Differential Tectonic Movements Research Articles

Quaternary crustal movements examined from facies distribution in the Atsumi and Hamana areas, central Japan

Quaternary sediments are distributed from the east coast of Lake Hamana to the Atsumi Peninsula, on the Pacific side of central Japan. The sediments in the eastern Hamana area include fluvial, estuary and deltaic facies, whereas sediments in the western Atsumi area include fluvial, estuary, shoreface, beach and coastal marsh facies. The sediments in the Hamana area comprise four sedimentary units; those in the Atsumi area comprise seven sedimentary units. Each unit in the Hamana area was formed by the alternation of a transgressive estuary system and a regressive fan-delta system. In contrast, each unit in the Atsumi area was formed by the alternation of a transgressive estuary system and a regressive fan-delta system. In contrast, each unit in the Atsumi area was formed by the alternation of a transgressive estuary system and a regressive strand plain system. Stratal correlation with the ocean oxygen isotope variation indicates that the four younger units in both areas can be correlated and that the five younger units were formed at the sea-level maxima during interglacial stages, the oxygen isotope stages being 1, 5, 7, 9 and 11. The top of each sequence is marked by the beach or fluvial facies, deposited during highstand, the present altitude of which was used as a marker for the palaeo-highstand sea-level. A record of palaeo-highstand sea-level change was obtained from five locations in the Atsumi area and one location in the Hamana area. Comparison of the palaeo-highstand sea-level changes with the glacio-eustatic highstand sea-level change, determined from raised coral reef terraces, shows that the Atsumi area subsided at the mean rate of 27 cm/1000 yr until 331,000 yr B.P. and the whole area was then uplifted between 331,000 and 122,000 yr B.P., with a maximum uplift rate of 29 cm/1000 yr. The differential crustal movements were more active in the latter period. The wavelength of the crustal bending is estimated at 50–100 km and the amplitude of the bending was less than 10 m before 331,000 yr B.P. and was 50 m thereafter. The change in vertical crustal movement is synchronous in Japan, New Zealand and New Guinea. Such a synchronous change in the vertical crustal movement may be explained by a change in the regional horizontal stress field due to rotation of the Pacific plate.

Neotectonic activity at the eastern border of the Pannonian Depression and its seismic implications

Based on geological and geophysical data, characteristics of neotectonic activity of the eastern border of the Pannonian Depression are presented. As a result of differential tectonic movements during the Neogene-Quaternary, separate morphostructural units are subjected to subsidence and uplifting, along active faults. The local seismic activity is related, mainly, to the movements along the borders of grabens, as well as at the contact between different crustal blocks.

Analysis of Lake Victoria levels

ABSTRACT Time series of levels of Lake Victoria as measured at four points are analysed for trends, periodicities and autoregressive components. Comparisons are made with results of time series analysis of Lake Superior which is a similarly sized lake. Checks are made for evidence of differential crustal movement using differences between time series on opposite sides of the lake.

