The displacement-distance method for contractional kink bands and its application to fold-thrust structures

The displacement-distance (d−x) method can be modified to study the geometry and development of contractional kink bands by dividing displacements into cartesian component vectors. Kink bands are idealised as having constant layer lengths, enabling simple trigonometry to be used to determine the displacement of one wall of the kink band relative to the other wall.

In a consideration of several applications of the d−x method for kink bands, it is shown that displacement is transferred between conjugate and overstepping kink bands in a similar way to displacement transfer between conjugate and overstepping faults and extension fractures. The several different models of kink band formation are shown to each have different displacement characteristics. The d−x method can also be used to study the geometry and evolution of folds related to thrust-propagation and ramps, which are often modelled as having kink band geometries. For instance, the d−x method can be used to show how fault-tip and fault-bend folds cause or accommodate thrust displacement variations, and to estimate displacement rates from the amounts of deformation in different syn-thrust sedimentary layers.     

华北地区上新世至第四纪断裂作用型式与左旋扩展

华北地区包含两个新生代引张构造域,即太行山以西的鄂尔多斯周缘地堑系和以东的华北－渤海平原盆地。鄂尔多斯周缘地堑系上新世～第四纪的断裂作用表征为正向倾滑活动为主,同时具有右旋或左旋走滑分量的运动型式,指示了ＮＷ－ＳＥ向地壳引作用,华北－渤海盆地内上新世～第四纪的断裂作用发生在ＮＮＥ至ＮＥ走向的断鲜明带上,具有右旋和正向倾滑的斜向运动特征,ＥＷ走向的秦岭断裂系华北引张构造域的东界,表现为右旋走滑,与Ｅ     

Evidence for coupled reverse and normal active faulting in W Iberia: The Vidigueira–Moura and Alqueva faults (SE Portugal)

The Vidigueira–Moura fault (VMF) is a 65 km long, E–W trending, N dipping reverse left-lateral late Variscan structure located in SE Portugal (W Iberia), which has been reactivated during the Cenozoic with reverse right-lateral slip. It is intersected by, and interferes with the NE–SW trending Alentejo–Plasencia fault. East of this intersection, for a length of 40 km the VMF borders an intracratonic tectonic basin on its northern side, thrusting Paleozoic schists, meta-volcanics and granites, on the north, over Cenozoic continental sediments preserved in the basin, on the south. West of the faults intersection, evidence of Cenozoic reactivation is scarce. In the eastern sector, Plio-Quaternary VMF reactivation is indicated by geomorphologic, stratigraphic, and structural data, showing reverse movement with a right-lateral strike-slip component, in response to a NW–SE trending compressive stress. An average vertical displacement rate of 0.06 to 0.08 mm/yr since late Pliocene (roughly the last 2.5 Ma) is estimated. The Alqueva fault (AF) is a subparallel, northward dipping, 7.5 km long anastomosing fault zone that affects Palaeozoic basement rocks, and is located 2.5 km north and on the hanging block of the VMF. The AF is also a reverse left-lateral late Variscan structure, which has been reactivated during the Tertiary with reverse right-lateral slip; however, Plio-Quaternary reactivation was normal left-lateral, as shown by abundant kinematical criteria (slickensides) and geomorphic evidence. It shows an average displacement rate of 0.02 mm/yr for the vertical component of movement in the approximately last 2.5 Ma. It is proposed that the normal displacements on the AF result from tangential longitudinal strain on the upthrown block of the VMF above a convex ramp of this main reverse structure. According to this model of faults interaction, the AF is interpreted to work as a bending-moment fault sited above the VMF thrust ramp. Consequently, it is expected that the displacements on the AF increase towards the topographic surface with the increase in the imposed extension, declining downwards until they vanish above or at the VMF ramp. In order to constrain the proposed scheme, numerical modeling was performed, aiming at the reproduction of the present topography across the faults using different geodynamic models and fault geometries and displacements.     

