Dextral Strike-slip Research Articles

Paleogeographic reconstruction of regional accretionary complex architecture, Franciscan Complex, northwestern San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA

Abstract The Franciscan Complex of western California, USA, the archetypal subduction accretionary complex, cannot serve as a model subduction accretionary complex unless its local-to-regional architecture is clearly understood. Yet, architectural details are not clearly understood in many regions, including the northwestern San Francisco Bay Area. Here, Cenozoicage, dextral strike-slip faulting on faults of the San Andreas System fragmented the original architecture, forming crustal blocks and juxtaposing fragments of accretionary rock of different tectonostratigraphy. One little-known Cenozoicage fault and block boundary, the Tamarancho Shear Zone, separates northeastern crustal blocks that are dominated by Franciscan rocks from southwestern blocks with significantly different Franciscan accretionary tectonostratigraphy. The northeastern blocks have abbreviated accretionary stacks with at least one blueschist-facies accretionary unit, whereas the southwestern blocks lack blueschist-facies accretionary units and have either a westward-and-downward–younging Franciscan tectonostratigraphy or thrustsheet stacks composed of partial sequences of ocean-plate stratigraphy rocks. The northwestern San Francisco Bay Area Franciscan Complex is bounded on the southwest by the San Andreas fault (sensu stricto) and on the northeast by the Petaluma Valley–Point Richmond–Silver Creek fault. Using paleogeographic reconstruction, the original Franciscan Complex accretionary architecture of the northwestern San Francisco Bay Area can be partially reconstructed by removing block separations on San Andreas System faults and enhanced by unfolding Cenozoic folds. Accretionary units of the northwestern San Francisco Bay Area Franciscan Complex were originally assembled ~190 km southeast of their present locations, west of the southern Diablo Range. Reconstruction of the accretionary complex in that location and considerations of tectonostratigraphy require that the Novato Block, located northeast of the Tamarancho Shear Zone, and the Mt. Tamalpais Block, to its southwest, be separated along or across strike in the reconstructed accretionary complex. Either dual subduction zone or faulted plate geometries produced the northwestern San Francisco Bay Area segment of the accretionary complex, and each model highlights the possibilities of along- or across-strike variations in the structure and history of the accretionary complex.

Tectonic evolution of the Aggeneys-Gamsberg Ore District, South Africa, and implications for the geodynamic setting of the Namaqua Sector

Understanding the deformation history of the structurally complex Aggeneys-Gamsberg Ore District (A-GOD), in the Namaqua Sector of the Mesoproterozoic Namaqua-Natal Metamorphic Province of South Africa, is key to discovering additional metasediment-hosted base metal sulphide mineralization. Although several studies have examined the structure of the main ore deposits and outcrops in the district, and others have investigated the timing of sedimentation, magmatism, and metamorphism, no previous studies have focused on integrating these two datasets. We therefore combine structural observations and the resulting relative timeline of events with new and existing zircon U-Pb geochronology, to yield a temporally constrained tectonic history for the district.The regionally recognized Paleoproterozoic D1 deformation is not recorded in the A-GOD, which preserves only Mesoproterozoic rocks. The largely stratiform base metal deposits occur near the top of a sequence of metamorphosed siliciclastic sediments (Wortel and Hotson Formations), deposited after 1261 ± 5 Ma (youngest reliable detrital zircons). These metasediments are tectonically interleaved with the intrusive ∼ 1190 Ma Little Namaqualand Suite (Aroams Gneiss) and younger ∼ 1175–1145 Ma metagranitoids (Achab Gneiss, Hoogoor Gneiss, aplite sills). Magmatism occurred early during D2a deformation, which created kilometre-scale isoclinal folds and thrusts during S/SW-directed contraction, as recorded at the Swartberg and Broken Hill-Deeps deposits. Associated M2a metamorphism is dated at ∼ 1200 Ma (metamorphic zircon rims), but this was not the peak metamorphic episode as previously thought. The sequence was then exhumed, and the unconformably overlying clastics and bimodal volcanics of the Koeris Formation were deposited in local transtensional pull-apart basins at ∼ 1130 Ma. Thrust stacking in the Aggeneys Mountains may have occurred during subsequent D2c contraction, associated with ∼ 1075 Ma M2c metamorphism, but evidence remains cryptic. The entire sequence is affected by kilometre-scale sheath folds that close downwards to the ∼ ENE (as at Gamsberg and the Quarry Fold Nappe), associated with ∼ ENE-trending open, upright folds. These developed during D3a ∼ ENE-directed extensional to constrictional shearing at peak M3 amphibolite-facies conditions, which re-used the gently dipping D2 regional fabric and overprinted it with new ∼ E-W trending D3 linear features. Abundant metamorphic zircon dates suggest an age of ∼ 1025 Ma for D3a and M3. Ongoing extension at retrograde conditions reactivated earlier structures, such as the Swartberg Thrust, as D3b low-angle, ductile–brittle detachment faults. Finally, dextral transform motion created local D4 monoclines and dextral strike-slip faults, possibly associated with ∼ 1000 Ma M4 metamorphic zircon growth and emplacement of a regional pegmatite swarm.The A-GOD has traditionally been fitted into a regional tectonic model involving accretion of distinct terranes onto the Kaapvaal Craton, during the polyphase ∼ 1.2–1.0 Ga Namaquan Orogeny. In contrast, recent studies propose that the entire Namaqua Sector instead occupied a back-arc setting between ∼ 1.35 and < 1.1 Ga. Our results support a hybrid model, involving accretion and translation of previously extended crustal fragments against the craton, with initially the entire Namaqua Sector - but later only the western portion - located in a hot back-arc setting influenced by subducting slab dynamics.

