induced by strong ground motion. Down-dropped, graben blocks and ring faults surrounding pipes indicate initial sediment volume increase during pipe emplacement followed by sediment volume decrease during dewatering. Complex crosscutting relationships indicate several injection events where some pipe events reached the surface as sand blows. Multiple ash layers provide excellent stratigraphic and temporal constraints for the pipe system with the host strata deposited between 166 and 164 Ma. Common volcanic fragments and rounded volcanic cobbles occur within sandstone and conglomerate beds, and pipes. Isolated volcanic clasts in massive sandstone indicate explosive volcanic events that could have been the exogenic trigger for earthquakes. The distribution of pipes are roughly parallel to the Middle Jurassic paleoshoreline located in marginal environments between the shallow epicontinental Sundance Sea and continental dryland. At the vertical stratigraphic facies change from dominantly fluvial sediments to dominantly massive sabkha sediments, there is a 1-2 m-thick floodplain mudstone that was a likely seal for underlying, overpressurized sediments. The combination of loose porous sediment at a critical depth of water saturation made the system extremely susceptible to liquefaction. Fluid inclusions of carbonate nodules present on the pipe margins indicate salinity, temperature, and character of possible early diagenetic fluids before significant burial. These inclusions can reveal information about brines from point sources or fed via groundwater. Overall, the combination of clastic pipes and their related soft deformation structures in the host rock provide proxies for the existence of high water table conditions within arid climate regimes and transitional paleoenvironments previously assumed to be devoid of significant amounts of water. The pipe distribution and evidence of multiple injectite events paralleling an ancient paleoshoreline provides basin-scale insights on repeated paleoseismicity and volcanism along the convergent boundary of the Cordilleran.

Impact of structural and autocyclic basin-floor topography on the depositional evolution of the deep-water Valparaiso forearc basin, central Chile

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laursen, J.; Normark, W.R.

2003-01-01

The Valparaiso Basin constitutes a unique and prominent deep-water forearc basin underlying a 40-km by 60-km mid-slope terrace at 2.5-km water depth on the central Chile margin. Seismic-reflection data, collected as part of the CONDOR investigation, image a 3-3.5-km thick sediment succession that fills a smoothly sagged, margin-parallel, elongated trough at the base of the upper slope. In response to underthrusting of the Juan Ferna??ndez Ridge on the Nazca plate, the basin fill is increasingly deformed in the seaward direction above seaward-vergent outer forearc compressional highs. Syn-depositional growth of a large, margin-parallel monoclinal high in conjunction with sagging of the inner trough of the basin created stratal geometries similar to those observed in forearc basins bordered by large accretionary prisms. Margin-parallel compressional ridges diverted turbidity currents along the basin axis and exerted a direct control on sediment depositional processes. As structural depressions became buried, transverse input from point sources on the adjacent upper slope formed complex fan systems with sediment waves characterising the overbank environment, common on many Pleistocene turbidite systems. Mass failure as a result of local topographic inversion formed a prominent mass-flow deposit, and ultimately resulted in canyon formation and hence a new focused point source feeding the basin. The Valparaiso Basin is presently filled to the spill point of the outer forearc highs, causing headward erosion of incipient canyons into the basin fill and allowing bypass of sediment to the Chile Trench. Age estimates that are constrained by subduction-related syn-depositional deformation of the upper 700-800m of the basin fill suggest that glacio-eustatic sea-level lowstands, in conjunction with accelerated denudation rates, within the past 350 ka may have contributed to the increase in simultaneously active point sources along the upper slope as well as an increased complexity of proximal depositional facies.

Cenozoic Spatio-temporal Variations of Tian Shan Deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobel, E. R.; Bande, A.; Chen, J.; Thiede, R. C.; Macaulay, E. A.; Mikolaichuk, A.; Gilder, S. A.; Kley, J.

2016-12-01

The Cenozoic deformation of the Tian Shan is driven by north-vergent compression caused by the India-Asia collision, the indentation of the Pamir, and/or right-lateral transpression driven by the indentation of Arabia into Eurasia. The Talas-Fergana fault (TFF) region corresponds to the widest portion of high topography of the Tianshan Mountains. The width of the range tapers both east and west, albeit the geometry is more complex to the west. We synthesize published AFT, apatite (U-Th)/He, magnetostratigraphic and paleomagnetically-determined rotation data combined with our own work from the Tianshan domain to map spatial patterns of exhumation and deformation. Prior to middle Cenozoic deformation, the area of the present range was characterized by low relief; adjacent sedimentary basins record very low accumulation rates or hiatuses. Localized Eocene deformation events have been proposed but do not appear to reflect significant shortening. The first large pulse of deformation commenced in the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene, represented by isolated range uplifts, often related to reactivation of older structures, and pulses of clastic sedimentation. Perhaps the most significant deformation at this time occurred north of the Pamir along the NW-SE trending dextral TFF, in the Chatkal ranges at its NW end, and the Kokshaal and At-Bashi ranges at the SE end of the fault. The Fergana basin, west of the TFF, underwent significant counter-clockwise rotation that was accommodated by these structures. Relatively rapid slip along the TFF persisted from ca. 25 Ma until at least 13.5 Ma. A second, larger deformation episode commenced in the Middle-Late Miocene along the length of the Tian Shan. Similar-aged deformation is reported from the Tadjik depression and within the Pamir. Important questions to address include whether the drivers for the two episodes were the same and what were the relative roles of the Tarim block and the Pamir indenter in producing the deformation.

Relating modes of extension to the spatial and temporal distribution of major sediment unconformities at passive margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrés-Martínez, Miguel; Pérez-Gussinyé, Marta; Armitage, John; Morgan, Jason P.

2017-04-01

Rifting is a regional process which results in thinning of the crust over hundreds of kilometres. However, basins where deposition takes place could have different subsidence histories due to local graben-bounding fault kinetics. A change in the rift dynamics often results in a displacement of the basin depocenters, with subsequent erosion of old sediments and later deposition, creating an unconformity. Unconformities of regional character are typically studied to unveil the overall rift deformation history, and major ones separating syn- and post-kinematic sediments are often associated with break-up of the continental crust. However, evolution of the basement deformation is typically challenging to study since reflection images are usually diffuse at these depths and boreholes are typically scarce, which complicates the dating of the sediments overlying the basement. Consequently, relating the deformation styles and rift evolution to unconformities is not straight forward. We use numerical models in order to approach the meaning of regional unconformities and to study the sedimentation patterns under different modes of extension. Our models solve 2D Stokes flow for rocks treated as non-Newtonian bodies, together with heat conservation equation. Viscosities and densities depend on temperatures. Elasticity and plasticity are plugged-in in the mechanical formulation. We also use strain softening to simulate faulting and shear zones. The top boundary is a free-surface so that tectonics result in topography. Additionally, we update this topography every time step using a sediment transport model, and we store information about depositional times, paleo-depths and erosional events. These models allow for the recovery of the basement deformation during rift evolution simultaneously to the recovery of sedimentation history. Here, we run models with different crustal rheologies to reproduce different extensional modes. This allows us to contrast sedimentation patterns and unconformities under variable kinetic scenarios, from regional to faulted-block scales. We find that unconformities are generally associated to a change in the locus of extension. In models with intermediate-strength crust, sequential faulting takes place, so that only one fault is active at a time and occur in the hanging wall of the previous fault, resulting in asymmetric conjugate margins. In this case a major unconformity separates syn- and post-kinematic sediments. Both syn- and post-kinematic sediments young oceanwards and the unconformity dates the time in which extension abandons the area in favour of new faults forming oceanwards. Models with weaker crusts display extension along a wide region, with overprinting of different faulting phases. Eventually, deformation localizes in a narrow region due to cooling, and crustal break-up occurs. In this case, a first set of unconformities separates different phases of faulting inside the syn-kinematic sediments, and later unconformities separate syn-kinematic and post-kinematic sediments, dating the time at which extension localizes. We also find that unconformities date the crustal break-up only when they develop in the vicinity of the break-up locus. This stresses on that terms such as syn- and post-rift sediments and break-up unconformity should be handled carefully when seismic interpretation is done, and also provides support for unconformities as rifting story-tellers.

The potential association between menta deformities and trace elements in Chironomidae (Diptera) taken from a heavy metal contaminated river.

PubMed

Martinez, E A; Moore, B C; Schaumloffel, J; Dasgupta, N

2002-04-01

Elevated morphological deformity rates in Chironomidae larvae have been attributed to such pollutants as oil tars, pesticides, organochlorines, and heavy metals. The potential of chironomids as biological indicators of heavy metal contamination and bioavailability in a contaminated ecosystem was assessed. Chironomid larvae and river sediment were collected from the Coeur d' Alene River system, Idaho, USA, contaminated with heavy metals from mining activities. Chironomid larvae collected at contaminated sites exhibited mouthpart deformity proportions between 3.8 and 10.3% compared to the control site of 0.9%. As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined in both larvae and sediment samples. Significant correlation between metal concentrations and deformity rates were observed for all metals except Ni. The data also suggests that feeding habits may influence differences in pollution tolerance among genera.

Deformation and kinematics of the central Kirthar Fold Belt, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinsch, Ralph; Hagedorn, Peter; Asmar, Chloé; Nasim, Muhammad; Aamir Rasheed, Muhammad; Kiely, James M.

2017-04-01

The Kirthar Fold Belt is part of the lateral mountain belts in Pakistan linking the Himalaya orogeny with the Makran accretionary wedge. This region is deforming very oblique/nearly parallel to the regional plate motion vector. The study area is situated between the prominent Chaman strike-slip fault in the West and the un-deformed foreland (Kirthar Foredeep/Middle Indus Basin) in the East. The Kirthar Fold Belt is subdivided into several crustal blocks/units based on structural orientation and deformation style (e.g. Kallat, Khuzdar, frontal Kirthar). This study uses newly acquired and depth-migrated 2D seismic lines, surface geology observations and Google Earth assessments to construct three balanced cross sections for the frontal part of the fold belt. Further work was done in order to insure the coherency of the built cross-sections by taking a closer look at the regional context inferred from published data, simple analogue modelling, and constructed regional sketch sections. The Khuzdar area and the frontal Kirthar Fold Belt are dominated by folding. Large thrusts with major stratigraphic repetitions are not observed. Furthermore, strike-slip faults in the Khuzdar area are scarce and not observed in the frontal Kirthar Fold Belt. The regional structural elevation rises from the foreland across the Kirthar Fold Belt towards the hinterland (Khuzdar area). These observations indicate that basement-involved deformation is present at depth. The domination of folding indicates a weak decollement below the folds (soft-linked deformation). The fold pattern in the Khuzdar area is complex, whereas the large folds of the central Kirthar Fold Belt trend SSW-NNE to N-S and are best described as large detachment folds that have been slightly uplifted by basement involved transpressive deformation underneath. Towards the foreland, the deformation is apparently more hard-linked and involves fault-propagation folding and a small triangle zone in Cretaceous sediments. Shortening is in the order of 21-24% for the frontal structures. The deformation above the weak Eocene Ghazij shales is partly decoupled from the layers underneath, especially where the Ghazij shales are thick. Thus, not all structures visible at surface level in the Kirthar Fold Belt are also present in the deeper section, and vice versa (disharmonic folding). The structural architecture in the frontal central Kirthar Fold Belt shows only convergent structures nearly parallel to the regional plate motion vector of the Indian plate and thus represents an example of extreme strain partitioning.

Effects of sediment transport and deposition on crustal loading, Earth's gravitational field, and sea level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrier, K.; Mitrovica, J. X.; Perron, T.; Milne, G. A.; Wickert, A. D.

2012-12-01

Spatial patterns in static sea level are controlled by the interplay between the history of ice mass variations and the associated deformational, gravitational and rotational perturbations in the Earth's state. Over the last decade, there has been a renewed effort to extend classic treatments of ice-age sea-level change (Farrell and Clark, 1976) to incorporate effects such as shoreline migration due to the local onlap or offlap of seawater and changes in the extent of grounded, marine-based ice, as well as feedbacks between sea level and the orientation of Earth's rotation axis. To date, the impact of sediment transport - whether in the context of glacial processes, or other processes such as fluvial deposition - has not been incorporated into a gravitationally self-consistent sea-level theory. Here we briefly summarize the main elements of a new sea-level theory that includes sediment transport, and we apply this new theory to investigate crustal deformation and sea-level changes driven by sediment deposition on the Mississippi fan in the Gulf of Mexico. The calculations incorporate sediment transport from the start of the last glacial cycle through to the present and are constrained to conserve sediment and ocean mass. We compare relative sea level histories predicted with and without sediment transport at sites in and around the Gulf of Mexico, and we quantify the relative impacts of gravitational and deformational effects of sediment deposition. We also explore the extent to which sea-level changes associated with sediment transport impact the interpretation of paleo-sea-level records. Our new sea-level formulation provides an important component of a comprehensive coupling between sediment transfer and sea level on local, regional and global spatial scales, and on time scales extending from decades to tens of thousands of years. References: Farrell, W.E., and Clark, J.A., 1976. On postglacial sea level: Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 46, p. 647-667.

Numerical modelling of the role of salt in continental collision: An application to the southeast Zagros fold-and-thrust belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghazian, Reza Khabbaz; Buiter, Susanne J. H.

2014-09-01

The Zagros fold-and-thrust belt formed in the collision of Arabia with Central Iran. Its sedimentary sequence is characterised by the presence of several weak layers that may control the style of folding and thrusting. We use 2-D thermo-mechanical models to investigate the role of salt in the southeast Zagros fold-and-thrust belt. We constrain the crustal and lithospheric thickness, sedimentary stratification, convergence velocity, and thermal structure of the models from available geological and geophysical data. We find that the thick basal layer of Hormuz salt in models on the scale of the upper-mantle decouples the overlying sediments from the basement and localises deformation in the sediments by trench-verging shear bands. In the collision stage of the models, basement dips with + 1° towards the trench. Including the basal Hormuz salt improves the fit of predicted topography to observed topography. We use the kinematic results and thermal structure of this large-scale model as the initial conditions of a series of upper-crustal-scale models. These models aim to investigate the effects of basal and intervening weak layers, salt strength, basal dip, and lateral salt distribution on deformation style of the simply folded Zagros. Our results show that in addition to the Hormuz salt at the base of the sedimentary cover, at least one intervening weak layer is required to initiate fold-dominated deformation in the southeast Zagros. We find that an upper-crustal-scale model, with a basal and three internal weak layers with viscosities between 5 × 1018 and 1019 Pa s, and a basement that dips + 1° towards the trench, best reproduces present-day topography and the regular folding of the sedimentary layers of the simply folded Zagros.

Recent deformation along the offshore Malibu Coast, Dume, and related faults west of Point Dume, southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fisher, M.A.; Langenheim, V.E.; Sorlien, C.C.; Dartnell, P.; Sliter, R.W.; Cochrane, G.R.; Wong, F.L.

2005-01-01

Offshore faults west of Point Dume, southern California, are part of an important regional fault system that extends for about 206 km, from near the city of Los Angeles westward along the south flank of the Santa Monica Mountains and through the northern Channel Islands. This boundary fault system separates the western Transverse Ranges, on the north, from the California Continental Borderland, on the south. Previous research showed that the fault system includes many active fault strands; consequently, the entire system is considered a serious potential earthquake hazard to nearby Los Angeles. We present an integrated analysis of multichannel seismic- and high-resolution seismic-reflection data and multibeam-bathymetric information to focus on the central part of the fault system that lies west of Point Dume. We show that some of the main offshore faults have cumulative displacements of 3-5 km, and many faults are currently active because they deform the seafloor or very shallow sediment layers. The main offshore fault is the Dume fault, a large north-dipping reverse fault. In the eastern part of the study area, this fault offsets the seafloor, showing Holocene displacement. Onshore, the Malibu Coast fault dips steeply north, is active, and shows left-oblique slip. The probable offshore extension of this fault is a large fault that dips steeply in its upper part but flattens at depth. High-resolution seismic data show that this fault deforms shallow sediment making up the Hueneme fan complex, indicating Holocene activity. A structure near Sycamore knoll strikes transversely to the main faults and could be important to the analysis of the regional earthquake hazard because the structure might form a boundary between earthquake-rupture segments.

Late Paleozoic transpression in Buenos Aires and northeast Patagonia ranges, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossello, E. A.; Massabie, A. C.; López-Gamundí, O. R.; Cobbold, P. R.; Gapais, D.

1997-12-01

Paleozoic sediments are present in three regions in eastern central Argentina: (1) the Sierras Australes of Buenos Aires, (2) Sierras Septentrionales of Buenos Aires and (3) Northeast Patagonia. All of these deposits share a common deformational imprint imparted by late Paleozoic Gondwanan deformation. Exposures of these rocks are scattered, variably deformed, and isolated by younger sediments deposited in basins related to the Mesozoic through Tertiary opening of the South Atlantic such as the offshore Colorado Basin. The Sierras Australes of Buenos Aires outcrops are the best preserved. They are mostly located along the Sierras Australes foldbelt, with minor outliers distributed in the adjacent Claromec-basin. The Tunas Formation (early-early late? Permian) is the uppermost unit of the Pillahuincó Group (late Carboniferous-Permian) and is crucial to the understanding of the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the region during the late Paleozoic. The underlying units of the Pillahuincó Group (Sauce Grande, Piedra Azul and Bonete Formations) exhibit a depositional and compositional history characterized by glaciomarine sedimentation and postglacial transgression. They are also characterized by rather uniform quartz-rich compositions indicative of a cratonic provenance from the La Plata craton to the NE. In contrast, the sandstone-rich Tunas Formation has low quartz contents, and abundant volcanic and metasedimentary fragments; paleocurrents are consistently from the SW. Glassrich tuffs are interbedded with sandstone in the upper half of the Tunas Formation. The age of the deformation in the Sierras Australes is Permian and early-middle Triassic. This is based on metamorphic events indicated by formation of illite at 282 ± 3 Ma, 273 ± 8 Ma, 265 ± 3 Ma, and 260 ± 3 Ma ( {K}/{Ar} illite) in the Silurian Curamalal Group. Evidence of syntectonic magmatism is provided by a radiometric date of 245 ± 12 Ma ( {K}/{Ar} hornblende) for the López Lecube Granite, immediately west of the Sierras Australes. In the Sierras Septentrionales of Buenos Aires, Precambrian through early Paleozoic deposits of La Tinta, Sierras Bayas, Las Aguilas and Balcarce Formations rest on Precambrian crystalline basement of the La Plata craton. These exposed rocks are affected by subordinate, right lateral wrench faulting; some thrusting indicates tectonic transport toward the NE. In northeast Patagonia (Sierra Grande region) synkinematic deformation of early Permian (261 ± 5 Ma, {Rb}/{Sr} whole rock) age has been identified in Silurian metasediments of the Sierra Grande Formation. Bands of deformation in Sierra Grande quartzites indicate right lateral wrenching in a N-S direction. Contraction in a NE-SW direction is evidenced by folding. Three stages of tectonic evolution can be discerned for the above regions: (1) Early Paleozoic platform sedimentation, punctuated by episodes of accelerated subsidence during the Silurian and early Devonian, as shown by transgressive episodes, (2) late Paleozoic sedimentation and deformation, and (3) Meso-Cenozoic extensional inversion due to the South Atlantic opening. The late Paleozoic sedimentation and deformation (stage 2) includes late Carboniferous-earliest Permian glacial deposits of the Sierras Australes and Colorado offshore basin, deposited during an initial phase of extension, and cratonward foreland subsidence triggered sedimentation of the synorogenic deposits of the Permian Tunas Formation. Tuffs are intercalated in the upper half of this unit. These tuffs are associated with the silicic volcanism along the Andes and Patagonia (Choiyoi magmatic province) that peaked between the late early Permian and late Permian. Likewise, the first widespread appearance of tuffs in the Karoo basin is in the Whitehill Formation, of late early Permian (260 Ma) age. The deformation described in this paper can be considered as part of a large scale intracontinental deformation in SW Gondwanaland inboard of an Andean-type compressive margin. This deformation is characterized by transpression (right lateral wrenching) combined with overthrusting to the NE and N-S horizontal contraction.

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.

Continental slope morphology in northern Gulf of Mexico mapped with long-range (GLORIA) side-scan data

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

McGregor, B.A.; Garrison, L.E.; Kenyon, N.H.

1985-02-01

GLORIA II long-range side-scan data provide a mosaic of the continental slope in the northern Gulf of Mexico, seaward of the Texas-Louisiana coast. A swath as wide as 30 km and a 10% overlap of the data between parallel track lines provide a continuous picture of the complex slope morphology, which is largely controlled by salt deformation. Morphologic features range from piercement structures approximately 2 km in diameter to basins as much as 30 km across. The GLORIA data delineate the East Breaks submarine slide, where surface lineations are suggestive of deformation features. High-resolution 10 kHz seismic-reflection profiles indicate thatmore » the very irregular surface on the slide has a relief of 10 m. The 3 types of intraslope basins (blocked canyon, interdomal, and collapse) described by A.H. Bouma can be identified on the GLORIA data. The walls of Gyre basin, an example of a blocked canyon, have what are interpreted to be gullies, which are commonly associated with submarine canyons. Another basin downslope has similar gully-like features on the walls, which suggest that it may have been part of the original canyon system. Although many canyon-like features direct the movement of sediment downslope, the present data show that all conduits end in closed basins. No system of basins can be shown to transport sediment across the entire slope between the Mississippi Canyon and the East Breaks slide. Small-scale slumps, which can be identified on the flanks of some of the diapiric structures, also contribute sediments to basins such as Gyre basin.« less

High-resolution Geophysical Constraints on Fault Structure and Morphology in the Catalina Basin, Southern California Inner Continental Borderland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walton, M. A. L.; Roland, E. C.; Brothers, D. S.; Kluesner, J.; Maier, K. L.; Conrad, J. E.; Hart, P. E.; Balster-Gee, A. F.

2016-12-01

Southern California's Inner Continental Borderland, offshore of Los Angeles and San Diego, contains a complex arrangement of basins, ridges, and active faults that present seismic hazards to the region. In 2014 and 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Washington collected new geophysical data throughout the Catalina Basin (CB), including multibeam bathymetry, Chirp sub-bottom profiles, and more than 2000 line-km of high-resolution multi-channel seismic reflection profiles. These data provide the first detailed imaging of the San Clemente and Catalina faults, which border the CB. We now have improved constraints on the seabed morphology, fault structure, and deformation history along significant length of the San Clemente and Catalina fault systems, as well as insights into sediment deposition and basin development in the CB since the late Miocene. New multibeam data image the Catalina Fault as a continuous linear seafloor feature along the base of Catalina Island, and subsurface imaging indicates dominantly strike-slip motion. We also image the San Clemente Fault as a straight lineament along the seafloor downslope of San Clemente Island; the fault offsets several gullies and ridges, suggesting recent strike-slip motion. In the northwest region of the CB, the San Clemente Fault's main trace splits into several transpressional splays, as indicated by a series of uplifted, fault-bounded blocks. Growth strata throughout the CB suggest that oblique transform motion along the Catalina and San Clemente faults has affected regional sedimentation patterns and depocenters over time, providing a fundamental control on sediment distribution within the CB. Buried folds, faults, and unconformities within basin strata, including a prominent surface that is likely late Miocene based on regional geology, indicate multiple episodes of deformation throughout the CB's history.

Geomorphic evidence of deformation in the northern part of the New Madrid seismic zone

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

Fischer, K.J.; Schumm, S.A.

1993-03-01

A geomorphic evaluation of the northern portion of the New Madrid seismic zone between Hickman, KY and Osceola, AR has identified several locations where anomalous geomorphic conditions indicate possible surface deformation. For example, the slope, course, sinuosity and dimensions of the Mississippi River have been affected by the Lake County uplift and Tertiary-age sediments are exposed in its channel. Also, anomalous channel behavior near Caruthersville, MO and Barfield, AR suggests that these two reaches of the Mississippi River are structurally controlled. The Black River northeast of Pocahontas follows a peculiar angular course that suggests fracture control, and course changes ofmore » the Black, St. Francis, and Little Rivers may be related to subsurface faulting, uplift, or downwarping, as well as to differential compaction or the effects of groundwater withdrawal. The topography of Crowley's Ridge suggests that, between Jonesboro and Castor River, it is composed of at least three structural blocks, that are bounded by northeast-southwest trending faults. Near Jonesboro, river patterns appear to be affected by the Jonesboro, AR pluton. The geomorphic evaluation has identified anomalous surface features in the New Madrid seismic zone. Some can be directly linked to mapped structures in the region, whereas others may result from previously unidentified areas of surface deformation. The identification of these anomalies should provide direction for scientists who are employing subsurface techniques in order to locate tectonic deformation in the area.« less

The Effects of Rapid Sedimentation upon Continental Breakup: Kinematic and Thermal Modeling of the Salton Trough, Southern California, Based upon Recent Seismic Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, L.; Hole, J. A.; Lowell, R. P.; Stock, J. M.; Fuis, G. S.

2016-12-01

The Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP) illuminated crustal and upper mantle structure of the Salton Trough, the northern-most rift segment of the Gulf of California plate boundary. The crust is 17-18 km thick and homogeneous for 100 km in the plate motion direction. New crust is being created by distributed rift magmatism, Colorado River sedimentation, and metamorphism of the sediment. A 5 km thick pre-existing crustal layer may still exist. The crust has not broken apart to enable initiation of seafloor spreading. A one-dimensional time-dependent kinematic and thermal model was developed to simulate these observations. We assume that all crustal layers are stretched uniformly during extension. Distributed mafic magmatism and sedimentation are added simultaneously to compensate for the crustal thinning. The ratio of magmatism to sedimentation is constrained by the seismic observations. Heat is transported by thermal conduction and by advection due to stretching of the crust. A constant temperature boundary at the Moho is used to represent partial melting in the upper mantle. Assuming a constant plate motion rate, the zone of active rifting extends linearly with time. The crustal thickness and internal structure also evolve with time. The model constraints are the observed seismic structure and heat flow. The model rapidly reaches quasi-steady state, and could continue for many millions of years. The observed seismic structure and heat flow are reproduced after 3 Myr. The yield strength profile calculated from lithology and model temperature indicates that ductile deformation in the middle and lower crust dominates the crustal rheology. Rapid sedimentation delays crustal breakup and the initiation of seafloor spreading by maintaining the thickness of the crust and keeping it predominantly ductile. This process probably occurs wherever a large river flows into an active rift driven by far-field extension. It may have built passive margins in many locations globally, such as the Gulf of Mexico. This type of passive margin consists of mostly new crust created by magmatism and metamorphism of sediment. Along such margins, metamorphosed sediment could be misinterpreted as stretched pre-existing continental crust.

Faulting, fracturing and in situ stress prediction in the Ahnet Basin, Algeria — a finite element approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beekman, Fred; Badsi, Madjid; van Wees, Jan-Diederik

2000-05-01

Many low-efficiency hydrocarbon reservoirs are productive largely because effective reservoir permeability is controlled by faults and natural fractures. Accurate and low-cost information on basic fault and fracture properties, orientation in particular, is critical in reducing well costs and increasing well recoveries. This paper describes how we used an advanced numerical modelling technique, the finite element method (FEM), to compute site-specific in situ stresses and rock deformation and to predict fracture attributes as a function of material properties, structural position and tectonic stress. Presented are the numerical results of two-dimensional, plane-strain end-member FEM models of a hydrocarbon-bearing fault-propagation-fold structure. Interpretation of the modelling results remains qualitative because of the intrinsic limitations of numerical modelling; however, it still allows comparisons with (the little available) geological and geophysical data. In all models, the weak mechanical strength and flow properties of a thick shale layer (the main seal) leads to a decoupling of the structural deformation of the shallower sediments from the underlying sediments and basement, and results in flexural slip across the shale layer. All models predict rock fracturing to initiate at the surface and to expand with depth under increasing horizontal tectonic compression. The stress regime for the formation of new fractures changes from compressional to shear with depth. If pre-existing fractures exist, only (sub)horizontal fractures are predicted to open, thus defining the principal orientation of effective reservoir permeability. In models that do not include a blind thrust fault in the basement, flexural amplification of the initial fold structure generates additional fracturing in the crest of the anticline controlled by the material properties of the rocks. The folding-induced fracturing expands laterally along the stratigraphic boundaries under enhanced tectonic loading. Models incorporating a blind thrust fault correctly predict the formation of secondary syn- and anti-thetic mesoscale faults in the basement and sediments of the hanging wall. Some of these faults cut reservoir and/or seal layers, and thus may influence effective reservoir permeability and affect seal integrity. The predicted faults divide the sediments across the anticline in several compartments with different stress levels and different rock failure (and proximity to failure). These numerical model outcomes can assist classic interpretation of seismic and well bore data in search of fractured and overpressured hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Testing thin-skinned inversion of a prerift salt-bearing passive margin (Eastern Prebetic Zone, SE Iberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escosa, Frederic O.; Roca, Eduard; Ferrer, Oriol

2018-04-01

Detailed geologic mapping combined with well and seismic data from the Eastern Prebetic Zone (SE Iberia) reveal extensional and contractional structures that permit characterization of passive margin development and its incorporation into a thin-skinned fold-and-thrust belt. The study area is represented by NW-directed, ENE-trending folds and thrusts faults locally disrupted by the NW-trending Matamoros Basin and the active Jumilla and La Rosa diapirs. These structures resulted from the thin-skinned inversion of the proximal part of the Eastern South Iberian passive margin containing prerift salt. Here, Upper Jurassic to Santonian thick-skinned extension controlled the accumulation of sediment over mobile prerift salt. This in turn defined the style of salt tectonics characterized by monoclinal drape folds, suprasalt extensional faults and diapirs. The structural and sedimentological analysis suggests that during extension, salt localizes strain thus decoupling sub- and suprasalt deformation. Thick-skinned extension controls suprasalt deformation as well as its location and distribution which changes over time. Salt also localizes strain during inversion. The preexisting salt structures, weaker than adjacent areas, preferentially absorb the contractional deformation. In addition, the stepped subsalt geometry that results from thick-skinned extension also controls the shortening propagation. Therefore, the degree of strain localization depends on the thickness of the suprasalt cover and on the dip of subsalt faults relative to the thin-skinned transport direction.

Continentward-Dipping Normal Faults, Boudinage and Ductile Shear at Rifted Passive Margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clerc, C. N.; Ringenbach, J. C.; Jolivet, L.; Ballard, J. F.

2017-12-01

Deep structures resulting from the rifting of the continental crust are now well imaged by seismic profiles. We present a series of recent industrial profiles that allow the identification of various rift-related geological processes such as crustal boudinage, ductile shear of the base of the crust and low-angle detachment faulting. Along both magma-rich and magma-poor rifted margins, we observe clear indications of ductile deformation of the deep continental crust. Large-scale shallow dipping shear zones are identified with a top-to-the-continent sense of shear. This sense of shear is consistent with the activity of the Continentward-Dipping Normal Faults (CDNF) that accommodate the extension in the upper crust. This pattern is responsible for an oceanward migration of the deformation and of the associated syn-tectonic deposits (sediments and/or volcanics). We discuss the origin of the Continentward-Dipping Normal Faults (CDNF) and investigate their implications and the effect of sediment thermal blanketing on crustal rheology. In some cases, low-angle shear zones define an anastomosed pattern that delineates boudin-like structures that seem to control the position and dip of upper crustal normal faults. We present some of the most striking examples from several locations (Uruguay, West Africa, South China Sea…), and discuss their rifting histories that differ from the classical models of oceanward-dipping normal faults.

An Andean-type retro-arc foreland system beneath northwest South China revealed by SINOPROBE profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jianhua; Dong, Shuwen; Cawood, Peter A.; Zhao, Guochun; Johnston, Stephen T.; Zhang, Yueqiao; Xin, Yujia

2018-05-01

In the Mesozoic, South China was situated along the convergent margin between the Asian and Pacific plates, providing an excellent laboratory to understand the interactions between deformation, sedimentation and magmatism in a retroarc environment. The crustal architecture of northwest South China is displayed along the ∼600-km-long SINOPROBE deep seismic reflection profiles and reveals from east to west: (1) highly folded and truncated reflectors in the upper crust of the Yangtze Fold Zone, which correspond to thin- and thick-skinned thrust systems, and document large-scale intraplate structural imbrication and shortening; (2) a crustal-scale flat-ramp-flat structure, termed the Main Yangtze decollement, which forms a weak, viscous layer to accommodate strain decoupling and material transport in the thin- and thick-skinned systems; and (3) nearly flat-lying reflectors in the Sichuan Basin, which support interpretation of the basin as a weakly deformed depocentre. The Yangtze Fold Zone and the Sichuan Basin represent a retro-arc foreland basin system that is >800 km away from the continental-margin magmatic arc. We suggest that tectonic processes across the arc and retro-arc systems, including arc magma flare-up, basin sedimentation, retroarc thrust propagation, lithosphere underthrusting, root foundering, and extension-related magmatism were interrelated and governed mass transfer. Age data and geological relations link the tectonic processes to evolving geodynamics of the subducting Paleo-Pacific plate.

Estimation of Surface Deformation due to Pasni Earthquake Using SAR Interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, M.; Shahzad, M. I.; Nazeer, M.; Kazmi, J. H.

2018-04-01

Earthquake cause ground deformation in sedimented surface areas like Pasni and that is a hazard. Such earthquake induced ground displacements can seriously damage building structures. On 7 February 2017, an earthquake with 6.3 magnitudes strike near to Pasni. We have successfully distinguished widely spread ground displacements for the Pasni earthquake by using InSAR-based analysis with Sentinel-1 satellite C-band data. The maps of surface displacement field resulting from the earthquake are generated. Sentinel-1 Wide Swath data acquired from 9 December 2016 to 28 February 2017 was used to generate displacement map. The interferogram revealed the area of deformation. The comparison map of interferometric vertical displacement in different time period was treated as an evidence of deformation caused by earthquake. Profile graphs of interferogram were created to estimate the vertical displacement range and trend. Pasni lies in strong earthquake magnitude effected area. The major surface deformation areas are divided into different zones based on significance of deformation. The average displacement in Pasni is estimated about 250 mm. Maximum pasni area is uplifted by earthquake and maximum uplifting occurs was about 1200 mm. Some of areas was subsidized like the areas near to shoreline and maximum subsidence was estimated about 1500 mm. Pasni is facing many problems due to increasing sea water intrusion under prevailing climatic change where land deformation due to a strong earthquake can augment its vulnerability.

Integration of P- and SH-wave high-resolution seismic reflection and micro-gravity techniques to improve interpretation of shallow subsurface structure: New Madrid seismic zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bexfield, C.E.; McBride, J.H.; Pugin, Andre J.M.; Ravat, D.; Biswas, S.; Nelson, W.J.; Larson, T.H.; Sargent, S.L.; Fillerup, M.A.; Tingey, B.E.; Wald, L.; Northcott, M.L.; South, J.V.; Okure, M.S.; Chandler, M.R.

2006-01-01

Shallow high-resolution seismic reflection surveys have traditionally been restricted to either compressional (P) or horizontally polarized shear (SH) waves in order to produce 2-D images of subsurface structure. The northernmost Mississippi embayment and coincident New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) provide an ideal laboratory to study the experimental use of integrating P- and SH-wave seismic profiles, integrated, where practicable, with micro-gravity data. In this area, the relation between "deeper" deformation of Paleozoic bedrock associated with the formation of the Reelfoot rift and NMSZ seismicity and "shallower" deformation of overlying sediments has remained elusive, but could be revealed using integrated P- and SH-wave reflection. Surface expressions of deformation are almost non-existent in this region, which makes seismic reflection surveying the only means of detecting structures that are possibly pertinent to seismic hazard assessment. Since P- and SH-waves respond differently to the rock and fluid properties and travel at dissimilar speeds, the resulting seismic profiles provide complementary views of the subsurface based on different levels of resolution and imaging capability. P-wave profiles acquired in southwestern Illinois and western Kentucky (USA) detect faulting of deep, Paleozoic bedrock and Cretaceous reflectors while coincident SH-wave surveys show that this deformation propagates higher into overlying Tertiary and Quaternary strata. Forward modeling of micro-gravity data acquired along one of the seismic profiles further supports an interpretation of faulting of bedrock and Cretaceous strata. The integration of the two seismic and the micro-gravity methods therefore increases the scope for investigating the relation between the older and younger deformation in an area of critical seismic hazard. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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.

Effects of Sediment Loading in Northern Europe During the Last Glacial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Wal, W.; IJpelaar, M.

2014-12-01

Over the years the framework of GIA modelling has been subject to continuous improvements, e.g. the addition of time dependent coastal margins and rotational feedback. The latest addition to this framework is the incorporation of sediment as a time-varying surface load while accounting for sea-level variations associated with the sediment transport (Dalca et al., GJI 2013). The effects of sediment loading during a glacial cycle have not been extensively investigated even though it is known that large sediment transport took place, for example in the Barents Sea region and Fennoscandia. This study investigates the effect of sediment transport on relative sea level change and present-day rates of gravity and vertical deformation in those regions. While the ice sheet history during the last glacial period has been modelled extensively there are no full-scale models of paleo-erosion and -deposition rates for regions such as Fennoscandia. Here we create end-member paleo-sedimentary models by combining geological observations of continuous erosion and deposition and large scale failure events. These models, in combination with the ICE-5G ice sheet history, serve as an input for a GIA model for a spherically symmetric incompressible Earth with the full sea-level equation. The results from this model, i.e. (rates of) relative sea level change and crustal deformation, are obtained for different viscosity models fitting best with the local rheology of Fennoscandia. By comparing GPS measurements, GRACE observations and relative sea level records with these modelled predictions the effects of sedimentary isostasy in the Fennoscandian region are studied. The sediment load does not significantly affect the modelled relative sea level curves, nor vertical deformation rates at the location of GPS measurements. However, gravity rates over the Barents Sea region are influenced significantly

Rock magnetic and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility(AMS) of earthquake affected soft sediments: Examples from Shillong and Latur (Deccan Trap), India.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakshmi, B. V., ,, Dr.; Gawali, Mr. Praveen B.; Deenadayalan, K., ,, Dr.; Ramesh, D. S., ,, Prof.

2017-04-01

Rock magnetic and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of earthquake affected soft sediments: Examples from Shillong and Latur (Deccan Trap), India. B.V.Lakshmi, Praveen B.Gawali, K.Deenadayalan and D.S.Ramesh Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, plot 5, sector 18, Near Kalamboli Highway, New Panvel(W), Navi Mumbai 410218 Combined rock magnetism and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) studies on earthquake induced soft and non-soft sediments from Shillong and Latur, India have thrown up interesting results. The morphology of hysteresis loops, the pattern of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) acquisition, and temperature dependence of susceptibility indicate that titano-magnetite/magnetite is the main magnetic carrier in these sediments. We also analyzed the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of liquefaction features within the seismically active Dauki fault, Shillong Plateau. We discovered that host sediments (non-liquefied), are characterized by an oblate AMS ellipsoid and liquefied sediment are characterized by a triaxial AMS ellipsoid, well grouped maximum susceptibility axis K1 (NNW-SSE trend). Field evidence and AMS analysis indicate that most of these features were emplaced by injection inferred to be due to seismically triggered fluidization. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of deformed and undeformed unconsolidated clay samples of Deccan Trap terrain from the 2000-year-old paleoearthquake site of Ther village, Maharashtra, India, was also studied. Such deposits are rare in the compact basaltic terrain because of which the results acquired are very important. The undeformed clay samples exhibit typical sedimentary fabric with an oblate AMS ellipsoid, whereas the deformed samples are tightly grouped in the inferred compression direction, probably effected by an earthquake, exhibiting prolate as well as oblate AMS ellipsoids. Rock magnetic and AMS methodology can help understand the behavior of different sediments to the regional deformational processes active in the Himalayan region, and possibly local deformational activities in the compact Deccan trap region. The accumulating stress and strain direction can be delineated to infer strike of the forces accumulating stresses. These studies can be used to build the chronology of past earthquakes.

Tectonic controls on nearshore sediment accumulation and submarine canyon morphology offshore La Jolla, Southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Le Dantec, Nicolas; Hogarth, Leah J.; Driscoll, Neal W.; Babcock, Jeffrey M.; Barnhardt, Walter A.; Schwab, William C.

2010-01-01

CHIRP seismic and swath bathymetry data acquired offshore La Jolla, California provide an unprecedented three-dimensional view of the La Jolla and Scripps submarine canyons. Shore-parallel patterns of tectonic deformation appear to control nearshore sediment thickness and distribution around the canyons. These shore-parallel patterns allow the impact of local tectonic deformation to be separated from the influence of eustatic sea-level fluctuations. Based on stratal geometry and acoustic character, we identify a prominent angular unconformity inferred to be the transgressive surface and three sedimentary sequences: an acoustically laminated estuarine unit deposited during early transgression, an infilling or “healing-phase” unit formed during the transgression, and an upper transparent unit. Beneath the transgressive surface, steeply dipping reflectors with several dip reversals record faulting and folding along the La Jolla margin. Scripps Canyon is located at the crest of an antiform, where the rocks are fractured and more susceptible to erosion. La Jolla Canyon is located along the northern strand of the Rose Canyon Fault Zone, which separates Cretaceous lithified rocks to the south from poorly cemented Eocene sands and gravels to the north. Isopach and structure contour maps of the three sedimentary units reveal how their thicknesses and spatial distributions relate to regional tectonic deformation. For example, the estuarine unit is predominantly deposited along the edges of the canyons in paleotopographic lows that may have been inlets along barrier beaches during the Holocene sea-level rise. The distribution of the infilling unit is controlled by pre-existing relief that records tectonic deformation and erosional processes. The thickness and distribution of the upper transparent unit are controlled by long-wavelength, tectonically induced relief on the transgressive surface and hydrodynamics.

Fore-arc basin deformation in the Andaman-Nicobar segment of the Sumatra-Andaman subduction zone: Insight from high-resolution seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moeremans, Raphaële E.; Singh, Satish C.

2015-08-01

The Andaman-Nicobar region is the northernmost segment of the Sumatra-Andaman subduction zone and marks the western boundary of the Andaman Sea, which is a complex active back-arc extensional basin. We present the interpretation of a new set of deep seismic reflection data acquired across the Andaman-Nicobar fore-arc basin, from 8°N to 11°N, in order to better understand its structure and evolution, focusing on (1) how obliquity of convergence affects deformation in the fore arc, (2) the nature and role of the Diligent Fault (DF), and (3) the Eastern Margin Fault (EMF). Despite the obliquity of convergence, back thrusting and compression seem to dominate the Andaman-Nicobar fore-arc basin deformation. The DF is primarily a back thrust and corresponds to the Mentawai and West Andaman Fault systems farther in the south, along Sumatra. The DF is expressed in the fore-arc basin as a series of mostly landward verging folds and faults, deforming the early to late Miocene sediments. The DF seems to root from the boundary between the accretionary complex and the continental backstop, where it meets the EMF. The EMF marks the western boundary of the fore-arc basin; it is associated with subsidence and is expressed as a deep piggyback basin, containing recent Pliocene to Pleistocene sediments. The eastern edge of the fore-arc basin is the Invisible Bank (IB), which is thought to be tilted and uplifted continental crust. Subsidence along the EMF and uplift and tilting of the IB seem to be related to different opening phases in the Andaman Sea.

Shear-wave splitting in Quaternary sediments: Neotectonic implications in the central New Madrid seismic zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harris, J.B.

1996-01-01

Determining the extent and location of surface/near-surface structural deformation in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) is very important for evaluating earthquake hazards. A shallow shear-wave splitting experiment, located near the crest of the Lake County uplift (LCU) in the central NMSZ, shows the presence of near-surface azimuthal anisotropy believed to be associated with neotectonic deformation. A shallow fourcomponent data set, recorded using a hammer and mass source, displayed abundant shallow reflection energy on records made with orthogonal source-receiver orientations, an indicator of shear-wave splitting. Following rotation of the data matrix by 40??, the S1 and S2 sections (principal components of the data matrix) were aligned with the natural coordinate system at orientations of N35??W and N55??E, respectively. A dynamic mis-tie of 8 ms at a two-way traveltime of 375 ms produced an average azimuthal anisotropy of ???2% between the target reflector (top of Quaternary gravel at a depth of 35 m) and the surface. Based on the shear-wave polarization data, two explanations for the azimuthal anisotropy in the study area are (1) fractures/cracks aligned in response to near-surface tensional stress produced by uplift of the LCU, and (2) faults/fractures oriented parallel to the Kentucky Bend scarp, a recently identified surface deformation feature believed to be associated with contemporary seismicity in the central NMSZ. In addition to increased seismic resolution by the use of shear-wave methods in unconsolidated, water-saturated sediments, measurement of near-surface directional polarizations, produced by shear-wave splitting, may provide valuable information for identifying neotectonic deformation and evaluating associated earthquake hazards.

Tectonic triggering of slump sheets in the Upper Cretaceous carbonate succession of the Porto Selvaggio area (Salento peninsula, southern Italy): Synsedimentary tectonics in the Apulian Carbonate Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mastrogiacomo, G.; Moretti, M.; Owen, G.; Spalluto, L.

2012-08-01

Soft-sediment deformation structures crop out in the Upper Cretaceous carbonate succession in Porto Selvaggio cove in the western Salento peninsula, Apulian foreland, southern Italy. The deformed interval is about 13 m thick and occurs between shallow-water limestones and dolostones formed in peritidal and shallow subtidal environments. It comprises well-bedded grey mudstones interlayered with dark grey laminated microbioclastic wackestones characterized by couplets of closely spaced dark and bright laminae marked by the parallel orientation of calcareous microbioclasts and thin-shelled bivalves. The low biological diversity, scarcity of burrowing biota, and presence of a well preserved fish fauna provide evidence of anoxic conditions occurring in morphological depressions within the platform, and a stagnant, stratified water body affected by weak bottom currents, indicating the sudden development of a localised and short-lived intraplatform basin. Two soft-sediment deformation horizons (slump sheets) separated by undeformed limestones with similar facies occur in this part of the succession. The lower, thicker slump sheet (1.0-1.3 m thick) contains asymmetric and box folds. Well-developed décollement surfaces (locally containing thick brecciated zones) cut the folds, forming small-scale thrust-sheets and indicating mixed plastic to brittle behaviour. The upper, thinner slump sheet (0.25-0.35 m thick) contains only asymmetric folds, indicating plastic behaviour only. The differences in deformation style are attributed to differences in facies. Measurements of fold-axis orientations in the slump sheets show that they moved in similar directions, recording the development of a local, gently dipping palaeoslope. Autogenic (internal) trigger mechanisms are ruled out by a detailed consideration of facies. The slump sheets were triggered by allogenic, tectonic effects, either the weakening of sediment by seismic activity or the tectonically induced steepening of slopes, or a combination of both. Tectonically induced steepening is consistent with localised and sudden vertical facies changes related to the creation of an intraplatform basin. The occurrence of slump sheets in carbonate platform successions is unusual since carbonate platforms are normally associated with shelves or low-angle ramps.

Impact of methane flow through deformable lake sediments on atmospheric release

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scandella, B.; Juanes, R.

2010-12-01

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is generated geothermally and biologically in lake and ocean sediments. Free gas bubbles may escape oxidative traps and contribute more to the atmospheric source than dissolved methane, but the details of the methane release depend on the interactions between the multiple fluid phases and the deformable porous medium. We present a model and supporting laboratory experiments of methane release through “breathing” dynamic flow conduits that open in response to drops in the hydrostatic load on lake sediments, which has been validated against a high-resolution record of free gas flux and hydrostatic pressure in Upper Mystic Lake, MA. In contrast to previous linear elastic fracture mechanics analysis of gassy sediments, the evolution of gas transport in a deformable compliant sediment is presented within the framework of multiphase poroplasticity. Experiments address how strongly the mode and rate of gas flow, captured by our model, impacts the size of bubbles released into the water column. A bubble's size in turn determines how efficiently it transports methane to the atmosphere, and integrating this effect will be critical to improving estimates of the atmospheric methane source from lakes. Cross-sectional schematic of lake sediments showing two venting sites: one open at left and one closed at right. The vertical release of gas bubbles (red) at the open venting site creates a local pressure drop, which drives both bubble formation from the methane-rich pore water (higher concentrations shaded darker red) and lateral advection of dissolved methane (purple arrows). Even as bubbles in the open site escape, those at the closed site remain trapped.

Kinematics and Ophiolite obduction in the Gerania and Helicon Mountains, central Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplanis, A.; Koukouvelas, I.; Xypolias, P.; Kokkalas, S.

2013-06-01

New structural, petrofabric and palaeostress data from the Beotia area (central Greece) were used to investigate the tectonic evolution of the suture zone between the External (Parnassus microplate) and Internal Hellenides (Pelagonian microplate). Petrofabric studies of ultramafic rocks were done using conventional U-stage analysis and the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique. Detailed structural analysis enabled us to distinguish three main deformation phases that took place from the Triassic to the Eocene. Triassic-Jurassic deformation is related to continental rifting and the progressive formation of an ocean basin. Ophiolites formed above a westward-dipping supra-subduction zone (SSZ) in the Early-Late Jurassic. Trench-margin collision resulted in the southeastward emplacement of the ophiolite nappe over the Pelagonian margin. There is also evidence for a north-westward thrusting of ophiolitic rocks over the Gerania and Helicon units during Berriasian time. This latter tectonic process is closely related to the deposition of "Beotian flysch" into a foreland basin. An extensional phase of deformation accompanied by shallow-water carbonate sedimentation is documented in the Upper Cretaceous. Later, during Paleocene the area was subjected to a compressional deformation phase characterised by SW-directed thrusting and folding, as well as NE-verging backthrusts and backfolds. Our proposed geotectonic model suggests the consumption of the ocean between the Parnassus and Pelagonian microplates. This model includes Late Jurassic eastward ophiolite obduction followed by Early Cretaceous west directed ophiolite thrusting.

The Cenozoic evolution of the San Joaquin Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartow, J. Alan

1991-01-01

The San Joaquin Valley, which is the southern part of the 700-km-long Great Valley of California, is an asymmetric structural trough that is filled with a prism of upper Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments up to 9 km thick; these sediments rest on crystalline basement rocks of the southwestward-tilted Sierran block. The San Joaquin sedimentary basin is separated from the Sacramento basin to the north by the buried Stockton arch and associated Stockton fault. The buried Bakersfield arch near the south end of the valley separates the small Maricopa-Tejon subbasin at the south end of the San Joaquin basin from the remainder of the basin. Cenozoic strata in the San Joaquin basin thicken southeastward from about 800 m in the north to over 9,000 m in the south. The San Joaquin Valley can be subdivided into five regions on the basis of differing structural style. They are the northern Sierran block, the southern Sierran block, the northern Diablo homocline, the westside fold belt, and the combined Maricopa-Tejon subbasin and southmargin deformed belt. Considerable facies variation existed within the sedimentary basin, particularly in the Neogene when a thick section of marine sediment accumulated in the southern part of the basin, while a relatively thin and entirely nonmarine section was deposited in the northern part. The northern Sierran block, the stable east limb of the valley syncline between the Stockton fault and the San Joaquin River, is the least deformed region of the valley. Deformation consists mostly of a southwest tilt and only minor late Cenozoic normal faulting. The southern Sierran block, the stable east limb of the valley syncline between the San Joaquin River and the Bakersfield arch, is similar in style to the northern part of the block, but it has a higher degree of deformation. Miocene or older normal faults trend mostly north to northwest and have a net down-to-the-west displacement with individual offsets of as much as 600 m. The northern Diablo homocline, the western limb of the valley syncline between the Stockton arch and Panoche Creek, consists of a locally faulted homocline with northeast dips. Deformation is mostly late Cenozoic, is complex in its history, and has included up-to-the-southwest reverse faulting. The west-side fold belt, the southwestern part of the valley syncline between Panoche Creek and Elk Hills and including the southern Diablo and Temblor Ranges, is characterized by a series of folds and faults trending slightly oblique to the San Andreas fault. Paleogene folding took place in the northern part of the belt; however, most folding took place in Neogene time, during which the intensity of deformation increased southeastward along the belt and southwestward toward the San Andreas fault. The Maricopa-Tejon subbasin and the south-margin deformed belt are structurally distinct, but genetically related, regions bounded by the Bakersfield arch on the north, the San Emigdio Mountains on the south, the Tehachapi Mountains on the east, and the southeast end of the fold belt on the west. This combined region, which is the most deformed part of the basin, has undergone significant late Cenozoic shortening through north-directed thrust faulting at the south margin, as well as extreme Neogene basin subsidence north of the thrust belt. The sedimentary history of the San Joaquin basin, recorded in terms of unconformity-bounded depositional sequences, has been controlled principally by tectonism, but it has also been controlled by eustatic sea-level changes and, to a lesser degree, by climate. Plate tectonic events that had an influence on the basin include (1) subduction during the early Tertiary that changed from oblique to normal convergence in the later part of the Eocene, (2) the mid-Oligocene encounter of the Pacific-Farallon spreading ridge with the trench, and the consequent establishment of the San Andreas transform, (3) the northwestward migration of the Mendocino triple junction that in

On the relationship between structure, morphology and large coseismic slip: A case study of the Mw 8.8 Maule, Chile 2010 earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contreras-Reyes, Eduardo; Maksymowicz, Andrei; Lange, Dietrich; Grevemeyer, Ingo; Muñoz-Linford, Pamela; Moscoso, Eduardo

2017-11-01

Subduction megathrust earthquakes show complex rupture behaviour and large lateral variations of slip. However, the factors controlling seismic slip are still under debate. Here, we present 2-D velocity-depth tomographic models across four trench-perpendicular wide angle seismic profiles complemented with high resolution bathymetric data in the area of maximum coseismic slip of the Mw 8.8 Maule 2010 megathrust earthquake (central Chile, 34°-36°S). Results show an abrupt lateral velocity gradient in the trench-perpendicular direction (from 5.0 to 6.0 km/s) interpreted as the contact between the accretionary prism and continental framework rock whose superficial expression spatially correlates with the slope-shelf break. The accretionary prism is composed of two bodies: (1) an outer accretionary wedge (5-10 km wide) characterized by low seismic velocities of 1.8-3.0 km/s interpreted as an outer frontal prism of poorly compacted and hydrated sediment, and (2) the middle wedge (∼50 km wide) with velocities of 3.0-5.0 km/s interpreted as a middle prism composed by compacted and lithified sediment. In addition, the maximum average coseismic slip of the 2010 megathrust event is fairly coincident with the region where the accretionary prism and continental slope are widest (50-60 km wide), and the continental slope angle is low (<5°). We observe a similar relation along the rupture area of the largest instrumentally recorded Valdivia 1960 Mw 9.5 megathrust earthquake. For the case of the Maule event, published differential multibeam bathymetric data confirms that coseismic slip must have propagated up to ∼6 km landwards of the deformation front and hence practically the entire base of the middle prism. Sediment dewatering and compaction processes might explain the competent rheology of the middle prism allowing shallow earthquake rupture. In contrast, the outer frontal prism made of poorly consolidated sediment has impeded the rupture up to the deformation front as high resolution seismic reflection and multibeam bathymetric data have not showed evidence for new deformation in the trench region.

Petrology and tectonic development of supracrustal sequence of Kerala Khondalite Belt, Southern India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, G. R. Ravindra; Chacko, Thomas

1988-01-01

The granulite terrain of southern India, of which the Kerala Khondalite belt (KKB) is a part, is unique in exposing crustal sections with arrested charnockite growth in different stages of transformation and in varied lithological association. The KKB with rocks of surficial origin and incipient charnockite development, poses several problems relating to the tectonics of burial of vast area and mechanisms involved in expelling initial H2O (causes of dryness) for granulite facies metamorphism. It is possible to infer the following sequence of events based on the field and laboratory studies: (1) derivation of protoliths of KKB from granitic uplands and deposition in fault bounded basin (cratonic rift); (2) subhorizontal deep burial of sediments; (3) intense deformation of infra and supracrustal rocks; (4) early granulite facies metamorphism predating F sub 2 - loss of primary structure in sediments and formation of charnockites from amphibole bearing gneisses and khondalites from pelites; (5) migmatisation and deformation of metasediments and gneisses; (6) second event of charnockite formation probably aided by internal CO2 build-up; and (7) isothermal uplift, entrapment of late CO2 and mixed CO2-H2O fluids, formation of second generation cordierites and cordierite symplectites.

Simulation in Metallurgical Processing: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludwig, Andreas; Wu, Menghuai; Kharicha, Abdellah

2016-08-01

This article briefly addresses the most important topics concerning numerical simulation of metallurgical processes, namely, multiphase issues (particle and bubble motion and flotation/sedimentation of equiaxed crystals during solidification), multiphysics issues (electromagnetic stirring, electro-slag remelting, Cu-electro-refining, fluid-structure interaction, and mushy zone deformation), process simulations on graphical processing units, integrated computational materials engineering, and automatic optimization via simulation. The present state-of-the-art as well as requirements for future developments are presented and briefly discussed.

Exploring the shallow structure of the San Ramón thrust fault in Santiago, Chile (~33.5° S), using active seismic and electric methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, D.; Maksymowicz, A.; Vargas, G.; Vera, E.; Contreras-Reyes, E.; Rebolledo, S.

2014-08-01

The crustal-scale west-vergent San Ramón thrust fault system, which lies at the foot of the main Andean Cordillera in central Chile, is a geologically active structure with manifestations of late Quaternary complex surface rupture on fault segments along the eastern border of the city of Santiago. From the comparison of geophysical and geological observations, we assessed the subsurface structural pattern that affects the sedimentary cover and rock-substratum topography across fault scarps, which is critical for evaluating structural models and associated seismic hazard along the related faults. We performed seismic profiles with an average length of 250 m, using an array of 24 geophones (Geode), with 25 shots per profile, to produce high-resolution seismic tomography to aid in interpreting impedance changes associated with the deformed sedimentary cover. The recorded travel-time refractions and reflections were jointly inverted by using a 2-D tomographic approach, which resulted in variations across the scarp axis in both the velocities and the reflections that are interpreted as the sedimentary cover-rock substratum topography. Seismic anisotropy observed from tomographic profiles is consistent with sediment deformation triggered by west-vergent thrust tectonics along the fault. Electrical soundings crossing two fault scarps were used to construct subsurface resistivity tomographic profiles, which reveal systematic differences between lower resistivity values in the hanging wall with respect to the footwall of the geological structure, and clearly show well-defined east-dipping resistivity boundaries. These boundaries can be interpreted in terms of structurally driven fluid content change between the hanging wall and the footwall of the San Ramón fault. The overall results are consistent with a west-vergent thrust structure dipping ~55° E in the subsurface beneath the piedmont sediments, with local complexities likely associated with variations in fault surface rupture propagation, fault splays and fault segment transfer zones.

Exploring the shallow structure of the San Ramón thrust fault in Santiago, Chile (∼33.5° S), using active seismic and electric methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, D.; Maksymowicz, A.; Vargas, G.; Vera, E.; Contreras-Reyes, E.; Rebolledo, S.

2014-01-01

The crustal-scale west-vergent San Ramón thrust fault system at the foot of the main Andean Cordillera in central Chile is a geologically active structure with Quaternary manifestations of complex surface rupture along fault segments in the eastern border of Santiago city. From the comparison of geophysical and geological observations, we assessed the subsurface structure pattern affecting sedimentary cover and rock-substratum topography across fault scarps, which is critic for evaluating structural modeling and associated seismic hazard along this kind of faults. We performed seismic profiles with an average length of 250 m, using an array of twenty-four geophones (GEODE), and 25 shots per profile, supporting high-resolution seismic tomography for interpreting impedance changes associated to deformed sedimentary cover. The recorded traveltime refractions and reflections were jointly inverted by using a 2-D tomographic approach, which resulted in variations across the scarp axis in both velocities and reflections interpreted as the sedimentary cover-rock substratum topography. Seismic anisotropy observed from tomographic profiles is consistent with sediment deformation triggered by west-vergent thrust tectonics along the fault. Electrical soundings crossing two fault scarps supported subsurface resistivity tomographic profiles, which revealed systematic differences between lower resistivity values in the hanging wall with respect to the footwall of the geological structure, clearly limited by well-defined east-dipping resistivity boundaries. The latter can be interpreted in terms of structurally driven fluid content-change between the hanging wall and the footwall of a permeability boundary associated with the San Ramón fault. The overall results are consistent with a west-vergent thrust structure dipping ∼55° E at subsurface levels in piedmont sediments, with local complexities being probably associated to fault surface rupture propagation, fault-splay and fault segment transfer zones.

Liquefaction and soil failure during 1994 northridge earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holzer, T.L.

1999-01-01

The 1994 Northridge, Calif., earthquake caused widespread permanent ground deformation on the gently sloping alluvial fan surface of the San Fernando Valley. The ground cracks and distributed deformation damaged both pipelines and surface structures. To evaluate the mechanism of soil failure, detailed subsurface investigations were conducted at four sites. Three sites are underlain by saturated sandy silts with low standard penetration test and cone penetration test values. These soils are similar to those that liquefied during the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and are shown by widely used empirical relationships to be susceptible to liquefaction. The remaining site is underlain by saturated clay whose undrained shear strength is approximately half the value of the earthquake-induced shear stress at this location. This study demonstrates that the heterogeneous nature of alluvial fan sediments in combination with variations in the ground-water table can be responsible for complex patterns of permanent ground deformation. It may also help to explain some of the spatial variability of strong ground motion observed during the 1994 earthquake. ?? ASCE,.

Deposition and deformation of fluvial-lacustrine sediments of the Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic Whitmore Point Member, Moenave Formation, northern Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, Lawrence H.; Lucas, Spencer G.

2010-01-01

The stratigraphic section of the Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic Whitmore Point Member of the Moenave Formation at Potter Canyon, Arizona, comprises c. 26 m of gray to black shales and red mudstones interbedded with mainly sheet-like siltstones and sandstones. These strata represent deposition from suspension and sheetflow processes in shallow, perennial meromictic to ephemeral lakes, and on dry mudflats of the terminal floodout of the northward-flowing Moenave stream system. The lakes were small, as indicated by the lack of shoreline features and limited evidence for deltas. Changes in base level, likely forced by climate change, drove the variations between mudflat and perennial lacustrine conditions. Lenticular sandstones that occur across the outcrop face in the same stratigraphic interval in the lower part of the sequence represent the bedload fill of channels incised into a coarsening-upward lacustrine sequence following a fall in base level. These sandstones are distinctive for the common presence of over-steepened bedding, dewatering structures, and less commonly, folding. Deformation of these sandstones is interpreted as aseismic due to the lack of features typically associated with seismicity, such as fault-graded bedding, diapirs, brecciated fabrics and clastic dikes. Rapid deposition of the sands on a fluid-rich substrate produced a reverse density gradient that destabilized, and potentially fluidized the underlying, finer-grained sediments. This destabilization allowed synsedimentary subsidence of most of the channel sands, accompanied by longitudinal rotation and/or ductile deformation of the sand bodies.

Subsidence Induced Faulting Hazard Zonation Using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry and Horizontal Gradient Mapping in Mexican Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabral-Cano, E.; Cigna, F.; Osmanoglu, B.; Dixon, T.; Wdowinski, S.

2011-12-01

Subsidence and faulting have affected Mexico city for more than a century and the process is becoming widespread throughout larger urban areas in central Mexico. This process causes substantial damages to the urban infrastructure and housing structures and will certainly become a major factor to be considered when planning urban development, land use zoning and hazard mitigation strategies in the next decades. Subsidence is usually associated with aggressive groundwater extraction rates and a general decrease of aquifer static level that promotes soil consolidation, deformation and ultimately, surface faulting. However, local stratigraphic and structural conditions also play an important role in the development and extension of faults. In all studied cases stratigraphy of the uppermost sediment strata and the structure of the underlying volcanic rocks impose a much different subsidence pattern which is most suitable for imaging through satellite geodetic techniques. We present examples from several cities in central Mexico: a) Mexico-Chalco. Very high rates of subsidence, up to 370 mm/yr are observed within this lacustrine environment surrounded by Pliocene-Quaternary volcanic structures. b) Aguascalientes where rates up to 90 mm/yr in the past decade are observed, is controlled by a stair stepped N-S trending graben that induces nucleation of faults along the edges of contrasting sediment package thicknesses. c) Morelia presents subsidence rates as high as 80 mm/yr. Differential deformation is observed across major basin-bounding E-W trending faults and with higher subsidence rates on their hanging walls, where the thickest sequences of compressible Quaternary sediments crop out. Our subsidence and faulting study in urban areas of central Mexico is based on a horizontal gradient analysis using displacement maps from Persistent Scatterer InSAR that allows definition of areas with high vulnerability to surface faulting. Correlation of the surface subsidence pattern through satellite geodesy and surface faults show that the principal factor for defining these hazardous areas is best determined not by solely using the subsidence magnitude rates but rather by using a combined magnitude and horizontal subsidence gradient analysis. This approach is used as the basis for the generation of subsidence-induced surface faulting hazard maps for the studied urban areas.

Cenozoic Deformation of the Tarim Basin (Xinjiang, China): a Record of the Deformation Propagation through the Asian Orogenic System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laborde, A.; Barrier, L.; Simoes, M.; Li, H.

2016-12-01

During the Cenozoic, the ongoing India-Eurasia collision resulted in the formation of the Himalayan-Tibetan plateau and reactivated the Tian Shan and Altai ranges located thousands of kilometers further north. Despite numerous studies carried out on the geology and tectonics of this large convergent orogenic system, several mechanisms remain controversial such as the stress propagation through the Asia Continent or the strain partitioning between crustal thickening and lateral extruding of its lithosphere. Located between the Tibetan Plateau and the Tian Shan Range, the Tarim Basin and its several kilometres thick Cenozoic sediments derived from the surrounding mountain belts are key recorders to reconstruct the evolution of the latters. Moreover, this basin is often considered as a relatively rigid block, which behaved as a secondary ``indenter'' transmitting collisional stresses to the Tian Shan. However, due to the size of the Tarim and its thick Cenozoic sedimentary series hiding most of its structures, the constraints on the spatial distribution and timing of the its Cenozoic deformation remain fragmentary. Therefore, the main objective of our study was to produce a synthetic view of this deformation at the scale of the whole basin. Based on numerous surface and subsurface data (satellite images, field surveys, seismic profiles, and well data), we established a tectonic map of the Cenozoic structures in the region and built balanced geological cross-sections across the basin. Our surface and subsurface observations confirm that, contrary to what had been proposed, the Tarim block has also undergone a major deformation during the Cenozoic. The quantification and history of this deformation provide useful insights into the modalities of the crustal shortening in the area and the problems of stress propagation and strain partitioning following the Indo-Asian collision.

Finite Strain Analysis of the Wadi Fatima Shear Zone in Western Arabia, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kassem, O. M. K.; Hamimi, Z.

2018-03-01

Neoproterozoic rocks, Oligocene to Neogene sediments and Tertiary Red Sea rift-related volcanics (Harrat) are three dominant major groups exposed in the Jeddah tectonic terrane in Western Arabia. The basement complex comprises amphibolites, schists, and older and younger granites unconformably overlain by a post-amalgamation volcanosedimentary sequence (Fatima Group) exhibiting post-accretionary thrusting and thrust-related structures. The older granites and/or the amphibolites and schists display mylonitization and shearing in some outcrops, and the observed kinematic indicators indicate dextral monoclinic symmetry along the impressive Wadi Fatima Shear Zone. Finite strain analysis of the mylonitized lithologies is used to interpret the deformation history of the Wadi Fatima Shear Zone. The measured finite strain data demonstrate that the amphibolites, schists, and older granites are mildly to moderately deformed, where XZ (axial ratios in XZ direction) vary from 2.76 to 4.22 and from 2.04 to 3.90 for the Rf/φ and Fry method respectively. The shortening axes ( Z) have subvertical attitude and are associated with subhorizontal foliation. The data show oblate strain ellipsoids in the different rocks in the studied area and indication bulk flattening strain. We assume that the different rock types have similar deformation behavior. In the deformed granite, the strain data are identical in magnitude with those obtained in the Fatima Group volcanosedimentary sequence. Finite strain accumulated without any significant volume change contemporaneously with syn-accretionary transpressive structures. It is concluded that a simple-shear deformation with constant-volume plane strain exists, where displacement is strictly parallel to the shear plane. Furthermore, the contacts between various lithological units in the Wadi Fatima Shear Zone were formed under brittle to semi-ductile deformation conditions.