Kinematic significance of fold- and fault-related fracture systems in the Zagros mountains, southern Iran

Initiation and formation of folds and the Kazerun high-angle fault zone, in the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt, were related to the continuing SW–NE oriented contraction that probably initiated in the Late Cretaceous, and intensified, starting in Miocene, when the Arabian and Eurasian plates collided. The contraction that led to folding and thrusting of the Phanerozoic sequence in the belt has led to the strike–slip reactivation of basement faults that formed during the Precambrian. Two major systems of fractures have developed, under the same regional state of contraction, during the folding and strike–slip faulting processes. Folding led to the formation of a system of fold-related fractures that comprises four sets of fractures, which include an axial and a cross-axial set that trend parallel and perpendicular to the confining fold axial trace, respectively, and two oblique sets that trend at moderate angles to the axial trace. Slip along high-angle, strike–slip faults formed a system of fractures in the damage zone of the faults (e.g., Kazerun), and deformed folds that existed in the shear zone by rotating their axial plane. This fault-related fracture system is made of five sets of fractures, which include the two sets of Riedel shear fractures (R and R′), P- and Y-shear fractures, and an extensional set.

Remote sensing analysis of both fracture systems, in a GIS environment, reveals a related kinematic history for folding outside of the Kazerun shear zone and faulting and deformation (fracturing and rotation of folds) within the Kazerun fault zone. Rotation of the folds and formation of the five sets of the fault-related fractures in the Kazerun shear zone are consistent with a dextral motion along the fault. The mean trends of the shortening directions, independently calculated for the fold- and fault-related fracture systems, are remarkably close (N53 ± 4°E and N50 ± 5°E, respectively), and are perpendicular to the general NW–SE trend of the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt. Although segments of the Kazerun fault are variably oriented within a narrow range, the angular relationships between sets of fault-related fractures and these segments remain constant.     

Neotectonics of the Somogy hills (Part II): Evidence from seismic sections

The Somogy hills are located in the Pannonian Basin, south of Lake Balaton, Hungary, above several important tectonic zones. Analysis of industrial seismic lines shows that the pre-Late Miocene substratum is deformed by several thrust faults and a transpressive flower structure. Basement is composed of slices of various Palaeo-Mesozoic rocks, overlain by sometimes preserved Paleogene, thick Early Miocene deposits. Middle Miocene, partly overlying a post-thrusting unconformity, partly affected by the thrusts, is also present. Late Miocene thick basin-fill forms onlapping strata above a gentle paleo-topography, and it is also folded into broad anticlines and synclines. These folds are thought to be born of blind fault reactivation of older thrusts. Topography follows the reactivated fold pattern, especially in the central-western part of the study area.

The map pattern of basement structures shows an eastern area, where NE–SW striking thrusts, folds and steep normal faults dominate, and a western one, where E–W striking thrusts and folds dominate. Folds in Late Neogene are also parallel to these directions. A NE–SW striking linear normal fault and associated N–S faults cut the highest reflectors. The NE–SW fault is probably a left-lateral master fault acting during–after Late Miocene. Gravity anomaly and Pleistocene surface uplift maps show a very good correlation to the mapped structures. All these observations suggest that the main Early Miocene shortening was renewed during the Middle and Late Miocene, and may still persist.

Two types of deformational pattern may explain the structural and topographic features. A NW–SE shortening creates right-lateral slip along E–W faults, and overthrusts on NE–SW striking ones. Another, NNE–SSW shortening creates thrusting and uplift along E–W striking faults and transtensive left-lateral slip along NE–SW striking ones. Traces of both deformation patterns can be found in Quaternary exposures and they seem to be consistent with the present day stress orientations of the Pannonian Basin, too. The alternation of stress fields and multiple reactivation of the older fault sets is thought to be caused by the northwards translation and counter-clockwise rotation of Adria and the continental extrusion generated by this convergence.     

