The influence of pre-existing thrust faults on normal fault geometry in nature and in experiments

Abstract

Relations between normal faults and pre-existing thrust faults are classically described in terms of three basic situations: normal faults can cross-cut thrust faults; they can branch out from thrust faults at depth on a de´collement level, or they can entirely reactivate thrust planes. The mechanical aspects of these types of interaction were studied by analogue modelling in which sand simulates the ‘brittle’ rocks and silicone putty an interlayered de´collement. The models underwent compression, producing thrust faults with variable dips, followed by extension. Three possible ways of interaction are described here: (a) no interaction occurs in the case of low-dip thrust faults (<32 ° ± 1 °) and normal faults are developed independently, displaying a listric geometry; (b) branching at depth on the de´collement level occurs when dip of the thrust faults reaches 32 ° ± 1°. In this case, the dip of the normal faults, whose geometry becomes planar, decreases with increasing thrust dip. We suggest that this change in dip of normal faults depends upon the rotation of stress tensor axes along the pre-existing fault zone, where a drop in the friction coefficient is likely to occur; (c) reactivation occurs in brittle material when dip of the pre-existing fault exceeds 41° ± 1°.