Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Timothy C. Schmid, Guido Schreurs, Jurgen Adam
Summary: This study investigates and quantifies the effect of divergence velocity gradient on normal fault growth and rift propagation towards a rotation pole using analogue models. The results show that normal fault growth under rotational extension occurs in stages, with segmented rifting activity and along-strike migration of active faulting. The inward migration is delayed in models with higher divergence velocities, but other observations remain similar. The findings provide insights into fault growth and rift propagation in rotational rifts.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Timothy Chris Schmid, Guido Schreurs, Juergen Adam
Summary: Research has shown that in the evolution of continental rifts, the lower parts of the warm, thick continental crust can flow in a ductile manner to accommodate the thinning of the upper brittle crust. This flow pattern includes extension-parallel horizontal inward flow and vertical upward flow to compensate for the thinning of the brittle upper crustal layer, as well as rift-axis parallel lateral flow that compensates for greater amounts of thinning further away from the rotation axis. The mechanical coupling between the brittle and viscous layers also changes during rift propagation.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Liang Wang, Daniele Maestrelli, Giacomo Corti, Yaoyao Zou, Chuanbo Shen
Summary: The study utilized crustal scale physical models to investigate multiphase rifting, simulating the structures formed in rift zones during different extension phases. It was found that faults formed during early extension phases play a crucial role in controlling the development of structures in later rift phases. The amount of extension during the initial phase is critical in determining the prominence and reactivation potential of pre-existing faults in later stages of rifting.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Anindita Samsu, Alexander R. Cruden, Nicolas E. Molnar, Roberto F. Weinberg
Summary: The study shows that pre-existing penetrative basement fabrics can influence new faults in cover rocks during rifting through a subtle form of inheritance, impacting the fault network architecture in rift basins significantly. Additionally, experiments demonstrate that basement anisotropies play a role in determining fault orientation and spacing during rift formation.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mohammed S. Gumati
Summary: Quantitative analysis of well data reveals four different tectonic stages from the Late Cretaceous to Middle Eocene in the western Sirt Basin. These stages include continental rifting, thermal sagging, rapid short-term subsidence alterations, and thermal subsidence. The study also suggests that the post-Eocene sediments were either not deposited or mostly eroded in the study area due to regional differential uplift during the Oligocene-Miocene.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Megan Korchinski, Christian Teyssier, Patrice F. Rey, Donna L. Whitney, Luke Mondy
Summary: The response of continental lithosphere to extension is influenced by factors such as divergence velocity and deep crust viscosity. Fast divergence results in a single-phase rifting event, while slow divergence leads to a two-phase rifting history with a significant delay in the rift-to-drift transition. The presence of basin deposition in slow-divergence experiments accelerates the localization of rifting, marking the beginning of Phase 2.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sophie Pan, John Naliboff, Rebecca Bell, Chris Jackson
Summary: The article investigates the relationship between fault network patterns and key rift parameters in continental extension using 3D thermo-mechanical models. The study reveals key characteristics of fault patterns and highlights the importance of fault weakening and spatial distribution of initial plastic strain blocks in controlling fault characteristics.
Article
Geography, Physical
Asfaw Erbello, Daniel Melnick, Gerold Zeilinger, Bodo Bookhagen, Heiko Pingel, Manfred R. Strecker
Summary: This study reveals a north-south gradient of tectonic activity in the transfer zone of southern Ethiopia, with the highest extensional deformation and recent tectonic activity occurring in the southern Chew Bahir Basin. The quantitative geomorphic analysis of river catchments and field work provide valuable insights into the tectono-geomorphic history of this complex kinematic transfer zone.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ahmad K. Shmela, Douglas A. Paton, Richard E. Collier, Rebecca E. Bell
Summary: The study examines the scaling relationship between fault length and displacement in the central Kenya Rift, revealing a power law distribution for fault length and displacement data in different fault zones. The results suggest a trend of strain localization onto larger faults as the fault system evolves, with varying fault orientations contributing to strain accommodation along the rift. The fractal dimension of cumulative distribution of fault size populations can be used to deduce patterns of fault growth and evolution.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Sascha Brune, Folarin Kolawole, Jean-Arthur Olive, D. Sarah Stamps, W. Roger Buck, Susanne J. H. Buiter, Tanya Furman, Donna J. J. Shillington
Summary: A continental rift is a process where the lithosphere is thinned by tectonic activity, leading to the formation of new ocean basins or the cessation of activity. The mechanisms that determine rift success or failure are still debated. This Review explores the fundamental processes, geodynamic forces, and interactions that lead to the variety of rifts on Earth.
NATURE REVIEWS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
B. Petri, J. R. Wijbrans, G. Mohn, G. Manatschal, M. Beltrando
Summary: The thermal evolution of the Austroalpine Campo and Grosina units, which were part of the necking zone of the Adriatic rifted margin, were studied. The two units exhibited different thermal histories, with the Grosina unit undergoing a slow cooling process during the Permo-Triassic period and the Campo unit experiencing a rapid cooling process during the Jurassic rifting. These findings provide insights into the tectonic evolution and thermal subsidence of the region.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Alessandro La Rosa, Carolina Pagli, Gareth L. Hurman, Derek Keir
Summary: At mature magma-rich continental rifts, both magmatism and faulting play important roles in accommodating plate divergence. This study provides new insights into the role of magma and faulting in the Afrera Plain linkage zone between the Erta Ale and Tat Ali magmatic segments in Northern Afar. The results show that while magmatic features accommodate only extension, conjugate oblique faults accommodate both extension and shear strain.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Hanting Wu, Zhouchuan Huang, Dapeng Zhao
Summary: The formation of the Baikal rift zone may be attributed to the hot mantle upwellings from beneath the Siberian craton, which play a vital role in shaping the deep structures and geological settings in this area.