Active faults pattern and interplay in the Azerbaijan region (NW Iran)

Northwest Iran is dominated by two main sets of active strike slip faults that accommodate oblique convergence between the Arabian and Iranian Plates. The best known are the right-lateral North-Tabriz, Qoshadagh, Maragheh and Zagros (Main Recent) strike slip Faults. This work reports that these dominant NW–SE to E–W striking faults are conjugate to smaller, NNE–SSW striking, left-lateral faults with minor dip slip component. All of these active faults displace Precambrian rock units, which suggests that they root in the crystalline basement of the NW Iranian microcontinent. Coulomb stress variance during co-seismic rupture along one of these faults may cause reactivation of the other faults. The minor set of left-lateral fault is therefore important to introduce in seismic risk assessment.     

Young,active conjugate strike–slip deformation in West Sichuan: evidence for the stress–strain pattern of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

The active kinematics of the eastern Tibetan Plateau are characterized by the southeastward movement of a major tectonic unit, the Chuan-Dian crustal fragment, bounded by the left-lateral Xianshuihe–Xiaojiang fault in the northeast and the right-lateral Red River–Ailao Shan shear zone in the southwest. Our field structural and geomorphic observations define two sets of young, active strike–slip faults within the northern part of the fragment that lie within the SE Tibetan Plateau. One set trends NE–SW with right-lateral displacement and includes the Jiulong, Batang, and Derong faults. The second set trends NW–SE with left-lateral displacement and includes the Xianshuihe, Litang, Xiangcheng, Zhongdian, and Xuebo faults. Strike–slip displacements along these faults were established by the deflection and offset of streams and various lithologic units; these offsets yield an average magnitude of right- and left-lateral displacements of ～15–35 km. Using 5.7–3.5 Ma as the time of onset of the late-stage evolution of the Xianshuihe fault and the regional stream incision within this part of the plateau as a proxy for the initiation age of conjugate strike–slip faulting, we have determined an average slip rate of ～2.6–9.4 mm/year. These two sets of strike–slip faults intersect at an obtuse angle that ranges from 100° to 140° facing east and west; the fault sets define a conjugate strike–slip pattern that expresses internal E–W shortening in the northern part of the Chuan-Dian crustal fragment. These conjugate faults are interpreted to have experienced clockwise and counterclockwise rotations of up to 20°. The presence of this conjugate fault system demonstrates that this part of the Tibetan Plateau is undergoing not only southward movement, but also E–W shortening and N–S lengthening due to convergence between the Sichuan Basin and the eastern Himalayan syntaxis.     

Rupture progression along discontinuous oblique fault sets: implications for the Karadere rupture segment of the 1999 Izmit earthquake, and future rupture in the Sea of Marmara

Large earthquakes in strike-slip regimes commonly rupture fault segments that are oblique to each other in both strike and dip. This was the case during the 1999 Izmit earthquake, which mainly ruptured E–W-striking right-lateral faults but also ruptured the N60°E-striking Karadere fault at the eastern end of the main rupture. It will also likely be so for any future large fault rupture in the adjacent Sea of Marmara. Our aim here is to characterize the effects of regional stress direction, stress triggering due to rupture, and mechanical slip interaction on the composite rupture process. We examine the failure tendency and slip mechanism on secondary faults that are oblique in strike and dip to a vertical strike-slip fault or “master” fault. For a regional stress field well-oriented for slip on a vertical right-lateral strike-slip fault, we determine that oblique normal faulting is most favored on dipping faults with two different strikes, both of which are oriented clockwise from the strike-slip fault. The orientation closer in strike to the master fault is predicted to slip with right-lateral oblique normal slip, the other one with left-lateral oblique normal slip. The most favored secondary fault orientations depend on the effective coefficient of friction on the faults and the ratio of the vertical stress to the maximum horizontal stress. If the regional stress instead causes left-lateral slip on the vertical master fault, the most favored secondary faults would be oriented counterclockwise from the master fault. For secondary faults striking ±30° oblique to the master fault, right-lateral slip on the master fault brings both these secondary fault orientations closer to the Coulomb condition for shear failure with oblique right-lateral slip. For a secondary fault striking 30° counterclockwise, the predicted stress change and the component of reverse slip both increase for shallower-angle dips of the secondary fault. For a secondary fault striking 30° clockwise, the predicted stress change decreases but the predicted component of normal slip increases for shallower-angle dips of the secondary fault. When both the vertical master fault and the dipping secondary fault are allowed to slip, mechanical interaction produces sharp gradients or discontinuities in slip across their intersection lines. This can effectively constrain rupture to limited portions of larger faults, depending on the locations of fault intersections. Across the fault intersection line, predicted rakes can vary by >40° and the sense of lateral slip can reverse. Application of these results provides a potential explanation for why only a limited portion of the Karadere fault ruptured during the Izmit earthquake. Our results also suggest that the geometries of fault intersection within the Sea of Marmara favor composite rupture of multiple oblique fault segments.     