Sedimentary environments of the Furuya Formation (Late Pleistocene), Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Depositional environments of the Makinohara Upland area, Shizuoka Prefecture, are determined from detailed sedimentological, paleontological and stratigraphical data.The results are summarized as follows:1) The Furuya Formation (maximum thickness 30m) is composed mainly of fine-grained sediments that were deposited in shallow embayments during transgressions of the sea up narrow valleys in the early stage of a so-called Last Interglacial Age.2) The Furuya Formation can be divided into five superposed mappable lithologic cycles (coded I-V), each of which shows a nearly complete, fining-upward, sedimentary sequence consisting of, in ascending order, a basal gravel, a sand, sandy clay, and finally clay (Figs. 5, 6).3) The Makinohara Formation (maximum thickness 50m) comformably overlies the Furuya Formation. The sedimentary surface of the Makinohara Formation forms the terrace known as the Makinohara Upland. The Makinohara Formation is laterally divided into two lithofacies; poorly sorted gravel proximally, and well sorted sands in the distal parts of the buried valleys. The sands that were deposited near the river mouth and near the bay mouth and coastal areas of the“Paleo-Sagara-Bay” are considered deltaic and coastal sand bank deposits, respectively.4) The history of sedimentation in the study region is interpreted as follows (Figs. 10, 11):(a) Before the Last Interglacial Age two major valleys had been cut to Neogene basement.(b) During the early stage of the interglacial transgression, fluvial sediments consisting of coarse sands and gravel were deposited along the distal parts of the buried valleys (Sedimentary cycles I-II).(c) As the transgression continued, marine water soon inundated the buried valleys and the initial“Paleo-Sagara-Bay”was formed (Sedimentary cycles III-IV).(d) During a standstill of the sea at the time of maximum transgression, a “Paleo-Sagara-Bay”became filled with fine sediments, eventually forming a marsh (Sedimentary cycle V).(e) After the maximum phase of the transgression, the“Paleo-Sagara-Bay”was totally covered by coarse fluvial deposits and/or coastal and deltaic sand.5) Because the last (marsh) phase of“Paleo-Sagara-Bay”was at sea level, the amount of differential crustal movement within the study area can be closely estimated. It has been determined that in the uplands (Makinohara) of the northern part of the study area the contact between the Furuya Formation and the Makinohara Formation has been uplifted at least 150m (Figs. 12, 13).

Relative sea-level, tectono-eustasy, geoidal-eustasy and geodynamics during the Cretaceous

A priori, the recorded relative sea-level changes during the Cretaceous must be the combined effect of tectono-eustasy, geoidal-eustasy and various crustal level changes. To this we must add the human factor of differences and errors in interpretations. A posteriori, it is claimed that geoidal-eustasy dominated during the Hauterivian, Barremian, Turonian, Santonian and Maastrichtian, that tectono-eustasy dominated during the Albian, Cenomanian, Campanian and at the Maastrichtian/Danian boundary, and that local influences of sea-floor spreading are identified from the Albian/Cenomanian boundary onwards. To this we must add the local differential crustal movements modulating the global and regional ocean level changes. Geoidal-eustasy is mainly expressed as a latitudinal differentiation of the sea-level with out-of-phase changes between the hemispheres or the both high latitude regions. Furthermore, sedimentological records seem to record short-period geoidal-eustatic cycles.

