Contractional regimes: thust faults

5 important questions on Contractional regimes: thust faults

What are the characteristics of thrust faults?

  • fault with dip slip kinematics that cuts up-section towards the earth's surface
  • leads to repetition of stratigraphy
  • puts older rocks on top of younger rocks
  • puts high grade rocks on top of low grade rocks
  • shortens layers (crust) and thus leads to thickening of layers/crust

Characteristics of Metamorphic Core Complexes:

- domal or arclike, isolated uplifts
- mylonite belt separates the metamorphic/plutonic core from the unmetamorphosed
upper plate rocks.
- the mylonites are the ductile expression of detachment fault systems (1-3), which
develops as discrete normal faults under brittle conditions.
- dip angles of detachment faults are generally <300.
- mylonites are formed under non-coaxial deformation conditions; shear sense indicators
indicate uniform sense of shear.
- intensity of deformation decreases from the mylonites downwards into the core.
- fault breccias can occur at the top of the mylonites.
- upper plate deformation is characterized by half graben structures and tilted fault blocks.

Syn tectonic sediments

The layers are cut by the fault and feel the activity of the fault (thickness and/or geometry and/or facies)
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Post tectonic sediments

flat layers

Critical taper features

1. The material strength of the wedge

- Increasing strength → decreasing
taper angle
2. Resistance to sliding across the basal
detachment
- Decreasing friction at the base →
decreasing taper angle
3. The pore fluid pressure within the
wedge and the detachment

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