U-Pb dating of arc to post-collisional magmatic events in northwestern Anatolia: The Eocene Granitoids in NW Anatolia revisited

Northwestern Anatolia contains voluminous Cenozoic magmatic rocks which were emplaced during syn- to-post collisional stages of long-term crustal accretion and extensional stages since the late Paleocene. The Eocene to Late Miocene plutonic and volcanic rocks that are located throughout the Rhodopes, northern Aegean, and the western part of Western Anatolia show generally southward decreasing ages, coupled with an increasing crustal recycling component in their genesis. However, the early Eocene, ∼SW–NE-trending, mafic volcanic and the early Eocene, ∼NW-SE-trending, granitoid belts in the northeastern parts of Western Anatolia do not share these features. We present here new U-Pb zircon ages, whole-rock geochemical analyses, and Sr-Nd isotopic data from the early Eocene NW-SE-trending granitoid belt, together with age data from arc-related pyroclastics in the region, in an effort to resolve these uncertainties.The age data reveal that the post-collisional magmatism along the ∼ NW–SE-trending granitoid belt occurred ∼ 58–41 Ma; i.e. ∼ 30 Myr after the Pontide arc magmatism that was active from ∼ 92–74 Ma. We suggest that the ∼ SW–NE-trending mafic volcanic and the ∼ NW-SE-trending granitoid belts developed in response to break-off of two subducted slabs in the northern Neotethys. In addition, emplacement of the ∼ NW-SE trending granitoid belt may also have been influenced by a zone of weakness related to a series of NW–SE-trending dextral strike-slip shear zones lying from the Kapıdağ shear zone close to the Rhodopes in the NW to the Uludağ shear zone in the SE.

Cenozoic Subsidence History of the Northern South China Sea: Examples from the Qiongdongnan and Yinggehai Basins

The Qiongdongnan and Yinggehai Basins are important petroliferous basins. To study the Cenozoic subsidence characteristics of these two basins, their controlling factors, and their implications, we studied the basins’ subsidence characteristics via one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and holistic subsidence. Then, we compared the basins’ subsidence characteristics based on the evolution of several particular geological processes that occurred in the South China Sea (SCS) and adjacent areas. The results indicated that the change in the holistic subsidence of both basins occurred episodically. In addition, the subsidence in these two basins differed, including their subsidence rates, the migration of the depocenters, and the changes in the holistic subsidence. The dynamic differences between the two basins were the main factors controlling the differences in the subsidence in the two basins. In the Qiongdongnan Basin, the subsidence characteristics were primarily controlled by the mantle material flowing under the South China Block in the Eocene and the spreading of the SCS from the Oligocene to the Miocene. In the Yinggehai Basin, the subsidence characteristics were primarily controlled by the coupling between the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the strike-slip motion of the Red River Fault before the Early Miocene and by only the effect of the strike-slip motion of the Red River Fault from the Middle Miocene to the Late Miocene. Since the Pliocene, the subsidence characteristics of both basins have been principally controlled by the dextral strike-slip motion of the Red River Fault. The major faults contributed to the spaciotemporal variations in the subsidence within each basin.