Geologic Map of the Estes Park 30' x 60' Quadrangle, North-Central Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cole, James C.; Braddock, William A.

2009-01-01

The rocks and landforms of the Estes Park 30 x 60 minute quadrangle display an exceptionally complete record of geologic history in the northern Front Range of Colorado. The Proterozoic basement rocks exposed in the core of the range preserve evidence of Paleoproterozoic marine sedimentation, volcanism, and regional soft-sediment deformation, followed by regional folding and gradational metamorphism. The metasedimentary rocks of the Estes Park quadrangle are distinct within northern Colorado for preserving the complete metamorphic zonation from low-grade chlorite-muscovite phyllites, through middle greenschist-grade rocks with sequential aluminous porphyroblasts, to partially melted gneisses that contain high-grade cordierite and garnet in the non-melted residues. Regional and textural evidence shows that the widespread metamorphism was essentially concurrent with intrusion of the Boulder Creek Granodiorite and related magmas and with the peak of deformation in the partially melted high-grade rocks. The metamorphic thermal pulse arrived later following the peak of deformation in the physically higher, cooler, low-grade terrane. Mesoproterozoic time was marked by intrusion of biotite granite in the Longs Peak-St Vrain batholith, a complex, irregular body that occupies nearly half of the core of the Front Range in this quadrangle. The magma was dry and viscous as it invaded the metamorphic rocks and caused wholesale plastic folding of the wall rock structure. Steep metamorphic foliation that resulted from the Paleoproterozoic deformations was bowed upward and re-oriented into flat-lying attitudes as the crystal-rich magma rose buoyantly and spread out in the middle crust. Magma invaded the schists and gneisses along weak foliation planes and produced a characteristic sill-upon-sill intrusive fabric, particularly in the higher parts of the batholith. Broad, open arches and swales that are defined by the flow-aligned feldspar foliation of the granite, as well as by compositional banding in the intruded and included metamorphic rocks, formed late during batholith emplacement due to rising, buoyant magma and sinking, dense wall rocks. The Longs Peak-St Vrain batholith was intruded into crust that was structurally neutral or moderately extending in an east-northeast direction. A broad zone of mylonite, the Moose Mountain shear zone, formed within the batholith during the final stages of consolidation as a result of differential buoyancy between the magma and dense wall rock, not as a result of regional tectonic deformation.

Magnetostratigraphy of the Fenghuoshan Group in the Hoh Xil Basin and its tectonic implications for India-Eurasia collision and Tibetan Plateau deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Chunsheng; Liu, Qingsong; Liang, Wentian; Roberts, Andrew P.; Sun, Jimin; Hu, Pengxiang; Zhao, Xiangyu; Su, Youliang; Jiang, Zhaoxia; Liu, Zhifeng; Duan, Zongqi; Yang, Huihui; Yuan, Sihua

2018-03-01

Early Cenozoic plate collision of India and Eurasia was a significant geological event, which resulted in Tibetan Plateau (TP) uplift and altered regional and global atmospheric circulations. However, the timing of initial collision is debated. It also remains unclear whether the TP was deformed either progressively northward, or synchronously as a whole. As the largest basin in the hinterland of the TP, evolution of the Hoh Xil Basin (HXB) and its structural relationship with development of the Tanggula Thrust System (TTS) have important implications for unraveling the formation mechanism and deformation history of the TP. In this study, we present results from a long sedimentary sequence from the HXB that dates the Fenghuoshan Group to ∼72-51 Ma based on magnetostratigraphy and radiometric ages of a volcanic tuff layer within the group. Three depositional phases reflect different stages of tectonic movement on the TTS, which was initialized at 71.9 Ma prior to the India-Eurasia collision. An abrupt sediment accumulation rate increase from 53.9 Ma is a likely response to tectonic deformation in the plateau hinterland, and indicates that initial India-Eurasia collision occurred at no later than that time. This remote HXB tectonosedimentary response implies that compressional deformation caused by India-Eurasia collision likely propagated to the central TP shortly after the collision, which supports the synchronous deformation model for TP.

Polyphase thrust tectonic in the Barberton greenstone belt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paris, I. A.

1986-01-01

In the circa 3.5 by-old Barberton greenstone belt, the supracrustal rocks form a thick and strongly deformed thrust complex. Structural studies in the southern part of the belt have shown that 2 separate phases of over-thrusting (D sub 1 and D sub 2) successively dismembered the original stratigraphy. Thrust nappes were subsequently refolded during later deformations (D sub 3 and D sub 4). This report deals with the second thrusting event which, in the study region appears to be dominant, and (unlike the earlier thrusting), affects the entire supracrustal pile. The supracrustal rocks form a predominantly NE/SW oriented, SE dipping tectonic fan (the D sub 2 fan) in which tectonic slices of ophiolitic-like rocks are interleaved with younger sedimentary sequences of the Diepgezet and malalotcha groups. Structural and sedimentological data indicate that the D sub 2 tectonic fan was formed during a prolonged, multi-stage regional horizontal shortening event during which several types of internal deformation mechanisms were successively and/or simultaneously active. Movement appears to have been predominantly to the NW and to the N. During D sub 2, periods of quiescence and sedimentation followed periods of thrust propagation. Although the exact kinematics which led to the formation of this fan is not yet known, paleoenvironmental interpretations together with structural data suggest that D sub 2 was probably related to (an) Archean collision(s).

Stratigraphic and structural evolution of the Selenga Delta Accommodation Zone, Lake Baikal Rift, Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scholz, C. A.; Hutchinson, D. R.

Seismic reflection profiles from the Lake Baikal Rift reveal extensive details about the sediment thickness, structural geometry and history of extensional deformation and syn-rift sedimentation in this classic continental rift. The Selenga River is the largest single source of terrigenous input into Lake Baikal, and its large delta sits astride the major accommodation zone between the Central and South basins of the lake. Incorporating one of the world's largest lacustrine deltas, this depositional system is a classic example of the influence of rift basin structural segmentation on a major continental drainage. More than 3700km of deep basin-scale multi-channel seismic reflection (MCS) data were acquired during the 1989 Russian and the 1992 Russian-American field programs. The seismic data image most of the sedimentary section, including pre-rift basement in several localities. The MCS data reveal that the broad bathymetric saddle between these two major half-graben basins is underlain by a complex of severely deformed basement blocks, and is not simply a consequence of long-term deltaic deposition. Maximum sediment thickness is estimated to be more than 9km in some areas around the Selenga Delta. Detailed stratigraphic analyses of the Selenga area MCS data suggest that modes of deposition have shifted markedly during the history of the delta. The present mode of gravity- and mass-flow sedimentation that dominates the northern and southern parts of the modern delta, as well as the pronounced bathymetric relief in the area, are relatively recent developments in the history of the Lake Baikal Rift. Several episodes of major delta progradation, each extending far across the modern rift, can be documented in the MCS data. The stratigraphic framework defined by these prograding deltaic sequences can be used to constrain the structural as well as depositional evolution of this part of the Baikal Rift. An age model has been established for this stratigraphy, by tying the delta sequences to the site of the Baikal Drilling Project 1993 Drill Hole. Although the drill hole is only 100m deep, and the base of the cores is only 670ka in age, ages were extrapolated to deeper stratigraphic intervals using the Reflection-Seismic-Radiocarbon method of Cohen et al. (1993). The deep prograding delta sequences now observed in the MCS data probably formed in response to major fluctuations in sediment supply, rather than in response to shifts in lake level. This stratigraphic framework and age model suggest that the deep delta packages developed at intervals of approximately 400ka and may have formed as a consequence of climate changes affiliated with the northern hemisphere glaciations. The stratigraphic analysis also suggests that the Selenga Basin and Syncline developed as a distinct depocentre only during the past 2-3Ma.

The role of inherited structures in the evolution of the Meknassy Basin, Central Tunisia, based on geological-geophysical transects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haji, Taoufik; Zouaghi, Taher; Boukadi, Noureddine

2014-08-01

This paper uses seismic data, well data, and surface geologic data to present a detailed description of the Meknassy Basin in the Atlas fold and thrust belt of central Tunisia. These data reveal that the Meknassy Basin is bounded by major faults, along which Triassic evaporites have been intruded. The anticlines and synclines of the basin are delimited by two N-S main faults (the North-South Axis and the Sidi Ali Ben Oun fault) and are subdivided by associated N120° and N45° trending fault-related anticlines. The Meknassy Basin is characterized by brittle structures associated with a deep asymmetric geometry that is organized into depressions and uplifts. Halokinesis of Triassic evaporites began during the Jurassic and continued during the Cretaceous period. During extensional deformation, salt movement controlled the sediment accumulation and the location of pre-compressional structures. During compressional deformation, the remobilization of evaporites accentuated the folded uplifts. A zone of decollement is located within the Triassic evaporites. The coeval strike-slip motion along the bounding master faults suggests that the Meknassy Basin was initiated as a pull-apart basin with intrusion of Triassic evaporites. The lozenge structure of the basin was caused by synchronous movements of the Sidi Ali Ben Oun fault and the North-South Axis (sinistral wrench faults) with movement of NW-SE first-order dextral strike-slip faults. Sediment distribution and structural features indicate that a major tectonic inversion has occurred at least since Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. The transpressional movements are marked by reverse faults and folds associated with unconformities and with remobilization of Triassic evaporites. The formation of different structural features and the evolution of the Meknassy Basin and its neighboring uplifts have been controlled by conjugate dextral and sinistral strike-slip movements and thrust displacement.

Late Cenozoic Deformation in the Western Tarim Basin, NW China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, J. A.; Burbank, D. W.; Chen, J.; Li, T.

2009-12-01

The Tian Shan in NW China is one of the most active regions of intracontinental deformation in the world, accommodating a large fraction (~40%) of the shortening from the Indo-Eurasian collision. The western Tarim Basin, situated between the southern Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, manifests this deformation through a series of east-west trending fault-related folds that have formed during the late Cenozoic. Previous studies in this region have focused on the kinematics, style, and timing of detachment folds related to folding within the foreland basin of the southern Tian Shan. In contrast, this study focuses on the deformation caused by fault-propagation folding resulting from the northward movement of the Pamir. The rates of deformation are calculated using a combination of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages, structural mapping and differential GPS surveys of fault scarps and deformed terrace surfaces crossing active folds. OSL dating provides the time since the sediment was last exposed to daylight, i.e., time since burial. Consequently, OSL is useful for dating the abandonment of terrace surfaces due to tectonic (fold growth) or climatic events. OSL quartz samples were collected from silt lenses within gravel topping the terraces. Most of the quartz OSL signals are weak, thus several grain sizes (silt (4-11 µm, 8-15 µm) and sand (90-125 µm)) were analyzed and different integrations of the shine-down curves were explored to calculate equivalent doses. The implications for different equivalent doses and ages on the calculation of rates of deformation are also addressed.

Glaciotectonic deformation and reinterpretation of the Worth Point stratigraphic sequence: Banks Island, NT, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaughan, Jessica M.; England, John H.; Evans, David J. A.

2014-05-01

Hill-hole pairs, comprising an ice-pushed hill and associated source depression, cluster in a belt along the west coast of Banks Island, NT. Ongoing coastal erosion at Worth Point, southwest Banks Island, has exposed a section (6 km long and ˜30 m high) through an ice-pushed hill that was transported ˜ 2 km from a corresponding source depression to the southeast. The exposed stratigraphic sequence is polydeformed and comprises folded and faulted rafts of Early Cretaceous and Late Tertiary bedrock, a prominent organic raft, Quaternary glacial sediments, and buried glacial ice. Three distinct structural domains can be identified within the stratigraphic sequence that represent proximal to distal deformation in an ice-marginal setting. Complex thrust sequences, interfering fold-sets, brecciated bedrock and widespread shear structures superimposed on this ice-marginally deformed sequence record subsequent deformation in a subglacial shear zone. Analysis of cross-cutting relationships within the stratigraphic sequence combined with OSL dating indicate that the Worth Point hill-hole pair was deformed during two separate glaciotectonic events. Firstly, ice sheet advance constructed the hill-hole pair and glaciotectonized the strata ice-marginally, producing a proximal to distal deformation sequence. A glacioisostatically forced marine transgression resulted in extensive reworking of the strata and the deposition of a glaciomarine diamict. A readvance during this initial stage redeformed the strata in a subglacial shear zone, overprinting complex deformation structures and depositing a glaciotectonite ˜20 m thick. Outwash channels that incise the subglacially deformed strata record a deglacial marine regression, whereas aggradation of glaciofluvial sand and gravel infilling the channels record a subsequent marine transgression. Secondly, a later, largely non-erosive ice margin overrode Worth Point, deforming only the most surficial units in the section and depositing a capping till. The investigation of the Worth Point stratigraphic sequence provides the first detailed description of the internal architecture of a polydeformed hill-hole pair, and as such provides an insight into the formation and evolution of an enigmatic landform. Notably, the stratigraphic sequence documents ice-marginal and subglacial glaciotectonics in permafrost terrain, as well as regional glacial and relative sea level histories. The reinterpreted stratigraphy fundamentally rejects the long-established paleoenvironmental history of Worth Point that assumed a simple ‘layer-cake’ stratigraphy including the type-site for an organically rich, preglacial interval (Worth Point Fm).

A comprehensive study of the toxicity of natural multi-contaminated sediments: New insights brought by the use of a combined approach using the medaka embryo-larval assay and physico-chemical analyses.

PubMed

Barjhoux, Iris; Clérandeau, Christelle; Menach, Karyn Le; Anschutz, Pierre; Gonzalez, Patrice; Budzinski, Hélène; Morin, Bénédicte; Baudrimont, Magalie; Cachot, Jérôme

2017-08-01

Sediment compartment is a long term sink for pollutants and a secondary source of contamination for aquatic species. The abiotic factors controlling the bioavailability and thus the toxicity of complex mixtures of pollutants accumulated in sediments are poorly documented. To highlight the different factors influencing sediment toxicity, we identified and analyzed the physico-chemical properties, micro-pollutant contents, and toxicity level of six contrasted sediments in the Lot-Garonne continuum. Sediment toxicity was evaluated using the recently described Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryo-larval assay with direct exposure to whole sediment (MELAc). Multiple toxicity endpoints including embryotoxicity, developmental defects and DNA damage were analyzed in exposed embryos. Chemical analyses revealed significant variations in the nature and contamination profile of sediments, mainly impacted by metallic trace elements and, unexpectedly, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Exposure to sediments induced different toxic impacts on medaka early life stages when compared with the reference site. Principal component analysis showed that the toxic responses following exposure to sediments from the Lot River and its tributary were associated with micro-pollutant contamination: biometric measurements, hatching success, genotoxicity, craniofacial deformities and yolk sac malabsorption were specifically correlated to metallic and organic contaminants. Conversely, the main biological responses following exposure to the Garonne River sediments were more likely related to their physico-chemical properties than to their contamination level. Time to hatch, cardiovascular injuries and spinal deformities were correlated to organic matter content, fine particles and dissolved oxygen levels. These results emphasize the necessity of combining physico-chemical analysis of sediment with toxicity assessment to accurately evaluate the environmental risks associated with sediment contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Investigating the Origin of Natural and Anthropogenic Deformation across the Nile Delta Using Radar Interferometry, GRACE, Modeling, and Field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebremichael, E.; Sultan, M.; Becker, R.; El Bastawesy, M.; Cherif, O.; Emil, M.; Ahmed, M.; Fathy, K.; Karki, S.; Chouinard, K.

2016-12-01

We applied an integrated approach (radar interferometry, flood simulation, GRACE, GIS) to investigate the nature and distribution of land deformation in the Nile Delta and to identify the natural and anthropogenic controlling factors. Our methodology involved: (1) applying persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) across the entire Delta (scenes: 108 level 0 scenes; Tracks: 4 tracks; time period: 2003-2010); (2) correcting the interferometry output for various phase contributing errors (e.g., atmosphere, orbit, etc.) and calibrating/validating the output against 3 GNSS GPS stations (2 in Alexandria, 1 in Helwan); (3) conducting spatial correlation (in a GIS environment) of the radar outputs with relevant remote sensing, subsurface, and geologic datasets; (4) simulating flood depth and inundation to investigate the spatial extent and depth of the Holocene sediments using the HEC-RAS software (inputs: DEM and monthly discharge data; period: 1871-1902), (5) identifying subsurface structures by processing 712 gridded field gravity data points in Geosoft Oasis Montaj software (Bouguer anomaly analysis), and (6) analyzing monthly (2002-2015) GRACE-derived TWS solutions (0.5° x 0.5° CSR mascons). Our findings include: (1) three main structural trends (E-W, NW-SE and NE-SW trending) were mapped across the Delta, (2) areas of high subsidence coincide with the distribution of relatively thick recent sediments (<3000 years), probably due to sediment compaction, in three settings: (a) areas susceptible to flooding from the Damietta and Rosetta branches (e.g., east Damietta branch; latitude 30.8° to 31.2°; longitude 31.2° to 31.6°), (b) areas susceptible to sediment deposition at bifurcation locations of primary channels (e.g., near Cairo) and, (c) areas where mapped faults intersect Damietta and Rosetta channels, change their course, and cause ponding of surface water and sediment deposition, (3) extraction of gas from the Abu Madi gas field in north central delta contributes to observed subsidence (mean rate: 4.4 mm/yr) and high TWS depletion (3.3 mm/yr), and (4) excessive extraction of groundwater from areas west of the Nile Valley, areas where newly reclaimed land are irrigated by groundwater is causing high subsidence rates (mean rate: 5.4 mm/yr) and TWS depletion (2.9 mm/yr).

Kinematic analysis of mélange fabrics: examples and applications from the McHugh Complex, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusky, Timothy M.; Bradley, Dwight C.

1999-12-01

Permian to Cretaceous mélange of the McHugh Complex on the Kenai Peninsula, south-central Alaska includes blocks and belts of graywacke, argillite, limestone, chert, basalt, gabbro, and ultramafic rocks, intruded by a variety of igneous rocks. An oceanic plate stratigraphy is repeated hundreds of times across the map area, but most structures at the outcrop scale extend lithological layering. Strong rheological units occur as blocks within a matrix that flowed around the competent blocks during deformation, forming broken formation and mélange. Deformation was noncoaxial, and disruption of primary layering was a consequence of general strain driven by plate convergence in a relatively narrow zone between the overriding accretionary wedge and the downgoing, generally thinly sedimented oceanic plate. Soft-sediment deformation processes do not appear to have played a major role in the formation of the mélange. A model for deformation at the toe of the wedge is proposed in which layers oriented at low angles to σ1 are contracted in both the brittle and ductile regimes, layers at 30-45° to σ1 are extended in the brittle regime and contracted in the ductile regime, and layers at angles greater than 45° to σ1 are extended in both the brittle and ductile regimes. Imbrication in thrust duplexes occurs at deeper levels within the wedge. Many structures within mélange of the McHugh Complex are asymmetric and record kinematic information consistent with the inferred structural setting in an accretionary wedge. A displacement field for the McHugh Complex on the lower Kenai Peninsula includes three belts: an inboard belt of Late Triassic rocks records west-to-east-directed slip of hanging walls, a central belt of predominantly Early Jurassic rocks records north-south directed displacements, and Early Cretaceous rocks in an outboard belt preserve southwest-northeast directed slip vectors. Although precise ages of accretion are unknown, slip directions are compatible with inferred plate motions during the general time frame of accretion of the McHugh Complex. The slip vectors are interpreted to preserve the convergence directions between the overriding and underriding plates, which became more oblique with time. They are not considered indicative of strain partitioning into belts of orogen-parallel and orogen-perpendicular displacements, because the kinematic data are derived from the earliest preserved structures, whereas fabrics related to strain partitioning would be expected to be superimposed on earlier accretion-related fabrics.

Bowers Swell: Evidence for a zone of compressive deformation concentric with Bowers Ridge, Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marlow, M. S.; Cooper, A. K.; Dadisman, S.V.; Geist, E.L.; Carlson, P.R.

1990-01-01

Bowers Swell is a newly discovered bathymetric feature which is up to 90 m high, between 12 and 20 km wide, and which extends arcuately about 400 km along the northern and eastern sides of Bowers Ridge. The swell was first revealed on GLORIA sonographs and subsequently mapped on seismic reflection and 3.5 kHz bathymetric profiles. These geophysical data show that the swell caps an arcuate anticlinal ridge, which is composed of deformed strata in an ancient trench on the northern and eastern sides of Bowers Ridge. The trench fill beneath the swell is actively deforming, as shown by faulting of the sea floor and by thinning of the strata across the crest of the swell. Thinning and faulting of the trench strata preclude an origin for the swell by simple sediment draping over an older basement high. We considered several models for the origin of Bowers Swell, including folding and uplift of the underlying trench sediment during the interaction between the Pacific plate beneath the Aleutian Ridge and a remnant oceanic slab beneath Bowers Ridge. However, such plate motions should generate extensive seismicity beneath Bowers Ridge, which is aseismic, and refraction data do not show any remnant slab beneath Bowers Ridge. Another origin considered for Bowers Swell invokes sediment deformation resulting from differential loading and diapirism in the trench fill. However, diapirism is not evident on seismic reflection profiles across the swell. We favour a model in which sediment deformation and swell formation resulted from a few tens of kilometers of low seismicity motion by intraplate crustal blocks beneath the Aleutian Basin. This motion may result from the translation of blocks in western Alaska to the south-west, forcing the movement of the Bering Sea margin west of Alaska into the abyssal Aleutian Basin. ?? 1990.

Numerical simulation of turbulence and sediment transport of medium sand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmeeckle, M. W.

2012-12-01

Eleven numerical simulations, ranging from no transport to bedload to vigorous suspension transport, are presented of a combined large eddy simulation (LES) and distinct element model (DEM) of an initially flat bed of medium sand. The fluid and particles are fully coupled in momentum. The friction coefficient, defined here as the squared ratio of the friction velocity to the depth-averaged velocity, is in good agreement with well-known rough bed relations at no transport and increases with the intensity of bedload transport. The friction coefficient nearly doubles in value at the onset of sediment suspension owing to a rapid increase of the depth over which particles and fluid exchange momentum. The friction coefficient decreases with increasing suspension intensity because of increasingly stable stratification. Fluid Reynolds stress and time-averaged velocity profiles in the bedload regime agree well with previous experiments and simulations. Also consistent with previous studies of suspended sediment, there is an increase in slope of the lower portion of the velocity profile that has been modeled in the past using stably stratified eddy viscosity closures or an adjusted von Karman constant. Stokes numbers in the simulations, using an estimated lagrangian integral time scale, are less than unity. As such, particles faithfully follow the fluid, except for particle settling and grain-grain interactions near the bed. Fluid-particle velocity correlation coefficients approach one in portions of the flow where volumetric sediment concentrations are below about ten percent. Bedload entrainment is critically connected to vertical velocity fluctuations. When a fluid packet approaches the bed from the interior of the flow (i.e. a sweep), fluid is forced into the bed, and at the edges of the sweep, fluid is forced out of the bed. Much of the particle entrainment occurs at these sweep edges. Fluid velocity statistics following the particles reveal that moving bedload particles are preferentially concentrated in zones of upward fluid velocity. This may explain previous observations noting a rapid vertical rise at the beginning of saltation trajectories. The simulations described here have no lift forces. Because of the short particle time scales relative to that of the turbulent structures, high transport stage bedload entrainment zones involve mutual interaction between turbulence structures and bed deformation. These deformation structures appear as depressed areas of the bed at the center of the sweep and raised areas of entraining particles at the edges of the sweep penetration. Suspended sediment entrainment structures are similar to these bedload entrainment structures but have much larger scales. Preferential concentration of suspended grains in zones of upward moving fluid dampens turbulence intensities and momentum transport. Much of the suspended transport takes place within this highly concentrated near-bed zone of damped turbulence. Particle-fluid correlation coefficients are relatively low in the lower portion of this highly concentrated suspended sediment zone, owing to particle-particle interactions. As such, Rouse-like profiles utilizing eddy viscosity closures, adjusted according to flux Richardson numbers, do not adequately describe the physics of this zone.

Contrasting styles of large-scale displacement of unconsolidated sand: examples from the early Jurassic Navajo Sandstone on the Colorado Plateau, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryant, Gerald

2015-04-01

Large-scale soft-sediment deformation features in the Navajo Sandstone have been a topic of interest for nearly 40 years, ever since they were first explored as a criterion for discriminating between marine and continental processes in the depositional environment. For much of this time, evidence for large-scale sediment displacements was commonly attributed to processes of mass wasting. That is, gravity-driven movements of surficial sand. These slope failures were attributed to the inherent susceptibility of dune sand responding to environmental triggers such as earthquakes, floods, impacts, and the differential loading associated with dune topography. During the last decade, a new wave of research is focusing on the event significance of deformation features in more detail, revealing a broad diversity of large-scale deformation morphologies. This research has led to a better appreciation of subsurface dynamics in the early Jurassic deformation events recorded in the Navajo Sandstone, including the important role of intrastratal sediment flow. This report documents two illustrative examples of large-scale sediment displacements represented in extensive outcrops of the Navajo Sandstone along the Utah/Arizona border. Architectural relationships in these outcrops provide definitive constraints that enable the recognition of a large-scale sediment outflow, at one location, and an equally large-scale subsurface flow at the other. At both sites, evidence for associated processes of liquefaction appear at depths of at least 40 m below the original depositional surface, which is nearly an order of magnitude greater than has commonly been reported from modern settings. The surficial, mass flow feature displays attributes that are consistent with much smaller-scale sediment eruptions (sand volcanoes) that are often documented from modern earthquake zones, including the development of hydraulic pressure from localized, subsurface liquefaction and the subsequent escape of fluidized sand toward the unconfined conditions of the surface. The origin of the forces that produced the lateral, subsurface movement of a large body of sand at the other site is not readily apparent. The various constraints on modeling the generation of the lateral force required to produce the observed displacement are considered here, along with photodocumentation of key outcrop relationships.

Provenance and geochronological insights into Late Cretaceous-Paleogene foreland basin development in the Subandean Zone and Oriente Basin of Ecuador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutierrez, E. G.; Horton, B. K.; Vallejo, C.

2017-12-01

The tectonic history of the Oriente foreland basin and adjacent Subandean Zone of Ecuador during contractional mountain building in the northern Andes can be revealed through integrated stratigraphic, geochronological, structural, and provenance analyses of clastic sediments deposited during orogenesis. We present new maximum depositional ages and a comprehensive provenance analysis for key stratigraphic units deposited in the western (proximal) Oriente Basin. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages were obtained from Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic clastic formations from exposures in the Subandean Zone. The sampled stratigraphic intervals span critical timeframes during orogenesis in the Ecuadorian Andes. Cenozoic formations have poorly defined chronostratigraphic relationships and are therefore a primary target of this study. In addition, the newly acquired U-Pb age spectra allow clear identification of the various sediment source regions that fed the system during distinct depositional phases. Maximum depositional ages (MDA) were obtained for five samples from three formations: the Tena (MDA=69.6 Ma), Chalcana (MDA=29.3 Ma), and Arajuno (MDA= 17.1, 14.2, 12.8 Ma) Formations, placing them in the Maastrichtian, early Oligocene, and early-middle Miocene, respectively. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages identify clear signatures of at least four different sources: craton (1600-1300 Ma, 1250-900 Ma), Eastern Cordillera fold-thrust belt (600-450 Ma, 250-145 Ma), Western Cordillera magmatic arc (<88 Ma), and recycling of cratonic material from the Eastern Cordillera. The U-Pb age spectra of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene type sections allow us to recognize variations in the contribution of each recognized source over time. We identify recycled material with two dominant peak ages (1250-900 Ma and 600-450 Ma), material derived from the adjacent uplifted orogen or recycled from foredeep sediments incorporated into the deforming wedge. Finally, an apparent unroofing event is inferred from a 250-145 Ma age peak in the Plio-Pleistocene Mesa-Mera Formation revealing the persistent shortening deformation influencing the structural configuration and sediment dispersal patterns of the Oriente Basin and Subandean Zone.

Frictional behavior of carbonate-rich sediments in subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabinowitz, H. S.; Savage, H. M.; Carpenter, B. M.; Collettini, C.

2016-12-01

Deformation in rocks and sediments is controlled by multiple mechanisms, each governed by its own pressure- (P), temperature- (T), and slip velocity- (v) dependent kinetics. Frictional behavior depends on which of these mechanisms are dominant, and, thus, varies with P, T, and v. Carbonates are a useful material with which to interrogate the PTv controls on friction due to the fact that a wide range of mechanisms can be easily accessed in the lab at geologically relevant conditions. In addition, carbonate-rich layers make up a significant component of subducting sediments around the world and may impact the frictional behavior of shallow subduction zones. In order to investigate the effect of carbonate subduction and the evolution of friction at subduction zone conditions, we conducted deformation experiments on input sediments for two subduction zones, the Hikurangi trench, New Zealand (ODP Site 1124) and the Peru trench (DSDP Site 321), which have carbonate/clay contents of 40/60 wt% and 80/20 wt%, respectively. Samples were saturated with distilled water mixed with 35g/l sea salt and deformed at room temperature. Experiments were conducted at σeff = 1-100 MPa and T = 20-100 °C with sliding velocities of 1-300 μm/s and hold times of 1-1000 s. We test the changes in velocity dependence and healing over these PT conditions to elucidate the frictional behavior of carbonates in subduction zone settings. The mechanical results are complemented by microstructural analysis. In lower stress experiments, there is no obvious shear localization; however, by 25 MPa, pervasive boundary-parallel shears become dominant, particularly in the Peru samples. Optical observations of these shear zones under cross-polarized light show evidence of plastic deformation (CPO development) while SEM-EDS observations indicate phase segregation in the boundary shears. Degree of microstructural localization appears to correspond with the trends observed in velocity-dependence. Our preliminary results indicate that carbonate/clay compositions could have a significant impact on the frictional behavior of subducting sediments.

To accrete or not accrete, that is the question

USGS Publications Warehouse

von Huene, Roland E.

1986-01-01

Along modern convergent margins tectonic processes span a spectrum from accretion to erosion. The process of accretion is generally recognized because it leaves a geologic record, whereas the process of erosion is generally hypothetical because it produces a geologic hiatus. Major conditions that determine the dominance of accretion or erosion at modern convergent margins are: 1) rate and direction of plate convergence, 2) sediment supply and type in the trench, and 3) topography of the subducting ocean floor. Most change in structure has been ascribed to plate motion, but both erosion and accretion are observed along the same convergence margin. Thus sediment supply and topography are probably of equivalent importance to plate motion because both erosion and accretion are observed under constant conditions of plate convergence. The dominance of accretion or erosion at a margin varies with the thickness of trench sediment. In a sediment flooded trench, the proportions of subducted and accreted sediment are commonly established by the position of a decollement along a weak horizon in the sediment section. Thus, the vertical variation of sediment strength and the distribution of horizontal stress are important factors. Once deformation begins, the original sediment strength is decreased by sediment remolding and where sediment thickens rapidly, increases in pore fluid pressure can be pronounced. In sediment-starved trenches, where the relief of the subducting ocean floor is not smoothed over, the front of the margin must respond to the topography subducted as well as that accreted. The hypothesized erosion by the drag of positive features against the underside of the upper plate (a high stress environment) may alternate with erosion due to the collapse of a margin front into voids such as graben (a low stress environment). ?? 1986 Ferdinand Enke Verlag Stuttgart.

Strengthening mechanism of cemented hydrate-bearing sand at microscales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoneda, Jun; Jin, Yusuke; Katagiri, Jun; Tenma, Norio

2016-07-01

On the basis of hypothetical particle-level mechanisms, several constitutive models of hydrate-bearing sediments have been proposed previously for gas production. However, to the best of our knowledge, the microstructural large-strain behaviors of hydrate-bearing sediments have not been reported to date because of the experimental challenges posed by the high-pressure and low-temperature testing conditions. Herein, a novel microtriaxial testing apparatus was developed, and the mechanical large-strain behavior of hydrate-bearing sediments with various hydrate saturation values (Sh = 0%, 39%, and 62%) was analyzed using microfocus X-ray computed tomography. Patchy hydrates were observed in the sediments at Sh = 39%. The obtained stress-strain relationships indicated strengthening with increasing hydrate saturation and a brittle failure mode of the hydrate-bearing sand. Localized deformations were quantified via image processing at the submillimeter and micrometer scale. Shear planes and particle deformation and/or rotation were detected, and the shear band thickness decreased with increasing hydrate saturation.

Failure Mechanism of Cemented Hydrate-bearing Sand at Microscales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoneda, J.; Jin, Y.; Katagiri, J.; Tenma, N.

2016-12-01

On the basis of hypothetical particle-level mechanisms, several constitutive models of hydrate-bearing sediments have been proposed previously for gas production. However, to the best of our knowledge, the microstructural large-strain behaviors of hydrate-bearing sediments has not been reported to date because of the experimental challenges posed by the high-pressure and low-temperature testing conditions. Herein, as a part of a Japanese National hydrate research program (MH21, funded by METI), a novel microtriaxial testing apparatus was developed, and the mechanical large strain behavior of hydrate-bearing sediments with various hydrate saturation values (Sh = 0%, 39%, and 62%) were analyzed using microfocus X-ray computed tomography. Patchy hydrates were observed in the sediments at Sh = 39%. The obtained stress-strain relationships indicated strengthening with increasing hydrate saturation and a brittle failure mode of the hydrate-bearing sand. Localized deformations were quantified via image processing at the submillimeter and micrometer scale. Shear planes and particle deformation and/or rotation were detected, and the shear band thickness decreased with increasing hydrate saturation.

Rheological implications of sediment transport for continental rifting and its impact in margin geometry and major unconformities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andres-Martinez, Miguel; Perez-Gussinye, Marta; Armitage, John; Morgan, Jason

2016-04-01

The inner dynamics of the Earth such as mantle convection, geochemical reactions and isostasy have been typically interpreted as the main engine of plate tectonics and crustal deformation. However, nowadays it is well established that processes transporting material along the surface of the Earth influence the inner dynamics. Surface processes play a key role particularly during rifting, where great subsidence rates occur at synrift basins while shoulder uplift provides rock to be eroded for later infilling of these basins. Erosion implies unloading of the crust which favours uplift, and sedimentation at basins results in loading which favours subsidence. Consequently, erosion and sedimentation amplify stresses and the flexural response of the lithosphere in situations with extensive faulting. These changes to the stress field may be large enough to result in changes in the evolution of rifting and its modes of extension. Additionally, higher subsidence rates and thermal blanketing due to sediments may result in higher geotherms and consequently, a weaker/more-viscous behaviour of the crustal rocks. This would also have a large impact on the deformation style during extension. Here, we explore the interactions between surface processes and tectonics using numerical modelling. Experiments are run with the absence of sediment transport and with different sediment transport regimes for 35 and 40 km crustal thicknesses. Tests with higher transport coefficient show more effective localization of deformation into upper crustal faults which results in effective crustal thinning, larger blocks and longer-lived faults. Our experiments also prove that more effective surface processes reduce the length of margins generated by sequential faulting. For our end member situations, high sedimentation rates lead to pure shear extension of the crust induced by high temperatures, which finally results in broad extension and symmetric margins. Furthermore, our model allows for the recovery of predicted sediment stratigraphic patterns. Major unconformities that separate synrift from sag-basin-type sediments are observed in these pseudo-strata patterns. Here, we also address the meaning of these major unconformities and their relationship to the time of breakup.

Structural deformation and sedimentation in an active Caldera, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Greene, H. Gary; Tiffin, D.L.; McKee, C.O.

1986-01-01

Recent seismic and tectonic activity in Rabaul Caldera, Papua New Guinea, suggests that magma is accumulating at a shallow depth beneath this partially submerged structure and that a new volcano may be developing. Changes in onshore elevation since 1971 (as much as 2 m on south Matupit Island) indicate that rapid and large-scale uplifts have occurred on the seafloor near the center of the caldera. The frequency of seismic events within the caldera has also increased during this period. Earthquake locations define an elliptical ring surrounding the center of this uplift within the caldera. A marine geophysical survey in 1982 by the U.S. Geological Survey's R/V "S.P. Lee" in Rabaul Caldera shows the development of a bulge in the seafloor near the center of the caldera. High-resolution seismic reflection profiles show that this bulge consists of two domal uplifts bounded and separated by two major north-south-trending fault zones. Deformed sediments overlie these zones; a prominent slump flanks the area of the bulge. Five major acoustic units were identified in the seismic reflection profiles: an acoustic basement and four sedimentary units consisting of irregularly layered, cross-layered, contorted, and well-layered sequences. The acoustic basement is probably composed of crystalline volcanic rocks, and the layered acoustic units are probably sediments, primarily ash deposited in different environments. The cross-layered, irregularly layered, and contorted units appear to have been deposited in a dynamic environment subjected to strong currents, seismicity, and/or mass wasting, while the well-layered units were deposited in a low-energy environment. Locally, well-layered sequences interfinger with the other sedimentary units, indicating a transitional environment that alternated between high-energy and low-energy depositional processes. A submarine channel cuts most of the acoustic units and appears to be the conduit for sediment transport out of the caldera; it occupies an older buried channel north of the caldera that is presently being exhumed. In the south, active erosion of well-layered sediments is taking place. What are believed to be several young volcanic cones also disrupt the depositional layers. We conclude that the bulge in the seafloor and the associated fault zones are a result of emplacement of magma at a shallow depth. Contorted sediment and slumps adjacent to the bulge are probably the result of uplift and seismic activity. The pattern of seismicity appears to reflect increased magma pressure at depth beneath the caldera floor. This activity may eventually lead to an eruption. ?? 1986.

Organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and metals in water, sediment, and green frogs from southwestern Michigan.

PubMed

Gillilland, C D; Summer, C L; Gillilland, M G; Kannan, K; Villeneuve, D L; Coady, K K; Muzzall, P; Mehne, C; Giesy, J P

2001-07-01

In an attempt to explain the etiology of frog deformities and population declines, many possible causative factors have been examined, including the input of synthetic chemicals into aquatic systems, where frogs spend much of their lives, including their entire developmental stages. Deformities in populations of green frogs in wetlands of southwestern Michigan that are influenced by agricultural, urban, or industrial inputs were assessed in this study. Of the 1445 green frogs (Rana clamitans) examined, only four (0.3%) exhibited morphological deformities. This deformity rate is less than the recognized background level of deformities for this species, which is approximately 1%. Concentrations of organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals were determined in water, sediment, frog eggs, tadpoles, and adult green frog tissues. Concentrations of all individual organochlorine insecticides in tissue were less than 6 ng/g, wet wt. Concentrations of sigmaPCBs in tissue did not exceed 100 ng/g, wet wt. Concentrations of toxic metals were less than the limits of detection. Because no significant numbers of green frog deformities were observed in this region, it can be assumed that at these low concentrations, physical malformations in green frogs should not be observed. Significance of study. This study provides information on the incidence of deformities in green frog populations in southwestern Michigan and offers background data on chemical residues in green frogs and their environment.

Regional Sediment Management Studies of Matagorda Ship Channel and Matagorda Bay System, Texas

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

types of sediment, as there is more silt and clay (cohesive) material in the Lavaca Bay and upper Matagorda Bay and sandy (non- cohesive) sediment in the...Sediment varies from silt to clay in the upper and mid bays and sandy material in the lower bay. 2.5 Dredging History The SWG maintains the deep...diameter  clay mineralogy  rate of deformation (shear rate)  percentage of organic material  water chemistry (especially pH, salinity, etc

Regional deformation of late Quaternary fluvial sediments in the Apennines foreland basin (Emilia, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefani, Marco; Minarelli, Luca; Fontana, Alessandro; Hajdas, Irka

2018-04-01

Our research is aimed at estimating the vertical deformation affecting late Quaternary units accumulated into the foreland basin of the Northern Apennines chain. Beneath the study alluvial plain, compressive fault-fold structures are seismically active. We reconstructed the stratigraphic architecture and the depositional evolution of the alluvial deposits, which accumulated in the first 40 m of subsurface, through the last 45,000 years, from before the Last Glacial Maximum to the present. A 58 km-long stratigraphic profile was correlated from the foothill belt near Bologna to the vicinity of the Po River. The analysis of the profile documents subsidence movements through the last 12,000 years, exceeding - 18 m in syncline areas, with subsidence rates of at least 1.5 m/ka. Anticlines areas experienced a much lower subsidence than the syncline ones.

Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta: Balance of Subsidence, Sea level and Sedimentation in a Tectonically-Active Delta (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steckler, M. S.; Goodbred, S. L.; Akhter, S. H.; Seeber, L.; Reitz, M. D.; Paola, C.; Nooner, S. L.; DeWolf, S.; Ferguson, E. K.; Gale, J.; Hossain, S.; Howe, M.; Kim, W.; McHugh, C. M.; Mondal, D. R.; Petter, A. L.; Pickering, J.; Sincavage, R.; Williams, L. A.; Wilson, C.; Zumberge, M. A.

2013-12-01

Bangladesh is vulnerable to a host of short and long-term natural hazards - widespread seasonal flooding, river erosion and channel avulsions, permanent land loss from sea level rise, natural groundwater arsenic, recurrent cyclones, landslides and huge earthquakes. These hazards derive from active fluvial processes related to the growth of the delta and the tectonics at the India-Burma-Tibet plate junctions. The Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers drain 3/4 of the Himalayas and carry ~1 GT/y of sediment, 6-8% of the total world flux. In Bangladesh, these two great rivers combine with the Meghna River to form the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta (GBMD). The seasonality of the rivers' water and sediment discharge is a major influence causing widespread flooding during the summer monsoon. The mass of the water is so great that it causes 5-6 cm of seasonal elastic deformation of the delta discerned by our GPS data. Over the longer-term, the rivers are also dynamic. Two centuries ago, the Brahmaputra River avulsed westward up to 100 km and has since captured other rivers. The primary mouth of the Ganges has shifted 100s of km eastward from the Hooghly River over the last 400y, finally joining the Brahmaputra in the 19th century. These avulsions are influenced by the tectonics of the delta. On the east side of Bangladesh, the >16 km thick GBMD is being overridden by the Burma Arc where the attempted subduction of such a thick sediment pile has created a huge accretionary prism. The foldbelt is up to 250-km wide and its front is buried beneath the delta. The main Himalayan thrust front is <100 km north, but adjacent to the GBMD is the Shillong Massif, a 300-km long, 2-km high block of uplifted Indian basement that is overthrusting and depressing GBMD sediments to the south. The overthrusting Shillong Massif may represent a forward jump of the Himalayan front to a new plate boundary. This area ruptured in a ~M8 1897 earthquake. Subsidence from the tectonics and differential loading also influences the river patterns and avulsion rates of the delta. We are beginning to unravel these interactions through sampling and numerical modeling. One advantage for geologic research in Bangladesh is that the rapid sediment accumulation preserves a detailed structural and stratigraphic archive. We have been tapping into these records using the combination of a local, low-cost drilling method, resistivity imaging and MCS seismics, while GPS, seismology and other geophysical methods are helping to unravel GBMD dynamics. Five transects of >130 wells are illuminating the Holocene shifts of the Brahmaputra River and subsidence patterns. Very high resolution MCS seismics on the rivers shows deformation by subsidence and compaction. Resistivity is further mapping surfaces warped by the anticlinal folds. GPS geodesy is quantifying the rates of overthrusting and differential subsidence across the delta. Optical fiber strain meters installed in well nests are constraining sediment compaction rates. Seismology is imaging the tectonics in and around Bangladesh, while structural geology maps the tectonic deformation exposed on the margins of the delta. Numerical modeling is beginning to integrate all these results. I will present an overview of the GBMD and our growing research into the dynamics of the delta. A comprehensive view of these processes and their interaction is critical for understanding human impact and the future evolution of the delta.

Coupling landscapes to solid-Earth deformation over the ice-age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pico, T.; Mitrovica, J. X.; Ferrier, K.; Braun, J.

2016-12-01

We present initial results of a coupled ice-age sea level - landscape evolution code. Deformation of the solid Earth in response to the growth and ablation of continental ice sheets produces spatially-variable patterns of sea-level change. Recent modeling has considered the impact of sedimentation and erosion on sea level predictions across the last glacial cycle, but these studies have imposed, a-priori, a record of sediment flux and erosion, rather than computing them from a physics-based model of landscape evolution in the presence of sea-level (topography) changes. These topography changes range from 1-10 m/kyr in the near and intermediate field of the Late Pleistocene ice cover, and are thus comparable to (or exceed) tectonic rates in such regions. Our simulations aim to address the following question: how does solid-Earth deformation influence the evolution of landscapes over glacial periods? To address this issue, we couple a highly-efficient landscape evolution code, Fastscape (Braun & Willett, 2013), to a global, gravitationally-self consistent sea-level theory. Fastscape adopts standard geomorphic laws governing incision and marine deposition, and the sea-level model is based on the canonical work of Farrell & Clark (1976), with extensions to include the effects of rotation and time varying shoreline geometries (Kendall et al., 2005), and sediment erosion and deposition (Dalca et al, 2013). We will present global results and focus on a few regional case studies where deposition rates from a dataset of sedimentary cores can be used as a check on the simulations. These predictions quantify the influence of sea-level change (including that associated with sedimentation and erosion) on geomorphic drivers of landscape evolution, and in turn, the solid Earth deformation caused by these surface processes over an ice age.

Regional Survey of Structural Properties and Cementation Patterns of Fault Zones in the Northern Part of the Albuquerque Basin, New Mexico - Implications for Ground-Water Flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Minor, Scott A.; Hudson, Mark R.

2006-01-01

Motivated by the need to document and evaluate the types and variability of fault zone properties that potentially affect aquifer systems in basins of the middle Rio Grande rift, we systematically characterized structural and cementation properties of exposed fault zones at 176 sites in the northern Albuquerque Basin. A statistical analysis of measurements and observations evaluated four aspects of the fault zones: (1) attitude and displacement, (2) cement, (3) lithology of the host rock or sediment, and (4) character and width of distinctive structural architectural components at the outcrop scale. Three structural architectural components of the fault zones were observed: (1) outer damage zones related to fault growth; these zones typically contain deformation bands, shear fractures, and open extensional fractures, which strike subparallel to the fault and may promote ground-water flow along the fault zone; (2) inner mixed zones composed of variably entrained, disrupted, and dismembered blocks of host sediment; and (3) central fault cores that accommodate most shear strain and in which persistent low- permeability clay-rich rocks likely impede the flow of water across the fault. The lithology of the host rock or sediment influences the structure of the fault zone and the width of its components. Different grain-size distributions and degrees of induration of the host materials produce differences in material strength that lead to variations in width, degree, and style of fracturing and other fault-related deformation. In addition, lithology of the host sediment appears to strongly control the distribution of cement in fault zones. Most faults strike north to north-northeast and dip 55? - 77? east or west, toward the basin center. Most faults exhibit normal slip, and many of these faults have been reactivated by normal-oblique and strike slip. Although measured fault displacements have a broad range, from 0.9 to 4,000 m, most are <100 m, and fault zones appear to have formed mainly at depths less than 1,000 m. Fault zone widths do not exceed 40 m (median width = 15.5 m). The mean width of fault cores (0.1 m) is nearly one order of magnitude less than that of mixed zones (0.75 m) and two orders of magnitude less than that of damage zones (9.7 m). Cements, a proxy for localized flow of ancient ground water, are common along fault zones in the basin. Silica cements are limited to faults that are near and strike north to northwest toward the Jemez volcanic field north of the basin, whereas carbonate fault cements are widely distributed. Coarse sediments (gravel and sand) host the greatest concentrations of cement within fault zones. Cements fill some extension fractures and, to a lesser degree, are concentrated along shear fractures and deformation bands within inner damage zones. Cements are commonly concentrated in mixed zones and inner damage zones on one side of a fault and thus are asymmetrically distributed within a fault zone, but cement does not consistently lie on the basinward side of faults. From observed spatial patterns of asymmetrically distributed fault zone cements, we infer that ancient ground-water flow was commonly localized along, and bounded by, faults in the basin. It is apparent from our study that the Albuquerque Basin contains a high concentration of faults. The geometry of, internal structure of, and cement and clay distribution in fault zones have created and will continue to create considerable heterogeneity of permeability within the basin aquifers. The characteristics and statistical range of fault zone features appear to be predictable and consistent throughout the basin; this predictability can be used in ground-water flow simulations that consider the influence of faults.

Influence of slip-surface geometry on earth-flow deformation, Montaguto earth flow, southern Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guerriero, L.; Coe, Jeffrey A.; Revellio, P.; Grelle, G.; Pinto, F.; Guadagno, F.

2016-01-01

We investigated relations between slip-surface geometry and deformational structures and hydrologic features at the Montaguto earth flow in southern Italy between 1954 and 2010. We used 25 boreholes, 15 static cone-penetration tests, and 22 shallow-seismic profiles to define the geometry of basal- and lateral-slip surfaces; and 9 multitemporal maps to quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of normal faults, thrust faults, back-tilted surfaces, strike-slip faults, flank ridges, folds, ponds, and springs. We infer that the slip surface is a repeating series of steeply sloping surfaces (risers) and gently sloping surfaces (treads). Stretching of earth-flow material created normal faults at risers, and shortening of earth-flow material created thrust faults, back-tilted surfaces, and ponds at treads. Individual pairs of risers and treads formed quasi-discrete kinematic zones within the earth flow that operated in unison to transmit pulses of sediment along the length of the flow. The locations of strike-slip faults, flank ridges, and folds were not controlled by basal-slip surface topography but were instead dependent on earth-flow volume and lateral changes in the direction of the earth-flow travel path. The earth-flow travel path was strongly influenced by inactive earth-flow deposits and pre-earth-flow drainages whose positions were determined by tectonic structures. The implications of our results that may be applicable to other earth flows are that structures with strikes normal to the direction of earth-flow motion (e.g., normal faults and thrust faults) can be used as a guide to the geometry of basal-slip surfaces, but that depths to the slip surface (i.e., the thickness of an earth flow) will vary as sediment pulses are transmitted through a flow.

Structures and microfabrics of the Franciscan Complex (California): Inferences on the rheology and kinematics of a subduction channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krohe, A.; Wassmann, S.; Trepmann, C.; Stoeckhert, B.

2009-12-01

The characteristic feature of the Franciscan Subduction Complex (FSC) is a chaotic mélange structure with centimeter- to about one kilometer-sized tectonic blocks composed of metabasalts, floating in a matrix of oceanic meta-sediments or, locally, serpentinites. Investigating map scale structures, microfabrics, and P-T-histories of the FSC, we try to gain information on the mechanical properties of rocks and their influence on the kinematics of material transport in a subduction channel. Structures and microfabrics indicate that metabasalts from the oceanic crust as well as mantle-derived ultramafic rocks (i) underwent fragmentation and sealing under high pore fluid pressure, (ii) remaining internally undeformed, or (iii) deform by dissolution precipitation creep. Importantly, microfabrics which would indicate crystal plastic deformation or dislocation creep are systematically absent. This means that, during the entire P-T history, differential stresses generally remained too low to activate crystal plastic deformation or dislocation creep. Hence the material in the subduction channel is characterized by a low strength, being either limited by brittle failure at high pore fluid pressure, or a Newton viscosity, which is expected for dissolution precipitation creep. We interpret the characteristic mélange structure as to reflect this mechanical state of the system: Brittle failure at quasi-lithostatic fluid pressures down to great depths is recorded in the tectonic blocks by the widespread occurrence of aragonite-bearing veins. This leads to fragmentation into the blocks of variable size and moderate aspect ratios, which behave as rigid inclusions in a flowing matrix with distributed deformation by dissolution precipitation creep. In contrast, a power law rheology characteristic for dislocation creep, would favor strain localization into shear zones at sites of stress concentration. However, such shear zones formed at high-P metamorphic conditions are not identified. Mechanical contrasts within the mélange are presumably governed by variations in grain sizes and the nature of interphase boundaries, which both control viscous deformation by dissolution precipitation creep. As such, huge viscosity contrasts between matrix and rigid blocks can persist during burial to HP metamorphic conditions and decompression, while the mélange is deformed to very high bulk strain. These findings pose constraints on the large scale properties of a subduction channel presently active at depth, to be identified by geophysical methods.

Core evidence of paleoseismic events in Paleogene deposits of the Shulu Sag in the Bohai Bay Basin, east China, and their petroleum geologic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Lijing; Jiang, Zaixing; Liu, Hui; Kong, Xiangxin; Li, Haipeng; Jiang, Xiaolong

2015-10-01

The Shulu Sag, located in the southwestern corner of the Jizhong Depression, Bohai Bay Basin of east China, is a NE-SW trending, elongate Cenozoic half-graben basin. The lowermost part of the third member of the Shahejie Formation in this basin is characterized by continental rudstone and calcilutite to calcisiltite facies. Based on core observation and regional geologic analysis, seismites are recognized in these lacustrine deposits, which include soft-sediment deformation structures (sedimentary dikes, hydraulic shattering, diapir structures, convolute lamination, load-flame structures, ball-and-pillow structures, loop bedding, and subsidence structures), synsedimentary faults, and seismoturbidites. In addition, mixed-source rudstones, consisting of the Paleozoic carbonate clasts and in situ calcilutite clasts in the lowermost submember of Shahejie 3, appear in the seismites, suggesting an earthquake origin. A complete representative vertical sequence in the lowermost part of the third member found in well ST1H located in the central part of the Shulu Sag shows, from the base to the top: underlying undeformed layers, synsedimentary faults, liquefied carbonate rocks, allogenetic seismoturbidites, and overlying undeformed layers. Seismites are widely distributed around this well and there are multiple sets of stacked seismites separated by undeformed sediment. The nearby NW-trending Taijiazhuang fault whose fault growth index is from 1.1 to 1.8 and the NNE-trending Xinhe fault with a fault growth index of 1.3-1.9 may be the source of the instability to create the seismites. These deformed sedimentary layers are favorable for the accumulation of oil and gas; for example, sedimentary dikes can cut through many layers and serve as conduits for fluid migration. Sedimentary faults and fractures induced by earthquakes can act as oil and gas migration channels or store petroleum products as well. Seismoturbidites and mixed-source rudstones are excellent reservoirs due to their abundant primary or dissolved pores.

The Eocene Canopy of the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico explained by the Mechanism of Squeezed Diapirs - A Numerical Modeling Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gradmann, Sofie; Beaumont, Christopher

2010-05-01

Multiple salt canopies of variable size have developed in the Gulf of Mexico since the Palaeogene, and are now located at several different structural levels. Little is known about their emplacement and early evolution. In some cases, the underlying structures are shielded by salt from seismic imaging. In others, salt has been entirely evacuated from the canopies, and only a salt weld remains. Allochthonous salt structures can have a major influence on the structural evolution of a basin when they act as a detachment layer, and may also affect the sediment deposition patterns and the development of hydrocarbon systems. This study focuses on the evolution of a salt canopy located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. This canopy developed during the Eocene in the center of an up to 350 km wide Mid-Jurassic salt basin. In its later stages, it acted as a detachment surface for large-scale Oligo-Miocene gravity spreading. By localizing gravitational instabilities at the allochthonous level, the canopy likely postponed gravity-driven deformation above the distal part of the allochthonous salt basin until the late Oligocene, at which time the Perdido Fold Belt began to form at the distal end of the basin. We investigate the circumstances under which the Eocene canopy could have evolved via the mechanism of squeezed diapirs. During such a process, shortening of a region containing pre-existing diapirs will be absorbed by the salt (the weakest part of the system), which is then expelled upwards to the seafloor. We use 2D finite-element models to study the evolution of an analogous canopy. The models comprise a viscous salt layer overlain by a frictional-plastic passive margin sedimentary sequence from shelf to deep water, thereby incorporating the dynamical interaction of gravity spreading caused by shelf progradation. Model experiments include sediment compaction, flexural isostasy, loading by the overlying water column, and parametric calculations of the effects of pore-fluid pressures in the frictional-plastic sediments. The models integrate two phases of the basin evolution: Phase 1 in which diapirs develop during sediment aggradation, and Phase 2 in which sediment progradation leads to gravity spreading, shortening (squeezing) of the diapirs, expulsion of salt and the development of a canopy. The Phase 1 modeling presents a new mechanism for diapir initiation and evolution, which has remained a poorly understood aspect of salt tectonics. This mechanism is based on the idea that local bathymetric expressions (such as channel-levee systems or turbidite deposits) can be preserved by sedimentation patterns. These structures need to adjust isostatically relative to the salt layer. In an aggradational environment in which the bathymetric profile is maintained, this local balancing can create sufficient pressure differences to drive diapirism. These diapirs can form in a neutral stress regime and can fully develop before they get squeezed by shortening. The evolving model canopies show characteristics similar to the Eocene canopy of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (such as its lateral extent, the structure of the underlying strata, and the postponing of deformation above the distal salt basin). They also share important characteristics with other canopies, for example, the Eocene canopy of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Late Quaternary landscape evolution, climate, and neotectonism along the eastern margin of the Puna Plateau: Pucará Valley, NW Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, J. A.; Schoenbohm, L. M.; Bierman, P. R.; Rood, D. H.

2013-12-01

The eastern margin of the Puna Plateau has been the focus of many studies seeking to link climatically-moderated surface processes and tectonism through dynamic feedbacks. However, evaluating any theories regarding climatic-tectonic feedbacks requires the determination of tectonic, climatic, and geomorphic chronologies across a wide region, from plateau to wedge-top to foreland. In this study, we contribute to that effort by examining Quaternary landscape evolution of a single intermontane basin of spatially uniform climate, adjacent to the plateau margin. The semi-arid Pucará Valley contains eight abandoned and incised geomorphic surfaces, most of which are deformed by active structures. These geomorphic surfaces - thin alluvial fans and strath terraces - dominate the landscape and record multiple pulses of incision in the late Quaternary. We find no evidence for significant depositional intervals and valley incision continues currently. Substantial accumulations of pedogenic carbonate and pedogenic gypsum within abandoned surfaces indicate that arid or semi-arid conditions are long lived in this valley. Conversely, relict periglacial morphology in adjacent ranges supports cooler temperatures in the past. River incision is enhanced across active structures, but preliminary observations suggest that the magnitude of deformation cannot fully explain the magnitude of incision. As a result, we argue that extrabasinal base-level lowering is the primary driver of incision in the Pucará Valley, but Quaternary deformation is significant enough to spatially influence erosion. Cooler climatic intervals may influence the sedimentology of alluvial and fluvial deposits, but we find no evidence for significant climatic changes that could change rates or styles of landscape evolution over this time frame. Pending cosmogenic nuclide analysis of fan deposits and river sediments will permit the derivation of fault slip rates, surface ages, modern and paleo-erosion rates, and sediment transport histories. These results will further refine our understanding of tectonic and climatic forcing of surface processes in the Quaternary.

Thin visous sheet modelling of orogen scale deformation. The Eastern Alps in plan view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robl, J.; Stuewe, K.

2003-04-01

We present first results of a new numerical model to describe the dynamic evolution of the eastern Alps in plan view on the orogen scale. We investigate the influence of boundary conditions, gravitational potential energy, rheology contrast of major tectonic units and internal structures on the deformation field. We aim at estimating the Argan number of the Eastern Alps and to calculate slip rates along big lineaments that represent the northern and southern border of the Austro-Alpine extrusion corridor. A further aim is to predict the position and the activity of major faults where they disappear below quartenary sediments. All calculation are perfomed with the mechanical finite element code BASIL that allows computation on a thin visous sheet. The starting conditons are controlled by the varying crustal thickness of the region and by the rheolgy of the Adriatic indenter in the south, the Bohemian massif in the north and the Eastern Alps inbetween. We assume that the Eastern Alps are fixed to the north and the west while the southern boundary moves northward at a rate of 6-8 mm /y. The geodynamic setting in the east changed over the last 5 my. While a roll back subduction zone beneath the Carparthian belt accompanied by extension, crustal thinning and basin formation controlled the deformation of the Eastern Alps until the Miocene. Later on subduction stopped and the overall stress field changed from extension to compression resulting in uplift of many basins and the lack sediments younger than Pliocene. This well known variation of plate tectonic scenarios over the last 5 my allows us to place tight constraints for the boundary conditions of our model. Although our work is only now in progress, we can report some promising results: some of the kinematics and mechaniscs predicted by our modelling are consistent with field observations of the structural geologists and geodeticists.

Geology and structure of the North Boqueron Bay-Punta Montalva Fault System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roig Silva, Coral Marie

The North Boqueron Bay-Punta Montalva Fault Zone is an active fault system that cuts across the Lajas Valley in southwestern Puerto Rico. The fault zone has been recognized and mapped based upon detailed analysis of geophysical data, satellite images and field mapping. The fault zone consists of a series of Cretaceous bedrock faults that reactivated and deformed Miocene limestone and Quaternary alluvial fan sediments. The fault zone is seismically active (ML < 5.0) with numerous locally felt earthquakes. Focal mechanism solutions and structural field data suggest strain partitioning with predominantly east-west left-lateral displacements with small normal faults oriented mostly toward the northeast. Evidence for recent displacement consists of fractures and small normal faults oriented mostly northeast found in intermittent streams that cut through the Quaternary alluvial fan deposits along the southern margin of the Lajas Valley, Areas of preferred erosion, within the alluvial fan, trend toward the west-northwest parallel to the on-land projection of the North Boqueron Bay Fault. Beyond the faulted alluvial fan and southeast of the Lajas Valley, the Northern Boqueron Bay Fault joins with the Punta Montalva Fault. The Punta Montalva Fault is defined by a strong topographic WNW lineament along which stream channels are displaced left laterally 200 meters and Miocene strata are steeply tilted to the south. Along the western end of the fault zone in northern Boqueron Bay, the older strata are only tilted 3° south and are covered by flat lying Holocene sediments. Focal mechanisms solutions along the western end suggest NW-SE shortening, which is inconsistent with left lateral strain partitioning along the fault zone. The limited deformation of older strata and inconsistent strain partitioning may be explained by a westerly propagation of the fault system from the southwest end. The limited geomorphic structural expression along the North Boqueron Bay Fault segment could also be because most of the displacement along the fault zone is older than the Holocene and that the rate of displacement is low, such that the development of fault escarpments and deformation all along the fault zone has yet to occur.

Quaternary Sediment Accumulation in the Aleutian Trench: Implications for Dehydration Reaction Progress and Pore Pressure Development Offshore Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meridth, L. N.; Screaton, E.; Jaeger, J. M.; James, S. R.; Villaseñor, T. G.

2015-12-01

Sediment inputs to subduction zones impart a significant control on diagenetic reaction progress, fluid production and pore pressure development and thus affect hydrologic and tectonic behavior during subduction. Intensified glaciation following the mid-Pleistocene transition increased sediment flux to the Gulf of Alaska. Rapid sediment accumulation (>1 km/my) in the Aleutian Trench increases overburden and should accelerate dehydration of hydrous sedimentary components by elevating temperatures in the incoming sediment column. These processes have the potential to generate fluid overpressures in the mud-dominated, low permeability sediments deposited on the incoming plate, offshore SE Alaska. Mineralogical analyses on incoming sediments from Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 18 and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 341 show that both smectite and Opal-A are present as hydrous mineral phases. A 1-D numerical model was developed to track dehydration reaction progress and pore pressures in the incoming sediment column from the abyssal plain to the Aleutian Trench. Simulated temperatures in the incoming column increase due to the insulating effect of trench sediments. As a result, trench sedimentation causes smectite dehydration to begin and Opal-A dehydration to nearly reach completion at the deformation front. Simulated excess pore pressures in the proto-decollement zone increase from nearly hydrostatic to almost half of lithostatic due to the rapid deposition of trench sediments. The 1-D modeling results were incorporated into a 2-D model that follows the underthrust column at the deformation front into the subduction zone. Simulated results of the 2-D flow model illustrate the effects of lateral flow on pore pressure distribution following subduction.

Tethys- and Atlas-related deformations in the Triassic Basin, Algeria

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

Jackson, J.S.; Moore, S.R.; Quarles, A.I.

1995-08-01

Petroleum provinces of Algeria can be divided into Paleozoic and Mesozoic domains. Paleozoic basins are located on the Gondwanaland paleo-continent where the last significant tectonic episode is ascribed to the Late Paleozoic Hercynian Orogeny. Mesozoic basins are located on the south margin of the Neo-Tethyan seaway. These basins were subject to varying degrees of contractional deformation during the Cenozoic Atlas Orogeny. The Triassic Basin of Algeria is a Tethyan feature located above portions of the Paleozoic Oued M`ya and Ghadames Basins. Paleozoic strata are deeply truncated at the Hercynian Unconformity on a broad arch between the older basins. This ismore » interpreted to reflect rift margin rebound during Carboniferous time. Continental Lower Triassic sediments were deposited in a series of northeast trending basins which opened as the Neo-Tethys basin propagated from east to west between Africa and Europe. Middle Triassic marine transgression from the east resulted in evaporate deposition persisting through the Early Jurassic. Passive margin subsidence associated with carbonate marine deposition continued through the Early Cretaceous. Several zones of coeval wrench deformation cross the Atlas and adjoining regions. In the Triassic Basin, inversion occurred before the end of the Early Cretaceous. This episode created discrete uplifts, where major hydrocarbon accumulations have been discovered, along northeast trending lineaments. During the Eocene, the main phase of the Atlas Orogeny produced low amplitude folding of Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments. The folds detach within the Triassic-Jurassic evaporate interval. Many of these folds have been tested without success, as the deeper reservoirs do not show structural closure.« less

The structural fabric and deformation history of a mountain logjam: cameras, creep, and catastrophe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, N.; Crosby, B. T.

2016-12-01

Wood and sediment are integral agents in the river transport processes that facilitate the chemical and physical evolution of landscapes. As such, the two pose an almost poetic contrast to each other: wood is buoyant, organic and elongate while sediment is dead, dense, and round. Despite wide recognition of the value of wood to river corridors, our mechanistic understanding of logjam kinematics and mobility is limited. This is in part due to historic logging practices that alter forests and `natural' river-wood feedbacks as well as contemporary attitudes that regard logjams as a nuisance. Both severely limit our ability to observe logjams in the field. Existing physically-based rules for wood transport are insufficient for this task at hand; a simple force balance approach quickly breaks down in the face of the complexity of the underlying kinematic fabric. Here, we present the results of a yearlong survey of an actively deforming logjam in the Salmon River Mountains, central Idaho. We use interval photography, pressure transducer/water level loggers and total station measurements of 150 logs within the jam (about 10% of the total population), to document where and when logjams move. The mean cumulative magnitude of displacement during the high-flow period is 2.06 m +/- 1.51 m, much of which occurred during a single event. Smaller magnitude creeping movement also occurs as the jam experiences cyclic quasi-diel fluctuations in stage due to snowmelt-generated discharge. Our results highlight the interplay between horizontal drag forces and vertical buoyant forces in governing the network of frictional connections and subsequent deformation within the logjam.

Seismic images of a tectonic subdivision of the Greenville Orogen beneath lakes Ontario and Erie

USGS Publications Warehouse

Forsyth, D. A.; Milkereit, B.; Davidson, A.; Hanmer, S.; Hutchinson, Deborah R.; Hinze, W. J.; Mereu, R.F.

1994-01-01

New seismic data from marine air-gun and Vibroseis profiles in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie provide images of subhorizontal Phanerozoic sediments underlain by a remarkable series of easterly dipping reflections that extends from the crystalline basement to the lower crust. These reflections are interpreted as structural features of crustal-scale subdivisions within the Grenville Orogen. Broadly deformed, imbricated, and overlapping thrust sheets within the western Central Metasedimentary Belt are succeeded to the west by a complex zone of easterly dipping, apparent thrust faults that are interpreted as a southwest subsurface extension of the boundary zone between the Central Metasedimentary Belt and the Central Gneiss Belt. The interpreted Central Metasedimentary Belt boundary zone has a characteristic magnetic anomaly that provides a link from the adjacent ends of lakes Ontario and Erie to structures exposed 150 km to the north. Less reflective, west-dipping events are interpreted as structures within the eastern Central Gneiss Belt. The seismic interpretation augments current tectonic models that suggest the exposed ductile structures formed at depth as a result of crustal shortening along northwest-verging thrust faults. Relatively shallow reflections across the boundary region suggest local, Late Proterozoic extensional troughs containing post-Grenville sediments, preserved possibly as a result of pre-Paleozoic reactivation of basement structures.

