Active Margin Research Articles

Transient response feedback control for horizontal vibration of high-speed elevator car with prescribed performance

The high-speed elevator car is subject to violent horizontal vibration due to the wind pressure generated by the ventilation hole of the elevator rapid operation, improper adjustment of the gap and steps at the joint of the elevator car guide rail, pitting corrosion or wear on the guide surface of the guide shoe, inadequate installation and adjustment of the guide shoe or guide rail and so on. Aiming at the problems of poor transient convergence and real-time performance, low control accuracy and stability of the existing active control algorithm for the horizontal vibration control variables of the elevator car system, a transient response feedback control strategy with specified performance is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a six degree of freedom elevator car system model is established, and the state space equation is constructed based on the linear fractional transformation algorithm; Secondly, a class of preset transient performance function is introduced to construct the convergence boundary in advance to ensure that the system control variables are strictly constrained within this boundary, and the stability of the transformed variables is ensured by equivalent transformation; Finally, four different control methods including passive control, H2/H∞ control, PID control and transient response feedback control proposed in this paper are compared and analyzed by using MATLAB under two typical guideway excitation. The simulation results show that the proposed transient response feedback control strategy reduces the root mean square value and maximum value of the horizontal displacement acceleration of the elevator car system by more than 81%, effectively suppresses the horizontal vibration of the elevator car, and ensures the transient and steady-state performance of the elevator car system.

Compositional changes with incremental growth of the Quxu granite batholith, southern Tibet: Evidence from geochronology and geochemistry

How to reconstruct the detailed processes and identify the key factors of incremental growth to form a large granite batholith is controversial. Such in-depth investigations along convergent plate boundaries are of great importance for better understanding the growth and reworking of continental crust. This work presents an integrated study of SIMS (secondary ion microscope) U-Pb geochronology, trace elements and oxygen isotopes of zircon, microstructure and chemistry of plagioclase, and whole-rock elemental geochemistry and Sr-Nd isotopes to decipher the temporal compositional change and incremental growth of the Quxu granitoid batholith in the Gangdese magmatic belt, southern Tibet. The Quxu host granitoids are mainly metaluminous and calc-alkaline to high-K calc-alkaline in geochemistry, whilst the melanocratic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) and mafic dykes vary from calc-alkaline to shoshonitic series. New SIMS zircon U-Pb data suggest a prolonged history (ca. 16.6 Myr) for the Quxu batholith accompanied by several episodes of intermediate–mafic magma replenishments. Zircon δ18O and whole-rock (87Sr/86Sr)i values fluctuate from ∼5.6‰ to ∼6.8‰ and from 0.7038 to 0.7085, respectively, while the whole-rock εNd(t) values show a fluctuated decrease from +5.2 to −4.5 with time. The calculated Ti-in-zircon temperature (574–903 °C) and oxygen fugacity (ΔFMQ –0.9 to ΔFMQ +3.2) of the granitoid magmas fluctuated as well. The youngest group of the host granitoids is distinguished by the most elevated Th/La (>1.5) and Th/Ce (>1.0) ratios and K2O contents (>3.0 wt%) with evolved isotopic compositions, implying pronounced incorporation of supracrustal materials into the source region. Microstructural and compositional features of zircon and plagioclase from the host granitoids indicate that the incremental assembly of Quxu batholith was foremost facilitated by multiple episodes of magma recharge with distinct compositions and sources. The temporal variations of magma condition and composition throughout the lifetime of the magma reservoir highlight the importance of determining the longevity of batholiths and clarifying the discrepancy of individual magma pulses before deciphering the genesis of composite batholith. The aforementioned Sr–Nd–O isotopes show good correlations with the fluctuating whole-rock (La/Yb)N (2.7–68.5) and zircon Eu/Eu* (0.02–1.26) ratios, which further affirms episodic syn-collisional crustal thickening and episodic input of supracrustal material in magma sources. Based on the spatiotemporal variations of geochemistry, we propose a zoned incremental growth model to better illuminate the detailed processes of the incremental amalgamation of the Quxu batholith.

