Evolution of the Murphy synclinorium, southern Appalachian Blue Ridge, USA

Abstract

The western Blue Ridge allochthon of the southern Appalachians is dominated by the >180 km-long Murphy synclinorium, paired with anticlinoria to the northwest. These are first generation, northwest overturned, doubly plunging, large amplitude and wavelength (>10 km) isoclinal folds contemporaneous with peak Neo-Acadian orogeny (Visian, ∼335–345 Ma) regional metamorphism. The synclinorium folds a regional unconformity separating Neoproterozoic rift and lower Paleozoic drift sequences from a younger successor-basin sequence. Strain analysis of metaconglomerates from lithologic groups above and below the unconformity indicates coaxial, low to moderate, oblate to nearly plane strain in both groups. The synclinorium evolved via NNW-SSE-crustal shortening (∼32%), combined with orthogonal NNE-SSW-sub-horizontal flow (stretching) (∼35–45%) sub-parallel to the developing fold axes. Differences in metamorphic grade and paleodepth (∼10–17 km) of the exposed synclinorium had essentially no effect on strain magnitudes. Retrodeformation of the embedded regional unconformity reveals a very broad synclinal warping of the rift and drift-facies units predating superposition of the Murphy synclinorium, suggesting tectonic inheritance in the latter structure's origin. The earlier mild deformation is post-Early Cambrian and may represent the only vestige of the dynamic effects of the Middle Ordovician Taconic orogeny to be found in this region.