Pn velocity and anisotropy at the lithospheric mantle wedge beneath the middle-eastern Gangdese Metallogenic Belt, southern Tibet, China

The lithospheric mantle wedge beneath the middle-eastern Gangdese Metallogenic Belt (GMB), located at the forefront of the India-Eurasia collision-subduction zone retains many traces of structure evolution, which can be revealed by the velocity and anisotropy structure of the uppermost mantle of this region. In this study, high-resolution structures of the Pn velocity and anisotropy beneath the middle-eastern GMB are presented using interstation Pn differential travel-time data recorded by a dense broadband seismic array. The average Pn-wave velocity of 8.13 km/s beneath the GMB is close to that of the peridotite. The Pn velocity and anisotropy show prominent differences across the Jiali dextral strike-slip fault (JLF, ∼31° N) on the east of Shenza-Xietongmen rift, as indicates that the JLF (31°N) is an uppermost mantle trace of the Shiquan River-Nam Tso Mélange Zone. Low Pn velocity (<8.0 km/s) and a nearly EW-oriented Pn fast-wave direction to the north of the JLF, suggesting the EW extension of the Eurasian plate. NE-oriented Pn fast-wave direction with strange intensity (>0.03) to the south of the JLF indicates the direct influence of the Indian plate northward subduction. The rifts located at the boundary of high and low-velocity anomalies imply that the rift system formed under the influence of lithospheric mantle activity. Based on the NE compression caused by the Indian plate’s northeastward subduction, some of the forced upwellings of thermal material generated within the mantle wedge tip caused an EW extension of the crust. Subsequently, the rifts system was locally formed.

Seismotectonics, Geomorphology and Paleoseismology of the Doroud Fault, a Source of Seismic Hazard in Zagros

In this study, the active tectonics, paleoseismicity, and seismic hazards of the Doroud Fault are examined through high-resolution satellite image interpretations, field investigations, outcrop and trench excavations, and the dating of geochronology samples. The Doroud Fault (DF), one of the essential segments of the Main Recent Fault in the northern margin of the Zagros mountain range, has a historical and instrumental background of high seismicity. We present the first constraints from tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismology along the Doroud Fault near the capital city of Dorud. Detailed observations from satellite imagery, field investigations, real-time kinematic (RTK) measurements, paleoseismological trenching, the radiocarbon (C14), and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) as ages allowed us to map the fault in detail, describe and characterize its kinematics, and document its recent activity and seismic behavior (cumulative displacements, paleoseismicity, and magnitude, as well as recurrence interval) relevant to the recent seismic activity of the Doroud Fault during the late Holocene as one of the most important seismogenic faults in Zagros. Modern alluvial terraces of gullies and loess accumulations are systematically deflected and/or offset with co-seismic rupture, landslides, and scarps, indicating that the Doroud Fault has been active in the late Quaternary and is characterized by dextral strike–slip movements with a normal component. In addition, our findings provide a comprehensive analysis of the fault displacement, the timing of paleoearthquakes, and the right-lateral slip rate of the Doroud Fault. The late Holocene slip rate of the Doroud Fault using the OSL dating the gully is as follows: the minimum and maximum horizontal slip rates are estimated to be 1.82 and 2.71 mm/yr, and vertical slip rates of 1.03 and 1.53 mm/yr are calculated for the past 4600 ± 900 years in the middle segment of the fault. This study focused on a paleoseismological trench within the archeological sites of Darbe-Astaneh. The central portion of the fault has historically hosted more than nine earthquakes in the last 66 ka years, according to the study’s findings. According to paleoseismology studies, the Doroud Fault has the seismic capability to cause earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7.4 and a total slip rate of about 3.83 ± 0.1 m. The average recurrence interval for the identified paleoearthquakes is approximately 104 ± 7 years.