PHYSICS OF THE EARTH AND PLANETARY INTERIORS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Joao Paulo Giro, Julio Almeida, Eliane Guedes, Henrique Bruno
Summary: The study of the NNE structural lineaments corridor in the central region of the Ribeira Belt revealed that this direction is characterized by a crustal weakness zone, often reactivated, and related to the distribution of structures within the lineaments.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geology
Raed Badr, Ahmed N. El-Barkooky, Abdel-Moneim El-Araby, Anne Bernhardt, Nicholas Christie-Blick
Summary: Growth folds at rift margin transfer zones have an impact on syn-rift sedimentary facies development, with the North Baba transfer zone serving as a main sediment fairway for sediment transportation. The study shows that growth structures control sedimentation patterns, facies relations, and the development of gravity flows and slumps.
SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sandro Truttmann, Marco Herwegh, Guido Schreurs, Andreas Ebert, Sibylla Hardmeier
Summary: The retreat of the Great Aletsch Glacier has led to the development of one of the largest active deep-seated landslides in the European Alps - the Moosfluh landslide. Through a multi-method approach, the study successfully assessed the influence of pre-existing structures on the landslide deformation processes, revealing that the landslide is mainly caused by toppling processes and influenced by various factors.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Frank Zwaan, Pauline Chenin, Duncan Erratt, Gianreto Manatschal, Guido Schreurs
Summary: The combination of mantle and crustal weaknesses can create complex rift structures, while changes in divergence rates affect the degree of coupling and surface expressions of deformation. Changes in divergence directions impact the evolution of structures during rifting.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Timothy C. Schmid, Guido Schreurs, Jurgen Adam
Summary: This study investigates and quantifies the effect of divergence velocity gradient on normal fault growth and rift propagation towards a rotation pole using analogue models. The results show that normal fault growth under rotational extension occurs in stages, with segmented rifting activity and along-strike migration of active faulting. The inward migration is delayed in models with higher divergence velocities, but other observations remain similar. The findings provide insights into fault growth and rift propagation in rotational rifts.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Timothy Chris Schmid, Guido Schreurs, Juergen Adam
Summary: Research has shown that in the evolution of continental rifts, the lower parts of the warm, thick continental crust can flow in a ductile manner to accommodate the thinning of the upper brittle crust. This flow pattern includes extension-parallel horizontal inward flow and vertical upward flow to compensate for the thinning of the brittle upper crustal layer, as well as rift-axis parallel lateral flow that compensates for greater amounts of thinning further away from the rotation axis. The mechanical coupling between the brittle and viscous layers also changes during rift propagation.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Christoph Nitsche, Guido Schreurs, Vincent Serneels
Summary: The production of lathe-turned tripod vessels made from softstone by the Rasikajy population in northern Madagascar is a significant feature. This study analyzed the petrology of the raw material and revealed significant mineralogical and chemical variations among different quarries. These findings have important implications for the provenance study of softstones.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Frank Zwaan, Guido Schreurs, Herfried Madritsch, Marco Herwegh
Summary: This study presents a series of analogue models based on the geology of the Zurcher Weinland region in the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin of Switzerland to explore the influence of rheological weak layers on tectonic deformation. The results show that the thickness and rheology of the weak layers, as well as the kinematics of the basal fault, strongly influence the degree of coupling between the basal fault and the weak layer overburden. The study also reveals that weak layers have exerted a stronger control on fault zone architecture than previously inferred, resulting in variations in structural style.
SWISS JOURNAL OF GEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
F. Zwaan, G. Schreurs
Summary: Rifting and continental break-up are fundamental processes in tectonics, but studying them is challenging due to the large temporal and spatial scales involved. We propose a novel method for modeling lithospheric-scale rifting, which combines X-ray CT scanning with digital image correlation techniques to monitor and gain insights into model deformation.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Frank Zwaan, Guido Schreurs
Summary: The East African Rift System (EARS) is a significant tectonic feature that splits the African continent between the Nubian Plate and the Somalian Plate. This study uses analogue models to explore the dynamic evolution of the EARS within a rotational-rifting framework. The models show that rotational rifting leads to lateral propagation of deformation, resulting in the southward propagation of the EARS. The arrangement of structural weaknesses in the models leads to various structures and the localization of rift basins.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Timothy Chris Schmid, Sascha Brune, Anne Glerum, Guido Schreurs
Summary: Continental rifts evolve through the linkage and interaction of adjacent individual segments. The propagation of rift segments can cause significant re-orientation of the local stress field, which in turn affects the deformation and deflection of propagating rift segments. Numerical and analog experiments show that stress re-orientation and segment linkage can lead to counterintuitive rift deflection, as observed in nature. Our results highlight the close link between strain localization, stress re-orientation, and rift deflection, suggesting their importance in understanding continental rifting processes.
Review
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Frank Zwaan, Guido Schreurs, Susanne J. H. Buiter, Oriol Ferrer, Riccardo Reitano, Michael Rudolf, Ernst Willingshofer
Summary: Basin inversion is the reversal of subsidence in a basin due to compressional tectonic forces, and it is highly important for scientific, societal, and economic reasons. Analogue tectonic modelling plays a key role in studying basin inversion, and this review paper summarizes the advances and challenges in analogue modelling of basin inversion, as well as the opportunities for future research.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Frank Zwaan, Pauline Chenin, Duncan Erratt, Gianreto Manatschal, Guido Schreurs
Summary: The study used analogue models to investigate the interaction between different oriented weaknesses in the crust and mantle. It was found that crustal weaknesses typically express themselves first at the surface, forming grabens parallel to their orientation, while the influence of mantle weaknesses becomes dominant later. The extension direction has minimal control on rift trends, and present-day rift orientations are not always indicative of past extension directions.