Emplacement and reworking of the Marampa Group allothchon, northwestern Sierra Leone, West Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latiff, R. S. A.; Andrews, J. R.; Wright, L. I.

1997-10-01

The structural evolution and relative age of the Precambrian Marampa Group, a 60 km wide north-northwest trending fold thrust belt is described in detail. The Marampa Group is shown to be unconformably overlain by the Rokel River Group which lies immediately to the east and is separated by a major crustal shear zone from gneisses and amphibolites of the Kasila Group to the west. Previous workers have interpreted the fold thrust belt as a klippe of the adjacent Kasila Group derived from the west or as an autochthonous volcano-sedimentary deposit engulfed by granitic. basement. Ages ranging from 500 to > 2700 Ma have been suggested. Evidence is presented to show that the important deformation of the Marampa Group clearly predates the deposition of the Rokel River Group and must represent a significant earlier orogenic event. Constraints on the relationship of this older deformation to the 2700-2750 Ma deformation of the Kasila Group are discussed. The earliest structures consist of flat lying thrusts which transported Marampa Group metasediments, with or without their basal metavolcanic formation, eastward from their source basin over the basin margin and onto a flanking heterogeneously deformed older granitic gneiss basement. Subsequent intrusion of megacrystic, now porphiyroclastic granites was followed by a major period of crustal extension during which sediments and volcanics of the Rokel River Group were deposited in rift basins. Renewed east-west crustal shortening ascribed to the Pan-African event inverted earlier extensional structures thrusting the Rokel River Group westward over -the Marampa Group and leading to local facing confrontations where east dipping faults were reactivated. The relationship of the Marampa Group to the greenstone belts of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone remains unresolved.

Magnetostratigraphy, paleomagnetic correlation, and deformation of pleistocene deposits in the south central Puget Lowland, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagstrum, J.T.; Booth, D.B.; Troost, K.G.; Blakely, R.J.

2002-01-01

Paleomagnetic results from Pleistocene sedimentary deposits in the central Puget Lowland indicate that the region has experienced widespread deformation within the last 780 kyr. Three oriented samples were collected from unaltered fine-grained sediments mostly at sea level to determine the magnetostratigraphy at 83 sites. Of these, 47 have normal, 18 have reversed, and 18 have transitional (8 localities) polarities. Records of reversed- to normal-polarity transitions of the geomagnetic field were found in thick sections of silt near the eastern end of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and again at Wingehaven Park near the northern tip of Vashon Island. The transitional horizons, probably related to the Bruhnes-Matuyama reversal, apparently fall between previously dated Pleistocene sediments at the Puyallup Valley type section (all reversed-polarity) to the south and the Whidbey Island type section (all normal-polarity) to the north. The samples, in general, are of sufficient quality to record paleosecular variation (PSV) of the geomagnetic field, and a statistical technique is used to correlate horizons with significant agreement in their paleomagnetic directions. Our data are consistent with the broad structures of the Seattle uplift inferred at depth from seismic reflection, gravity, and aeromagnetic profiles, but the magnitude of vertical adjustments is greatly subdued in the Pleistocene deposits.

Subduction, erosion and the sediment record: Insights from Miocene sediments, Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirstein, Linda; Carter, Andrew; Chen, Yue-Gau

2010-05-01

Detrital sedimentary records include vast archives of material that have been removed from developing tectonically active regions. These archives have been used to investigate challenging questions on continental deformation, exhumation and palaeodrainage using a variety of different techniques including heavy minerals, fission-track dating and palaeocurrent reconstructions. The Hengchun Peninsula of southern Taiwan and offshore Hengchun Ridge form a present day accretionary prism, with accretionary wedge growth occurring both by frontal accretion, with sediments from the continental margin scraped up into the accretionary wedge and by underplating. Miocene sediments in Hengchun include foreland basin deposits, deep marine turbidites and forearc basin deposits. As a result the detrital sediments record details of accretionary prism growth associated with continued Luzon arc-continent collision. Diametrically opposite palaeocurrents are preserved in the Miocene sandstones of the Hengchun Peninsula, southern Taiwan. Controversial explanations include an exotic source terrane to the south and/or 180 ° rotation of a depositional basin. We document the tecto-thermal evolution of the Miocene sediment source(s) using a double dating approach. U-Pb grain ages range from Miocene to Archaean, while zircon fission-tracks record thermal cooling primarily in the Cretaceous with minor peaks in the Miocene, Triassic, Jurassic and Permian. The primary source of the Miocene sediments at the centre of the controversy was similar. Palaeocurrent data are influenced by local basin geometry and submarine topography and suggest that sediment deposition in the Miocene was strongly controlled by incipient subduction, associated structural trends and submarine topography. A similar control on deposition in the modern Taiwan collision zone is apparent in the offshore region today.

Quantitative controls on submarine slope failure morphology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, H.J.; Schwab, W.C.; Edwards, B.D.; Kayen, R.E.

1991-01-01

The concept of the steady-state of deformation can be applied to predicting the ultimate form a landslide will take. The steady-state condition, defined by a line in void ratio-effective stress space, exists at large levels of strain and remolding. Conceptually, if sediment initially exists with void ratio-effective stress conditions above the steady-state line, the sediment shear strength will decrease during a transient loading event, such as an earthquake or storm. If the reduced shear strength existing at the steady state is less than the downslope shear stress induced by gravity, then large-scale internal deformation, disintegration, and flow will occur. -from Authors

Data report: Compressibility, permeability, and grain size of shallow sediments, sites 1194 and 1198

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dugan, Brandon; Marone, Chris; Hong, Tiancong; Migyanka, Misty; Anselmett, Flavio S.; Isern, Alexandra R.; Blum, Peter; Betzler, Christian

2006-01-01

Uniaxial strain consolidation experiments were conducted to determine elastic and plastic properties and to estimate the permeability of sediments from 0 to 200 meters below seafloor at Ocean Drilling Program Sites 1194 and 1198. Plastic deformation is described by compression indices, which range from 0.19 to 0.37. Expansion indices, the elastic deformation measured during unload/reload cycles on samples, vary from 0.02 to 0.029. Consolidation experiments provide lower bounds on permeability between 5.4 x 10–16 m2 and 1.9 x 10–18m2, depending on the consolidation state of the sample.

Assessment of undiscovered petroleum resources of the Amerasia Basin Petroleum Province

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houseknecht, David W.; Bird, Kenneth J.; Garrity, Christopher P.

2012-01-01

The Amerasia Basin Petroleum Province encompasses the Canada Basin and the sediment prisms along the Alaska and Canada margins, outboard from basinward margins (hingelines) of the rift shoulders that formed during extensional opening of the Canada Basin. The province includes the Mackenzie delta and slope, the outer shelves and marine slopes along the Arctic margins of Alaska and Canada, and the deep Canada Basin. The province is divided into four assessment units (AUs): (1) The Canning-Mackenzie deformed margin AU is that part of the rifted margin where the Brooks Range orogenic belt has overridden the rift shoulder and is deforming the rifted-margin prism of sediment outboard of the hingeline. This is the only part of the Amerasia Basin Province that has been explored and—even though more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE) of oil, gas, and condensate have been discovered—none has been commercially produced. (2) The Alaska passive margin AU is the rifted-margin prism of sediment lying beneath the Beaufort outer shelf and slope that has not been deformed by tectonism. (3) The Canada passive margin AU is the rifted-margin prism of sediment lying beneath the Arctic outer shelf and slope (also known as the polar margin) of Canada that has not been deformed by tectonism. (4) The Canada Basin AU includes the sediment wedge that lies beneath the deep Canada Basin, north of the marine slope developed along the Alaska and Canada margins. Mean estimates of risked, undiscovered, technically recoverable resources include more than 6 billion barrels of oil (BBO), more than 19 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of associated gas, and more than 16 TCF of nonassociated gas in the Canning-Mackenzie deformed margin AU; about 1 BBO, about 3 TCF of associated gas, and about 3 TCF of nonassociated gas in the Alaska passive margin AU; and more than 2 BBO, about 7 TCF of associated gas, and about 8 TCF of nonassociated gas in the Canada passive margin AU. Quantities of natural gas liquids also are assessed in each AU. The Canada Basin AU was not quantitatively assessed because it is judged to hold less than 10 percent probability of containing at least one accumulation of 50 million barrels of oil equivalent.

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.

Phosphatidic acid induces EHD3-containing membrane tubulation and is required for receptor recycling.

PubMed

Henmi, Yuji; Oe, Natsuko; Kono, Nozomu; Taguchi, Tomohiko; Takei, Kohji; Tanabe, Kenji

2016-03-01

EHD3 is localized on the tubular structures of early endosomes, and it regulates their trafficking pathway. However, the regulatory mechanism of EHD3-containing tubular structures remains poorly understood. An in vitro liposome co-sedimentation assay revealed that EHD3 interacted with phosphatidic acid through its helical domain and this interaction induced liposomal tubulations. Additionally, inhibiting phosphatidic acid synthesis with diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor or lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase inhibitor significantly reduced the number of EHD3-containing tubules and impaired their trafficking from early endosomes. These results suggest that EHD3 and phosphatidic acid cooperatively regulate membrane deformation and trafficking from early endosomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applications of Radar Interferometric Techniques to Assess Natural Hazards and their Controlling Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sultan, M.; Becker, R.; Gebremichael, E.; Othman, A.; Emil, M.; Ahmed, M.; Elkadiri, R.; Pankratz, H. G.; Chouinard, K.

2015-12-01

Radar interferometric techniques including Persistent Scatterer (PS), Small BAseline Subset (SBAS), and two and three pass (differential interferometry) methods were applied to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) datasets. These include the European Space Agency (ESA) ERS-1, ERS-2, Environmental satellite (Envisat), and Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) to conduct the following: (1) map the spatial distribution of land deformation associated with a wide range of geologic settings, (2) quantify the rates of the observed land deformation, and (3) identify the factors controlling the observed deformation. The research topics/areas include: (1) subsidence associated with sediment compaction in a Delta setting (Nile Delta, Egypt), (2) deformation in a rifting setting (Red Sea rifting along the Red Sea coastal zone and proximal basement outcrops in Egypt and Saudi Arabia), (3) deformation associated with salt dome intrusion and the dissolution of sabkha deposits (Jazan area in Saudi Arabia), (4) mass transport associated with debris flows (Jazan area in Saudi Arabia), and (5) deformation preceding, contemporaneous with, or following large earthquakes (in Nepal; magnitude: 7.8; date: April, 25, 2015) and medium earthquakes (in Harrat Lunayyir volcanic field, central Saudi Arabia; magnitude: 5.7; date: May 19, 2009). The identification of the factor(s) controlling the observed deformation was attained through spatial correlation of extracted radar velocities with relevant temporal and static ground based and remotely sensed geological and cultural data sets (e.g., lithology, structure, precipitation, land use, and earthquake location, magnitude, and focal mechanism) in a Geographical Information System (GIS) environment.

Anatomy of the western Java plate interface from depth-migrated seismic images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopp, H.; Hindle, D.; Klaeschen, D.; Oncken, O.; Reichert, C.; Scholl, D.

2009-11-01

Newly pre-stack depth-migrated seismic images resolve the structural details of the western Java forearc and plate interface. The structural segmentation of the forearc into discrete mechanical domains correlates with distinct deformation styles. Approximately 2/3 of the trench sediment fill is detached and incorporated into frontal prism imbricates, while the floor sequence is underthrust beneath the décollement. Western Java, however, differs markedly from margins such as Nankai or Barbados, where a uniform, continuous décollement reflector has been imaged. In our study area, the plate interface reveals a spatially irregular, nonlinear pattern characterized by the morphological relief of subducted seamounts and thicker than average patches of underthrust sediment. The underthrust sediment is associated with a low velocity zone as determined from wide-angle data. Active underplating is not resolved, but likely contributes to the uplift of the large bivergent wedge that constitutes the forearc high. Our profile is located 100 km west of the 2006 Java tsunami earthquake. The heterogeneous décollement zone regulates the friction behavior of the shallow subduction environment where the earthquake occurred. The alternating pattern of enhanced frictional contact zones associated with oceanic basement relief and weak material patches of underthrust sediment influences seismic coupling and possibly contributed to the heterogeneous slip distribution. Our seismic images resolve a steeply dipping splay fault, which originates at the décollement and terminates at the sea floor and which potentially contributes to tsunami generation during co-seismic activity.

Anatomy of the western Java plate interface from depth-migrated seismic images

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kopp, H.; Hindle, D.; Klaeschen, D.; Oncken, O.; Reichert, C.; Scholl, D.

2009-01-01

Newly pre-stack depth-migrated seismic images resolve the structural details of the western Java forearc and plate interface. The structural segmentation of the forearc into discrete mechanical domains correlates with distinct deformation styles. Approximately 2/3 of the trench sediment fill is detached and incorporated into frontal prism imbricates, while the floor sequence is underthrust beneath the d??collement. Western Java, however, differs markedly from margins such as Nankai or Barbados, where a uniform, continuous d??collement reflector has been imaged. In our study area, the plate interface reveals a spatially irregular, nonlinear pattern characterized by the morphological relief of subducted seamounts and thicker than average patches of underthrust sediment. The underthrust sediment is associated with a low velocity zone as determined from wide-angle data. Active underplating is not resolved, but likely contributes to the uplift of the large bivergent wedge that constitutes the forearc high. Our profile is located 100 km west of the 2006 Java tsunami earthquake. The heterogeneous d??collement zone regulates the friction behavior of the shallow subduction environment where the earthquake occurred. The alternating pattern of enhanced frictional contact zones associated with oceanic basement relief and weak material patches of underthrust sediment influences seismic coupling and possibly contributed to the heterogeneous slip distribution. Our seismic images resolve a steeply dipping splay fault, which originates at the d??collement and terminates at the sea floor and which potentially contributes to tsunami generation during co-seismic activity. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.

Thermocapillary-Induced Phase Separation with Coalescence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Robert H.

2003-01-01

Research has been undertaken on interactions of two or more deformable drops (or bubbles) in a viscous fluid and subject to a temperature, gravitational, or flow field. An asymptotic theory for nearly spherical drops shows that small deformations reduce the coalescence and phase separation rates. Boundary-integral simulations for large deformations show that bubbles experience alignment and enhanced coalescence, whereas more viscous drops may break as a result of hydrodynamic interactions. Experiments for buoyancy motion confirm these observations. Simulations of the sedimentation of many drops show clustering phenomena due to deformations, which lead to enhanced phase separation rates, and simulations of sheared emulsions show that deformations cause a reduction in the effective viscosity.

Structural patterns in high grade terrain in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sugavanam, E. B.; Vidyadharan, K. T.

1988-01-01

Detailed geological mapping in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has brought out vast areas occupied by highly deformed charnockite and high grade gneisses. These areas, similar to high grade shield terrains in other parts of the world have the impress of extensive tectonic reworking multideformation and polymetamorphism and are closely associated with layered ultramafics, shelf type sediments and different igneous events. In North Arcot and Charmapuri districts of Tamil Nadu and Kollegal taluk in Mysore district in Karnataka, charnockite is intensely cofolded with a supracrustal succession of layered ultramafics, pyroxene granulite, pink granolites, magnetite quartzite and khondalites. These areas have undergone five phases of deformation, five generations of basic dyke activities, four phases of migmatisation and two periods of metallogeny. Geochronological data ranges from 2900 m.y. to 750 m.y. In working out the tectanostratigraphy of the above areas the basic dykes of different generations have served as major time markers. In addition, the persistent strike continuity of linear bands of pyroxene granulite, pink granolite and magnetite quartzite has been of great utility in using them as structural markers for bringing out the complex structural history in these areas.

The volcano-sedimentary succession of Upper Permian in Wuli area, central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: Sedimentology, geochemistry and paleogeography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shengqian; Jiang, Zaixing; Gao, Yi

2017-04-01

Detailed observations on cores and thin sections well documented a volcano-sedimentary succession from Well TK2, which is located in Wuli area, central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The TK2 volcano-sedimentary succession reflects an active sedimentary-tectonic setting in the north margin of North Qiangtang-Chamdo terrane in the late Permian epoch. Based on the observation and recognition on lithology and mineralogy, the components of TK2 succession are mainly volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks and four main lithofacies are recognized, including massive volcanic lithofacies (LF1), pyroclastic tuff lithofacies (LF2), tuffaceous sandstone lithofacies (LF3) and mudstone lithofacies (LF4). LF1 is characterized by felsic components, massive structure and porphyrotopic structure with local flow structure, which indicates submarine intrusive domes or extrusion-fed lavas that formed by magma ascents via faults or dykes. Meanwhile, its eruption style may reflect a relative high pressure compensation level (PCL) that mainly determined by water depth, which implies a deep-water environment. LF2 is composed of volcanic lapilli or ash and featured with massive structure, parallel bedding and various deformed laminations including convolve structure, slide deformation, ball-and-pillow structure, etc.. LF2 indicates the sedimentation of initial or reworked explosive products not far away from volcano centers, reflecting the proximal accumulation of volcano eruption-fed clasts or their resedimentation as debris flows. In addition, the submarine volcano eruptions may induced earthquakes that facilitate the resedimentation of unconsolidated sediments. LF3 contains abundant pyroclastic components and is commonly massive with rip-up mudstone clasts or usually interbedded with LF4. In addition, typical flute casts, scour structures and graded beddings in thin-interbedded layers of sandstone and mudstone are commonly observed, which also represents the sedimentation of debris flows or turbidity flows in a relative deep-water environment. LF4 indicates suspension deposits of distal turbidity sediments in deeper-water setting, which is mainly tuffaceous and ordinary mudstone, commonly interbedded with thin pyroclastic layers. Geochemically, the felsic volcanic rocks belong to tholeiitic to calc-alkaline series, exhibiting characteristics of right-leaning rare earth element (REE) patterns with conspicuous Eu negative anomalies, enrichments in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and depletions in high field-strength elements (HFSEs), which reflect an island arc environment that corresponds to the late-Permian subduction of slabs. The TK2 volcanic-sedimentary succession reveals a submarine volcano-dominated depositional model and proves the existence of a deeper water environment, at least in a restricted zone of Wuli area. However, the traditional sedimentary and paleogeographic knowledges are mostly about coal-forming transitional facies in stable environment. Therefore, the proposing of a deep-water volcano-sedimentary model will provide a further comprehension of paleogeography in southern Qinghai at late-Permian, which will also supplement the previous cognition of stable ocean-land transitional environments and provide a new sight to the paleogeographic framework of late-Permian in North Qiangtang-Chamdo terrane.

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.

NGH: A Dynamic Factor in Deep Water Sediments & the Geological Record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Max, M. D.; Johnson, A. H.

2012-12-01

Prior to identification of natural gas hydrate (NGH) in marine sediments, gravity and tectonic forces were the recognized dynamic forces that could cause disruption in deep marine sediments. NGH introduces a new dynamic factor into continental slope and rise sediments as well as sediments in the deeper parts of some continental shelves. Two critical elements interplay to provide for a slow acting, long-term NGH-dynamic cyclical system. First, NGH forms spontaneously from dissolved natural gas generally in a passive manner without causing any other than very subtle alterations to the megascopic sediment structure. When NGH forms in either dispersed form in muddy sediments or in concentrated form in veins or nodules or in porosity in sandy sediments, it increases overall mechanical strength. Second, when it dissociates, mechanical strength weakens to the point where shear strengths can approach zero. Because the chemical reaction of NGH is highly reversible, changes in sea level that affect pressure, and changes in seafloor temperature can alter rapidly the tendency of NGH to either crystallize or dissociate, with consequent structural and morphological effects. The cyclicity of the Earth's climate introduces a mechanism for periodically injecting overpressured gas into marine sediments as the gas hydrate stability zones (GHSZ) undergoes changes to its thickness and depth. Natural climate change has the potential to produce overpressured natural gas converted from NGH in marine sediments periodically. In-place disruption would consist of disrupted sandy beds, chaotic textures on all scales, intrusion effects, limited mass flow features, dramatic sediment mixing not related to large scale movement and sediment redeposition from fluidized beds. Mobilization would involve larger scale sediment mass flow effects that would be indistinguishable from olistostromic melanges postulated to be initiated by tectonic or gravitational forces. The earliest interpretation of this fluidization type of large scale sediment disruption in the later part of the 1900s identified them as tectonic in origin. Subsequently, in the 1970s, it was recognized that the features were more likely a product of soft sediment deformation whose initiator might be gravity or tectonic forces, of 'tectonosedimentary' origin. The action of the NGH cycle to initiate sedimentary disruption may more readily explain many of these features in the geological record. Drill core taken across seismic reflection sediment redeposition features that otherwise show no tectonic activity related movement in abandoned GHSZ could provide important evidence for the long-term geological action of the NGH cycle.

New seismic images of the cascadia subduction zone from cruise SO 108-ORWELL

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flueh, E.R.; Fisher, M.A.; Bialas, J.; Childs, J. R.; Klaeschen, D.; Kukowski, Nina; Parsons, T.; Scholl, D. W.; ten Brink, Uri S.; Trehu, A.M.; Vidal, N.

1998-01-01

In April and May 1996, a geophysical study of the Cascadia continental margin off Oregon and Washington was conducted aboard the German R/V Sonne. This cooperative experiment by GEOMAR and the USGS acquired wide-angle reflection and refraction seismic data, using ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) and hydrophones (OBH), and multichannel seismic reflection (MCS) data. The main goal of this experiment was to investigate the internal structure and associated earthquake hazard of the Cascadia subduction zone and to image the downgoing plate. Coincident MCS and wide-angle profiles along two tracks are presented here. The plate boundary has been imaged precisely beneath the wide accretionary wedge close to shore at c13km depth. Thus, the downgoing plate dips more shallowly than previously assumed. The dip of the plate changes from 2?? to 4?? at the eastern boundary of the wedge on the northern profile, whereas approximately 3km of sediment is entering the subduction zone. On the southern profile, where the incoming sedimentary section is about 2.2km thick, the plate dips about 0.5?? to 1.5?? near the deformation front and increases to 3.5?? further landwards. On both profiles, the deformation of the accretionary wedge has produced six ridges on the seafloor, three of which represent active faulting, as indicated by growth folding. The ridges are bordered by landward verging faults which reach as deep as the top of the oceanic basement. Thus, the entire incoming sediment package is being accreted. At least two phases of accretion are evident, and the rocks of the older accretionary phase(s) forms the backstop for the younger phase, which started around 1.5 Ma ago. This documents that the 30 to 50km wide frontal part of the accretionary wedge, which is characterized by landward vergent thrusts, is a Pleistocene feature which was formed in response to the high input of sediment building the fans during glacial periods. Velocities increase quite rapidly within the wedge, both landward and downward. At the toe of the deformation front, velocities are higher than 4.0 km/s, indicating extensive dewatering of deep, oceanic sediment. Further landward, considerable velocity variation is found, which indicates major breaks throughout the accretionary history.

Structural and geological analysis of the northern Pescadero basin: preliminary results based on the analysis of 2D multichannel seismic reflection profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spelz, R. M.; Ramirez-Zerpa, N. A.; Gonzalez-Fernandez, A.; Yarbuh, I.; Contreras, J.

2017-12-01

The Pacific-North America plate boundary along the Gulf of California is characterized by an array of right-stepping, right-lateral, transform faults connecting a series of pull-apart basins distributed along the gulf axis. Altogether, these structures accommodate an oblique-divergent component of deformation characterizing the modern tectonic regime along the gulf. The northern Pescadero complex, in the southern Gulf of California, is one of the deepest and probably least studied transtensional fault-termination basins in the gulf. The complex is bounded to the north and south by Atl and Farallon transform faults, respectively, and consists of two asymmetric, rhomboidal-shaped, basins with a series of intrabasinal high-angle normal faults and ramps connecting their depocenters. In this study we present preliminary results derived from the processing and analysis of 400 km of seismic reflection profiles, collected in 2006 onboard the R/V Francisco de Ulloa in northern Pescadero, providing new insights into the geology and internal structure of the basin. Northern Pescadero is a deep and narrow basin characterized by a maximum sedimentary infill of 1 km, and depths to the basin floor exceeding 3500 m. Deformation is chiefly accommodated by an array of self-parallel half-graben structures that appear to grow towards the northern flank of the basin. Faults-scarps located farther from the deformation axis appear to be more degraded, suggesting a progressively younger age of the half-grabens near the basin's depocenter. Another important feature revealed in the seismic images is the lack of sediments on top of the crystalline basement that floors the narrow central portion of the basin. In this area the reflectors at the basin's floor show a pronounced increase in amplitude and coherence, indicating the emplacement of magmatic extrusions. Likewise, in those areas with the greater sediment infill, the occurrence of high-amplitude reflectors, located 150 m below the seabed, and measuring several hundred of meters wide, suggests the presence of concordant saucer-shape intrusions (sills). These first order observations suggest that the northern Pescadero basin has evolved to develop a central trough floored by oceanic crust currently emplaced along a short and narrow ( 2.5 km wide) spreading ridge.

Subglacial Depositional Processes in the Port Askaig Formation (Neoproterozoic) of Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, J.

2004-12-01

The Port Askaig Formation was deposited during the Vendian glaciation (c. 650 Ma) and is a range of tillites that outcrop discontinuously from Banffshire (Scotland) to Connemara (Ireland). Sedimentary structures commonly observed include dropstones and sediment drapes, interpreted as deposition from a floating glacial ice shelf in a shallow marginal sea. Other structures, such as intersecting clastic dikes, have been interpreted as evidence for subaerial exposure of the tillite surface. Exposures of the Port Askaig Formation were examined at its Irish type area at Kiltyfanned Lough, County Donegal. Here, homogeneous sandy beds with internal planar bedding structures are separated by laminated fine sand beds which have erosional upper surfaces. The laminated beds are clast-free and individual laminae are laterally continuous and undisturbed. Larger clasts lie bed-parallel and are draped by overlying beds. Occasionally drapes are asymmetric with a thickened sediment prow, suggestive of flow direction. The clastic dikes are polygonal in plan view, may be isolated or interconnected, and are often arranged in parallel sheets which pinch out laterally. Internally, the clastic dikes are infilled with coarse sand to gravel. Infills are often aligned parallel to dike margins. The presence of draped and deformed sediments suggest a subglacial environment with free water availability. The flat-lying morphology of clasts also favours a subglacial rather than a full marine environment. The morphology and disposition of clastic dikes is interpreted as due to subglacial hydrofracturing of a till sheet and upward passage of sediment-charged water through the fracture zone, which is known from late Pleistocene and Precambrian tillites elsewhere. Variations in water availability can be reconciled by a sub-ice shelf depositional model with spatial and temporal changes in tidally-induced ice-bed coupling.

Relations between tectonics and sedimentation along the Eastern Sardinian margin (Western Tyrrhenian Sea) : from rifting to reactivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaullier, Virginie; Chanier, Frank; Vendeville, Bruno; Lymer, Gaël; Maillard, Agnès; Thinon, Isabelle; Lofi, Johanna; Sage, Françoise; Giresse, Pierre; Bassetti, Maria-Angela

2014-05-01

The offshore-onshore project "METYSS-METYSAR" aims at better understand the Miocene-Pliocene relationships between crustal tectonics, salt tectonics, and sedimentation along the Eastern Sardinian margin, Western Tyrrhenian Sea. In this key-area, the Tyrrhenian back-arc basin underwent recent rifting (9-5 Ma), pro parte coeval with the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC, 5.96-5.33 Ma), sea-floor spreading starting during Pliocene times. Thereby, the Tyrrhenian basin and the Eastern Sardinian margin are excellent candidates for studying the mechanisms of extreme lithospheric stretching and thinning, the role of pre-existing structural fabric during and after rifting, and the reactivation of a passive margin and the associated deformation and sedimentation patterns during the MSC. We looked at the respective contributions of crustal and salt tectonics in quantifying vertical and horizontal movements, using especially the seismic markers of the MSC. Overall, we delineate the history of rifting and tectonic reactivation in the area. The distribution maps respectively of the Messinian Erosion Surface and of Messinian units (Upper Unit and Mobile Unit) show that a rifted basin already existed by Messinian time. This reveals a major pre-MSC rifting across the entire domain. Because salt tectonics can create fan-shaped geometries in sediments, syn-rift deposits have to be carefully re-examined in order to decipher the effects of crustal tectonics (rifting) and thin-skinned salt tectonics. Our data surprisingly show that there are no clues for Messinian syn-rift sediments along the East-Sardinia Basin and Cornaglia Terrace, hence no evidence for rifting after Late Tortonian times. Nevertheless, widespread deformation occurred during the Pliocene and can only be attributed to post-rift reactivation. This reactivation is characterized not only by normal faulting but also by contractional structures. Some Pliocene vertical movements caused localized gravity gliding of the mobile salt and its Late Messinian and Early Pliocene brittle overburden. "METYSAR" fieldwork onshore was conducted in the Orosei region and showed that the main present-day Cedrino river follows the trend of a paleo-valley that cuts through the underlying granitic basement and alterites. These deposits, along with the basement, were likely eroded during Messinian times, then reworked during a marine transgression. Micro-fauna in these fine-grained marine sediments are of Upper Pliocene age. The strata dip by 20° to 30° and trend NNE-SSW, a direction which is sub-parallel to the main tectonic structures involved in the rifting of the margin. The tilted Pliocene strata were overlain by volcanic flows, some dating from Upper Pliocene time. Field mapping has evidenced that there was a paleo-topographic relief, trending NNE-SSW, that controlled the sediment deposition. These results indicate that the post-Messinian tectonic activity, which is also visible offshore, controlled the sedimentary architecture and the paleogeography of this area. Onshore, there are signs of neither Lower-Pliocene marine deposits nor Gilbert deltas. The absence of such sedimentary edifices, which are characteristic of the Pliocene refilling of the Mediterranean basin are clues about significant post-rift vertical movements in the Tyrrhenian sea.

Strike-slip faulting in the Inner California Borderlands, offshore Southern California.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bormann, J. M.; Kent, G. M.; Driscoll, N. W.; Harding, A. J.; Sahakian, V. J.; Holmes, J. J.; Klotsko, S.; Kell, A. M.; Wesnousky, S. G.

2015-12-01

In the Inner California Borderlands (ICB), offshore of Southern California, modern dextral strike-slip faulting overprints a prominent system of basins and ridges formed during plate boundary reorganization 30-15 Ma. Geodetic data indicate faults in the ICB accommodate 6-8 mm/yr of Pacific-North American plate boundary deformation; however, the hazard posed by the ICB faults is poorly understood due to unknown fault geometry and loosely constrained slip rates. We present observations from high-resolution and reprocessed legacy 2D multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection datasets and multibeam bathymetry to constrain the modern fault architecture and tectonic evolution of the ICB. We use a sequence stratigraphy approach to identify discrete episodes of deformation in the MCS data and present the results of our mapping in a regional fault model that distinguishes active faults from relict structures. Significant differences exist between our model of modern ICB deformation and existing models. From east to west, the major active faults are the Newport-Inglewood/Rose Canyon, Palos Verdes, San Diego Trough, and San Clemente fault zones. Localized deformation on the continental slope along the San Mateo, San Onofre, and Carlsbad trends results from geometrical complexities in the dextral fault system. Undeformed early to mid-Pleistocene age sediments onlap and overlie deformation associated with the northern Coronado Bank fault (CBF) and the breakaway zone of the purported Oceanside Blind Thrust. Therefore, we interpret the northern CBF to be inactive, and slip rate estimates based on linkage with the Holocene active Palos Verdes fault are unwarranted. In the western ICB, the San Diego Trough fault (SDTF) and San Clemente fault have robust linear geomorphic expression, which suggests that these faults may accommodate a significant portion of modern ICB slip in a westward temporal migration of slip. The SDTF offsets young sediments between the US/Mexico border and the eastern margin of Avalon Knoll, where the fault is spatially coincident and potentially linked with the San Pedro Basin fault (SPBF). Kinematic linkage between the SDTF and the SPBF increases the potential rupture length for earthquakes on either fault and may allow events nucleating on the SDTF to propagate much closer to the LA Basin.

Impacts of sediment supply and local tectonics on clinoform distribution: the seismic stratigraphy of the mid Pleistocene-Holocene Indus Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limmer, David R.; Henstock, Timothy J.; Giosan, Liviu; Ponton, Camilo; Tabrez, Ali R.; Macdonald, David I. M.; Clift, Peter D.

2012-09-01

We present results from the first high-resolution seismic reflection survey of the inner Western Indus Shelf, and Indus Delta, Arabian Sea. The results show major regional differences in sedimentation across the shelf from east to west, as well as north to south, both since the Last Glacial Maximum (~20 ka) and over longer time scales. We identify 10 major regional reflectors, interpreted as representing sea level lowstands. Strong compressive folding is observed underlying a reflector we have called Horizon 6 in the north-western shelf, probably compression associated with the transpressional deformation of the Murray Ridge plate boundary. Downslope profiles show a series of well developed clinoforms, principally at the shelf edge, indicating significant preservation of large packages of sediment during lowstands. These clinoforms have developed close to zones of deformation, suggesting that subsidence is a factor in controlling sedimentation and consequently erosion of the Indus Shelf. These clinoforms fan out from dome features (tectonic anticlines) mostly located close to the modern shoreline.

Ancestral Rocky Mountian Tectonics: A Sedimentary Record of Ancestral Front Range and Uncompahgre Exhumation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, T. M.; Saylor, J. E.; Lapen, T. J.

2015-12-01

The Ancestral Rocky Mountains (ARM) encompass multiple crustal provinces with characteristic crystallization ages across the central and western US. Two driving mechanisms have been proposed to explain ARM deformation. (1) Ouachita-Marathon collision SE of the ARM uplifts has been linked to an E-to-W sequence of uplift and is consistent with proposed disruption of a larger Paradox-Central Colorado Trough Basin by exhumation of the Uncompahgre Uplift. Initial exhumation of the Amarillo-Wichita Uplift to the east would provide a unique ~530 Ma signal absent from source areas to the SW, and result in initial exhumation of the Ancestral Front Range. (2) Alternatively, deformation due to flat slab subduction along a hypothesized plate boundary to the SW suggests a SW-to-NE younging of exhumation. This hypothesis suggests a SW-derived Grenville signature, and would trigger uplift of the Uncompahgre first. We analyzed depositional environments, sediment dispersal patterns, and sediment and basement zircon U-Pb and (U-Th)/He ages in 3 locations in the Paradox Basin and Central Colorado Trough (CCT). The Paradox Basin exhibits an up-section transition in fluvial style that suggests a decrease in overbank stability and increased lateral migration. Similarly, the CCT records a long-term progradation of depositional environments from marginal marine to fluvial, indicating that sediment supply in both basins outpaced accommodation. Preliminary provenance results indicate little to no input from the Amarillo-Wichita uplift in either basin despite uniformly westward sediment dispersal systems in both basins. Results also show that the Uncompahgre Uplift was the source for sediment throughout Paradox Basin deposition. These observations are inconsistent with the predictions of scenario 1 above. Rather, they suggest either a synchronous response to tectonic stress across the ARM provinces or an SW-to-NE pattern of deformation.

Transfer fault earthquake in compressionally reactivated back-arc failed rift: 1948 Fukui earthquake (M7.1), Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishiyama, Tatsuya; Kato, Naoko; Sato, Hiroshi; Koshiya, Shin

2017-04-01

Back-arc rift structures in many subduction zones are recognized as mechanically and thermally weak zones that possibly play important roles in strain accommodation at later post-rift stages within the overriding plates. In case of Miocene back-arc failed rift structures in the Sea of Japan in the Eurasian-Pacific subduction system, the mechanical contrasts between the crustal thrust wedges of the pre-rift continental crust and high velocity lower crust have fundamentally controlled the styles of post-rift, Quaternary active deformation (Ishiyama et al. 2016). In this study, we show a possibility that strike-slip M>7 devastating earthquakes in this region have been gregion enerated by reactivation of transfer faults highly oblique to the rift axes. The 1948 Fukui earthquake (M7.1), onshore shallow seismic event with a strike-slip faulting mechanism (Kanamori, 1973), resulted in more than 3,500 causalities and destructive damages on the infrastructures. While geophysical analyses on geodetic measurements based on leveling and triangulation networks clearly show coseismic left-lateral fault slip on a NNW striking vertical fault plane beneath the Fukui plain (Sagiya, 1999), no evidence for coseismic surface rupture has been identified based on both post-earthquake intensive fieldwork and recent reexamination of stereopair interpretations using 1/3,000 aerial photographs taken in 1948 (Togo et al., 2000). To find recognizable fault-related structures that deform Neogene basin fill sediments, we collected new 9.6-km-long high-resolution seismic reflection data across the geodetically estimated fault plane and adjacent subparallel active strike slip faults, using 925 offline recorders and Envirovib truck as a seismic source. A depth-converted section to 1.5 km depth contains discontinuous seismic reflectors correlated to Miocene volcaniclastic deposits and depression of the overlying Plio-Pleistocene sediments above the geodetically determined fault plane. We interpreted these structural features as negative flower structures related to the strike-slip fault activated during the 1948 seismic event. Locations of these strike-slip faults are consistent with Miocene transfer faults that offset syn- and post-rift sediments and underlying crustal wedges, suggesting that reactivation of transfer faults resulted in active strike-slip faulting including the 1948 seismic event. These findings demonstrate that not only rift-related normal faults but also transfer faults have strong structural inheritances and played essential roles on their active reactivation and seismicity during the post-rift stress regime.

Stratigraphic and structural evolution of the Selenga Delta Accommodation Zone, Lake Baikal Rift, Siberia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scholz, C.A.; Hutchinson, D.R.

2000-01-01

Seismic reflection profiles from the Lake Baikal Rift reveal extensive details about the sediment thickness, structural geometry and history of extensional deformation and syn-rift sedimentation in this classic continental rift. The Selenga River is the largest single source of terrigenous input into Lake Baikal, and its large delta sits astride the major accommodation zone between the Central and South basins of the lake. Incorporating one of the world's largest lacustrine deltas, this depositional system is a classic example of the influence of rift basin structural segmentation on a major continental drainage. More than 3700 km of deep basin-scale multi-channel seismic reflection (MCS) data were acquired during the 1989 Russian and the 1992 Russian–American field programs. The seismic data image most of the sedimentary section, including pre-rift basement in several localities. The MCS data reveal that the broad bathymetric saddle between these two major half-graben basins is underlain by a complex of severely deformed basement blocks, and is not simply a consequence of long-term deltaic deposition. Maximum sediment thickness is estimated to be more than 9 km in some areas around the Selenga Delta. Detailed stratigraphic analyses of the Selenga area MCS data suggest that modes of deposition have shifted markedly during the history of the delta. The present mode of gravity- and mass-flow sedimentation that dominates the northern and southern parts of the modern delta, as well as the pronounced bathymetric relief in the area, are relatively recent developments in the history of the Lake Baikal Rift. Several episodes of major delta progradation, each extending far across the modern rift, can be documented in the MCS data. The stratigraphic framework defined by these prograding deltaic sequences can be used to constrain the structural as well as depositional evolution of this part of the Baikal Rift. An age model has been established for this stratigraphy, by tying the delta sequences to the site of the Baikal Drilling Project 1993 Drill Hole. Although the drill hole is only 100 m deep, and the base of the cores is only ∼670 ka in age, ages were extrapolated to deeper stratigraphic intervals using the Reflection-Seismic-Radiocarbon method of Cohen et al. (1993). The deep prograding delta sequences now observed in the MCS data probably formed in response to major fluctuations in sediment supply, rather than in response to shifts in lake level. This stratigraphic framework and age model suggest that the deep delta packages developed at intervals of approximately 400 ka and may have formed as a consequence of climate changes affiliated with the northern hemisphere glaciations. The stratigraphic analysis also suggests that the Selenga Basin and Syncline developed as a distinct depocentre only during the past ∼2–3 Ma.

Characteristics of Holocene sediments in the Gunsan Basin, central Yellow Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woo, H. J.; Huh, S.; Jeong, K. S.; Lee, J. H.; Ham, A.; Kang, J.

2016-12-01

The Gunsan Basin, in the eastern part of the South Yellow Sea Basin, is filled by terrestrial sedimentary rocks, maximally up to 8 km deep on the basement of metamorphic rocks that constitutes the Yangtze Platform. The uppermost sedimentary layer (generally less than 1 km) appears to have formed experiencing the repeated marine environments since the middle Miocene. This study is to investigate the characteristics of Holocene sediments in the Gunsan Basin, based on interpretation of core sediments and high-resolution shallow (Sparker and Chirp) seismic profiles. The surface sediments in the basin consist of sand (56.6% on the average), silt (18.4%), and clay (25.0%) with a mean grain size of 1.5 to 7.8 Ø. Sand is prevalent (63.8 to 98.3%) in and around the Yellow Sea Trough lying in the eastern part of the basin. The sandy sediments are regarded as relict sediments deposited in the last glacial maximum (LGM). The sedimentary environments are classified, based on the acoustic and morphological characters of high-resolution shallow (Sparker and Chirp) seismic profiles, into mud zone, deformed zone, and sand ridges with sand waves zone from the west to the east in the Gunsan Basin. The deformed zone in the central Yellow Sea is a mixing area of sediments derived from China and Korea, where there are a number of paleochannels and erosional surfaces in the direction of northwest-southeast. The deformed zone represents non-deposition or erosion in the central Yellow Sea during the Holocene. Tidal sand ridges and sand waves are well developed along the coast of Korea. Modern sand ridges are generally moving in the northeast-southwest direction, which coincide with dominant tidal current direction. Fifteen piston cores were collected in the basin to investigate the general geological characters of the marine sedimentary sequence. In comparison with three cores in the southern basin, the sand contents tend to increase in the direction of east. 14C dates from three cores near border of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Korea reveal that Holocene sediments have accumulated at the rate 6-18 cm/ka. The mud sediments sequentially change sandy mud to mud after the sea-level rise. In the Gunsan Basin, paleochannels played an important role in sedimentary processes during low sea-level periods of Quaternary.

Structure and deformation history of the northern range of Trinidad and adjacent areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Algar, S. T.; Pindell, J. L.

1993-08-01

Conflicting models have been proposed for both the evolution of northern South America and the neotectonics of the south Caribbean plate boundary zone. The Trinidadian portion of the margin is particularly controversial, but surprisingly it has been little studied. We present a structural analysis of Trinidad's Northern Range, pertinent updates of the island's stratigraphy and sedimentology, and new zircon fission track age determinations, and use them to constrain Trinidad's geologic history, and to better understand the controlling tectonic processes. In our interpretation Trinidad's three E-ENE striking ranges, which are separated by late Neogene-Recent depocenters, expose (1) the Northern Range Group, generally greenschist-metamorphosed Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous north facing continental slope sediments of the Northern Range, deposited on the northern South American passive margin 200-400 km to the WNW, and (2) the Trinidad Group, Cretaceous-Paleogene shelf slope sediments of the central and southern Trinidad deposited less than 100 km WNW of their present location. A small allochthon composing the Sans Souci Group Cretaceous tholeiitic volcaniclastic, basaltic, and gabbroic rocks (Sans Souci Formation) and sediments (Toco Formation) now in the northeastern Northern Range, has been transported hundreds of kilometers from the west with the Caribbean Plate. Despite earlier references to Cretaceous orogenesis, all deformation in Trinidad is of Cenozoic age. The first deformation in the Northern Range (D1) formed north vergent nappes and induced greenschist metamorphism, probably in the Late Eocene or Oligocene. The nappes developed either by the underthrusting of the Proto-Caribbean crust beneath South America due to convergence between North and South America, or as gravity slides caused by oversteepening induced by this convergence and/or the passage of the Caribbean Plate's peripheral bulge and arrival of its foredeep. Northern Range D2 deformation is south vergent and represents the incorporation of Northern Range metasediments into the Caribbean accretionary prism. The transition to D3 brittle transpressive right-lateral strike-slip faulting is interpreted to be due to the uplift and east-southeastward transpressive emplacement of Northern Range/Caribbean prism rocks onto the South American stepped shelf. This emplacement formed the Miocene transpressive thrust belts and foreland basin in central and southern Trinidad. In the final phase of Northern Range deformation (D4) ˜E-W normal faults and shear zones and conjugate NNW-SSE and NE-SW normal faults developed, and displacement on preexisting ˜E-W right-lateral strike-slip faults continued. The 11 Ma Northern Range zircon fission track ages suggest rapid uplift from the Late Miocene to Recent. Late Miocene subsidence of the Tobago platform immediately to the north of the Northern Range, and greater than 3 km of normal, down to the north, displacement indicated for the North Coast Fault Zone separating the Northern Range and Tobago platform, leads us to postulate that the rapid uplift of the Northern Range was in response to the northward detachment of the Tobago platform from above the Northern Range, along the north-dipping transtensional North Coast Fault Zone. This Late Miocene change in deformation style can be explained by a change from Caribbean/South American right-lateral transpression to right-lateral strike-slip generally striking 080°. This has generally induced a component of extension on pre-existing faults striking at greater than 080°, and a component of compression on faults striking at less than 080°.

Mouthpart deformities in Chironomidae (Diptera) as bioindicators of heavy metals pollution in Shiroro Lake, Niger State, Nigeria.

PubMed

Arimoro, Francis O; Auta, Yohanna I; Odume, Oghenekaro N; Keke, Unique N; Mohammed, Adamu Z

2018-03-01

In this study, mouthpart deformities in Chironomid larvae (Diptera) were investigated in relation to sediment contamination in the Shiroro Lake in Nigeria. Metals and chironomids were sampled monthly at three stations (A-C) between August 2013 and January 2014. Across the stations, zinc ranged (3.9-75mg/g), manganese (1.29-1.65mg/g), lead (0.00-0.10mg/g), iron (101-168mg/g) and copper (0.13-0.17mg/g). The metal ions did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between the sampling stations. However, zinc and iron ions were significantly different between the sampling seasons (P < 0.05). Thirteen chironomid species were recorded, with Chironomus sp., Polypedilum sp. and Ablabesmyia sp. dominating the assemblage structure. Mouthpart deformities were significantly higher at Station A compared with Station C, and seasonally significantly higher during dry season compared with wet season. Elevated incidences of deformity were recorded in Chironomus spp larvae as compared to other genera therefore for further studies in this region assessments should be based solely on Chironomus species and ignoring the rest. Strategies need to be developed to reduce the contaminations and the biological effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crustal shear velocity structure in the Southern Lau Basin constrained by seafloor compliance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zha, Yang; Webb, Spahr C.

2016-05-01

Seafloor morphology and crustal structure vary significantly in the Lau back-arc basin, which contains regions of island arc formation, rifting, and seafloor spreading. We analyze seafloor compliance: deformation under long period ocean wave forcing, at 30 ocean bottom seismometers to constrain crustal shear wave velocity structure along and across the Eastern Lau Spreading Center (ELSC). Velocity models obtained through Monte Carlo inversion of compliance data show systematic variation of crustal structure in the basin. Sediment thicknesses range from zero thickness at the ridge axis to 1400 m near the volcanic arc. Sediment thickness increases faster to the east than to the west of the ELSC, suggesting a more abundant source of sediment near the active arc volcanoes. Along the ELSC, upper crustal velocities increase from the south to the north where the ridge has migrated farther away from the volcanic arc front. Along the axial ELSC, compliance analysis did not detect a crustal low-velocity body, indicating less melt in the ELSC crustal accretion zone compared to the fast spreading East Pacific Rise. Average upper crust shear velocities for the older ELSC crust produced when the ridge was near the volcanic arc are 0.5-0.8 km/s slower than crust produced at the present-day northern ELSC, consistent with a more porous extrusive layer. Crust in the western Lau Basin, which although thought to have been produced through extension and rifting of old arc crust, is found to have upper crustal velocities similar to older oceanic crust produced at the ELSC.

Surface Break-through by Repeated Seismic Slip During Compressional Inversion of an Inherited Fault. The Ostler Fault, South Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghisetti, F. C.; Gorman, A. R.

2006-12-01

Shortening across the plate boundary in the South Island of New Zealand is accommodated not just along the right-lateral transpressive Alpine Fault, but also on an array of N-S reverse faults in both the Australian and Pacific crust. The Ostler Fault is such a structure, developed in the piedmont of the Southern Alps, east of the Alpine Fault. The question addressed here is whether the fault is an entirely new structure formed in the current stress regime, or a reactivated fault inherited from earlier episodes of deformation. New data on the geometry and deformation history of the Ostler Fault have been acquired by integrating surface geological mapping (scale 1:25,000), structural and morphotectonic investigations, and two seismic reflection profiles across the most active segments of the fault. The geological and morphotectonic data constrain the long-term evolution of the fault system coeval with deposition of a late Pliocene-Pleistocene lacustrine-fluvial terrestrial sequence, and the overlying glacial and peri-glacial deposits 128-186 to 16-18 ka old. Sets of fault scarps define a segmented zone (50 km long and 2-3 km wide) of N-S reverse faults dipping 50° W, with a strongly deformed hanging wall panel, where the uplifted terrestrial units are uplifted, back-tilted up to 60° W, and folded. Gradients in elevation and thickness of the hanging wall sequence, shifting of crosscutting paleodrainages, and younging age of displaced markers, all consistently indicate the progressive propagation of the surface trace of the fault from south to north over many seismic cycles. The interpretation of the new seismic reflection profiles, consistent with existing gravity data and surface geology, suggests that the Ostler Fault belongs to a set of sub-parallel splays joining, at depths of > 1.5-2 km, a buried high-angle normal fault that underwent compressional reactivation during sedimentation of the Plio-Pleistocene and Holocene cover sequence. Repeated reactivation of the inherited fault system through cycles of seismic deformation eventually culminated in the surface break-through of the buried fault, resulting in its strong control on sediment deposition, intra-basinal morphology and drainage. This evolution discloses the history of progressive reactivation and propagation of seismogenic basement faults that may remain undetected in absence of clear surface exposure, especially in countries like New Zealand where the historical seismic catalogue is very short.

Mechanisms for creating accommodation space during early Tertiary sedimentation in Tibet.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Studnicki-Gizbert, C.; Burchfiel, B. C.

2003-12-01

The Tibetan plateau is for the most part underlain by rocks of pre-Cenozoic age, a fact that has hindered the identification of Cenozoic shortening structures that can be unequivocally related to the effects of India-Asia collision. Notably, however, the Qiangtang block contains a number of small, short wavelength basins filled with terrestrial sediments of early Tertiary age. Where these basins have been well studied, sedimentation is recognized as having occurred coevally with compressional deformation. The classic treatment of compressional basins appeals to accommodation space created by the flexure of an elastic plate in response to loads created by adjacent thrust fault bound ranges. It is unlikely that the Tertiary basins of the Qiangtang block formed in this manner. The wavelength of a classically modelled flexural basin is a basically a function of the thickness of the elastic plate and the density difference between sedimentary fill and ductile material underlying the plate. Assuming a model of elastic flexure, the very small wavelengths (5 - 30km) characteristic of Qiangtang basins would then imply extremely thin (~ 1-5 km) effective elastic plate thicknesses. These very low values are difficult to reconcile with any reasonable characterization of crustal rheology. Instead, these relatively small basins likely record the creation of accommodation space created by differential uplift across the strike of folds and faults. Stratal geometries and sedimentation rates reflect the kinematics and geometries of local compressional structures and the mechanical basis for the creation of accommodation space remains uncertain. Finally, the origin of these basins makes it unlikely that early Tertiary sedimentation represents a significant fraction of the upper crust of Tibetan plateau.

Deformation in Neogene sediments of the Sorbas and Vera Basins (SE Spain): constraints on simple-shear deformation and rigid body rotation along major strike-slip faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonk, R.; Biermann, C.

2002-05-01

Detailed structural analyses are presented of the Neogene Sorbas Basin adjacent to the E-W striking Gafarillos fault zone and the Vera Basin adjacent to the 020° striking Palomares fault zone in southeastern Spain. A stress regime with an E-W oriented subhorizontal maximum principal stress ( σ1) existed in pre-Tortonian (>11.3 Ma) time. A strike-slip regime with NW-SE oriented compression during Tortonian and earliest Messinian time caused dextral displacement along the E-W trending Gafarillos fault of approximately 10 km. Structural analysis indicates that most displacement took place in the Early Tortonian. Deformational patterns within the adjacent pull-apart basin reflect a dextral simple shear-zone of at least 500 m width. Kinematical analysis of folds in the Sorbas Basin suggests, however, that rotational effects are largely caused by rigid-body rotation without much internal deformation. Sinistral strike-slip displacements occurred along the Palomares fault zone under the influence of the same stress-regime. An abrupt change in the orientation of the stress field to N-S directed compression in earliest Messinian time (6.5 Ma) caused the termination of displacements along the Gafarillos fault zone, whereas the 020° trending Palomares fault zone continued to accumulate sinistral strike-slip displacements of about 25 km. Volcanism occurred along splays of the fault zone. A wider shear-zone of a few kilometers width evolved, in which considerable anti-clockwise rotation of folds occurred. Kinematic analysis of these folds shows that these rotational effects are again dominantly rigid-body rotations. Assuming rotations are merely caused by simple-shear deformation overestimates the amounts of strain. A better way to deal with simple-shear deformation is to compare observed shortening caused by folding with the magnitude of rotation of fold-hinges.

Tectonic setting of Cretaceous basins on the NE Tibetan Plateau: Insights from the Jungong basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Craddock, W.H.; Kirby, E.; Dewen, Z.; Jianhui, L.

2012-01-01

Quantifying the Cenozoic growth of high topography in the Indo-Asian collision zone remains challenging, due in part to significant shortening that occurred within Eurasia before collision. A growing body of evidence suggests that regions far removed from the suture zone experienced deformation before and during the early phases of Himalayan orogenesis. In the present-day north-eastern Tibetan Plateau, widespread deposits of Cretaceous sediment attest to significant basin formation; however, the tectonic setting of these basins remains enigmatic. We present a study of a regionally extensive network of sedimentary basins that are spatially associated with a system of SE-vergent thrust faults and are now exposed in the high ranges of the north-eastern corner of the Tibetan Plateau. We focus on a particularly well-exposed basin, located ~20km north of the Kunlun fault in the Anyemaqen Shan. The basin is filled by ~900m of alluvial sediments that become finer-grained away from the basin-bounding fault. Additionally, beds in the proximal footwall of the basin-bounding fault exhibit progressive, up-section shallowing and several intraformational unconformities which can be traced into correlative conformities in the distal part of the basin. The observations show sediment accumulated in the basin during fault motion. Regional constraints on the timing of sediment deposition are provided by both fossil assemblages from the Early Cretaceous, and by K-Ar dating of volcanic rocks that floor and cross-cut sedimentary fill. We argue that during the Cretaceous, the interior NE Tibetan Plateau experienced NW-SE contractional deformation similar to that documented throughout the Qinling-Dabie orogen to the east. The Songpan-Ganzi terrane apparently marked the southern limit of this deformation, such that it may have been a relatively rigid block in the Tibetan lithosphere, separating regions experiencing deformation north of the convergent Tethyan margin from regions deforming inboard of the east Asian margin. ?? 2011 The Authors. Basin Research ?? 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers and International Association of Sedimentologists.

Mesozoic-Early Cenozoic Retroarc Basin Evolution in Response to Changing Tectonic Regimes, Southern Central Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackaman-Lofland, C.; Horton, B. K.; Fuentes, F.; Constenius, K. N.; Stockli, D. F.

2017-12-01

Spatial and temporal variations in pre-Andean deformation, inherited lithospheric discontinuities, and subduction geometry have been documented for the southern Central Andes (27-40°S). However, the influence of inherited crustal structures and changing subduction zone dynamics on along-strike (N-S) and across-strike (E-W) variations in upper-plate deformation and basin evolution remains poorly understood. The La Ramada Basin in the High Andes at 32°S preserves the northernmost succession correlated with the well-studied Neuquen Basin to the south. New maximum depositional ages and provenance information provided by detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology refine the chronostratigraphic and provenance framework of La Ramada Basin deposits and improve reconstructions of structural activity and subsidence mechanisms during polyphase basin evolution. Updated along- and across-strike comparisons with Neuquen and intraplate depocenters provide an unparalleled opportunity to examine long-term fluctuations in stress regime, modes of variable plate coupling, structural reactivation, and basin evolution. Zircon U-Pb age distributions constrain Mesozoic-Cenozoic ages of La Ramada clastic units and identify a previously unrecognized period of Paleogene nonmarine deposition. Late Triassic-Jurassic synrift and post-rift deposits record sediment derivation from the eastern half-graben footwall and western Andean volcanic arc during periods of slab rollback and thermal subsidence. Uplift of the Coastal Cordillera and introduction of Coastal Cordillera sediment at 107 Ma represents the first signature of initial Andean uplift associated with accumulation in the La Ramada Basin. Finally, newly identified Paleogene extensional structures and intra-arc deposits in the western La Ramada Basin are correlated with the extensional Abanico Basin system ( 28°S-44°S) to the west in Chile. Development and inversion of this system of intra-arc depocenters suggests that shortening and uplift in the southern Central Andes was produced by at least two (Late Cretaceous and Neogene) punctuated orogenic episodes.

Pelton turbine Needle erosion prediction based on 3D three- phase flow simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chongji, Z.; Yexiang, X.; Wei, Z.; Yangyang, Y.; Lei, C.; Zhengwei, W.

2014-03-01

Pelton turbine, which applied to the high water head and small flow rate, is widely used in the mountainous area. During the operation period the sediment contained in the water does not only induce the abrasion of the buckets, but also leads to the erosion at the nozzle which may damage the needle structure. The nozzle and needle structure are mainly used to form high quality cylindrical jet and increase the efficiency of energy exchange in the runner to the most. Thus the needle erosion will lead to the deformation of jet, and then may cause the efficiency loss and cavitation. The favourable prediction of abrasion characteristic of needle can effectively guide the optimization design and maintenance of needle structure. This paper simulated the unsteady three-dimensional multi-phase flow in the nozzle and injected jet flow. As the jet containing water and sediment is injected into the free atmosphere air with high velocity, the VOF model was adopted to predict the water and air flow. The sediment is simplified into round solid particle and the discrete particle model (DPM) was employed to predict the needle abrasion characteristic. The sand particle tracks were analyzed to interpret the mechanism of sand erosion on the needle surface. And the numerical result of needle abrasion was obtained and compared with the abrasion field observation. The similarity of abrasion pattern between the numerical results and field observation illustrated the validity of the 3D multi-phase flow simulation method.

Shallow Investigations of the Deep Seafloor: Quantitative Morphology in the Levant Basin, Eastern Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanari, M.; Ketter, T.; Tibor, G.; Schattner, U.

2017-12-01

We aim to characterize the seafloor morphology and its shallow sub-surface structures and deformations in the deep part of the Levant basin (eastern Mediterranean) using recently acquired high-resolution shallow seismic reflection data and multibeam bathymetry, which allow quantitative analysis of morphology and structure. The Levant basin at the eastern Mediterranean is considered a passive continental margin, where most of the recent geological processes were related in literature to salt tectonics rooted at the Messinian deposits from 6Ma. We analyzed two sets of recently acquired high-resolution data from multibeam bathymetry and 3.5 kHz Chirp sub-bottom seismic reflection in the deep basin of the continental shelf offshore Israel (water depths up to 2100 m). Semi-automatic mapping of seafloor features and seismic data interpretation resulted in quantitative morphological analysis of the seafloor and its underlying sediment with penetration depth up to 60 m. The quantitative analysis and its interpretation are still in progress. Preliminary results reveal distinct morphologies of four major elements: channels, faults, folds and sediment waves, validated by seismic data. From the spatial distribution and orientation analyses of these phenomena, we identify two primary process types which dominate the formation of the seafloor in the Levant basin: structural and sedimentary. Characterization of the geological and geomorphological processes forming the seafloor helps to better understand the transport mechanisms and the relations between sediment transport and deposition in deep water and the shallower parts of the shelf and slope.

Quantifying retro-foreland evolution in the Eastern Pyrenees.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grool, Arjan R.; Ford, Mary; Huismans, Ritske S.

2015-04-01

The northern Pyrenees form the retro-foreland of the Pyrenean orogen. Modelling studies show that retro-forelands have several contrasting characteristics compared to pro-forelands: They tend to show a constant tectonic subsidence during the growth phase of an orogen, and no tectonic subsidence during the steady-state phase. Retro-forelands are also not displaced into the core of the orogen once the steady state phase is achieved. This means they tend to preserve the subsidence history from the growth phase of the orogen, but little or no history from the steady state phase. The northeastern Pyrenees (Carcassonne high) are a good location to test these characteristics against real-world data, because syn-orogenic sediments are preserved and the lack of postrift thermal subsidence and Triassic salt reduce complicating factors. In order to test the model, quantification of the following parameters is needed: Timing, amount and distribution of deformation, subsidence and sedimentation. We use subsurface, field, map and literature data to construct 2 balanced and restored cross sections through the eastern north Pyrenean foreland, stretching from the Montagne Noire in the north, to the Axial Zone in the south. We will link this to published thermochronology data to further constrain the evolution of the retro-foreland and investigate the link with the Axial Zone towards the south. We will quantify subsidence, deformation and sedimentation and link them to exhumation phases in the North Pyrenean Zone (NPZ) and the Axial Zone. The north Pyrenean retro-foreland is divided into two parts: the external foreland basin (Aquitaine basin) to the north and the North Pyrenean Zone to the south, separated by the North Pyrenean Frontal Thrust (NPFT). South of the NPZ lies the Axial Zone, separated from the retro-foreland by the North Pyrenean Fault which is believed to be the suture between Iberia and Europe. The NPFT was the breakaway fault on the European continent during the Apto-Albian rifting phase and was strongly inverted during the Pyrenean orogeny. South of the NPFT we find Lower Cretaceous and older sediments, including Triassic salt. These sediments are completely absent north of the NPFT (on Carcassonne high), indicating its significance during the extensional phase. The retro-foreland is deformed by fault-propagation folds above basement-involving thrusts. A slow northward propagation of deformation and sedimentation is clearly visible. The preserved thickness of Upper Cretaceous sediments corresponds with the retro-foreland model's prediction that early subsidence records are preserved. Two distinct deformation phases are recognized, but not the latest Oligocene phase that is found in the pro-foreland (southern Pyrenees). This could indicate a steady state during the late Oligocene.We quantify and constrain the evolution of the eastern Pyrenean retro-foreland basin, investigate the link with the axial zone and investigate the pre-orogenic configuration of the region that currently constitutes the eastern Pyrenean retro-foreland.

Mechanical Controls on Halokinesis in Layered Evaporite Sequences: Insights from 2D Geomechanical Forward Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goteti, Rajesh; Agar, Susan M.; Brown, John P.; Ball, Philip; Zuhlke, Rainer

2017-04-01

Mechanical stratification in LES (Layered Evaporate Sequences) can have a distinct impact on structural and depositional styles in rifted margin salt tectonics. The bulk mechanical response of an LES under geological loading is dependent, among other factors, on the relative proportions of salt and sediment, salt mobility and sedimentation rate. To assess the interactions among the aforementioned factors in a physically consistent manner, we present 2D, large-strain finite element models of an LES salt minibasin and diapirs. Loading from the deposition of alternating salt and sediment layers (i.e., LES), gravity and a prescribed geothermal gradient provide the driving force for halokinesis in the models. To accurately capture the mechanical impact of stratification within the modeled LES, salt is assigned a temperature-dependent visco-plastic rheology, whereas the sediments are assigned a non-associative cap-plasticity model that supports both compaction and shear localization. Perturbations in the initial salt-sediment interface are used to initiate the salt diapirs. Model results suggest that active diapirism in the basal halite layer initiates when the pressure at the base of the incipient salt diapir exceeds that beneath the minibasin. Vertical growth of the diapir is also accompanied by its lateral expansion at higher structural levels where it preferentially intrudes the adjacent pre- and syn-kinematic salt layers. This pressure pumping of deeper salt into shallow salt layers, can result in rapid thickness changes between successive sediment layers within the LES. Caution needs to be exercised as such thickness changes observed in seismic images may not be entirely due to the shifting of depocenters but also due to the lateral pumping of salt within the LES. The presence of salt layers at multiple structural levels decouples the deformation between successive clastic layers resulting in disharmomic folding with contrasting strain histories in the sedimentary stringers. A significant proportion of the bulk deviatoric strain is preferentially partitioned into the salt layers. Effective plastic shear strains within the sediment stringers generally remain low in the minibasin but can be significantly higher with attendant intense folding near the diapirs. In non-LES systems, the shape of a salt diapir is often used as indicator of relative rates of salt supply and sedimentation over geological time. However our models suggest that this rule-of-thumb may not apply in LES where the shape of the salt diapir is a function of the mechanical properties of the salt layers at various structural levels in addition to the relative rates of salt supply and sedimentation. Imaging challenges in LES may preclude placing strong constraints on structural timing based on interpretation of interfaces between the stringers and the salt diapir. In such situations, geomechanical forward modeling can be a useful tool in placing physics-based quantitative constraints on the timing of LES structures.

Tectonic evolution of the Fru\\vska Gora (NW Serbia) and implications for the late stage inversion of the Pannonian Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novčić, Novak; Toljić, Marinko; Stojadinović, Uroš; Matenco, Liviu

2017-04-01

Indentation of Adria microplate during latest Miocene to Quaternary times created contraction and transcurrent movements distributed in the Dinarides Mountains and along its margin with the adjacent Pannonian Basin. Fru\\vska Gora of northern Serbia is one of the few areas along the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin where the kinematic effects of this late-stage inversion can be studied. These mountains are located along the Sava-Vardar Suture Zone as an isolated inselberg surrounded by Neogene deposits of the Pannonian Basin, exposing metamorphic rocks, Mesozoic ophiolites and sediments belonging to the Dinarides units. Our field kinematic study demonstrate that deformation structures are related to several Oligocene - Miocene extensional and latest Miocene - Quaternary contractional deformation events. These events took place during the differential rotational stages experienced by Fru\\vska Gora. This has created a gradual change in strike from N-S to E-W of three successive normal faulting episodes (Oligocene-Early Miocene, Early Miocene and Middle-Late Miocene), subsequently inverted by contractional deformation. This latter deformation took place during the continuous latest Miocene - Quaternary Adria indentation and was accompanied by yet another 40 degrees counter clockwise rotation of the entire Fru\\vska Gora. Almost all resulting contractional structures reactivate the pre-existing Oligocene - Miocene normal faults. This is reflected in the present-day morphology of Fruska Gora that has a large-scale flower-type of structural geometry formed during dextral transpression, as demonstrated by field kinematics and seismic interpretations. This overall geometry is significantly different when compared with other areas situated more westwards in a similar structural position in the Dinariders at their contact with the Pannonian Basin, such as Medvednica Mountains or Sava-Drava transpressional systems. The variation in offsets along the strike of the orogen demonstrate that the indentation into the Pannonian basin significantly decrease eastwards towards Fruska Gora, likely accommodating a large-scale variation in indentation mechanics across and along the Dinarides.

The offshore Palos Verdes fault zone near San Pedro, Southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fisher, M.A.; Normark, W.R.; Langenheim, V.E.; Calvert, A.J.; Sliter, R.