Achieving a Comprehensive Microseismicity Catalog through a Deep-Learning-Based Workflow: Applications in the Central Ecuadorian Subduction Zone

ABSTRACT Although seismological networks have densified along the Ecuadorian active margin since 2010, visual phase reading, ensuring high arrival times quality, is more and more time-consuming and becomes impossible to handle for the very large amount of recorded seismic traces, even when preprocessed with a detector. In this article, we calibrate a deep-learning-based automatized workflow to acquire accurate phase arrival times and build a reliable microseismicity catalog in the central Ecuadorian forearc. We reprocessed the dataset acquired through the OSISEC local onshore–offshore seismic network that was already used by Segovia et al. (2018) to produce a reference seismic database. We assess the precision of phase pickers EQTransformer and PhaseNet with respect to manual arrivals and evaluate the accuracy of hypocentral solutions located with NonLinLoc. Both the phase pickers read arrival times with a mean error for P waves lower than 0.05 s. They produce 2.7 additional S-labeled picks per event compared to the bulletins of references. Both detect a significant number of waves not related to seismicity. We select the PhaseNet workflow because of its ability to retrieve a higher number of reference picks with greater accuracy. The derived hypocentral solutions are also closer to the manual locations. We develop a procedure to automatically determine thresholds for location attributes to cull a reliable microseismicity catalog. We show that poorly controlled detection combined with effective cleaning of the catalog is a better strategy than highly controlled detection to produce comprehensive microseismicity catalogs. Application of this technique to two seismic networks in Ecuador produces a noise-free image of seismicity and retrieves up to twice as many microearthquakes than reference studies.

Tarim rotation mechanism and the differential deformation responses along the Tian Shan

SUMMARY Rotation of rigid blocks within continental interiors far from the plate convergence boundary is an unusual process, the dynamics of which is not clear. The Tarim block, as a rigid Precambrian block in central Asia, is surrounded by the Tibetan–Pamir plateau to the south and Tian Shan mountains to the north. Numerous geophysical data suggested that the Tarim block experienced significant clockwise rotation in the Cenozoic. Meanwhile, contrasting deformation patterns and associated topographic responses were observed between the western–central and eastern Tian Shan. The relationship among the India–Asia collision, Tarim rotation, and Tian Shan responses are poorly constrained. Here, a series of large-scale, high-resolution 3-D numerical models were constructed. The model results reveal that the collision of the indenting Indian lithosphere with the southwestern rim of the Tarim block triggers clockwise rotation of the Tarim block. Further on, the Tarim rotation produces differential deformation responses along the strike of Tian Shan, that is convergence-induced higher compression and strong uplifting in central Tian Shan but divergence-induced less compression and moderate uplifting in eastern Tian Shan. Thus, the Tarim rotation serves as an indispensable linkage between the Tibetan plateau evolution and the far-field Tian Shan activation.

Impact of hydrological changes and vertical motions on Pleistocene marine environments of the eastern coast of the island of Rhodes (Greece)

The island of Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is situated in an area affected by an ongoing plate convergence, and its Pleistocene marine environments were influenced by recurring hypoxia and changes in organic matter fluxes. This makes the island an important site to study the influence of orbital-driven climate changes and tectonic-induced vertical motions on the marine benthic ecosystems in near-coastal areas at local and regional scales. We investigated the Early and Late Pleistocene sediment sections at Agathi Beach and Lardos, located on the middle-eastern coast of the island. Our results show variations in oxygen and food levels at the sea floor, including transient phases of enhanced fresh-water and nutrient input to near-coastal environments. These phases occurred at times of Northern Hemisphere summer insolation maxima, simultaneously to the formation of sapropels in the deep-sea basins of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The application of a benthic foraminiferal transfer function revealed that both sections were influenced by tectonic-driven long-term and short-term vertical motions with higher rates than expected on the island of Rhodes. While Agathi Beach underwent two short-term cycles of uplift and subsidence, Lardos indicates at least three cycles with average rates of vertical motion as high as 8.6 mm/a.

Article Review/ The Tectonic Evolution of Erbil Area (Ne Iraq) as a Part of the Northeastern Margin of the Arabian-Nubian Plate Throughout Albian-Early Eocene

