Large-scale distributed deformation controlled topography along the western Africa–Eurasia limit: Tectonic constraints

In the interior of the Iberian Peninsula, the main geomorphic features, mountain ranges and basins, seems to be arranged in several directions whose origin can be related to the N–S plate convergence which occurred along the Cantabro–Pyrenean border during the Eocene–Lower Miocene time span. The Iberian Variscan basement accommodated part of this plate convergence in three E–W trending crustal folds as well as in the reactivation of two left-lateral NNE–SSW strike-slip belts. The rest of the convergence was assumed through the inversion of the Iberian Mesozoic Rift to form the Iberian Chain. This inversion gave rise to a process of oblique crustal shortening involving the development of two right lateral NW–SE shear zones. Crustal folds, strike-slip corridors and one inverted rift compose a tectonic mechanism of pure shear in which the shortening is solved vertically by the development of mountain ranges and related sedimentary basins. This model can be expanded to NW Africa, up to the Atlasic System, where N–S plate convergence seems also to be accommodated in several basement uplifts, Anti-Atlas and Meseta, and through the inversion of two Mesozoic rifts, High and Middle Atlas. In this tectonic situation, the microcontinent Iberia used to be firmly attached to Africa during most part of the Tertiary, in such a way that N–S compressive stresses could be transmitted from the collision of the Pyrenean boundary. This tectonic scenario implies that most part of the Tertiary Eurasia–Africa convergence was not accommodated along the Iberia–Africa interface, but in the Pyrenean plateboundary. A broad zone of distributed deformation resulted from the transmission of compressive stresses from the collision at the Pyrenean border. This distributed, intraplate deformation, can be easily related to the topographic pattern of the Africa–Eurasia interface at the longitude of the Iberian Peninsula.Shortening in the Rif–Betics external zones – and their related topographic features – must be conversely related to more “local” driven mechanisms, the westward displacement of the “exotic” Alboran domain, other than N–S convergence. The remaining NNW–SSE to NW–SE, latest Miocene up to Present convergence is also being accommodated in this zone straddling Iberia and Morocco, at the same time as a new ill-defined plate boundary that is being developed between Europe and Africa.     

华北新构造：印欧碰撞远场效应与太平洋俯冲地幔上涌之间的相互作用

作为大陆内部典型的伸展断陷区和强震活动区,华北地区处于东部太平洋板块俯冲构造和西部印欧大陆碰撞构造的双重大地构造背景之下,其新构造运动相当复杂:西部沿鄂尔多斯地块周缘两个地堑盆地系引张伸展断陷作用、中部太行山块体的局部断陷和整体隆升、东部华北平原区和渤海湾海域区的区域沉降,南缘沿秦岭构造带的左旋走滑拉张活动,东缘沿郯庐断裂带的右旋挤压走滑活动。这些不同类型的断裂构造在晚新生代的阶段性活动,产生了复杂的构造地貌组合特征。综合研究发现,华北晚新生代经历了3期伸展断陷-挤压隆升演化阶段:新近纪晚期(10～2.5 Ma)、早中更新世和晚更新世以来。地壳引张应力方向或NW-SE、或NE-SW向;地块隆升导致湖盆的消亡,挤压应力方向为NE-SW至W-E向。研究认为,华北地区新构造受两个岩石圈构造过程的相互影响:印欧碰撞产生的远程效应和东部岩石圈地幔的上涌。一方面,青藏高原东北缘地块的持续推挤及其构造应力向东的传递导致鄂尔多斯地块反时针旋转和秦岭山地的向东挤出逃逸,这个挤出构造动力学统治了华北地区晚新生代的引张伸展、斜张走滑和挤压变形。尤其是,新近纪晚期强烈的NW-SE向地壳伸展变形与青藏东缘挤出造山作用同步(10～9 Ma至4.2 Ma);上新世末期(约2.5 Ma)、晚更新世早期(约200～70 ka)和晚更新世晚期—全新世(约20 ka以来)3次构造挤压事件与青藏高原东缘构造事件基本对应。另一方面,岩石圈地幔上涌主导了华北东部平原区的区域地壳沉降,同时伴随着早、中更新世的5期幔源火山活动。这两个岩石圈构造作用力此消彼长,深刻统治着华北地区新构造与现今活动构造以及地震构造。     

