Variation in fold geometry in the Yuso basin, northern Spain: implications for the deformation regime

First generation structures in greywackes of the Yuso Group from the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain show a distinct variation in geometry with depth in a regional synclinal structure (Curavacas and Lechada synclines); they are easily distinguished from other deformation events. In the structurally uppermost level we find ‘flap folds’. Flap folds are recumbent structures with the inverted limb preserved. Below this level ‘cascade folds’ are found. These structures have a vergence opposite to that of parasitic folds. The nomenclature adopted is from Harrison and Falcon. Characteristically, these structures have shallowly dipping axial surfaces, in agreement with the shallow dip of the axial plane (regional) cleavage. In the lowermost structural level, upright parasitic folds with a steep cleavage are present. The variation in fold geometry is accompanied by a general steepening of the regional cleavage with increasing depth. In the absence of overprinting relationships the F₁ fold geometries are included in a single deformation event.The steepening of the cleavage with depth reflects the change in orientation of the maximum shortening direction from sub-vertical in the upper part of the syncline to sub-horizontal in the lower part. With increasing depth the deformation regime during F₁ changed from bending to buckling. The deformation regime on the regional scale, however, is associated with basement subsidence and passive formation of the regional synclinal structure. Furthermore, the absence of a distinct microfabric for the different F₁ folds indicates that on a small scale a similar deformation regime was present. We conclude, therefore, that the scale at which we study a structure only reflects the deformation regime at that particular scale. Consequently, the overall deformation regime cannot be determined from single outcrops or microstructural analysis alone.