2004-01-01

High-resolution seismic-reflection data are combined with a variety of other geophysical and geological data to interpret the offshore structure and earthquake hazards of the San Pedro shelf, near Los Angeles, California. Prominent structures investigated include the Wilmington graben, the Palos Verdes fault zone, various faults below the west part of the San Pedro shelf and slope, and the deep-water San Pedro basin. The structure of the Palos Verdes fault zone changes markedly along strike southeastward across the San Pedro shelf and slope. Under the north part of the shelf, this fault zone includes several strands, with the main strand dipping west. Under the slope, the main fault strands exhibit normal separation and mostly dip east. To the southeast near Lasuen Knoll, the Palos Verdes fault zone locally is low angle, but elsewhere near this knoll, the fault dips steeply. Fresh seafloor scarps near Lasuen Knoll indicate recent fault movement. We explain the observed structural variation along the Palos Verdes fault zone as the result of changes in strike and fault geometry along a master right-lateral strike-slip fault at depth. Complicated movement along this deep fault zone is suggested by the possible wave-cut terraces on Lasuen Knoll, which indicate subaerial exposure during the last sea level lowstand and subsequent subsidence of the knoll. Modeling of aeromagnetic data indicates a large magnetic body under the west part of the San Pedro shelf and upper slope. We interpret this body to be thick basalt of probable Miocene age. This basalt mass appears to have affected the pattern of rock deformation, perhaps because the basalt was more competent during deformation than the sedimentary rocks that encased the basalt. West of the Palos Verdes fault zone, other northwest-striking faults deform the outer shelf and slope. Evidence for recent movement along these faults is equivocal, because we lack age dates on deformed or offset sediment.

Laramide basin CSI: Comprehensive stratigraphic investigations of Paleogene sediments in the Colorado Headwaters Basin, north-central Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dechesne, Marieke; Cole, James Channing; Trexler, James H.; Cashman, Patricia; Peterson, Christopher D

2013-01-01

The Paleogene sedimentary deposits of the Colorado Headwaters Basin provide a detailed proxy record of regional deformation and basin subsidence during the Laramide orogeny in north-central Colorado and southern Wyoming. This field trip presents extensive evidence from sedimentology, stratigraphy, structure, palynology, and isotope geochronology that shows a complex history that is markedly different from other Laramide synorogenic basins in the vicinity.We show that the basin area was deformed by faulting and folding before, during, and after deposition of the Paleogene rocks. Internal unconformities have been identified that further reflect the interaction of deformation, subsidence, and sedimentation. Uplift of Proterozoic basement blocks that make up the surrounding mountain ranges today occurred late in basin history. Evidence is given to reinterpret the Independence Mountain uplift as the result of significant normal faulting (not thrusting), probably in middle Tertiary time.While the Denver and Cheyenne Basins to the east were subsiding and accumulating sediment during Late Cretaceous time, the Colorado Headwaters Basin region was experiencing vertical uplift and erosion. At least 1200 m of the upper part of the marine Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale was regionally removed, along with Fox Hills Sandstone shoreline deposits of the receding Interior Seaway as well as any Laramie Formation–type continental deposits. Subsidence did not begin in the Colorado Headwaters Basin until after 60.5 Ma, when coarse, chaotic, debris-flow deposits of the Paleocene Windy Gap Volcanic Member of the Middle Park Formation began to accumulate along the southern basin margin. These volcaniclastic conglomerate deposits were derived from local, mafic-alkalic volcanic sources (and transitory deposits in the drainage basin), and were rapidly transported into a deep lake system by sediment gravity currents. The southern part of the basin subsided rapidly (roughly 750–1000 m/m.y.) and the drainage system delivered increasing proportions of arkosic debris from uplifted Proterozoic basement and more intermediate-composition volcanic-porphyry materials from central Colorado sources.Other margins of the Colorado Headwaters Basin subsided at slightly different times. Subsidence was preceded by variable amounts of gentle tilting and localized block-fault uplifts. The north-central part of the basin that was least-eroded in early Paleocene time was structurally inverted and became the locus of greatest subsidence during later Paleocene-Eocene time. Middle Paleocene coal-mires formed in the topographically lowest eastern part of the basin, but the basin center migrated to the western side by Eocene time when coal was deposited in the Coalmont district. In between, persistent lakes of variable depths characterized the central basin area, as evidenced by well-preserved deltaic facies.Fault-fold deformation within the Colorado Headwaters Basin strongly affected the Paleocene fluvial-lacustrine deposits, as reflected in the steep limbs of anticline-syncline pairs within the McCallum fold belt and the steep margins of the Breccia Spoon syncline. Slivers of Proterozoic basement rock were also elevated on steep reverse faults in late Paleocene time along the Delaney Butte–Sheep Mountain–Boettcher Ridge structure. Eocene deposits, by and large, are only gently folded within the Colorado Headwaters Basin and thus reflect a change in deformation history.The Paleogene deposits of the Colorado Headwaters Basin today represent only a fragment of the original extent of the depositional basin. Basal, coarse conglomerate deposits that suggest proximity to an active basin margin are relatively rare and are limited to the southern and northwestern margins of the relict basin. The northeastern margin of the preserved Paleogene section is conspicuously fine-grained, which indicates that any contemporaneous marginal uplift was far removed from the current extent of preserved fluvial-lacustrine sediments. The conspicuous basement uplifts of Proterozoic rock that flank the current relict Paleogene basin deposits are largely post-middle Eocene in age and are not associated with any Laramide synuplift fluvial deposits.The east-west–trending Independence Mountain fault system that truncates the Colorado Headwaters Basin on the north with an uplifted Proterozoic basement block is reinterpreted in this report. Numerous prior analyses had concluded that the fault was a low-angle, south-directed Laramide thrust that overlapped the northern margin of the basin. We conclude instead that the fault is more likely a Neogene normal fault that truncates all prior structure and belongs to a family of sub-parallel west-northwest–trending normal faults that offset upper Oligocene-Miocene fluvial deposits of the Browns Park–North Park Formations.

What major faults look like, and why this matters for lithospheric dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fagereng, Ake

2016-04-01

Earthquakes involve seconds to minutes of frictional sliding on a discontinuity, likely of sub-cm thickness, within a damage zone. Earthquakes are separated by an interseismic period of hundreds to thousands of years, during which a number of healing and weakening processes occur within the fault zone. The next earthquake occurs as shear stress exceeds frictional resistance, on the same or a different discontinuity as the previous event, embedded within the fault damage zone. After incremental damage and healing in multiple earthquake cycles, the fault zone rock assemblage evolves to a structure and composition distinctly different from the host rock(s). This presentation presents field geology evidence from a range of settings, to discuss the interplay between the earthquake cycle, long-term deformation, and lithospheric rheology. Classic fault zone models are based on continental transforms, which generally form discrete faults in the upper crust, and wide, anastomosing shear zones in the lower crust. In oceanic crust, transforms are considered frictionally weak, and appear to exploit dyke margins and joint surfaces, but also locally cross-cut these structures in anastomosing networks. In the oceanic lower crust and upper mantle, serpentinisation significantly alters fault structure. In old continental crust, previous deformation events leave a heterogeneous geology affecting active faulting. For example, the amagmatic, southern East African Rift has long been thought to exploit weak Proterozoic 'mobile belts'. However, detailed look at the Bilila-Mtakataka border fault in Malawi indicates that this fault locally exploits weak foliation in existing deformed zones, but also locally forms a new set of anastomosing fault surfaces cross-cutting existing weak foliation. In exhumed lower crust, the Antarctic Maud Belt provides an example of multiple phases of plastic deformation, where the second event is only visible in localised shear zones, likely inherited from the first event. The subduction thrust interface provides an example of fault evolution in underthrust sediments as they deform and dewater. At shallow levels, distributed shear leads to development of scaly cleavage, which in places provides weak, clay surfaces on which earthquakes can propagate to the sea floor. With further deformation, a melange is progressively developed, with increasingly dismembered, sheared lenses of higher viscosity sedimentary rock and slivers of oceanic crust, in a low viscosity, cleaved matrix. The range of examples presented here illustrate how long-term deformation results in weak structures that likely control future deformation. Yet, the rheology of these structures is modulated by strength fluctuations during the earthquake cycle, illustrated by common evidence of episodic fault healing. The take home message from these field studies of fault zones is therefore the heterogeneity of the Earth's crust, the importance of long-term weak zones as a first order control on crustal deformation, and short-term strength fluctuations within these zones as a consequence of, and reason for, the earthquake cycle.

Insights into the Lurking Structures and Related Intraplate Earthquakes in the Region of Bay of Bengal Using Gravity and Full Gravity Gradient Tensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubey, C. P.; Tiwari, V. M.; Rao, P. R.

2017-12-01

Comprehension of subsurface structures buried under thick sediments in the region of Bay of Bengal is vital as structural features are the key parameters that influence or are caused by the subsurface deformation and tectonic events like earthquakes. Here, we address this issue using the integrated analysis and interpretation of gravity and full gravity gradient tensor with few seismic profiles available in the poorly known region. A 2D model of the deep earth crust-mantle is constructed and interpreted with gravity gradients and seismic profiles, which made it possible to obtain a visual image of a deep seated fault below the basement associated with thick sediments strata. Gravity modelling along a NE-SW profile crossing the hypocentre of the earthquake of 21 May 2014 ( M w 6.0) in the northern Bay of Bengal suggests that the location of intraplate normal dip fault earthquake in the upper mantle is at the boundary of density anomalies, which is probably connected to the crustal fault. We also report an enhanced structural trend of two major ridges, the 85°E and the 90°E ridges hidden under the sedimentary cover from the computed full gravity gradients tensor components.

Physical Properties and Microstructural Response of Sediments to Accretion-Subduction: Barbados Forearc

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

of major and minor stress directions ik associated with 40-m-thick zone. The bedding-subparallel fabric results in accretion (Moran and Christian , 1990...Carson, B., and T.R. Bruns, 1980. Physical properties of sediments from the Moran, K., and H.A. Christian , 1990. Strength and deformation behavior of...Geotechnical properties of lower Cowan, D.S., J.C. Moore, S.M. Roeske , N. Lundberg, and S.E. Lucas, 1984. trench inner slope sediments. Tectonophysics

Sedimentology and architecture of De Geer moraines in the western Scottish Highlands, and implications for grounding-line glacier dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golledge, Nicholas R.; Phillips, Emrys

2008-07-01

Sedimentary exposures in moraines in a Scottish Highland valley (Glen Chaorach), reveal stacked sequences of bedded and laminated silt, sand and gravel, interspersed or capped with diamicton units. In four examples, faults and folds indicate deformation by glaciotectonism and syndepositional loading. We propose that these sediments were laid down in an ice-dammed lake, close to the last ice margin to occupy this glen. Individual units within cross-valley De Geer moraine ridges are interpreted by comparison with examples from similar environments elsewhere: stratified diamictons containing laminated or bedded lenses are interpreted as subaqueous ice-marginal debris-flow deposits; massive fine-grained deposits as hyperconcentrated flow deposits, and massive gravel units as high-density debris-flow deposits. Using an allostratigraphic approach we argue that glaciotectonically deformed coarsening-upward sand and gravel sequences that culminate in deposition of subglacial diamicton represent glacier advances into the ice-marginal lake, whereas undisturbed cross-bedded sand and gravel reflects channel or fan deposits laid down during glacier retreat. A flat terrace of bedded sand and gravel at the northern end of Glen Chaorach is interpreted as subaerial glaciofluvial outwash. On the basis of these inferences we propose the following three stage deglacial event chronology for Glen Chaorach. During glacier recession, ice separation and intra-lobe ponding first led to subaquaeous deposition of sorted and unsorted facies. Subsequent glacier stabilisation and ice-marginal oscillation produced glaciotectonic structures in the ice-marginal sediment pile and formed De Geer moraines. Finally, drainage of the ice-dammed lake allowed a subaerial ice-marginal drainage system to become established. Throughout deglaciation, deposition within the lake was characterized by abrupt changes in grain size and in the architecture of individual sediment bodies, reflecting changing delivery paths and sediment supply, and by dynamic margin oscillations typical of water-terminating glaciers.

Mechanical Stability of Stratified Sediments along the upper continental Slope off Vesterålen, northern Norway - Insights from in situ CPTU Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voelker, D.; Stegmann, S.; Kreiter, S.; L'Heureux, J. S.; Vanneste, M. W. B.; Baeten, N. J.; Knudsen, S.; Rise, L.; Longva, O.; Brendryen, J.; Haflidason, H.; Chand, S.; Mörz, T.; Kopf, A.

2015-12-01

High-resolution single channel-seismic data (3.5 kHz) reveal small-scale submarine landslide structures and superficial deformation features (e.g. tension cracks) along the gently dipping (3°) upper continental slope west of the Vesterålen Archipelago off northern Norway. Previous laboratory-based geotechnical studies attest that the slope is per sestable and that seismic events in an order of magnitude M5.7 may have triggered the slope sediments to fail. Here we present geotechnical in situ data (sedimentary strength, pore pressure), which were obtained with RV Poseidon in summer 2014 using the static CPTU system GOST. The CPTU system provided high-resolution geotechnical profiles of the uppermost sediments to a maximum penetration depth of ~ 20 m at six sites within the landslide features and beside them in undisturbed slope sediments as reference. The CPTU data reveal the occurrence of mechanically weaker zones (MWZ) by the drop of sedimentary strength. These zones are interbedded by coarser, more competent layers. The occurrence of sensitive fine-grained material may be responsible for the loss of strength in the deeper portion (appx. 12 to 18 m below seafloor). An 1D infinite pseudo-static stability analysis attests that the mechanically weaker zones (MWZ) correlate well with portions, where the Factor of Safety (FoS) ≤ 1 (meta-stable to unstable) indicates permanent deformation or failure in case additional dynamic load is induced by an earthquake. Thus, the mechanically weak layers can be considered as one important pre-condition for landslide activity. In conclusion, the integration of in situ CPTU data with geophysical data improves soil characterization and hence foster a better understanding of the pre-conditioning factors for slope instability at the upper continental slope off Vesterålen. Risk assessment for the present-day slope off Vesterålen is particularly crucial, because the opening of the region for offshore oil and gas exploration is controversially debated.

Unusual folding and rolling of Glacio-Lacustrine sediments, Upper Fraser Canyon, British Columbia

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

Baxter, S.

1987-05-01

Folding and rolling of graded but unconsolidated sediments by at least 720/sup 0/ produced a structure resembling a large Swiss roll about 6 ft wide and 4 ft high. The sediments were initially horizontal and well sorted, grading from coarse sands to fine silts. About 50 ft away, at the same level, the sediments include irregular layers of poorly sorted, ice-rafted pebbles and boulders. The sequence is unconformably overlain by till. The axis of folding appears to be parallel to the eastern wall of the Fraser Canyon. The outcrop is in the Stevens Pit (sand and gravel) immediately east ofmore » the Trans-Canada Highway, 2 mi south of Lytton, B.C., at an elevation of 1000 ft, approximately 600 ft above the present level of the Fraser River. The sands and silts accumulated in a lake adjacent to the east margin of a stagnant and relatively small glacier occupying the upper part of the Frazer Canyon. Partial or complete melting of small icebergs caused deposition of coarser material. A subsequent cooling trend led to an advance of the glacier, an advance which at this location caused some of the adjacent and by now frozen sediments to be rolled up like an old carpet. Further advance of the glacier caused it to override and thus preserve the deformed sequence.« less

Deformation style and controlling geodynamic processes at the eastern Guadalquivir foreland basin (Southern Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marín-Lechado, C.; Pedrera, A.; Peláez, J. A.; Ruiz-Constán, A.; González-Ramón, A.; Henares, J.

2017-06-01

The tectonic structure of the Guadalquivir foreland basin becomes complex eastward evolving from a single depocenter to a compartmented basin. The deformation pattern within the eastern Guadalquivir foreland basin has been characterized by combining seismic reflection profiles, boreholes, and structural field data to output a 3-D model. High-dipping NNE-SSW to NE-SW trending normal and reverse fault arrays deform the Variscan basement of the basin. These faults generally affect Tortonian sediments, which show syntectonic features sealed by the latest Miocene units. Curved and S-shaped fault traces are abundant and caused by the linkage of nearby fault segments during lateral fault propagation. Preexisting faults were reactivated either as normal or reverse faults depending on their position within the foreland. At Tortonian time, reverse faults deformed the basin forebulge, while normal faults predominated within the backbulge. Along-strike variation of the Betic foreland basin geometry is supported by an increasing mechanical coupling of the two plates (Alborán Domain and Variscan basement) toward the eastern part of the cordillera. Thus, subduction would have progressed in the western Betics, while it would have failed in the eastern one. There, the initially subducted Iberian paleomargin (Nevado-Filábride Complex) was incorporated into the upper plate promoting the transmission of collision-related compressional stresses into the foreland since the middle Miocene. Nowadays, compression is still active and produces low-magnitude earthquakes likely linked to NNE-SSW to NE-SW preexiting faults reactivated with reverse oblique-slip kinematics. Seismicity is mostly concentrated around fault tips that are frequently curved in overstepping zones.

Andean Basin Evolution Associated with Hybrid Thick- and Thin-Skinned Deformation in the Malargüe Fold-Thrust Belt, Western Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, B. K.; Fuentes, F.

2015-12-01

Andean deformation and basin evolution in the Malargüe fold-thrust belt of western Argentina (34-36°S) has been dominated by basement faults influenced by pre-existing Mesozoic rift structures of the hydrocarbon-rich Neuquen basin. However, the basement structures diverge from classic inversion structures, and the associated retroarc basin system shows a complex Mesozoic-Cenozoic history of mixed extension and contraction, along with an enigmatic early Cenozoic stratigraphic hiatus. New results from balanced structural cross sections (supported by industry seismic, well data, and surface maps), U-Pb geochronology, and foreland deposystem analyses provide improved resolution to examine the duration and kinematic evolution of Andean mixed-mode deformation. The basement structures form large anticlines with steep forelimbs and up to >5 km of structural relief. Once the propagating tips of the deeper basement faults reached cover strata, they fed slip to shallow thrust systems that were transported in piggyback fashion by newly formed basement structures, producing complex structural relationships. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages for the 5-7 km-thick basin fill succession reveal shifts in sedimentation pathways and accumulation rates consistent with (1) local basement sources during Early-Middle Jurassic back-arc extension, (2) variable cratonic and magmatic arc sources during Late Jurassic-Cretaceous postrift thermal subsidence, and (3) Andean arc and thrust-belt sources during irregular Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic shortening. Although pulses of flexural subsidence can be attributed to periods of fault reactivation (inversion) and geometrically linked thin-skinned thrusting, fully developed foreland basin conditions were only achieved in Late Cretaceous and Neogene time. Separating these two contractional episodes is an Eocene-lower Miocene (roughly 40-20 Ma) depositional hiatus within the Cenozoic succession, potentially signifying forebulge passage or neutral to extensional conditions during a transient retreating-slab configuration along the southwestern margin of South America.

Offshore Tectonics of the St. Elias Mountains: Insights from Ocean Drilling and Seismic Stratigraphy on the Yakutat Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worthington, L. L.; Gulick, S. P. S.; Montelli, A.; Jaeger, J. M.; Zellers, S.; Walczak, M. H.; Mix, A. C.

2015-12-01

Ongoing collision of the Yakutat (YAK) microplate with North America (NA) in southern Alaska has driven orogenesis of the St. Elias Mountains and the advance of the offshore deformation front to the southeast. The offshore St. Elias fold-thrust belt records the complex interaction between collisional tectonics and glacial climate variability, providing insight for models of orogenesis and the evolution of glacial depocenters. Glacial erosion and deposition have provided sediment that constructed the upper continental shelf, much of which has been reincorporated into the orogenic wedge through offshore faulting and folding. We integrate core and downhole logging data from IODP Expedition 341 (Sites U1420 and U1421) drilled on the Yakutat shelf and slope with high-resolution and regional seismic profiles to investigate the coupled structural and stratigraphic evolution of the St. Elias margin. Site U1420 lies on the Yakutat shelf within the Bering Trough, a shelf-crossing trough that is within primary depocenter for Bering Glacier sediments. Two faults underlie the glacial packages and have been rendered inactive as the depositional environment has evolved, while faulting elsewhere on the shelf has initiated. Site U1421 lies on the current continental slope, within the backlimb of an active thrust that forms part of the modern YAK-NA deformation front. At each of these sites, we recovered glacigenic diamict (at depths up to ~1015 m at Site U1420), much of which is younger than 0.3 Ma. Age models within the trough indicated that initiation of active deformation away from the Bering Trough depocenter likely occurred since 0.3 Ma, suggesting that possible tectonic reorganization due to mass redistribution by glacial processes can occur at time scales on the order of 100kyr-1Myr.

Texture development in naturally compacted and experimentally deformed silty clay sediments from the Nankai Trench and Forearc, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumann, Kai; Stipp, Michael; Leiss, Bernd; Behrmann, Jan H.

2014-12-01

The petrophysical properties of fine-grained marine sediments to a large extent depend on the microstructure and crystallographic preferred orientations (CPOs). In this contribution we show that Rietveld-based synchrotron texture analysis is a new and valuable tool to quantify textures of water-saturated fine-grained phyllosilicate-rich sediments, and assess the effects of compaction and tectonic deformation. We studied the CPO of compositionally almost homogeneous silty clay drillcore samples from the Nankai Accretionary Prism slope and the incoming Philippine Sea plate, offshore SW Japan. Basal planes of phyllosilicates show bedding-parallel alignment increasing with drillhole depth, thus reflecting progressive burial and compaction. In some samples calcite and albite display a CPO due to crystallographically controlled non-isometric grain shapes, or nannofossil tests. Consolidated-undrained experimental deformation of a suite of thirteen samples from the prism slope shows that the CPOs of phyllosilicate and calcite basal planes develop normal to the experimental shortening axis. There is at least a qualitative relation between CPO intensity and strain magnitude. Scanning electron micrographs show concurrent evolution of preferred orientations of micropores and detrital illite flakes normal to axial shortening. This indicates that the microfabrics are sensitive strain gauges, and contribute to anisotropic physical properties along with the CPO.

Reconstruction of early phase deformations by integrated magnetic and mesotectonic data evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sipos, András A.; Márton, Emő; Fodor, László

2018-02-01

Markers of brittle faulting are widely used for recovering past deformation phases. Rocks often have oriented magnetic fabrics, which can be interpreted as connected to ductile deformation before cementation of the sediment. This paper reports a novel statistical procedure for simultaneous evaluation of AMS (Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility) and fault-slip data. The new method analyzes the AMS data, without linearization techniques, so that weak AMS lineation and rotational AMS can be assessed that are beyond the scope of classical methods. This idea is extended to the evaluation of fault-slip data. While the traditional assumptions of stress inversion are not rejected, the method recovers the stress field via statistical hypothesis testing. In addition it provides statistical information needed for the combined evaluation of the AMS and the mesotectonic (0.1 to 10 m) data. In the combined evaluation a statistical test is carried out that helps to decide if the AMS lineation and the mesotectonic markers (in case of repeated deformation of the oldest set of markers) were formed in the same or different deformation phases. If this condition is met, the combined evaluation can improve the precision of the reconstruction. When the two data sets do not have a common solution for the direction of the extension, the deformational origin of the AMS is questionable. In this case the orientation of the stress field responsible for the AMS lineation might be different from that which caused the brittle deformation. Although most of the examples demonstrate the reconstruction of weak deformations in sediments, the new method is readily applicable to investigate the ductile-brittle transition of any rock formation as long as AMS and fault-slip data are available.

Deformation styles and exhumation patterns in the Northern Iranian Plateau: New results from integrated balanced cross sections and low-temperature thermochronology (AHe and ZHe)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balling, Philipp; Ballato, Paolo; Dunkl, István; Zeillinger, Gerold; Heidarzadeh, Ghasem; Ghasemi, Mohammad; Strecker, Manfred R.

2014-05-01

The Iranian Plateau is situated in the collision zone between the Arabian and Eurasian plates and forms a NW-SE elongated, 40- to 50-km-thick crustal block, delimited to the north by the Urmieh Dokhtar Volcanic Zone and to south by the High Zagros Mountains. The plateau is characterized by a series of basins and mountain ranges bounded by reverse and transpressive faults. These mountain ranges reflect a history of strong collisional deformation, with intensely faulted and folded Pre-Cambrian (basement) to Miocene (terrestrial sediments of the Upper Red Formation) rocks. Based on the structural evolution, high mean elevation of 2 km, and a crustal thickness of up to 56 km, the realm of the present-day plateau must have absorbed a significant fraction of past plate convergence between Eurasia and Arabia. However, according to seismic and GPS data active deformation is rather limited. In addition, the exact timing and style of deformation, the extent of crustal shortening and thickening on the northern Iranian Plateau during continental collision remain unclear. To address these issues we collected structural data and modeled deformation scenarios cross four mountain ranges that constitute the northern margin of the Iranian Plateau (NW Iran). The Tarom, Mah Neshan and Sultanije mountain ranges are NW-SE oriented, while the northernmost (Bozgosh) is E-W aligned. Due to the lack of subsurface data, several forward and backward models were generated with MOVE (Midland Valley, structural modelling software). The model with the simplest and most robust geological explanation of the field data was chosen. In addition, we combined our structural work with an apatite (U-Th)/He study (AHe) along two transects (Bozgosh, Mah Neshan) and Zircon (U-Th)/He data (ZHe) on higher exhumed locations. In the northern sector of the plateau late Cretaceous (or Paleocene?) rocks had been deposited unconformably onto older, deformed rocks. This suggests that the Arabia-Eurasia collision was predated by at least one contractional episode, which was most likely associated with the deposition of red continental conglomerates (Fajan Fm.). Consequently, some of the major faults affecting Tertiary units in the region may be inherited structures, reactivated during collisional deformation. Our structural results indicate that the different mountain ranges constituting the northern plateau are characterized by thick-skinned deformation (tectonics) with major deep-seated faults exposing basement rocks. Locally, thin-skinned tectonics occurred, with multiple detachment horizons within evaporites of the Lower and Upper Red formations (Oligo-Miocene), and shales of the Shemshak (Jurassic), and the Barut (Cambrian) formations. The first obtained AHe cooling ages for this area suggest that the more internal sectors of the Iranian Plateau (SW of the Mah Neshan profile) record an early cooling phase at 25-20 Ma. This was followed by outward propagation of deformation fronts to the north and northeast from approximately 12 to 8 Ma. This resulted in the development of a contractional basin and range morphology of the Iranian Plateau.

The Eastern Sardinian Margin (Tyrrhenian Sea, Western Mediterranean) : a key area to study the rifting and post-breakup evolution of a back-arc passive continental margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaullier, Virginie; Chanier, Frank; Vendeville, Bruno; Maillard, Agnès; Thinon, Isabelle; Graveleau, Fabien; Lofi, Johanna; Sage, Françoise

2016-04-01

The Eastern Sardinian passive continental margin formed during the opening of the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is a back-arc basin created by continental rifting and oceanic spreading related to the eastward migrating Apennine subduction system (middle Miocene to Pliocene). Up to now, rifting in this key area was considered to be pro parte coeval with the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC, 5.96-5.32 Ma). We use the MSC seismic markers and the deformation of viscous salt and its brittle overburden as proxies to better delineate the timing of rifting and post-rift reactivation, and especially to quantify vertical and horizontal movements. On this young, highly-segmented margin, the Messinian Erosion Surface and the Upper and Mobile Units are systematically associated, respectively, to basement highs and deeper basins, showing that a rifted deep-sea domain already existed by Messinian times, therefore a major pre-MSC rifting episode occurred across the entire domain. Data show that there are no signs of Messinian syn-rift sediments, hence no evidence for rifting after Late Tortonian times. Moreover, because salt tectonics creates fan-shaped geometries in sediments, syn-rift deposits have to be carefully re-examined to distinguish the effects of crustal tectonics (rifting) and salt tectonics. We also precise that rifting is clearly diachronous from the upper margin (East-Sardinia Basin) to the lower margin (Cornaglia Terrace) with two unconformities, attributed respectively to the necking and to the lithospheric breakup unconformities. The onshore part of the upper margin has been recently investigated in order to characterize the large crustal faults affecting the Mesozoic series (geometry, kinematics and chronology) and to decipher the role of the structural inheritance and of the early rifting. Seaward, we also try to constrain the architecture and timing of the continent-ocean transition, between the hyper-extended continental crust and the first oceanic crust. Widespread post-breakup deformation also occurred during the Pliocene. Some Pliocene vertical movements have been evidenced by discovering localized gravity gliding of the salt and its Late Messinian (UU) and Early Pliocene overburden. To the South, crustal-scale southward tilting triggered along-strike gravity gliding of salt and cover recorded by upslope extension and downslope shortening. To the North, East of the Baronie Ridge, there was some post-salt crustal activity along a narrow N-S basement trough, bounded by crustal faults. The salt geometry would suggest that nothing happened after Messinian times, but some structural features (confirmed by analogue modelling) show that basement fault slip was accommodated by lateral salt flow, which thinned upslope and thickened downslope, while the overlying sediments remained sub-horizontal. Along the inner domain of Eastern Sardinian margin, the post-rift deformation style greatly varies. Compressional structures (reverse faults and folds) are observed both onshore and offshore while post-rift extensional structures are mainly identified offshore. Such late deformation could be attributed to mechanisms acting alone or combined, such as : i. the reactivation of the margin, as already described for the Ligurian, Algerian or South-Balearic margins due to the Eurasian-African convergence ; 2. the Zanclean reflooding and the resulting water overload on the elastic lithosphere ; 3. an episodic mantle upwelling.

Deformation and evolution of an experimental drainage network subjected to oblique deformation: Insight from chi-maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerit, Laure; Goren, Liran; Dominguez, Stéphane; Malavieille, Jacques; Castelltort, Sébastien

2017-04-01

The morphology of a fluvial landscape reflects a balance between its own dynamics and external forcings, and therefore holds the potential to reveal local or large-scale tectonic patterns. Commonly, particular focus has been cast on the longitudinal profiles of rivers as they constitute sensitive recorders of vertical movements, that can be recovered based on models of bedrock incision. However, several recent studies have suggested that maps of rescaled distance along channel called chi (χ), derived from the commonly observed power law relation between the slope and the drainage area , could reveal transient landscapes in state of reorganization of basin geometry and location of water divides. If river networks deforms in response to large amount of distributed strain, then they might be used to reconstruct the mode and rate of horizontal deformation away from major active structures through the use of the parameter χ. To explore how streams respond to tectonic horizontal deformation, we develop an experimental model for studying river pattern evolution over a doubly-vergent orogenic wedge growing in a context of oblique convergence. We use a series of sprinklers located about the experimental table to activate erosion, sediment transport and river development on the surface of the experimental wedge. At the end of the experiment, the drainage network is statistically rotated clockwise, confirming that rivers can record the distribution of motion along the wedge. However, the amount of rotation does not match with the imposed deformation, and thus we infer that stream networks are not purely passive markers. Based on the comparison between the observed evolution of the fluvial system and the predictions made from χ maps, we show that the plan-view morphology of the streams results from the competition between the imposed deformation and fluvial processes of drainage reorganization.

High Resolution Measurements In U-Channel Technique And Implications For Sedimentological Purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acar, Dursun; Cagatay, Namık; Sarı, Erol; Eris, Kadir; Biltekin, Demet; Akcer, Sena; Meydan Gokdere, Feray; Makaroglu, Ozlem; Bulkan, Ozlem; Arslan, Tugce; Albut, Gulum; Yalamaz, Burak; Yakupoglu, Nurettin; Sabuncu, Asen; Fillikci, Betul; Yıldız, Guliz

2016-04-01

Mechanical features in-stu drilling for sediment cores and vacuum forces that affect while obtaining the sediments to the core tube are formed concave shaped deformations. Even in the half sections, concave deformation form still appears. During MCSL measurements, Laminae which forms concave shaped deformation, show interference thus, values indicate overall results for several laminae instead of single lamina. These interferenced data is not appropriate for paleoceanography studies which require extend accuracy and high frequency data set to describe geochemical and climatological effects in high resolution. U-Channel technique provides accurate location and isolated values for each lamina. In EMCOL Laboratories, U-channel provide well saturated and air-free environment for samples and, by using these technique U-channels are prepared with modificated MCSL for data acquisition. Even below millimeter scale sampling rate provides the separation of each lamina and, physical properties of every each lamina. Cover of u-channel is made by homogenous plastic in shape of rectangular prism geometry. Thus, during measurement, MSCL sensors may harm the sediment; however u-channel covers the sediment from this unwanted deformation from MSCL itself. U-channel technique can present micro scale angular changes in the laminae. Measurements that have been taken from U-channel are compared with the traditional half core measurements. Interestingly, accuracy of the positions for each lamina is much more detailed and, the resolution is progressively higher. Results from P Wave and Gamma ray density provide removed interference effects on each lamina. In this technique, it is high recommended that U-channel widens the resolution of core logging and generates more cleansed measurements in MCSL. For P- Wave Used Synthetic seismograms that modelled by MSCL data set which created from U-channel technique dictates each anomalies related with climatological and geological changes. Keywords: u channel , P-Wave, Gamma Ray Density, High resolution measurements, Data accuracy

Dry Juan de Fuca slab revealed by quantification of water entering Cascadia subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canales, J. P.; Carbotte, S. M.; Nedimovic, M. R.; Carton, H. D.

2017-12-01

Water is carried by subducting slabs as a pore fluid and in structurally bound minerals, yet no comprehensive quantification of water content and how it is stored and distributed at depth within incoming plates exists for any segment of the global subduction system. Here we use controlled-source seismic data collected in 2012 as part of the Ridge-to-Trench seismic experiment to quantify the amount of pore and structurally bound water in the Juan de Fuca plate entering the Cascadia subduction zone. We use wide-angle OBS seismic data along a 400-km-long margin-parallel profile 10-15 km seaward from the Cascadia deformation front to obtain P-wave tomography models of the sediments, crust, and uppermost mantle, and effective medium theory combined with a stochastic description of crustal properties (e.g., temperature, alteration assemblages, porosity, pore aspect ratio), to analyze the pore fluid and structurally bound water reservoirs in the sediments, crust and lithospheric mantle, and their variations along the Cascadia margin. Our results demonstrate that the Juan de Fuca lower crust and mantle are much drier than at any other subducting plate, with most of the water stored in the sediments and upper crust. Previously documented, variable but limited bend faulting along the margin, which correlates with degree of plate locking, limits slab access to water, and a warm thermal structure resulting from a thick sediment cover and young plate age prevents significant serpentinization of the mantle. Our results have important implications for a number of subduction processes at Cascadia, such as: (1) the dryness of the lower crust and mantle indicates that fluids that facilitate episodic tremor and slip must be sourced from the subducted upper crust; (2) decompression rather than hydrous melting must dominate arc magmatism in northern-central Cascadia; and (3) dry subducted lower crust and mantle can explain the low levels of intermediate-depth seismicity in the Juan de Fuca slab.

Effect of well construction on the mechanical state of unconsolidated methane hydrate-bearing sediment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, T.; Soga, K.; Yamamoto, K.

2016-12-01

World's first offshore production of gas from methane hydrate-bearing sediment was accomplished in Nankai Trough off the coast of Japan. The achievement signals the beginning of exploitation of methane hydrate as a new source of energy, as an estimated amount of the new gas resource significantly exceeds that of the existing conventional oil and gas resources. Conventional gas reservoirs exist in consolidated sediment (i.e. rocks) thousands of metres below seafloor, and such sediment is hard enough to resist deformation. Methane hydrate reservoirs, on the other hand, lies only a couple of hundreds of metres down the seafloor, which means the sediment is unconsolidated (i.e. soils) and is readily deformed. In addition, the hydrate melts away in the pore space when it releases gas, giving rise to a significant rearrangement of stresses in the sediment. Well construction in methane hydrate reservoir might affect the mechanical state of the sediment to the point where the interpretation of the fracture pressure test becomes difficult and sand production could be enhanced. Existing numerical simulations tend to overlook soil mechanics, which is more appropriate than rock mechanics to model unconsolidated sediment, and the effect of methane hydrate on soil's mechanical behaviour is missed. In the present research, the construction of well in unconsolidated hydrate-bearing sediment was modelled with finite element analysis incorporating the critical state soil mechanics. Results showed that cement shrinkage in the well annulus would have a significant effect on the principal stresses and directions of the sediment even if the magnitude of the shrinkage was 0.1%. Cement shrinkage would also promote the generation of plastic strains, potentially enhancing sand production. Results also showed that the direction of fracture inferred from a fracture pressure test at Nankai Trough might have been vertical, indicating it was developed at the cement-sediment interface.

Acoustic measurement of sediment dynamics in the coastal zones using wireless sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudhakaran, A., II; Paramasivam, A.; Seshachalam, S.; A, C.

2014-12-01

Analyzing of the impact of constructive or low energy waves and deconstructive or high energy waves in the ocean are very much significant since they deform the geometry of seashore. The deformation may lead to productive result and also to the end of deteriorate damage. Constructive waves results deposition of sediment which widens the beach where as deconstructive waves results erosion which narrows the beach. Validation of historic sediment transportation and prediction of the direction of movement of seashore is essential to prevent unrecoverable damages by incorporating precautionary measurements to identify the factors that influence sediment transportation if feasible. The objective of this study is to propose a more reliable and energy efficient Information and communication system to model the Coastal Sediment Dynamics. Various factors influencing the sediment drift at a particular region is identified. Consequence of source depth and frequency dependencies of spread pattern in the presence of sediments is modeled. Property of source depth and frequency on sensitivity to values of model parameters are determined. Fundamental physical reasons for these sediment interaction effects are given. Shallow to deep water and internal and external wave model of ocean is obtained intended to get acoustic data assimilation (ADA). Signal processing algorithms are used over the observed data to form a full field acoustic propagation model and construct sound speed profile (SSP). The inversions of data due to uncertainties at various depths are compared. The impact of sediment drift over acoustic data is identified. An energy efficient multipath routing scheme Wireless sensor networks (WSN) is deployed for the well-organized communication of data. The WSN is designed considering increased life time, decreased power consumption, free of threats and attacks. The practical data obtained from the efficient system to model the ocean sediment dynamics are evaluated with remote sensing data and the reasons of deviations and uncertainties are unbiased. The probability of changes and impact of sediment drift over ocean dynamic model over the long running of years is estimated.

In-situ monitoring of deformation of clayey and volcanic sequences in the lacustrine plain of Iztapalapa, Mexico City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carreon-Freyre, D.; Cerca, M.; Barrientos, B.; Gutierrez, R.; Blancas, D.

2012-12-01

Major cities of Central Mexico with lowering of land elevation problems are located in inter-volcanic and fault bounded basins within the central Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB). The most representative and studied case of ground deformation is Mexico City, where the Iztapalapa Municipality presents the highest population density. This area is located over the geological contact between the "Sierra de Santa Catarina" volcanic range and a lacustrine plain. Filling of lacustrine basins includes silty and clayey sediments as well as pyroclastic deposits (coarse and fine grained) and volcanic rocks layers. We used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and MASW prospection to evaluate contrasts in the physical properties of fine grained soils and identify geometry of the deformational features and implemented a mechanical system for in situ monitoring in fractured sites. Deformational features in this basin reflect an interplay between the geological history (depositional conditions), load history, seismic activity, and faulting. Plastic mechanical behaviour predominates in these clayey sediments and differential deformation locally triggers brittle fracturing and/or subsidence of the surface. In this work we present the results of monitoring and characterization of ground deformation and fracturing in different sequences, our results show a dynamic interplay between the mechanisms of ground fracturing and the stress history of sedimentary sequences. Relating the mechanical behaviour of the studied sequences with variations of physical and geological properties should be taken into account to estimate land level lowering and risk of fracturing for urban development planning.

Control of Precambrian basement deformation zones on emplacement of the Laramide Boulder batholith and Butte mining district, Montana, United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berger, Byron R.; Hildenbrand, Thomas G.; O'Neill, J. Michael

2011-01-01

What are the roles of deep Precambrian basement deformation zones in the localization of subsequent shallow-crustal deformation zones and magmas? The Paleoproterozoic Great Falls tectonic zone and its included Boulder batholith (Montana, United States) provide an opportunity to examine the importance of inherited deformation fabrics in batholith emplacement and the localization of magmatic-hydrothermal mineral deposits. Northeast-trending deformation fabrics predominate in the Great Falls tectonic zone, which formed during the suturing of Paleoproterozoic and Archean cratonic masses approximately 1,800 mega-annum (Ma). Subsequent Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic deformation fabrics trend northwest. Following Paleozoic through Early Cretaceous sedimentation, a Late Cretaceous fold-and-thrust belt with associated strike-slip faulting developed across the region, wherein some Proterozoic faults localized thrust faulting, while others were reactivated as strike-slip faults. The 81- to 76-Ma Boulder batholith was emplaced along the reactivated central Paleoproterozoic suture in the Great Falls tectonic zone. Early-stage Boulder batholith plutons were emplaced concurrent with east-directed thrust faulting and localized primarily by northwest-trending strike-slip and related faults. The late-stage Butte Quartz Monzonite pluton was localized in a northeast-trending pull-apart structure that formed behind the active thrust front and is axially symmetric across the underlying northeast-striking Paleoproterozoic fault zone, interpreted as a crustal suture. The modeling of potential-field geophysical data indicates that pull-apart?stage magmas fed into the structure through two funnel-shaped zones beneath the batholith. Renewed magmatic activity in the southern feeder from 66 to 64 Ma led to the formation of two small porphyry-style copper-molybdenum deposits and ensuing world-class polymetallic copper- and silver-bearing veins in the Butte mining district. Vein orientations parallel joints in the Butte Quartz Monzonite that, in turn, mimic Precambrian deformation fabrics found outside the district. The faults controlling the Butte veins are interpreted to have formed through activation under shear of preexisting northeast-striking joints as master faults from which splay faults formed along generally east-west and northwest joint plane orientations.

Pore pressure development and progressive dewatering in underthrust sediments at the Costa Rican subduction margin: Comparison with northern Barbados and Nankai

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saffer, Demian M.

2003-05-01

At subduction zones, pore pressure affects fault strength, deformation style, structural development, and potentially the updip limit of seismogenic faulting behavior through its control on effective stress and consolidation state. Despite its importance for a wide range of subduction zone processes, few detailed measurements or estimates of pore pressure at subduction zones exist. In this paper, I combine logging-while-drilling (LWD) data, downhole physical properties data, and laboratory consolidation tests from the Costa Rican, Nankai, and Barbados subduction zones, to document the development and downsection variability of effective stress and pore pressure within underthrust sediments as they are progressively loaded by subduction. At Costa Rica, my results suggest that the lower portion of the underthrust section remains nearly undrained, whereas the upper portion is partially drained. An inferred minimum in effective stress developed within the section ˜1.5 km landward of the trench is consistent with core and seismic observations of faulting, and illustrates the important effects of heterogeneous drainage on structural development. Inferred pore pressures at the Nankai and northern Barbados subduction zones indicate nearly undrained conditions throughout the studied intervals, and are consistent with existing direct measurements and consolidation test results. Slower dewatering at Nankai and Barbados than at Costa Rica can be attributed to higher permeability and larger compressibility of near-surface sediments underthrust at Costa Rica. Results for the three margins indicate that the pore pressure ratio (λ) in poorly drained underthrust sediments should increase systematically with distance landward of the trench, and may vary with depth.

Lake sediment records as earthquake catalogues: A compilation from Swiss lakes - Limitations and possibilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kremer, Katrina; Reusch, Anna; Wirth, Stefanie B.; Anselmetti, Flavio S.; Girardclos, Stéphanie; Strasser, Michael

2016-04-01

Intraplate settings are characterized by low deformation rates and recurrence intervals of strong earthquakes that often exceed the time span covered by instrumental records. Switzerland, as an example for such settings, shows a low instrumentally recorded seismicity, in contrast to strong earthquakes (e.g. 1356 Basel earthquake, Mw=6.6 and 1601 Unterwalden earthquake, Mw=5.9) mentioned in the historical archives. As such long recurrence rates do not allow for instrumental identification of earthquake sources of these strong events, and as intense geomorphologic alterations prevent preservation of surface expressions of faults, the knowledge of active faults is very limited. Lake sediments are sensitive to seismic shaking and thus, can be used to extend the regional earthquake catalogue if the sedimentary deposits or deformation structures can be linked to an earthquake. Single lake records allow estimating local intensities of shaking while multiple lake records can furthermore be used to compare temporal and spatial distribution of earthquakes. In this study, we compile a large dataset of dated sedimentary event deposits recorded in Swiss lakes available from peer-reviewed publications and unpublished master theses. We combine these data in order to detect large prehistoric regional earthquake events or periods of intense shaking that might have affected multiple lake settings. In a second step, using empirical seismic attenuation equations, we test if lake records can be used to reconstruct magnitudes and epicentres of identified earthquakes.

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

Finley, P.D.; Krason, J.; Dominic, K.

Multichannel and selected single-channel seismic lines of the continental margin sediments of the Colombia basin display compelling evidence for large accumulations of natural gas hydrate. Seismic bottom simulating reflectors (BSRs), interpreted to mark the base of the hydrate stability zone, are pronounced and very widespread along the entire Panama-Colombia lower continental slope. BSRs have also been identified at two locations on the abyssal plain. Water depths for these suspected hydrate occurrences range from 900 to 4000 m. Although no gas hydrate samples have been recovered from this area, biogenic methane is abundant in Pliocene turbidites underlying the abyssal plain. Moremore » deeply buried rocks beneath the abyssal plain are thermally mature. Thermogenic gas from these rocks may migrate upward along structural pathways into the hydrate stability zone and form hydrate. Impermeable hydrate layers may form caps over large accumulations of free gas, accounting for the very well-defined BSRs in the area. The abyssal plain and the deformed continental margin hold the highest potential for major economic accumulations of gas hydrate in the basin. The extensive continuity of BSRs, relatively shallow water depths, and promixity to onshore production facilities render the marginal deformed belt sediments the most favorable target for future economic development of the gas hydrate resource within the Colombia basin. The widespread evidence of gas hydrates in the Colombia basin suggests a high potential for conventional hydrocarbon deposits offshore of Panama and Colombia.« less

Use of chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) as bioindicators of contaminant stress: Biochemical, chromosomal and developmental measures

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

Ciborowski, J.J.H.; Cervi, L.; Sinasac, D.

1995-12-31

Sublethal environmental stresses produce effects ranging from subtle biochemical changes that protect an organism from damage, through developmental effects that interfere with growth and compromise fitness. Benthic chironomids live in intimate contact with the sediments to which most persistent chemicals are bound. Their short life cycle and unique developmental and genetic structure make them excellent candidates as biological indicators of stress. The authors evaluated the short and long-term responses of Chironomus riparius larvae to contaminants. To determine short-term stress responses, third and fourth instar Chironomus larvae were exposed to up to 1.5 {micro}L/g creosote or up to 100 {micro}g/g Cdmore » for 12 h. Creosote-exposed larvae exhibited proteins of a molecular weight consistent with production of heat shock proteins of the HSP 70 family. Exposure to Cd induced significant enlargement of Balbiani Rings of the 4th chromosome in chironomid salivary glands, indicative of increased transcription of RNA precursors to salivary mucoproteins. Chironomus larvae individually reared from second instar larvae at [Cd] up to 40 {micro}g/g sediment exhibited increased incidence of mentum deformities, and delayed development that resulted in larger size at pupation. Thus deformities are biologically relevant indicators of stress. Overall, the results confirm the potential of chironomids as relevant bioindicators of contaminant stress.« less

Coeval gravity-driven and thick-skinned extensional tectonics in the mid-Cretaceous of the western Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodego, Arantxa; Agirrezabala, Luis M.

2010-05-01

The Mesozoic Basque-Cantabrian Basin in the western Pyrenees constitutes a peri-cratonic basin originated by rifting related to the Cretaceous opening of the Bay of Biscay. During the mid-Cretaceous the basin experienced important extensional/transtensional tectonics, which controlled the deposition of thick sedimentary successions. Many extensional structures have been documented in the basin but their thin-skinned/thick-skinned character is an unresolved question. In this field-based study, we characterize contemporaneous thin-skinned and thick-skinned deformations that took place during the filling of the mid-Cretaceous Lasarte sub-basin, located in the northeastern margin of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (western Pyrenees). Most of these extensional structures and associated growth strata are preserved and allow us to characterize and date different deformation phases. Moreover, verticalization and overturning of the successions during Tertiary compression allow mapping the geometry of the extensional structures at depth. The Lasarte sub-basin constitutes a triangular sag bordered by three major basement-involved faults, which trend N, E and NE, respectively. These trends, common in the Variscan fault pattern of Pyrenees, suggest that they are old faults reactivated during the mid-Cretaceous extension. Stratigraphy of the area shows very thin to absent Aptian-Albian (and older) deposits above the upward border blocks, whereas on the downward blocks (sub-basin interior) contemporaneous thick successions were deposited (up to 1500 m). The sub-basin fill is composed of different sedimentary systems (from alluvial to siliciclastic and carbonate platforms) affected by syndepositional extensional faults (and related folds). These faults die out in a southwestward dipping (~4°) detachment layer composed of Triassic evaporites and clays. A NE-SW cross-section of the sub-basin shows NW- to N-trending six planar and two listric extensional faults and associated folds, which define a horst and graben system. Rollovers (unfaulted and faulted), hangingwall synclines and central domes are present in the hangingwalls of both listric and planar faults. Also, a fault-propagation fold, a forced fold and a roller have been interpreted. Synkinematic depositional systems and sediment-filled fissures are parallel to the NW- to N-trending tectonic structures. Based on the trend of tectonic structures, the orientation of sediment-filled fissures and the paleocurrent pattern of growth strata, a thin-skinned NE-SW to E-W extension has been deduced for the interior of the Lasarte sub-basin. Both the coincidence between the directions of extension and dip of the detachment layer and the characteristics of the deformation suggest a thin-skinned gravity-driven extensional tectonics caused by the dip of the detachment layer. Recorded extensional deformation event in the Lasarte sub-basin is contemporaneous with and would have been triggered by the extreme crustal thinning and mantle exhumation processes documented recently in both the Basque-Cantabrian Basin and the Pyrenees.

IODP Expedition 362: Initial results from drilling the Sumatra subduction zone - the role of input materials in shallow seismogenic slip and forearc plateau development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeill, L. C.; Dugan, B.; Petronotis, K. E.; Expedition 362 Scientists, I.

2016-12-01

IODP Expedition 362, August-October, 2016, plans to drill two boreholes within the input section of the Indian oceanic plate entering the North Sumatran subduction zone. In 2004, a Mw 9.2 earthquake ruptured the Sunda subduction zone from North Sumatra to the Andaman Islands, a length of 1500 km. The earthquake and tsunami devastated coastal communities around the Indian Ocean. This earthquake and the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Mw 9.0 earthquake showed unexpectedly shallow megathrust slip. In the case of North Sumatra, this shallow slip was focused beneath a distinctive plateau of the accretionary prism. This intriguing seismogenic behavior and forearc structure are not explained by existing models or by observations at other margins where seismogenic slip typically occurs farther landward. Expedition 362 will use core and log data in conjunction with in situ temperature and pressure measurements to document the lithology, structures, and physical and chemical properties of the input sediments. The input materials of the North Sumatran subduction zone are a distinctive, thick (up to 4-5 km) sequence of primarily Bengal-Nicobar Fan-related sediments. This sequence geophysically shows strong evidence for induration and dewatering and has probably reached the temperatures required for sediment-strengthening diagenetic reactions, and input materials may be key to driving the distinctive slip behavior and long-term forearc structure. The plate boundary fault (décollement) originates within the lower pelagic and submarine fan sediments so sampling this interval will help determine what controls décollement development and how its properties evolve. Initial results from the Expedition and plans for post-expedition experiments and modeling will be presented. These methods will be used to predict physical, thermal, fluid, and mechanical properties and diagenetic evolution of the sediments as stresses and temperatures increase due to burial and subduction. Results will be used to test the role of sediment properties in shallow earthquake slip and in the unusual forearc structure. In addition, the results will contribute to our understanding of a) Bengal-Nicobar fan history and records of Himalayan uplift, erosion and monsoon development, and b) stress conditions in a complexly deforming region of the Indian plate.

Hinterland tectonics and drainage evolution recorded by foreland basin archives: the Neogene Siwaliks of the Himalaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huyghe, Pascale; van der Beek, Peter; Matthias, Bernet; Catherine, Chauvel; Jean-Louis, Mugnier; Laurent, Husson; François, Chirouze

2014-05-01

Provenance analysis and detrital thermochronology of detrital synorogenic sediments, derived from erosion of mountain belts and deposited in surrounding sedimentary basins, are well-established methods to examine the exhumation history of convergent zones, tectonic activity and the associated evolution of the drainage network. We have conducted multidisciplinary studies on magnetostratigraphically dated sections throughout the Neogene Siwalik foreland basin of the Himalayan belt since more than 10 years. Sr, Nd and Hf isotopes are used as provenance indicators, providing information on the nature and size of catchment basins and their evolution through time in response to tectonics. Detrital zircon and apatite thermochronology provides constraints on exhumation rates in the hinterland of the Himalaya and the deformation of the Sub-Himalayan foreland basin. Throughout the Himalaya, detrital zircons from the Siwaliks generally show three age peaks: two static peaks (i.e., displaying constant peak ages through time), and a moving peak. The latter shows a constant lag time of ~4 m.y. corresponding to source-area exhumation rates on the order of 1.8 km/my, while the two static peaks respectively reveal a major 15-20 Ma exhumation event in the belt, the significance of which is still debated, and inheritance of pre-Himalayan ages that indicate recycling of Tethyan sediments. Therefore, our ZFT results suggest that the exhumation dynamics are broadly similar throughout the Himalaya since at least 13 m.y, as also shown by the Bengal Fan detrital sediment record. We relate this switch in tectonic regime to the destabilization of the Himalayan wedge that is rendered overcritical as a response to the transience of dynamic topography caused by the deforming underlying Indian slab. Nonetheless, in detail, the timing of thrusting in the Siwalik domain is delayed by about 1 my eastward as demonstrated by both structural and apatite fission-track data, suggesting overall eastward propagation of the main faults. The evolution of the sedimentary provenance can be explained by overall forward propagation of deformation in the Himalayan fold-thrust belt. In both the eastern and western syntaxes, it also shows stability of the major drainage systems of the Yarlung-Brahmaputra and Indus, respectively, suggesting that hinterland river incision kept pace with uplift of the syntaxes during the Neogene. Drainage reorganization may take place in the foreland basin because of thin-skinned tectonics but did not significantly affect sediment routing and the contribution of different sources of the upper catchment to the overall sediment budget. In contrast, major rivers in the Central Himalaya (such as the Kali Gandaki or the Karnali) could have been affected by changes in their upper catchment.

Sedimentation and deformation of an aqueous sodium hydroxide drop in vegetable oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Andrew; Hyacinthe, Hyaquino; Ward, Thomas

2013-11-01

The addition of water droplets in fuels is known to provide benefits such as decreased Nitrous Oxide NOx emissions. Unfortunately the shelf life of a water-fuel emulsion is limited by the sedimentation rate of the water droplets. It is well known that adding surfactants can significantly slow the sedimentation rate due to the introduction of Marangoni stresses. In the case of a vegetable oil fuel, adding sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to the water droplets will produce surfactants through saponification in the form of sodium-carboxylate salts. Pendant drops of aqueous NaOH solutions with pH between 11 and 13 will be suspended in several oils such as corn, olive, canola and soybean oil in order to measure the interfacial tension. The change in interfacial tension with time will be used to estimate the surfactant concentration and the saponification rate. Then individual drops will be placed in the oils to observe the settling velocity and drop deformation. NSF CBET.

Morphology and sedimentation in Caribbean montane streams" examples from Jamaica and Puerto Rico

Treesearch

R. Ahmad; F.N. Scatena; A Gupta

1993-01-01

This paper presents a summary description of the morphology, sedimentation, and behaviour of the montane streams of eastern Jamaica and eastern Puerto Rico. The area is located within a 200 km wide seismically active zone of Neogene left-lateral strike-slip deformation which defines the plate boundary between the Caribbean and North American Plates. Tropical storms,...

Reconnaissance survey of the Duolun ring structure in Inner Mongolia: Not an impact structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiaoming; Kenkmann, Thomas; Xiao, Zhiyong; Sturm, Sebastian; Metzger, Nicolai; Yang, Yu; Weimer, Daniela; Krietsch, Hannes; Zhu, Meng-Hua

2017-09-01

The Duolun basin, which is located in Inner Mongolia, China, has been proposed to be an impact structure with an apparent rim diameter of about 70, or even 170 km. The designation as an impact structure was based on its nearly circular topography, consisting of an annular moat that surrounds an inner hummocky region, and the widespread occurrences of various igneous rocks, polymict breccias, and deformed crustal rocks. Critical shock metamorphic evidence is not available to support the impact hypothesis. We conducted two independent reconnaissance field surveys to this area and studied the lithology both within and outside of the ring structure. We collected samples from all lithologies that might contain evidence of shock metamorphism as suggested by their locations, especially those sharing similar appearances with impact breccias, suevites, impact melt rocks, and shatter cones. Field investigation, together with thin-section examination, discovered that the suspected impact melt rocks are actually Early Cretaceous and Late Jurassic lava flows and pyroclastic deposits of rhyolitic to trachytic compositions, and the interpreted impact glass is typical volcanic glass. Petrographic analyses of all the samples reveal no indications for shock metamorphic overprint. All these lines of evidence suggest that the Duolun basin was not formed through impact cratering. The structural deformation and spatial distribution pattern of the igneous rocks suggest that the Duolun basin is most likely a Jurassic-Cretaceous complex rhyolite caldera system that has been partly filled with sediments forming an annular basin, followed by resurgent doming of the central area.

Evolution of the Mount Woods Inlier, northern Gawler Craton, Southern Australia: an integrated structural and aeromagnetic analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betts, Peter G.; Valenta, Rick K.; Finlay, Jim

2003-05-01

Structural mapping integrated with interpretation and forward modelling of aeromagnetic data form complimentary and powerful tools for regional structural analysis because both techniques focus on architecture and overprinting relationships. This approach is used to constrain the geometry and evolution of the sparsely exposed Mount Woods Inlier in the northern Gawler Craton. The Mount Woods Inlier records a history of poly-phase deformation, high-temperature metamorphism, and syn- and post-orogenic magmatism between ca. 1736 and 1584 Ma. The earliest deformation involved isoclinal folding, and the development of bedding parallel and axial planar gneissic foliation (S 1). This was accompanied by high-temperature, upper amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism at ca. 1736 Ma. During subsequent north-south shortening (D 2), open to isoclinal south-southeast-oriented F 2 folds developed as the Palaeoproterozoic successions of the inlier were thrust over the Archaean nuclei of the Gawler Craton. The syn-D 2 Engenina Adamellite was emplaced at ca. 1692 Ma. The post-D 2 history involved shear zone development and localised folding, exhumation of metamorphic rocks, and deposition of clastic sediments prior to the emplacement of the ca. 1584 Ma Granite Balta Suite. The Mount Woods Inlier is interpreted as the northern continuation of the Kimban Orogen.

Storm-wave-induced seabed deformation: Results from in situ observation in the Yellow River subaqueous delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Y.; Wang, Z. Mr; Liu, X.; Shan, H.

2017-12-01

Submarine landslides move large volumes of sediment and are often hazardous to offshore installations. Current research into submarine landslides mainly relies on marine surveying techniques. In contrast, in situ observations of the submarine landslide process, specifically seabed deformation, are sparse, and therefore restrict our understanding of submarine landslide mechanisms and the establishment of a disaster warning scheme. The submarine landslide monitoring (SLM) system, which has been designed to partly overcome these pitfalls, can monitor storm-wave-induced submarine landslides in situ and over a long time period. The SLM system comprises two parts: (1) a hydrodynamic monitoring tripod for recording hydrodynamic data and (2) a shape accel array for recording seabed deformation at different depths. This study recorded the development of the SLM system and the results of in situ observation in the Yellow River Delta, China, during the boreal winter of 2014-2015. The results show an abrupt small-scale storm-wave-induced seabed shear deformation; the shear interface is in at least 1.5-m depth and the displacement of sediments at 1.23-m depth is more than 13 mm. The performance of the SLM system confirms the feasibility and stability of this approach. Further, the in situ observations, as well as the laboratory tests, helped reveal the profound mechanism of storm-wave-induced seabed deformation.

Pre-rift sedimentation of the Lomonosov Ridge, Arctic Ocean at 84°N - A correlation to the complex geologic evolution of the conjugated Kara Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauermilch, Isabel; Weigelt, Estella; Jokat, Wilfried

2018-07-01

The Arctic Ocean region plays, and has played in the geological past, a key role for Earth's climate and oceanic circulation and their evolution. Studying the Lomonosov Ridge, a narrow submarine continental ridge in the central Arctic Ocean, is essential to answer fundamental questions related to the complex tectonic evolution of the Arctic basins, the glacial history, and the details of known paleoceanographic changes in the Cenozoic. In this study, we present a new seismic dataset that provides insights into the sedimentary structures along the ridge, their possible origin, age and formation. We compare the structure and stratigraphy of the deeper parts of the ridge between 83°N and 84°30‧N to its conjugate, the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago at the Eurasia margin. We propose that some sediment sequences directly underlying the prominent HARS (High Amplitude Reflector Sequence) formed well before the ridge separated from the Barents and Kara shelves and represent a prolongation of the North Kara Terrane, most likely part of the Neoproterozoic Timanide orogen. Towards Siberia along the Lomonosov Ridge, we interpret the HARS to be underlain by Upper Proterozoic-Lower Paleozoic metasedimentary material that is correlated to metamorphic complexes exposed on Bol'shevik Island. Northward, this unit descends and gives way to a foreland sedimentary basin complex of presumed Ordovician/Devonian age, which underwent strong deformation during the Triassic/Jurassic Novaya Zemlya orogeny. The transition zone between these units might mark a conjugate continuation of the Eurasian margin's Bol'shevik-Thrust Zone. A prominent erosional unconformity is observed over these strongly deformed foreland basins of the Eurasian and Lomonosov Ridge margins, and is conceivably related to vertical tectonics during breakup or a later basin-wide erosional event.

Depositional and deformational history of the Franciscan complex, northernmost California

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

Aalto, K.R.

1990-05-01

Pervasive extensional shear fractures and curvilinear arrays of clay and silt-filled veins in Franciscan Complex melanges and turbidites formed when Franciscan sediments were unlithified. Sandstone dikes both crosscut and follow fractures. Several scales of extensional faulting account for the juxtaposition of turbidites of different facies and/or with varying degrees of stratal disruption, the formation of sandstone lozenges and pinch-and-swell structures, and the formation of scaly foliation within the matrix of melange units. Within turbidites, the upper laminated portions of beds commonly contain abundant listric microfaults and the more massive lower portions of beds contain sediment-filled vein arrays. Veining and faultingmore » occurred concurrently and resulted in differential extension of upper verses lower portions of beds. The finer sediment in veins reflects both cataclasis and filtering in of clay and silt from vein walls. Most Franciscan rocks record an early pervasive, layer-parallel flattening strain, which may be related to the gravitational collapse of late Mesozoic Franciscan inner trench slope sediments that accompanied accretionary prism expansion resulting from underplating. However, some turbidites record noncoaxial extension that resulted from downslope creep of sediments. At Crescent City, sediment creep resulted in oversteepening of the Franciscan inner trench slope, which, in turn, may have triggered large-scale failure of slope materials resulting in the emplacement of the Crescent City olistostrome. The olistostrome crops out for 12 km along the coast, is up to 600 m thick, is in depositional contact with turbidites, and contains chiefly sandstone, greenstone, chert olistoliths up to 200 m across, and zones of slump-folded turbidites.« less

Depositional history of Louisiana-Mississippi outer continental shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kindinger, J.L.; Miller, R.J.; Stelting, C.E.

1982-01-01

A geological study was undertaken in 1981 in the Louisiana-Mississippi outer continental shelf for the Bureau of Land Management. The study included a high-resolution seismic reflection survey, surficial sediment sampling and surface current drifter sampling. Approximately 7100 sq km of the Louisiana-Mississippi shelf and upper slope were surveyed. The sea floor of the entire area is relatively smooth except for occasional areas of uplift produced by diapiric intrusion along the upper slope. Characteristics of the topography and subsurface shelf sediments are the result of depositional sequences due to delta outbuilding over transgressive sediments with intervening periods of erosion during low sea level stands. Little evidence of structural deformation such as faults, diapirs, and shallow gas is present on the shelf and only a few minor faults and scarps are found on the slope. Minisparker seismic records in combination with air gun (40 and 5 cu in) and 3.5-kHz subbottom profile records reveal that seven major stages of shelf development have occurred since the middle Pleistocene. The shelf development has been controlled by the rise and fall of sea level. These stages are defined by four major unconformities, several depositions of transgressive sediments, sequences of river channeling and progradational delta deposits. Surficial sediment sample and seismic records indicate tat the last major depositional event was the progradation of the St. Bernard Delta lobe. This delta lobe covered the northwestern and central regions. Surficial sediments in most of the study area are the product of the reworking of the San Bernard Delta lobe and previous progradations.

Strike-Slip Fault Deformation and Its Control in Hydrocarbon Trapping in Ketaling Area, Jambi Subbasin, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramadhan, Aldis; Badai Samudra, Alexis; Jaenudin; Puji Lestari, Enik; Saputro, Julian; Sugiono; Hirosiadi, Yosi; Amrullah, Indi

2018-03-01

Geologically, Ketaling area consists of a local high considered as flexure margin of Tempino-Kenali Asam Deep in west part and graben in east part also known as East Ketaling Deep. Numerous proven plays were established in Ketaling area with reservoir in early Miocene carbonate and middle Miocene sand. This area underwent several major deformations. Faults are developed widely, yet their geometrical features and mechanisms of formation remained so far indistinct, which limited exploration activities. With new three-dimensional seismic data acquired in 2014, this area evidently interpreted as having strike-slip mechanism. The objective of this study is to examine characteristic of strike slip fault and its affect to hydrocarbon trapping in Ketaling Area. Structural pattern and characteristic of strike slip fault deformation was examined with integration of normal seismic with variance seismic attribute analysis and the mapping of Syn-rift to Post-rift horizon. Seismic flattening on 2D seismic cross section with NW-SE direction is done to see the structural pattern related to horst (paleohigh) and graben. Typical flower structure, branching strike-slip fault system and normal fault in synrift sediment clearly showed in section. An echelon pattern identified from map view as the result of strike slip mechanism. Detail structural geology analysis show the normal fault development which has main border fault in the southern of Ketaling area dipping to the Southeast-East with NE-SW lineament. These faults related to rift system in Ketaling area. NW-SE folds with reactive NE-SW fault which act as hydrocarbon trapping in the shallow zone. This polyphase tectonic formed local graben, horst and inverted structure developed a good kitchen area (graben) and traps (horst, inverted structure). Subsequently, hydrocarbon accumulation potentials such as basement fractures, inverted syn-rift deposit and shallow zone are very interesting to explore in this area.

Do mesoscale faults in a young fold belt indicate regional or local stress?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokado, Akihiro; Yamaji, Atsushi; Sato, Katsushi

2017-04-01

The result of paleostress analyses of mesoscale faults is usually thought of as evidence of a regional stress. On the other hand, the recent advancement of the trishear modeling has enabled us to predict the deformation field around fault-propagation folds without the difficulty of assuming paleo mechanical properties of rocks and sediments. We combined the analysis of observed mesoscale faults and the trishear modeling to understand the significance of regional and local stresses for the formation of mesoscale faults. To this end, we conducted the 2D trishear inverse modeling with a curved thrust fault to predict the subsurface structure and strain field of an anticline, which has a more or less horizontal axis and shows a map-scale plane strain perpendicular to the axis, in the active fold belt of Niigata region, central Japan. The anticline is thought to have been formed by fault-propagation folding under WNW-ESE regional compression. Based on the attitudes of strata and the positions of key tephra beds in Lower Pleistocene soft sediments cropping out at the surface, we obtained (1) a fault-propagation fold with the fault tip at a depth of ca. 4 km as the optimal subsurface structure, and (2) the temporal variation of deformation field during the folding. We assumed that mesoscale faults were activated along the direction of maximum shear strain on the faults to test whether the fault-slip data collected at the surface were consistent with the deformation in some stage(s) of folding. The Wallace-Bott hypothesis was used to estimate the consistence of faults with the regional stress. As a result, the folding and the regional stress explained 27 and 33 of 45 observed faults, respectively, with the 11 faults being consistent with the both. Both the folding and regional one were inconsistent with the remaining 17 faults, which could be explained by transfer faulting and/or the gravitational spreading of the growing anticline. The lesson we learnt from this work was that we should pay attention not only to regional but also to local stresses to interpret the results of paleostress analysis in the shallow levels of young orogenic belts.