The Albian-Early Eocene tectonic evolution of the Zagros Foreland Basin of the High Folded Zone in the Iraqi Kurdistan region has been studied based on the recent foreland basin system concept. This study showed that during the cretaceous (Albian – Cenomanian) there was a geodynamic shift from a passive margin to a foreland basin system phase, not to an active margin phase as mentioned in the previous studies. The advance of the continental margin of the Arabian-Nubian Plate (ANP) toward the subduction zone imposed a tectonic load leading to the form of a flexural wave. The consequences of the last tectonic event were reflected by the continuous deposition of the Balambo Formation. in a foredeep depozone. This happened concomitantly with a flexural emergence of the continental shelf further to the west forming a forebulge depozone represented by the deposition of reefal facies of the Qamchuqa Formation. These geodynamic changes are considered here to represent the Megasequence boundary between the Tectonic Megasequence (TMS) of AP8 and AP9. The last sequence of the passive margin was the Qamchuqa Formation Which is called the Pre-Orogenic Carbonate Platform and was separated from the Bekhme Formation by regional unconformity (Megasequence boundary). The latter is represented by the Lower Sequence of the foreland basin system, which is called the Syn-Orogenic Carbonate Platform (SCP). During the Middle Campanian, the Zagros foreland basin started with the underfilled stage, and it was entirely clear by the end of the Cretaceous comprising a broad threefold subdivision of depositional realms that translated into three stratigraphic units known as trinity underfilled units of foreland basin system. The lower carbonate unit, the pelagic and hemipelagic unit, and the upper flysch clastic unit are represented by Bekhme, Shiranish, and Tanjero Formations respectively. All of these units were superimposed during basin depocenter migration and became younger toward the southwest in front of progressing the orogenic wedge toward the Arabian Craton. During the late Maastrichtian to Paleocene – Early Eocene, the Zagros foreland basin underwent a transition from underfill to fill the stage. Deep exhumation of the orogenic wedge and ophiolite assemblage had supplied the clastic sediment of the Kolosh Formation into the basin covering the foredeep and most of the forebulge and backbulge depozones.

Tectonic significance of the late-Ediacaran syn-orogenic basin in the easternmost portion of the Paraguay Belt, Tocantins Province, central Brazil

Sedimentary provenance studies using detrital zircon U–Pb ages represent an important tool to investigate the evolution of orogenic basins and to suggest tectonic settings and paleogeography reconstructions when it comes to supercontinent modeling. Syn-orogenic basins worldwide are characterized by a large proportion of zircons with ages close to the maximum depositional period, reflecting the proximity of recently formed magmatic rocks. In this work, we combine field observations, detrital zircon U–Pb ages, whole-rock Sm–Nd and mica Ar–Ar isotopic analyses to constrain the final tectonic evolution of a restricted basin located in a poorly studied region at the easternmost limit of the Paraguay Belt in the Tocantins Province, central Brazil. The investigated area corresponds to the boundary sector of the Paraguay Belt and the Brasília Belt and is also transected by the strike-slip fault system associated with the Transbrasiliano Lineament. This sector was previously mapped as part of the Cuiaba Group, internal zone of the Paraguay Belt. We provide 465 new detrital zircon U–Pb data with ages distributed from the early Cambrian to the Archean, with approximately 60% of the analyzed grains derived from Ediacaran-Cryogenian sources. The maximum depositional age of the basin is defined at ca. 590 Ma, constrained by the youngest age peak and an evident provenance shift in detrital input in the Paraguay Belt was demonstrated. The syn-orogenic character of the basin is inferred based on the main peak of the detrital zircon population age distribution around 600 Ma, which is very close to the maximum depositional period and points to a short time between erosion, deposition, and burial processes. The muscovite 40Ar/39Ar age of ca. 536–546 Ma obtained for muscovite schist metamorphosed under greenschist facies conditions indicates that the regional thermal regime was maintained up to the early-Cambrian in the area. The minimum fast cooling rate of 25 °C/Myr defined in the investigated area is constrained by the 40Ar/39Ar analysis of biotite (549.16 ± 1.30 Ma) from a syn-to late-kinematic granodiorite intrusion. The very rapid magma emplacement occurred into relatively shallow crustal levels through the associated strike-slip faults. The Transbrasiliano Lineament would have facilitated the rapid unroofing of the study area and therefore the syn-orogenic deposition in a foreland domain at the final phase of West Gondwana amalgamation. The studied metasedimentary rocks represent a transition phase from the passive margin sedimentation (Cuiabá Group) to an orogenic phase, constraining an inversion event in the West Gondwana around ca. 590 Ma. The data provide evidence of a late orogenic basin that was formed contemporaneously with the evolution of an active margin between the Amazonian Craton and the eastern blocks/cratons (São Francisco-Congo and Rio de la Plata cratons and Paranapanema Block) close to Cambrian times. Our results support the existence of the younger Clymene Ocean and the subsequent final assembly of West Gondwana in the Cambrian.

