Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yu Zhen, Xiongfei Xu, Dengfa He, Xinning Li, Di Li
Summary: Studying the structural evolution of the piedmont fold and thrust belt is crucial for understanding the mechanism of intracontinental collision orogeny. In this study, we identified a large-scale thrust nappe in the southwestern margin of the Santanghu Basin, providing evidence for studying the Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Moqinwula Mountain. Through electromagnetic and high-resolution seismic profiles, we determined the composition of the nappe and the tectonic activities it underwent. The results suggest multiple thrusting events and significant shortening during the Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous. This study contributes to understanding the transition mechanism of mountain formation in the Eastern Tianshan region.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Wen-Xin Yang, Dan-Ping Yan, Liang Qiu, Michael L. Wells, Jian-Meng Dong, Tian Gao, Zhi Zhang, Hongxu Mu, Xinwen Wang, Fangyue Wang
Summary: The study investigated the structural styles and evolution of the Nanpanjiang fold-thrust belt and foreland basin system in southwestern South China during the Indosinian orogenic belt growth. The results revealed fault-related folds with deep duplexes and shallow imbricates, indicating multi-staged thrusting during the Indosinian orogeny. The kinematic and dynamic relationship between the fold-thrust belt and foreland basin during this tectonic event was described as a progressive deformation sequence.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Brian K. Horton
Summary: This study examines the formation mechanisms of long-duration unconformities and condensed stratigraphic sections in foreland basins using examples from the Andes. The study identifies various geodynamic mechanisms that contribute to accommodation reduction and hiatus development, and highlights the distinguishing characteristics of these mechanisms.
JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qiqi Li, Bin Li, Wenhua Mei, Yiling Liu
Summary: Fold-and-thrust belts are important for oil and gas exploration, but the complex sources and histories make the exploration risk high. This study analyzes geochemical data from various strata in the NW Sichuan Basin to investigate the sources and genetic types of natural gas. The study finds significant differences in the gas origin between different structural belts. The results will contribute to a better understanding of the petroleum system in fold-and-thrust belts and optimize future exploration strategies.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Veleda A. P. Muller, Mauricio Calderon, Julie C. Fosdick, Matias C. Ghiglione, Leonardo F. Cury, Hans-Joachim Massonne, C. Mark Fanning, Clare J. Warren, Cristobal Ramirez de Arellano, Pietro Sternai
Summary: This study investigated the poorly studied hinterland region of the Southern Andean Cordillera in the Western Domain of the Magallanes Fold-and-Thrust Belt, revealing Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous tectonic activities through new detrital zircon U-Pb ages. The findings provide insights into the initial phases of the Andean Orogeny and the along-strike connection of mylonite belts in a continent-verging thrust structure during the closure of the Rocas Verdes back-arc marginal basin.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erika Rodriguez-Munoz, Camilo Montes, Fernando J. M. Rojas-Runjaic, Andrew J. Crawford
Summary: The study evaluated vicariance between lowland populations in the Colombian and Venezuelan Andes, finding that most divergences occurred during the Pliocene and Quaternary periods. Divergence times were relatively recent and likely influenced by organism-environment interactions during Pleistocene climate oscillations, or dispersal through portals across the Andes.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
F. Martinez, G. Fuentes, S. Perroud, S. Bascunan
Summary: A regional-scale study in northern Chile analyzed the structural characteristics of the thrust belt front of the western Central Andes at 21S using field, seismic, and limited borehole information. The study revealed the presence of blind west-verging inversion anticlines defining the orogenic front of the Central Andes at this latitude, indicating crustal shortening accommodated by vertical motion along the inverted normal faults during tectonic inversion. The results suggest that the thrust belt front in this region is located under the Pampa del Tamarugal, contrary to traditional proposals.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Veronica Mardones, Matias Pena, Sebastian Pairoa, Jean-Baptiste Ammirati, Mathieu Leisen
Summary: The study in central Chile reveals the tectonic evolution of the Andean Cordillera was influenced by inherited structures, resulting in a hybrid fold-and-thrust belt. The Neogene-Quaternary deformation in the region led to a minimum crustal shortening of 27-28 km, while the final uplift of the Andes is closely related to preexisting Mesozoic structures.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Facundo Fuentes
Summary: Regional cross-sections reveal the complex geometry and deformation mechanisms of the Tierra del Fuego fold-thrust belt. The dominant mechanisms include a duplex thrust system in the Cretaceous and detachment and faulted detachment anticlines in the Cenozoic. Fault-bend and fault-propagation folds are also present, while basement fault reactivation is limited. The region has potential for hydrocarbon exploration, with untested large anticlines preserving Cenozoic reservoirs.
JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pablo Herman, Pamela Jara, Reynaldo Charrier
Summary: This study conducted geological research in the Andean Principal Cordillera in Chile and identified 4 different lithologic units and 3 structural domains. Previous studies have faced difficulties due to the variations in volcanic deposits' thickness, structural complexity, and lack of geochronological data. This study provides important information for geological research in the region.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Brian K. Horton, Tomas N. Capaldi, Chelsea Mackaman-Lofland, Nicholas D. Perez, Meredith A. Bush, Facundo Fuentes, Kurt N. Constenius
Summary: Broken foreland basins are caused by crustal-scale contractional basement structures that compartmentalize a contiguous basin. They differ from unbroken basins in their deformational, depositional, and geodynamic framework. These basins are sensitive to a combination of underlying conditions and mechanical triggers.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Garrett Ito, Gregory F. Moore
Summary: This study investigates the structural features of accretionary wedges and fold-and-thrust belts, focusing on the width of crustal blocks bounded by major thrusts. Through numerical models and analytical solutions, it is found that the initial width of a thrust block is determined at the front of the wedge and subsequently decreases with certain factors. The findings provide insights into the factors influencing block width and propose a scaling law to explain these influences.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
P. Jara, S. Herrera, M. Villarroel, L. Pinto, D. Yagupsky, C. Guzman, M. Gutiwrrez
Summary: Andean fold-and-thrust belts (FTBs) in the western border of South America exhibit variations in structural style and shortening magnitudes. These variations can be influenced by factors such as depth-to-detachment, geometry and thickness of basins, structural highs, competency of units involved in deformation, pre-orogenic structure, rheological state of upper crust, and latitudinal gradients in shortening. Analogue models have shown that the presence of a competent block significantly influences the structural configuration and leads to greater topographic uplift within a doubly-vergent thrust system.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
D. Brown, J. Alvarez-Marron, G. Camanni, C. Biete, H. Kuo-Chen, Y. -M. Wu
Summary: This paper presents a structural model for the south-central Taiwan fold-and-thrust belt, which provides a consistent explanation for seismicity, GPS, and topography data. The model suggests that the fold-and-thrust belt is a west-verging thrust system with breaching faults inherited from the continental margin. It also involves metamorphic basement rocks and has systematic changes in GPS displacement vectors and strain rates across transverse zones.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Russell V. Di Fiori, Sean P. Long, Anne C. Fetrow, Kathryn E. Snell, Joshua W. Bonde, Jeff D. Vervoort
Summary: Documenting the deformation within fold-thrust belts is crucial for understanding orogen dynamics. Through geologic mapping and U-Pb zircon geochronology of the Cretaceous Newark Canyon Formation in central Nevada, this study revealed the spatio-temporal progression of deformation processes in the region, including thrusting/folding, east-vergent thrust fault motion, and post-dated east-vergent folding. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the long-duration strain partitioning between the foreland and hinterland in the Sevier hinterland during coupling above the basal decollement.
Review
Geology
Samanta Serra-Varela, Nemesio Heredia, Raul Giacosa, Joaquin Garcia-Sansegundo, Pedro Farias
Summary: Metamorphic rocks along the North Patagonian Andes were affected by two different Palaeozoic tectono-metamorphic events, leading to their classification into the Colohuincul Complex and the Cushamen Complex. By distinguishing these units, researchers aim to better understand the geodynamic evolution of the Gondwana southwestern margin during the Palaeozoic.