Tectonic geomorphology and Quaternary fault slip rates in the Tsambagarav Massif, Mongolian Altai

AbstractThe NNW‐striking Mongolian Altai is a Late Cenozoic dextral strike–slip deformation belt affected by the far‐field stress caused by the collision between India and Eurasia. The Tsambagarav Massif is bounded by faults, has a triangular plan shape, and attains the highest elevation of the belt. This massif is adjacent to the central segment of the Hovd fault, which is the largest fault in the Mongolian Altai. Here, we use 10Be surface exposure dating, radiocarbon dating, and paleoseismic trenching to reveal deformation patterns and Quaternary slip rates for two range‐bounding faults: the Tsambagarav dextral reverse fault and the Lower thrust fault. The Lower thrust exhibits thrusting motion along the low‐angle structural fabric of the basement rock and cuts Quaternary alluvial fan deposits, vertically offsetting their surfaces by 3.9–5.1 m, with fault scarps extending several kilometres along‐strike. The Tsambagarav dextral reverse fault is characterized by strike–slip motion along the high‐angle structural fabric of basement rock. Various surface deformation features indicate recent dextral strike–slip, including displacements of Late Quaternary moraine by ~50 m. Dividing the measured displacements by 10Be surface exposure ages of alluvial fan surfaces (for the Lower thrust) and moraine (for the Tsambagarav dextral reverse fault) gives a reverse slip rate of 0.3–1.7 mm/yr for the Lower thrust and a horizontal slip rate of 1.7–2.6 mm/yr for the dextral reverse fault. Radiocarbon ages of animal bones in a pond deposit accumulated along an associated tensional crack indicate that the last earthquake that caused a surface rupture occurred between 1924 and 1708 cal yr BP. Our study suggests that strain partitioning has occurred on the faults of the Tsambagarav Massif.

Subduction transition and relation to upper plate faults revealed by the 2019 Mw 6.0 and 6.2 Costa Rica-Panama border earthquakes

We study the May 12, 2019, Mw 6.0 (hereafter Laurel earthquake) and a June 26, 2019, Mw 6.2 (hereafter Manaca earthquake) earthquakes located in a complex strike-slip to subduction transition zone in the Costa Rica-Panama border using a dense local network of broadband and strong-motion instruments, concluding that the Laurel mainshock data (hypocenter, centroid, and focal mechanism), concurrently with its aftershock distribution, indicate an almost vertical north-south oriented, dextral strike-slip fault. This fault ruptured at depths between 10 and 30 km in the lower crust of Panama Microplate and the geometry implies a shallow influence of the Panama fracture zone. Meanwhile, for the Manaca earthquake, the aftershocks are concentrated on a 25 km long NW-SE trend, with a depth between 20 and 45 km. One of the nodal planes of the focal mechanism of the Manaca earthquake, as well as the centroid location coincides with the aftershock locations trend, supporting the hypothesis that a nearby steeply dipping sinistral strike-slip fault originated this event. Earthquake locations and focal mechanism analyses of collected data from global and local earthquake catalogs suggest that the strong coupling caused by the subduction of the Cocos Ridge and Nazca plate is largely accommodated by outer arc crustal block migration with a combination of NW-SE sinistral and N-S dextral strike-slip faults deforming the overriding Panama Microplate. Sinistral motion of crustal blocks, on the Costa Rica side, are consistent with observed motions along with the Azuero-Sona fault system and Coiba Faults on the Panamanian side.

Prolonged post-orogenic extension in the southeastern Canadian Cordillera: Miocene reactivation of the Columbia River Fault

Post-orogenic extension in the southeastern Canadian Cordillera manifested in the form of metamorphic core complexes exhumed during the Paleocene–Eocene, but new thermochronology data suggest this interval may be longer. The Columbia River Fault is a brittle-ductile normal fault bounding the eastern margin of the Monashee Complex, southeastern British Columbia. Vertical motions along this fault are investigated here using apatite fission-track and (U-Th)/He thermochronology and samples from two elevation profiles. Apatite fission track ages range from 29.3 to 17.7 Ma, and apatite (U-Th)/He ages range from 26.6 to 7.0 Ma. Inverse thermal history modeling of these profiles suggests the footwall underwent rapid cooling between 18 and 16 Ma, whereas the hanging wall experienced more protracted cooling since 40 Ma, with two small cooling pulses at 20 and 10 Ma. These new data suggest the Columbia River Fault was reactivated in the early Miocene and continued to exhume the Monashee Complex an additional ∼2 km. Combining all thermochronology data from the region suggests three phases of accelerated cooling in the Monashee Complex; 1) Eocene (56–40 Ma); 2) Miocene (20–16 Ma); and 3) Pliocene to recent. Thermal history modeling of thermochronometric data reported from elevation profiles from across the wider region of the southern Canadian Cordillera find early Miocene cooling phases contemporaneous with that seen along the Columbia River Fault. This widespread exhumation coincides with early Miocene plate tectonic reorganization of the Pacific-North American margin which resulted in increased transtension in northwestern North America. We propose that the early Miocene reactivation of the Columbia River Fault is a splay fault associated with dextral strike slip faulting along the Rocky Mountain Trench, driven by an increase in transtensional stresses along the Pacific-North American plate boundary. Building on earlier models, pre-existing gravitational instabilities in the southeastern Canadian Cordillera aided in lateral extension of the upper crust along unstable inherited structures throughout the Shuswap Metamorphic Core Complex