New insight on the structural architecture of northern Tunisia with a multidisciplinary approach: Association of Miocene piggy-back basin and active Plio-quaternary out-of-sequence thrusts

In order to better understand the intricate structural architecture of northern Tunisia, we use a multidisciplinary approach that includes field observations, geomorphic, sedimentological, and gravity data across this area. We offer a model of progressive thrusting in which four deformation phases occurred in the context of plate convergence (i) Uplift of the Jebel Ichkeul Triassic succession via a NE-trending thrust fault during the Eocene; (ii) Advance of Numidian thrust sheets during the late Oligocene-Middle Miocene, causing the formation of the Lake Ichkeul/Jalta as being piggy-back basin; (iii) Initial out-of-sequence thrusting during the Late Miocene, resulting in the formation of the Sejnane and El Mejel basins with syntectonic Pliocene infill; and (iv) Subsequent out-of-sequence thrusting during the Early Pleistocene, leading to the formation of the Oued (River) Zyatine basin with a syntectonic Quaternary deposits. We used the gravity data analysis to mark the thicknesses of syntectonic deposits and their bounding thrust faults. The kinematic analysis indicates the occurrence of progressive multiphase out-of-sequence thrusting events with thrusts verging to the southeast. The combination of climate and mechanical fractures induced gradually long-term damage and changed the original landscape of the evidenced out-of-sequence thrusts. Furthermore, the existence of local normal faults in the backlimbs and reverse faults in the forelimbs, together with the drainage network type, earthquakes, the slope erosion, and the aggraditional terrace system, implies a gradual landscape evolution of thrust topography. This physical evolution occurred following an active tectonics across the exhibited out-of-sequence thrusting since the Pliocene.

Два эпизода надсубдукционного интрузивного магматизма в пределах Печорской зоны фундамента Печорской синеклизы

The Pechora Basin is the largest tectonic structure of the Pechora Plate. It is located between the Timan and the Cis-Ural Foredeep. The Upper Precambrian sedimentary-metamorphic and igneous rocks of the basement are completely overlain by a sedimentary cover, therefore, the geological structure of the basement is known only on the basis of geophysical data and core samples from boreholes up to 5 km deep. The basement has a heterogeneous structure. It includes complexes of the Late Precambrian passive margin of the East European continent, which compose the Timan megablock (Izhma zone with Timan adjoining from the southwest) and formations formed in an active margin geodynamic setting combined into the Bolshezemel megablock (Pechora and Bolshezemel zones). The boundary between megablocks is the Pripechora fault (suture) zone. The age of igneous rocks of the basement is debatable; therefore, U-Pb (SIMS) studies of single zircon grains are undertaken to specify it. The article presents petrogeochemical data and U-Pb (SIMS, SHRIMP-RG) ages of zircon grains from plutonic rocks of the Pechora zone belonging to the Bolshezemel megablock drilled by two boreholes at depths of ~ 4.5 km. The obtained results indicated two episodes of island-arc magmatism. The first took place at the end of the Riphean, and the second was confined to the Early–Late Vendian boundary. The age of gabbrodiorites from the 1-Severny Savinobor borehole, interpreted as early island-arc rocks, is 673 ± 7 Ma. Late island-arc plagiogranites from the 1-Novaya borehole yield the age of 564 ± 5 Ma and precede the orogenic granitoids of the Pripechora fault zone which are dated (U-Pb) to 555—544 Ma.

The Impact of Surface Drag on the Structure and Evolution of Surface Boundaries Associated with Tornadogenesis in Simulated Supercells

Abstract Surface boundaries in supercells have been suspected of being important in the arrangement and concentration of vorticity for the development and intensification of tornadoes, but there has been little attention given to the effects of the underlying surface roughness on their behavior. This study investigates the impact of surface drag on the structure and evolution of these boundaries, their associated distribution of near-surface vorticity, and tornadogenesis and maintenance. Comparisons between idealized simulations without and with drag introduced in the mature stage of the storm prior to tornadogenesis reveal that the inclusion of surface drag substantially alters the low-level structure, particularly with respect to the number, location, and intensity of surface convergence boundaries. Substantial drag-generated horizontal vorticity induces rotor structures near the surface associated with the convergence boundaries in both the forward and rear flanks of the storm. Stretching of horizontal vorticity and subsequent tilting into the vertical along the convergence boundaries lead to elongated positive vertical vorticity sheets on the ascending branch of the rotors and the opposite on the descending branch. The larger near-surface pressure deficit associated with the faster development of the near-surface cyclone when drag is active creates a downward dynamic vertical pressure gradient force that suppresses vertical growth, leading to a weaker and wider tornado detached from the surrounding convergence boundaries. A conceptual model of the low-level structure of the tornadic supercell is presented that focuses on the contribution of surface drag, with the aim of adding more insight and complexity to previous conceptual models. Significance Statement Tornado development is sensitive to near-surface processes, including those associated with front-like boundaries between regions of airflow within the parent storm. However, observations and theory are insufficient to understand these phenomena, and numerical simulation remains vital. In our simulations, we find that a change in a parameter that controls how much the near-surface winds are reduced by friction (or drag) can substantially alter the storm behavior and tornado potential. We investigate how surface drag affects the low-level storm structure, the distribution of regions of near-surface rotation, and the development of tornadoes within the simulation. Our results provide insight into the role of surface drag and lead to an improved conceptual model of the near-surface structure of a tornadic storm.

