Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Tectonics and Structure
The crisis of a paradigm. A methodological interpretation of Tohoku and Fukushima catastrophe
Published: 2017-12-04
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Studies, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tectonics and Structure
The 2011 Japanese disaster often presented as a ‘new Chernobyl’ accumulated the effects of earthquake, tsunami and of the subsequent nuclear accident at Fukushima. In the light of this disaster, we review methodological rea- sons both from geophysical and philosophical perspectives that lead the scientific and technological communities to flawed conclusions, prime cause of the disaster. The [...]
Lithospheric flexure and rheology determined by climate cycle markers in the Corinth Rift
Published: 2017-11-28
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Geomorphic strain markers accumulating the effects of many earthquake cycles help to constrain the mechanical behaviour of continental rift systems as well as the related seismic hazards. In the Corinth Rift (Greece), the unique record of onshore and offshore markers of Pleistocene ~100-ka climate cycles provides an outstanding possibility to constrain rift mechanics over a range of timescales. [...]
How, where and when do radial faults grow near salt diapirs?
Published: 2017-11-27
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
We examine 3-D seismic reflection data from the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil to determine how, where and when do radial faults grow near a sub-circular salt diapir (stock). We show roof stretching alone cannot account for the large heights and lengths of the kilometre-scale radial faults, suggesting stock widening (‘stem push’), a mechanism implied in numerical models but not yet documented in [...]
The role of coseismic Coulomb stress changes in shaping the hard-link between normal fault segments
Published: 2017-11-27
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
The mechanism and evolution of fault linkage is important in the growth and development of large faults. Here we investigate the role of coseismic stress changes in shaping the hard-links between parallel normal fault segments (or faults), by comparing numerical models of the Coulomb stress change from simulated earthquakes on two en echelon fault segments to natural observations of hard-linked [...]
Throw Rate Variability on Gravity-Driven Normal Faults; Constraints from the Gudrun Fault, South Viking Graben, Offshore Norway
Published: 2017-11-24
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
The growth and throw rate variability on normal faults can reflect fault interaction, plate tectonic forces and, in gravity-driven systems, variations in sediment loading. Because earthquakes may occur as faults slip, it is important to understand what processes influence throw rate variability on normal faults to be able to predict seismic hazards in extensional terranes. Furthermore, the rate [...]
Temporal evolution of extensional fault-propagation folds
Published: 2017-11-23
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
Integration of three-dimensional seismic and well data from the Upper Jurassic North Sea rift provides insights into the temporal evolution of fault-propagation folds in extensional settings. The hangingwall of the Oseberg fault zone is characterised by an asymmetric, fault-parallel syncline interpreted as the hangingwall portion of a breached monocline which formed in response to an [...]
Fault growth and interactions in a multiphase rift fault network: Horda Platform, Norwegian North Sea
Published: 2017-11-15
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Physical models predict that multiphase rifts that experience a change in extension direction between stretching phases will typically develop non-colinear normal fault sets. Furthermore, multiphase rifts will display a greater frequency and range of styles of fault interactions than single-phase rifts. Although these physical models have yielded useful information on the evolution of fault [...]
Work optimization predicts accretionary faulting: An integration of physical and numerical experiments
Published: 2017-11-11
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
We employ work optimization to predict the geometry of frontal thrusts at two stages of an evolving physical accretion experiment. Faults that produce the largest gains in efficiency, or change in external work per new fault area, ΔWext/ΔA, are considered most likely to develop. The predicted thrust geometry matches within 1 mm of the observed position and within a few degrees of the observed [...]
Pseudotachylyte as field evidence for lower crustal earthquakes during the intracontinental Petermann Orogeny (Musgrave Block, Central Australia)
Published: 2017-11-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Geophysical evidence for lower continental crustal earthquakes in almost all collisional orogens is in conflict with the widely accepted notion that rocks, under high grade conditions, should flow rather than fracture. Pseudotachylytes are remnants of frictional melts generated during seismic slip and can therefore be used as an indicator of former seismogenic fault zones. The Fregon Domain in [...]
Sequential growth of deformation bands in carbonate grainstones in the hangingwall of an active growth fault: Implications for deformation mechanisms in different tectonic regimes
Published: 2017-11-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Deformation bands in porous sandstones have been extensively studied for four decades, whereas comparatively less is known about deformation bands in porous carbonate rocks, particularly in extensional settings. Here, we investigate porous grainstones of the Globigerina Limestone Formation in Malta, which contain several types of deformation bands in the hangingwall of the Maghlaq Fault: (i) [...]
Rifts and Rifted Margins: A Review of Geodynamic Processes and Natural Hazards
Published: 2017-11-06
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
This review provides an introduction to the geodynamic processes that influence tectonic rift evolution and rifted margin architecture. With a strong focus on numerical modeling, I summarize classical and recent insights on rift evolution with differentiation between 2D and 3D concepts and models. One of the key processes during rift evolution is crust-mantle coupling, which controls not only the [...]
Controls of inherited lithospheric heterogeneity on rift linkage: Numerical and analog models of interaction between the Kenyan and Ethiopian rifts across the Turkana depression
Published: 2017-11-06
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Inherited rheological structures in the lithosphere are expected to have large impact on the architecture of continental rifts. The Turkana depression in the East African Rift connects the Main Ethiopian Rift to the north with the Kenya rift in the south. This region is characterized by a NW-SE trending band of thinned crust inherited from a Mesozoic rifting event, which is cutting the [...]
Precision and Accuracy in Geochronology
Published: 2017-11-05
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Paleontology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Geochronology in Earth and Solar System science is increasingly in demand, and this demand is not only for more results, but for more precise, more accurate, and more easily interpreted temporal constraints. Because modern research often requires multiple dating methods, scrupulous inter- and intramethod calibration in absolute time is required. However, improved precision has highlighted [...]
Geological applications of digital terrain analysis
Published: 2017-11-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geographic Information Sciences, Geography, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Remote Sensing, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Spatial Science, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Editorial to the IJGIS Special Issue on "Geological applications of digital terrain analysis". In this volume, the modern advances in the field of geological terrain analysis are presented, while emphasis is given to the quantitative analysis of modern datasets.
Reactivation of intrabasement structures during rifting - A case study from offshore southern Norway
Published: 2017-11-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Pre-existing structures within crystalline basement may exert a significant influence over the evolution of rifts. However, the exact manner in which these structures reactivate and thus their degree of influence over the overlying rift is poorly understood. Using borehole-constrained 2D and 3D seismic reflection data from offshore southern Norway we identify and constrain the three-dimensional [...]