Neogene-Quaternary response of the Novohradské hory Mts. (Czech Republic) fluvial systems to tectonics – Analyses of morphotectonics, stream-length index and structural geology

Based on comparison of morphotectonic analysis results with the SL index analysis, airborne geophysical measurements and field geological and structural data, possible Miocene to Holocene development of the landscape relief of Novohradské Mts. (southern Moldanubian Zone; Bohemian Massif) with a significant contribution of active faulting is interpreted.We suppose a polyphase reactivation of pre-existing faults under (a) the Miocene-Pliocene stress-field (regional ∼ NNW–SSE extension) as (oblique) normal faults trending ∼ SW–NE to ∼NW–SE were responsible for the subsidence of the Třeboň Basin and Kaplice Furrow and (b) the Pliocene to Holocene stress-field (Shmax = 146°) when horizontal in the ∼NNW–SSE direction with possible activity of the prevailing ∼ NNE-SSW trending faults as a sinistral strike-slips or weak reverse oblique-slip movement. The second set of subvertical ∼ WNW–ESE faults was predominantly reactivated in a dextral strike-slip regime or as gentle reverse oblique-slip faults. These Miocene to Holocene events reflect the coupling between the East-Alpine–Carpathian segment and its northern foreland, mainly due to northward motion of the African and the Arabian lithospheric plates.The core of the Novohradské hory Mts. experienced a significant uplift compared to the neighboring areas of the Kaplice Furrow and the Třeboň Basin. The most significant uplift has been found near Rychnov nad Malší, and on the tectonic border between the Kaplice Furrow and the Bukovský hřbet Ridge. This uplift took place during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene, after the sedimentation of lacustrine sediments in the Kaplice Furrow. Although the combination of GIS, morphotectonic and geophysical analyses with validation by field structural data does not provide the final proof of young tectonic activity, we conclude that there is strong indication of Neogene-Quaternary reactivation of several faults in the Novohradské Hory Mts. Based on similar morphological features, it can be supposed that many areas in the Alpine Foreland and Bohemian Massif underwent similar tectonic evolution during the Miocene to Holocene era.

Depositional environments of the Miocene sediments in northern Song Hong basin

Northern Song Hong Tertiary Sedimentary basin is a classic case study of a pull-apart basin in southeast Asia, whose formation was controlled by the India-Eurasia collision, sinistral and dextral strike-slip motion of the Ailao Shan-Red River Shear Zone and Opening of the East Vietnam Sea during the Cenozoic. Unlike the central and southern parts of the basin, the northern Song Hong Basin experienced a very strong inversion during the Late Miocene. This rapid uplift of the region has led to significantly change in lithofacies and sedimentary environments, which are now still poorly understood. This uncertainty is considered one of the main challingings in prediction of the non-structural traps in the region. The recent results derived from well logging and 2D/3D seismic interpretation allowed us to define the Miocene formation in northern Song Hong basin, which are subdivided into three substrata, namely: the Lower, Middle and Upper stratum, which are characterized by typical characteristics of lithology and depositional environments. The Lower Miocene formation is dominated by deltaic environment at the bottom, transitioning to the overlying shelf environment. Lithology of the section varies from coarse-grained sediment (sandstone) to fine grained material such as shale and mudstone upward; The Middle Miocene stratum demonstrate sandier, coalic materials of the delta plain and delta front environments intercalated with swampy shale. In contrast, the Upper Miocene section is characterized by more fluvial and nearshore elements. It is illustrated by presence of the channel-filled sand bodies and mouth/longshore sand bars. These sand bodies demonstrate good porosity and horizontal permeability, which are considered to be good potential reservoir for both structural and non-structural traps in the Miocene formation.