Role of Mantle Drag on the Tectonics of Subduction Zones: Insights From Laboratory Models

AbstractAlong convergent boundaries, the role played by mantle drag remains poorly understood despite its potential impact on subduction dynamics and in turn on the deformation regime of the overriding plate. In this study, we present 11 three‐dimensional analog models of subduction including an overriding plate, in which mantle drag at the base of the lower or upper plate results from an imposed unidirectional horizontal mantle flow perpendicular to the trench, and in which the plate opposite to the flow is fixed. We varied the direction and the velocity of the imposed horizontal mantle flow between 0 and 10 cm/yr to quantify its impact on horizontal and vertical upper plate deformation, velocities of plates and subduction, and slab geometry. In our experiments, we show that a mantle flow lower than 5 cm/yr tends to laterally translate the slab rather than to generate internal deformation, resulting in limited differences in slab geometries between models. We also show that plate velocity correlates linearly with the imposed mantle flow velocity and associated mantle drag. The upper plate most often deforms by trench‐orthogonal shortening, with shortening rates increasing linearly with mantle flow. Shortening rates are higher when mantle flow is directed toward the fixed upper plate and when the slab has not yet reached the upper‐lower mantle discontinuity. Minimum trench‐orthogonal shortening rates of 2.5 × 10−15 s−1 are required to thicken upper plates. This study suggests that mantle drag can exert first‐order controls on the dynamics of subduction zones and associated tectonics.

The Yubileinoe Porphyry Gold–Copper Deposit (Western Kazakhstan): Geological Position and Conditions of Formation

In the Uralian Fold Belt, there are quite numerous and well-studied porphyry copper (±Mo) deposits corresponding to the traditional “diorite” (most) or “monzonite” (Talitsa, Verkhneuralskoe) models. Along with them, there are relatively small but gold-rich massifs of porphyric granitoids, including the large Yubileinoe porphyry Au–Cu deposit, which is located at the southernmost extremity of the Urals. In this study, two main types of regional hydrothermal–metasomatic alteration were distinguished based on applying quantitative petrography and areal multielement geochemical studies in the scale of the ore district: (1) an earlier synvolcanic secondary alteration of volcanics, similar to those observed in volcanic massive sulfide-bearing fields (albitization, propylitic, and listvenitic alteration) and (2) a later plutonogenic alteration of the porphyry type. The plutonogenic hydrothermal–metasomatic (HM) complex is represented by K-feldspathization, hornfels and skarn alteration at the progressive phase, and propylitization, sericitization, and beresitization at the regressive phase. They are caused by hydrothermal alteration in the apical part of the stock, composed of the mineralizing Frasnian granite porphyry complex that hosts the Yubileinoe gold deposit. A lateral series of geochemical zonality (from the periphery of volcanotectonic structures to their center) has been established for the volcanogenic stage of hydrothermal activity: CrNiCo → PbZnCuCrNi → AuAg (CrNi) → BaAuAg. A large positive anomaly of the lithochalcophilic type was found for the HM plutonogenic complex in the ore field of the Yubileinoe deposit. The concentric zonality of this anomaly is characterized by the development of Ag, W, Sn, Pb, As, and Sb halos at its periphery, and Au, Cu, Bi and Mo at its focus (“core”). The stable and radiogenic isotope geochemical data for most of the porphyry copper deposits of the Urals indicate the predominant mantle source of their rocks and ore matter. Their paleotectonic position is reconstructed as a mature stage of intraoceanic island arcs. Unlike many other porphyry objects in the Urals, the totality of geochemical, isotope–geochemical and geological features of the Yubileinoe deposit indicate the predominantly crustal magma source. According to these features, this deposit is closer to Andean-type porphyry deposits, and its position can be reconstructed as an active margin of the Mugodzhar microcontinent, i.e., a suprasubduction regime, transitional from a mature island arc to the marginal continental one. According to the complex of features, this deposit in the Urals is a close analogue of the porphyry gold deposits of the Maricunga Belt in Chile. The magmatic complexes from the Silurian (Wenlock) to the Devonian (Frasnian) age, which are parental to the porphyry gold–copper systems of the Urals, correspond to the early phase of the Wilson cycle. This phase is the most ore-productive with the formation of giant Cr and Fe–Ti–V deposits associated with ultramafic–mafic complexes. It is likely that the differentiation of mafic magmas in the large-volume chambers occurring in the lower part of the lithosphere causes the appearance (as an extreme member) of diorite melts with a noticeable enrichment in gold and copper.