Kings River ophiolite, southwest Sierra Nevada foothills, California

Research Article| April 01, 1978 Kings River ophiolite, southwest Sierra Nevada foothills, California JASON SALEEBY JASON SALEEBY 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information JASON SALEEBY 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1978) 89 (4): 617–636. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1978)89<617:KROSSN>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation JASON SALEEBY; Kings River ophiolite, southwest Sierra Nevada foothills, California. GSA Bulletin 1978;; 89 (4): 617–636. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1978)89<617:KROSSN>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract In the lower Kings River area, rocks older than the Sierra Nevada batholith include a disrupted and metamorphosed ophiolite. The Kings River ophiolite consists of tectonically emplaced slabs as much as 20 km long that are separated by serpentinite-matrix melange zones and by crosscutting plutons of the batholith. Within the slabs, various segments of the original ophiolite section are preserved. From the base upward, the reconstructed section consists of (1) a harzburgite zone (more than 4 km thick), (2) a transition zone between ultramafic and mafic tectonites and cumulates (2.5 km thick), (3) a gabbro zone with cumulates (2 km thick), (4) a mafic-dike zone (0.7 km thick), and (5) a pillow-basalt zone (1.8 km thick). The pillow basalt is overlain by at least 20 m of metalliferous radiolarian chert. After tectonic mixing and emplacement into the Sierran terrane, the ophiolite was metamorphosed to the hornblende-hornfels facies by the batholith.The Kings River ophiolite is interpreted as a disrupted fragment of oceanic crust and upper mantle. Isotopic ages along with structural and petrographic data indicate that the igneous part of the section originated in latest Paleozoic or possibly earliest Mesozoic time. Intense deformation of the ophiolite began at its point of origin. Deep levels of the ophiolite were penetratively mylonitized, intermediate levels were deformed by ductile faulting, and upper levels were deformed by brittle shear. As deformation and disruption progressed, serpentinization of the ophiolite's lower levels also progressed. Serpentinization and differential tectonic movements were concentrated along zones that became serpentinite-matrix melange. The inclusion of only ophiolite-assemblage rocks in the melange zones indicates that the melange mixing was oceanic.The ophiolite originated and began its deformational history at a mid-ocean spreading center where that center was cut by a transverse fracture zone. The progression from brittle to ductile behavior with stratigraphic depth during initial deformation is attributed to a steep thermal gradient, typical of an ocean ridge. Progressive deformation and disruption and, ultimately, ophiolite emplacement occurred along a wrench zone that cut obliquely into western North America and truncated earlier-formed tectonic elements. The wrench zone is believed to have been an extension of the mid-ocean fracture zone that widened and became more complex with time. During the later stages of wrench movement, a component of eastward underthrusting commenced. Disrupted ocean floor of the wrench zone was left as an accretionary hanging wall of a newly formed subduction zone. A Jurassic volcanic arc was built across the already weakened oceanic basement as it underwent transverse shortening and continued wrench movements in response to oblique subduction. Final truncation of North American tectonic elements and emplacement of the ophiolite probably overlapped in time with arc activity. Similar deformation and truncation zones are a common feature in modern subduction-arc complexes of the circum-Pacific. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Geomorphology and tectonic movement of the sea floor, northwest off Kyushu, Japan

As a result of the sea bottom survey of continental shelf northwest off Kyushu including Tsushima, Iki and Goto Islands which has been carried out by the Hydrographic Department of Japan, the following features of the area are revealed. Topographically, three groups of shelf channels, trending NE-SW, N-S and NW-SE respectively, are discovered and several small banks are found. Sand wave-like shapes are also seen in a seafloor about 200 m deep in the vicinity of Tsushima Straits. Geologically, remarkable tectonic lines characterized by faults and folding axes are confirmed and named Tsushima, Iki, Hirato and Goto Tectonic Lines. Several tectonic provinces can be defined by these tectonic lines. Each province consists of small geological blocks formed by indivisual tectonic movement such as tilting, uplifting and sinking. Such differential tectonic movement is often seen on the continental shelves around active island arc. In this area, these tectonics might be caused by activity of the Ryukyu Arc. This area may thus be a metastable portion existing between the northwestern Kyushu and the Asiatic continental block. The present submarine topography is probably closely related to these tectonics in addition to the eustatic sea-level changes in Quaternary age.

Recent crustal movements along Mediterranean coastal plain of Israel

THE high density of population along the Mediterranean coast of Israel dictates caution in the siting of power stations and major engineering structures. One of the critical questions is whether the coastal plain of Israel may be assumed to be tectonically quiet and stable. Lately1, evidence was presented of Recent (probably later than 700 BP and certainly not earlier than 3,700 BP) faulting along the coast, and the coastline was assumed to be tectonic in origin, in contrast to the previously held notions of tectonic calm and a coastline shaped by wave abrasion2,3. Though unable at this stage to comment on the regional implications of this controversy, we report that repeated precise levelling suggests the present occurrence of differential crustal movements along the coastal plain and the nearby Judea mountains.

