The Lavrion district of the Attica Peninsula, Greece, exposes the West Cycladic Detachment System (WCDS), a low‐angle crustal‐scale extensional fault system separating tectonostratigraphic units of the Cycladic Blueschist Unit. New multiple single‐grain fusion and step‐heated white mica 40Ar/39Ar ages integrated with existing (U–Th)/He ages and independent paleothermometry resolves a syn‐ to post‐orogenic deformation history. A structurally higher unit records Oligocene greenschist facies deformation that evolved into brittle conditions by the middle Miocene, and shares a similar history to Serifos at the southern end of the detachment system. The structurally lowest unit remained ductile until the late Miocene, preserving pervasive post‐orogenic structures, similar to along‐strike structures at the centre, deepest part of the fault. The similarities of structural styles and the timing of deformation across > 150 km of strike length of the detachment system indicates tens of kilometers of offset and extraordinary potential for correlating observations along Cycladic‐style detachment systems.
Crystal-plastic deformation is one of the main mechanisms that can accommodate large amounts of strain within the lithosphere. Despite the requirement of understanding dislocation nucleation and arrangement, the only accepted method for direct observation of dislocations in geological materials so far is transmission electron microscopy. Herein, we present a study using a combination of electron channelling contrast imaging (ECCI) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to visualize and analyse crystal defects in pyrite deforming close to the crystal plastic to brittle transition zone. Structures in focus include (a) dislocation nucleation at crack-tips and (b) the reactivation of mode I cracks accompanied by the nucleation of dislocations and crystal-plastic behaviour resulting in the development of complex dislocation structures and low-angle grain boundaries. EBSD maps reveal an increase in misorientation towards micro-cracks, consistent with a greater dislocation density along cracks observed by ECCI. pyrite micro-substructures (i.e. low-angle grain boundaries, microcracks), arguing such might act as Au-traps. Herein, we investigate ---
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