青藏高原中部第四纪左旋剪切变形的地表地质证据

在青藏铁路的格尔木—拉萨段进行的活动断裂调查发现,在沱沱河—五道梁之间宽约150km的地段内发育了多条由北西西向次级断层左列分布构成的北西西向和北西向左旋张扭性断裂带,在断裂带之间则发育"S"型的北东向裂陷盆地和雁列分布的菱形裂陷盆地,盆地边界断裂也为左旋张扭性质。上述断裂带和裂陷带主要形成于第四纪,它们构成了宽约150km的不均匀的左旋简单剪切变形域,该变形域的整体活动性较弱,属于弱的不均匀剪切变形域。但其中的二道沟断陷盆地是个例外,该盆地边界断裂的垂直活动速率约为0 5mm/a,左旋活动速率介于0 8～1 0mm/a之间。而在整个左旋剪切变形带累计的左旋走滑速率不会超过6mm/a,它们所调节的昆仑山与唐古拉山之间的地壳南北缩短量也可能仅占总缩短量的15%～30%。上述弱剪切变形域与强烈左旋走滑的昆仑断裂系共同构成了高原中部的左旋剪切变形带,它们在印度板块与欧亚板块强烈碰撞的构造动力学背景下,起着调节青藏高原南北向缩短的重要作用。     

Structural similarity and variety at the tips in a wide range of strike–slip faults: a review

Strike–slip faults are often accompanied by a variety of structures, particularly at their tips. The zones of additional fracturing are classified as tip‐damage zones. These zones can be subdivided into several different damage patterns based on the nature and orientation of faults and fractures developed. Damage zones at the ends of small strike–slip faults (mode II tips) develop wing cracks, horsetail splays, antithetic faults, synthetic branch faults and solution surfaces. Similar tip‐damage patterns are also commonly observed at larger (regional) scales, but with a dominance of faulting over tensile cracks and solution surfaces. Wing cracks and horsetail splays developed at small‐scale faults are replaced by normal faults in large‐scale faults. Antithetic faults and synthetic branch faults are observed at small and large scales. Thrust faults are developed at large scales, in a similar pattern to solution surfaces at a small scale. All these structures may show slightly different angular relationships to the master fault at small and large scale, but develop in response similar stress distribution and mechanics around the fault. Thus, mode II tip‐damage zones show similar patterns over a wide range of fault scales.     

酒泉盆地南缘老君庙构造带应力场数值模拟

老君庙构造带处于酒泉盆地南缘新生代前陆冲断带上,纵向上,叠置于早白垩世断陷盆地的南部隆起和石大凹陷之上。利用构造应力场数值模拟计算,分别对酒泉盆地南缘山前冲断带的老君庙构造带新生代平面断裂系统及老君庙构造带西段北东向地质剖面进行应力场分析。通过与油气分布区域的对比,得出了以下结论:应力场数值模拟X方向位移场显示构造带西侧的断层具有左行走滑性质,构造带中部以逆冲为主,东部断层位移具有右行走滑的性质;Y方向位移场显示断层位移具有左行走滑性质。老君庙构造带上高应力区中所圈闭的低应力区是油气聚集最有利的区域,应该把这些应力圈闭区域作为油气勘探的重点,如庙西背斜、老君庙推覆体中盘、下盘以及老君庙背斜翼部等低应力圈闭区。     