Sedimentary and tectonic evolution of the Banquan pull-apart basin and implications for late Cenozoic dextral strike-slip movement of the Tanlu Fault Zone

Sedimentary and tectonic evolution of the Banquan pull-apart basin and implications for late Cenozoic dextral strike-slip movement of the Tanlu Fault Zone

Defining Regional and Local Sediment Sources in the Ancestral Colorado River System: A Heavy Mineral Study of a Mixed Provenance Unit in the Fish Creek-Vallecito Basin, Southern California

The Colorado River has flowed across the dextral strike-slip plate boundary between the North American and Pacific plates since the latest Miocene or earliest Pliocene. The Fish Creek-Vallecito Basin (FCVB) lies on the Pacific Plate in southern California, dextrally offset from the point where the modern Colorado river enters the Salton Trough; it contains a record of ancestral Colorado River sedimentation from 5.3–2.5 Ma. The basin stratigraphy exhibits a changing balance between locally derived (L-Suite) and Colorado River (C-Suite) sediments. This paper focuses on the Palm Springs Group (PSG), a thick fluvial and alluvial sequence deposited on the upper delta plain (between 4.2–2.5 Ma) when the Colorado was active in the area, allowing the detailed examination of the processes of sediment mixing from two distinct provenance areas. The PSG consists of three coeval formations: 1) Canebrake Conglomerate, a basin margin that has coarse alluvial fan deposits derived from surrounding igneous basement; 2) Olla Formation, fan-fringe sandstones containing L-Suite, C-Suite, and mixed units; and 3) Arroyo Diablo Formation, mineralogically mature C-Suite sandstones. Stratigraphic analysis demonstrates that the river flowed through a landscape with relief up to 2000 m. Satellite mapping and detailed logging reveal a variable balance between the two suites in the Olla Formation with an apparent upward increase in L-Suite units before abrupt cessation of Colorado sedimentation in the basin. Stable heavy mineral indices differentiate L-Suite (high rutile:zircon index: RZi 40–95) from C-Suite (RZi: 0–20). Both suites have garnet:zircon index (GZi) and apatite:tourmaline index (ATi) mostly above 50, although many L-suite and mixed Olla samples have much lower ATi (20–50), suggesting that the distal floodplain was wet and the local sediment had a longer residence time there, or went through several cycles of erosion and redeposition. Heavy mineral analysis, garnet geochemical analysis, and detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra allow us to quantify the amount of mixing from different sediment sources. These data show that about 30% of the mixed units are derived from the Colorado River and that up to 20% of the L-Suite is also derived from the Colorado River, suggesting that there was mutual cannibalisation of older deposits by fluvial channels in a transitional area at the basin margin. Although this study is local in scope, it provides an insight into the extent and nature of sediment mixing in a two-source system. We conclude that most ‘mixing’ is actually interbedding from separate sources; true mixing is facilitated by low subsidence rates and the rapid migration of fluvial channels.

New and revised paleomagnetic data from the southern central andes: Testing tectonic rotations

A paleomagnetic study performed in Plio-Pleistocene volcanic rocks of two localities in the Southern Central Andes is presented. The region corresponds to the transition zone between the Central and the Patagonian Andes. In the latter, deformation is almost exclusively controlled by the dextral-strike slip Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone, that extends from ∼47 °S to ∼38 °S and accommodates the deformation generated by the oblique subduction of the Nazca Plate below South America. To the north of ∼36 °S, deformation is mainly contractional. Our study was carried out in the transition zone between both tectonic regimes. Sampling consisted of 31 paleomagnetic sites distributed in two localities: the Loncopué (∼38.0 °S, 70.7 °W) and Andacollo (∼37.2 °S, 70.8 °W) areas. We sampled Pliocene and Pleistocene volcanic rocks with ages younger than 5 Ma. After stepwise demagnetization and principal component analysis, site mean remanence directions were computed. Both localities show non-significant clockwise rotations of 1.7° ± 14.4° (Loncopué) and 8.1° ± 8.4° (Andacollo). Although the presently available database does not support significant tectonic rotation of the Andacollo lavas, preliminary results obtained from upper Miocene volcanics in a nearby area indicating ∼20° of clockwise rotation, encourage further studies to improve the resolution of the paleomagnetic data to determine if crustal block rotations have been, or still are, part of the Andean deformational processes. A revision of previously published paleomagnetic data in the northern Patagonian Andes suggests that, against original claims, no significant tectonic rotations associated to the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone, between ∼39 and 37.5 °S, can be unambiguously demonstrated.