Pre-lithification tectonic foliation development in a clastic sedimentary rock sequence from SW Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meere, Patrick; Mulchrone, Kieran; McCarthy, David

2017-04-01

The current orthodoxy regarding the development of regionally developed penetrative tectonic cleavage fabrics in sedimentary rocks is that it postdates lithification of those rocks. It is well established that fabric development under these circumstances is achieved by a combination of grain rigid body rotation, crystal-plastic deformation and pressure solution. The latter is believed to be the primary mechanism responsible for the domainal nature of cleavage development commonly observed in low grade metamorphic rocks. While there have been advocates for the development of tectonic cleavages before host rock lithification these are currently viewed as essentially local aberrations without regional significance. In this study we combine new field observations with strain analysis, element mapping and modelling to characterise Acadian (>50%) crustal shortening in a Devonian clastic sedimentary sequence from the Dingle Peninsula of south west Ireland. Fabrics in these rocks reflect significant levels of tectonic shortening are a product of grain translation, rigid body rotation and repacking of intra- and extra-formational clasts during deformation of an unconsolidated clastic sedimentary sequence. There is an absence of the expected domainal cleavage structure and intra-clast deformation expected with conventional cleavage formation. This study requires geologists to consider the possibility such a mechanism contributing to tectonic strain in a wide range of geological settings and to look again at field evidence that indicates early sediment mobility during deformation.

Structural record of Lower Miocene westward motion of the Alboran Domain in the Western Betics, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frasca, Gianluca; Gueydan, Frédéric; Brun, Jean-Pierre

2015-08-01

In the framework of the Africa-Europe convergence, the Mediterranean system presents a complex interaction between subduction rollback and upper-plate deformation during the Tertiary. The western end of the system shows a narrow arcuate geometry across the Gibraltar arc, the Betic-Rif belt, in which the relationship between slab dynamics and surface tectonics is not well understood. The present study focuses on the Western Betics, which is characterized by two major thrusts: 1) the Internal/External Zone Boundary limits the metamorphic domain (Alboran Domain) from the fold-and-thrust belts in the External Zone; 2) the Ronda Peridotites Thrust allows the juxtaposition of a strongly attenuated lithosphere section with large bodies of sub-continental mantle rocks on top of upper crustal rocks. New structural data show that two major E-W strike-slip corridors played a major role in the deformation pattern of the Alboran Domain, in which E-W dextral strike-slip faults, N60° thrusts and N140° normal faults developed simultaneously during dextral strike-slip simple shear. Olistostromic sediments of Lower Miocene age were deposited and deformed in this tectonic context and hence provide an age estimate for the inferred continuous westward translation of the Alboran Domain that is accommodated by an E-W lateral (strike-slip) ramp and a N60° frontal thrust. The crustal emplacement of large bodies of sub-continental mantle may occur at the onset of this westward thrusting in the Western Alboran domain. At lithosphere-scale, we interpret the observed deformation pattern as the subduction upper-plate expression of a lateral slab tear and its westward propagation since the Lower Miocene.

Along-strike structural variation and thermokinematic development of the Cenozoic Bitlis-Zagros fold-thrust belt, Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barber, Douglas E.; Stockli, Daniel F.; Koshnaw, Renas I.; Tamar-Agha, Mazin Y.; Yilmaz, Ismail O.

2016-04-01

The Bitlis-Zagros orogen in northern Iraq is a principal element of the Arabia-Eurasia continent collision and is characterized by the lateral intersection of two structural domains: the NW-SE trending Zagros proper system of Iran and the E-W trending Bitlis fold-thrust belt of Turkey and Syria. While these components in northern Iraq share a similar stratigraphic framework, they exhibit along-strike variations in the width and style of tectonic zones, fold morphology and trends, and structural inheritance. However, the distinctions of the Bitlis and Zagros segments remains poorly understood in terms of timing and deformation kinematics as well as first-order controls on fold-thrust development. Structural and stratigraphic study and seismic data combined with low-T thermochronometry provide the basis for reconstructions of the Bitlis-Zagros fold-thrust belt in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq to elucidate the kinematic and temporal relationship of these two systems. Balanced cross-sections were constructed and incrementally restored to quantify the deformational evolution and use as input for thermokinematic models (FETKIN) to generate thermochronometric ages along the topographic surface of each cross-section line. The forward modeled thermochronometric ages from were then compared to new and previously published apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He and fission-track ages from southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq to test the validity of the timing, rate, and fault-motion geometry associated with each reconstruction. The results of these balanced theromokinematic restorations integrated with constraints from syn-tectonic sedimentation suggest that the Zagros belt between Erbil and Suleimaniyah was affected by an initial phase of Late Cretaceous exhumation related to the Proto-Zagros collision. During the main Zagros phase, deformation advanced rapidly and in-sequence from the Main Zagros Fault to the thin-skinned frontal thrusts (Kirkuk, Shakal, Qamar) from middle to latest Miocene times, followed by out-of-sequence development of the Mountain Front Flexure (Qaradagh anticline) by ~5 Ma. In contrast, initial exhumation in the northern Bitlis belt occurred by mid-Eocene time, followed by collisional deformation that propagated southward into northern Iraqi Kurdistan during the middle to late Miocene. Plio-Pleistocene deformation was partitioned into out-of-sequence reactivation of the Ora thrust along the Iraq-Turkey border, concurrent with development of the Sinjar and Abdulaziz inversion structures at the edge of the Bitlis deformation front. Overall, these data suggest the Bitlis and Zagros trends evolved relatively independently during Cretaceous and early Cenozoic times, resulting in very different structural and stratigraphic inheritance, before being affected contemporaneously by major phase of in-sequence shortening during middle to latest Miocene and out-of-sequence deformation since the Pliocene. Limited seismic sections corroborate the notion that the structural style and trend of the Bitlis fold belt is dominated by inverted Mesozoic extensional faults, whereas the Zagros structures are interpreted mostly as fault-propagation folds above a Triassic décollement. These pre-existing heterogeneities in the Bitlis contributed to the lower shortening estimates, variable anticline orientation, and irregular fold spacing and the fundamentally different orientations of the Zagros-Bitlis belt in Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey.

The role of sediment supply in esker formation and ice tunnel evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, Matthew J.; Brennand, Tracy A.; Sjogren, Darren B.

2015-05-01

Meltwater is an important part of the glacier system as it can directly influence ice sheet dynamics. Although it is important that ice sheet models incorporate accurate information about subglacial meltwater processes, the relative inaccessibility of contemporary ice sheet beds makes direct investigation challenging. Former ice sheet beds contain a wealth of meltwater landforms such as eskers that, if accurately interpreted, can provide detailed insight into the hydrology of former ice sheets. Eskers are the casts of ice-walled channels and are a common landform within the footprint of the last Laurentide and Cordilleran Ice Sheets. In south-western Alberta, esker distribution suggests that both water and sediment supply may have been important controls; the longest esker ridge segments are located within meltwater valleys partially filled by glaciofluvial sediments, whereas the shortest esker ridge segments are located in areas dominated by clast-poor till. Through detailed esker ridge planform and crest-type mapping, and near surface geophysics we reveal morpho-sedimentary relationships that suggest esker sedimentation was dynamic, but that esker distribution and architecture were primarily governed by sediment supply. Through comparison of these data with data from eskers elsewhere, we suggest three formative scenarios: 1) where sediment supply and flow powers were high, coarse sediment loads result in rapid deposition, and rates of thermo-mechanical ice tunnel growth is exceeded by the rate of ice tunnel closure due to sediment infilling. High sedimentation rates reduce ice tunnel cross-sectional area, cause an increase in meltwater flow velocity and force ice tunnel growth. Thus, ice tunnel growth is fastest where sedimentation rate is highest; this positive feedback results in a non-uniform ice tunnel geometry, and favours macroform development and non-uniform ridge geometry. 2) Where sediment supply is limited, but flow power high, the rate of sedimentation is less than the rate of thermo-mechanical ice tunnel growth. Here the ice tunnel enlarges faster than it fills with sediment and its evolution is independent of sedimentation, resulting in more uniform ice tunnel geometry. In these cases esker architecture is dominated by extensive vertical accretion of tabular units and ridge geometry is more uniform. 3) Where sediment is truly supply-limited the sedimentation rate is negligible regardless of water supply and, like scenario 2, ice tunnel growth is independent of sediment deposition, forming a relatively uniform ice tunnel (or eroding the bed). Because meltwater flows transport few gravel clasts the ice tunnel is not completely filled with gravel and, instead, saturated and pressurized diamicton or bedrock (if deformable) from beneath the surrounding ice is "squeezed" into the relatively low pressure ice tunnel during waning flow (or after ice tunnel shutdown), resulting in deformation of limited gravels deposited within the ice tunnel and a landform cored with diamicton or deformed bedrock, and with a relatively uniform ridge geometry. Our data demonstrate that an esker map is a minimum map of ice-walled channel location and that continued detailed investigation of morpho-sedimentary relationships is essential to gaining a complete picture of esker forming processes. Validating the morpho-sedimentary relationships identified in south-western Alberta (and other areas) with a larger data set may allow improved remote predictive esker mapping over larger areas and inferences to be made about spatial and temporal variations in esker depositional environments and ice tunnel evolution.

The Gogebic Iron Range - A Sample of the Northern Margin of the Penokean Fold and Thrust Belt

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cannon, William F.; LaBerge, Gene L.; Klasner, John S.; Schulz, Klaus J.

2008-01-01

The Gogebic iron range is an elongate belt of Paleoproterozoic strata extending from the west shore of Lake Gogebic in the upper peninsula of Michigan for about 125 km westward into northern Wisconsin. It is one of six major informally named iron ranges in the Lake Superior region and produced about 325 million tons of direct-shipping ore between 1887 and 1967. A significant resource of concentrating-grade ore remains in the western and eastern parts of the range. The iron range forms a broad, gently southward-opening arc where the central part of the range exposes rocks that were deposited somewhat north of the eastern and western parts. A fundamental boundary marking both the tectonic setting of deposition and the later deformation within the Penokean orogen lies fortuitously in an east-west direction along the range so that the central part of the range preserves sediments deposited north of that boundary, whereas the eastern and western parts of the range were deposited south of the boundary. Thus, the central part of the range provides a record of sedimentation and very mild deformation in a part of the Penokean orogen farthest from the interior of the orogen to the south. The eastern and western parts of the range, in contrast, exhibit a depositional and deformational style typical of parts closer to the interior of the orogen. A second fortuitous feature of the iron range is that the entire area was tilted from 40° to 90° northward by Mesoproterozoic deformation so that the map view offers an oblique cross section of the Paleoproterozoic sedimentary sequence and structures. Together, these features make the Gogebic iron range a unique area in which to observe (1) the lateral transition from deposition on a stable platform to deposition in a tectonically and volcanically active region, and (2) the transition from essentially undeformed Paleoproterozoic strata to their folded and faulted equivalents.Paleoproterozoic strata in the Gogebic iron range are part of the Marquette Range Supergroup. They were deposited unconformably on Neoarchean rocks consisting of a diverse volcanic suite (the Ramsay Formation) which was intruded by granitic rocks of the Puritan Quartz Monzonite. The Marquette Range Supergroup in this region consists of a basal sequence of orthoquartzite (Sunday Quartzite) and dolomite (Bad River Dolomite), both of which are part of the Chocolay Group. The group is preserved only in the eastern and western parts of the range but was probably present throughout before the erosion interval that separated it from the overlying Menominee Group. The Menominee Group consists of basal clastic rocks (Palms Formation) that grade upward into the Ironwood Iron-Formation, which is the principal iron-bearing unit of the range. The Ironwood interfingers with the Emperor Volcanic Complex in the eastern part of the range and with volcanic rocks and gabbro in the western part of the range. The Ironwood is overlain unconformably by the Tyler Formation in the central and western parts of the range and by the Tyler’s equivalent, the Copps Formation, in the eastern part of the range.Strata in the central part of the iron range are entirely sedimentary. Deposition occurred in a relatively stable tectonic setting, at least until the deposition of the Tyler Formation. The Tyler consists largely of turbidites deposited in a foreland basin in advance of accreting volcanic arcs to the south. Penokean deformation in the central part of the range was very minor; the evidence of deformation consists of steep faults with small offsets and a few bedding-parallel faults that also have small offsets and that are recognized only in mine workings. In both the eastern and western parts of the iron range, abrupt facies changes mark a passage into a more tectonically and volcanically active belt. These relationships are especially well displayed in the east where a graben, the Presque Isle trough, began to subside during deposition of the Ironwood Iron-Formation. The thickness of the Ironwood increases into the graben and its internal stratigraphy also changes. The most prominent changes in the graben are the presence of a thick volcanic unit, the Emperor Volcanic Complex of the Menominee Group, and comagmatic gabbro sills that interfinger with the Ironwood. In the western part of the range, volcanic rocks and comagmatic gabbro sills are also present in the Ironwood, but a graben that is equivalent to the Presque Isle trough is not evident.Penokean structures are well developed in both the eastern and western parts of the iron range. They consist of folds ranging from outcrop to regional scale and thrust faults which, in places, either repeated the section or detached it from Neoarchean basement. The sharp transition from the little-deformed central part of the range to the more intensely deformed eastern and western parts coincides closely with the earlier developed transition from the stable sedimentary setting in the central part to the tectonically active sedimentation in the east and west parts. The extensional structures that formed during sedimentation may have helped to control the extent of later Penokean compressional structures.

Role of Neogene Exhumation and Sedimentation on Critical-Wedge Kinematics in the Zagros Orogenic Belt, Northeastern Iraq, Kurdistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koshnaw, R. I.; Horton, B. K.; Stockli, D. F.; Barber, D. E.; Tamar-Agha, M. Y.; Kendall, J. J.

2014-12-01

The Zagros orogenic belt and foreland basin formed during the Cenozoic Arabia-Eurasia collision, but the precise histories of shortening and sediment accumulation remain ambiguous, especially at the NW extent of the fold-thrust belt in Iraqi Kurdistan. This region is characterized by well-preserved successions of Cenozoic clastic foreland-basin fill and deformed Paleozoic-Mesozoic hinterland bedrock. The study area provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the linkage between orogenic wedge behavior and surface processes of erosion and deposition. The aim of this research is to test whether the Zagros orogenic wedge advanced steadily under critical to supercritical wedge conditions involving in-sequence thrusting with minimal erosion or propagated intermittently under subcritical condition involving out-of-sequence deformation with intense erosion. These endmember modes of mountain building can be assessed by integrating geo/thermochronologic and basin analyses techniques, including apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology, detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, stratigraphic synthesis, and seismic interpretations. Preliminary apatite (U-Th)/He data indicate activation of the Main Zagros Fault (MZF) at ~10 Ma with frontal thrusts initiating at ~8 Ma. However, thermochronometric results from the intervening Mountain Front Flexure (MFF), located between the MZF and the frontal thrusts, suggest rapid exhumation at ~6 Ma. These results suggest that the MFF, represented by the thrust-cored Qaradagh anticline, represents a major episode of out-of-sequence deformation. Detrital zircon U-Pb analyses from the Neogene foreland-basin deposits show continuous sediment derivation from sources to the NNE in Iraq and western Iran, suggesting that out-of-sequence thrusting did not significantly alter sedimentary provenance. Rather, intense hinterland erosion and recycling of older foreland-basin fill dominated sediment delivery to the basin. The irregular distribution of thermochronologic ages, hinterland growth, extensive erosion, and recycled sediment in the Neogene foreland basin imply that the Zagros orogenic wedge in the Iraqi Kurdistan region largely developed under subcritical wedge conditions.

Holocene deformation offshore Ventura basin, CA, constrained by new high-resolution geophysical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perea, H.; Ucarkus, G.; Driscoll, N. W.; Kent, G. M.; Levy, Y.; Rockwell, T. K.

2017-12-01

The Transverse Ranges (Southern California, USA) accommodate the contraction resulting from a regional restraining bend in the San Andreas Fault to form a thrust-and-fold belt system. The southern boundary of this system corresponds to the E-W trending Ventura basin, which is filled by more than 5 km of Pleistocene sediment and is shortening at about 10 mm/yr as inferred from geodetic data. Although the different thrust and folds are fairly well known in the onshore areas of the basin, there is still uncertainty about their continuation in the offshore. The analysis of new high-resolution (SIO CHIRP) and existing (USGS sparker and chirp) seismic data has allowed us to characterize better the active geological structures in the offshore. In the dataset, we have identified different latest Quaternary seismostratigraphic units and horizons, with the most regionally recognized being a transgressive surface (LGTS) associated to the Last Glacial maximum and subsequent sea level rise. A series of E-W regional folds related to thrust faults have deformed the LGTS producing highs and depressions. The correlation of these structures between profiles shows that they are elongated and parallel between them and continue to the coastline. In addition, considering their trend and kinematics, we have been able to tie them with the main onshore active thrusts and folds. Above the LGTS we have identified progradational and agradational units that are related to global sea level rise, which exhibit less deformation (folding and faulting) than the lower units and horizons. However, we have recognized some specific fold growth sequences above LGTS associated with the activity of different thrust-related anticlines. Accordingly, we have identified between 3 and 5 tectonic deformation events (e.g., earthquakes) associated to thrust fault activity. These results may help us to determine the deformation history for the offshore Ventura basin and the potentiality of the thrust faults that may be tsunamigenic, and compare our observations to the onshore results.

Association of deformation and fluid events in the central Brooks Range fold-and-thrust belt, Northern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Thomas E.; Potter, Christopher J.; O'Sullivan, Paul B.; Shelton, Kevin L.; Underwood, Michael B.

2003-01-01

Ocentral Brooks Range consists of two superposed north-directed contractional orogens, one formed between 140-120 Ma and the other at ~60-45 Ma. The older orogen was an arc-continent collisional zone characterized by far-traveled allochthons and relatively low structural relief. The younger orogen is a retroarc thrust belt with relatively low amounts of shortening and high structural relief. Folding and thrusting of the younger episode is superimposed on the thin-skinned deformational wedge of the earlier orogen and also produced a frontal triangle zone in a thick sequence of mid-Cretaceous foreland basin sediments to the north. Stable isotope compositions of calcite and quartz veins indicate two fluid events including: (1) an earlier, higher-temperature (~250-300° C) event that produced veins in deformed Devonian clastic rocks, and (2) a younger, lower-temperature (~150° C) event that deposited veins in deformed Mississippian through Albian strata. The fluids in the first event had variable d18O values, but nearly constant d13C values buffered by limestone lithologies. The vein-forming fluids in the second event had similarly variable d18O values, but with distinctly lower d13C values as a result of oxidation of organic matter and/or methane. Zircon fission track ages demonstrate cooling to temperatures below 200° C between 140-120 Ma for the Devonian rocks, whereas zircon and apatite fission track ages show that Mississippian to Albian rocks were never heated above 200° C and cooled below 110-90° C at ~60-45 Ma. These data are interpreted as indicating that the older, high-temperature fluid event was active during thrusting at 120-140 Ma, and the younger fluid event during deformation at ~60-45 Ma. The data and results presented in this poster will be published in early 2004 in Moore and others (in press).

Investigation of neotectonic deformation in the eastern part of the Caucasus Intermountain Area, Kura Fold-Thrust Belt, Georgia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukhishvili, L.; Javakhishvili, Z.; Forte, A. M.; Boichenko, G.; Merebashvili, G.

2016-12-01

The Kura Fold-Thrust Belt (KFTB), located in the eastern Caucasus, is a young first-order structural system within the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone and absorbs greater than 50% of total convergence between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus at this longitude. The structure, activity, and initiation age of the KFTB is well constrained in Azerbaijan, but less so within Georgia. Based on regional stratigraphic relationships, it is suggested that deformation of the Georgian portion of the KFTB initiated before or during Akchagyl time (3.4-1.6 Ma), but field data verifying this hypothesis is lacking. The Gombori Range represents the western extent of the KFTB, rises to elevations > 1900 m, and currently is a topographic barrier to south-directed rivers flowing from the Greater Caucasus, with the first river crossing the KFTB >100 km to the east. The Gombori Range also contains exposures of deformed Pliocene to Quaternary fluvial sediments that likely record a drainage network reorganization in response to the growth of the KFTB and a shift from through-going south-flowing rivers to the current network. To test this hypothesis, we focus on 1 km exposure of continuous Plio-Quaternary section along the Turdo river, which flows northwards from the Gombori range. The exposures are a >40 m vertical cliff, so we first use photogrammetry to construct a digital outcrop model and analyze it in a virtual reality environment to select strategic locations for detailed paleocurrent analysis in attempt to bracket the timing of KFTB development. Understanding the history and current location of active deformation in this region is essential for seismic hazard assessment for the nearby major cities of Telavi and Tbilisi. From previous active fault studies, the maximum earthquake magnitude in this region is Mw=7.0 and the strongest recorded earthquake was a Mw=5.3 in 1997. Observed seismicity is sparse and it's difficult to delineate active faults by earthquakes hypocenters. To determine active structures, we recalculate hypocenters to determine fault plane solutions and we also use tectonic geomorphology (e.g. normalized channel steepness) to help clarify the location of active deformation. We use the information derived from these different approaches to develop a more complete deformation history of the western portion of KFTB.

Experimental Investigation of Terminal Fans Prograding on a Salt Substrate: 3-d Physical Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatmas, E.; Kim, W.

2015-12-01

Interactions between geologic features and a mobile substrate layer are present in several passive margin locations throughout the world. Deformation of a substrate layer is primarily due to differential loading of sediment and results in complexities within the morphology and subsequently the stratigraphic record. By using simplified scaled tank experiments, we investigated the relationship between substrate deformation and fan evolution in a fluvial-dump-wind-redistribution setting. In this system, sediment is being eroded from a mountain range and creating terminal fans; fluvial channels form off of the fan body and the deposited fluvial sediment is the source for an aeolian dune field. Several past experimental studies have focused on how deltas and dunes are affected on when deposited on a salt substrate, however terminal fans and channel formation off of fans have not been thoroughly investigated. The current experiments focused on which variables are the most significant in controlling fan growth, channel initiation and channel behavior on the salt substrate. Our experimental basin is 120 cm long, 60 cm wide and 30 cm tall. The materials used for a suite of five experiments involved a polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the deformable substrate analog and 100-μm quartz sand. By isolating certain variables such as substrate thickness, basin slope and sediment discharge we are able to see how terminal fans and channels are affected in different settings. The experimental results show that 1) increase in substrate thickness increased the amount of subsidence around the fan body, limiting sediment transport to channels off of the toe of the fan, 2) a higher basin slope increased the number of channels formed and increased sinuosity and width variations of channels over distance, and 3) a higher sediment discharge rate on a thin substrate allowed for the farthest downstream fan deposits. Preliminary results show that channel behavior and fan morphology is strongly dependent on substrate thickness and basin slope directly influences channel geometry. These findings will also be compared to the Mojave River Wash located in southern California off the San Bernardino Mountains near Zzyzx, CA to further understand the dynamics of terminal fans on a mobile substrate.

Kinematics, Exhumation, and Sedimentation of the North Central Andes (Bolivia): An Integrated Thermochronometer and Thermokinematic Modeling Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rak, Adam J.; McQuarrie, Nadine; Ehlers, Todd A.

2017-11-01

Quantifying mountain building processes in convergent orogens requires determination of the timing and rate of deformation in the overriding plate. In the central Andes, large discrepancies in both timing and rate of deformation prevent evaluating the shortening history in light of internal or external forcing factors. Geologic map patterns, age and location of reset thermochronometer systems, and synorogenic sediment distribution are all a function of the geometry, kinematics, and rate of deformation in a fold-thrust-belt-foreland basin (FTB-FB) system. To determine the timing and rate of deformation in the northern Bolivian Andes, we link thermokinematic modeling to a sequentially forward modeled, balanced cross section isostatically accounting for thrust loads and erosion. Displacement vectors, in 10 km increments, are assigned variable ages to create velocity fields in a thermokinematic model for predicting thermochronometer ages. We match both the pattern of predicted cooling ages with the across strike pattern of measured zircon fission track, apatite fission track, and apatite (U-Th)/He cooling ages as well as the modeled age of FB formations to published sedimentary sections. Results indicate that northern Bolivian FTB deformation started at 50 Ma and may have begun as early as 55 Ma. Acceptable rates of shortening permit either a constant rate of shortening ( 4-5 mm/yr) or varying shortening rates with faster rates (7-10 mm/yr) at 45-50 Ma and 12-8 Ma, significantly slower rates (2-4 mm/yr) from 35 to 15 Ma and indicate the northern Bolivian Subandes started deforming between 19 and 14 Ma.

Shape fabric development in rigid clast populations under pure shear: The influence of no-slip versus slip boundary conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulchrone, Kieran F.; Meere, Patrick A.

2015-09-01

Shape fabrics of elliptical objects in rocks are usually assumed to develop by passive behavior of inclusions with respect to the surrounding material leading to shape-based strain analysis methods belonging to the Rf/ϕ family. A probability density function is derived for the orientational characteristics of populations of rigid ellipses deforming in a pure shear 2D deformation with both no-slip and slip boundary conditions. Using maximum likelihood a numerical method is developed for estimating finite strain in natural populations deforming for both mechanisms. Application to a natural example indicates the importance of the slip mechanism in explaining clast shape fabrics in deformed sediments.

Sea-level responses to sediment transport over the last ice age cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrier, K.; Mitrovica, J. X.

2013-12-01

Sea-level changes over the last ice age cycle were instrumental in steering Earth's topographic evolution. These sea-level variations were driven by changes in surface mass loads, including not only ice and ocean mass variations but also the transfer of rock from eroding mountains to sedimentary deposits. Here we use an extended numerical model of ice age sea level (Dalca et al., 2013) to explore how sediment erosion and deposition affected global sea-level variations over the last ice age cycle. The model takes histories of ice and sediment loads as inputs, and it computes gravitationally self-consistent sea level responses by accounting for the deformational, gravitational, and rotational perturbations in the Earth's viscoelastic form. In these model simulations, we use published estimates of erosion rates, sedimentation rates, and ice sheet variations to constrain sediment and ice loading since the Last Interglacial. We explore sea-level responses to several erosional and depositional scenarios, and in each we quantify the relative contributions of crustal deformation and gravitational perturbation to the computed sea-level change. We also present a case study to illustrate the effects that sediment transfer can have on sea level at the regional scale. In particular, we focus on the region surrounding the Indus River, where fluvial sediment fluxes are among the highest on Earth. Preliminary model results suggest that sediment fluxes from Asia to the ocean are large enough to produce a significant response in sea level along the northeastern coast of the Arabian Sea. Moreover, they suggest that modeled sea-level histories are sensitive to the timing and spatial distribution of sediment erosion and deposition. For instance, sediment deposition along the continental shelf - which may have been the primary site of Indus River sediment deposition during the Holocene - produces a different sea-level response than sediment deposition on the deep-sea Indus Fan, where most of the Indus sediment may have been deposited during the glacial period preceding the Holocene. These simulations highlight the role that massive continent-to-ocean sediment fluxes can play in driving sea-level patterns over thousands of years. References: Dalca A.V., Ferrier K.L., Mitrovica J.X., Perron J.T., Milne G.A., Creveling J.R., 2013. On postglacial sea level - III: Incorporating sediment redistribution. Geophys. J. Int., doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt089.

Interpretation of recent alpine landscape system evolution using geomorphic mapping and L-band InSAR analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imaizumi, Fumitoshi; Nishiguchi, Takaki; Matsuoka, Norikazu; Trappmann, Daniel; Stoffel, Markus

2018-06-01

Alpine landscapes are typically characterized by inherited features of past glaciations and, for the more recent past, by the interplay of a multitude of types of geomorphic processes, including permafrost creep, rockfalls, debris flows, and landslides. These different processes usually exhibit large spatial and temporal variations in activity and velocity. The understanding of these processes in a wide alpine area is often hindered by difficulties in their surveying. In this study, we attempt to disentangle recent changes in an alpine landscape system using geomorphic mapping and L-band DInSAR analyses (ALOS-PALSAR) in the Zermatt Valley, Swiss Alps. Geomorphic mapping points to a preferential distribution of rock glaciers on north-facing slopes, whereas talus slopes are concentrated on south-facing slopes. Field-based interpretation of ground deformation in rock glaciers and movements in talus slopes correlates well with the ratio of InSAR images showing potential ground deformation. Moraines formed during the Little Ice Age, rock glaciers, and talus slopes on north-facing slopes are more active than landforms on south-facing slopes, implying that the presence of permafrost facilitates the deformation of these geomorphic units. Such deformations of geomorphic units prevail also at the elevation of glacier termini. For rock cliffs, the ratio of images indicating retreat is affected by slope orientation and elevation. Linkages between sediment supply from rock cliffs and sediment transport in torrents are different among tributaries, affected by relative locations between sediment supply areas and the channel network. We conclude that the combined use of field surveys and L-band DInSAR analyses can substantially improve process understanding in steep, high-mountain terrain.

Coupled deformation and dehydration processes in smectite-rich sediments constrained by laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huepers, Andre; Kopf, Achim J.

2013-04-01

Subduction zones play a central role in the geological activity of the earth which is expressed as devastating events such as earthquakes, tsunamis and explosive volcanism. Many processes that lead to such catastrophic behavior are driven by fluids, which in turn affect the rock mechanical behavior. The kinetic reaction of hydrous smectite to illite is widely accepted as a fluid source in subduction zone forearcs that also affects the mechanical state of subduction zone sediments. The released fluids are characterized by low-chlorinity and high volatile content. Also, previous workers demonstrated in uniaxial deformation tests that smectite partially dehydrates with increasing effective stress. To shed light on this process we performed uniaxial deformation experiments on smectite-rich samples from the Nankai and Costa Rica subduction zones. Experiments were conducted at temperatures of up to 100°C under constant rate of strain and effective stresses of up to ~100MPa. Fluids expelled during the experiments were analyzed for major and minor element content. The fluids are characterized by fluid-freshening and increasing volatile content that starts at ~1.3MPa effective stress. During the course of the experiments the smectite interlayer water content decreases from 27 wt-% to 20 wt-%. The released interlayer water comprises up to 17% of the total fluid volume released from the consolidating sediment. The onset of fluid freshening is characterized by a change in deformation behavior of the samples. The porosity decrease with increasing effective stress is smaller at effective stresses greater 1.3MPa. We propose that dehydration of the low permeable smectite leads to excess pore pressures in the sample, which causes a load transfer from the solid phase to the pore fluid.

Nankai Stress History and Implications for an Overpressured Decollement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moran, K.; O'Regan, M.

2005-12-01

The Nankai Trough, formed from the subduction of the Shikoku Basin beneath the island arc of southwestern Japan, is a relatively young accretionary complex converging at a rate of ~4 cm/yr [Shipboard Scientific Party, 2001a]. The region was studied during the Deep Sea Drilling Project and on three Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Legs-131, 190 and 196. Three sites visited during these Legs form a single cross-margin transect (dubbed the Muroto Transect) that traverses the leading edge of the Nankai accretionary prism, from seaward of the deformation front at Site 1173, to close to the deformation front (Site 1174), and landward to the first frontal thrust (Site 808). The decollement, which forms the major boundary between the converging plates, occurs within the Lower Shikoku Basin stratigraphic unit. The ODP sites were drilled and cored to depths below the decollement (Sites 808 and 1174) and the proto-decollement (Site 1173). Here we present consolidation test results [Moran et al., 1993] that are consistent with porosity-depth functions from core and log measurements for the Lower Shikoku Basin sediments, assuming that the decollement is an overpressured seal. At 1173, where a true decollement has not yet formed, moderate fluid overpressures occur that can be fully attributed to high turbiditic sedimentation rates. Forward modeling of this site into the deformation front over a period of ~300 ky shows that the present 1173 porosity-depth function matches the porosity-depth function at 1174. These results suggest that the young decollement on the Muroto Transect at the deformation front and landward is highly overpressured and forms a seal to sediments below that can be classically modeled as a one-dimensional consolidation system.

Entropic multirelaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method for moving and deforming geometries in three dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorschner, B.; Chikatamarla, S. S.; Karlin, I. V.

2017-06-01

Entropic lattice Boltzmann methods have been developed to alleviate intrinsic stability issues of lattice Boltzmann models for under-resolved simulations. Its reliability in combination with moving objects was established for various laminar benchmark flows in two dimensions in our previous work [B. Dorschner, S. Chikatamarla, F. Bösch, and I. Karlin, J. Comput. Phys. 295, 340 (2015), 10.1016/j.jcp.2015.04.017] as well as for three-dimensional one-way coupled simulations of engine-type geometries in B . Dorschner, F. Bösch, S. Chikatamarla, K. Boulouchos, and I. Karlin [J. Fluid Mech. 801, 623 (2016), 10.1017/jfm.2016.448] for flat moving walls. The present contribution aims to fully exploit the advantages of entropic lattice Boltzmann models in terms of stability and accuracy and extends the methodology to three-dimensional cases, including two-way coupling between fluid and structure and then turbulence and deforming geometries. To cover this wide range of applications, the classical benchmark of a sedimenting sphere is chosen first to validate the general two-way coupling algorithm. Increasing the complexity, we subsequently consider the simulation of a plunging SD7003 airfoil in the transitional regime at a Reynolds number of Re =40 000 and, finally, to access the model's performance for deforming geometries, we conduct a two-way coupled simulation of a self-propelled anguilliform swimmer. These simulations confirm the viability of the new fluid-structure interaction lattice Boltzmann algorithm to simulate flows of engineering relevance.

Application of Landsat imagery to problems of petroleum exploration in Qaidam Basin, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bailey, G.B.; Anderson, P.D.

1982-01-01

Tertiary and Quaternary nonmarine, petroleum-bearing sedimentary rocks have been extensively deformed by compressive forces. These forces created many folds which are current targets of Chinese exploration programs. Image-derived interpretations of folds, strike-slip faults, thrust faults, normal or reverse faults, and fractures compared very favorably, in terms of locations and numbers mapped, with Chinese data compiled from years of extensive field mapping. Many potential hydrocarbon trapping structures were precisely located. Orientations of major structural trends defined from Landsat imagery correlate well with those predicted for the area based on global tectonic theory. These correlations suggest that similar orientations exist in the eastern half of the basin where folded rocks are mostly obscured by unconsolidated surface sediments and where limited exploration has occurred.--Modified journal abstract.

Meteorite Impact "Earthquake" Features (Rock Liquefaction, Surface Wave Deformations, Seismites) from Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Geoelectric Complex Resistivity/Induced Polarization (IP) Measurements, Chiemgau (Alpine Foreland, Southeast Germany)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernstson, K.; Poßekel, J.

2017-12-01

Densely spaced GPR and complex resistivity measurements on a 30,000 square meters site in a region of enigmatic sinkhole occurrences in unconsolidated Quaternary sediments have featured unexpected and highlighting results from both a meteorite impact research and an engineering geology point of view. The GPR measurements and a complex resistivity/IP electrical imaging revealed extended subrosion depressions related with a uniformly but in various degrees of intensity deformed loamy and gravelly ground down to at least 10 m depth. Two principle observations could be made from both the GPR high-resolution measurements and the more integrating resistivity and IP soundings with both petrophysical evidences in good complement. Subrosion can be shown to be the result of prominent sandy-gravelly intrusions and extrusions typical of rock liquefaction processes well known to occur during strong earthquakes. Funnel-shaped structures with diameters up to 25 m near the surface and reaching down to the floating ground water level at 10 m depth were measured. GPR radargrams could trace prominent gravelly-material transport bottom-up within the funnels. Seen in both GPR tomography and resistivity/IP sections more or less the whole investigated area is overprinted by wavy deformations of the unconsolidated sediments with wavelengths of the order of 5 - 10 m and amplitudes up to half a meter, likewise down to 10 m depth. Substantial earthquakes are not known in this region. Hence, the observed heavy underground disorder is considered the result of the prominent earthquake shattering that must have occurred during the Holocene (Bronze Age/Celtic era) Chiemgau meteorite impact event that produced a 60 km x 30 km sized crater strewn field directly hosting the investigated site. Depending on depth and size of floating aquifers local concentrations of rock liquefaction and seismic surface waves (probably LOVE waves) to produce the wavy deformations could develop, when the big disintegrated meteoroid (a loosely bound asteroid or a comet of roughly estimated 1 km size) hit the ground. The observations in the Chiemgau area emphasize that studied paleoliquefaction features and wavy deformations (e.g. seismites) need not necessarily have originated solely from paleoseismicity but can provide a recognizable regional impact signature.

Biostratigraphy and structural setting of the Permian Coyote Butte Formation of central Oregon.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wardlaw, B.R.; Nestell, M.K.; Dutro, J.T.

1982-01-01

Larger isolated outcrops of the limestones of the Coyote Butte Formation consistently contain younger over older faunas that range through most of the Leonardian Series of the Early Permian. The outcrops of the Coyote Butte Formation are interpreted as right- side up blocks probably introduced into the area as one massive exotic unit. The Coyote Butte Formation is very similar to the Lower Permain limestone near Quinn River Crossing, Nevada, and both are suggested to have a similar origin. The Coyote Butte Formation was probably introduced during a late-stage event to deforming Mesozoic oceanic sediments in Mesozoic time. -Authors

Lithostratigraphy and structure of the early Archaean Doolena Gap Greenstone Belt, East Pilbara Terrane (EPT), Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiemer, D.; Schrank, C. E.; Murphy, D. T.

2014-12-01

We present a detailed lithostratigraphic and structural analysis of the Archean Doolena Gap greenstone belt to shed light on the tectonic evolution of the EPT. The study area is divided into four structural domains: i) marginal orthogneisses of the MGC (Muccan Granitoid Complex), ii) a dominantly mafic mylonitic shear zone (South Muccan Shear Zone, SMSZ) enveloping the MGC, iii) a Central Fold Belt of dominantly mafic greenschists (CFB), and iv) a lower greenschist- to sub-greenschist southern domain. Toward the dome margin, abrupt increases in deformation intensity occur across domain boundaries. Domain boundaries and intra-domain shear zones are marked by significant carbonate +/- quartz alteration and high-strain non-coaxial deformation with dome-up kinematics. The southern domain comprises pillow basalts of the Mount Ada Formation (MAF), conformably overlain by clastic sediments and minor pillow basalts of the Duffer Formation (DF). The MAF and DF are overlain by an up to 1km thick package of quartzite (Strelley Pool Formation) across an angular unconformity. Isoclinal folds (F2) within the CFB to the North deform an early foliation (S1) within dominantly mafic schists and associated carbonate veins. F2 folds are preserved within lozenges that are parallel to the axial planes of F2 folds in a regional E-W trending foliation (S2) and to the SMSZ. Lozenges are often bound by zones of significant carbonate alteration. The lozenges are folded recumbently (F3), with sub-vertical fold axes pointing towards the dome. The F3 axes are parallel to mineral stretching lineations on S2 indicating dome-up movement. The entire belt is cut by late NE-SW-striking faults that exhibit dominantly brittle deformation in the southern domain but ductile drag folding (F4) in the CFB. Therefore, the southern domain must have overlain the CFB during this D4 event. We propose a protracted structural history of the greenstone belt where successive deformation events relate to the episodic emplacement of the MGC. We demonstrate that the greenstone keel is mainly characterised by an anastomosing shear zone network, induced by hydro-chemical weakening of mafic schists. This implies that previous estimates of stratigraphic thickness are significantly overestimated.

Deformation, geochemistry, and origin of massive sulfide deposits, Gossan lead district, Virginia.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gair, J.E.; Slack, J.F.

1984-01-01

Lenses and layers of massive sulphides comprise a discontinuous horizon in the late Proterozoic metasedimentary Ashe formation. The folded and brecciated sulphides include pyrrhotite, minor chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pyrite, and rare arsenopyrite and galena. The deposits were mined for supergene copper, later for gossan iron, and finally for sulphur. The Ashe formation is interpreted to be marine turbidites, and contains lenses of mafic rocks of probable tholeiitic basalt parentage. Mineralogically and chemically distinctive rocks - for the Ashe formation - are interbedded with the sulphides and may represent metamorphosed alteration zones and/or mixed chemical and clastic sediments. The sulphide deposits are interpreted as syngenetic sediments, modified by deformation during metamorphism. Their deposition occurred in a deep, elongate marine basin overlying a crustal rift zone.-G.J.N.

A chronology of Late-Pleistocene permafrost events in southern New Jersey, eastern USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

French, H.M.; Demitroff, M.; Forman, S.L.; Newell, Wayne L.

2007-01-01

Frost fissures, filled with wind-abraded sand and mineral soil, and numerous small-scale non-diastrophic deformations, occur in the near-surface sediments of the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. The fissures are the result of thermal-contraction cracking and indicate the previous existence of either permafrost or seasonally-frozen ground. The deformations reflect thermokarst activity that occurred when permafrost degraded, icy layers melted and density-controlled mass displacements occurred in water-saturated sediments. Slopes and surficial materials of the area reflect these cold-climate conditions. Optically-stimulated luminescence permits construction of a tentative Late-Pleistocene permafrost chronology. This indicates Illinoian, Early-Wisconsinan and Late-Wisconsinan episodes of permafrost and/or deep seasonal frost and a Middle-Wisconsinan thermokarst event. Copyright ?? 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Elementary theory of bed-sediment entrainment by debris flows and avalanches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Iverson, Richard M.

2012-01-01

Analyses of mass and momentum exchange between a debris flow or avalanche and an underlying sediment layer aid interpretations and predictions of bed-sediment entrainment rates. A preliminary analysis assesses the behavior of a Coulomb slide block that entrains bed material as it descends a uniform slope. The analysis demonstrates that the block's momentum can grow unstably, even in the presence of limited entrainment efficiency. A more-detailed, depth-integrated continuum analysis of interacting, deformable bodies identifies mechanical controls on entrainment efficiency, and shows that entrainment rates satisfy a jump condition that involves shear-traction and velocity discontinuities at the flow-bed boundary. Explicit predictions of the entrainment rateEresult from making reasonable assumptions about flow velocity profiles and boundary shear tractions. For Coulomb-friction tractions, predicted entrainment rates are sensitive to pore fluid pressures that develop in bed sediment as it is overridden. In the simplest scenario the bed sediment liquefies completely, and the entrainment-rate equation reduces toE = 2μ1gh1 cos θ(1 − λ1)/ , where θ is the slope angle, μ1 is the flow's Coulomb friction coefficient, h1 is its thickness, λ1 is its degree of liquefaction, and is its depth-averaged velocity. For values ofλ1ranging from 0.5 to 0.8, this equation predicts entrainment rates consistent with rates of 0.05 to 0.1 m/s measured in large-scale debris-flow experiments in which wet sediment beds liquefied almost completely. The propensity for bed liquefaction depends on several factors, including sediment porosity, permeability, and thickness, and rates of compression and shear deformation that occur when beds are overridden.

Salt movements and faulting of the overburden - can numerical modeling predict the fault patterns above salt structures?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clausen, O. R.; Egholm, D. L.; Wesenberg, R.

2012-04-01

Salt deformation has been the topic of numerous studies through the 20th century and up until present because of the close relation between commercial hydrocarbons and salt structure provinces of the world (Hudec & Jackson, 2007). The fault distribution in sediments above salt structures influences among other things the productivity due to the segmentation of the reservoir (Stewart 2006). 3D seismic data above salt structures can map such fault patterns in great detail and studies have shown that a variety of fault patterns exists. Yet, most patterns fall between two end members: concentric and radiating fault patterns. Here we use a modified version of the numerical spring-slider model introduced by Malthe-Sørenssen et al.(1998a) for simulating the emergence of small scale faults and fractures above a rising salt structure. The three-dimensional spring-slider model enables us to control the rheology of the deforming overburden, the mechanical coupling between the overburden and the underlying salt, as well as the kinematics of the moving salt structure. In this presentation, we demonstrate how the horizontal component on the salt motion influences the fracture patterns within the overburden. The modeling shows that purely vertical movement of the salt introduces a mesh of concentric normal faults in the overburden, and that the frequency of radiating faults increases with the amount of lateral movements across the salt-overburden interface. The two end-member fault patterns (concentric vs. radiating) can thus be linked to two different styles of salt movement: i) the vertical rising of a salt indenter and ii) the inflation of a 'salt-balloon' beneath the deformed strata. The results are in accordance with published analogue and theoretical models, as well as natural systems, and the model may - when used appropriately - provide new insight into how the internal dynamics of the salt in a structure controls the generation of fault patterns above the structure. The model is thus an important contribution to the understanding of small-scale faults, which may be unresolved by seismic data when the hydrocarbon production from reservoirs located above salt structures is optimized.

Alongstrike geometry variations of the Carpathian thrust front east of Tarnów (SE Poland) as intersection phenomenon related to thrust-floor palaeotopography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gluszynski, Andrzej; Aleksandrowski, Pawel

2017-04-01

Structural geometry of the Miocene (Badenian-Sarmatian) Carpathian orogenic front between Tarnów and Pilzno was investigated, using borehole and 2D and 3D seismic data. In line with some earlier studies by other authors, but in much more comprehensive way, our study reveals details of the alongstrike changing structural geometry of the Carpathian orogenic front and offers a model of its tectonic evolution. At places the frontal thrust of the Carpathians is blind and accompanied by well developed wedge tectonics phenomena. Elsewhere it is emergent at the surface and shows an apparently simple structure. The base of the fold-thrust zone rests on a substratum with highly variable palaeotopography, which includes a major palaeovalley incised in the Mesozoic basement to a depth exceeding 1 km. The palaeovalley floor was covered with salt-bearing evaporites at the time when the thrusting took place. The wedge tectonics phenomena include backthrusts and a prominent crocodile structure. The tectonic wedge is formed by stacked thrust-slices of the Cretaceous-to-Oligocene flysch of the Skole nappe. This wedge has forced a basal Miocene evaporitic layer (including salt) to split into two horizons (1) the lower one, which acted as a tectonic lubricant along the floor thrust of the forward-moving flysch wedge, and (2) the upper one, along which the Miocene sediments of the Carpathian foredeep were underthrusted by the flysch wedge. This resulting crocodile structure has the flysch wedge in its core, a passive roof of Miocene sediments at the top and tilted Miocene strata at its front, defining a frontal homocline. A minor triangle zone, cored with deformed evaporites, has formed due to backthrust branching at the rear of the frontal monocline. At other places, the Carpathian flysch and its basal thrust, emerge at the surface. The flysch must have once also formed a wedge there, but was mostly removed by erosion following its elevation above the present-day topographic surface on the frontal thrust. The Skole flysch units overlie a relatively thin zone of deformed Miocene evaporitic series that covers autochthonous clastic Miocene sediments of the inner parts of the Carpathian foredeep. The sediments are southerly dipping at a shallow angle below the Outer Carpathian nappe structure. Our study indicates that the lateral variations in the structural geometry at the thrust front of the Carpathian orogen are due to different levels of erosional truncation that were controlled mainly by a predeformational palaeotopography of the base of the Carpathian foredeep. At the same time, the wedge tectonics phenomena owe their formation to the limited lateral extent of the evaporitic layer and its facies changes. At erosionally lowered locations of the foredeep's base, represented by the deep palaeovalley of Pogórska Wola, the Carpathian thrust front is a fully preserved, subsurface structure, concealed below the Miocene molasse of the foredeep. In areas where the pre-thrusting erosion was not so efficient (outside the palaeovalley), the Carpathian orogenic front is emergent at the surface. We infer that the originally existent flysch tectonic wedge, splitting the evaporites at its front, was thrusted to upper levels and then eroded at such locations.

Discriminating between natural versus induced seismicity from long-term deformation history of intraplate faults.

PubMed

Magnani, Maria Beatrice; Blanpied, Michael L; DeShon, Heather R; Hornbach, Matthew J

2017-11-01

To assess whether recent seismicity is induced by human activity or is of natural origin, we analyze fault displacements on high-resolution seismic reflection profiles for two regions in the central United States (CUS): the Fort Worth Basin (FWB) of Texas and the northern Mississippi embayment (NME). Since 2009, earthquake activity in the CUS has increased markedly, and numerous publications suggest that this increase is primarily due to induced earthquakes caused by deep-well injection of wastewater, both flowback water from hydrofracturing operations and produced water accompanying hydrocarbon production. Alternatively, some argue that these earthquakes are natural and that the seismicity increase is a normal variation that occurs over millions of years. Our analysis shows that within the NME, faults deform both Quaternary alluvium and underlying sediments dating from Paleozoic through Tertiary, with displacement increasing with geologic unit age, documenting a long history of natural activity. In the FWB, a region of ongoing wastewater injection, basement faults show deformation of the Proterozoic and Paleozoic units, but little or no deformation of younger strata. Specifically, vertical displacements in the post-Pennsylvanian formations, if any, are below the resolution (~15 m) of the seismic data, far less than expected had these faults accumulated deformation over millions of years. Our results support the assertion that recent FWB earthquakes are of induced origin; this conclusion is entirely independent of analyses correlating seismicity and wastewater injection practices. To our knowledge, this is the first study to discriminate natural and induced seismicity using classical structural geology analysis techniques.

Discriminating between natural versus induced seismicity from long-term deformation history of intraplate faults

PubMed Central

Magnani, Maria Beatrice; Blanpied, Michael L.; DeShon, Heather R.; Hornbach, Matthew J.

2017-01-01

To assess whether recent seismicity is induced by human activity or is of natural origin, we analyze fault displacements on high-resolution seismic reflection profiles for two regions in the central United States (CUS): the Fort Worth Basin (FWB) of Texas and the northern Mississippi embayment (NME). Since 2009, earthquake activity in the CUS has increased markedly, and numerous publications suggest that this increase is primarily due to induced earthquakes caused by deep-well injection of wastewater, both flowback water from hydrofracturing operations and produced water accompanying hydrocarbon production. Alternatively, some argue that these earthquakes are natural and that the seismicity increase is a normal variation that occurs over millions of years. Our analysis shows that within the NME, faults deform both Quaternary alluvium and underlying sediments dating from Paleozoic through Tertiary, with displacement increasing with geologic unit age, documenting a long history of natural activity. In the FWB, a region of ongoing wastewater injection, basement faults show deformation of the Proterozoic and Paleozoic units, but little or no deformation of younger strata. Specifically, vertical displacements in the post-Pennsylvanian formations, if any, are below the resolution (~15 m) of the seismic data, far less than expected had these faults accumulated deformation over millions of years. Our results support the assertion that recent FWB earthquakes are of induced origin; this conclusion is entirely independent of analyses correlating seismicity and wastewater injection practices. To our knowledge, this is the first study to discriminate natural and induced seismicity using classical structural geology analysis techniques. PMID:29202029

Comments on the Parameters and Processes that Affect the Preservation Potential and Style of Oblique-Divergent Plate Boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umhoefer, P. J.

2014-12-01

Oblique-divergent or transtensional zones present particular challenges in ancient belts because of the poor preservation potential of the thinned continental crust and young oceanic crust. Many oblique belts will preferentially preserve their boundary zones that lie within continents rather than the main plate boundary zone, which will be at a much lower elevation and composed of denser crust. Zones of tectonic escape or strike-slip overprinting of arcs or plateaus deform continental crust and may be better preserved. Here I highlight parameters and processes that have major effects on oblique divergent belts. Strain partitioning is common, but not ubiquitous, along and across oblique boundaries; the causes of partitioning are not always clear and make this especially vexing for work in ancient belts. Partitioning causes complexity in the patterns of structures at all scales. Inherited structures commonly determine the orientation and style of structures along oblique boundaries and can control the pattern of faults across transtensional belts. Regionally, inherited trends of arcs or other 1000-km-scale features can control boundary structures. Experiments and natural examples suggest that oblique boundary zones contain less of a record of strike-slip faulting and more extensional structures. The obliquity of divergence produces predictable families of structures that typify (i) strike-slip dominated zones (obliquity <~20°), (ii) mixed zones (~20° - ~35°), and (iii) extension dominated zones (>~35°). The combination of partitioning and mixed structures in oblique zones means that the boundaries of belts with large-magnitude strike-slip faulting will commonly preserve little of no record of that faulting history. Plate boundaries localize strain onto the main plate boundary structures from the broader plate boundary and therefore the boundary zones commonly preserve the earlier structures more than later structures, a major problem in interpreting ancient belts. Sediment input is critical in some oblique plate boundaries because these belts become more pronounced sediment sinks over time. The evolving topography of oblique boundaries means that they have great variability of sediment flux into differing parts of the system; large rivers enter these belts only in special circumstances.

Testing a thermo-chemo-hydro-geomechanical model for gas hydrate-bearing sediments using triaxial compression laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S.; Deusner, C.; Haeckel, M.; Helmig, R.; Wohlmuth, B.

2017-09-01

Natural gas hydrates are considered a potential resource for gas production on industrial scales. Gas hydrates contribute to the strength and stiffness of the hydrate-bearing sediments. During gas production, the geomechanical stability of the sediment is compromised. Due to the potential geotechnical risks and process management issues, the mechanical behavior of the gas hydrate-bearing sediments needs to be carefully considered. In this study, we describe a coupling concept that simplifies the mathematical description of the complex interactions occurring during gas production by isolating the effects of sediment deformation and hydrate phase changes. Central to this coupling concept is the assumption that the soil grains form the load-bearing solid skeleton, while the gas hydrate enhances the mechanical properties of this skeleton. We focus on testing this coupling concept in capturing the overall impact of geomechanics on gas production behavior though numerical simulation of a high-pressure isotropic compression experiment combined with methane hydrate formation and dissociation. We consider a linear-elastic stress-strain relationship because it is uniquely defined and easy to calibrate. Since, in reality, the geomechanical response of the hydrate-bearing sediment is typically inelastic and is characterized by a significant shear-volumetric coupling, we control the experiment very carefully in order to keep the sample deformations small and well within the assumptions of poroelasticity. The closely coordinated experimental and numerical procedures enable us to validate the proposed simplified geomechanics-to-flow coupling, and set an important precursor toward enhancing our coupled hydro-geomechanical hydrate reservoir simulator with more suitable elastoplastic constitutive models.

Offshore S. Cuba -- Quaternary lobsters and Eocene reefs

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

Rebora, M.

When Cuba is mentioned, the first image that comes to an explorationist's mind is one of complex imbricated thrust sheets, fractured carbonate reservoirs, volcanics and ophiolitic, and heavy and high sulfur oil. It is now known that this stimulating'' scenario does not apply to the whole of Cuba but only to the northern and central part where plate collisions and robust wrench tectonics exacted their toll on sediments and hydrocarbons alike. Seismic data recently acquired by Taurus Petroleum off the southern coast of Cuba reveal a rather different scenario: Mesozoic sediments several thousands of meters thick, deformed by moderate wrenchmore » tectonics into low-relief flower structures, and overlain by a variety of Paleogene shelf edge reefs, atolls, and banks that look as if reproduced from the pages of AAPG's Memoir 57. The whole is topped by Oligocene and Miocene evaporites, shales, and carbonates. The paper describes the southern shelf area, exploration in Cuba, reefs, oil and gas shows, source rocks, reservoir rocks, seals, and potential reserves.« less

Modern and past periglacial features in Central Asia and their implication for paleoclimate reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmkuhl, Frank

2017-04-01

In the cold and continental areas of Central and High Asia periglacial landform assembles, sediment structures and processes are mainly influenced and determinated by the existence of soil humidity during the freeze-thaw cycles. This results in cryogenic processes and periglacial landforms such as earth hummocks, patterned ground or solifluction. The distribution of rock glaciers as clear indicators of permafrost is also determined by rock fall or moraine debris composed of large boulders (e.g. granite). Periglacial features and landforms have been used to reconstruct past climatic conditions, e.g. relict involutions and ice-wedge casts provide evidence for the distribution of former permafrost, e.g. for the Last Glacial Maximum. Past temperatures, e.g. mean annual air temperatures, can be estimated from these periglacial features. Examples from late Holocene solifluction activity in the Altai, Khangai, and north-eastern Tibetan Plateau show different intensity of solifluction processes during the Late Holocene and Little Ice Age by decrease of temperature and more soil humidity. The distribution of past permafrost in some regions is still a matter of debate due to different interpretations of sediment structures: Sometimes features described as ice-wedge casts may be caused by roots or desiccation cracks due to drying of clay rich sediments. Seismically deformed unconsolidated deposits (seismites) can also be misinterpreted as periglacial involutions. The lack of certain landform assemblages and sediment structures does not necessarily mean that the area had no permafrost as moisture conditions also to a large degree govern periglacial landform generation and not only temperature. They can be ordered in Central Asia as follows (from highest moisture availability to lowest): solifluction - rock glacier - permafrost involutions - ice-wedge casts - sand wedge casts. Reference: LEHMKUHL, F. (2016): Modern and past periglacial features in Central Asia and their implication for paleoclimate reconstructions. - Progress in Physical Geography 40: 369-391. DOI: 10.1177/0309133315615778

Subtle evidence for paleoseismicity in the cratonic interior, U.S. A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, W. Z.; Cowan, C. A.; Runkel, A. C.

2009-12-01

Intrastratal deformation features in Cambrian-Ordovician boundary strata in southeastern Minnesota, U.S.A., may be evidence for mid-continent paleoseismicity. Deformation features are present tens of kilometers east of the Midcontinent Rift zone, and include sand blows, water escape, and convolute lamination, as well as more subtle structures indicative of sand-on-sand density contrasts. The stratigraphic interval of interest is the uppermost Jordan Formation (Furongian), a very fine- to coarse-grained quartzose sandstone, and the basal Oneota Formation (Tremadocian), a heterolithic sandstone and dolostone that grades upward into bedded dolostone. Along the Jordan-Oneota boundary, deformation features are extensive, and the result of sand liquefaction and fluidization. Upward migration of excess pore water was obstructed in places by shale drapes that locally ruptured, causing sand to be injected into overlying beds. Movement of sand in this manner created voids that were filled by a chaotic mixture of sand, shale, and pebbles that collapsed from above. Where upwardly percolating water was not confined by shale, intrastratal flow produced water escape pillars. Other deformation features are present up to ~3 m below the Jordan-Oneota boundary, in well-sorted, pure quartzose sandstone. These features are inconspicuous because of the uniform texture and minerology of the sediment, and some were previously interpreted as synsedimentary phenomena. These features are common along foreset boundaries in large-scale (>3 m) cross-strata, and include cm-scale digitate interfaces (interfingering) and in situ rounded forms interpreted as sand-on-sand boudinage. They formed from density contrasts between individual foresets within the cross-bedded sand. The top of the lower foreset was less dense but more viscous than the base of the succeeding foreset. Such contrasts were the result of subtle packing and grain size differences formed during the avalanche process during dune migration. We interpret the trigger for deformation, however, to be a post-depositional (post-Oneota) event because of the association of these subtle features with the more obvious liquefaction features in the immediately overlying boundary strata (and the increased intensity of deformation along foresets upward toward the boundary). Although these features cannot be unambiguously attributed to a paleoseismic event, some other common possibilities can be eliminated, including slumping and loading by sediment, tides, and storm waves. These intrastratal deformation features are documented in one outcrop in southeastern Minnesota. The subtlety of some of these features suggests that similar features may have been overlooked in nearby outcrops. Indeed, we are now revisiting unusual features in some localities that we previously interpreted as synsedimentary phenomena. Seismites may be difficult to generate, and to recognize, in quartoze sandstones of the mid-continent due to the lack of significantly thick clay beds to serve as permeability barriers, and the homogenous textural and mineralogical attributes of these units.

Magnetic fabrics of drumlins of the Green Bay Lobe: Implications for the bed-deformation model of drumlin formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vreeland, Nicholas Paul

According to some theories, subglacial deformation of sediment is the process of sediment transport most responsible for drumlin formation. If so, strain indicators in the sediment should yield deformation patterns that are systematically related to drumlin morphology. Clast fabrics have been used most commonly to make inferences about strain patterns in drumlins but with a wide range of sometimes divergent interpretations. These divergent interpretations reflect, in part, a lack of experimental control on the relationship between the state of strain and resulting fabrics. Herein, fabrics determined from the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of till within selected drumlins of the Green Bay Lobe are used to study the role of bed deformation in drumlin formation. AMS fabrics are a proxy for fabrics formed by non-equant, silt-sized, magnetite grains. Unlike past fabric studies of drumlins, laboratory deformation experiments conducted with this till provide a quantitative foundation for inferring strain magnitude, shearing direction, and shear-plane orientations from fabrics determined from principal directions of magnetic susceptibility (k1, k2, and k3). Intact till samples were collected from transects in seven drumlins in Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Waupaca, and Waushara counties of south-central Wisconsin, by both exploiting five existing outcrops and collecting 42 89 mm-diameter cores and sub-sampling them. Overall, ˜2800 samples were collected for AMS analysis, and 112 AMS fabrics were computed. Much of the till sampled (84% of fabrics) has k1 fabric strengths weaker than the lower 95% confidence limit for till (S1< 0.82) sheared to moderate strains (˜10), suggesting the till has been deformed but to strains too small to indicate that bed deformation was the principal till transport mechanism. Three of five drumlins studied have k1 fabric orientations that are not symmetrically disposed about the local flow direction indicated by drumlins. Rather, these fabrics are oriented 7-25° to the southeast of the drumlin orientations, consistent with reinterpreted microfabric data collected from nearby drumlins (Evenson, 1971). Furthermore, in all drumlins, orientations of shear planes inferred from principal susceptibilities deviate markedly from the local surface slopes of drumlins, with a 23.8° average difference between the poles to inferred shear planes and to local slopes. We infer that the drumlin fabric was set by basal till deformation during glacier flow to the southeast prior to drumlin formation and that drumlinization did not significantly reset the fabric. Thus, these drumlins are inferred to have been formed by differential erosion of a pre-existing till layer by processes unrelated to bed deformation.

Laboratory investigation of coupled deformation and fluid flow in mudrock: implications for slope stability in the Ursa Basin, Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flemings, P. B.; Song, I.; Saffer, D. M.

2012-04-01

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 308 was dedicated to the study of fluid flow, overpressure, and slope stability in the Ursa Basin, on the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico. In this location, turbidite channel levees deposited a wedge-shaped body: the deposition rate in the thick part of the wedge exceeded 12 mm/yr. This rapid deposition of fine grained sediments generated excess pore pressure observed near the seafloor. IODP drilling focused on three Sites: U1322, U1323, and U1324, along the steepest slope (2°) on the eastern section of the Ursa Canyon levee deposits. In this study, we conducted a suite of deformation experiments on samples from Site 1324, to understand the stress-strain behavior and stress history of the recovered core material. Our samples were taken from depths of 30-160 meters below seafloor, and are composed of ~40% silt and ~60% clay, with porosities ranging from ~42-55%. We first conducted uniaxial consolidation tests to determine pre-consolidation stresses and define deformation behavior due to simulated vertical loading. In a subset of tests, we subjected the samples to undrained shearing following consolidation, to define the friction angle and define relationships between stress state and deformation. We find that the lateral effective stress during uniaxial compression is 56-64% of the vertical effective stress (avg. K0=0.6). Pre-consolidation stresses suggest that pore pressure is hydrostatic to 50 mbsf (meters below seafloor), and is overpressured below this, with excess pressures up to 70% of the hydrostatic effective vertical stress (λ*=0.7) at 160 mbsf. The time coefficient of consolidation (cv) in these experiments is ~2.2x10-8 m2/s. Undrained shear tests define a failure envelope with a residual friction angle (φ) of 23° and zero cohesion. In our shearing tests, we observed no pore pressure change during initial (primarily elastic) shear deformation, but note a monotonic increase in pore pressure during the later plastic shear deformation, possibly due to re-organization of sediment grains. Our consolidated undrained tests suggest that the slope in the study area should remain stable during sedimentation, despite the high overpressure (λ*=0.7). However, this stress condition could be affected by gravitational and seepage forces that cause horizontal extension along the slope. In this case, a reduction in horizontal confining stress would render the slope sediments unstable (drive them to active failure) as defined by the Coulomb criterion. If shear strain during slope failure leads to plastic deformation of the sediments, this would also induce a pore pressure increase, further decreasing the factor of safety (FS) for landslides. For the landslides of the slope (i.e., FS=1.0), the overpressure rate λ* should reach 0.92 for the given slope (2°). However, active normal faulting takes place at lower values of λ* (0.2-0.8). Our analysis suggests that the instability of the slope may arise more likely from normal faults dipping stiff (45°+φ/2) than from landslides slipping on a plane parallel to such a gentle slope of seafloor.

Numerical simulations of sand production in interbedded hydrate-bearing sediments during depressurization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Uchida, Shun; Lin, Jeen-Shang; Myshakin, Evgeniy; Seol, Yongkoo; Collett, Timothy S.; Boswell, Ray

2017-01-01

Geomechanical behavior of hydrate-bearing sediments during gas production is complex, involving changes in hydrate-dependent mechanical properties. When interbedded clay layers are present, the complexity is more pronounced because hydrate dissociation tends to occur preferentially in the sediments adjacent to the clay layers due to clay layers acting as a heat source. This would potentially lead to shearing deformation along the sand/clay contacts and may contribute to solid migration, which hindered past field-scale gas production tests. This paper presents a near-wellbore simulation of sand/clay interbedded hydrate-bearing sediments that have been subjected to depressurization and discusses the effect of clay layers on sand production.

Mechanical properties of simulated Mars materials: gypsum-rich sandstones and lapilli tuff

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morrow, Carolyn; Lockner, David; Okubo, Chris

2013-01-01

Observations by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity, and other recent studies on diagenesis in the extensive equatorial layered deposits on Mars, suggest that the likely lithologies of these deposits are gypsum-rich sandstones and tuffaceous sediments (for example, Murchie and others, 2009; Squyres and others, 2012; Zimbelman and Scheidt, 2012). Of particular interest is how the diagenesis history of these sediments (degree of cementation and composition) influences the strength and brittle behavior of the material. For instance, fractures are more common in lower porosity materials under strain, whereas deformation bands, characterized by distributed strain throughout a broader discontinuity in a material, are common in higher porosity sedimentary materials. Such discontinuities can either enhance or restrict fluid flow; hence, failure mode plays an important role in determining the mechanics of fluid migration through sediments (Antonellini and Aydin, 1994; 1995; Taylor and Pollard, 2000; Ogilvie and Glover, 2001). As part of a larger study to characterize processes of fault-controlled fluid flow in volcaniclastic and gypsum-rich sediments on Mars, we have completed a series of laboratory experiments to focus on how gypsum clast content and degree of authigenic cementation affects the strength behavior of simulated Mars rocks. Both axial deformation and hydrostatic pressure tests were done at room temperature under dry conditions.

Mesozoic (Lower Jurassic) red stromatactis limestones from the Southern Alps (Arzo, Switzerland): calcite mineral authigenesis and syneresis-type deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuweiler, Fritz; Bernoulli, Daniel

2005-02-01

The Broccatello lithological unit (Lower Jurassic, Hettangian to lower parts of Upper Sinemurian) near the village of Arzo (southern Alps, southern Switzerland) is a mound-shaped carbonate deposit that contains patches of red stromatactis limestone. Within the largely bioclastic Broccatello unit, the stromatactis limestone is distinguished by its early-diagenetic cavity system, a relatively fine-grained texture, and an in-situ assemblage of calcified siliceous sponges (various demosponges and hexactinellids). A complex shallow subsurface diagenetic pathway can be reconstructed from sediment petrography in combination with comparative geochemical analysis (carbon and oxygen isotopes; trace and rare earth elements, REE + Y). This pathway includes organic matter transformation, aragonite and skeletal opal dissolution, patchy calcification and lithification, sediment shrinkage, sagging and collapse, partial REE remobilization, and multiple sediment infiltration. These processes occurred under normal-marine, essentially oxic conditions and were independent from local, recurring syn-sedimentary faulting. It is concluded that the stromatactis results from a combination of calcite mineral authigenesis and syneresis-type deformation. The natural stromatactis phenomenon may thus be best explained by maturation processes of particulate polymer gels expected to form in fine-grained carbonate sediments in the shallow subsurface. Conditions favorable for the evolution of stromatactis appear to be particularly frequent during drowning of tropical or subtropical carbonate platforms.

Frictional behavior of carbonate-rich sediments in subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabinowitz, H. S.; Savage, H. M.; Carpenter, B. M.; Collettini, C.