2014年5月云南盈江M_S5.6、M_S6.1地震发震构造分析

2014年5月云南省盈江县先后发生MS5.6、MS6.1地震,为确定它们的发震构造及其所反映的区域活动构造格局,笔者围绕该区开展了地震烈度调查、活动构造遥感解译、地质构造及构造地貌野外调查、震源机制解及余震分布资料分析等工作。调查与分析表明,两次地震的宏观震中均位于盈江县勐弄乡麻栗坡村附近,但发震断层明显不同。前者为NE走向左旋走滑的昔马—盘龙山断裂,后者为近SN向右旋走滑的苏典断裂。历史地震资料显示,盈江地区的地震活动多以5~6级的中-强震为主,并具有明显的群发性和沿SN向断层迁移的特征。在实皆断裂及滇西内弧带的共同作用下,腾冲地块内以大盈江断裂为界,北部主要发育近SN向右旋走滑断裂,南部则以NE向左旋走滑断裂为主,其中近SN向断层晚第四纪活动性更强。     

阿尔金断裂东端破裂生长点的最新构造变形*

阿尔金断裂与祁连山北缘断裂的交汇部位是阿尔金断裂向东扩展的新破裂生长点,两断裂构造与新生的红柳峡断裂构成似三联点构造。破裂生长点附近的最新构造变形表现为:阿尔金断裂的旋转隆升和向北扩展;祁连山北缘断裂的逆冲推覆兼右旋走滑;红柳峡断裂的挤压拖曳弯曲,它们共同受制于青藏高原的强烈隆升和向外扩张作用。推测阿尔金断裂自西而东的破裂扩展就是似三联点构造逐一形成而又被切割贯通的过程。阿尔金断裂以蠕滑活动为主,2002年玉门地震与祁连山北缘逆冲断裂及其伴生的调节断层的活动相关。     

The North Anatolian fault and complexities of continental escape

Before the Plio-Pleistocene, the proto North Anatolian fault zone was occupied by two separate faults: a WNW-striking right-lateral eastern segment which extended to the Black Sea, and a WSW-striking left-lateral western segment. During the Plio-Pleistocene most of the right-lateral displacement on the eastern fault was transferred from the Black Sea extension to the western fault, converting the latter to a right-lateral structure, and giving rise to the modern North Anatolian fault zone. This model explains the evidence first reported by Hancock & Barka for an apparent Plio-Pleistocene reversal of displacement along the western part of the fault. The model may also account for the Plio-Pleistocene change in regional stress in southwestern Anatolia.     

青海鄂拉山断裂带晚第四纪构造活动及其所反映的青藏高原东北缘的变形机制

鄂拉山断裂带是分隔青海乌兰盆地 (柴达木盆地的一部分 )与茶卡—共和盆地的一条重要边界断裂 ,长约 2 0 7km ,由 6条规模较大的主要以右阶或左阶次级断裂段羽列而成 ,阶距约 1～ 3.5km。该断裂右旋走滑的起始时代为第四纪初期 ,约在 1.8～ 3.8MaB .P .期间 ,大的地质体累积断错约 9～12km。断裂新活动形成了一系列山脊、冲沟和阶地等的右旋断错及断层崖、断层陡坎等。晚更新世晚期以来 ,鄂拉山断裂带的平均水平滑动速率为 (4 .1± 0 .9)mm/a ,垂直滑动速率为 (0 .15± 0 .1)mm/a。鄂拉山地区的构造变形受区域NE向构造应力作用下的剪切压扁与鄂拉山断裂的右旋剪切和挤压的共同影响 ,共和—茶卡盆地和乌兰盆地均属于走滑挤压型盆地。青藏高原东北缘地区在区域性北东向挤压的作用之下 ,应变被分解为沿北西西向断裂的左旋走滑和沿北北西向断裂的右旋走滑运动 ,形成一对共轭的剪切断裂。鄂拉山断裂及其他北北西走向断裂的发展演化和变形机制表明青藏高原东北缘向东的挤出和逃逸是非常有限的。     