Drainage divide migration in response to strike-slip faulting: An example from northern Longmen Shan, eastern Tibet

Drainage divides can become unstable due to tectonic disturbances and therefore can be used to constrain past tectonic activity. However, many studies have focused mainly on the influence of vertical motion with less attention on the drainage divide response to strike-slip faulting. How the drainage divide response to strike-slip faulting is still uninvestigated. Here we analyze the drainage divide stability along the Beichuan-Yingxiu Fault, an active dextral strike-slip fault with a reverse component in the Longmen Shan, on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Based on activity of the Beichuan-Yingxiu Fault and response of the local landscape, we have identified a site in the Guixi area where a river capture event may occur in the near future, and a site in the Leigu area where a river capture event may have occurred. We used the χ-plot and Gilbert metrics methods to measure drainage divide stability at these two sites. The results show that (1) drainage divides near active strike-slip faults will be unstable before and after a capture event in response to strike-slip faulting and (2) before a capture event, the drainage divide on opposing sides of the strike-slip fault will migrate in opposite directions. This study systematically reveals the drainage divide migration generated in response to strike-slip faulting. We suggest that the drainage divide stability has the potential to be used to identify strike-slip fault activity and slip sense.

Tectonic dynamics of the Zhongjiannan Basin in the western South China Sea since the late Miocene

The Zhongjiannan Basin is located west of the South China Sea (SCS) and was affected by the left-lateral strike-slip of the Red River Fault (RRF), the West Edge Fault of the South China Sea (WEFSCS) and the continental rifting of the South China Sea in the early Cenozoic. The Zhongjiannan Basin formed in a strike-pull basin with an S‒N distribution. During the middle Miocene, the sea spreading of the SCS stopped, but the dynamic mechanism of the Zhongjiannan Basin, which controlled the sedimentary and the structural evolution after the late Miocene, remains unclear. In this paper, through the segment interpretation of the latest seismic section in the Zhongjiannan Basin, we conduct a comparative study of the sedimentary structure in the southern and northern Zhongjiannan Basin since the late Miocene. Combined with the regional tectonic dynamics analysis, we propose that the sedimentary and structural evolution of the Zhongjiannan Basin since the late Miocene was mainly controlled by residual magmatic activity in the Southwest Subbasin (SWSB) after expansion stopped, and the compressional structure stress field weakened gradually from south to north. The compressional tectonic stress field from north to south was formed in the northern basin under the dextral strike-slip movement of the RRF. The sedimentary and structural environment was relatively stable in the middle basin. Therefore, the sedimentary-structure evolution of the Zhongjiannan Basin since the late Miocene was controlled by the two different structural stress fields. The above knowledge not only has guiding significance for oil and gas exploration in the Zhongjiannan Basin but also provides a reference for studying the initiation time of dextral strike-slip along the Red River Fault Zone, as well as the junction position between the RRF and the WEFSCS.

Faults of the Pre-Baikal submontane trough (Siberian Platform): Structural-genetic analysis

Research subject. The pre-Baikal submontane trough is located in the eastern part of the Irkutsk Amphitheater of the Siberian Platform, stretching for 600 km in a north-easterly direction. The trough started to form in the Mesozoic on the Paleozoic folded base and continued in the Cenozoic. The trough is characterized by a complex structure of shafts and deflections complicated by ruptures.Aim. To investigate the insufficiently studied ruptures of the platform cover, which are difficult to map due to minor displacements of their wings.Materials and methods. The method of specialized mapping of crustal fault zones based on a analysis genetically related of ruptures families was used. A network of 18 points of geological and structural observations in rocks of different ages of the sedimentary cover was created.Results. A rank structural-genetic analysis of fractures mapped in rocks of different ages and composition revealed specific features associated with the gradual development of the trough. The ruptures identified in the rocks of the pre-Cenozoic cover of the platform satisfy the parageneses of the compression zone, the dextral strike-slip zone and the extension zone of the north-eastern strike. Deformations in Cenozoic sediments belong to the parageneses of dextral strike-slip zone and the extension zone. These parageneses consist of strike-slip and normal faults.Conclusions. The Cenozoic Pre-Baikal submontane trough was formed under strike-slip and extension conditions. The compression stage is highlighted in the Pre-Cenozoic base.

