Mantle exhumation at magma-poor rifted margins controlled by frictional shear zones

The development of offset normal faults in the conjugate Flemish Cap and Galicia magma-poor rifted margins is explored. The authors propose alternating opposite dipping detachments to be the underlying cause. The transition zone from continental crust to the mature mid-ocean ridge spreading center of the Iberia-Newfoundland magma-poor rifted margins is mostly composed of exhumed mantle characterized by highs and domes with varying elevation, spacing and shape. The mechanism controlling strain localization and fault migration explaining the geometry of these peridotite ridges is poorly understood. Here we show using forward geodynamic models that multiple out-of-sequence detachments with recurring dip reversal form during magma-poor rifting and mantle exhumation as a consequence of the strength competition between weak frictional-plastic shear zones and the thermally weakened necking domain beneath the exhuming footwall explaining geometry of these peridotite ridges. Model behaviour also shows that fault types and detachment styles vary with spreading rate and fault strength and confirm that these results can be compared to other magma poor passive margins such as along Antarctica-Australia and to ultra-slow mid-ocean spreading systems as the South-West Indian Ridge.

Automated summary

The development of offset normal faults in the conjugate Flemish Cap and Galicia magma-poor rifted margins is explored in this study. The authors suggest that alternating opposite dipping detachments are the underlying cause. By using forward geodynamic models, the research shows that multiple out-of-sequence detachments with recurring dip reversal occur during magma-poor rifting and mantle exhumation. The results indicate that fault types and detachment styles vary with spreading rate and fault strength.