Three-dimensional compressional deformations in the Zailiski Alatau mountains,Kazakstan

Abstract

The classical model of faulting predicts that slip planes occur in two conjugate sets. Theoretically, more sets can be contemporarily active if pre-existing structures are reactivated in a three-dimensional strain field. Four to six sets of faults have been active in the Holocene in the Zailiski Alatau mountain range, Kazakstan. Faults strike with the highest frequency ENE and ESE and show mostly left-lateral reverse and right-lateral reverse motions, respectively. These faults have a bimodal distribution of dips, forming four sets arranged in orthorhombic symmetry. Locally, NNW- to NNE- striking vertical faults have also been active in the Holocene and show right-lateral strike-slip and left-lateral strike-slip motions, respectively. All these fault sets accommodated the general three-dimensional deformation, given by N-S-directed horizontal shortening, vertical extension, and E-W-directed horizontal extension. Field evidence also shows that the reverse motions, even if with a minor strike-slip component, occurred on high-angle planes with inclination of 65°-85°. ENE- and ESE-striking faults reactivated older fracture zones, whereas the other sets are newly formed. Comparison of these field results with the structures obtained from published analogue models shows a strong similarity of fault geometry and kinematics.     

Scaling of fault displacements from the Badajoz-Córdoba shear zone, SW spain

Faulting occurs over a large range of scale, parts of which are sampled by various techniques (e.g., microscopy, outcrop measurement, mapping, seismic reflection and other forms of remote sensing). Use of a single technique to measure displacement or strain will not sample faults at all scales and hence will give a biased estimate. In order to assess this bias, a knowledge of the distribution over all scales is needed.

Many samples of fault displacement appear to follow a power-law distribution, with departures which can be attributed to sampling effects. The number of faults with a displacement u is given by N(u) = Cu^−D. The power-law distribution of displacement is consistent with similar distributions of other fault parameters and earthquake magnitudes. When sampling along a line (e.g., a bedding trace on a map or section), a self-similar fault population would have D = 1, whereas self-affine geometries yield D≠ 1. Displacement and extension are dominated by small faults when D > 1 and by large faults when D < 1. When sampling over areas or volumes these critical values are 2 and 3, respectively.

A set of strike-slip faults from the Badajoz-Córdoba Shear Zone, Spain, were sampled at two different scales using 1:50000 maps and outcrop measurements. Displacement ranges over 6 orders of magnitude. These and other fault populations typically have D ranging from 0.6 to 1.5.

The power-law relationship may be integrated to yield estimates of the displacement (or extension) for faults which lie beyond the resolution of the sampling system. For example, a knowledge of D allows the extension measured on a map or seismic section to be “corrected” for faults whose displacement is below the resolution of the survey. Based on an overall estimate of D = 0.9 for the Badajoz-Córdoba data, only some 40% of the extension would be recorded by map-scale faults. A corrected extension of 41% along the shear zone is estimated; which if typical for the entire 300 km zone represents some 87 km of along-strike extension. Thus, work suggests that significant displacement occurs on faults which are too small to be interpreted from conventional seismic profiles and geological maps.     

Active faulting and natural hazards in Armenia, eastern Turkey and northwestern Iran

Active fault zones of Armenia, SE Turkey and NW Iran present a diverse set of interrelated natural hazards. Three regional case studies in this cross-border zone are examined to show how earthquakes interact with other hazards to increase the risk of natural disaster. In northern Armenia, a combination of several natural and man-made phenomena (earthquakes, landslides and unstable dams with toxic wastes) along the Pambak-Sevan-Sunik fault (PSSF) zone lowers from 0.4 to 0.2–0.3g the maximum permissible level (MPL) of seismic hazard that may induce disastrous destruction and loss of life in the adjacent Vanadzor depression.