The Distribution of Lakes in the Northern Part of Western Siberia and the Inherited Development of Structures in the Recent Tectonic Stage

AbstractLake cover in the northern part of Western Siberia is correlated with recent crustal movements. A high concentration of lakes is found to be associated with downwarps and a low lake-cover index with the crests of positive structures. Lake-cover maps can thus be used to predict the presence of structures in the sedimentary mantle of the West Siberian plain as an aid in oil and gas prospecting. If the median of the frequency distribution of lakes is assumed to be the relative zero level of differential crustal movements in a particular region, the deciles for the distribution can be converted into a numerical scale suggesting the relative positive and negative movements in the neotectonic framework. The intensity and direction of these movements, as derived from lake-cover analysis, may serve as an additional aid in prospecting for oil and gas.

Ordovician and Silurian Stratigraphy and Sedimentation in Southern Manitoba, Canada

Ordovician and Silurian strata in southern Manitoba are composed of shelf-type sediments that comprise in ascending order the Winnipeg (shale and sand), Red River, and Stony Mountain formations and Interlake group (carbonates). Paleozoic sedimentation commenced in Late or possibly Middle Ordovician time with deposition of quartzose sand and green shale on a peneplaned surface in Precambrian (and local Cambrian) rocks in southern Manitoba. Initially, considerable sand and interbedded shale were laid down in the western areas, whereas mainly green shales accumulated at the east. Thence, during upper Winnipeg time, a large east-trending sand body (more than 125 miles long, 20-40 miles wide, and up to 90 feet thick) was deposited in the Carman area and it now extends eastward from Pelican Lake to the subcrop southeast of the city of Winnipeg. It is postulated that approximately in middle Winnipeg time differential tectonic movements in the eastern area caused an east-trending break in slope, south of which quart sands were laid down in shallow water, forming the Carman sand body, whereas non-deposition and slight erosion may have occurred north of this line. This was followed by uniform subsidence and dominantly shale deposition in all areas to the end of Winnipeg time. The lower Red River bioclastic limestones (containing basal transitional argillaceous beds) that accumulated next were affected by penecontemporaneous or diagenetic dolomitization. Where the latter process was incomplete, irregular areas of the matrix of calcarenites were most readily dolomitized to produce characteristic mottling. Of the fossils, crinoid ossicles were most resistant to dolomitization. Secondary chert nodules formed partly after dolomitization. Extensive shoals developed during the latter part of Red River deposition and an evaporitic environment prevailed especially in the western part of southern Manitoba. Here, cream-colored and extremely fine-textured (microcrystalline and cryptocrystalline) dolomites that are associated with anhydrite are interpreted to be both secondary and primary in origin. Eastward, increasing amounts of very fine crystalline dolomites occur. Relict pseudo-oolitic and bioclastic textures in secondary dolomite suggest that there was considerable differentiation of shoal and inter-shoal environments during late Red River sedimentation. Lowering of the depositional profile of equilibrium largely removed the restriction imposed by carbonate shoals, and gray bioclastic, fossiliferous limestones (lower Stony Mountain) containing argillaceous material were deposited. In part of the western area, the limestones were subject to penecontemporaneous dolomitization. Extremely fine-textured dolomite, exhibiting relict pseudo-oolites and bioclastic grains, in the upper Stony Mountain (Gunton member) indicate a return to bank-type deposition. Arenaceous, silty, and argillaceous material also was transported into southern Manitoba, particularly toward the termination of Stony Mountain time. Quartz sands were concentrated in interpreted shoal areas east of Daly field and in the southeastern part of the map area. Fine-textured cream dolomites also occur in the approximate lower 150 feet of the Interlake group within which the Ordovician-Silurian time boundary is placed. Above, very fine to medium crystalline dolomites are characteristic. Thin biostromes and small patch reefs (coral, algal, or stromatoporoidal) containing brachiopods, similar to those described in outcrops, are probably present in the subsurface. Presence of relict oolitic, pseudo-oolitic or pelletoid, and bioclastic textures in secondary dolomite indicates the diversity of carbonate types that formed on this ancient bank. The Ordovician and Silurian sequences contain potential petroleum reservoirs, including porous quartzose sands (Winnipeg) and fine to medium crystalline porous dolomites (Red River, Stony Mountain, Interlake). Petroleum accumulations may occur in porous rocks that change facies to non-permeable rocks up regional dip as well as laterally along strike where anticlinal folds are not present. Porous Interlake dolomites may be sealed by underlying and overlying non-permeable End_Page 2333------------------------------ strata at the pre-Middle Devonian unconformity where the latter truncates Silurian rocks up regional dip (eastward) and is overlain by Ashern redbeds.