2015-12-01

Carbonate-rich layers make up a significant component of subducting sediments around the world and may impact the frictional behavior of subduction zones. In order to investigate the effect of carbonate subduction, we conducted biaxial deformation experiments within a pressure vessel using the Brittle Rock deformAtion Versatile Apparatus (BRAVA) at INGV. We obtained input sediments for two subduction zones, the Hikurangi trench, New Zealand (ODP Site 1124) and the Peru trench (DSDP Site 321), which have carbonate/clay contents of ~40/60 wt% and ~80/20 wt%, respectively. Samples were saturated with distilled water mixed with 35g/l sea salt and deformed at room temperature. Experiments were conducted at σN = 1-50 MPa with sliding velocities of 1-300 μm/s and hold times of 1-1000 s. Frictional strength of Hikurangi gouge is 0.35-0.55 and Peru gouge is 0.55-0.65. Velocity-stepping tests show that the Hikurangi gouge is consistently velocity strengthening (friction rate parameter (a-b) > 0). The Peru gouge is mostly velocity strengthening but exhibits a minimum in a-b at the 3-10 μm/s velocity step (with velocity weakening behavior at 25 MPa, indicating the potential for earthquake nucleation). Slide-hold-slide tests show that the healing rate (β) of the Hikurangi gouge is 1x10-4-1x10-3 /decade which is comparable to that of clays (β~0.002 /decade) while the healing rate of Peru gouge (β~6x10-3-7x10-3 /decade) is closer to that of carbonate gouge (β~0.01 /decade). The mechanical results are complemented by microstructural analysis. In lower stress experiments, there is no obvious shear localization. At 25 and 50 MPa, pervasive boundary-parallel shears become dominant, particularly in the Peru samples. Degree of microstructural localization appears to correspond with the trends observed in velocity-dependence. Our preliminary results indicate that carbonate/clay compositions could have a significant impact on the frictional behavior of subducting sediments.

Miocene shale tectonics in the Moroccan margin (Alboran Sea)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Do Couto, D.; El Abbassi, M.; Ammar, A.; Gorini, C.; Estrada, F.; Letouzey, J.; Smit, J.; Jolivet, L.; Jabour, H.

2011-12-01

The Betic (Southern Spain) and Rif (Morocco) mountains form an arcuate belt that represents the westernmost termination of the peri-mediterranean Alpine mountain chain. The Miocene Alboran Basin and its subbasins is located in the hinterland of the Betic-Rif belt. It is considered to be a back-arc basin that developed during the coeval westward motion of the Alboran domain and the extensional collapse of previously thickened crust of the Betic-Rif belt. The Western Alboran Basin (WAB) is the major sedimentary depocenter with a sediment thickness in excess of 10 km, it is bordered by the Gibraltar arc, the volcanic Djibouti mounts and the Alboran ridge. Part of the WAB is affected by shale tectonics and associated mud volcanism. High-quality 2D seismic profiles acquired on the Moroccan margin of the Alboran Basin during the last decade reveal the multiple history of the basin. This study deals with the analysis of a number of these seismic profiles that are located along and orthogonal to the Moroccan margin. Seismic stratigraphy is calibrated from industrial wells. We focus on the interactions between the gravity-driven tectonic processes and the sedimentation in the basin. Our seismic interpretation confirms that the formation of the WAB began in the Early Miocene (Aquitanian - Burdigalian). The fast subsidence of the basin floor coeval to massive sedimentation induced the undercompaction of early miocene shales during their deposition. Downslope migration of these fine-grained sediments initiated during the deposition of the Langhian siliciclastics. This gravity-driven system was accompanied by continuous basement subsidence and induced disharmonic deformation in Mid Miocene units (i.e. not related to basement deformation). The development of shale-cored anticlines and thrusts in the deep basin is the result of compressive deformation at the front of the gravity-driven system and lasted for ca. 15 Ma. The compressive front has been re-activated by strong siliciclastic deposition, such as in the Serravalian-Tortonian period or more recently during the Quaternary contourites deposition. The Messinian dessication of the Mediterranean Sea and the following catastrophic Pliocene reflooding caused or enhanced re-activation of the deformation.

Assessing the Importance of Cross-Stream Transport in Bedload Flux Estimates from Migrating Dunes: Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leary, K. P.; Buscombe, D.; Schmeeckle, M.; Kaplinski, M. A.

2017-12-01

Bedforms are ubiquitous in sand-bedded rivers, and understanding their morphodynamics is key to quantifying bedload transport. As such, mechanistic understanding of the spatiotemporal details of sand transport through and over bedforms is paramount to quantifying total sediment flux in sand-bedded river systems. However, due to the complexity of bedform field geometries and migration in natural settings, our ability to relate migration to bedload flux, and to quantify the relative role of tractive and suspended processes in their dynamics, is incomplete. Recent flume and numerical investigations indicate the potential importance of cross-stream transport, a process previously regarded as secondary and diffusive, to the three-dimensionality of bedforms and spatially variable translation and deformation rates. This research seeks to understand and quantify the importance of cross-stream transport in bedform three-dimensionality in a field setting. This work utilizes a high-resolution (0.25 m grid) data set of bedforms migrating in the channel of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. This data set comprises multi-beam sonar surveys collected at 3 different flow discharges ( 283, 566, and 1076 m3/s) along a reach of the Colorado River just upstream of the Diamond Creek USGS gage. Data were collected every 6 minutes almost continuously for 12 hours. Using bed elevation profiles (BEPs), we extract detailed bedform geometrical data (i.e. bedform height, wavelength) and spatial sediment flux data over a suite of bedforms at each flow. Coupling this spatially extensive data with a generalized Exner equation, we conduct mass balance calculations that evaluate the possibility, and potential importance, of cross-stream transport in the spatial variability of translation and deformation rates. Preliminary results suggest that intra-dune cross-stream transport can partially account for changes in the planform shape of dunes and may play an important role in spatially variable translation and deformation rates. Parameterization of cross-stream sediment transport could lead to accounting for ambiguities in bedload flux calculations caused by dune deformation, which in turn could significantly improve overall calculation of bedload and total load sediment transport in sand bedded rivers.

High-resolution seismic characterization of the gas and gas hydrate system at Green Canyon 955, Gulf of Mexico, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haines, Seth S.; Hart, Patrick E.; Collett, Timothy S.; Shedd, William; Frye, Matthew; Weimer, Paul; Boswell, Ray

2017-01-01

The Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments at lease block Green Canyon 955 (GC955) in the Gulf of Mexico include sand-rich strata with high saturations of gas hydrate; these gas hydrate accumulations and the associated geology have been characterized over the past decade using conventional industry three-dimensional (3D) seismic data and dedicated logging-while-drilling (LWD) borehole data. To improve structural and stratigraphic characterization and to address questions of gas flow and reservoir properties, in 2013 the U.S. Geological Survey acquired high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) seismic data at GC955. Combined analysis of all available data improves our understanding of the geological evolution of the study area, which includes basin-scale migration of the Mississippi River sediment influx as well as local-scale shifting of sedimentary channels at GC955 in response to salt-driven uplift, structural deformation associated with the salt uplift, and upward gas migration from deeper sediments that charges the main gas hydrate reservoir and shallower strata. The 2D data confirm that the sand-rich reservoir is composed principally of sediments deposited in a proximal levee setting and that episodes of channel scour, interspersed with levee deposition, have resulted in an assemblage of many individual proximal levee deposit “pods” each with horizontal extent up to several hundred meters. Joint analysis of the 2D and 3D data reveals new detail of a complex fault network that controls the fluid-flow system; large east-west trending normal faults allow fluid flow through the reservoir-sealing fine-grained unit, and smaller north-south oriented faults provide focused fluid-flow pathways (chimneys) through the shallower sediments. This system has enabled the flow of gas from the main reservoir to the seafloor throughout the recent history at GC955, and its intricacies help explain the distributed occurrences of gas hydrate in the intervening strata.

Tectono-sedimentary analysis using the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility: a study of the terrestrial and freshwater Neogene of the Orava Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Łoziński, Maciej; Ziółkowski, Piotr; Wysocka, Anna

2017-10-01

The Orava Basin is an intramontane depression filled with presumably fine-grained sediments deposited in river, floodplain, swamp and lake settings. The basin infilling constitutes a crucial record of the neoalpine evolution of the Inner/Outer Carpathian boundary area since the Neogene, when the Jurassic-Paleogene basement became consolidated, uplifted and eroded. The combination of sedimentological and structural studies with anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurements provided an effective tool for recognition of terrestrial environments and deformations of the basin infilling. The lithofacies-oriented sampling and statistical approach to the large dataset of AMS specimens were utilized to define 12 AMS facies based on anisotropy degree (P) and shape (T). The AMS facies allowed a distinction of sedimentary facies ambiguous for classical methods, especially floodplain and lacustrine sediments, as well as revealing their various vulnerabilities to tectonic modification of AMS. A spatial analysis of facies showed that tuffites along with lacustrine and swamp deposits were generally restricted to marginal and southern parts of the basin. Significant deformations were noticed at basin margins and within two intrabasinal tectonic zones, which indicated the tectonic activity of the Pieniny Klippen Belt after the Middle Miocene. The large southern area of the basin recorded consistent N-NE trending compression during basin inversion. This regional tectonic rearrangement resulted in a partial removal of the southernmost basin deposits and shaped the basin's present-day extent.

The large scale structures of the Late Permian Zechstein 3 intra-salt stringer, northern Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gent, H.; Strozyk, F.; Urai, J. L.; de Keijzer, M.; Kukla, P. A.

2012-04-01

The three dimensional study of the internal structure of salt structures on the several different scales is of fundamental importance to understand mechanisms of salt tectonics, for intra-salt storage cavern stability, and for drilling in salt-prone petroleum systems with associated problems like borehole instability and overpressured fluids. While most salt-related studies depict salt as structureless bodies, detailed field-, well- and mining gallery mapping have shown an amazing spectrum of brittle, complexly folded, faulted and boudinaged intra-salt layers ("stringers"), but mostly on a very local scale. First detailed insights into these three-dimensionally heterogeneous and very complex structures of the layered evaporites were provided by observations in modern high-resolution 3D seismic data, such as across the Late Permian Zechstein in the Southern Permian Basin (SPB). In the northern Dutch onshore part of the SPB, the Z2 and Z3 halite interface is characterized by the seismically visible reflections of the 30-150 m thick Z3 anhydrite-carbonate layer that clearly resolves the complex intra-salt structure. This stringer shows a high fragmentation into blocks of several tens of meters to kilometres diameter with complexly folded and faulted structures that correlate to the regionally varying deformation stages of the Zechstein, as it is implied by the shape of Top Salt. After an extensive seismic mapping over the entire northern Netherlands, structures observed include an extensive network of thicker zones, inferred to result from early karstification. Later, this template of relatively strong zones was deformed into large scale folds and boudins as the result of salt tectonics. Non-plane-strain salt flow produced complex fold and boudin geometries that overprint each other. There are some indications of a feedback between the early internal evolution of this salt giant and the position of later salt structures. The stringer has a higher density then the surrounding halite, and in the literature there is some controversy concerning the sinking rates of single stringer fragments. We observed no structures indicative of sinking, but conclude that the present-day position of the blocks can be explained by internal folding of the entire salt section. In the end, this study aims at (i) improving the understanding of the development and dynamics of Zechstein halokinesis, (ii) gaining new insights into the 3D internal deformation in salt, and (iii) a linkage of processes in the layered evaporites with the deformation of the enclosing sub- and supra-salt sediments.

Channelized subglacial drainage over a deformable bed

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walder, J.S.; Fowler, A.

1994-01-01

We develop theoretically a description of a possible subglacial drainage mechanism for glaciers and ice sheets moving over saturated, deformable till. The model is based on the plausible assumption that flow of water in a thin film at the ice-till interface is unstable to the formation of a channelized drainage system, and is restricted to the case in which meltwater cannot escape through the till to an underlying aquifer. In describing the physics of such channelized drainage, we have generalized and extended Rothlisberger's model of channels cut into basal ice to include "canals' cut into the till, paying particular attention to the role of sediment properties and the mechanics of sediment transport. We show that sediment-floored Rothlisberger (R) channels can exist for high effective pressures, and wide, shallow, ice-roofed canals cut into the till for low effective pressures. Canals should form a distributed, non-arborescent system, unlike R channels. Geologic evidence derived from land forms and deposits left by the Pleistocene ice sheets in North America and Europe is consistent with predictions of the model. -from Authors

Uppermost impact fallback layer in the Bosumtwi crater (Ghana): Mineralogy, geochemistry, and comparison with Ivory Coast tektites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koeberl, Christian; Brandstätter, Franz; Glass, Billy P.; Hecht, Lutz; Mader, Dieter; Reimold, Wolf Uwe

In 2004, an International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) drilling project at the Bosumtwi impact crater, Ghana (10.5 km in diameter, 1.07 Myr old), was performed to study the sediments that fill the lake as well as the underlying impactites. In one (LB-05) of 16 cores drilled into the lake sediments, the zone between the impact breccias and the post-impact sediments was penetrated, preserving the final, fine-grained impact fallback layer. This ~30 cm thick layer contains in the top 10 cm “accretionary” lapilli, microtektite-like glass spherules, and shocked quartz grains. Glass particles -- mostly of splash form less than 1 mm size -- make up the bulk of the grains (~70-78% by number) in the coarser size fraction (>125 μm) of the top of the fallback layer. About one-third of all quartz grains in the uppermost part of the layer are shocked, with planar deformation features (PDFs); almost half of these grains are highly shocked, with 3 or more sets of PDFs. K-feldspar grains also occur and some show shock deformation. The abundance of shocked quartz grains and the average shock level as indicated by the number of sets of PDFs, for both quartz and K-feldspar, decrease with depth into the layer. The well-preserved glass spherules and fragments are chemically rather homogeneous within each particle, and also show relatively small variations between the various particles. On average, the composition of the fallback spherules from core LB-5B is very similar to the composition of Ivory Coast tektites and microtektites, with the exception of CaO contents, which are about 1.5 to 2 times higher in the fallback spherules. This is a rare case in which the uppermost fallback layer and the transition to the post-impact sediments has been preserved in an impact structure; its presence indicates that the impactite sequence at Bosumtwi is complete and that Bosumtwi is a very well-preserved impact crater.

Onshore-offshore seismic reflection profiling across the southern margin of the Sea of Japan: back-arc opening, shortening and active strike-slip deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Hiroshi; Ishiyama, Tatsuya; Kato, Naoko; Toda, Shigeru; Kawasaki, Shinji; Fujiwara, Akira; Tanaka, Yasuhisa; Abe, Susumu

2017-04-01

M7-class crustal earthquakes of overlying plate in subduction system have tendency to increase before megathrust earthquake events. Due to stress buildup by the upcoming Nankai Trough megathrust earthquake, SW Japan has being seismically active for last 20 years. In terms of the mitigation of earthquake and tsunami hazards, to construct seismogenic source fault models is first step for evaluating the strong ground motions and height of tsunamis. Since 2013, we performed intense seismic profiling in and around the southern part of the Sea of Japan. In 2016, a 180-km-long onshore -offshore seismic survey was carried out across the volcanic arc and back-arc basins (from Kurayoshi to the Yamato basin). Onshore section, CMP seismic reflection data were collected using four vibroseis trucks and fixed 1150 channel recorders. Offshore part we acquired the seismic reflection data using 1950 cu inch air-guns towing a 4-km-long streamer cable. We performed CMP reflection and refraction tomography analysis. Obtained seismic section portrays compressively deformed rifted continental crust and undeformed oceanic back-arc basin, reflecting the rheological features. These basic structures were formed during the opening of the Sea of Japan in early Miocene. The sub-horizontal Pliocene sediments unconformably cover the folded Miocene sediments. The opening and clock-wise rotation of SW Japan has been terminated at 15 Ma and contacted to the young Shikoku basin along the Nankai trough. Northward motion of Philippine Sea plate (PHS) and the high thermal regime in the Shikoku basin produced the strong resistance along the Nankai trough. The main shortening deformation observed in the seismic section has been formed this tectonic event. After the initiation of the subduction along the Nankai trough, the rate of shortening deformation was decreased and the folded strata were covered by sub-horizontal Pliocene sediments. The thrusting trending parallel to the arc has been continued from Pliocene to early Pleistocene along the limited fault system. The change in the direction of the motion of PHS at 1 Ma produced major change in stress regime from NS compression to EW compression in the back-arc. Following the change of stress regime, former reverse faults reactivated as strike-slip fault. Reuse of pre-existing faults are common, and crustal deformation concentrates relatively narrow zone in the back-arc failed rifts. Two-months after from our survey, Mw 6.2 Tottoriken-chubu earthquake occurred just beneath the onshore part of the seismic line. The source fault corresponds to the boundary of abrupt change in P-wave velocity, however there were no surface ruptures and distinctive geologic faults. The bottom of seismogenic layer corresponds to TWT 4.5 sec., which is almost the top horizon of reflective middle crust.

Control of syntectonic erosion and sedimentation on kinematic evolution of a multidecollement fold and thrust zone: Analogue modeling of folding in the southern subandean of Bolivia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darnault, Romain; Callot, Jean-Paul; Ballard, Jean-François; Fraisse, Guillaume; Mengus, Jean-Marie; Ringenbach, Jean-Claude

2016-08-01

Several analogue modeling studies have been conducted during the past fifteen years with the aim to discuss the effects of sedimentation and erosion on Foreland Fold and Thrust Belt, among which a few have analyzed these processes at kilometric scale (Malavieille et al., 1993; Nalpas et al., 1999; Barrier et al., 2002; Pichot and Nalpas, 2009). The influence of syn-deformation sedimentation and erosion on the structural evolution of FFTB has been clearly demonstrated. Here, we propose to go further in this approach by the study of a more complex system with a double decollement level. The natural study case is the Bolivian sub-Andean thrust and fold belt, which present all the required criteria, such as the double decollement level. A set of analogue models performed under a CT-scan have been used to test the influence of several parameters on a fold and thrust belt system, among which: (i) the spatial variation of the sediment input, (ii) the spatial variation of the erosion rate, (iii) the relative distribution of sedimentation between foreland and hinterland. These experiments led to the following observations: 1. The upper decollement level acts as a decoupling level in case of increased sedimentation rate: it results in the verticalization of the shallower part (above the upper decollement level), while the deeper parts are not impacted. 2. Similarly, the increase of the erosion rate involves the uplift of the deeper part (below the upper decollement level), whereas the shallower parts are not impacted. 3. A high sedimentation rate in the foreland involves a fault and fold vergence reversal, followed by a back-thrusting of the shallower part. 4. A high sedimentation rate in the hinterland favours thrust development toward the foreland in the shallower parts.

Analogue modelling of caprock failure and sediment mobilisation due to pore fluid overpressure in shallow reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warsitzka, Michael; Kukowski, Nina; May, Franz

2017-04-01

Injection of CO2 in geological formations may cause excess pore fluid pressure by enhancing the fluid volume in the reservoir rock and by buoyancy-driven flow. If sediments in the reservoir and the caprock are undercompacted, pore fluid overpressure can lead to hydro-fractures in the caprock and fluidisation of sediments. Eventually, these processes trigger the formation of pipe structures, gas chimneys, gas domes or sand injections. Generally, such structures serve as high permeable pathways for fluid migration through a low-permeable seal layer and have to be considered in risk assessment or modelling of caprock integrity of CO2 storage sites. We applied scaled analogue experiments to characterise and quantify mechanisms determining the onset and migration of hydro-fractures in a low-permeable, cohesive caprock and fluidisation of unconsolidated sediments of the reservoir layer. The caprock is simulated by different types of cohesive powder. The reservoir layer consists of granulates with small particle density. Air injected through the base of the experiment and additionally through a single needle valve reaching into the analogue material is applied to generate fluid pressure within the materials. With this procedure, regional fluid pressure increase or a point-like local fluid pressure increase (e.g. injection well), respectively, can be simulated. The deformation in the analogue materials is analysed with a particle tracking imaging velocimetry technique. Pressure sensors at the base of the experiment and in the needle valve record the air pressure during an experimental run. The structural evolution observed in the experiments reveal that the cohesive cap rock first forms a dome-like anticline. Extensional fractures occur at the hinges of the anticline. A further increase of fluid pressure causes a migration of this fractures towards the surface, which is followed by intrusion of reservoir material into the fractures and the collapse of the anticline. The breakthrough of the fractures at the surface is accompanied by a significant drop of air pressure at the base of the analogue materials. The width of the dome shaped uplift is narrower and the initiating fluid pressure in the needle valve is lower, if the fluid pressure at the base of the experiment is larger. The experimental outcomes help to evaluate if the injection of CO2 into a reservoir potentially provokes initiation or reactivation of fractures and sediment mobilisation structures.

Development of integrated protocols to track the deposition and impacts of metal contaminants in tidal riverine environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roe, Helen M.; Patterson, R. Timothy; Nasser, Nawaf; Edwards, Robin J.; Graham, Conor

2016-04-01

Tidally-influenced rivers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of metal contamination, yet are amongst the most complex fluvial environments in terms of their sediment deposition and transport patterns. We present the results of an interdisciplinary study that aims to elucidate the fluxes and deposition of metal contaminants in a tidally-influenced river system in Northern Ireland, with a view to developing protocols that will have wide applicability for the monitoring and assessment of metal contaminants in similar environments in other regions. We employ a novel methodology that combines ICPMS analysis of sediments, ITRAX-based core analysis and the examination a important group of shelled protozoans (foraminifera), which occur widely in tidal riverine environments, and which are highly sensitive to metal contamination. The responses shown by the group vary between species and with different levels of contaminant exposure. Some species, for example, show increased relative abundances in proximity to discharge sources, whilst others develop chamber deformities. Application of our integrated multiproxy approach to the analysis of surface sediment samples and cores provides a framework for assessing both the spatial and temporal patterns of metal deposition and the impact of contaminants on the biota. Modern sediment samples (n=90) were collected at varying distances from a point contamination source (a former industrial site) in different morpho-sedimentary settings. The impact of 25 measured variables on the modern foraminiferal faunas was considered, including 20 metals, pH, conductivity, elevation and particle size. Channel sediments in close proximity to the contamination source and with the highest levels of Fe, Cu, Zn, Mg and As, yielded the sparsest foraminiferal faunas (Shannon Diversity Index values 0-1.5), whilst the highest prevalence of foraminiferids showing chamber deformities were observed in channel edge and levée bank sites. Kernal density plots showing metal loading and foraminiferal concentrations across the site aided in determining spatial trends. The sediment core data revealed that deformed foraminiferal specimens can extend >15 cm below the contemporary floodplain surface to horizons that pre-date the historical onset of the contamination, suggesting vertical mobilisation of sediment and/or infaunal migration. Etching of the foraminiferal tests in association with reduced pH conditions was also observed for some species. Biometric analysis of tests using SEM imagery further aided in the identification of deformities and the delimitation of graded responses to contaminants. The results of this study of core and surficial samples indicate that the adoption of integrated methodologies that combine established geochemical analysis techniques (e.g. ICPMS analysis) with the observed ecophenotypic response of key indicator microfossil groups (e.g. foraminifera) can provide invaluable data on habitat responses to environmental contamination. Such long-term habitat evaluation data is invaluable to policy makers and planners when prioritising management and remediation efforts.

Terminal zone glacial sediment transfer at a temperate overdeepened glacier system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swift, D. A.; Cook, S. J.; Graham, D. J.; Midgley, N. G.; Fallick, A. E.; Storrar, R.; Toubes Rodrigo, M.; Evans, D. J. A.

2018-01-01

Continuity of sediment transfer through glacial systems is essential to maintain subglacial bedrock erosion, yet transfer at temperate glaciers with overdeepened beds, where subglacial fluvial sediment transport should be greatly limited by adverse slopes, remains poorly understood. Complex multiple transfer processes in temperate overdeepened systems has been indicated by the presence of large frontal moraine systems, supraglacial debris of mixed transport origin, thick basal ice sequences, and englacial thrusts and eskers. At Svínafellsjökull, thrusts comprising decimetre-thick debris-rich bands of stratified facies ice of basal origin, with a coarser size distribution and higher clast content than that observed in basal ice layers, contribute substantially to the transfer of subglacial material in the terminal zone. Entrainment and transfer of material occurs by simple shear along the upper surface of bands and by strain-induced deformation of stratified and firnified glacier ice below. Thrust material includes rounded and well-rounded clasts that are also striated, indicating that fluvial bedload is deposited as subglacial channels approach the overdeepening and then entrained along thrusts. Substantial transfer also occurs within basal ice, with facies type and debris content dependent on the hydrological connectedness of the adverse slope. A process model of transfer at glaciers with terminal overdeepenings is proposed, in which the geometry of the overdeepening influences spatial patterns of ice deformation, hydrology, and basal ice formation. We conclude that the significance of thrusting in maintaining sediment transfer continuity has likely been overlooked by glacier sediment budgets and glacial landscape evolution studies.

Statolith sedimentation kinetics and force transduction to the cortical endoplasmic reticulum in gravity-sensing Arabidopsis columella cells.

PubMed

Leitz, Guenther; Kang, Byung-Ho; Schoenwaelder, Monica E A; Staehelin, L Andrew

2009-03-01

The starch statolith hypothesis of gravity sensing in plants postulates that the sedimentation of statoliths in specialized statocytes (columella cells) provides the means for converting the gravitational potential energy into a biochemical signal. We have analyzed the sedimentation kinetics of statoliths in the central S2 columella cells of Arabidopsis thaliana. The statoliths can form compact aggregates with gap sizes between statoliths approaching <30 nm. Significant intra-aggregate sliding motions of individual statoliths suggest a contribution of hydrodynamic forces to the motion of statoliths. The reorientation of the columella cells accelerates the statoliths toward the central cytoplasm within <1 s of reorientation. During the subsequent sedimentation phase, the statoliths tend to move at a distance to the cortical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) boundary and interact only transiently with the ER. Statoliths moved by laser tweezers against the ER boundary experience an elastic lift force upon release from the optical trap. High-resolution electron tomography analysis of statolith-to-ER contact sites indicate that the weight of statoliths is sufficient to locally deform the ER membranes that can potentially activate mechanosensitive ion channels. We suggest that in root columella cells, the transduction of the kinetic energy of sedimenting statoliths into a biochemical signal involves a combination of statolith-driven motion of the cytosol, statolith-induced deformation of the ER membranes, and a rapid release of kinetic energy from the ER during reorientation to activate mechanosensitive sites within the central columella cells.

Statolith Sedimentation Kinetics and Force Transduction to the Cortical Endoplasmic Reticulum in Gravity-Sensing Arabidopsis Columella Cells[W][OA

PubMed Central

Leitz, Guenther; Kang, Byung-Ho; Schoenwaelder, Monica E.A.; Staehelin, L. Andrew

2009-01-01

The starch statolith hypothesis of gravity sensing in plants postulates that the sedimentation of statoliths in specialized statocytes (columella cells) provides the means for converting the gravitational potential energy into a biochemical signal. We have analyzed the sedimentation kinetics of statoliths in the central S2 columella cells of Arabidopsis thaliana. The statoliths can form compact aggregates with gap sizes between statoliths approaching <30 nm. Significant intra-aggregate sliding motions of individual statoliths suggest a contribution of hydrodynamic forces to the motion of statoliths. The reorientation of the columella cells accelerates the statoliths toward the central cytoplasm within <1 s of reorientation. During the subsequent sedimentation phase, the statoliths tend to move at a distance to the cortical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) boundary and interact only transiently with the ER. Statoliths moved by laser tweezers against the ER boundary experience an elastic lift force upon release from the optical trap. High-resolution electron tomography analysis of statolith-to-ER contact sites indicate that the weight of statoliths is sufficient to locally deform the ER membranes that can potentially activate mechanosensitive ion channels. We suggest that in root columella cells, the transduction of the kinetic energy of sedimenting statoliths into a biochemical signal involves a combination of statolith-driven motion of the cytosol, statolith-induced deformation of the ER membranes, and a rapid release of kinetic energy from the ER during reorientation to activate mechanosensitive sites within the central columella cells. PMID:19276442

Numerical simulation of evolutionary erodible bedforms using the particle finite element method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bravo, Rafael; Becker, Pablo; Ortiz, Pablo

2017-07-01

This paper presents a numerical strategy for the simulation of flows with evolutionary erodible boundaries. The fluid equations are fully resolved in 3D, while the sediment transport is modelled using the Exner equation and solved with an explicit Lagrangian procedure based on a fixed 2D mesh. Flow and sediment are coupled in geometry by deforming the fluid mesh in the vertical direction and in velocities with the experimental sediment flux computed using the Meyer Peter Müller model. A comparison with real experiments on channels is performed, giving good agreement.

A study of tectonic activity in the Basin-Range Province and on the San Andreas Fault. No. 2: Lithospheric structure, seismicity, and contemporary deformation of the United States Cordillera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, R. B.

1986-01-01

The structural evolution of the U.S. Cordillera has been influenced by a variety of tectonic mechanisms including passive margin rifting and sedimentation; arc volcanism; accretion of exotic terranes; intraplate magmatism; and folding and faulting associated with compression and extension processes that have profoundly influenced the lithospheric structure. As a result the Cordilleran crust is laterally inhomogeneous across its 2000 km east-west breadth. It is thin along the West Coast where it has close oceanic affinities. The crust thickens eastward beneath the Sierra Nevada, then thins beneath the Basin-Range. Crustal thickening continues eastward beneath the Colorado Plateau, the Rocky Mountains, and the Great Plains. The total lithospheric thickness attains 65 km in the Basin-Range and increases eastward beneath the Colorado Plateau. The upper-crust, including the crystalline basement of the Cordillera, has P sub G velocities of 6 km/s in the Basin-Range and Rio Grande Rift. Lower P sub G velocities of 5.4 to 5.7 km/s are associated with the youthful Yellowstone, Valles and Long Valley calderas and the Franciscan assemblage of the western coastal margin. Averaged crustal velocity reflects integrated tectonic evolution of the crust-thick silicic bodies, velocity reversals, and a thin crust produce low averaged velocities that are characteristic of a highly attenuated and thermally deformed crust.

Cold seeps associated with a submarine debris avalanche deposit at Kick'em Jenny volcano, Grenada (Lesser Antilles)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carey, Steven; Ballard, Robert; Bell, Katherine L. C.; Bell, Richard J.; Connally, Patrick; Dondin, Frederic; Fuller, Sarah; Gobin, Judith; Miloslavich, Patricia; Phillips, Brennan; Roman, Chris; Seibel, Brad; Siu, Nam; Smart, Clara

2014-11-01

Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) exploration at the distal margins of a debris avalanche deposit from Kick'em Jenny submarine volcano in Grenada has revealed areas of cold seeps with chemosynthetic-based ecosystems. The seeps occur on steep slopes of deformed, unconsolidated hemipelagic sediments in water depths between 1952 and 2042 m. Two main areas consist of anastomosing systems of fluid flow that have incised local sediments by several tens of centimeters. No temperature anomalies were observed in the vent areas and no active flow was visually observed, suggesting that the venting may be waning. An Eh sensor deployed on a miniature autonomous plume recorder (MAPR) recorded a positive signal and the presence of live organisms indicates at least some venting is still occurring. The chemosynthetic-based ecosystem included giant mussels (Bathymodiolus sp.) with commensal polychaetes (Branchipolynoe sp.) and cocculinid epibionts, other bivalves, Siboglinida (vestimentiferan) tubeworms, other polychaetes, and shrimp, as well as associated heterotrophs, including gastropods, anemones, crabs, fish, octopods, brittle stars, and holothurians. The origin of the seeps may be related to fluid overpressure generated during the collapse of an ancestral Kick'em Jenny volcano. We suggest that deformation and burial of hemipelagic sediment at the front and base of the advancing debris avalanche led to fluid venting at the distal margin. Such deformation may be a common feature of marine avalanches in a variety of geological environments especially along continental margins, raising the possibility of creating large numbers of ephemeral seep-based ecosystems.

GLORIA mosaic of the Gulf of Alaska and the British Columbia margin: Deep-sea channels, margin deformation, and the Queen Charlotte fault

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

Bruns, T.R.; Carlson, P.R.; Stevenson, A.J.

1990-05-01

GLORIA images collected from 1986 to 1989 show sea-floor morphology from the shelf break seaward to 400 km in the Gulf of Alaska and a 70-km-wide swath along British Columbia. Along the Aleutian convergent margin sediment is dominantly trapped in mid-slope basins, where few canyons reach the trench. Accretionary wedge structures range from highly discontinuous to long and continuous. The Yakutat transition margin is either extensively cut by dendritic drainages or, at sea-valley mouths, covered by glacially derived sediment. Young structures underlie the slope from Middleton Island to Pamplona Spur, but are absent from Pamplona Spur to Cross Sound. Alongmore » the southeast Alaska transform margin the Queen Charlotte fault is imaged as a narrow linear feature. The fault steps westward at Tuzo Wilson Knolls, which likely is a spreading ridge segment. Large anticlines lie seaward of and trend parallel to the fault. On the abyssal plain off the Shumagin margin inherited structural and bathymetric features trend parallel to magnetic anomalies, and trench parallel features reflect faulting as the ocean plate bends into the trench. To the north, three turbidite systems drain the margin. The Surveyor system begins between Pamplona Spur and Alsek Canyon and empties into the Aleutian Trench. The Chirikof system arises near Cross Sound and ends in turbidite fans south of the Kodiak-Bowie Seamount chain, a relic Chirikov channel that once carried sediment westward to the Aleutian Trench. The Mukluk and Horizon channels start along southeast Alaska and end 1,000 km away on the Tufts abyssal plain.« less

Shear localization in the shallow part of megathrusts: understanding active megathrusts trough the study of fossil analogues.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerchiari, Anna; MIttempergher, Silvia; Remitti, Francesca; Festa, Andrea

2017-04-01

The shallowest part of active megathrusts has an intriguing behaviour, characterized by the coexistence of coseismic slips and aseismic creep, slow slip events, low and very low frequency earthquakes. Origins and interplays of these phenomena are actually little known. In this respect, the study of exhumed shallow parts of fossil megathrusts is an advantageous approach in terms of accessibility, costs and resolution. The Sestola-Vidiciatico tectonic Unit in the Northern Apennines has been interpreted as a possible analogue of a shallow, hectometer scale megathrust shear zone, which accommodated subduction of the Adria plate under the Ligurian prism during early-middle Miocene by involving sediments from the seafloor to burial depth corresponding to 150° C maximum temperature. Performing detailed microstructural analysis on samples through optical, cathodoluminescence and scanning electron microscopy, we studied a 5 m thick fault zone marking the base of the SVU. Here, more or less competent marls make up a heterogeneous fault zone assemblage, with a strongly deformed tectonic fabric characterized by mesoscopic cleavage, boudinage, faults and low-angle thrusts coated by calcite veins. At the top of the shear zone, a sharp and continuous shear vein, 20 cm thick cuts all other structures. At the microscale, we identified a primary sedimentary layering, consisting of alternating fine and coarse marly or shaly laminae that are crosscut by "soft-sediment"-type deformation bands derived from the reorientation of mineral grains without fracturing. Parallel to the sedimentary laminae, oriented phyllosilicates define a pervasive foliation in clay-rich domains. More competent calcareous portions are strongly boudinaged and cut by calcite shear veins displaying crack-and-seal texture and locally implosion breccias. Multiple mutually crosscutting generations of extensional veins are recognizable, with dispersed orientations and complex relations with shear veins. Calcite veins appear also to be partially dissolved by pressure-solution processes. Our microstructural findings suggest that deformation started acting on not completely lithified sediments, with a progressive and differential embrittlement of the shear zone, depending on lithology (i. e. competence contrast) and fluid pressure cycles. Features described point out also for thrusting under low differential stress, with decoupling from the footwall and progressive migration and thinning of the shear zone.

Active shortening, intermontane basin formation, and geomorphic evolution in an orogenic plateau: Central Puna Plateau, NW Argentina (24°37'S, 67°03'W)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strecker, Manfred R.; Alonso, Ricardo N.; Bookhagen, Bodo; Freymark, Jessica; Pingel, Heiko

2017-04-01

The high-elevation Andean Plateau (Altiplano-Puna; 4km) is a first-order morphotectonic province of the Central Andes and constitutes the world's second largest orogenic plateau. While there are many unifying basin characteristics in this region, including internal drainage, semi-arid to arid climate and associated deposition of evaporites, there are notable differences between the northern and southern parts of the plateau. In contrast to the vast basins of the Altiplano (north) and incipient establishment of fluvial connectivity and sediment transport to the foreland, the Puna (south) comprises numerous smaller basins, bordered by reverse-fault bounded ranges up to 6 km high. The plateau is internally drained and fluvial connectivity with the foreland does not exist leading to thick sedimentary basin fills that comprise continental evaporites, volcanic and clastic deposits, typically between 3 and 5 km thick. However, repeated impacts of climate change and superposed tectonic activity in the southern plateau have resulted in further basin differentiation, abandonment or re-arrangement of fluvial networks and impacts on sediment transport. Here we report evidence for sustained contractional tectonic activity in the Pocitos Basin in the southern plateau. On the western margin of the basin fanning of dipping strata and regraded, steeply inclined gravel-covered pediment surfaces and wind gaps associated with gravel derived from distant sources in the west document late Tertiary to Pleistocene growth of an approximately N-S oriented and N plunging anticline. The growth of the eastern limb of this anticline has caused the isolation of a formerly more extensive basin. In addition, Late Pleistocene and Holocene lake shorelines and lacustrine deposits are tilted eastward along the same structure and InSAR measurements of deformed lake terraces document that the fold is growing. Despite widely reported extensional faulting in the southern Puna, we conclude (1) that the central sectors of the plateau are deformed by active shortening, suggesting that the kinematic changeover from shortening to neotectonic extension on the plateau must be highly disparate in space and time; (2) sustained deformation within the plateau results in a high degree of basin compartmentalization, which impacts the fluvial network and re-distribution of sediments, leading to similar geomorphic and sedimentary processes, although highly disparate in space and time.

Late Cenozoic sedimentation and volcanism during transtensional deformation in Wingate Wash and the Owlshead Mountains, Death Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Luckow, H.G.; Pavlis, T.L.; Serpa, L.F.; Guest, B.; Wagner, D.L.; Snee, L.; Hensley, T.M.; Korjenkov, A.

2005-01-01

New 1:24,000 scale mapping, geochemical analyses of volcanic rocks, and Ar/Ar and tephrochronology analyses of the Wingate Wash, northern Owlshead Mountain and Southern Panamint Mountain region document a complex structural history constrained by syntectonic volcanism and sedimentation. In this study, the region is divided into five structural domains with distinct, but related, histories: (1) The southern Panamint domain is a structurally intact, gently south-tilted block dominated by a middle Miocene volcanic center recognized as localized hypabyssal intrusives surrounded by proximal facies pyroclastic rocks. This Miocene volcanic sequence is an unusual alkaline volcanic assemblage ranging from trachybasalt to rhyolite, but dominated by trachyandesite. The volcanic rocks are overlain in the southwestern Panamint Mountains by a younger (Late Miocene?) fanglomerate sequence. (2) An upper Wingate Wash domain is characterized by large areas of Quaternary cover and complex overprinting of older structure by Quaternary deformation. Quaternary structures record ???N-S shortening concurrent with ???E-W extension accommodated by systems of strike-slip and thrust faults. (3) A central Wingate Wash domain contains a complex structural history that is closely tied to the stratigraphic evolution. In this domain, a middle Miocene volcanic package contains two distinct assemblages; a lower sequence dominated by alkaline pyroclastic rocks similar to the southern Panamint sequence and an upper basaltic sequence of alkaline basalt and basanites. This volcanic sequence is in turn overlain by a coarse clastic sedimentary sequence that records the unroofing of adjacent ranges and development of ???N-S trending, west-tilted fault blocks. We refer to this sedimentary sequence as the Lost Lake assemblage. (4) The lower Wingate Wash/northern Owlshead domain is characterized by a gently north-dipping stratigraphic sequence with an irregular unconformity at the base developed on granitic basement. The unconformity is locally overlain by channelized deposits of older Tertiary(?) red conglomerate, some of which predate the onset of extensive volcanism, but in most of the area is overlain by a moderately thick package of Middle Miocene trachybasalt, trachyandesitic, ash flows, lithic tuff, basaltic cinder, basanites, and dacitic pyroclastic, debris, and lahar flows with localized exposures of sedimentary rocks. The upper part of the Miocene stratigraphic sequence in this domain is comprised of coarse grained-clastic sediments that are apparently middle Miocene based on Ar/Ar dating of interbedded volcanic rocks. This sedimentary sequence, however, is lithologically indistinguishable from the structurally adjacent Late Miocene Lost Lake assemblage and a stratigraphically overlying Plio-Pleistocene alluvial fan; a relationship that handicaps tracing structures through this domain. This domain is also structurally complex and deformed by a series of northwest-southeast-striking, east-dipping, high-angle oblique, sinistral, normal faults that are cut by left-lateral strike-slip faults. The contact between the southern Panamint domain and the adjacent domains is a complex fault system that we interpret as a zone of Late Miocene distributed sinistral slip that is variably overprinted in different portions of the mapped area. The net sinistral slip across the Wingate Wash fault system is estimated at 7-9 km, based on offset of Proterozoic Crystal Springs Formation beneath the middle Miocene unconformity to as much as 15 km based on offset volcanic facies in Middle Miocene rocks. To the south of Wingate Wash, the northern Owlshead Mountains are also cut by a sinistral, northwest-dipping, oblique normal fault, (referred to as the Filtonny Fault) with significant slip that separates the Lower Wingate Wash and central Owlshead domains. The Filtonny Fault may represent a young conjugate fault to the dextral Southern Death Valley fault system and may be the northwest

The large-scale distribution and internal geometry of the fall 2000 Po River flood deposit: Evidence from digital X-radiography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wheatcroft, R.A.; Stevens, A.W.; Hunt, L.M.; Milligan, T.G.

2006-01-01

Event-response coring on the Po River prodelta (northern Adriatic Sea) coupled with shipboard digital X-radiography, resistivity profiling, and grain-size analyses permitted documentation of the initial distribution and physical properties of the October 2000 flood deposit. The digital X-radiography system comprises a constant-potential X-ray source and an amorphous silicon imager with an active area of 29??42 cm and 12-bit depth resolution. Objective image segmentation algorithms based on bulk density (brightness), layer contacts (edge detection) and small-scale texture (fabric) were used to identify the flood deposit. Results indicate that the deposit formed in water depths of 6-29 m immediately adjacent to the three main distributary mouths of the Po (Pila, Tolle and Gnocca/Goro). Maximal thickness was 36 cm at a 20-m site off the main mouth (Pila), but many other sites hadthicknesses >20 cm. The Po flood deposit has a complex internal stratigraphy, with multiple layers, a diverse suite of physical sedimentary structures (e.g., laminations, ripple cross bedding, lenticular bedding, soft-sediment deformation structures), and dramatic changes in grain size that imply rapid deposition and fluctuations in energy during emplacement. Based on the flood deposit volume and well-constrained measurements of deposit bulk density the mass of the flood deposit was estimated to be 16??109 kg, which is about two-thirds of the estimated suspended sediment load delivered by the river during the event. The locus of deposition, overall thickness, and stratigraphic complexity of the flood deposit can best be explained by the relatively long sediment throughput times of the Po River, whereby sediment is delivered to the ocean during a range of conditions (i.e., the storm responsible for the precipitation is long gone), the majority of which are reflective of the fair-weather condition. Sediment is therefore deposited proximal to the river mouths, where it can form thick, but stratigraphically complex deposits. In contrast, floods of small rivers such as the Eel (northern California) are coupled to storm conditions, which lead to high levels of sediment dispersion. ?? 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High resolution digital elevation modelling from TLS and UAV campaign reveals structural complexity at the 2014/15 Holuhraun eruption site, Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Daniel; Walter, Thomas R.; Schöpa, Anne; Witt, Tanja; Steinke, Bastian; Gudmundsson, Magnús T.; Dürig, Tobias

2017-07-01

Fissure eruptions are commonly linked to magma dikes at depth, associated with elastic and anelastic surface deformation. Elastic deformation is well described by subsidence above, uplift and lateral widening perpendicular to the dike plane. The anelastic part is associated with the formation of a graben, bordered by graben parallel faults that might express as sets of fractures at the surface. Additionally secondary structures, like push ups, bends and step overs yield information about the deforming domain. The formation of such structures associated with fissure eruptions, however, is barely preserved in nature because of the rapid erosion or sediment coverage. Therefore, simple normal fault displacements are commonly assumed at dikes. At the 2014/2015 Holuhraun eruption sites (Iceland), evidence is increasing that the developing fractures are showing variations in their displacement modes. In an attempt to investigate these variations, a fieldwork mapping project combining Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based aerophoto analysis was realized. From this data, we generated locally high resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and a structural map that allows for identification of kinematic indicators and assessing particularities of the observed structures. We identified 315 fracture segments from satellite data. For single segments we measured strike directions including the amount of opening and opening angles, indicating that many of the measured fractures show transtensional dislocations. Out of these, 81 % are showing significant left-lateral slip, only 17% right-lateral slip and 2% pure tensile opening. We show that local complexities in the fracture traces and geometries are closely related to variations in the transtensional opening direction. Moreover, we identified local changes in fracture azimuths and offsets close to eruption sites, which we speculate to be associated with geometrical changes in the magma feeder itself. Results highlight that opening of fractures associated with an erupting fissure commonly show transtensional modes having both, left-lateral and right-lateral slip, with important implications for interpreting the expression of surface structures at rift zones elsewhere. Results further highlight the great value of UAV based high resolution data to contribute to the integrity of observations of structural complexities at local geologic events.

Influence of pre-salt topographic features on supra-salt deformation in Mediterranean basins: Geology vs. physical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrer, Oriol; Vidal-Royo, Oskar; Gratacós, Oscar; Roca, Eduard; Muñoz, Josep Anton; Esestime, Paolo; Rodriguez, Karyna; Yazmin Piragauta, Mary; Feliu, Nil

2017-04-01

The presence of a thick Messinian evaporite unit is a well known feature of the Mediterranean basins. This salt unit is composed of three sub-units (Lower, Mobile and Upper Units) in the Northwest Mediterranean. In contrast, in the Eastern Mediterranean it is characterized by a multilayered evaporite sequence. In both regions the salt acted as a detachment favoring the downslope gravitational failure of the overlying sediments in a thin-skinned deformation regime (e.g. Liguro-Provençal or Levant basins). As a result, these salt-bearing passive margins exhibit the classical three-domain structural zonation characterized by upslope extension, intermediate translation and downslope contraction. Nevertheless, the presence of pre-salt reliefs (e.g. irregularly eroded palaeotopography or volcanic edifices) is rather common in the translational domain of the Northwestern Mediterranean (e.g. Liguro-Provençal and West Corsica margins). In this scenario, pre-salt reliefs act as flow barriers and hinder salt drainage. When their summit lies close or above the top salt, these structures may partially or fully block salt flow. They also disrupt locally the structural zonation of the passive margin and constrain cover deformation. In contrast, in the Eastern Mediterranean the Eratosthenes seamount is characterized by a large scale submerged massif (ca. 120 km in size) that significantly influenced the structural evolution of the surrounding areas. This inherited relief acted as a buttress and deflected the Messinian salt flow constraining supra-salt deformation (e.g. Levant Basin and Nile margin). In addition, the geometry of the Eratosthenes seamount also restrained the structural style of the allochthonous salt that was expulsed during the development of the Cyprus subduction zone to the north. Using an experimental approach (sandbox models) and new analysis techniques, we investigate salt and supra-salt deformation in response to two different types of pre-salt relief: 1) local seamounts during gravitational gliding (Western Mediterranean) and, 2) large regional reliefs during the emplacement of a thrust system (Eastern Mediterranean). The experimental results of the Western Mediterranean show that the geometry, continuity and orientation of these reliefs with respect to the margin slope are key factors during gravitational failure and influence supra-salt deformation. Experimental results in the Eastern Mediterranean indicate that different responses are obtained along-strike as a consequence of shortening when modeling the Eratosthenes seamount. These differences were basically controlled by the location of the seamount, that was a topographic high during the deposition of the Messinian evaporites. The presence of seamounts in the contractional domain, instead, initially enhanced salt inflation by buttressing and the subsequent development of salt sheets with the formation of an escarpment at the edge of the salt. The experimental results also provide geometrical constraints to bear in mind during interpretation of these structures and associated hydrocarbon plays, which are commonly poorly imaged in seismic data.

Crustal Deformation In the Northwestern Margin of the South China Sea: Results From Wide-angle Seismic Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, H.; Klingelhoefer, F.

2017-12-01

The South China Sea (SCS) has undergone episodic spreading during the Cenozoic Era. The long-term extension has shaped the continental margins of the SCS, leading to a progressive breakup of the lithosphere. Separated blocks and rift troughs, as controlled by tectonic stretching, contains key information about the deforming mechanism of the crust. In this work, we present a P-wave velocity model of a wide-angle seismic profile OBS2013-1 which passes through the NW margin of the SCS. Modeling of 25 ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) data revealed a detailed crustal structure and shallow complexities along the profile (Figure 1). The crust thins symmetrically across the Xisha Trough, from more than 20 km on flanks to 10 km in the central valley where the sediments thickens over 5 km; A volcano is situated on top of the centre basement high where the Moho drops slightly. At the distal margin around the Zhongsha Trough, the upper crust was detached and accordingly made the middle crust exhumed in a narrow area ( 20 km wide). Meanwhile, materials from the lower crust rises asymmetrically, increasing the crustal velocity by 0.3 km/s and may also giving rise to volcanisms along the hanging side. A 40 km wide hyper-stretched crust (with thickness of 5 km) was identified next to the Zhongsha Trough and covered by overflowing magma and post-rift sediments on the top. These observations argue for a depth-related and asymmetrically extension of the crust, including (1) detachment fault controls the deformation of the upper crust, leading to exhumation of the middle crust and asymmetrically rising of the lower crust, (2) The region adjacent to the exhumation region and with highly thinned crust can be considered as extinct OCT due to magma-starved supplying.

Analogue Models Of Volcanic Spreading At Mt. Vesuvius

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Matteo, Ada; Castaldo, Raffaele; D'Auria, Luca; James, Michael; Lane, Steve; Massa, Bruno; Pepe, Susi; Tizzani, Pietro

2015-04-01

Somma-Vesuvius is a quiescent strato-volcano of the Neapolitan district, southern Italy, for which various geophysical and geological evidences (e.g. geodetic measurements, geological and structural data, seismic profiles interpretations and surface deformation analysis with Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR)) indicate ongoing spreading deformation. In this research we investigate the spreading deformation and associated surface deformation pattern by performing analogue experiments and comparing the results with actual ground deformation as measured using DInSAR data recorded between 1992 and 2010. Somma-Vesuvius consists of a volcanic cone (Gran Cono) lying within an asymmetric caldera (Somma). The Somma caldera is the result of at least 7 Plinian eruptions, the last of which was the 79 CE. Pompeii eruption. The current cone of Mt. Vesuvius grew within the caldera in the following centuries as the effect of continued explosive and effusive activity of the volcano. The volcano lies on a substratum consisting of a Mesozoic carbonatic basement, overlapped by Holocene clastic sediments and volcanic rocks. Our analogue models were built to simulate the shape of the Somma-Vesuvius top a scale of about 1:100000, emplaced on a sand layer (brittle behaviour) laid on a silicone layer (ductile behaviour). Models are based on the Fluid-dynamics Dimensionless Analysis (FDA), according to the Buckingham-Π theorem. In this context, we considered few dimensionless parameters that allowed the setting of a reliable scaled model. To represent the complex Somma-Vesuvius geometry, an asymmetric model was built by setting a truncated cone (mimicking the topography of Somma edifice) topped by another small cone (mimicking the Gran Cono) shifted off the axis of the main cone. Different experiments were carried out in which the thickness of the basal sand layer and of the silicone one were varied. To quantify the vertical and horizontal displacements the models were monitored with three synchronised digital cameras, enabling sequential 3-D models to be derived using a photogrammetric technique. Finally, our models were compared with the 1992 - 2010 SBAS DInSAR measurements of ground deformations obtained using ERS-ENVISAT satellite images. The results show that analogue models are able to reproduce different styles of volcanic spreading and to reproduce the observed surface and deformation pattern. At the end our models show a deformation rather similar to the actual deformation pattern of the Somma-Vesuvius, both in the direction and in the intensity. Further studies will be devoted at find the best combination of parameters (silicone layer thickness and viscosity) to fit observations and to introduce a tridimensional rigid based topography. These studies will be implemented also with new structural and surface deformation (DinSAR) data and will be integrated with a numerical modelling.

Geology of five small Australian impact craters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shoemaker, E.M.; Macdonald, F.A.; Shoemaker, C.S.

2005-01-01

Here we present detailed geological maps and cross-sections of Liverpool, Wolfe Creek, Boxhole, Veevers and Dalgaranga craters. Liverpool crater and Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater are classic bowlshaped, Barringer-type craters, Liverpool was likely formed during the Neoproterozoic and was filled and covered with sediments soon thereafter. In the Cenozoic, this cover was exhumed exposing the crater's brecciated wall rocks. Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater displays many striking features, including well-bedded ejecta units, crater-floor faults and sinkholes, a ringed aeromagnetic anomaly, rim-skirting dunes, and numerous iron-rich shale balls. Boxhole Meteorite Crater, Veevers Meteorite Crater and Dalgaranga crater are smaller, Odessa-type craters without fully developed, steep, overturned rims. Boxhole and Dalgaranga craters are developed in highly follated Precambrian basement rocks with a veneer of Holocene colluvium. The pre-existing structure at these two sites complicates structural analyses of the craters, and may have influenced target deformation during impact. Veevers Meteorite Crater is formed in Cenozoic laterites, and is one of the best-preserved impact craters on Earth. The craters discussed herein were formed in different target materials, ranging from crystalline rocks to loosely consolidated sediments, containing evidence that the impactors struck at an array of angles and velocities. This facilitates a comparative study of the influence of these factors on the structural and topographic form of small impact craters. ?? Geological Society of Australia.

The Gardnos Impact Structure, Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dons, J. A.; Naterstad, J.

1992-07-01

The Gardnos area is situated 9 km north of the village Nesbyen in the county of Buskerud, south-central Norway. The peculiar "Gardnos breccia" was first described in 1945 and ascribed to explosive volcanic activity in Permian time. This conclusion has lately been questioned, and preliminary field and microscopic investigations by the authors in 1990-91 substantiated a theory of impact origin for the breccia and the structure. The Gardnos Impact Structure is the first of its kind to be described from Norway. Its geographical position is lat. 60 degrees 39'N, long. 9 degrees 00'E. The topography surrounding the structure ranges from 200 m.a.s.l. in the main Hallingdalen valley to more than 1000 m.a.s.l. in the high mountains nearby. At heights of 900-1000 m erosion has cut through the important, more or less horizontal boundary between a complex Precambrian crystalline basement and a deformed Caledonian cover sequence of Cambro-Ordovician sediments and overthrust nappes. Rocks of the latter sequence are however, still preserved in outliers no more than 3 km from the Gardnos structure. Erosional remnants of the Gardnos structure rocks are found within a semicircular area of 4-5 km diameter. Topographically the eroded structure now appears as a bowl-shaped, hanging side valley to Hallingdal. Wooded, late-Quaternary moraines and fluvioglacial deposits cover to a great extent the solid rocks, but the beds of many branching creeks provide good exposures. Thus a great variety of rocks formed within the Gardnos structure can be studied from approximately 350 m.a.s.l. up to more than 800 m.a.s.l. A variety of rocks from the Precambrian basement complex have been affected by the impact. This gives a unique opportunity to study shock-metamorphic effects on varying lithologies. Among the impact-produced structures and rock types that can easily be identified is an outer zone of breccia veining in the varied Precambrian lithologies, a lowermost lens of autochthonous breccia, the "Gardnos breccia" proper, above it a lens of suevite and suevite-like breccias, and at the transition to a series of crater-fill sediments there occur deposits that we interpret as back-fill and slump deposits. Type variation, trace fossils, and numerous sedimentary structures in the crater-fill sediments also testifies to the existence of a local, steep-sided sedimentary basin formed in the Precambrian rocks below the Cambro-Ordovician sea that probably existed in the region at this time. The autochthonous breccia shows great variation in clast size and extensive internal fracturing in the clasts. The fine-grained, black, carbonaceous matrix has entered even the most minute cracks. It is interesting to note that driving a tunnel through this breccia resulted in 30% greater wear on drilling equipment than that experienced when driving in unbrecciated gneiss. Microscopic study of thin sections made from the impactites shows many typical shock-metamorphic textures. Many types of planar features are seen in quartz and feldspar. In quartz methane- carrying fluid inclusions are very common along these directions. Biotites are strongly kinked. Partly vesicular fragments in different stages of devitrification are common in the suevite breccias, and so are crystals of quartz and feldspar showing different stages of isotropisation and melting--all in a heterogeneous mixture together with apparently undeformed rock and crystal fragments. Slight deformation and metamorphism seen in the crater-fill sediments are ascribed to the Caledonian orogeny, which influenced the area in Devonian time. Our studies so far indicate the following sequence of events: At a point in time corresponding approximately to the Cambro- Ordovician transition a bolide of a few hundred m diameter fell into the Lower Palaeozoic sea blasting a crater through its deposits of carbonaceous shale and deep into the underlying crystalline gneisses. Continued sedimentation filled the crater and development of the Caledonides then followed. Deep erosion has left structures and materials enough to unravel the story. Detailed mapping of the structure will continue in 1992, and a drilling project is planned for 1993.

Experimental Investigation on Poro-Elasto-Plastic Behavior of the Inner Accretionary Wedge Sediments at the Nankai Subduction Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, S. T.; Kitamura, M.; Kitajima, H.

2017-12-01

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) have installed borehole observatories to monitor the evolution of physical and hydrological properties caused by crustal deformation at various strain rates within earthquake cycles. The observatories have been installed at the base of a forearc basin above the megathrust fault (Site C0002) and near the shallow tip of the megasplay fault (Site C0010), and will be installed near the frontal thrust (Site C0006) next year. The observatory pore pressure data have shown the dynamic and post-seismic responses and are used to estimate volumetric strain (deformation) with poroelastic parameters (e.g., Wallace et al. 2016). The parameters of submarine sediments are often computed theoretically from the porosity, compressibilities of matrix, solid, and pore fluid; however, few direct constraints on core samples have been made. To investigate the poro-elasto-plastic behavior of submarine sediments, triaxial experiments with stress relaxation were conducted on the claystone cores (20% porosity) from 2185 meters below sea floor at Site C0002. Triaxial tests were conducted by applying an axial load at a constant displacement rate of 5×10-9m/s, while keeping confining pressure (Pc) at 42, 48, or 78 MPa and pore pressure (Pp) at 20 MPa. Stress relaxation tests were conducted periodically, in which neither axial displacement nor pore volume change was allowed. At lower effective pressure (Pe=Pc-Pp) of 22 and 28 MPa, the samples deform in a brittle manner, with a peak strength of 50 and 55 MPa and a residual strength of 36 and 46 MPa, respectively. At higher Pe of 58 MPa, the sample exhibits strain hardening. The relaxation tests at Pe = 22 MPa show an increase in Pp before yield and a decrease in Pp after yield, suggesting a transition from compaction to dilation. All of the relaxation tests at Pe = 58 MPa show an increase in Pp, suggesting compaction throughout the deformation. The ratio of Pp to volumetric strain determined from the relaxation tests ranges 0.4 - 2.0 kPa/μstrain and is lower than the value of 8.7 kPa/μstrain for sediments with 20% porosity computed based on the poroelasticity theory (Davis et al., 2009), implying that the volumetric strain during our relaxation tests is mainly due to plastic deformation.

Mechanical analysis of statolith action in roots and rhizoids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todd, Paul

1994-08-01

Published observations on the response times following gravistimulation (horizontal positioning) of Chara rhizoids and developing roots of vascular plants with normal and ``starchless'' amyloplasts were reviewed and compared. Statolith motion was found to be consistent with gravitational sedimentation opposed by elastic deformation of an intracellular material. The time required for a statolith to sediment to equilibrium was calculated on the basis of its buoyant density and compared with observed sedimentation times. In the examples chosen, the response time following gravistimulation (from horizontal positioning to the return of downward growth) could be related to the statolith sedimentation time. Such a relationship implies that the transduction step is rapid in comparison with the perception steo following gravistimulation of rhizoids and developing roots.

Mechanical analysis of statolith action in roots and rhizoids.

PubMed

Todd, P

1994-01-01

Published observations on the response times following gravistimulation (horizontal positioning) of Chara rhizoids and developing roots of vascular plants with normal and "starchless" amyloplasts were reviewed and compared. Statolith motion was found to be consistent with gravitational sedimentation opposed by elastic deformation of an intracellular material. The time required for a statolith to sediment to equilibrium was calculated on the basis of its buoyant density and compared with observed sedimentation times. In the examples chosen, the response time following gravistimulation (from horizontal positioning to the return of downward growth) could be related to the statolith sedimentation time. Such a relationship implies that the transduction step is rapid in comparison with the perception step following gravistimulation of rhizoids and developing roots.

Dating the upper Cenozoic sediments in Fisher Valley, southeastern Utah ( USA).

USGS Publications Warehouse

Colman, Steven M.; Choquette, Anne F.; Rosholt, J.M.; Miller, G.H.; Huntley, D.J.

1986-01-01

More than 140 m of upper Cenozoic basin-fill sediments were deposited and then deformed in Fisher Valley between about 2.5 and 0.25 m.y. ago, in response to uplift of the adjacent Onion Creek salt diapir. In addition to these basin-fill sediments, minor amounts of eolian and fluvial sand were depositd in Holocene time. The sediments, whose relative ages are known from the stratigraphy, are predominantly sandy, second-cycle red beds derived from nearby Mesozoic rocks; most were deposited in a vertical sequence, filling a sedimentary basin now exposed by fluvial dissection. We have applied a variety of established and experimental dating methods to the sediments in Fisher Valley to establish their age and to provide time control for the recent history of the Onion Creek salt diapir.-from Authors

Thinned crustal structure and tectonic boundary of the Nansha Block, southern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Miao; Wu, Shi-Guo; Zhang, Jian

2016-12-01

The southern South China Sea margin consists of the thinned crustal Nansha Block and a compressional collision zone. The Nansha Block's deep structure and tectonic evolution contains critical information about the South China Sea's rifting. Multiple geophysical data sets, including regional magnetic, gravity and reflection seismic data, reveal the deep structure and rifting processes. Curie point depth (CPD), estimated from magnetic anomalies using a windowed wavenumber-domain algorithm, enables us to image thermal structures. To derive a 3D Moho topography and crustal thickness model, we apply Oldenburg algorithm to the gravity anomaly, which was extracted from the observed free air gravity anomaly data after removing the gravity effect of density variations of sediments, and temperature and pressure variations of the lithospheric mantle. We found that the Moho depth (20 km) is shallower than the CPD (24 km) in the Northwest Borneo Trough, possibly caused by thinned crust, low heat flow and a low vertical geothermal gradient. The Nansha Block's northern boundary is a narrow continent-ocean transition zone constrained by magnetic anomalies, reflection seismic data, gravity anomalies and an interpretation of Moho depth (about 13 km). The block extends southward beneath a gravity-driven deformed sediment wedge caused by uplift on land after a collision, with a contribution from deep crustal flow. Its southwestern boundary is close to the Lupar Line defined by a significant negative reduction to the pole (RTP) of magnetic anomaly and short-length-scale variation in crustal thickness, increasing from 18 to 26 km.

Structural evolution of Cenozoic basins in northeastern Tunisia, in response to sinistral strike-slip movement on the El Alia-Teboursouk Fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bejaoui, Hamida; Aïfa, Tahar; Melki, Fetheddine; Zargouni, Fouad

2017-10-01

This paper resolves the structural complexity of Cenozoic sedimentary basins in northeastern Tunisia. These basins trend NE-SW to ∼ E-W, and are bordered by old fracture networks. Detailed descriptions of the structural features in outcrop and in subsurface data suggest that the El Alia-Teboursouk Fault zone in the Bizerte area evolved through a series of tectonic events. Cross sections, lithostratigraphic correlations, and interpretation of seismic profiles through the basins show evidence for: (i) a Triassic until Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rifting phase that induced lateral variations of facies and strata thicknesses; (ii) a set of faults oriented NE-SW, NW-SE, N-S, and E-W that guided sediment accumulation in pull-apart basins, which were subject to compressive and transpressive deformation during Eocene (Lutetian-Priabonian), Miocene (Tortonian), and Pliocene-Quaternary; and (iii) NNW-SSE to NS contractional events that occurred during the Late Pliocene. Part of the latest phase has been the formation of different synsedimentary folded structures with significant subsidence inversion. Such events have been responsible for the reactivation of inherited faults, and the intrusion of Triassic evaporites, ensuring the role of a slip layer. The combined effects of the different paleoconstraints and halokinetic movements are at the origin of the evolution of these pull-apart basins. The subsurface data suggest that an important fault displacement occurred during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. The patterns of sediment accumulation in the different basins reflect a high activity of deep ancient faults.

Ross Sea Till Properties: Implications for Ice Sheet Bed Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halberstadt, A. R.; Anderson, J. B.; Simkins, L.; Prothro, L. O.; Bart, P. J.

2015-12-01

Since the discovery of a pervasive shearing till layer underlying Ice Stream B, the scientific community has categorized subglacial diamictons as either deformation till or lodgement till primarily based on shear strength. Deformation till is associated with streaming ice, formed through subglacial deformation of unconsolidated sediments. Lodgement till is believed to be deposited by the plastering of sediment entrained at the base of slow-flowing ice onto a rigid bed. Unfortunately, there has been a paucity of quantitative data on the spatial distribution of shear strength across the continental shelf. Cores collected from the Ross Sea on cruises NBP1502 and NBP9902 provide a rich dataset that can be used to interpret till shear strength variability. Till strengths are analyzed within the context of: (1) geologic substrate; (2) water content and other geotechnical properties; (3) ice sheet retreat history; and (4) geomorphic framework. Tills display a continuum of shear strengths rather than a bimodal distribution, suggesting that shear strength cannot be used to distinguish between lodgement and deformation till. Where the substrate below the LGM unconformity is comprised of older lithified deposits, till shear strengths are both highly variable within the till unit, as well as highly variable between cores. Conversely, where ice streams flowed across unconsolidated Plio-Pleistocene deposits, shear strengths are low and less variable within the unit and between cores. This suggests greater homogenization of cannibalized tills, and possibly a deeper pervasive shear layer. Coarser-grained tills are observed on banks and bank slopes, with finer tills in troughs. Highly variable and more poorly sorted tills are found in close proximity to sediment-based subglacial meltwater channels, attesting to a change in ice-bed interaction as subglacial water increases. Pellets (rounded sedimentary clasts of till matrix) are observed in Ross Sea cores, suggesting a history of deformation responsible for pellet formation. Till strength was measured in a variety of environments, including mega-scale lineations and grounding zone wedges; ongoing work focuses on evaluating till shear strengths within a geomorphic context. These analyses are used to re-evaluate till genesis, transport, and characterization.

Origin and late quaternary tectonism of a western Canadian continental shelf trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moslow, Thomas F.; Luternauer, John L.; Rohr, Kristin

1991-08-01

Analyses of high resolution and multi-channel seismic profiles from the central continental shelf of western Canada ascribe a late Quaternary glacial origin to large-scale troughs. Along the margins of Moresby Trough, one of three large-scale cross-shelf bathymetric depressions in Queen Charlotte Sound, seismic profiles within Quaternary sediments show a divergence of reflectors, thickening and folding of seismic units, and concavity of reflectors suggestive of drag. Compactional subsidence, growth faulting, and compaction faulting are also observed. Fault traces commonly terminate below the seabed. Deformation of Quaternary sediments due to faulting is plastic in nature and maximum offset of reflectors is 2.5 m. The observed Quaternary deformation appears to be a product of rapid deposition, loading and subsidence of late Quaternary sediment, which is unrelated to seismic activity. In addition, Quaternary faulting was probably activated by post-glacial loading and isostatic rebound of consolidated Tertiary strata along the margins of continental shelf troughs. The presence of mass movement (slump or debris flow) deposits overlying lithified Tertiary strata along the flanks of Moresby Trough provides the only evidence of seismic activity in the study area. The lack of a mud drape over these deposits implies a late Holocene age for the timing of their emplacement. The Quaternary troughs are incised into Tertiary-aged sedimentary fill of the Queen Charlotte basin. Previous workers had interpreted seafloor escarpments paralleling the trough margins to indicate that the location of Moresby Trough was controlled by renewed or continued activity on Tertiary-aged faults. A multi-channel seismic line across Moresby Trough shows that such an escarpment on the seafloor does not correlate to faults either in the Tertiary basin fill or the underlying basement. Tertiary reflectors are continuous underneath Moresby Trough; the seafloor escarpment is an erosional feature and was not created by reactivation of Tertiary structures. Trough erosion and subsequent fill (up to 175 m thick) are entirely of Quaternary age.