Tectonic setting, structures, and Au–Cu mineralization age of the Indiana deposit: An example of ore deposit formation controlled by Andean transverse faults, Atacama region, Chile

The Indiana Deposit corresponds to a Cu–Au (Mo–Co) fault-vein deposit located in the Central Andes Coastal Cordillera Belt (∼27°S). It is hosted by strongly altered volcanic and intrusive rocks located between the NNE–striking central and principal branches of the Atacama Fault System (AFS) in northern Chile. The Indiana Deposit is part of a 10 km-long and 5 km-wide mine district that includes the Iron–Copper bearing Cerro Negro Norte (CNN) deposits and the Cu–Au Galleguillos vein system, termed the CNN-Indiana District in this study. The district provides insights into the mid-Cretaceous structural and lithological control of iron, copper and gold mineralization in northern Chile.Mineralization in the Indiana Deposit is spatially and temporally related to NW- and ENE-striking fault-vein systems, which are kinematically unrelated to the AFS. Three main mineralized ENE-striking, hundred-meter-long structures have been identified in Indiana. Structural and kinematic data suggest that mineral precipitation took place at dilation zones (e.g. extensional jogs, transtensional fault terminations) generating steeply-plunging ore shoots, and reactivating pre-existing structures (NW fault-vein system).Sinistral transtensional kinematics observed in ENE-striking fault-vein structures postdate the activity of the margin-parallel Atacama fault system, which has for long been regarded as accommodating the strike-slip component of plate convergence during the Jurassic to middle Cretaceous neglecting the role of Andean Transverse Faults (ATF), such as the ones recognized in this study. Sinistral transtension along ENE-striking faults gave rise to a local NE-striking maximum principal stress, different from that arising from displacement along the main margin-parallel faults, which in turn is consistent with far field stresses at that time.The CNN-Indiana district evolved from an early Ca–Na high temperature system related to Iron-bearing deposits to a brittle mineralized fault-vein copper-gold-bearing quartz-sericite (k-feldspar-calcite) corridor associated with a lower temperature environment along the Costal belt.Re–Os ages yielded 109-108 Ma obtained along the mineralized ENE-striking structures in Indiana Deposit and are slightly younger than those obtained from similar deposits associated with deformation along the AFS, which is consistent with our field observations indicating that at least part of the strike slip displacement on transverse faults hosting mineralization outlasts that of the AFS.

Two-Dimensional Geothermal Model of the Peruvian Andes above the Nazca Ridge Subduction

The aseismic Nazca Ridge produces localized flat-slab subduction beneath the South American margin at latitudes 10° to 15° S. The geological evolution and the spatio-temporal pattern of deformation of the upper plate have been strongly influenced by the presence of the flat slab. In this study, we investigated the lithospheric thermal structure of this region by elaborating a 2D geothermal model along a section across the top of the Nazca Ridge, the Peru–Chile trench, the Andean Cordillera, and the Amazonian Basin, for a total length of 1000 km. For the sake of modelling, the crust of the overriding plate was subdivided into two parts, i.e., a sedimentary cover (including the entire lithostratigraphic sequence) and a crystalline basement. Applying an analytical methodology, we calculated geotherms and isotherms by setting (i) thickness, (ii) density, (iii) heat production, and (iv) thermal conductivity for each geological unit and considering (v) heat flux at the Moho, (vi) frictional heating produced by faults, and (vii) plate convergence rate. The resulting model could make a significant advance in our understanding of how flat slab geometry associated with the Nazca Ridge subduction affects the thermal structure and hence the tectonic evolution of the region.

