Experimental modelling of orogenic wedges: A review

Graveleau, Fabien; Malavieille, Jacques; Dominguez, Stéphane

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2012.01.027

Cited by 275 publications

(198 citation statements)

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“…On the one hand, wet clay has been used extensively to analyze brittle deformation related to folding (e.g., Cloos, 1968;Withjack and Jamison, 1986;Withjack and Schlische, 2006;Henza et al, 2010;Miller and Mitra, 2011), and its effectiveness as analog material has been stressed recently by new rheological tests (Cooke and van der Elst, 2012). On the other hand, dry sand is the most commonly used material for modeling tectonic deformation (see Graveleau et al, 2012 for a review). Using these two different materials allowed us to explore if and how the rheological differences between the two materials, and primarily the cohesion, affect our observations.…”

Section: Deep and Surface Fault Patterns: An Analog Experiments Perspementioning

confidence: 99%

On the complexity of surface ruptures during normal faulting earthquakes: excerpts from the 6 April 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake (Mw 6.3)

et al. 2014

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Abstract.Over the past few years the assessment of the earthquake potential of large continental faults has increasingly relied on field investigations. State-of-the-art seismic hazard models are progressively complementing the information derived from earthquake catalogs with geological observations of active faulting. Using these observations, however, requires full understanding of the relationships between seismogenic slip at depth and surface deformation, such that the evidence indicating the presence of a large, potentially seismogenic fault can be singled out effectively and unambiguously.We used observations and models of the 6 April 2009, M w 6.3, L'Aquila, normal faulting earthquake to explore the relationships between the activity of a large fault at seismogenic depth and its surface evidence. This very well-documented earthquake is representative of mid-size yet damaging earthquakes that are frequent around the Mediterranean basin, and was chosen as a paradigm of the nature of the associated geological evidence, along with observational difficulties and ambiguities.Thanks to the available high-resolution geologic, geodetic and seismological data aided by analog modeling, we reconstructed the full geometry of the seismogenic source in relation to surface and sub-surface faults. We maintain that the earthquake was caused by seismogenic slip in the range 3-10 km depth, and that the slip distribution was strongly controlled by inherited discontinuities. We also contend that faulting was expressed at the surface by pseudo-primary breaks resulting from coseismic crustal bending and by sympathetic slip on secondary faults.Based on our results we propose a scheme of normal fault hierarchization through which all surface occurrences related to faulting at various depths can be interpreted in the framework of a single, mechanically coherent model. We stress that appreciating such complexity is crucial to avoiding severe over-or under-estimation of the local seismogenic potential.

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Section: Deep and Surface Fault Patterns: An Analog Experiments Perspementioning

confidence: 99%

On the complexity of surface ruptures during normal faulting earthquakes: excerpts from the 6 April 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake (Mw 6.3)

et al. 2014

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“…In some way, the influence of having salt within the cover is analogous to that of surface processes, such as erosion or sedimentation, that can alter the overall topographic slope (Konstantinovskaia and Malavieille, 2005;Graveleau et al, 2012) and can thereby impact the behavior of the underlying thrusts.…”

Section: Discussion / Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How the presence of a salt décollement in the sedimentary cover influences the behavior of subsalt thrusts in fold-and-thrust belts

Vendeville

Tang

Graveleau

et al. 2017

Bull. Soc. géol. Fr.