In the Ararat depression, a large active fault-bounded pull-apart basin at the junction of borders of Armenia, Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan, an earthquake in 1840 was accompanied by an eruption of Ararat Volcano, lahars, landslides, floods, soil subsidence and liquefaction. The case study demonstrates that natural hazards that are secondary with respect to earthquakes may considerably increase the damage and the casualties and increase the risk associated with the seismic impact.

The North Tabriz–Gailatu fault system poses a high seismic hazard to the border areas of NW Iran, eastern Turkey, Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan) and southern Armenia. Right-lateral strike–slip motions along the North Tabriz fault have given rise to strong earthquakes, which threaten the city of Tabriz with its population of 1.2 million.

The examples illustrate how the concentration of natural hazards in active fault zones increases the risk associated with strong earthquakes in Armenia, eastern Turkey and NW Iran. This generally occurs across the junctions of international borders. Hence, the transboundary character of active faults requires transboundary cooperation in the study and mitigation of the natural risk.     

Nucleation and growth of strike-slip faults in limestones from Somerset, U.K.

Small-scale structures along strike-slip fault zones in limestones exposed around the Bristol Channel, U.K., suggest that pressure solution plays a key role during fault nucleation and growth. Incipient shear zones consist of enéchelon veins. The first generation of solution seams form due to bending of the intact rock (bridge) between overlapping veins. As the bridge rotates, slip occurs along the seams, linking the veins, causing cm-scale calcite-filled pull-apart structures to form and allowing fault displacement to increase. A second generation of solution seams forms at the tip of the sliding seams. As displacement increases further, causing larger rotation, slip also can occur along these second-generation solution seams, producing the third generation of solution seams as well as tail cracks (pinnate veins) at their tips. These three generations of solution seams all contribute to the formation of individual fault segments. Fourth and fifth generations of solution seams occur within larger-scale contractional oversteps between side-stepping fault segments. The oversteps are breached by slip along these localized solution seams, eventually leading to the formation of a distinct through-going fault with several metres of displacement.The initial enéchelon veins, solution seams of various generations and tail cracks progressively fragment the fault-zone material as fault slip accumulates. Slip planes nucleate on these pre-existing discontinuities, principally along the clay-enriched, weaker solution seams. This can be observed at a variety of scales and suggests that Mode II shear fracturing does not occur as a primary fracture mechanism, but only as a macroscopic phenomenon following Mode I (veins and tail cracks) and anti-mode I (solution seams) deformation. It appears that solution seams can play a similar role to microcracks in localizing a through-going slip plane. This micromechanical model of faulting may be applicable to some other faults and shear zones in host rocks which are prone to pressure solution.     

Opposed shear senses inferred from neotectonic mesofracture systems in the North Anatolian fault zone

The 1200-km long North Anatolian fault zone is a right-lateral, intracontinental transform boundary which was initiated in the Late Neogene. Sediments of Pliocene to Holocene age in basins between Cerkes and Erbaa, within the convex-northwards arc of the fault zone, are deformed by syn-sedimentary and post-depositional mesoscopic faults and joints. The mesofractures, which strike obliquely to the fault zone, include reverse faults, normal faults, normal shear joints, conjugate vertical joints and strike-slip faults. Each type of structure occurs in two geometrical groups, one comprises four systems of fractures, the other is made up of five systems. The directions of secondary compression and/or extension inferred from the first group of mesofractures, which are restricted to sediments of Pliocene to Early Pleistocene age, are interpreted as being related to left-lateral shear along the North Anatolian fault zone. The directions of compression and/or extension inferred from the second group of mesofractures, which cut sediments of Pliocene to late Holocene age, were generated during right-lateral shear.The presence of the second group of mesofractures is understandable because they are related to the shear sense which operates at the present-day, but those interpreted as being related to left-lateral shear are more puzzling: their development implies one or more reversals of the dominant sense of displacement. Several tentative models to explain such reversals are proposed, including regional and local influences, the latter related to mechanical constraints and/or the effects of other fault systems.