Structural framework of a major intracontinental orogenic termination zone: The easternmost Tien Shan, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cunningham, D.; Owen, L.A.; Snee, L.W.; Li, Ji

2003-01-01

The Barkol Tagh and Karlik Tagh ranges of the easternmost Tien Shan are a natural laboratory for studying the fault architecture of an active termination zone of a major intracontinental mountain range. Barkol and Karlik Tagh and lesser ranges to the north are bounded by active thrust faults that locally deform Quaternary sediments. Major thrusts in Karlik Tagh connect along strike to the east with the left-lateral Gobi-Tien Shan Fault System in SW Mongolia. From a Mongolian perspective. Karlik Tagh represents a large restraining bend for this regional strike-slip fault system, and the entire system of thrusts and strike-slip faults in the Karlik Tagh region defines a horsetail splay fault geometry. Regionally, there appears to be a kinematic transition from thrust-dominated deformation in the central Tien Shan to left-lateral transpressional deformation in the easternmost Tien Shan. This transition correlates with a general eastward decrease in mountain belt width and average elevation and a change in the angular relationship between the NNE-directed maximum horizontal stress in the region and the pre-existing basement structural grain, which is northwesterly in the central Tien Shan (orthogonal to SHmax) but more east-west in the eastern Tien Shan (acute angular relationship with SHmax . Ar-Ar ages indicate that major range-bounding thrusts in Barkol and Karlik Tagh are latest Permian-Triassic ductile thrust zones that underwent brittle reactivation in the Late Cenozoic. It is estimated that the modern mountain ranges of the extreme easternmost Tien Shan could have been constructed by only 10-15 km of Late Cenozoic horizontal shortening.

Nonperiodic eddy pulsations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rubin, David M.; McDonald, Richard R.

1995-01-01

Recirculating flow in lateral separation eddies is typically weaker than main stem flow and provides an effective environment for trapping sediment. Observations of recirculating flow and sedimentary structures demonstrate that eddies pulsate in size and in flow velocity even when main stem flow is steady. Time series measurements of flow velocity and location of the reattachment point indicate that these pulsations are nonperiodic. Nonperiodic flow in the lee of a channel margin constriction is grossly different from the periodic flow in the lee of a cylinder that is isolated in a flow. Our experiments demonstrate that placing a flow-parallel plate adjacent to a cylinder is sufficient to cause the leeside flow to change from a periodic sequence of vortices to a nonperiodically pulsating lateral separation eddy, even if flow conditions are otherwise unchanged. Two processes cause the leeside flow to become nonperiodic when the plate is added. First, vortices that are shed from the cylinder deform and become irregular as they impact the plate or interfere with remnants of other vortices near the reattachment point. Second, these deformed vortices and other flow structures are recirculated in the lateral separation eddy, thereby influencing the future state (pressure and momentum distribution) of the recirculating flow. The vortex deformation process was confirmed experimentally by documenting spatial differences in leeside flow; vortex shedding that is evident near the separation point is undetectable near the reattachment point. Nonlinear forecasting techniques were used in an attempt to distinguish among several possible kinds of nonperiodic flows. The computational techniques were unable to demonstrate that any of the nonperiodic flows result from low-dimensional nonlinear processes.

Convolute laminations — a theoretical analysis: example of a Pennsylvanian sandstone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Visher, Glenn S.; Cunningham, Russ D.

1981-03-01

Data from an outcropping laminated interval were collected and analyzed to test the applicability of a theoretical model describing instability of layered systems. Rayleigh—Taylor wave perturbations result at the interface between fluids of contrasting density, viscosity, and thickness. In the special case where reverse density and viscosity interlaminations are developed, the deformation response produces a single wave with predictable amplitudes, wavelengths, and amplification rates. Physical measurements from both the outcropping section and modern sediments suggest the usefulness of the model for the interpretation of convolute laminations. Internal characteristics of the stratigraphic interval, and the developmental sequence of convoluted beds, are used to document the developmental history of these structures.

Sedimentary masses and concepts about tectonic processes at underthrust ocean margins ( subduction).

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scholl, D. W.; von Huene, Roland E.; Vallier, T.L.; Howell, D.G.

1980-01-01

Tectonic processes associated with subduction of oceanic crust, but unrelated to the collision of thick crustal masses or microplates, are presumed by many geologists to significantly affect the formation and deformation of large sedimentary bodies at underthrust ocean margins. More geologists are familiar with the concept of subduction accretion than with other noncollision processes - for example, sediment subduction, subduction erosion, and subduction kneading. In our opinion, no single subduction-related tectonic process is the dominant or typical one that forges the geologic framework of modern underthrust ocean margins. It is likely, therefore, that the rock records of ancient underthrust margins are preserved in a multitude of structural and stratigraphic forms.-from Authors

Linking bedrock exhumation, fluvial terraces, and geomorphic indices to constrain deformation rates at multiple timescales across the Himalayan deformation front in the Kashmir Himalaya, northwest India.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavillot, Y. G.

2017-12-01

In Kashmir, the Himalayan Frontal thrust (HFT) is blind, characterized by a broad fold, the Suruin-Mastargh anticline, and displays no major emergent faults cutting either limb. A lack of knowledge of the rate of shortening and structural framework of the Suruin-Mastargh anticline hampers quantifying the earthquake potential for the deformation front. Our study combines bedrock exhumation, folded fluvial terraces, long-river profiles and river incision (specific stream power) analyses across the deformation front. At the core of the frontal fold, Apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) cooling ages of detrital grains from the Siwalik foreland sediments indicate significant resetting. AHe data and thermal modeling reveal rapid cooling and exhumation initiated ca. 4 Ma for the deformation front, at least 3 Ma earlier than is indicated from previously available data. Exhumation rates over the last 1 m.y. and 4 m.y. range from 0.5 - 2.4 mm/yr, and 0.5 - 1 mm/yr, respectively. Four fluvial terraces yield multiple OSL and depth profiles Be10 TCN ages between 53 ka and 0.4 ka. Vector fold restoration of long terrace profiles, calculated specific stream power values, bedrock dip data, and stratigraphic thickness indicate a deformation pattern controlled by a duplex structure emplaced at depth along the basal décollement, folding the overlying roof thrust and foreland strata into a detachment-like fold. Dated terraces across the frontal fold yield rock uplift and shortening rates that range between 1.8-2.5 mm/yr, and 3.8-5.4 mm/yr, respectively, since 53 ka. Similarly, a balanced cross section yields a long-term shortening rate of 5mm mm/yr since 4 Ma. Geodetic data indicate that an 11-12 mm/yr arc-normal shortening rate characterizes the interseismic strain accumulation across the plate boundary due to India-Tibet convergence. These data combined with rates of other active internal faults in the Kashmir Himalaya indicate that shortening occurs roughly at an equal rate between folding at the deformation front and the Riasi fault system to the north. Implications of Quaternary distributed shortening indicate Main Himalayan thrust slip events may go either to the fold at the deformation front, the Riasi fault system to the north, or both, which will relieve the large slip deficit for the Kashmir Himalaya.

Widespread effects of middle Mississippian deformation in the Great Basin of western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trexler, J.H.; Cashman, P.H.; Cole, J.C.; Snyder, W.S.; Tosdal, R.M.; Davydov, V.I.

2003-01-01

Stratigraphic analyses in central and eastern Nevada reveal the importance of a deformation event in middle Mississippian time that caused widespread deformation, uplift, and erosion. It occurred between middle Osagean and late Meramecian time and resulted in deposition of both synorogenic and postorogenic sediments. The deformation resulted in east-west shortening, expressed as east-vergent folding and east-directed thrusting; it involved sedimentary rocks of the Antler foredeep as well as strata associated with the Roberts Mountains allochthon. A latest Meramecian to early Chesterian unconformity, with correlative conformable lithofacies changes, postdates this deformation and occurs throughout Nevada. A tectonic highland-created in the middle Mississippian and lasting into the Pennsylvanian and centered in the area west and southwest of Carlin, Nevada- shed sediments eastward across the Antler foreland, burying the unconformity. Postorogenic strata are late Meramecian to early Chesterian at the base and are widespread throughout the Great Basin. The tectonism therefore occurred 20 to 30 m.y. after inception of the Late Devonian Antler orogeny, significantly extending the time span of this orogeny or representing a generally unrecognized orogenic event in the Paleozoic evolution of western North America. We propose a revised stratigraphic nomenclature for Mississippian strata in Nevada, based on detailed age control and the recognition of unconformities. This approach resolves the ambiguity of some stratigraphic names and emphasizes genetic relationships within the upper Paleozoic section. We take advantage of better stratigraphic understanding to propose two new stratigraphic units for southern and eastern Nevada: the middle Mississippian Gap Wash and Late Mississippian Captain Jack Formations.

Stream response to repeated coseismic folding, Tiptonville dome, New Madrid seismic zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guccione, M. J.; Mueller, K.; Champion, J.; Shepherd, S.; Carlson, S. D.; Odhiambo, B.; Tate, A.

2002-03-01

Fluvial response to tectonic deformation is dependent on the amount and style of surface deformation and the relative size of the stream. Active folding in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) forms the Tiptonville dome, a 15-km long and 5-km wide surface fold with up to 11 m of late Holocene structural relief. The fold is crossed by streams of varying size, from the Mississippi River to small flood-plain streams. Fluvial response of these streams to repeated coseismic folding has only been preserved for the past 2.3 ka, since the Tiptonville meander of the Mississippi River migrated across the area forming the present flood plain. This surface comprises a sandy point-bar deposit locally overlain by clayey overbank and silty sand crevasse-splay deposits, an abandoned chute channel infilled with laminated sandy silt and silty clay, and an abandoned neck cutoff filled with a sandy cutoff bar and silty clay oxbow lake deposits. Dating various stream responses to coseismic folding has more tightly constrained the timing of earthquake events in the central NMSZ and provides a means of partitioning the deformation amount into individual seismic events. Three earthquakes have been dated in the Reelfoot Lake area, ca. A.D. 900, 1470, and 1812. The latter two earthquakes had large local coseismic deformation. Both of these events were responsible for numerous stream responses such as shifting depocenters, modification of Mississippi River channel geometry, and derangement of small streams. Overbank sedimentation ceased on the dome as it was uplifted above the normal flood stage, and sedimentation of crevasse-splay deposits from the Mississippi River, colluvium from the scarp, and lacustrine sediment accumulated in the adjacent Reelfoot basin. The much larger Mississippi River channel responded to uplift by increasing its sinuosity across the uplift relative to both upstream and downstream, increasing its width/depth ratio across and downstream of the uplift, and decreasing the width/depth ratio upstream of the uplift. Despite the size of the Mississippi River, it has not yet attained equilibrium since the latest uplift 190 years ago. Small channels that could not downcut through the uplift were filled, locally reversed flow direction, or formed a lake where they were dammed. Uplift and stream response to folding along the Tiptonville dome is less dramatic between 2.3 and 0.53 ka. During this interval, abandoned channel fill and overbank deposition across the dome suggests that it was not a high-relief feature. One earthquake event occurred during this interval (ca. A.D. 900), but coseismic stream response was probably limited to a slight aggradation of a small flood-plain stream.

Fluids in crustal deformation: Fluid flow, fluid-rock interactions, rheology, melting and resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacombe, Olivier; Rolland, Yann

2016-11-01

Fluids exert a first-order control on the structural, petrological and rheological evolution of the continental crust. Fluids interact with rocks from the earliest stages of sedimentation and diagenesis in basins until these rocks are deformed and/or buried and metamorphosed in orogens, then possibly exhumed. Fluid-rock interactions lead to the evolution of rock physical properties and rock strength. Fractures and faults are preferred pathways for fluids, and in turn physical and chemical interactions between fluid flow and tectonic structures, such as fault zones, strongly influence the mechanical behaviour of the crust at different space and time scales. Fluid (over)pressure is associated with a variety of geological phenomena, such as seismic cycle in various P-T conditions, hydrofracturing (including formation of sub-horizontal, bedding-parallel veins), fault (re)activation or gravitational sliding of rocks, among others. Fluid (over)pressure is a governing factor for the evolution of permeability and porosity of rocks and controls the generation, maturation and migration of economic fluids like hydrocarbons or ore forming hydrothermal fluids, and is therefore a key parameter in reservoir studies and basin modeling. Fluids may also help the crust partially melt, and in turn the resulting melt may dramatically change the rheology of the crust.

Conditions for Land Subsidence and Ground Failure in Lacustrine Sediments, the Case of West Chapala Basin.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez-Marin, M.; Pacheco, J.; Ortiz-Lozano, J. A.; Ramirez-Cortes, A.; Araiza, G.

2014-12-01

Surface deformation in the form of land subsidence and ground failure in the Chapala Basin has caused serious damage to structures, mostly homes. In this work, the conditions for the occurrence of deformation particularly regarding the physical and mechanical properties of the soil are discussed. In 2012 a maximum land subsidence of 7.16 cm in a short period of 8 months was recorded with maximum velocities of deformation close to 0.89 centimeters per month. Natural conditions of the zone of study include a lacustrine low land with the perennial Chapala Lake, surrounded by ranges formed by volcanic extrusive rocks, mostly basalts and andesites. Two soil cores of 11 meters depth show the predominance of fine soil but with the incrustation of several sandy lenses of volcanic ash. In the first core closer to the piedmont, the volcanic ash presents an accumulated thickness close to three meters, starting at 4.5 meters depth; on the contrary, this thickness in the second core closer to the lake is critically reduced to no more than 50 centimeters. Even though the predominance of fine soil is significant, water-content averages 100 % and the liquid limit is low, suggesting amongst other possibilities, low content of clay or at least low content of smectites or allophanes in the clayey portion. Other properties of the soil are being determined for analyses. The occurrence of three alignments of ground failures in the community of Jocotepec at the west, mostly faults, suggests highly heterogeneous subsoil. The high volumes of groundwater withdrawn from the local aquifers mainly for agriculture are directly contributing to the increase of the effective stress and surface deformation, however, the relationship between level descents and surficial deformation is still not clear.

Quaternary geology and geomorphology of the Dinosaur Provincial Park area and surrounding plains, Alberta, Canada: the identification of former glacial lobes, drainage diversions and meltwater flood tracks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, David J. A.

2000-06-01

The Quaternary geology and geomorphology of the lower Red Deer River drainage basin, centred on the Dinosaur Provincial Park badlands, provides information on pre-Late Wisconsinan drainage patterns and the dynamics of former lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in western Canada. Patterns of deglaciation, proglacial lake evolution and spillway incision are also reconstructed based upon the distribution of surface materials and glacial/glaciofluvial landforms. The Empress Group fluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments, which could be as young as 27 ka BP, infill the precursor Red Deer River and its tributaries and document the initial advance of glacier ice into southern Alberta. Glaciotectonic disturbance of older sediments and bedrock, the production of deformation tills and the construction of a megafluting complex and cupola hills record the advances of a glacier lobe centred over the study area. Stratified inter- and intra-till beds record pulses of subglacial meltwater between phases of subsole deformation. The thickening of tills towards the margin of the lobe represents a till wedge, an expected product of sediment advection by glaciers moving over deformable beds. The eastern margin of the glacier lobe is demarcated by the interlobate Suffield hummocky moraine belt which contains overprinted thrust ridges, which record diachronous oscillations of neighbouring lobes within the ice sheet. Proglacial and glaciofluvial sediments were deposited in the area in association with proglacial Lake Bassano/Patricia, which drained eastwards when the Suffield moraine was dissected by spillways. Changes in the size of glacial lake Bassano/Patricia are clearly documented by a sequence of spillway incisions which culminated in the erosion of scabland topography and the initiation of a new course for the Red Deer River, a 15 km southward diversion of the main channel. In distinct contrast to the documented incision histories of other small rivers in Alberta, One Tree Creek and Little Sandhill Creek did not start major incisions of the Quaternary sediments over buried valley positions until the late-Holocene when environmental conditions were characterized by higher precipitation.

2D numerical modeling of gravity-driven giant-scale deformation processes in the offshore Barreirinhas Basin (Brazil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruciani, Francesco; Manconi, Andrea; Rinaldo Barchi, Massimiliano

2014-05-01

Gravity-driven deformation processes at continental passive margins occur at different scales, from small-scale turbidity currents and sediment slides, to large-scale mass transport complexes (MTCs), to the giant-scale deep water fold and thrust belts (DW-FTBs), which affect most or the entire sedimentary sequence. This kind of giant structures, quite widespread in passive margins, may be active for tens of millions of years. In this context, the Brazilian Atlantic margin hosts several well-known DW-FTBs detached on both shale and salt décollement. Despite of their relevant scientific and economic importance, the mechanical processes driving the onset and evolution of these giant-scale structures are still poorly investigated. In this work, we focus on the shale décollement DW-FTB of the Barreirinhas Basin, where the continental slope has been affected by multi-phase gravitational processes since the Late Cretaceous. This DW-FTB consists of a linked fault system of listric normal faults updip and thrust faults downdip, detached over a common concave upward décollement surface. From the onshore extensional to the offshore compressional domain the DW-FTB is about 50 km wide and involve a sedimentary sequence up to 5 km thick. Shortening within the compressional domain is accommodated almost entirely from a single thrust ramp with a large related anticline fold. Previous studies have shown that the main activity phases of the gravitational processes are closely linked to significant increases in the sediment supply within the basin. Indeed, the highest deformation rate, accounting for about 80% of the net strain, occurred in the Upper Miocene following a drainage rearrangement which led to the birth of the modern Amazon River drainage system. The Barreirinhas Basin DW-FTB entails a rather simple geometrical structure, which can be well schematized, therefore is particularly suitable for numerical simulations aimed to study and understand the dynamics of DW-FTB at this particular place and also elsewhere. We set up a 2D fluid dynamic model by considering a Finite Element Method (FEM) environment, which allows us to well represent the geometries, densities and viscosities of the geological materials, as derived from geophysical investigations. Our study aims at understanding whether the long-term mechanical behavior of the Barreirinhas Basin DW-FTB can be reproduced by considering a simplified Newtonian fluid dynamics environment or it is controlled by a more complex rheology, which might include the effect of additional parameters such as internal friction, cohesive strength and pore-fluid pressure at the basal detachment.

Interplay of Structure and Sediment Supply May Influence Subduction Zone Rupture Patches and Propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldfinger, C.; Wang, K.; Witter, R.; Baptista, A.; Zhang, Y.; Priest, G.; Nelson, H.; Morey, A.; Johnson, J.

2007-12-01

The question of whether there are universal controls on the genesis and maintenance of large slip and moment patches along strike on subduction megathrusts has proved remarkably elusive, in part due to the short temporal records we have of these great events around the globe. Many events this century are poorly constrained, and many subduction zones only have one or a few events available for comparison. Long historical records and good structural constraints have made Nankai a leading case for basin centered asperities, yet the recent Sumatra Mw 9.2 rupture models show that slip and moment for the most part avoided basins and was centered under structural highs. In Cascadia, both deformation and tsunami models clearly fit the respective subsidence and runup data better if slip in past events was centered under or did not avoid these highs as opposed to basin centered model. Onshore and offshore paleoseismic evidence from 38 Cascadia earthquakes strongly suggest that structural segmentation plays a role only along the southernmost margin. These data do not provide information on moment or slip distribution, but do effectively constrain rupture lengths. Rupture lengths constrained by the paleoseismic data show that there is no Holocene segmentation for the northern margin, and that southern segments may be controlled by some of the obvious structural boundaries such as the Blanco Fracture zone, and outer arc uplifts and forearc basins. Where resolution is adequate, these data also suggest that ruptures die out into the basins and are linked multi-segment ruptures of structural uplifts, similar to that observed in the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes from Sumatra where outer arc uplifts may mark segment boundaries, high slip patches and initiation points for great earthquakes. The difference between the rupture modes observed for Nankai and Sumatra, and suggested here for Cascadia may be linked to the sediment supply for these systems. Cascadia and Sumatra are both systems where massive submarine fans are accreting to the margin in their northern regions, with incoming sections of 3-4 km thickness that taper southward. These thick sections promote high fluid pressure, but also tend to smooth the plate interface with respect to structures in both the downgoing and upper plates. A smooth plate interface has long been thought to promote long ruptures and high moment release, and so we suspect that northern Cascadia and northern Sumatra may be prone to large ruptures due to the masking of other structures by large influxes of sediment on the subducting plate. By comparison, the relatively thin sediment supply at Nankai may allow these structural boundaries to play a greater role in rupture propagation and moment release. The smaller southern Cascadia ruptures are also consistent with this model, with structural control taking precedence as the sediment supply thins southward.

Tectonic Processes Along the Southeastern Margin of Alaska - The Neogene Sedimentary Record: Yakataga Formation, St. Elias Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witmer, J. W.; Ridgway, K. D.; Brennan, P. R.; Arnaud, E.; Pavlis, T.

2008-12-01

Neogene collision of the Yakutat microplate with the southern Alaskan continental margin is associated with extreme rates of exhumation and erosion of the St. Elias Mountains. The exhumation and the concurrent development of temperate glaciers are recorded in the ~5000 m of sedimentary strata of the Yakataga Formation. We present new data from measured stratigraphic sections that document along-strike and temporal changes within the Yakataga Formation along this collisional margin during Miocene to Pleistocene time. In the eastern part of our study area, the Yakataga Formation consists of lenticular sandstone and conglomerate facies associated with fan-delta depositional environments that are overlain by thick-bedded glaciomarine strata. These strata grade to finer-grained sandstone and convoluted mudstone typical of marine shelf environments in the central part of our study area. Along strike in the westernmost part of our study area the Yakataga Formation is interpreted to be laterally equivalent to Neogene strata of the Redwood Formation. These strata include thick-bedded, macrofossil-rich sandstone, well-rounded conglomerate, and thin-bedded mudstone facies that are characteristic of nearshore and shelf depositional environments. These sediments were likely sourced by fluvial systems along the continental margin that served as the backstop for Neogene collision. Preliminary compositional data also suggest that the Redwood Formation was derived from a different source than the Yakataga Formation. Along-strike changes in structural configuration of the Yakataga Formation are also observed. In the easternmost part of our study area adjacent to the Dangerous River zone (DRZ), a possible remnant strike-slip fault system, unconformities between the Yakataga Formation and underlying strata require erosion of 1000s of meters of missing Eocene-Miocene strata. We interpret this part of the mountain range to have undergone the greatest amount of Neogene exhumation. In the central part of the study area, the Yakataga Formation is exposed in a series of growth folds and megachannels that have been incorporated into a southward-propagating thrust belt as sediment was transported westward away from the exhuming St. Elias Range. To the west, more complete stratigraphic sections and finer-grained lithofacies suggest relatively less syndepositional deformation during the deposition of the Yakataga Formation. From a stratigraphic perspective, the DRZ appears to have focused deformation, exhumation, development of temperate glaciers, and westward transport of sediment during deposition of the Yakataga Formation. The westward changes in lithofacies and deformation within the Yakataga Formation are interpreted as products of progressive oblique collision of the Yakutat microplate to the southeastern Alaskan continental margin. New U-Pb detrital zircon geochronologic data from the Yakataga Formation and older underlying strata demonstrate minimal changes in provenance from Eocene to Pleistocene time. We interpret these data to reflect recycling of sediment within the collisional zone.

Exploring of PST-TBPM in Monitoring Dynamic Deformation of Steel Structure in Vibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Mingzhi; Zhao, Yongqian; Hai, Hua; Yu, Chengxin; Zhang, Guojian

2018-01-01

In order to monitor the dynamic deformation of steel structure in the real-time, digital photography is used in this paper. Firstly, the grid method is used correct the distortion of digital camera. Then the digital cameras are used to capture the initial and experimental images of steel structure to obtain its relative deformation. PST-TBPM (photographing scale transformation-time baseline parallax method) is used to eliminate the parallax error and convert the pixel change value of deformation points into the actual displacement value. In order to visualize the deformation trend of steel structure, the deformation curves are drawn based on the deformation value of deformation points. Results show that the average absolute accuracy and relative accuracy of PST-TBPM are 0.28mm and 1.1‰, respectively. Digital photography used in this study can meet accuracy requirements of steel structure deformation monitoring. It also can warn the safety of steel structure and provide data support for managers’ safety decisions based on the deformation curves on site.

Glacial loess or shoreface sands: a re-interpretation of the Upper Ordovician (Ashgillian) glacial Ammar Formation, Southern Jordan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, B. R.; Makhlouf, I. M.; Armstrong, H. A.

2003-04-01

Upper Ordovician (Ashgillian) glacial deposits of the Ammar Formation, Southern Jordan, comprise locally deformed, structureless fine sandstone, incised by glacial channels filled by braided outwash plain sandstones and transgressive marine mudstones. The structureless sandstones, previously interpreted as a glacial rock flour or loessite derived from the underlying undisturbed sandstones, differ significantly from typical loessite and contain hitherto unrecognised sedimentary structures, including hummocky cross-stratification. The sandstones, which grade laterally and vertically into stratigraphically equivalent undeformed marginal marine sandstones, are interpreted as a deformed facies of the underlying sandstones, deposited in a similar high energy shoreface environment. Although deformation of the shoreface sandstones was post-depositional, the origin of the deformation, and its confinement to the Jebel Ammar area is unknown. Deformation due to the weight of the overlying ice is unlikely as the glaciofluvial channels are now thought to have been cut by tunnel valley activity not ice. A more likely mechanism is post-glacial crustal tectonics. Melting of ice caps is commonly associated with intraplate seismicity and the development of an extensional crustal stress regime around the perimeter of ice caps; the interior is largely aseismic because the weight of the ice supresses seismic activity and faulting. Since southern Jordan lay close to the ice cap in Saudi Arabia it may have been subjected to postglacial seismicity and crustal stress, which induced ground shaking, reduced overburden pressure, increased hydrostatic pressure and possibly reactivation of existing tectonic faults. This resulted in liquefaction and extensive deformation of the sediments, which show many characteristics of seismites, generated by earthquake shocks. Since the glaciation was a very short-lived event (0.2-1 Ma), deglaciation and associated tectonism triggering deformation, lasted not more than a few hundred thousand years. Deglaciation and crustal unloading commonly lead to seismically-induced reactivation of tectonic faults. This relationship provides a possible explanation for the localisation of the deformation to the Jebel Ammar area which lies on the footwall of the Hutayya graben. The fault may also have acted as a conduit for post-seismic fluid movement along the fault plane under high pressure, thereby enhancing permeability and promoting fluid migration.

Deformation Monitoring and Bathymetry Analyses in Rock-Fill Dams, a Case Study at Ataturk Dam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalkan, Y.; Bilgi, S.

2014-12-01

Turkey has 595 dams constructed between 1936 and 2013 for the purposes of irrigation, flood control, hydroelectric energy and drinking water. A major portion of the dam basins in Turkey are deprived of vegetation and have slope topography on near surrounding area. However, landscaping covered with forest around the dam basin is desirable for erosion control. In fact; the dams, have basins deprived of vegetation, fill up quickly due to sediment transport. Erosion control and forestation are important factors, reducing the sediment, to protect the water basins of the dams and increase the functioning life of the dams. The functioning life of dams is as important as the investment and construction. Nevertheless, in order to provide safety of human life living around, well planned monitoring is essential for dams. Dams are very large and critical structures and they demand the use or application of precise measuring systems. Some basic physical data are very important for assessing the safety and performance of dams. These are movement, water pressure, seepage, reservoir and tail-water elevations, local seismic activities, total pressure, stress and strain, internal concrete temperature, ambient temperature and precipitation. Monitoring is an essential component of the dam after construction and during operation and must en­able the timely detection of any behavior that could deteriorate the dam, potentially result in its shutdown or failure. Considering the time and labor consumed by long-term measurements, processing and analysis of measured data, importance of the small structural motions at regular intervals could be comprehended. This study provides some information, safety and the techniques about the deformation monitoring of the dams, dam safety and related analysis. The case study is the deformation measurements of Atatürk Dam in Turkey which is the 6th largest dam of world considering the filling volume of embankment. Brief information is given about the dam and the methods of monitoring techniques applied by various disciplines. Some results have been obtained from this method for nearly eight years are presented in this work. In addition, the results of bathymetric surveys between 2005 and 2010 will be compared using the cross sections where the maximum changes occurred on the dam bottom of the reservoir area.

Lithospheric Structure of the Incoming Nazca Plate Adjacent to the 2014 Iquique Earthquake Rupture Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, E. K.; Trehu, A. M.; Davenport, K. K.; Roland, E. C.

2017-12-01

The 2014 Iquique Mw 8.1 earthquake occurred within a 500-km long segment of the Peru-Chile subduction zone that had not experienced a significant earthquake since 1877. This event did not fill the entire seismic gap and details of the deformation, along with local gravity anomalies, point to a geologic control on slip behavior. To better constrain along-strike changes in geologic or morphologic features and the correlation with earthquake rupture, the 2016 PICTURES (Pisagua-Iquique Crustal Tomography to Understand the Region of the Earthquake Source) experiment collected multichannel seismic (MCS) and ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) data from across the deformation front and incoming Nazca plate within the area of the 2014 earthquake. Here, we provide a first look at MCS reflection data from this experiment that images the Nazca plate along an uninterrupted 170 km line perpendicular to the region of greatest slip, acquired using the R/V Langseth's 12.5 km streamer and 6600 cc gun array. We summarize structural features of the incoming oceanic lithosphere and present a preliminary 2D velocity model that spans the Nazca outer rise to the trench along the Iquique Ridge (IR). The IR represents a broad, high oceanic feature (HOF) that roughly spans the entire seismic gap. The source of buoyancy and reduced seismic velocities of the IR swell are thought to be produced by isostatically compensated, overthickened crust or anomalously low density mantle due to heating or serpentinization, and we explore these two hypotheses using our preliminary velocity model. Past outer rise deformation modeling suggests a significant bending moment and vertical force at the trench axis, a source for broad, homogenous coupling as the HOF converges the margin. However, decreased incoming sediment and rough topography associated with numerous large seamounts may also lead to a thin subduction channel, influencing heterogeneous rupture behavior. Seaward of the Iquique 2014 event, our initial images do show a prominent outer rise with little sediment trapped within the topography. We compare the frequency and penetration depth of outboard faulting along the IR using this new dataset to other segments along the Chile margin where plate flexure, faulting, and mantle hydration have also been associated with variability in plate coupling.

Structural characteristics around the frontal thrust along the Nankai Trough revealed by bathymetric and seismic reflection survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamashita, M.; Nakanishi, A.; Moore, G. F.; Kodaira, S.; Nakamura, Y.; Miura, S.; Kaneda, Y.

2016-12-01

Great earthquakes with tsunamis with recurrence intervals of 100-200 years have occurred along the Nankai Trough near central Japan where the Shikoku Basin is subducting with thick sediments on the Philippine Sea plate. To predict the exact height of the tsunami on the coast region generated by these large ruptures, it is important to estimate the vertical deformation that occurs on the seaward end of the rupture area. Recent drilling results have also yielded evidence not only of splay faults that generate tsunamigenic rupture, but also new evidence of tsunamigenic rupture along the frontal thrust at the trench axis in the Nankai Trough. In order to understand the deformation around the frontal thrust at the trench axis, we conducted a dense high-resolution seismic reflection survey with 10-20 km spacing over 1500 km of line length during 2013 and 2014. Clear seismic reflection images of frontal thrusts in the accretionary prism and subducting Shikoku Basin, image deformation along the trench axis between off Muroto Cape and off Ashizuri Cape. The cumulative displacement along the frontal thrust and second thrust are measured from picked distinct reflectors in depth-converted profiles. The average value of cumulative displacement of the frontal thrust is more than 100 m within 2 km depth beneath the seafloor. The location of highest displacement of 300 m displacement agree with the seaward end of slip distribution of the 1946 Nankai event calculated by numerical simulations. We also evaluate the seaward structure for understanding the future rupture distribution. The protothrust zone (PTZ) consisting of many incipient thrusts is identifiable in the portion of trough-fill sediments seaward of the frontal thrust. In order to emphasize the characteristics of frontal thrust and PTZ, we construct the detailed relief image for focusing on the lineated slope of the PTZ at the trough axis. Although our surveys covered a part of Nankai seismogenic zone, it is important to evaluate the initiation and evolution of frontal thrust at the toe of Nankai trough axis. This study is part of "Research project for compound disaster mitigation on the great earthquakes and tsunamis around the Nankai Trough region" funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan.

Vp/Vs Ratio of Juan de Fuca Plate Sediments Along the Cascadia Deformation Front From Analysis of Controlled-Source Multi-Component OBS Records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, J.; Canales, J. P.; Han, S.; Carbotte, S. M.; Arnulf, A. F.; Nedimovic, M. R.

2017-12-01

The seismic characteristics (Vp, Vs, Vp/Vs, anisotropy) and derived physical properties (porosity, effective stress, pore fluid pressure, and crack density/orientation) of sediments entering a subduction zone are key parameters to understand subduction plate interface properties and seismogenic behavior. Here we present preliminary results of the average Vp/Vs within the 2-3-km-thick sediment section along the Cascadia deformation front between 44°-48°N offshore Oregon and Washington. We use data acquired in 2012 during the Juan de Fuca Ridge to Trench (R2T) controlled-source seismic experiment. We use P-waves and PPS converted-wave modes (i.e., P-to-S conversions of up-going waves at the crust-sediment interface) observed in 25 multi-component, short-period ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) deployed along an 400-km-long profile located 10-15 km seaward from the trench. The Vp/Vs was calculated following the method of Tsuji et al. (2011), which uses the seafloor-to-basement two-way traveltime determined from a coincident multichannel seismic reflection profile, and the time lag DT between the crustal P-refracted and PPS-converted waves. Processing of the OBS data included rotation into radial and traverse components, bandpass filtering, and predictive deconvolution. Our preliminary results show that the average sediment Vp/Vs along the profile varies from 2.8 to 3.35. Along the central-northern Oregon margin, Vp/Vs ranges between 2.8 and 2.95, while along the northern Washington margin Vp/Vs are slightly higher (2.95-3.05). We find the largest Vp/Vs values (≥3.1) offshore southern WA (between 46°-46.7°N). These preliminary results imply along-margin variations in subducting sediments along Cascadia. Implications for the physical properties of the sediments entering Cascadia are currently being explored and will be presented at the meeting.

A new experimental material for modeling relief dynamics and interactions between tectonics and surface processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graveleau, F.; Hurtrez, J.-E.; Dominguez, S.; Malavieille, J.

2011-12-01

We developed a new granular material (MatIV) to study experimentally landscape evolution in active mountain belt piedmonts. Its composition and related physical properties have been determined using empirical criteria derived from the scaling of deformation, erosion-transport and sedimentation natural processes. MatIV is a water-saturated composite material made up with 4 granular components (silica powder, glass microbeads, plastic powder and graphite) whose physical, mechanical and erosion-related properties were measured with different laboratory tests. Mechanical measurements were made on a modified Hubbert-type direct shear apparatus. Erosion-related properties were determined using an experimental set-up that allows quantifying the erosion/sedimentation budget from tilted relaxation topographies. For MatIV, we also investigated the evolution of mean erosion rates and stream power erosion law exponents in 1D as a function of slope. Our results indicate that MatIV satisfies most of the defined criteria. It deforms brittlely according to the linear Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion and localizes deformation along discrete faults. Its erosion pattern is characterized by realistic hillslope and channelized processes (slope diffusion, mass wasting, channel incision). During transport, eroded particles are sorted depending on their density and shape, which results in stratified alluvial deposits displaying lateral facies variations. To evaluate the degree of similitude between model and nature, we used a new experimental device that combines accretionary wedge deformation mechanisms and surface runoff erosion processes. Results indicate that MatIV succeeded in producing detailed morphological and sedimentological features (drainage basin, channel network, terrace, syntectonic alluvial fan). Geometric, kinematic and dynamic similarity criteria have been investigated to compare precisely model to nature. Although scaling is incomplete, it yields particularly informative orders of magnitude. With all these characteristics, MatIV appears as a very promising material to investigate experimentally a wide range of scientific questions dealing with relief dynamics and interactions between tectonics, erosion and sedimentation processes.

Extensional Tectonics and Sedimentary Architecture Using 3-D Seismic Data: An Example from Hydrocarbon-Bearing Mumbai Offshore Basin, West Coast of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukhopadhyay, D. K.; Bhowmick, P. K.; Mishra, P.

2016-12-01

In offshore sedimentary basins, analysis of 3-D seismic data tied with well log data can be used to deduce robust isopach and structure contour maps of different stratigraphic formations. The isopach maps give depocenters whereas structure contour maps give structural relief at a specific time. Combination of these two types of data helps us decipher horst-graben structures, sedimentary basin architecture and tectono-stratigraphic relations through Tertiary time. Restoration of structural cross sections with back-stripping of successively older stratigraphic layers leads to better understand tectono-sedimentary evolution of a basin. The Mumbai (or Bombay) Offshore Basin is the largest basin off the west coast of India and includes Bombay High giant oil/gas field. Although this field was discovered in 1974 and still producing, the basin architecture vis-à-vis structural evolution are not well documented. We take the approach briefly outlined above to study in detail three large hydrocarbon-bearing structures located within the offshore basin. The Cretaceous Deccan basalt forms the basement and hosts prodigal thickness (> 8 km at some localities) of Tertiary sedimentary formations.A two stage deformation is envisaged. At the first stage horst and graben structures formed due to approximately E-W extensional tectonics. This is most spectacularly seen at the basement top level. The faults associated with this extension strike NNW. At the second stage of deformation a set of ENE-striking cross faults have developed leading to the formation of transpressional structures at places. High rate of early sedimentation obliterated horst-graben architecture to large extent. An interesting aspect emerges is that the all the large-scale structures have rather low structural relief. However, the areal extent of such structures are very large. Consequently, these structures hold commercial quantities of oil/gas.

Volcano-sedimentary characteristics in the Abu Treifiya Basin, Cairo-Suez District, Egypt: Example of dynamics and fluidization over sedimentary and volcaniclastic beds by emplacement of syn-volcanic basaltic rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalaf, E. A.; Abdel Motelib, A.; Hammed, M. S.; El Manawi, A. H.

2015-12-01

This paper describes the Neogene lava-sediment mingling from the Abu Treifiya Basin, Cairo-Suez district, Egypt. The lava-sediment interactions as peperites have been identified for the first time at the study area and can be used as paleoenvironmental indicators. The identification of peperite reflects contemporaneous time relationship between volcanism and sedimentation and this finding is of primary importance to address the evolutional reconstruction of the Abu Treifiya Basin. Characterization of the facies architecture and textural framework of peperites was carried out through detailed description and interpretation of their outcrops. The peperites and sedimentary rocks are up to 350 m thick and form a distinct stratigraphic framework of diverse lithology that is widespread over several kilometers at the study area. Lateral and vertical facies of the peperites vary from sediment intercalated with the extrusive/intrusive basaltic rocks forming peperitic breccias to lava-sediment contacts at a large to small scales, respectively. Peperites encompass five main facies types ascribed to: (i) carbonate sediments-hosted fluidal and blocky peperites, (ii) lava flow-hosted blocky peperites, (iii) volcaniclastics-hosted fluidal and blocky peperites, (iv) sandstone/siltstone rocks-hosted blocky peperites, and (iv) debris-flows-hosted blocky peperites. Soft sediment deformation structures, vesiculated sediments, sediments filled-vesicles, and fractures in lava flows indicate that lava flows mingled with unconsolidated wet sediments. All the peperites in this study could be described as blocky or fluidal, but mixtures of different clast shapes occur regardless of the host sediment. The presence of fluidal and blocky juvenile clasts elucidates different eruptive styles, reflecting a ductile and brittle fragmentation. The gradual variation from fluidal to blocky peperite texture, producing the vertical grading is affected by influencing factors, e.g., the viscosity, magma temperature, confining pressure, sediment fluidization, and vapor film at the magma-sediment interactions. Peperites in the study area record deposition within a shallow marine and fluvio-lacustrine environment accumulated in a rift-related basin developed during pre- to syn-rift phase, respectively. The facies transitions (peperites) in this area resulted from the explosive and sediment depositional processes, which were mingled separately by volcanism under contrast geological conditions. The development of such contrast in the depositional sequences reflects variation in the accommodation to sediment supply in the same accumulation space inside the depocenters during the rifting of the Abu Treifiya Basin. Hydrothermal mineralizations comprising quartz and carbonate are restricted to peperites and lava flows.

Structures, microfabrics and textures of the Cordilleran-type Rechnitz metamorphic core complex, Eastern Alps☆

PubMed Central

Cao, Shuyun; Neubauer, Franz; Bernroider, Manfred; Liu, Junlai; Genser, Johann

2013-01-01

Rechnitz window group represents a Cordilleran-style metamorphic core complex, which is almost entirely located within nearly contemporaneous Neogene sediments at the transition zone between the Eastern Alps and the Neogene Pannonian basin. Two tectonic units are distinguished within the Rechnitz metamorphic core complex (RMCC): (1) a lower unit mainly composed of Mesozoic metasediments, and (2) an upper unit mainly composed of ophiolite remnants. Both units are metamorphosed within greenschist facies conditions during earliest Miocene followed by exhumation and cooling. The internal structure of the RMCC is characterized by the following succession of structure-forming events: (1) blueschist relics of Paleocene/Eocene age formed as a result of subduction (D1), (2) ductile nappe stacking (D2) of an ophiolite nappe over a distant passive margin succession (ca. E–W to WNW–ESE oriented stretching lineation), (3) greenschist facies-grade metamorphism annealing dominant in the lower unit, and (4) ductile low-angle normal faulting (D3) (with mainly NE–SW oriented stretching lineation), and (5) ca. E to NE-vergent folding (D4). The microfabrics are related to mostly ductile nappe stacking to ductile low-angle normal faulting. Paleopiezometry in conjunction with P–T estimates yield high strain rates of 10− 11 to 10− 13 s− 1, depending on the temperature (400–350 °C) and choice of piezometer and flow law calibration. Progressive microstructures and texture analysis indicate an overprint of the high-temperature fabrics (D2) by the low-temperature deformation (D3). Phengitic mica from the Paleocene/Eocene high-pressure metamorphism remained stable during D2 ductile deformation as well as preserved within late stages of final sub-greenschist facies shearing. Chlorite geothermometry yields two temperature groups, 376–328 °C, and 306–132 °C. Chlorite is seemingly accessible to late-stage resetting. The RMCC underwent an earlier large-scale coaxial deformation accommodated by a late non-coaxial shear with ductile low-angle normal faulting, resulting in subvertical thinning in the extensional deformation regime. The RMCC was rapidly exhumed during ca. 23–18 Ma. PMID:27065502

Fault-zone structure and weakening processes in basin-scale reverse faults: The Moonlight Fault Zone, South Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alder, S.; Smith, S. A. F.; Scott, J. M.

2016-10-01

The >200 km long Moonlight Fault Zone (MFZ) in southern New Zealand was an Oligocene basin-bounding normal fault zone that reactivated in the Miocene as a high-angle reverse fault (present dip angle 65°-75°). Regional exhumation in the last c. 5 Ma has resulted in deep exposures of the MFZ that present an opportunity to study the structure and deformation processes that were active in a basin-scale reverse fault at basement depths. Syn-rift sediments are preserved only as thin fault-bound slivers. The hanging wall and footwall of the MFZ are mainly greenschist facies quartzofeldspathic schists that have a steeply-dipping (55°-75°) foliation subparallel to the main fault trace. In more fissile lithologies (e.g. greyschists), hanging-wall deformation occurred by the development of foliation-parallel breccia layers up to a few centimetres thick. Greyschists in the footwall deformed mainly by folding and formation of tabular, foliation-parallel breccias up to 1 m wide. Where the hanging-wall contains more competent lithologies (e.g. greenschist facies metabasite) it is laced with networks of pseudotachylyte that formed parallel to the host rock foliation in a damage zone extending up to 500 m from the main fault trace. The fault core contains an up to 20 m thick sequence of breccias, cataclasites and foliated cataclasites preserving evidence for the progressive development of interconnected networks of (partly authigenic) chlorite and muscovite. Deformation in the fault core occurred by cataclasis of quartz and albite, frictional sliding of chlorite and muscovite grains, and dissolution-precipitation. Combined with published friction and permeability data, our observations suggest that: 1) host rock lithology and anisotropy were the primary controls on the structure of the MFZ at basement depths and 2) high-angle reverse slip was facilitated by the low frictional strength of fault core materials. Restriction of pseudotachylyte networks to the hanging-wall of the MFZ further suggests that the wide, phyllosilicate-rich fault core acted as an efficient hydrological barrier, resulting in a relatively hydrous footwall and fault core but a relatively dry hanging-wall.

Extension style in the Orphan Basin during the Mesozoic North Atlantic rifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouiza, Mohamed; Hall, Jeremy

2013-04-01

The Orphan Basin, lying along the Newfoundland passive continental margin, has formed in Mesozoic time during the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean and the breakup of Iberia/Eurasia from North America. Regional deep seismic reflection profiles across the basin indicate that the Neoproterozoic basement has been affected by repeated extensional episodes between the Late Triassic/Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous. Deformation initiated in the eastern part of the Orphan basin in the Jurassic and migrated toward the west in the Early Cretaceous, resulting in numerous rift structures filled with Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous syn-rift successions and sealed by thick Upper Cretaceous-Cenozoic post-rift sediments. The seismic data show an extremely attenuated crust underneath the eastern and western part of the deep basin, forming two sub-basins associated with the development of rifting. The two sub-basins are separated by a wide structural high with a relatively thick crust and are bounded to the west by the continental shelf domain. Restoration of the Orphan Basin along a 2D crustal section (520 km long), yields a total amount of stretching of about 144 km, while the total crustal thinning indicates an extension of around 250 km, assuming mass conservation along the section and an initial crustal thickness of 28 km. Brittle deformation accommodated by normal faults is documented in the seismic profiles and affected essentially the present-day upper portion of the crust, and represents only 60% of the total extension which thinned the Orphan crust. The remaining crustal thinning must involve other deformation processes which are not (easily) recognizable in the seismic data. We propose two models that could explain discrepancies between brittle deformation and total crustal thinning during lithospheric extension. The first model assumes the reactivation of pre-rift inherited structures, which act as crustal-scale detachments during the early stages of rifting. The second model uses depth-dependent extension of a 20 km thick crust characterized by a strong upper crust and a weak lower crust. Both models raise secondary issues that are discussed around the order of rifting events and the original crustal thickness.

Magnetic Fabric Associated with Faulting of Poorly Consolidated Basin Sediments of the Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, M. R.; Minor, S. A.; Caine, J. S.

2015-12-01

Permanent strain in sediments associated with shallow fault zones can be difficult to characterize. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data were obtained from 120 samples at 6 sites to assess the nature of fault-related AMS fabrics for 4 faults cutting Miocene-Pliocene basin fill sediments of the Rio Grande rift of north-central New Mexico. The San Ysidro (3 sites), Sand Hill, and West Paradise faults within the northern Albuquerque basin have normal offset whereas an unnamed fault near Buckman in the western Española basin has oblique strike-slip offset. Previous studies have shown that detrital magnetite controls magnetic susceptibility in rift sandstones, and in a 50-m-long hanging wall traverse of the San Ysidro fault, non-gouge samples have typical sedimentary AMS fabrics with Kmax and Kint axes (defining magnetic foliation) scattered within bedding. For the 5 normal-fault sites, samples from fault cores or adjacent mixed zones that lie within 1 m of the principal slip surface developed common deformation fabrics with (1) magnetic foliation inclined in the same azimuth but more shallowly dipping than the fault plane, and (2) magnetic lineation plunging down foliation dip with nearly the same trend as the fault striae, although nearer for sand versus clay gouge samples. These relations suggest that the sampled fault materials deformed by particulate flow with alignment of magnetite grains in the plane of maximum shortening. For a 2-m-long traverse at the Buckman site, horizontal sedimentary AMS foliation persists to < 15 cm to the fault slip surface, wherein foliation in sand and clay gouge rotates toward the steeply dipping fault plane in a sense consistent with sinistral offset. Collectively these data suggest permanent deformation fabrics were localized within < 1 m of fault surfaces and that AMS fabrics from gouge samples can provide kinematic information for faults in unconsolidated sediments which may lack associated slickenlines.

Deformation style of the Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in southern Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanjanapayont, Pitsanupong

2014-10-01

Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in southern Thailand are widespread from NNE-SSW and N-S in Chumphon and Trang provinces. The Mesozoic stratigraphic units are the marine Triassic Sai Bon Formation and the non-marine Jurassic-Cretaceous Thung Yai Group, the latter subdivided into Khlong Min, Lam Thap, Sam Chom, and Phun Phin Formations. These units overlie Permian carbonate rocks with an angular unconformity, and are overlain unconformably by Cenozoic units and the Quaternary sediments. The Mesozoic rocks have been folded to form two huge first-ordered syncline or synclinoria, the Chumphon and Surat Thani-Krabi-Trang synclinoria. These synclinoria are elongated in NNE-SSW to N-S direction, and incorporate asymmetric lower-order parasitic folds. The folds have moderately to steeply dipping eastward limbs and more gently dipping westward limbs. These folds were transected by brittle fractures in four major directions. These geologic structures indicate WNW-ESE to E-W contraction with top-to-the-east simple shear at some time before the deposition of the Cenozoic sedimentary units. No major deformation has affected the rocks subsequently, apart from the formation of the fault-controlled Cenozoic basins.

Depositional and Structural Controls on the Evolution of the Gas Hydrate Petroleum System in Green Canyon 955, Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haines, S. S.; Hart, P. E.; Collett, T. S.; Weimer, P.; Shedd, W. W.; Frye, M.; Boswell, R.

2016-12-01

The depositional, erosional, and deformational history at Green Canyon 955 (GC955), Gulf of Mexico, provides insight into the reservoir characteristics and the gas and gas hydrate petroleum system at this established research site. Using high-resolution 2D seismic data, industry 3D seismic data, and borehole logs, we have refined our knowledge of the area's geologic history. Following extended fine-grained deposition (while the primary sediment input was hundreds of km to the east), channel/levee activity shifted to the area of GC955 approximately 500 kya. The initial resulting deposits include sand-rich proximal levee packages, readily identifiable in high-resolution seismic images, and limited channel deposits. The levee deposits occur in discrete "pods", the result of intermingled deposition and erosion. Subsequently, salt diapirism initiated a period of uplift and caused channel activity to shift a few kilometers eastward. Pelagic deposition was followed by a mix of fine-grained sediments and limited sandy strata deposited in a distal levee and/or fan environment. Channel features from this time period are evident east of GC955, but the available data suggest that these were mainly erosional, with minimal sand deposition. Salt-driven structural deformation created a multi-kilometer-scale east-west graben and normal faults. These extensional faults facilitated upward migration of gas from deeper in the system, ultimately leading to creation of several gas chimneys. The presence of free gas at the location of well GC955-Q indicates that the fine-grained unit overlying the main reservoir provides a good seal, consistent with pelagic deposition. The absence of free gas at well GC955-H, coupled with the presence of ongoing chimney-related gas flow nearby, indicates that this seal can be broken where the pelagic unit is cut by the large-throw graben faults. Reservoir connectivity within the levee deposit "pods" is likely, based on established characteristics of levee reservoirs. Connectivity between pods is uncertain, but gas/hydrate distribution suggests at least some compartmentalization. The character of borehole logs and of seismic reflections from the top of the main reservoir may indicate a fining-upward sediment distribution that likely controls the presence of gas hydrate.

Geophysical anomalies and quartz microstructures, Eastern Warburton Basin, North-east South Australia: Tectonic or impact shock metamorphic origin?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glikson, Andrew Y.; Uysal, I. Tonguç; Fitz Gerald, John D.; Saygin, Erdinc

2013-03-01

The Eastern Warburton Basin, Northeast South Australia, features major geophysical anomalies, including a magnetic high of near-200 nT centred on a 25 km-wide magnetic low (< 100 nT), interpreted in terms of a magmatic body below 6 km depth. A distinct seismic tomographic low velocity anomaly may reflect its thick (9.5 km) sedimentary section, high temperatures and possible deep fracturing. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses of granites resolves microbreccia veins consisting of micron-scale particles injected into resorbed quartz grains. Planar and sub-planar elements in quartz grains (Qz/PE) occur in granites, volcanics and sediments of the > 30,000 km-large Eastern Warburton Basin. The Qz/PE include multiple intersecting planar to curved sub-planar elements with relic lamellae less than 2 μm wide with spacing of 4-5 μm. Qz/PE are commonly re-deformed, displaying bent and wavy patterns accompanied with fluid inclusions. U-stage measurements of a total of 243 planar sets in 157 quartz grains indicate dominance of ∏{10-12}, ω{10-13} and subsidiary §{11-22}, {22-41}, m{10-11} and x{51-61} planes. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis displays relic narrow ≤ 1 μm-wide lamellae and relic non-sub grain boundaries where crystal segments maintain optical continuity. Extensive sericite alteration of feldspar suggests hydrothermal alteration to a depth of 500 m below the unconformity which overlies the Qz/PE-bearing Warburton Basin terrain. The data are discussed in terms of (A) Tectonic-metamorphic deformation and (B) impact shock metamorphism producing planar deformation features (Qz/PDF). Deformed Qz/PE are compared to re-deformed Qz/PDFs in the Sudbury, Vredefort, Manicouagan and Charlevoix impact structures. A 4-5 km uplift of the Big Lake Granite Suite during 298-295 Ma is consistent with missing of upper Ordovician to Devonian strata and possible impact rebound. The occurrence of circular seismic tomography anomalies below the east Warburton Basin, the Poolowana Basin and the Woodleigh impact structure signifies a potential diagnostic nature of circular tomographic anomalies.

Crustal architecture of an inverted back arc rift basin, Niigata, central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, H.; Abe, S.; Kawai, N.; Saito, H.; Kato, N.; Ishiyama, T.; Iwasaki, T.; Kurashimo, E.; Inaba, M.; Van Horne, A.

2012-04-01

A back arc rift basin, formed during the Miocene opening of the Japan Sea, now uplifted and exposed in Niigata, central Japan, provides an exceptional opportunity to study a back arc rift formed on a short time scale and in a still active setting for the present day shortening deformation. Due to stress build up before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (M9), two damaging earthquakes (M6.8) occurred in 2004 and 2007 in this inverted rift basin. Deep seismic profiling was performed along four seismic lines between 2008 and 2011. We used onshore-offshore deep seismic reflection profiling to examine the crustal architecture of the back arc basin, in particular the geometry of the source faults. We further applied refraction tomography analysis to distinguish between previously undifferentiated syn-rift volcanics and pre-rift Mesozoic rock based on P-wave velocity. Our findings indicate that the Miocene rift structure created during the extensional phase regulates the style of deformation and the geometry of the source faults in the current compressional regime. Syn-rift volcanics with a maximum thickness of 6 km filled the fault controlled basins as rifting proceeded. The volcanism was bimodal, comprising a reflective unit of mafic rocks around the rift axis and a non-reflective unit of felsic rocks near the margins of the basins. Once rifting ended, thermal subsidence, and subsequently, mechanical subsidence related to the onset of the compressional regime, allowed deposition of up to 5 km of post-rift, deep marine to fluvial sedimentation, including the Teradomari Formation, an over-pressured mudstone in the middle of the section that later became an important shallow detachment layer. Continued compression has caused fault-related fold and wedge thrusting in the post-rift sedimentary strata which are highly deformed by thin-skin style deformation. Since the Pliocene, normal faults created during the rift phase have been reactivated as reverse faults, including a shallow detachment in the Teradomari Formation which forms a complicated shortened deformation structure. Quaternary geomorphology suggests ongoing shortening. Transform faults inherited from the rift stage control the extent of present day reverse source faults and more importantly, earthquake magnitude.

Bedrock structure and the interpretation of palaeo ice stream footprints: examples from the Pleistocene British Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krabbendam, M.; Bradwell, T.

2009-04-01

To model past and future behaviour of ice sheets, a good understanding of both modern and ancient ice streams is required. The study of present-day ice streams provides detailed data of short-term dynamic changes, whilst the study of Pleistocene palaeo-ice streams can provide crucial constraints on the longer-term evolution of ice sheets. To date, palaeo-ice streams, such as the classical Dubawnt Lake palaeo-ice stream of the former Laurentide Ice Sheet, have been recognised largely on the basis of extremely elongate drumlins and megascale glacial lineations; all soft-sediment features. Whilst it appears that topographically unconstrained ice streams (eg. within the West Antarctic Ice Sheet) are generally underlain by deformable till, topographically constrained ice streams such as Jakobshavn Isbrae do not require deformable sediment and may occur on a bedrock-dominated bed. Analysis of DEM data and geomorphology and structural geology fieldwork in Northern Scotland and Northern England has shown the occurrence of highly streamlined bedforms in bedrock of the former base of topographically controlled palaeo-ice streams, which drained parts of the British Ice Sheet. The bedforms are predominantly bedrock megagrooves with asymmetric cross-profiles. In the Ullapool tributary of the Minch palaeo ice stream, bedrock megagrooves form the dominant evidence for ice streaming. The megagrooves are typically 5-15 m deep, 10-30 m wide and 500 - 3000 m long. Spacing of megagrooves is typically 100 - 200 m. In both study areas, the bedrock is strongly anisotropic, either consisting of thin-bedded strata or strongly foliated metasedimentary rocks, with the strata or foliation having a gentle dip. Megagrooves are best developed where the strike of the anisotropy is sub-parallel (within 10 - 20°) with palaeo ice flow. The bedrock in both areas has a well-developed, relatively densely spaced (< 1m), conjugate joint system. We suggest that asymmetric megagrooves are formed by "lateral plucking", facilitated by the combination of strong bedding/foliation and the joint pattern. Glacial erosion was laterally more effective than vertically; so that stepped faces subparallel to palaeo ice flow are enhanced rather that destroyed. We propose that: a) Lateral plucking is an effective mechanism to produce streamlined bedrock bedforms by fast ice flow, providing the bedrock and bedrock structure are suitable; b) some topographically controlled palaeo-ice stream beds are dominated by bedrock rather than soft-sediment; c) the recognition of palaeo-ice streams may be dependent on the type of bedrock and the orientation of bedrock structure with respect to palaeo ice flow; d) palaeo-ice stream footprints may have been underestimated in formerly glaciated areas.

Structural interpretation and physical property estimates based on COAST 2012 seismic reflection profiles offshore central Washington, Cascadia subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, S. I.; Tobin, H. J.; Everson, E. D.; Fortin, W.; Holbrook, W. S.; Kent, G.; Keranen, K. M.

2014-12-01

The Cascadia subduction zone has a history of large magnitude earthquakes, but a near-total lack of plate interface seismicity, making the updip limit of the seismogenic zone difficult to locate. In addition, the central Cascadia accretionary prism is characterized by an extremely low wedge taper angle, landward vergent initial thrusting, and a flat midslope terrace between the inner and outer wedges, unlike most other accretionary prisms (e.g. the Nankai Trough, Japan). The Cascadia Open Access Seismic Transect (COAST) lines were shot by R/V Marcus Langseth in July of 2012 off central Washington to image this subduction zone. Two trench-parallel and nine trench-perpendicular lines were collected. In this study, we present detailed seismic interpretation of both time- and depth-migrated stacked profiles, focused on elucidating the deposition and deformation of both pre- and syn-tectonic sediment in the trench and slope. Distribution and timing of sediments and their deformation is used to unravel the evolution of the wedge through time. Initially, interpretation of the time-sections is carried out to support the building of tomographic velocity models to aid in the pre-stack depth migration (PSDM) of selected lines. In turn, we use PSDM velocity models to estimate porosity and pore pressure conditions at the base of the wedge and across the basal plate interface décollement where possible, using established velocity-porosity transforms. Interpretation in this way incorporates both accurate structural relationships and robust porosity models to document wedge development and present-day stress state, in particular regions of potential overpressure. Results shed light on the origin and evolution of the mid-slope terrace and the low taper angle for the forearc wedge. This work may shed light ultimately on the position of the potential updip limit of the seismogenic zone beneath the wedge.

4D very high-resolution topography monitoring of surface deformation using UAV-SfM framework.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clapuyt, François; Vanacker, Veerle; Schlunegger, Fritz; Van Oost, Kristof

2016-04-01

During the last years, exploratory research has shown that UAV-based image acquisition is suitable for environmental remote sensing and monitoring. Image acquisition with cameras mounted on an UAV can be performed at very-high spatial resolution and high temporal frequency in the most dynamic environments. Combined with Structure-from-Motion algorithm, the UAV-SfM framework is capable of providing digital surface models (DSM) which are highly accurate when compared to other very-high resolution topographic datasets and highly reproducible for repeated measurements over the same study area. In this study, we aim at assessing (1) differential movement of the Earth's surface and (2) the sediment budget of a complex earthflow located in the Central Swiss Alps based on three topographic datasets acquired over a period of 2 years. For three time steps, we acquired aerial photographs with a standard reflex camera mounted on a low-cost and lightweight UAV. Image datasets were then processed with the Structure-from-Motion algorithm in order to reconstruct a 3D dense point cloud representing the topography. Georeferencing of outputs has been achieved based on the ground control point (GCP) extraction method, previously surveyed on the field with a RTK GPS. Finally, digital elevation model of differences (DOD) has been computed to assess the topographic changes between the three acquisition dates while surface displacements have been quantified by using image correlation techniques. Our results show that the digital elevation model of topographic differences is able to capture surface deformation at cm-scale resolution. The mean annual displacement of the earthflow is about 3.6 m while the forefront of the landslide has advanced by ca. 30 meters over a period of 18 months. The 4D analysis permits to identify the direction and velocity of Earth movement. Stable topographic ridges condition the direction of the flow with highest downslope movement on steep slopes, and diffuse movement due to lateral sediment flux in the central part of the earthflow.

Impact of tectonic and volcanism on the Neogene evolution of isolated carbonate platforms (SW Indian Ocean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courgeon, S.; Jorry, S. J.; Jouet, G.; Camoin, G.; BouDagher-Fadel, M. K.; Bachèlery, P.; Caline, B.; Boichard, R.; Révillon, S.; Thomas, Y.; Thereau, E.; Guérin, C.

2017-06-01

Understanding the impact of tectonic activity and volcanism on long-term (i.e. millions years) evolution of shallow-water carbonate platforms represents a major issue for both industrial and academic perspectives. The southern central Mozambique Channel is characterized by a 100 km-long volcanic ridge hosting two guyots (the Hall and Jaguar banks) and a modern atoll (Bassas da India) fringed by a large terrace. Dredge sampling, geophysical acquisitions and submarines videos carried out during recent oceanographic cruises revealed that submarine flat-top seamounts correspond to karstified and drowned shallow-water carbonate platforms largely covered by volcanic material and structured by a dense network of normal faults. Microfacies and well-constrained stratigraphic data indicate that these carbonate platforms developed in shallow-water tropical environments during Miocene times and were characterized by biological assemblages dominated by corals, larger benthic foraminifera, red and green algae. The drowning of these isolated carbonate platforms is revealed by the deposition of outer shelf sediments during the Early Pliocene and seems closely linked to (1) volcanic activity typified by the establishment of wide lava flow complexes, and (2) to extensional tectonic deformation associated with high-offset normal faults dividing the flat-top seamounts into distinctive structural blocks. Explosive volcanic activity also affected platform carbonates and was responsible for the formation of crater(s) and the deposition of tuff layers including carbonate fragments. Shallow-water carbonate sedimentation resumed during Late Neogene time with the colonization of topographic highs inherited from tectonic deformation and volcanic accretion. Latest carbonate developments ultimately led to the formation of the Bassas da India modern atoll. The geological history of isolated carbonate platforms from the southern Mozambique Channel represents a new case illustrating the major impact of tectonic and volcanic activity on the long-term evolution of shallow-water carbonate platforms.

Incorporating Cutting Edge Scientific Results from the Margins-Geoprisms Program into the Undergraduate Curriculum, Rupturing Continental Lithosphere Part I: Introducing Seismic Interpretation and Isostasy Principles Using Gulf of California Examples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamb, M. A.; Cashman, S. M.; Dorsey, R. J.; Bennett, S. E. K.; Loveless, J. P.; Goodliffe, A. M.

2014-12-01

The NSF-MARGINS Program funded a decade of research on continental margin processes. The NSF-GeoPRISMS Mini-lesson Project, funded by NSF-TUES, is designed to integrate the significant findings from the MARGINS program into open-source college-level curriculum. The Gulf of California (GOC) served as the focus site for the Rupturing Continental Lithosphere initiative, which addressed several scientific questions: What forces drive rift initiation, localization, propagation and evolution? How does deformation vary in time and space, and why? How does crust evolve, physically and chemically, as rifting proceeds to sea-floor spreading? What is the role of sedimentation and magmatism in continental extension? We developed two weeks of curriculum designed for an upper-division structural geology, tectonics or geophysics course. The curriculum includes lectures, labs, and in-class activities that can be used as a whole or individually. The first set of materials introduces the RCL initiative to students and has them analyze the bathymetry and oblique-rifting geometry of the GOC in an exercise using GeoMapApp. The second set of materials has two goals: (1) introduce students to fundamental concepts of interpreting seismic reflection data via lectures and in-class interpretation of strata, basement, and faults from recent GOC seismic data, and (2) encourage students to discover the structural geometry and rift evolution, including the east-to-west progression of faulting and transition from detachment to high-angle faulting in the northern GOC, and changes in deformation style from north to south. In the third set of materials, students investigate isostatic affects of sediment fill in GOC oblique rift basins. This activity consists of a problem set, introduced in a lecture, where students integrate their findings from the previous bathymetry- and seismic-interpretation exercises.

Vertical axis rotation (or lack thereof) of the eastern Mongolian Altay Mountains: Implications for far-field transpressional mountain building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gregory, Laura C.; Mac Niocaill, Conall; Walker, Richard T.; Bayasgalan, Gantulga; Craig, Tim J.

2018-06-01

The Altay Mountains of Western Mongolia accommodate 10-20% of the current shortening of the India-Asia collision in a transpressive regime. Kinematic models of the Altay require faults to rotate anticlockwise about a vertical axis in order to accommodate compressional deformation on the major strike slip faults that cross the region. Such rotations should be detectable by palaeomagnetic data. Previous estimates from the one existing palaeomagnetic study from the Altay, on Oligocene and younger sediments from the Chuya Basin in the Siberian Altay, indicate that at least some parts of the Altay have experienced up to 39 ± 8° of anticlockwise rotation. Here, we present new palaeomagnetic results from samples collected in Cretaceous and younger sediments in the Zereg Basin along the Har-Us-Nuur fault in the eastern Altay Mountains, Mongolia. Our new palaeomagnetic results from the Zereg Basin provide reliable declinations, with palaeomagnetic directions from 10 sites that pass a fold test and include magnetic reversals. The declinations are not significantly rotated with respect to the directions expected from Cretaceous and younger virtual geomagnetic poles, suggesting that faults in the eastern Altay have not experienced a large degree of vertical axis rotation and cannot have rotated >7° in the past 5 m.y. The lack of rotation along the Har-Us-Nuur fault combined with a large amount of rotation in the northern Altay fits with a kinematic model for transpressional deformation in which faults in the Altay have rotated to an orientation that favours the development of flower structures and building of mountainous topography, while at the same time the range widens at the edges as strain is transferred to better oriented structures. Thus the Har-Us-Nuur fault is a relatively young fault in the Altay, and has not yet accommodated significant rotation.

