Geometrical Study of Detachment Depth of Tilted Blocks

In an extensional basin,the process of hanging wall block rotation above a detachment fault zone is controlled by block geometry,the shape of the main normal faults,and the detachment depth.A formula for calculating the detachment depth of a tilted block is established in geometrical aspect from the tilting angle of the rotational block,dip angle of the main boundary fault,and the sedimentary thickness in the basin.The calculated result shows that the detachment depth of the tilted block,controlled by a rotational planar normal fault in the Linxian basin,on the eastern slope of Taihangshan Mountain,North China,is about 12.5 km,which is consistent with the analytic result of seismic data in the area.The value is similar to the estimated depth of the usual brittle ductile transition in a rift zone.The geometrical model presented in this paper,however,can provide a range of structural patterns of hanging wall and the detachment depth for reference in hydrocarbon exploration and earthquake processes.