Unravelling the evolution of an Alpine to post-glacially active fault in the Swiss Alps

The Gemmi fault is a prominent NW–SE striking lineament that crosses the Gemmi Pass in the central Swiss Alps. A multidisciplinary investigation of this structure that included geological mapping, joint profiling, cathodoluminescence and scanning electron microscopy, stable isotope measurements, luminescence- and U-TH-dating, 3D ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveying and trenching reveals a history of fault movements from the Miocene to the Holocene. The main fault zone comprises a 0.5–3 m thick calcite cataclasite formed during several cycles of veining and brittle deformation. Displaced Cretaceous rock layers show an apparent dextral slip of 10 m along the fault.A detailed study of a small sediment-filled depression that crosses the fault provides evidence for a post-glacial reactivation of the fault. A trench excavated across the fault exposed a Late-Glacial-age loess layer and late Holocene colluvial-like slope-wash deposits that showed evidence for fault displacement of a few centimeters, indicating a recent strike-slip reactivation of the fault. Focal mechanisms of recent instrumentally recorded earthquakes are consistent with our findings that show that the fault at the Gemmi Pass, together with other parallel faults in this area, may be reactivated in today's stress field. Taking together all the observations of its ancient and recent activity, the Gemmi fault can be viewed as a window through geological space and time.     

赣杭构造带中生代红色碎屑沉积盆地的形成和演化

本文是在继讨论赣杭构造带中生代火山盆地的形成和演化之后,再对赣杭构造带中生代红色碎屑沉积盆地（简称赣杭带红盆）的形成和演化作一探讨。涉及的内容主要有：赣杭构造带中生代红盆结构及演化时代;从晚侏罗世末到整个白垩纪各期主要构造运动及与红盆演化的关系;箕状盆地的几个主要特征;红盆演化的动力学背景;红盆所对应的深部构造以及深断裂活动和盆地演化的实际含义等     

走滑断层作用的相关构造

走滑断层的形成可以用纯剪和单剪这两种基力学机制和它们之间的过渡类型－压剪和张剪加以解释,其应力分布的局域性导致了形变特性的差异性。其相关构造类型,包括褶皱断层,断层,走滑盆地,走滑旋转构造,花状构造与走滑双重构造,等是走滑断层的主要研究对象和内容。     

Normal fault growth and linkage in the Gediz (Alaşehir) Graben,Western Turkey,revealed by transient river long‐profiles and slope‐break knickpoints

The Gediz (Ala?ehir) Graben is located in the highly tectonically active and seismogenic region of Western Turkey. The rivers upstream of the normal fault‐bounded graben each contain a non‐lithologic knickpoint, including those that drain through inferred fault segment boundaries. Knickpoint heights measured vertically from the fault scale with footwall relief and documented fault throw (vertical displacement). Consequently, we deduce these knickpoints were initiated by an increase in slip rate on the basin‐bounding fault, driven by linkage of the three main fault segments of the high‐angle graben bounding fault array. Fault interaction theory and ratios of channel steepness suggest that the slip rate enhancement factor on linkage was a factor of 3. We combine this information with geomorphic and structural constraints to estimate that linkage took place between 0.6 Ma and 1 Ma. Calculated pre‐ and post‐linkage throw rates are 0.6 and 2 mm/yr respectively. Maximum knickpoint retreat rates upstream of the faults range from 4.5 to 28 mm/yr, faster than for similar catchments upstream of normal faults in the Central Apennines and the Hatay Graben of Turkey, and implying a fluvial landscape response time of 1.6 to 2.7 Myr. We explore the relative controls of drainage area and precipitation on these retreat rates, and conclude that while climate variation and fault throw rate partially explain the variations seen, lithology remains a potentially important but poorly characterised variable. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Active tectonics and erosional unloading at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau

Introduction The eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, adjacent to the Sichuan Basin (Figure 1), has become a testing ground for a variety of models that contrast mechanisms of extrusion and crustal thickening associated with the India-Asia collision (Avouac and Tapponnier 1993, England and Houseman 1986),but that also address the extent to which the upper crust and upper mantle are coupled (Royden et al. 1997, Holt 2000). The margin is characterized by topographic relief of over 5 km an…     

Geomorphological evidence of paleoseismicity: Surficial and underground structures of Pasmajärvi postglacial fault

The cyclic nature of glaciations and related postglacial faulting represents a risk for the deep geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel in areas likely to be affected by future glaciations. Seismic history was therefore studied by means of detecting geomorphological structures on airborne laser scanning digital elevation models and underground by excavating in an esker and trenching across a postglacial fault located in northern Fennoscandia. OLS dating and assessing the geomorphological structures was used for timing of the seismic history. The results suggest that the faulting of different segments in the Pasmajärvi complex is due to at least two late Weichselian events, which probably occurred both subglacially and postglacially. The most reliable input for the moment magnitude estimates was vertical slip profiles, and therefore these estimates (M_W ≈ 6.4–6.9) are suggested. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

内蒙古二连盆地巴彦宝力格煤田下白垩统赛汉塔拉组层序—古地理与聚煤作用*

二连盆地巴彦宝力格煤田蕴藏着丰富的煤炭和煤层气资源。利用钻孔和测井资料对赛汉塔拉组层序格架下的古地理演化特征和聚煤作用进行研究,识别出3种层序界面类型: 区域不整合面、河道下切谷冲刷面和对应整合面,将赛汉塔拉组划分为2个三级层序,厚煤层主要发育于层序Ⅰ湖侵体系域早期和晚期。采用单因素分析多因素综合作图法,恢复了层序格架下的古地理格局,古地理单元为冲积扇、扇三角洲平原和滨浅湖。有利聚煤环境为扇三角洲平原与滨浅湖过渡带、滨浅湖,具有合适的基底沉降速率并且受到较小的陆源碎屑影响。从层序Ⅰ到层序Ⅱ,煤层厚度减小,聚煤作用减弱;多层厚煤层的形成受基底沉降震荡性、周期性的影响,受可容空间增加速率与泥炭堆积速率比值不断变化的控制。层序Ⅰ发育时期,研究区中部为下一步煤炭资源和煤层气勘探的有利区。     

A multidisciplinary study of a slow-slipping fault for seismic hazard assessment: the example of the Middle Durance Fault (SE France)

Assessing seismic hazard in continental interiors is difficult because these regions are characterized by low strain rates and may be struck by infrequent destructive earthquakes. In this paper, we provide an example showing that interpretations of seismic cross sections combined with other kinds of studies such as analysis of microseismicity allow the whole seismogenic source area to be imaged in this type of region. The Middle Durance Fault (MDF) is an 80-km-long fault system located southeastern France that has a moderate but regular seismicity and some palaeoseismic evidence for larger events. It behaves as an oblique ramp with a left-lateral-reverse fault slip and has a low strain rate. MDF is one of the rare slow active fault system monitored by a dedicated dense velocimetric short period network. This study showed a fault system segmented in map and cross section views which consists of staircase basement faults topped by listric faults ramping off Triassic evaporitic beds. Seismic sections allowed the construction of a 3-D structural model used for accurate location of microseismicity. Southern part of MDF is mainly active in the sedimentary cover. In its northern part and in Alpine foreland, seismicity deeper than 8 km was also recorded meaning active faults within the crust cannot be excluded. Seismogenic potential of MDF was roughly assessed. Resulting source sizes and estimated slip rates imply that the magnitude upper limit ranges from 6.0 to 6.5 with a return period of a few thousand years. The present study shows that the coupling between 3-D fault geometry imaging and accurate location of microseismicity provides a robust approach to analyse active fault sources and consequently a more refined seismic hazard assessment.