Periods of Folding and Faulting in Wyoming During Late Cretaceous and Tertiary Times: ABSTRACT

Recognition of the timing of differential crustal movements in the Rocky Mountain region should lead to a clearer understanding of (a) the types of forces involved in Laramide and post-Laramide folding and faulting, (b) the possible times of accumulation of oil and gas in traps that may later have been modified, and (c) the reasons for the absence of oil and gas in apparently good traps. The following is the writer's interpretation of significant periods of folding and faulting that developed the known structures in Wyoming. End_Page 2613------------------------------ 1. Post-Lewis, pre-Lance time: broad regional uplift occurred along the western margin of Wyoming; a westward-trending gentle anticline formed in central Wyoming; the Medicine Bow and Uinta mountains began to rise. 2. Close of Cretaceous time: sharply folded anticlines, overthrust toward the west, developed in Jackson Hole; local anticlines formed in south-central and southwestern Wyoming; some eastward thrusting may have occurred in westernmost Wyoming; broad mountain arches rose in approximate positions of the present Salt River, Wind River, Granite, Bighorn, Medicine Bow, and Sierra Madre mountains; regional uplift occurred in the southeast corner of Wyoming. 3. Close of Paleocene time: Salt River and Wyoming ranges were thrust toward the east; southward thrusting occurred along the western part of the Owl Creek Mountains and at the south end of the Bighorn Mountains; the Wind River Mountains were thrust southwest; other mountain arches and major anticlines continued to rise. 4. Close of earliest Eocene (Indian Meadows) time: rapid uplift accompanied by extensive erosion occurred in the Bighorn, Beartooth, Owl Creek, Wind River, Granite, Medicine Bow, and Laramie mountains; the east flank of the Medicine Bow Mountains was thrust east; southward thrusting occurred along the south flank of the Owl Creek, Washakie, and Granite mountains; southeastward movement emplaced the South Fork thrust block near Cody. 5. Close of early Eocene time: southwestward thrusting occurred in the northwest part of the Wind River basin, eastward thrusting in the central Bighorn Mountains; southeastward movement emplaced the Heart Mountain thrust sheet; recurrent folding continued along many previously formed anticlines. 6. Close of middle Eocene time: the Uinta Mountains were thrust northward. 7. Close of Eocene time: southeastern Wyoming again was regionally uplifted and rugged topography developed on this upland; gentle folding and small-scale faulting occurred in southwestern and northwestern Wyoming. 8. Close of Oligocene time: gentle northwestward-trending folds developed in central Wyoming; gentle warping occurred in the Absaroka region; the southeast rim of the Powder River basin may have been tilted southeast at this time. 9. Close of early Pliocene time: extensive thrust sheets moved southwestward in southern part of Jackson Hole, and the western part of the Gros Ventre Mountains was uplifted. 10. Post-middle Pliocene, pre-Pleistocene time: large-scale block faults developed in many parts of Wyoming; the floor of Jackson Hole dropped several thousand feet; the southern end of the Wind River Mountains collapsed; the central arch of the Granite Mountains dropped several thousand feet; local areas west of the east margins of the Sierra Madre, Medicine Bow, and Laramie mountains were downdropped; part of the Rawlins uplift collapsed and a broad westward-trending anticline formed south of Rawlins; a large area southeast of the Hartville uplift was down-faulted; the southern end of the Bighorn Mountains probably collapsed at this time. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2614------------