Geodynamic evolution of north-east Algerian basin: 3D velocity model Reveals high-temperature flow

By utilizing a two-station technique to extract Rayleigh wave phase velocity curves from 10 to 200 s of teleseismic events recorded by 12 broadband stations installed in northeastern Algeria, Tunisia, Sardinia, and Menorca island, we present a 3D shear wave velocity (Vs) model of the crust and upper mantle beneath the North-East Algerian Basin from 50 to 400 km depth. To estimate the 1D Vs-structures at each node of the two-station paths, which are each partitioned into 10 points, the extracted experimental Rayleigh wave phase velocity curves were inverted. According to the findings, there are two primary parallel high- and low-velocity bodies in the same region that are spreading in NE-SW direction. These bodies are largely located beneath the Algerian offshore in the north and extend to the Tell belt in Algeria with similar geometry. The high shear wave velocity body is at 200 and 350 km deep with Vs between 5 and 6 km/s, while the low-velocity body is at 50 and 100 km depth with Vs between 3 and 4 km/s. This opposition in velocity with similar geometry is explained by a high-temperature flow induced in the upper mantle caused by a subducting lithosphere of high-velocity penetration, which resulted in a concentrated low-velocity body between 50 and 100 km into the African mantle as a result of the convergence of the Africa-European plates. This high-velocity entity may be created by the oceanic lithosphere subducting.

Pacific-Gondwana Permo-Triassic Orogenic Belt with Lesser Overprinted Cenozoic Deformation, Eastern Bird Head Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia

The Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic Pacific-facing active margin of East Gondwana has been shown to extend into the Kemum Block of northern Bird Head Peninsula (western New Guinea), and was associated with Mid Paleozoic orogenic deformation and Devonian to Triassic silicic magmatism and foreland basin deposition. In the Mawi Bay area of the eastern Bird Head Peninsula, the (?) Permian Mawi Complex is a multiply-deformed unit with a pre-Late Triassic D1 deformation formed in an Andean back-arc setting associated with active margin tectonism. The D1 deformation is characterized by recumbent, isoclinal to tight, north-northeast facing folds with an axial planar S1 cleavage formed at a low metamorphic grade, and predated the unconformably overlying Upper Triassic - Middle Jurassic Tipuma Formation. South of the Mawi Complex, the Mesozoic-Paleogene succession of the northern Lengguru Fold Belt is affected by north-northwest trending folds, cleavage, and most of the succession dips moderately to gently to the west-southwest. This deformation is reflected in the underlying Mawi Complex by northwest-trending D2 structures that have folded the D1 folds, and have steeply inclined open to gentle folds, some polyclinal folds, and fault-related folds. The structures in the northern Lengguru Fold Belt may have influenced The Pliocene to Quaternary Central Bird Head Monocline associated with the Kemum Block uplifting in the northern Bird Head Peninsula

Upper Plate and Subduction Interface Deformation Models in the 2022 Revision of the Aotearoa New Zealand National Seismic Hazard Model

ABSTRACT As part of the 2022 revision of the Aotearoa New Zealand National Seismic Hazard Model (NZ NSHM 2022), deformation models were constructed for the upper plate faults and subduction interfaces that impact ground-shaking hazard in New Zealand. These models provide the locations, geometries, and slip rates of the earthquake-producing faults in the NZ NSHM 2022. For upper plate faults, two deformation models were developed: a geologic model derived directly from the fault geometries and geologic slip rates in the NZ Community Fault Model version 1.0 (NZ CFM v.1.0); and a geodetic model that uses the same faults and fault geometries and derives fault slip-deficit rates by inverting geodetic strain rates for back slip on those specified faults. The two upper plate deformation models have similar total moment rates, but the geodetic model has higher slip rates on low-slip-rate faults, and the geologic model has higher slip rates on higher-slip-rate faults. Two deformation models are developed for the Hikurangi–Kermadec subduction interface. The Hikurangi–Kermadec geometry is a linear blend of the previously published interface models. Slip-deficit rates on the Hikurangi portion of the deformation model are updated from the previously published block models, and two end member models are developed to represent the alternate hypotheses that the interface is either frictionally locked or creeping at the trench. The locking state in the Kermadec portion is less well constrained, and a single slip-deficit rate model is developed based on plate convergence rate and coupling considerations. This single Kermadec realization is blended with each of the two Hikurangi slip-deficit rate models to yield two overall Hikurangi–Kermadec deformation models. The Puysegur subduction interface deformation model is based on geometry taken directly from the NZ CFM v.1.0, and a slip-deficit rate derived from published geodetic plate convergence rate and interface coupling estimates.