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-We conducted a series of analogue experiments on shortening of a brittle cover (dry sand) above a deep, thin, frictional detachment (glass microbeads). In some experiments, the cover was homogeneous, entirely brittle. In others, there was a thin viscous silicone layer (representing salt) embedded at mid height into the cover, and initially located in the foreland of the fold-and-thrust belt. Our goal was to determine whether or not the presence of such a décollement in the cover could have an impact on the mechanics and kinematics of the underlying subsalt thrusts. Results confirm that, once the front of the foldbelt reached the hinterland salt pinch out, the kinematics of the deeper belt changed drastically: its front stopped propagating forward, and most of the subsequent shortening was accommodated by a larger-than-normal slip along the foremost and youngest deep thrust, while, above the salt décollement, the deformation front propagated very fast, creating a very low surface slope. We hypothesize that it is the gentle sub-critical surface slope associated with rocksalt's low viscosity that prevents the build-up of an overall surface slope steep enough to allow the underlying, deep foldbelt to continue propagating forward. Finally, one experiment in which only one half of the width of the model comprised an interbedded viscous décollement has shown that the kinematics of the deep thrust was affected even in the adjacent salt-free domain.Keywords: salt tectonics / fold-and-thrust belts / analogue modeling / décollement Résumé -Influence de la présence d'un niveau de décollement évaporitique situé au sein de la couverture sur l'évolution des chevauchements sub-salifères profonds lors de la propagation d'une chaîne d'avant-pays. Nous avons réalisé une série d'expériences de modélisation analogique étudiant le raccourcissement d'une couverture sédimentaire constituée de matériel fragile (sable sec) enracinée sur un niveau profond frictionnel (microbilles de verre), mais comprenant localement une couche visqueuse interstratifiée de plus faible résistance mécanique (polymère de silicone). Le but de ces expériences était d'analyser l'impact d'un tel niveau de décollement visqueux superficiel sur la mécanique et la cinématique des chevauchements de la zone profonde, et notamment sur les modalités de la transmission de la déformation entre les deux niveaux de décollement. Les résultats expérimentaux confirment bien que, lorsque le front de déformation profond atteint la région où se trouve la série visqueuse interstratifiée, la cinématique des chevauchements profonds change de façon drastique. Le front de déformation profond cesse de se propager vers l'extérieur du modèle, et le chevauchement profond le plus jeune se connecte avec le niveau de décollement superficiel. Ainsi, la plus grande partie du raccourcissement est transmise aux séries superficielles de la couverture. Le front de déformation migre rapidement vers l'extérieur en se propageant sur le niveau à faible résistance mécanique. La pente topograp...

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“…The validity of the tectonic analog models is addressed by the theory of scale models, which is controlled by a set of geometric, kinematic and dynamic similarity criteria, as discussed by several authors (e.g., Hubbert 1937, Ramberg 1981, Koyi 1997, Graveleau et al 2012 for more details). Our model-to-prototype ratio for length was 1 x 10 -5 so that our initial 3 cm-thick model simulates the brittle upper 3 km of shallow crust.…”

Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glass Microbeads in Analog Models of Thrust Wedges

D'Angelo

Gomes

2017

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

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Glass microbeads are frequently used in analog physical modeling to simulate weak detachment zones but have been neglected in models of thrust wedges. Microbeads differ from quartz sand in grain shape and in low angle of internal friction. In this study, we compared the structural characteristics of microbeads and sand wedges. To obtain a better picture of their mechanical behavior, we determined the physical and frictional properties of microbeads using polarizing and scanning electron microscopy and ring-shear tests, respectively. We built shortening experiments with different basal frictions and measured the thickness, slope and length of the wedges and also the fault spacings. All the microbeads experiments revealed wedge geometries that were consistent with previous studies that have been performed with sand. However, the deformation features in the microbeads shortened over low to intermediate basal frictions were slightly different. Microbeads produced different fault geometries than sand as well as a different grain flow. In addition, they produced slip on minor faults, which was associated with distributed deformation and gave the microbeads wedges the appearance of disharmonic folds. We concluded that the glass microbeads may be used to simulate relatively competent rocks, like carbonates, which may be characterized by small-scale deformation features.

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Experimental modelling of orogenic wedges: A review

Cited by 275 publications

References 314 publications

On the complexity of surface ruptures during normal faulting earthquakes: excerpts from the 6 April 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake (<i>M</i><sub>w</sub> 6.3)

On the complexity of surface ruptures during normal faulting earthquakes: excerpts from the 6 April 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake (<i>M</i><sub>w</sub> 6.3)

How the presence of a salt décollement in the sedimentary cover influences the behavior of subsalt thrusts in fold-and-thrust belts

Glass Microbeads in Analog Models of Thrust Wedges

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Experimental modelling of orogenic wedges: A review

Cited by 275 publications

References 314 publications

On the complexity of surface ruptures during normal faulting earthquakes: excerpts from the 6 April 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake (&lt;i&gt;M&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;w&lt;/sub&gt; 6.3)

On the complexity of surface ruptures during normal faulting earthquakes: excerpts from the 6 April 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake (&lt;i&gt;M&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;w&lt;/sub&gt; 6.3)

How the presence of a salt décollement in the sedimentary cover influences the behavior of subsalt thrusts in fold-and-thrust belts

Glass Microbeads in Analog Models of Thrust Wedges

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Product

Resources

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On the complexity of surface ruptures during normal faulting earthquakes: excerpts from the 6 April 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake (<i>M</i><sub>w</sub> 6.3)

On the complexity of surface ruptures during normal faulting earthquakes: excerpts from the 6 April 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake (<i>M</i><sub>w</sub> 6.3)