Analogue sandbox modeling of orogenic wedge front faulting: Roles of inherited fault zones and topographic loading

Abstract

Earthquakes reported in the frontal belts of active orogenic wedges such as the 2013 Mw6.6 Lushan and 1999 Mw7.6 Chi-Chi earthquakes, highlight the importance of loading exerted by mountainous topography and inherited fault zones. However, their effects on formation and activation of these wedge front fault systems remain poorly understood. This study presents three sets of sandbox experiments in which topographic loading and geometry of inherited faults were first separately investigated, then explored jointly. Experiments show that smaller topographic loading favors gentle-dipping wedge front thrusts, while larger topographic loading promotes the development of steep wedge front faults. Introduced as zones of frictional weakness, all inherited faults promote deformation localization, though the steep ones are characterized by buttressing nearby rather than direct slip on themselves. When the two factors were tested integrally, four major deformation modes arose, including (1) direct reactivation; (2) fault truncation in the initial stage of compression; (3) stacking of small thrusts against the inherited fault and possible truncation in a later evolutionary stage; (4) behavior as a fossil structure. These modes show differences not only in first-order deformation styles, but also in the distribution of secondary structures, defining a basic framework and providing new guides for the interpretation of complex wedge front fault systems and their activities, in areas such as the Longmen Shan (eastern Tibet), the Tian Shan and the western margin of the Taiwan orogen.