The Charnwood Terrane revisited: an integrated petrogenetic and petrophysical model for crustal structure in southern Britain

We based an integrated petrological and petrophysical model for the Ediacaran crust of southern Britain on a review of the c. 570–550 Ma Charnian volcano-sedimentary complex. The latter was emplaced in a magmatic rift wedge within the juvenile continental crust of the c. 720–600 Ma Marches Terrane, a subduction magmatic domain formed at the margin of the Gondwana palaeocontinent. The Charnian magmatic arc is characterized by primitive island arc tholeiite to more evolved calc-alkaline compositions. The inversion of aeromagnetic potential field data and petrophysical modelling reveals details of the internal structure of the Charnian Domain, including a median rift, superimposed annular structures and partitioning lineaments. The modelling suggests that the arc foundation could incorporate magnetite-rich cumulates, which may explain the anomalous geophysical properties, including crustal thickness, rigidity and buoyancy. There is no evidence for significant tectonic displacement between the Charnian Domain and its Marches Terrane host. Instead, the domain likely occupies a wedge-shaped arc/marginal rift basin complex, propagated from a neighbouring ocean into the Gondwana margin. Contemporaneous volcanic rift successions in the Welsh Borderland and Wales of the 570–550 Ma Charnian magmatic phase developed in coeval ensialic rifts within less strongly extended Marches Terrane lithosphere. A comparable diversity of subduction-related magmatism is found in the Neogene–recent Hikurangi destructive margin of New Zealand, providing a plausible analogue for Charnian magmatism. Supplementary material: Supplementary Publication 1 (borehole geophysical log correlation; petrophysical data table; unannotated geophysical maps and sections) and Supplementary Publication 2 (geochemistry analytical conditions and data table) are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6805248

Lower Crustal Rheology Controls Strain Partitioning and Mode of Intracontinental Deformation

AbstractThe factors that control strain partitioning along plate boundaries and within continental interiors remains poorly resolved. Plate convergence may be accommodated via distributed crustal shortening or discrete crustal‐scale strike‐slip faulting, but what controls these differing modes of deformation is debated. Here we address this question by examining the actively deforming regions that surround the Tarim Basin in central Asia, where deformation is uniquely partitioned into predominately strike‐slip faults in the east and distributed fold‐thrust belts in the west to accommodate Cenozoic India‐Asia plate convergence. We present integrated geological and geophysical observations to elucidate patterns in crustal deformation and compositional structure in and around the Tarim Basin. The thrust‐dominated western Tarim Basin correlates with a strongly‐magnetic lower crust, whereas strike‐slip faulting along the eastern margins of the Tarim Basin lack such magnetic signals. We suggest that the lower crust of the western Tarim is more mafic and stronger than in the east, which impacts intra‐plate strain partitioning. A stronger lower crust results in vertical decoupling to drive mid‐crust horizontal detachments and facilitate thrust faulting, whereas a more homogenized crust favored vertical transcrustal strike‐slip faulting. These rheological differences likely originated from the impingement of the Permian Tarim plume focused in the west. A comparison with the Longmen Shan of eastern Tibetan Plateau reveals remarkably similar strain partitioning that correlates with variations in foreland rheology. Our results highlight how variations in lower‐crust viscosity impact strain partitioning in an intra‐plate setting and how plume processes exert a strong control on later continental tectonic processes.

Uplift Dynamics of the Obducted Northeastern Continental Margin of the Arabian Peninsula, Sultanate of Oman

AbstractEustatic sea level changes and vertical tectonic movements are producing uplifted paleoshorelines. Along subduction zones, uplifted terraces are used to study fault activities and, overall, allow to interpret the tectonic history of plate convergence. Northeastern Oman is experiencing plate convergence following the late Cretaceous obduction of the Semail Ophiolite. Post‐obduction shallow‐marine carbonates have been uplifted to different elevations from 133 to >2,000 m. The present study employs a multidisciplinary approach to elucidate the variability in relief and to introduce a geodynamic model that extends beyond the temporal constraints imposed by the late Quaternary age of the sediments found on the uplifted terraces. Stratigraphic and fault analyses produced a post‐obductional geodynamic model to advance the existing regional models in the framework of the subduction of the Arabian Plate in the Makran Zone. In addition, we rely on imaging geodesy, geomorphology and dating to explain the late Quaternary uplift scenario. Overall, analyses of geomorphology, stratigraphy, and fault patterns reveal spatially heterogeneous post‐late Cretaceous uplift in the region. Compartmentalization by major faults created individual blocks and relief variability. Within the timeframe of marine terrace formation (late Quaternary), we also observed spatially varied displacements. Ground displacements by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar document an ongoing spatial heterogenous uplift at approximately 1.3 mm/a. Finally, temporal variability was evident during the late Quaternary by unusually high late Pleistocene (<40 ka) uplift rates averaging ≥2 mm/a in younger terraces, while for older terraces (>40 ka) the uplift rate is distinctly lower (<1 mm/a).