A tectonically-triggered late Holocene seismite in the southern Amazonian lowlands, Brazil

Abstract

Definitive criteria for identifying the triggers of soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDSs) from sedimentary deposits are still under construction. In this work, we aimed to contribute to advancing this issue describing the sedimentological characteristics of an interval of SSDSs formed in a region of the Amazonian lowlands having numerous morphostructural evidences of neotectonic reactivation. The deformed interval is 1.5m thick and consists of load and flame structures interbedded with massive beds sandwiched between well-stratified deposits of a fluvial sandy channel succession with a radiocarbon age of 1301–1382calyrBP. The SSDSs are intercepted by numerous small-scale, normal graded-faults. The most interesting is that these faults display segmented, NW-SE trending planes that propagate upward after horizontal displacements of a few millimeters. Processes intrinsic to channel dynamics could not justify this fault morphology, which is related to recurrent short-lived seismic perturbations with intervening sedimentation following a main tremor. A relation to fault reactivation is proposed with basis on the fault trend compatible with the regional structural pattern and the numerous morphostructural anomalies verified in the study area, including: trellis and sub-trellis drainage; rectangular and, to a less extent, annular channels; anomalously enlarged channels; orthogonal channels and valleys; channel captures; sudden changes in channel morphology; moderate to high basin asymmetry factor (AF between 10 and 27); moderate to high transverse topography symmetry factor (T=0.3–0.5); and anomalous longitudinal river profiles, with concavity values (11 to 30%) indicative of rivers in process of adjustments. The morphology of the fault-graded beds described herein might constitute a feature of relevance for identifying seismites in other fluvial deposits.