Lithostratigraphic analysis and characterization of the upper miocene deformation of the Beni Bou Ifroure massif (Jbel Harcha Unit) eastern Rif Morocco

In the eastern Rif the unit of Jbel Harcha which is part of Beni Bou Ifroure massif, the latter belongs to the Rif chain which was formed during the Alpine orogeny. Lithostratigraphic analysis of the geological map and field investigations shows that this unit is constituted by carbonate facies of limestone attributed to the lower and middle Jurassic. At the level of upper Jurassic and Cretaceous we observe metamorphic terms presented by schists. The structural examination allows to distinguish two types of deformation the first one is penetrative which is materialized by a metamorphism of the formations of upper Jurassic and Cretaceous whose direction of the planes of schistosity varies between N125 and N140. This type is linked to a NE-SW shortening, attributed to the Tortonian and materialized by a set of open and normal faults of direction N040 to N045. The second type is generally characterized by brittle structures presented by dextral strike-slip faults of direction N120 to N140 that intersect the ancient accidents. This episode linked to a N-S to NW-SE shortening is responsible for the N070 thrusting of the Jurassic rocks in the study area.

EXTENSIONAL TECTONIC INVESTIGATION BASED ON GRAVITY AND MAGNETIC DATA ANALYSIS IN THE GULF OF TOMINI, INDONESIA

The enigmatic genesis of Sulawesi Island remains a debate among earth scientists up to the present day. The Northern Arm of Sulawesi is designated as a volcanic province, while the Eastern Arm is identified as an ophiolite zone along with several micro continental fragments. However, the tectonic relationship in the marine area between these two arms is not clearly defined. The existence of isolated volcanic islands, namely the Una-Una and Togian islands increases the complexity of the area. A regional study utilizing gravity and magnetic methods is needed in the Gulf of Tomini, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis was conducted, involving 3D inverse modelling and Moho depth estimation based on the Parker-Oldenburg algorithm using 3D Euler deconvolution to obtain the average depth of causative bodies. As a result, the presence of extensional tectonics were revealed and identified as multiple parallel dextral strike-slip faults across the study area. All of these faults show northwest-southeast lineaments consistent with the existing seismic sections. The extensional tectonic mechanism triggers crustal thinning and rifting, leading to the build-up of graben structures such as the Gorontalo, Tomini, and Poso basins. Additionally, it influences volcanic activity around the Togian and Una-Una islands. The major axes of the inferred opening area are oriented in the northeast-southwest direction, perpendicular to the lineaments of these faults. The opening area coincides with the orientation of Lalanga and Togian ridges. Finally, a regional geological structure is proposed across the Gulf of Tomini linking both the Northern and Eastern arms of Sulawesi.

Корреляция геологических комплексов горного массива Хан-Тенгри в пограничных районах Кыргызского, Казахского и Китайского Тянь-Шаня

Researchers of the border regions in Kyrgyzstan, Kazachstan, and China discuss two two alternative models for the relationships between the main structural units of the Tianshan mountains. Most researchers believe that the Kyrgyz Middle Tianshan wedges out to the east along the Atbashi-Inylchek-Nalati marginal fault. According to another hypothesis, the Middle Tianshan structures continue within the range Nalati where they are described as Chinese Central Tianshan. Comparing the characteristics of the Paleozoic and Proterozoic sedimentary, volcanogenic, intrusive, and metamorphic formations of these regions leads us to the conclusion that the structural units of the Kyrgyz Middle and most of the Northern Tianshan, including the superimposed Middle-Late Paleozoic troughs, are not continued into China, but are successively cut along the echelon system of conjugated strike-slip faults, united by us into the Frontal Tianshan Dextral Strike-slip (FTDS). And only the northern segment of the Issyk-Kul terrane can be considered as an analogue of the Chinese Central Tianshan, displaced along the FTDS to the northwest for a distance over 80 km. Therefore, adjacent geological complexes are eroded along the FTDS similar to the oblique boundaries of convergent lithospheric plates affected by tectonic erosion.