Map of Distribution of Bottom Sediments on the Continental Shelf, Gulf of Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evans, Kevin R.; Carlson, Paul R.; Hampton, Monty A.; Marlow, Michael S.; Barnes, Peter W.

2000-01-01

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of exploring marine geology in the Gulf of Alaska. As part of a cooperative program with other federal and state agencies, the USGS is investigating the relations between ocean-floor geology and benthic marine biohabitats. This bottom sediment map, compiled from published literature will help marine biologists develop an understanding of sea-floor geology in relation to various biological habitats. The pattern of sea-floor sedimentation and bottom morphology in the Gulf of Alaska reflects a complex interplay of regional tectonism, glacial advances and retreats, oceanic and tidal currents, waves, storms, eustatic change, and gravity-driven processes. This map, based on numerous cruises during the period of 1970-1996, shows distribution of bottom sediments in areas of study on the continental shelf. The samples were collected with piston, box, and gravity corers, and grab samplers. The interpretations of sediment distribution are the products of sediment size analyses combined with interpretations of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles. The sea floor was separated into several areas as follows: Cook Inlet -- Hazards studies in this embayment emphasized sediment distribution, sediment dynamics, bedforms, shallow faults, and seafloor stability. Migrating mega-sandwaves, driven by strong tidal currents, influence seabed habitats and stability of the seafloor, especially near pipelines and drilling platforms. The coarseness of the bottom sediment reinforces the influence of the strong tidal currents on the seafloor habitats. Kodiak Shelf -- Tectonic framework studies demonstrate the development of an accretionary wedge as the Pacific Plate underthrusts the Alaskan landmass. Seismic data across the accretionary wedge reveal anomalies indicative of fluid/gas vent sites in this segment of the continental margin. Geologic hazards research shows that movement along numerous shallow faults poses a risk to sea floor structures. Sea-floor sediment on shallow banks is eroded by seasonal wave-generated currents. The winnowing action of the large storm waves results in concentrations of gravel over broad segments of the Kodiak shelf. Northeastern Gulf of Alaska -- Tectonic framework studies demonstrate that rocks of distant origin (Yakutat terrane) are currently attached to and moving with the Pacific Plate, as it collides with and is subducted beneath southern Alaska. This collision process has led to pronounced structural deformation of the continental margin and adjacent southern Alaska. Consequences include rapidly rising mountains and high fluvial and glacial sedimentation rates on the adjacent margin and ocean floor. The northeastern Gulf of Alaska shelf also has concentrations of winnowed (lag) gravel on Tarr Bank and on the outer shelf southeast of Yakutat Bay. Between Kayak Island and Yakutat Bay the outer shelf consists of pebbly mud (diamict). This diamict is a product of glacial marine sedimentation during the Pleistocene and is present today as a relict sediment. A prograding wedge of Holocene sediment consisting of nearshore sand grading seaward into clayey silt and silty clay covers the relict pebbly mud to mid-shelf and beyond. Shelf and slope channel systems transport glacially derived sediment across the continental margin into Surveyor Channel, an abyssal fan and channel system that reaches over 1,000 km to the Aleutian Trench.

Abiological origin of described stromatolites older than 3.2 Ga

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowe, D. R.

1994-01-01

The three well-documented occurrences of three-dimensional stromatolites older than 3.2 Ga meet most criteria for biogenicity except the presence of fossil bacteria. However, they also show features more consistent with nonbiological origins. Small conical structures in the Strelley Pool chert in the upper part of the Warrawoona Group (3.5-3.2 Ga), Western Australia, lack the structure typical of stromatolites and probably formed mainly through evaporitc precipitation. A domal structure from the North Pole chert, Warrawoona Group, formed by soft-sediment deformation or originally flat layers. Laminated chert containing domal and pseudocolumnar structures in the Onverwacht Group (3.5-3.3 Ga), Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa, extends downward into veins and cavities, where it formed through inorganic precipitation. Although bacterial communities were widespread on Earth prior to 3.2 Ga, these particular three-dimensional structures are probably abiotic in origin and do not provide information on the paleobiology or paleoecology of early organisms. The paucity of Archean stromatolites older than 3.2 Ga probably reflects the paucity of known and possibly extant carbonate deposits of this age.

Controls on alluvial fans morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delorme, P.; Devauchelle, O.; Lajeunesse, E.; Barrier, L.; Métivier, F.

2017-12-01

Using laboratory experiments, we investigate the influence of water and sediment discharges on the morphology of an alluvial fan. In our flume, a single-thread laminar river deposits corundum sand (0.4 mm) into a conical fan. We record the fan progradation with top-view images, and measure its shape using the deformation of a Moiré pattern. The fan remains virtually self-affine as it grows, with a nearly constant slope. We find that, when the sediment discharge is small, the longitudinal slope of the fan remains close to that of a river at the threshold for sediment transport. A higher sediment discharge causes the fan's slope to depart from the threshold value. Due to the downstream decrease of the sediment load, this slope gets shallower towards the fan's toe. This mechanism generates a slightly concave fan profile. This suggests that the proximal slope of an alluvial fan could be a proxy for the sediment flux that feeds the fan.Finally, we discuss the applicability of these results to natural systems.

Variable post-Paleozoic deformation detected by seismic reflection profiling across the northwestern "prong" of New Madrid seismic zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

McBride, J.H.; Pugin, Andre J.M.; Nelson, W.J.; Larson, T.H.; Sargent, S.L.; Devera, J.A.; Denny, F.B.; Woolery, E.W.

2003-01-01

High-resolution shallow seismic reflection profiles across the northwesternmost part of the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) and northwestern margin of the Reelfoot rift, near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the northern Mississippi embayment, reveal intense structural deformation that apparently took place during the late Paleozoic and/or Mesozoic up to near the end of the Cretaceous Period. The seismic profiles were sited on both sides of the northeast-trending Olmsted fault, defined by varying elevations of the top of Mississippian (locally base of Cretaceous) bedrock. The trend of this fault is close to and parallel with an unusually straight segment of the Ohio River and is approximately on trend with the westernmost of two groups of northeast-aligned epicenters ("prongs") in the NMSZ. Initially suspected on the basis of pre-existing borehole data, the deformation along the fault has been confirmed by four seismic reflection profiles, combined with some new information from drilling. The new data reveal (1) many high-angle normal and reverse faults expressed as narrow grabens and anticlines (suggesting both extensional and compressional regimes) that involved the largest displacements during the late Cretaceous (McNairy); (2) a different style of deformation involving probably more horizontal displacements (i.e., thrusting) that occurred at the end of this phase near the end of McNairy deposition, with some fault offsets of Paleocene and younger units; (3) zones of steeply dipping faults that bound chaotic blocks similar to that observed previously from the nearby Commerce geophysical lineament (CGL); and (4) complex internal deformation stratigraphically restricted to the McNairy, suggestive of major sediment liquefaction or landsliding. Our results thus confirm the prevalence of complex Cretaceous deformations continuing up into Tertiary strata near the northern terminus of the NMSZ. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Applications for evaluation of physical properties - An example of siliceous rock permeability -

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ojima, T.

2015-12-01

ODP Leg. 186, two sites (Site 1150 and Site 1151) were drilled on the continental slope of the deep-sea forearc basin of northern Japan. Diatomaceous sediments were recovered Site 1150 and Site 1151, and the depth of each site is 1181.60 mbsf and 1113.60 mbsf, respectively. This area is under the influence of the Oyashio current and is one of the highly bio-productive regions of the North Pacific Ocean (Motoyama et al., 2004). The combination of high productivity and active tectonic deformation that often caused high rate accumulating of fossil and organic rich sediments. Likewise, IODP Exp. 341 was implemented on off South Alaska. Pelagic and MTD 's layer were recognized with IRD(Ice Rafted Debris). In Tohoku, The onboard results of porosity measurements show high value (50-70 %) down to 1000 mbsf, and obviously higher than nearby subduction trench, Nankai Trough (Taylor and Fisher, 1993). There is a possibility that diatomaceous shell keep a frame structure from effective stress and load pressure. On another drilling site result, DSDP Leg. 19 located 60 km to the north of ODP sites, was reported high value of porosity, but recognized only shallow range (>500 mbsf) (Shephard and Bryant, 1980). Also, South Alaska sediments show high sedimentation rate and cyclic MTD's Layer. Permeability was lower than Tohoku sediments in spite of upper depth. We focused on the relationships between physical property, microstructure, and logging data at deep range(-1000 mbsf). Logging data were collected using wireline logging (Sacks and Suyehiro, 2003; IODP Prel. Rept., 341., 2014). Based on these results, it is expected that microstructure and logging can be integrated into a general model of core-log correlation. In this presentation, We show results of microstructure using SEM, measured physical properties, and wireline logging data, respectively.

Mud Volcanism in a Canyon: Morphodynamic Evolution of the Active Venere Mud Volcano and Its Interplay With Squillace Canyon, Central Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loher, Markus; Ceramicola, Silvia; Wintersteller, Paul; Meinecke, Gerrit; Sahling, Heiko; Bohrmann, Gerhard

2018-02-01

Submarine mud volcanoes develop through the extrusion of methane-rich fluids and sediments onto the seafloor. The morphology of a mud volcano can record its extrusive history and processes of erosion and deformation affecting it. The study of offshore mud volcano dynamics is limited because only few have been mapped at resolutions that reveal their detailed surface structures. More importantly, rates and volumes of extruded sediment and methane are poorly constrained. The 100 m high twin cones of Venere mud volcano are situated at ˜1,600 m water depth within Squillace Canyon along the Ionian Calabrian margin, Mediterranean Sea. Seafloor bathymetry and backscatter data obtained by a ship-based system and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) allow mapping of mudflow deposits of the mud volcano and bedforms in the surrounding canyon. Repeated surveying by AUV document active mud movement at the western summit in between 2014 and 2016. Through sediment coring and tephrochronology, ages of buried mudflow deposits are determined based on the sedimentation rate and the thickness of overlying hemipelagic sediments. An average extrusion rate of 27,000 m3/yr over the last ˜882 years is estimated. These results support a three-stage evolutionary model of Venere mud volcano since ˜4,000 years ago. It includes the onset of quiescence at the eastern cone (after ˜2,200 years ago), erosive events in Squillace Canyon (prior to ˜882 years ago), and mudflows from the eastern cone (since ˜882 years). This study reveals new interactions between a mud volcano and a canyon in the deep sea.

InSAR measurements and numerical models of deformation at Brady Hot Springs geothermal field (Nevada), 1995-2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, S. T.; Davatzes, N. C.; Mellors, R. J.; Foxall, W.; Drakos, P. S.; Zemach, E.; Kreemer, C.; Wang, H. F.; Feigl, K. L.

2013-12-01

We study deformation due to changes in fluid pressure caused by pumping during production, injection, and stimulation at the Brady Hot Springs geothermal field in the Basin and Range province in Nevada. To measure the deformation, we analyze Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data acquired by the ERS-1, ERS-2, Envisat, and TerraSAR-X satellites between 1995 and 2013. The InSAR results indicate subsidence at the order of several centimeters per year over an elliptically shaped area roughly ~5 km long by ~2 km wide. Its long axis follows the NNE strike of the predominant normal fault system. The subsiding area is centered near a prominent bend in the fault system where the successful production wells are located. Within this broad bowl of subsidence, the interference pattern shows several smaller features with length scales of the order of ~1 km. To explain the deformation signal, we use poroelastic models constrained by borehole measurements of pressure, temperature and mass flux, as well as geologic observations. We solve the coupled deformation-diffusion problem using the finite element method. To estimate parameters in the model, e.g., permeability, we use the General Inversion for Phase Technique -- GIPhT [Feigl and Thurber, 2009; Ali and Feigl, 2012] that utilizes the gradient of range change and avoids the need for unwrapping the observed wrapped phase. We then solve the non-linear inverse problem using a gradient-based inversion scheme. Our results suggest that a complex network of high permeability conduits associated with intersections between fault segments and bends in fault segments explains the smaller length-scale features observed in the interferograms. Such structurally controlled, high permeability conduits are consistent with relatively recent fault slip evidenced by scarps in late Pleistocene Lake Lahontan sediments and spatially associated surface hydrothermal features that predate production at Brady. In contrast, Desert Peak, a "blind" geothermal field, located less than 7 km away from Brady, shows little or no deformation in the InSAR data set, although the two fields are otherwise similar in spatial extent, structural setting, and geothermal production. Desert Peak exhibits neither hydrothermal features nor any evidence of surficial fault slip, however, suggesting that the "plumbing" associated with the fault system there is deeper at than at Brady.

Partitioning of deformation along a reactivated rifted margin: example of the northern Ligurian margin.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sage, Françoise; Beslier, Marie-Odile; Gaullier, Virginie; Larroque, Christophe; Dessa, Jean-Xavier; Mercier de Lepinay, Bernard; Corradi, Nicola; Migeon, Sébastien; Katz, Hélène; Ruiz Constan, Ana

2013-04-01

The northern Ligurian margin, of Oligo-Miocene age, is currently undergoing compression related to microplate motions and/or to gravity spreading of the Alpine chain located immediately north of it. Active thrust faults and folds have previously been identified below the margin, together with a global uplift of the continental edge, since at least the Messinian. The seismicity that goes with the present-day margin contraction (e.g. Mw 6.9, 1887/02/23) extends to the axis of the adjacent oceanic basin (e.g. ML 6.0, 1963/07/19; ML 5.4, 2011/07/07). However, we do not know of any recent or active crustal contractional structure within this oceanic domain. In this study, we use new 12-channel high-resolution seismic data (FABLES seismic cruise, 2012, R/V Tethys II) in order to image the sedimentary cover of the Ligurian oceanic basin, up to ~3km below the seabed, including the Plio-Quaternary and the Messinian sediment down to the bottom of the Messinian salt layer. Because the Messinian event is well dated (5.96-5.32 Ma) and well identified in the seismic data, it forms a clear marker that we use to characterize the recent deformation related to both mobile salt motion and crustal tectonics. About 50 km south of the margin offshore of Italy, we identify huge and complex salt walls that elongate SW-NE. Such salt walls, which cannot be explained by salt tectonics only, are interpreted as evidence of deep-seated crustal deformation. They form en echelon structures that are well expressed in the seabed morphology, and do not correspond to any significant vertical throw at the base of the salt layer. This suggests that within the deep basin, mainly strike-slip faulting accommodates long-term crustal deformation. It thus offers a contrast with the margin where deformation is mainly marked by shortening and reverse faulting, with vertical throws of several hundred meters. This discrepancy in the tectonic styles between the margin and the adjacent oceanic basin suggests some partitioning of the deformation. It may result from the difference in the topographic gradient of the main crustal interfaces between the steep margin and the adjacent oceanic domain, and/or to different mechanical behaviours of the adjacent lithospheric domains.

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

Poplawski, L; Li, T; Chino, J

Purpose: In brachytherapy, structures surrounding the target have the potential to move between treatments and receive unknown dose. Deformable image registration could overcome challenges through dose accumulation. This study uses two possible deformable dose summation techniques and compares the results to point dose summation currently performed in clinic. Methods: Data for ten patients treated with a Syed template was imported into the MIM software (Cleveland, OH). The deformable registration was applied to structures by masking other image data to a single intensity. The registration flow consisted of the following steps: 1) mask CTs so that each of the structures-of-interest hadmore » one unique intensity; 2) perform applicator — based rigid registration; 3) Perform deformable registration; 4) Refine registration by changing local alignments manually; 5) Repeat steps 1 to 3 until desired structure adequately deformed; 5) Transfer each deformed contours to the first CT. The deformed structure accuracy was determined by a dice similarity coefficient (DSC) comparison with the first fraction. Two dose summation techniques were investigated: a deformation and recalculation on the structure; and a dose deformation and accumulation method. Point doses were used as a comparison value. Results: The Syed deformations have DSC ranging from 0.53 to 0.97 and 0.75 and 0.95 for the bladder and rectum, respectively. For the bladder, contour deformation addition ranged from −34.8% to 0.98% and dose deformation accumulation ranged from −35% to 29.3% difference from clinical calculations. For the rectum, contour deformation addition ranged from −5.2% to 16.9% and the dose deformation accumulation ranged from −29.1% to 15.3% change. Conclusion: Deforming dose for summation leads to different volumetric doses than when dose is recalculated on deformed structures, raising concerns about the accuracy of the deformed dose. DSC alone cannot be used to establish the accuracy of a deformation for brachy dose summation purpose.« less

Sand fairway mapping as a tool for tectonic restoration in orogenic belts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butler, Rob

2016-04-01

The interplay between regional subsidence mechanisms and local deformation associated with individual fold-thrust structures is commonly investigated in neotectonic subaerial systems using tectonic geomorphology. Taking these approaches back into the early evolution of mountain belts is difficult as much of the key evidence is lost through erosion. The challenge is to develop appropriate tools for investigating these early stages of orogenesis. However, many such systems developed under water. In these settings the connections between regional and local tectonics are manifest in complex bathymetry. Turbidity currents flowing between and across these structures will interact with their substrate and thus their deposits, tied to stratigraphic ages, can chart tectonic evolution. Understanding the depositional processes of the turbidity currents provides substantial further insight on confining seabed geometry and thus can establish significant control on the evolution of bathymetric gradients and continuity through basins. However, reading these records commonly demands working in structurally deformed terrains that hitherto have discouraged sedimentological study. This is now changing. Sand fairway mapping provides a key approach. Fairway maps chart connectivity between basins and hence their relative elevation through time. Larger-scale tectonic reconstructions may be tested by linking fairway maps to sand composition and other provenance data. More detailed turbidite sedimentology provides substantial further insight. In confined turbidite systems, it is the coarser sand component that accumulates in the deeper basin with fines fractionated onto the flanks. Flow bypass, evidenced by abrupt breaks in grading within individual event beds, can be used to predict sand fraction distribution down fairways. Integrating sedimentology into fairway maps can chart syntectonic slope evolution and thus provide high resolution tools equivalent to those in subaerial tectonic geomorphology. The stratigraphic records are preserved in many parts of the Alpine-Mediterranean region. Examples are drawn from the Eo-Oligocene of the western Alps and the early Miocene of the Maghreb-Apennine system to illustrate how turbidite sedimentology, linked to studies of basin structure, can inform understanding of tectonic processes on regional and local scales. In both examples, sediment was delivered across deforming basin arrays containing contractional structures, sourced from beyond the immediate orogenic segments. The depositional systems show that multiple structures were active in parallel, rather than develop in any particular sequence. Both systems show that significant deformation occurs, emerging to the syn-orogenic surface ahead of the main orogenic wedge. The cycling of uplift and subsidence of "massifs" can be significantly more complex that the histories resolved from thermochronological data alone.

Structural Transformations in Metallic Materials During Plastic Deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zasimchuk, E.; Turchak, T.; Baskova, A.; Chausov, N.; Hutsaylyuk, V.

2017-03-01

In this paper, the structure formation during the plastic deformation of polycrystalline nickel and aluminum based alloy 2024-T3 is investigated. The possibility of the relaxation and synergetic structure formation is examined. It is shown the deformation softening to be due to the crystallization of the amorphous structure of hydrodynamics flow channels (synergetic structure) HC as micrograins and their subsequent growth. The possible mechanism of micrograins' growth is proposed. The deformation processes change the phase composition of the multiphase alloy 2024-T3. It is shown by the quantitative analysis of the structures which were deformed in different regimes of the alloy samples. A method for increasing of the fatigue life through a dynamic pre-deformation is suggested.

Near-Sea Floor Compaction and Shallow Overpressures: Constrains From High Strain Consolidation Tests on ODP Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olgaard, D. L.; Dugan, B. E.; Gooch, M. J.

2001-12-01

Before launching into the title topic, I will share a few ``memories of torsion testing'' that exemplify one of the breakthrough contributions Mervyn Paterson has made to Geodynamics. Mervyn and his machines, the torsion apparatus in particular, have revolutionized structural geology by providing the means to quantify crustal and mantle deformation processes up to and beyond the high shear strains observed in the field. High strain is also important in basin evolution. High strain consolidation tests are used to help understand mechanical and fluid flow processes in deforming sediments on continental slopes. Clay-rich sediments compact from 70% to less than 40% porosity within 1000m below the sea floor [mbsf]. Clay-rich sediments have notoriously low permeabilities and, when combined with rapid deposition rates, can cause pore-fluid pressures greatly in excess of hydrostatic at shallow depths. Such high overpressures are particularly hazardous to slope stability and to deepwater drilling. Recently, Dugan and Flemings [Science, 289, 2000] used forward sedimentation models for the New Jersey continental slope calibrated with ODP data, to predict fluid pressures near lithostatic to depths of 640m. In the current study we use consolidation tests to verify these model predictions. Silty-clay cores were collected from depths of 60 to 650mbsf during ODP Leg 1073. Five samples were tested under drained, uniaxial strain conditions, i.e. zero radial displacement. Cylindrical samples were first subjected to a hydrostatic effective stress of ~0.2MPa, then axially loaded at a constant rate of 0.7kPa/min to maintain drained conditions. Pore pressure [brine] was held constant at 3.5MPa. Confining pressure was increased to maintain the uniaxial strain condition. P-wave velocities and permeabilities were measured at various stress conditions on two samples. The samples compacted rapidly at low stresses, then at decreasing rates as stress increased. A total compaction of 22% volumetric strain was achieved at the maximum axial stress of 22 MPa. The in situ pore pressures for each depth were calculated from the ``maximum effective stress'' determined from the break in slope of the data in log[effective stress] vs. void ratio plots. Test results confirm that pore pressure gradients exceed hydrostatic, approaching lithostatic, from about 60m to the base of the Pleistocene [~550m], then decrease within the underlying Miocene sandy silt. The confining-to-axial effective stress ratio increased asymptotically during loading to a value of 0.6; similar to that expected for silty shales. P-wave velocity-porosity-effective stress trends are used to predict overpressures, and thus anticipate hazards in near-seafloor sediments.

Features caused by ground ice growth and decay in Late Pleistocene fluvial deposits, Paris Basin, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertran, Pascal; Andrieux, Eric; Bateman, Mark; Font, Marianne; Manchuel, Kevin; Sicilia, Deborah

2018-06-01

Last Glacial fluvial sequences in the Paris Basin show laminated lacustrine deposits OSL and radiocarbon dated to between 24.6 and 16.6 ka in one site and overlying alluvial sandy gravel. A thermokarst origin of the lakes is supported by abundant traces of ground ice, particularly ice wedge pseudomorphs beneath the lacustrine layers and synsedimentary deformation caused by thaw settlement. The features include brittle deformation (normal and reverse faults) resulting from ground subsidence owing to ice melting and ductile deformations caused by slumping of the sediments heaved by the growth of ice-cored mounds. These correspond to lithalsas (or lithalsa plateaus) and/or to open system pingos. At least two generations of thermokarst are recorded and may reflect the millennial climate variability typical of the Last Glacial. The structures studied in quarries are associated with an undulating topography visible in 5-m DEMs and a spotted pattern in aerial photographs. The search for similar patterns in the Paris Basin indicates that many other potential thermokarst sites exist in the Last Glacial terrace (Fy) of rivers located north of 48°N when they cross the lower Cretaceous sands and marls. In some sites, the presence of organic-poor, fine-grained deposits presumably of lacustrine origin was confirmed by borehole data. The site distribution coincides broadly with that already known for ice wedge pseudomorphs. This study provides new evidence of permafrost-induced ground deformations in France and strongly suggests that thermokarst played a significant and probably largely underestimated role in the genesis of Late Pleistocene landscapes.

Fossil Shorelines Record Multiple Sea Level Highstands and Surface Deformation on Million Year Timescales at Cape Range National Park, Northwestern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandstrom, R. M.; O'Leary, M.; Barham, M.; Cai, Y.; Jacome, A. P.; Raymo, M. E.

2015-12-01

Correcting fossil shorelines for vertical displacement subsequent to deposition is a vital consideration in estimating sea level and ice volume during past warm periods. Field observations of paleo-sea level indicators must be adjusted for local tectonic deformation, subsequent sediment loading, dynamic topography (DT), and glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). Dynamic topography is often the most difficult of these corrections to determine, especially on million year timescales, but is essential when providing constraints on sea level and ice volume changes. GIA effects from high latitude ice sheets minimally impact northwestern Australia, making this region well suited for observing surface displacement due to mantle and tectonic processes. This study presents centimeter accuracy paleo-shoreline data from four distinct marine terraces in the Cape Range National Park, Australia, which document vertical displacement history along 100 kilometers of coastline. The mapped region has an anticlinal structure in the center that has been slowly uplifting the three older reef complexes over the Neogene, constraining the timing of deformation. These neotectonics are probably caused by reactivation of ancient fault zones normal to the principal horizontal compressive stress, resulting in the warping of overlaying units. The elevation data also suggests minimal vertical displacement since the last interglacial highstand. Well-preserved fossil coral were collected from each terrace and will be geochemically dated using Sr isotope and U-series dating methods. This dataset provides a better understanding of DT and neotectonic deformation in this region (useful for improving mantle viscosity models), and offers a means for improving past sea level reconstructions in northwestern Australia.

Walled Sedimentary Basins of China: Perpetrators or Victims of Plateau Growth?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, A. R.; Graham, S. A.; Smith, M. E.

2004-12-01

Western China and adjacent areas of central Asia are characterized by low relief, internally drained sedimentary basins that are divided by actively uplifting mountain ranges. The margins of these basins often show evidence for extensive contractional deformation, yet their interiors are surprisingly stable. Basins such as the Tarim and Junggar also exhibit long and apparently continuous histories of closed drainage in the same approximate location (over 250 my in the case of Junggar). In contrast to traditional foreland basins, these basins are not uniquely associated with a specific thrust belt, nor do they show evidence for underlying decollements. We therefore propose the new term "walled basin", in recognition of the essential role of peripheral orogenic walls in creating and maintaining closed drainage and impounding sediments. Walled basins in Asia currently are restricted to areas that receive less than 40 cm/yr precipitation, suggesting that aridity plays a role in preventing fluvial breach of the basin walls (cf., Sobel et al., 2003). Entrapment of sediment within the closed Qaidam basin in the northeast Tibetan plateau has been implicated as a potential mechanism of plateau growth, based on the observations that the basin retains mass within the orogen and creates level topography. However, we propose that the Qaidam instead represents a walled basin that has been elevated due to underplating of the plateau, and is fated to eventual destruction as deformation continues. Several lines of reasoning support this conclusion. First, DEM analysis shows that modern drainage divides for the Qaidam and other walled basins never rise more than 1-2 km above the basin floors, limiting the amount of possible topgraphic infill. Second, the Tarim and Junggar basins presently remain well below 2000 m and probably have never been higher, despite receiving large influxes of detritus from adjacent ranges. Third, the Qaidam basin, like the Tarim and Junggar basins, has an older history of nonmarine fill that dates back at least to the Jurassic, and therefore its existence predates the Himalayan orogeny. Fourth, mid-Tertiary and older fill of the Qaidam basin has already been deformed, indicating an ongoing history of structural shortening. Finally, closed geomorphic basins within the southern Tibetan plateau are all much smaller than the Qaidam. This suggests that brittle deformation associated with progressive south to north underplating has disrupted preexisting sedimentary basins that were originally more prominent than they are now.

Late Pliocene-Quaternary evolution of outermost hinterland basins of the Northern Apennines (Italy), and their relevance to active tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sani, Federico; Bonini, Marco; Piccardi, Luigi; Vannucci, Gianfranco; Delle Donne, Dario; Benvenuti, Marco; Moratti, Giovanna; Corti, Giacomo; Montanari, Domenico; Sedda, Lorenzo; Tanini, Chiara

2009-10-01

We examine the tectonic evolution and structural characteristics of the Quaternary intermontane Mugello, Casentino, and Sansepolcro basins, in the Northern Apennines fold-and-thrust belt. These basins have been classically interpreted to have developed under an extensional regime, and to mark the extension-compression transition. The results of our study have instead allowed framing the formation of these basins into a compressive setting tied to the activity of backthrust faults at their northeastern margin. Syndepositional activity of these structures is manifested by consistent architecture of sediments and outcrop-scale deformation. After this phase, the Mugello and Sansepolcro basins experienced a phase of normal faulting extending from the middle Pleistocene until Present. Basin evolution can be thus basically framed into a two-phase history, with extensional tectonics superposed onto compressional structures. Analysis of morphologic features has revealed the occurrence of fresh fault scarps and interaction of faulting with drainage systems, which have been interpreted as evidence for potential ongoing activity of normal faults. Extensional tectonics is also manifested by recent seismicity, and likely caused the strong historical earthquakes affecting the Mugello and Sansepolcro basins. Qualitative comparison of surface information with depth-converted seismic data suggests the basins to represent discrete subsiding areas within the seismic belt extending along the axial zone of the Apennines. The inferred chronology of deformation and the timing of activity of normal faults have an obvious impact on the elaboration of seismic hazard models.

Discriminating Sediment Supply versus Accommodation Controls on Late Cretaceous Foreland Basin Stratigraphic Architecture in the Book Cliffs, Utah using Detrital Zircon Double Dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartschi, N.; Saylor, J. E.

2016-12-01

Middle to late Campanian strata of the Book Cliffs, Utah record the Late Cretaceous deposition of three clastic wedges in the North American Cordilleran foreland basin east of the Sevier thrust-belt. Variations in wedge geometries provide an opportunity to evaluate the effects of sediment supply versus accommodation on foreland basin stratal architecture. There is a significant increase in eastward progradation rate from the Lower to the Upper Castlegate Sandstone. However, the progradation rate decreases in the overlying Bluecastle and Price River formations, as well as the laterally equivalent Farrer and Tuscher formations. Rapid progradation during Upper Castlegate deposition may be caused by increased sediment supply from either rapid exhumation of the Sevier thrust-belt or introduction of a new sediment source. Alternatively, reduced accommodation within the proximal foreland basin from uplifts associated with Laramide deformation, or a transition from flexural to dynamic subsidence, could produce the observed rapid wedge progradation. Changes in sediment provenance and source-area exhumation rate can be identified using a combination of detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and (U-Th)/He thermochronology. Quantitative comparisons between collected samples and published provenance data indicates an upsection increase in a new sediment source, revealing a significant overall shift in provenance between wedge boundaries. This change in provenance is coupled by an upsection decrease in lag time between the Lower and Upper Castlegate, consistent with an increase in exhumation rate. Conversely, there is no change in lag time between the Upper Castlegate and overlying Price River Formation, suggesting a relatively constant exhumation rate. Near-zero lag times during the Upper Castlegate is consistent with rapid exhumation associated with increased thrusting of the Sevier thrust-belt. Therefore, progradation of the Upper Castlegate can be attributed to an increase in sediment supply due to both rapid exhumation of the Sevier thrust-belt and introduction of a new sediment source. However, the data do not rule out the potential influence of reduced accommodation associated with early Laramide deformation during Upper Castlegate deposition.

Catalog of offshore seismicity in Cascadia: Insights into the regional distribution of microseismicity and its relation to subduction processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, I.; Vidale, J. E.; Han, S.; Roland, E. C.

2017-12-01

We present a catalog of offshore seismicity generated from Cascadia Initiative OBS data. The catalog, which records 271 earthquakes along the coasts of Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and Vancouver Island, spans all 4 years of the OBS deployment and shows distinct along-strike variations in seismicity. Within the subduction zone, seismicity increases significantly from north to south, following trends in decreasing sediment thickness and increasing internal deformation of the incoming plate. Seismicity is sparse off the coasts of Vancouver Island and Washington (49-46°N), but abruptly increases south of the Washington/Oregon border. Off Northern and Central Oregon, widespread earthquakes are observed near the interface between 46 and 45°N, as well as at the previously identified clusters of seismicity off Newport, Oregon. South of Cape Blanco ( 43°N), seismicity is abundant and distributed across a large depth range. We locate an additional 440 events seaward of the deformation front, which show that rates of seismicity are higher in the Juan de Fuca plate south of 46°N, consistent with internal deformation trends observed during recent active source seismic reflection/refraction studies. Our observations imply that the smoothness and degree of hydration of the incoming plate, which are linked to the amount of underthrust sediment and amount of intraplate deformation, are major contributing factors to the distribution of microseismicity in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Structural Geology and Microstructures of Wrangel Island, Arctic Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, E. L.; Dumitru, T. A.; Seward, G.

2010-12-01

Wrangel Island is a unique exposure of Neoproterozoic basement and upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic cover. Its geology is critical for testing the continuity of stratigraphic units and structures across the Chukchi Sea from Alaska to Russia, for constraining paleogeography and plate reconstructions of the Arctic and for evaluating the hydrocarbon potential of this offshore region. The Paleozoic stratigraphy of Wrangel correlates to the offshore Hannah Trough, Alaska, but its thick section of Triassic turbidites has no counterpart in Alaska (Miller et al., 2010, AAPG; Sherwood et al., 2002, GSA Spec. Paper 360). Wrangel Island lies on a regional structural high along strike of the offshore Herald Arch and Chukchi Platform, Alaska. To the north, the deep North Chukchi Basin, bound by ~E-NE trending, north-dipping normal faults, is inferred to contain up to 12 km of Beaufortian and Brookian (Late Jurassic to Tertiary) sediments in addition to Paleozoic strata (Dinkelman et al., 2008). To the south, ~E-W trending faults bound the Longa Basin that separates Wrangel from Chukotka and lies along strike of the early Tertiary Hope Basin. Wrangel Island was interpreted to represent a north-vergent Mesozoic to Tertiary fold and thrust belt traced offshore by seismic reflection to the Herald Arch and then to the Lisburne Hills and the Brooks Range foreland fold and thrust belt, (e.g. Kos’ko et al., 1993). However, deformation of Wrangel Island rocks differs significantly from typical foreland fold-thrust structures. Both cover and basement rocks have strong penetrative metamorphic fabrics. Foliation strikes E-W and dips ~40° S, with a pronounced N-S trending elongation or stretching lineation. Aspect ratios of stretched pebbles are ~ 5:1:.2 to 10:1:.1. The foliation is axial planar to tight/isoclinal folds at all scales and these also involve the basement-sediment contact. 25 oriented thin-sections of feldspathic sandstones and grits were examined for sense of shear and the fabrics in quartz-rich domains studied by electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD). These studies indicate that systematic sense of shear indicators/asymmetric fabrics (top to the N versus top to the S) are uncommon and if present, not pervasive or consistent. EBSD studies of quartz fabrics together with growth of metamorphic biotite at deepest structural levels suggest temperatures as high as 450°C for deformation, with subsequent cooling at shallower levels of the crust to preserve the observed quartz microstructures. Cooling of rocks through 100°C based on apatite fission track ages occurred by ~ 95 Ma, providing a minimum age for deformation. The penetrative fabrics and large strains are more similar to high strain fabrics developed during extension such as those developed along the south flank of the Brooks Range, on the Seward Peninsula, and mainland Chukotka. It is inferred that structures on Wrangel Island formed during an episode of high heat flow and N-S ductile stretching of the crust, an interpretation compatible with the age constraints on the fabrics and the structural position of Wrangel between two large normal-fault bound basins.

TU-H-CAMPUS-JeP1-05: Dose Deformation Error Associated with Deformable Image Registration Pathways

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

Surucu, M; Woerner, A; Roeske, J

Purpose: To evaluate errors associated with using different deformable image registration (DIR) pathways to deform dose from planning CT (pCT) to cone-beam CT (CBCT). Methods: Deforming dose is controversial because of the lack of quality assurance tools. We previously proposed a novel metric to evaluate dose deformation error (DDE) by warping dose information using two methods, via dose and contour deformation. First, isodose lines of the pCT were converted into structures and then deformed to the CBCT using an image based deformation map (dose/structure/deform). Alternatively, the dose matrix from the pCT was deformed to CBCT using the same deformation map,more » and then the same isodose lines of the deformed dose were converted into structures (dose/deform/structure). The doses corresponding to each structure were queried from the deformed dose and full-width-half-maximums were used to evaluate the dose dispersion. The difference between the FWHM of each isodose level structure is defined as the DDE. Three head-and-neck cancer patients were identified. For each patient, two DIRs were performed between the pCT and CBCT, either deforming pCT-to-CBCT or CBCT-to-pCT. We evaluated the errors associated by using either of these pathways to deform dose. A commercially available, Demons based DIR was used for this study, and 10 isodose levels (20% to 105%) were used to evaluate the errors in various dose levels. Results: The prescription dose for all patients was 70 Gy. The mean DDE for CT-to-CBCT deformation was 1.0 Gy (range: 0.3–2.0 Gy) and this was increased to 4.3 Gy (range: 1.5–6.4 Gy) for CBCT-to-CT deformation. The mean increase in DDE between the two deformations was 3.3 Gy (range: 1.0–5.4 Gy). Conclusion: The proposed DDF was used to quantitatively estimate dose deformation errors caused by different pathways to perform DIR. Deforming dose using CBCT-to-CT deformation produced greater error than CT-to-CBCT deformation.« less

The Portland Basin: A (big) river runs through it

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evarts, Russell C.; O'Connor, Jim E.; Wells, Ray E.; Madin, Ian P.

2009-01-01

Metropolitan Portland, Oregon, USA, lies within a small Neogene to Holocene basin in the forearc of the Cascadia subduction system. Although the basin owes its existence and structural development to its convergent-margin tectonic setting, the stratigraphic architecture of basin-fill deposits chiefly reflects its physiographic position along the lower reaches of the continental-scale Columbia River system. As a result of this globally unique setting, the basin preserves a complex record of aggradation and incision in response to distant as well as local tectonic, volcanic, and climatic events. Voluminous flood basalts, continental and locally derived sediment and volcanic debris, and catastrophic flood deposits all accumulated in an area influenced by contemporaneous tectonic deformation and variations in regional and local base level.

Plio Quaternary tectonic evolution and structure of the Catania foredeep, the northern Hyblean Plateau and the Ionian shelf (SE Sicily)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torelli, Luigi; Grasso, Mario; Mazzoldi, Glauco; Peis, Davide

1998-11-01

Available multi- and single-channel seismic reflection profiles, calibrated by onshore borehole data, have been used for defining the structural styles in the shelf and slope of the Ionian Sea between Catania and Augusta (SE Sicily). The geological and geophysical data suggest that this area represents a segment of the foredeep-foreland system which collapsed after Late Pliocene times. The foundering was controlled by normal faults trending NE-SW, which flank the southern margin of the Catania foredeep. Onland, in outcrop, these faults appear largely to be post-dated by Lower Pleistocene sediments, nearshore carbonates passing laterally into basinal clays, which lie unconformably upon older substrata. Offshore, close to the southern edge of the foredeep, seismic lines allow recognition of two distinct units: a syn-rift wedge (Upper Pliocene submarine tholeiites and sediments), and a post-rift sequence which can be correlated with Lower Pleistocene carbonates, sands and clays recognisable on land, both in outcrop and by borehole data. The true frontal part of the thrust belt, as detected by the seismic lines, occupies the inner part of the area investigated and is buried by Upper Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene sediments. However, the compressive deformation seems to propagate toward the south-southeast by means of growing detachment levels developing at depth within Pleistocene marine clays, for a length of about 10 km, ahead of the present-day thrust front. Offshore, the faults trending NE-SW are dissected towards the east by faults trending NNW-SSE, subparallel to the Malta Escarpment, which flank the edge of the submerged Messina Rise. These faults, originating in a steep scarp which drops eastwards to the deep Ionian basin, have triggered submarine slides and affected the present-day seafloor sediments. As shown by seismic lines and as stressed by the modern seismicity of the area, some of the faults along the Malta Escarpment could be still active.

LiDAR monitoring of retrogressive processes on the steep rockslope of a large landslide in the Japanese Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishii, R.; Imaizumi, F.; Murakami, W.; Daimaru, H.; Miyamae, T.; Ogawa, Y.

2012-04-01

Akakuzure landslide in Japanese Alps is located in a steep mountain slope experienced deep-seated gravitational slope deformation. The landslide is 700 m high (1200-1900 m a.s.l.), 700 m wide and 400000 m2 in area with post-collapsed sediment ca 27 million m3 in volume. The steep rockslope (>40°) in the landslide shows anaclinal structure consisting of sandstone interbedding with shale. Large volume of sediment produced from the landslide has actively formed an alluvial fan on the outlet of the landslide. The volume and processes of the sediment production in the upper part (ca.40000 m^2) of the landslide were evaluated by geodetic surveys using techniques of airborne and ground-based LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The airborne and ground-based LiDAR surveys were performed twice (2003 and 2007) and 3 times (2010-2011), respectively. Ground surface temperatures were monitored at 3 locations within the landslide from 2010 to 2011. Precipitation and air temperature have been also observed on a meteorological station near the study site. The average erosion depths in the observed rockslope reached 0.89 m (0.22 m/yr) during the first 4 years (2003-2007) and 0.55 m (0.18 m/yr) during the later 3 years (2007-2010). The erosion mainly occurred within the landslide rather than on the edge of the landslide (i.e. no significant retreat of the main scarp). Such large sediment production can be divided into three processes based on the depth of detachment. Deep detachment (>5 m in depth), significantly contributing to the retreat of the rockslope, happened to large blocks had located just above knick lines. During the observation period, at least five large blocks fell down, which appears to originate from sliding along the detachment zone steeper than 30°. Second, anaclinal bedding-parallel blocks (1-2 m in depth) fell down, which mainly occurred around sandstone layers. Finally, thin detachment (<1 m in depth) widely occurred on the rockslope. On one part of shale layers, the erosion depth reached 0.35 m from 2010 to 2011. In Akakuzure landside, numerous fractures of the bedrock, probably produced by gravitational deformation, play an important role to promote the rapid erosion, in addition to external triggers such as heavy rainfalls and frost actions.

The morphology and nature of the East Arctic ocean acoustic basement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rekant, Pavel

2017-04-01

As the result of the thorough interpretation and cross-correlation of the large seismic dataset (>150000 km and >600 seismic lines), the depth structure map of the acoustic basement was constrained. Tectonic framework, basement surface morphology and linkage of the deep basin structures with shelves ones, was significantly clarified based on the map. It becomes clear that most morphostructures presently located within deep-water basin are tectonically connected with shelf structures. Acoustic basement contains a number of pre-Cambrian, Caledonian and Mesozoic consolidated blocks. The basement heterogeneity is highlighted by faults framework and basement surface morphology differences, as well thickness and stratigraphy of the sediment cover. The deepest basins of the East Arctic - Hanna Trough, North Chukchi and Podvodnikov Basins form a united mega-depression, wedged between pre-Cambrian continental blocks (Chukchi Borderland - Mendeleev Rise - Toll Saddle) from the north and the Caledonian deformation front from the south. The basement age/origin speculations are consistent with paleontological and U-Pb zircon ages from dredged rock samples. Most of morphological boundaries in the modern Arctic differ considerably from the tectonic framework. Only part of the Arctic morphostructures is constrained by tectonic boundaries. They are: eastern slope of the Lomonosov Ridge, continental slope in the Laptev Sea, upper continental slope in the Podvodnikov Basin, southern slope of the North Chukchi Basin and borders of the Chukchi Borderland. The rest significant part of modern morphological boundaries are caused by sedimentation processes.

Coastal dune facies, Permian Cutler Formation (White Rim Sandstone), Capitol Reef National Park area, southern Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamola, Diane L.; Chan, Marjorie A.

1988-04-01

The Permian Cutler Formation (White Rim Sandstone) in the Capitol Reef National Park area in southern Utah is an excellent example of a coastal dune complex subjected to periodic flooding by marine waters. Wind-ripple, grainfall and grainflow laminae compose the cross-sets deposited by eolian dunes. However, wave-reworked structures such as oscillation ripples, the occurrence of the characteristically marine trace fossils Thalassinoides and Chondrites, and interfingering marine carbonate beds of the Kaibab Formation collectively indicate marine interaction with the eolian environment. Four facies are distinguished: cross-stratified sandstone, burrowed to bioturbated sandstone, brecciated and deformed sandstone, and ripple-laminated sandstone and thin carbonate beds. One unusual aspect of the cross-stratified sandstone facies is the abundance of coarse-grained sand. Coarse-grained sand is atypical in many ancient eolian slipface deposits, but occurs here in large slipface foresets as both grainflow and wind-ripple deposits. No water-laid structures are found in these slipface deposits. Coarse-grained sand was probably transported to the Cutler shoreline by fluvial systems draining the Uncompahgre Uplift to the east, and then concentrated as coarse-grained ripples in interdune areas. Some of these coarse-grained ripples migrated up the stoss side of the dunes and accumulations of coarse-grained sand avalanched down the crest to form grainflow deposits. An extensive amount of soft-sediment deformation is indicated by the presence of convolute bedding and brecciation. These features occur near the zone of interfingering with marine carbonate beds of the Kaibab Formation. The water-saturated and moist conditions required for extensive deformation may have been controlled by the proximity of these sandstones to the shoreline, and fluctuations in the associated groundwater table.

Marine forearc tectonics in the unbroken segment of the Northern Chile seismic gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geersen, J.; Behrmann, J.; Ranero, C. R.; Klaucke, I.; Kopp, H.; Lange, D.; Barckhausen, U.; Reichert, C. J.; Diaz-Naveas, J.

2016-12-01

While clearly occurring within the well-defined Northern Chile seismic gap, the 2014 Mw. 8.1 Iquique Earthquake only ruptured part of this gap, leaving large and possibly highly coupled areas untouched. These non-ruptured areas now may pose an elevated seismic hazard due to the transfer of stresses resulting from the 2014 rupture. Here we use recently collected multibeam bathymetric data, covering 90% of the North Chilean marine forearc, in combination with unpublished seismic reflection images to derive a tectonic map of the marine forearc in the unbroken segment of the seismic gap. In the entire study area we find evidence for widespread normal faulting. Seaward dipping normal faults locally extend close to the deformation front at the deep-sea trench under 8 km of water. Similar normal faults on the lower slope are neither observed further north (2014 Iquique earthquake area) nor further south (2007 Tocopilla earthquake area). On the upper continental slope, some of the normal faults dip towards the continent, defining N-S trending ridges that can be traced over tens of kilometers. The spatial variations in normal faulting do not correlate with obvious changes in the structural and tectonic setting of the subduction zone (e.g. plate convergence rate and direction, trench sediment thickness, subducting plate roughness). Thus, the permanent deformation recorded in the spatial distribution of faults may hold crucial information about the long-term seismic behavior of the Northern Chile seismic gap over multiple earthquake cycles. Although the structural interpretations cannot directly be translated into seismic hazard, the tectonic map serves to better understand deformation in the marine forearc in relation to the seismic cycle, historic seismicity, and the spatial distribution of plate-coupling.

Tectonic history of the Illinois basin

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

Kolata, D.R.; Nelson, J.W.

1990-05-01

The Illinois basin began as a failed rift that developed during breakup of a supercontinent approximately 550 Ma. A rift basin in the southernmost part of the present Illinois basin subsided rapidly and filled with about 3,000 m of probable Early and Middle Cambrian sediments. By the Late Cambrian, the rift-bounding faults became inactive and a broad relatively slowly subsiding embayment, extending well beyond the rift and open to the Iapetus Ocean, persisted through most of the Paleozoic Era. Widespread deformation swept through the proto-Illinois basin beginning in the latest Mississippian, continuing to the end of the Paleozoic Era. Upliftmore » of basement fault blocks resulted in the formation of many major folds and faults. The timing of deformation and location of these structures in the forelands of the Ouachita and Alleghanian orogenic belts suggest that much of the deformation resulted from continental collision between North America and Gondwana. The associated compressional stress reactivated the ancient rift-bounding faults, upthrusting the northern edge of a crustal block approximately 1,000 m within the rift. Concurrently, dikes (radiometrically dated as Early Permian), sills, and explosion breccias formed in or adjacent to the reactivated rift. Subsequent extensional stress, probably associated with breakup of Pangea, caused the crustal block within the rift to sink back to near its original position. High-angle, northeast- to east-west-trending normal faults, with as much as 1,000 m of displacement, formed in the southern part of the basin. These faults displace some of the northwest trending Early Permian dikes. Structural closure of the southern end of the Illinois basin was caused by uplift of the Pascola arch sometime between the Late Pennsylvanian and Late Cretaceous.« less

Paleomagnetic reconstruction of Late Cretaceous structures along the Midelt-Errachidia profile (Morocco). Tectonic implications.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres López, Sara; José Villalain, Juan; Casas, Antonio; El ouardi, Hmidou; Moussaid, Bennacer; Ruiz-Martínez, Vicente Carlos

2017-04-01

Remagnetization data are used in this work to obtain the palinspastic reconstruction at 100 (Ma) of one of the most studied profiles of the Central High Atlas: the Midelt-Errachidia cross-section (Morocco). Previous studies in the area on syn-rift sedimentary rocks of subsiding basins have revealed that the Mesozoic sediments of this region acquired a pervasive remagnetization at the end of the Early Cretaceous. Fifty-eight sites (470 samples) corresponding to black limestones, marly limestones and marls, Early to Middle Jurassic in age, have been studied. Sites are distributed along a 70 km transect cutting across the basin and perpendicular to the main structures. The magnetic properties of samples are very regular showing very high NRM. Thermal and AF demagnetization showed a single stable paleomagnetic component with unblocking temperatures and coercivities spectra of 300-475°C and 20-100 mT respectively. This characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) showed systematically normal polarity suggesting a widespread remagnetization. In spite of the good outcrops and the relatively well-constrained structure of the High Atlas, there are many tectonic problems still unsolved, as the controversial existence of intra-Mesozoic deformation episodes. The restoration of paleomagnetic vectors to the remagnetization acquisition stage (100 Ma) allows to determine the dip of the beds during this period and, thereby, to obtain a reconstruction of structures during that time. This reconstruction accounts for the relative contribution of Mesozoic transpressional/transtrenssional movements vs. Cenozoic compression to the present-day dip. The results obtained indicate that these structures have undergone different degrees of pre-late Cretaceous deformation and were re-activated during the Cenozoic compression to finally acquire their present-day geometry.

Shallow subsurface structure of the Wasatch fault, Provo segment, Utah, from integrated compressional and shear-wave seismic reflection profiles with implications for fault structure and development

USGS Publications Warehouse

McBride, J.H.; Stephenson, W.J.; Williams, R.A.; Odum, J.K.; Worley, D.M.; South, J.V.; Brinkerhoff, A.R.; Keach, R.W.; Okojie-Ayoro, A. O.

2010-01-01

Integrated vibroseis compressional and experimental hammer-source, shear-wave, seismic reflection profiles across the Provo segment of the Wasatch fault zone in Utah reveal near-surface and shallow bedrock structures caused by geologically recent deformation. Combining information from the seismic surveys, geologic mapping, terrain analysis, and previous seismic first-arrival modeling provides a well-constrained cross section of the upper ~500 m of the subsurface. Faults are mapped from the surface, through shallow, poorly consolidated deltaic sediments, and cutting through a rigid bedrock surface. The new seismic data are used to test hypotheses on changing fault orientation with depth, the number of subsidiary faults within the fault zone and the width of the fault zone, and the utility of integrating separate elastic methods to provide information on a complex structural zone. Although previous surface mapping has indicated only a few faults, the seismic section shows a wider and more complex deformation zone with both synthetic and antithetic normal faults. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of a combined shallow and deeper penetrating geophysical survey, integrated with detailed geologic mapping to constrain subsurface fault structure. Due to the complexity of the fault zone, accurate seismic velocity information is essential and was obtained from a first-break tomography model. The new constraints on fault geometry can be used to refine estimates of vertical versus lateral tectonic movements and to improve seismic hazard assessment along the Wasatch fault through an urban area. We suggest that earthquake-hazard assessments made without seismic reflection imaging may be biased by the previous mapping of too few faults. ?? 2010 Geological Society of America.

Mega-features at the Table Rock phreatomagmatic complex in Christmas Valley, Oregon; Law of original horizontality need not apply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brand, B. D.; Clarke, A.

2006-12-01

The Table Rock Complex (TRC; Pliocene-Pleistocene), first documented and described by (Heiken, 1971, J. Geophy Res, 76, 5615-5626) is a large and well exposed phreatomagmatic complex in the Fort Rock- Christmas Lake Valley Basin, south-central Oregon. It is ~7 by 5 km and contains two large phreatomagmatic edifices; a large southern tuff cone with a capping lava lake (TRC1), and a large broad tuff ring in the northeast (TRC2). At least five additional, smaller tuff rings were identified along the flanks of the complex, yielding a complicated network of tuff ring-tuff cone deposits. Based on the low accidental component and evidence for a lake during this time, the cause of the explosive eruptions is interpreted to be due to interaction of magma with shallow standing water. The TRC1 consists of fining-up sequences, large erosive channel scour and fill deposits, massive tuff breccias, and abundant soft sediment deformation, which suggests deposition within a standing body of water. Subaerial TRC1 deposits are found south of the edifice, but are not exposed in the north. A significant repose period occurred between the TRC1 and TRC2 eruptions, evidenced by a wave-cut terrace and 25-50 cm of diatomitic lake sediments. TRC2 produced multiple, extremely erosive pyroclastic surges, which cut and scour the TRC1 deposits. Surge deposits consist of 50-200 m wavelength cross-beds, in some areas form large U-shaped features (10-100 m deep), and can be seen plastering up and around large obstacles from previous vents. The surge-deposits blanket all other sequences and create a hummocky topography around the edifice. This suggests that TRC2 was the last eruption in the sequence. The weight of the TRC2 sediments caused the water-saturated TRC1 sediments to plastically deform into large ball and pillow features and overturned slump blocks on the order of 20-50 m thick. The smaller flank tuff-ring eruptions likely occurred sometime between the TRC1 and TRC2 events. The inner-craters of these vents are well exposed and show features such as near-vertical plastered beds, large-scale convolute bedding, and in some places deformed and folded slump blocks up to 20-120 m thick. The features observed in both TRC deposits and in the smaller flank tuff rings (e.g., large-scale soft sediment deformation, plastered-vertical bedding, accretionary/armored lapilli) are consistent with a high water-magma ratio. The highly erosive surge beds of TRC2 represent the most energetic pulse of the eruptions.

Numerical modelling of hydro-morphological processes dominated by fine suspended sediment in a stormwater pond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Mingfu; Ahilan, Sangaralingam; Yu, Dapeng; Peng, Yong; Wright, Nigel

2018-01-01

Fine sediment plays crucial and multiple roles in the hydrological, ecological and geomorphological functioning of river systems. This study employs a two-dimensional (2D) numerical model to track the hydro-morphological processes dominated by fine suspended sediment, including the prediction of sediment concentration in flow bodies, and erosion and deposition caused by sediment transport. The model is governed by 2D full shallow water equations with which an advection-diffusion equation for fine sediment is coupled. Bed erosion and sedimentation are updated by a bed deformation model based on local sediment entrainment and settling flux in flow bodies. The model is initially validated with the three laboratory-scale experimental events where suspended load plays a dominant role. Satisfactory simulation results confirm the model's capability in capturing hydro-morphodynamic processes dominated by fine suspended sediment at laboratory-scale. Applications to sedimentation in a stormwater pond are conducted to develop the process-based understanding of fine sediment dynamics over a variety of flow conditions. Urban flows with 5-year, 30-year and 100-year return period and the extreme flood event in 2012 are simulated. The modelled results deliver a step change in understanding fine sediment dynamics in stormwater ponds. The model is capable of quantitatively simulating and qualitatively assessing the performance of a stormwater pond in managing urban water quantity and quality.

Using apatite fission track thermochronology to document the deformation sequence in an exhumed foreland basin: an example from the southern Pyrenees.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meresse, F.; Labaume, P.; Jolivet, M.; 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 The study of foreland basins provides important constraints on the evolution of orogenic wedges. In particular, the study of tectonics-sedimentation relationships is essential to date the tectonic activity. However, processes linked to wedge growth are not always completely recorded by the tecto-sedimentary markers, and thermochronological study of the basin-fill can provide further insights. In this work, we have combined apatite fission track analysis (apatite FTA) with structural analysis to precise the timing of the deformation sequence and to characterise the coupling between thrust activity, burial and denudation in the south-Pyrenean foreland basin, a proximal foredeep of the Pyrenees that has been incorporated in the Pyrenean thrust wedge. We have focused the study on a NNE-SSW cross-section of the south-vergent thrust system from the southern flank of the Axial Zone to the South-Pyrenean Frontal Thrust (SPFT), in the west-central part of the belt. This section provides a complete transverse of the South-Pyrenean Zone, here corresponding to the Ainsa and Jaca basins. Apatite FTA provides important new constraints on the south-Pyrenean foreland basin evolution: (i) Data show the southward decrease of the fission track reset level, from a total reset (indicating heating at Tmax>110°C) in the Paleozoic of the Axial Zone, to a partial reset (110°C>Tmax>60°C) in the lower-middle Eocene Hecho Group turbidites in the northern part of the Jaca basin, and to the absence of reset (Tmax<60°C) in the middle Eocene-Oligocene continental sediments of the southern part of the Jaca basin. This indicates a decreasing amount of denudation going southwards, from more than 4.5 km in the north to less than 2.5 km in the south if we assume an average geothermal gradient around 25°/km. The structural setting of the Jaca basin attests that the burial of sediments was mainly due to sedimentary accumulation. (ii) Results in the Hecho Group turbidites bring evidence of exhumation around 18 Ma on the Oturia thrust in the middle of the Jaca basin, an age that is younger than the Middle Eocene to Aquitanian deformation registered by tecto-sedimentary relationships in the southernmost part of the basin (Guarga syncline and SPFT). These tectonic movements may be related to the exhumation, at the same time, of the southern flank of the Axial Zone by out-of-sequence thrusting on the Bielsa basement thrust (Jolivet et al., 2007*). Therefore, low-temperature thermochronology reveals an out-of-sequence episode of deformation in the interior of the south-Pyrenean thrust wedge that had remained unknown due to the lack of related sedimentary record. This late tectonic activity is younger than the generally admitted Aquitanian age for the end of the Pyrenean compression, and would be linked to an ultimate internal thickening stage in the orogenic wedge (Meresse et al., this volume). (*Tectonics, 2007, vol. 26, doi: 10.1029/2006TC002080)

Deformation processes in orogenic wedges: New methods and application to Northwestern Washington State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thissen, Christopher J.

Permanent deformation records aspects of how material moves through a tectonic environment. The methods required to measure deformation vary based on rock type, deformation process, and the geological question of interest. In this thesis we develop two new methods for measuring permanent deformation in rocks. The first method uses the autocorrelation function to measure the anisotropy present in two-dimensional photomicrographs and three-dimensional X-ray tomograms of rocks. The method returns very precise estimates for the deformation parameters and works best for materials where the deformation is recorded as a shape change of distinct fabric elements, such as grains. Our method also includes error estimates. Image analysis techniques can focus the method on specific fabric elements, such as quartz grains. The second method develops a statistical technique for measuring the symmetry in a distribution of crystal orientations, called a lattice-preferred orientation (LPO). We show that in many cases the symmetry of the LPO directly constrains the symmetry of the deformation, such axial flattening vs. pure shear vs. simple shear. In addition to quantifying the symmetry, the method uses the full crystal orientation to estimate symmetry rather than pole figures. Pole figure symmetry can often be misleading. This method works best for crystal orientations measured in samples deformed by dislocation creep, but otherwise can be used on any mineral without requiring information about slip systems. In Chapter 4 we show how deformation measurements can be used to inform regional tectonic and orogenic models in the Pacific Northwestern United States. A suite of measurements from the Olympic Mountains shows that uplift and deformation of the range is consistent with an orogenic wedge model driven by subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate, and not northward forearc migration of the Oregon block. The deformation measurements also show that deformation within the Olympic Mountains is essentially two-dimensional. We use this constraint to develop a suite of orogenic deformation models that use slab height and erosion rate data as boundary conditions. We use the models to show that influx of sediments distributed along an accretionary front can greatly reduce deformation required to maintain wedge taper. Due to the two-dimensional nature of deformation in the Olympics, a series of two-dimensional transects across the peninsula provides an approximation for non-elastic deformation across the Peninsula. We show how the shallow slab height and deeper exhumation at the core of peninsula led to the domal structure of the Olympics. This model also explains the counter-clockwise vertical axis rotations north of the peninsula, and clockwise rotations south of the peninsula through horizontal shear, similar to opening a gate. Finally, the horizontal surface velocities predicted by the models suggests that up to 15% of GPS velocities may reflect non-elastic, permanent translation of material towards the rear of the wedge.

Sediment Accretion During Horst and Graben Subduction associated with the Tohoku Oki M9 Earthquake, Northern Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, J. C.; Chester, F. M.

2015-12-01

The stratigraphic sequence within the frontal accretionary prism of the Japan Trench, the site of large slip during the Tohoku earthquake, is unique due to horst and graben subduction. Boreholes at IODP Site C0019, penetrating the toe of the Tohoku accretionary prism, document a younger over older intraprism thrust contact with a 9 Ma age gap across the basal plate boundary fault. The anomalously young (Quaternary to Pliocene), fault-bounded sediment package is 130 m thick, of a total of 820 m of sediment above the plate boundary fault. In contrast, typical accretionary prism structure consists of stacked sediment packages on imbricate faults above the basal decollement resulting in an overall increase in age downward. Site C0019 penetrates the prism directly above a horst of the subducting Pacific oceanic crust. Here the plate-boundary fault consists of a thin, weak smectitic pelagic clay that is probably the principal slip surface of ~50 m offset in the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. The fault continues seaward deepening off the seaward edge of the horst and beneath the sediment fill of the adjacent graben, dying out at the landward base of the next incoming horst. The plate boundary fault and its splays in the graben form a narrow-taper protoprism and a small sedimentary basin of trench fill marking the seaward edge of the upper plate. The modern fault and sediment distributions within the graben are used to motivate a viable model for the presence of anomalously young sediments directly above the plate boundary fault. In this model sediments in the trench are thrust over the incoming horst by propagation of the plate boundary thrust up the landward-dipping fault of the incoming horst and along the smectitic clay layer to emplace Quaternary and Pliocene trench deposits directly on top of the incoming horst. These young deposits are in turn overlain by sediments 9 Ma or older that have been transported out of the graben along imbricate faults associated with the necessary increase in the taper of the prism above the graben. The Quaternary to Pliocene units thicken due to internal deformation accounting for the 130 m thickness now observed over the plate boundary fault at Site C0019. Conversely emplacement of very young sediment directly above a basal detachment would be unexpected in accretionary prisms subducting smoother oceanic crust.

Environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene microplastics negatively impact the survival, growth and emergence of sediment-dwelling invertebrates.

PubMed

Ziajahromi, Shima; Kumar, Anupama; Neale, Peta A; Leusch, Frederic D L

2018-05-01

Microplastics are a widespread environmental pollutant in aquatic ecosystems and have the potential to eventually sink to the sediment, where they may pose a risk to sediment-dwelling organisms. While the impacts of exposure to microplastics have been widely reported for marine biota, the effects of microplastics on freshwater organisms at environmentally realistic concentrations are largely unknown, especially for benthic organisms. Here we examined the effects of a realistic concentration of polyethylene microplastics in sediment on the growth and emergence of a freshwater organism Chironomus tepperi. We also assessed the influence of microplastic size by exposing C. tepperi larvae to four different size ranges of polyethylene microplastics (1-4, 10-27, 43-54 and 100-126 μm). Exposure to an environmentally relevant concentration of microplastics, 500 particles/kg sediment , negatively affected the survival, growth (i.e. body length and head capsule) and emergence of C. tepperi. The observed effects were strongly dependent on microplastic size with exposure to particles in the size range of 10-27 μm inducing more pronounced effects. While growth and survival of C. tepperi were not affected by the larger microplastics (100-126 μm), a significant reduction in the number of emerged adults was observed after exposure to the largest microplastics, with the delayed emergence attributed to exposure to a stressor. While scanning electron microscopy showed a significant reduction in the size of the head capsule and antenna of C. tepperi exposed to microplastics in the 10-27 μm size range, no deformities to the external structure of the antenna and mouth parts in organisms exposed to the same size range of microplastics were observed. These results indicate that environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics in sediment induce harmful effects on the development and emergence of C. tepperi, with effects greatly dependent on particle size. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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.

China's first intermediate resolution multi-channel seismic survey in the northern Victoria Land Basin and Terror Rift, Ross Sea, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Zhongyan; Gao, Jinyao; Zhang, Tao; Wang, Wei; Ding, Weifeng; Zhang, Sheng

2017-04-01

The West Antarctic Rift System (WARS) represents one of the largest active continental rift systems on Earth and is less well known than other rift systems because it is largely covered by thick ice. The Terror Rift (TR), superimposing on the Victoria Land Basin (VLB) in the western Ross Sea, is identified as the most recent deformational zone of the WARS, thus will provide knowledge of the active deformation process of the WARS. The structure and kinematics of the TR is under debate. Originally, the TR was thought to consist of two parts: the Discovery Graben and the magmatically-intruded Lee Arch. New denser seismic grid in the middle and southern segments of the TR revealed a different structure of the Lee Arch while the northern segment of the TR is not well studied. The glacial history of the VLB/TR region is another attractive issue to the geologists since this area records the behavior information of EAIS and WAIS. In the southern part of the VLB, especially in the McMurdo Sound, the framework of the glacial history is well established after several deep cores which recovery the whole stratigraphic sequences since the onset of the glaciation. However, the glacial history of the northern part of the VLB/TR is less well studied and here we emphasize its importance because the northern part of the VLB/TR is a link between the well-studied southern VLB and the sediment-well-preserved Northern Basin. During the 32nd Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, on the board of the RV XueLong, we collected intermediate resolution multi-channel seismic reflection data in the northern VLB/TR. These data will establish new constraints on the timing of deformation, structure and kinematics of the TR, and the history of the EAIS and WAIS.

Project REPONS: Offshore Faults, Tectonic Deformation and Turbidite Record in Response to the January 12 2010 Earthquake, Haiti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McHugh, C. M.; Gulick, S. P.; Cormier, M.; Dieudonne, N.; Diebold, J. B.; Douilly, R.; Hornbach, M.; Johnson, H. E.; Mishkin, K.; Seeber, L.; Sorlien, C. C.; Steckler, M. S.; Symithe, S. J.

2010-12-01

As part of an NSF RAPID response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake, we mapped the underwater continuation of the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone (EPGF) west of Léogâne. Multibeam bathymetry, sidescan sonar, chirp subbottom profiler, sediment sampling and CTD measurements were conducted in water depths of 2 m to 1750 m from the R/V Endeavor and from a small inflatable boat. The offshore segment of the EPGF is manifested by two steep, 50-80 m high linear ridges and at least two subsurface faults. The submarine EPGF is part of a transition from releasing to restraining segment. To the east, it joins its onshore trace in a releasing bend and continues to the west in a restraining bend that perhaps caused the Tapion ridge. Within the Baies de Petit and Grand Goâve, river outlets are correlated with lateral spreading and/or subsidence where we observed increased local damage to structures. Lateral spreading and/or subsidence appears to have increased tsunami effects locally. Coral uplift NE and SW of offshore fault traces offer evidence of the January 12, 2010 surface deformation. While a seafloor rupture is not evident from the data collected we do image deformation within the upper 20 m in both bays. Mass wasting and gravity flow deposits from the last and older earthquakes were tracked from the Léogâne delta and along the coast to the deepest depocenter. Th-234 and Be-7 with half-lives of 24 and 53 days, respectively verified the January 12 turbidite and indicated an influx of terrigenous sediment mixed with marine sources. Coral debris was sampled in the shelf and upper slope (100-300 m) near the EPGF; basalt sand derived from the highlands and wood fragments at intermediate water depths (1000-1100 m); lastly an ~0.03 km3 and >1 m thick turbidite was deposited over 50 km2 in the Canal du Sud depocenter (1750 m). The sandy parts of all cores recovered from Canal du Sud depocenter have alternate episodes of traction deposition and erosion that reflect pulses of increased energy fluctuations consistent with long waves. These currents are generated by seiches and tsunamis. In the deepest waters of Canal du Sud at 1750 m, we observed a 600 m thick layer of sediment that was still in suspension almost two months after the earthquake. Deep marginal basins adjacent to strike slip margins are important for tracking paleoseismic records that are critical for understanding the rupture history of these faults.