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Fidel Martin-Gonzalez, Javier Fernandez-Lozano, Gerardo De Vicente, Cristina Crespo-Martin, Nemesio Heredia
Summary: The study analyzed the geometry, kinematics, and tectonic evolution of the complex western termination of the Alpine Pyrenean-Cantabrian orogen using an integrated approach based on analogue modelling, constrained by structural mapping and geochronology. The results demonstrate the necessity of pre-existing structures to explain the complex western termination, which does not follow the same tectonic architecture as the rest of the orogen due to the different orientation of the preexisting Variscan structures in this area.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jose Lopez-Gomez, Raul De la Horra, Jose F. Barrenechea, Violeta Borruel-Abadia, Javier Martin-Chivelet, Manuel Juncal, Fidel Martin-Gonzalez, Nemesio Heredia, Bienvenido Diez, Luis A. Buatois
Summary: This multidisciplinary study of the early Permian Sotres Formation in northern Spain reveals a climate transition from humid-subhumid conditions to semi-arid and arid conditions over time, with a brief interval of monsoonal conditions. The findings suggest a possible connection to global deglaciation and a northward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone towards the end of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. Tectonic conditions within the active central Variscan orogenic belt may have also played a role in driving climate change in the study area.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Barbara Carrapa, Peter G. DeCelles, Mihai N. Ducea, Gilby Jepson, Arthur Osakwe, Elizabeth Balgord, Andrea L. Stevens Goddard, Laura A. Giambiagi
Summary: This study applies a geochemical proxy approach to estimate the paleo-crustal thickness of the Andes near Cerro Aconcagua, revealing the importance of Miocene shortening in crustal thickening.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Javier Escuder-Viruete, Eduardo A. Molina, Dario Chinchilla, Janet Gabites, Raul Seggiaro, Cintia A. Marquetti, Nemesio Heredia
Summary: In this study, the genetic relationships between regional deformation, volcanic activity, and epithermal mineralization were investigated in the Quevar Volcanic Complex of the Andes. The results show that volcanic activity and hydrothermal processes were controlled by different tectonic regimes during different stages, highlighting their significant influence on the formation of volcanic belts and mineralization.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Carlos O. Limarino, Nemesio Heredia, Luis A. Spalletti, Pedro Busquets, Ferran Colombo, Isabel Mendez-Bedia, Raul Cardo, Silvia N. Cesari
Summary: This paper analyzes the presence and evolution of a late Paleozoic mountain chain, named Ancestral Andes, which shares a similar paleogeographic disposition with the present-day Andean Cordillera. The Ancestral Andes formed during the Gondwanan orogeny and separated the Paleopacific Sea from the eastern retroarc basins in South America. The roots of the Ancestral Andes consist of three basement types: poorly exposed Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic high-grade metamorphic rocks, Cambrian-Silurian sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, and Neoproterozoic to early Carboniferous sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sebastian Dicaro, Santiago N. Gonzalez, Samanta Serra-Varela, Nemesio Heredia
Summary: This study presents new petrographic and structural data, as well as U-Pb (Q-ICP-MS) detrital zircon ages, from the Cushamen Complex to understand the Paleozoic evolution of the southwestern Gondwana margin.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nemesio Heredia, David Pedreira, Raul Giacosa, Samanta Serra-Varela, Nicolas Folx, Jose Allard, Pablo Gonzalez, Fidel Martin-Gonzalez
Summary: Late Paleozoic turbiditic rocks in the Cuesta del Rahue area in northern Argentine Patagonia have been affected by three orogenic events: the Chanic orogeny, the Gondwanan orogeny, and the Andean orogeny. These events resulted in various folding and faulting structures, along with the intrusion of igneous rocks. The Andean orogeny uplifted the area and caused compressional structures. The main structure in the area is the NW-SE Rahue fault.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Joaquin Garcia-Sansegundo, Pedro Farias, Gloria Gallastegui, Nemesio Heredia, Andres Cuesta, Alvaro Rubio-Ordonez, Fidel Martin-Gonzalez, Jennifer Santos-Martinez, Camilo Palape, Olga Garcia-Moreno
Summary: During the late Carboniferous-middle Permian, the Chilean Coastal Cordillera experienced deformation due to the Gondwanan Orogeny caused by the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate. In the Maule sector, metamorphic rock units including Western Series and Eastern Series were identified, with different lithology and deformation style. Three Gondwanan deformation episodes affected these rock units unevenly. D1 and D2 structures were present in the Western Series and Eastern Pelitic Series, while D3 deformation event was primarily observed in the Eastern Sandy Series.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Joaquin Garcia-Sansegundo, Pedro Farias, Alvaro Rubio-Ordonez, Pilar Clariana, Carlos Cingolani, Nemesio Heredia
Summary: The Los Reyunos Thrust is a thrust fault formed during the Gondwanan Orogeny (Late Carboniferous-Early Permian) as a result of a collision between the Cuyania and Chilenia subplates. This thrust fault reactivated a pre-existing Chanic structure and played a role in the deposition of Carboniferous rocks in its hanging wall. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the Chanic Orogen in the area and its relationship with nearby regions.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
S. Serra-Varela, J. Garcia-Sansegundo, N. Heredia
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)