Journal of Structural Geology最新文献

{"title":"The role of inherited structural anisotropies during co-seismic surface faulting: The Pescopagano fault case study (Irpinia seismogenic area, Southern Italy)","authors":"Luigi Ferranti ,&nbsp;Francesco Iezzi ,&nbsp;Alberto Bacchiani ,&nbsp;Francesco Pavano ,&nbsp;Daniele Bellini ,&nbsp;Alessandro Citterio ,&nbsp;Roberto Calabrò ,&nbsp;Claudio Pasqua","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105267","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105267","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Co-seismic failure can occur on newly formed or on inherited structures. However, understanding their surface pattern is challenging when pre-existing structural anisotropies control rupture propagation. We focus here on the Pescopagano Fault (PF), considered part of the extensional fault system that ruptured during the 1980, Mw 6.9 earthquake in Southern Italy. Although the mainshock fault (Irpinia Fault) produced ∼ 40 km of NW-SE trending ground ruptures, these were not observed on a buried antithetic fault located to the northeast of the main fault and defined solely by seismological data. The PF studied here is part of an exposed fault array that spatially coincides with the trace of the antithetic fault. To better assess existing seismotectonic models for the Irpinia fault system, we investigated: i) whether ground ruptures occurred on the PF during past earthquakes, and ii) to what degree surface and deep faults are linked. Paleo-seismological trenches document that the PF has not released surface-rupturing earthquakes during the last ∼13–20 ka. Structural data suggest that the PF developed to accommodate the relaxation of a Pliocene thrust-fold system after the demise of thrusting. Results of this work highlight that the PF may be an inherited Pliocene or Early Pleistocene structure that does not reach the ∼10–15 km seismogenic depth typical of this region. In this scenario, the upward propagation of the antithetic fault from seismogenic depths towards the surface during a 1980-type earthquake may be impeded by a mélange layer developed during the growth of the Southern Apennines thrust belt and interposed between the deep antithetic fault and the upper crustal faults. We cannot exclude, however, that the PF may be activated during very large but infrequent and non-characteristic earthquakes on the Irpinia fault system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105267"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142419408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The goodness-of-fit of models for fracture trace length distribution: Does the power law provide a good fit?","authors":"J. Kim ,&nbsp;J. Choi ,&nbsp;S. Mehrishal ,&nbsp;J.-J. Song","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fracture trace length distributions are often assumed to follow a power law, which implies that the distribution is scale-independent. The present study tests this assumption by evaluating the goodness-of-fit of three statistical models—the power law, piecewise power law, and lognormal distribution—upon a dataset of 57 trace maps that cover a range of fracture modes, host rock types, network scales, and topologies. The goodness-of-fit was assessed through the unbiased Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test, which accounts for the fitting procedure and the degrees of freedom of each model. The results show that the power law provides a poor fit to trace length distributions, being rejected in 24 trace maps at a significance level of 0.05. In contrast, the piecewise power law and lognormal distribution demonstrated better fits across the fracture networks, with the piecewise power law performing the best overall. The poor fit of the power law can be attributed to mechanical and chemical controls on fracture growth, mainly fracture abutment, as well as stress shadowing and cementation, which affect growth rate at different length scales and result in scale-dependent trace length distributions. The consistent poor fit of the power law across various fracture networks suggests that these controls are prevalent in natural systems. While the power law remains a simple and effective model for trace length distribution, it should be recognized that it overlooks such controls that can influence the mechanical and hydraulic properties of fracture networks. Meanwhile, the fit of the piecewise power-law suggests the existence of a characteristic length where a transition in fracture growth occurs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105270"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142419274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Control of crustal deformation on orogenic Au mineralization in Himalaya: A case study from Buzhu","authors":"Chaoyi Dong ,&nbsp;Qingfei Wang ,&nbsp;Daniel D. Gregory ,&nbsp;Huajian Li ,&nbsp;Weijun Weng ,&nbsp;Lin Yang ,&nbsp;Jun Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Buzhu Au deposit in the Himalaya orogen, experiencing Cenozoic uplift of the Himalaya, provides a window to study the control of crustal deformation on Au mineralization. The Au mineralization is characterized by quartz veins controlled by an extensional fault system, comprising W- to WNW-trending shear zones/faults and superposed NNE- to N-trending normal faults. The vein system experienced three deformation stages, stages I and II occurred in shear zones, and stage III developed in normal faults. The deformation comprises hydraulic brecciation in stage I and crack-sealing processes during stage II shear deformation in the brittle-ductile transition, followed by matrix-supported breccias progressively crosscut by veins in newly-formed normal faults in stage <span>III</span>. Stages I and II contain invisible-Au-dominated sulfides, while native Au and pyrrhotite formed in stage III.</div><div>Blocky quartz with oscillatory and sector zoning patterns implies fluid pressure build-up processes in stage I. Pyrite displays coupled Au-As variation, high Au contents (&lt;19 ppm), and restricted δ³⁴S values (−3.6 to −2.4‰), supporting that fluid-rock reaction was responsible for Au precipitation. Elongated quartz of stage II displays contrasting bright and dark cathodoluminescence bands with corresponding high and low Al-Li concentrations, indicating fluctuating fluid pressure. Pyrite shows a negative correlation between Au (&lt;45 ppm) and δ³⁴S values (5.4–1.7‰, from cores to rims), consistent with fluid oxidation associated with a fluid pressure drop. Minor late quartz in open spaces transected earlier quartz, implying the hydrothermal system dropped to near-hydrostatic conditions. The partial replacement textures of pyrite and arsenopyrite from stage III, with varied δ³⁴S values (5.9–9.3‰), and the existence of micro-inclusions and visible Au along the contact, suggest a fluid-mediated dissolution-reprecipitation process. Thus, it is demonstrated that mineralization occurred as the hydrothermal system transitioned from the relatively ductile to brittle domain, with varying Au precipitation mechanisms. This study further summarizes the similarities of Au mineralizing systems in young collisional orogens worldwide, particularly with respect to relationships between structural-hydrothermal system and rapid uplift.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105269"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142419407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interrogating an along-strike variation in the evolution and rheology of a large continental strike-slip fault zone","authors":"W.A. Sullivan","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Along-strike variations in lithology, temperature, fluid activity, etc. can induce rheological changes in strike-slip faults that may be recorded by different fault rocks and fabrics. This article interrogates localized formation of granite-derived mylonite in a large strike-slip fault zone in which ultramylonite is the principle granite-derived fault rock to better understand this rock record of faulting. Microtextures show that rate-limiting deformation mechanisms in mylonite were dislocation creep in quartz and diffusion creep in very-fine-grained feldspar aggregates. Microtextures also show that mylonite formation is fully compatible with continuous viscous deformation whereas coeval ultramylonite along strike formed after whole-rock cataclasis at the brittle-viscous transition. Differential stresses determined from quartz aggregates in ultramylonites are 40–150% greater than stresses in mylonites. Hence, mylonites represent a local weak sector within this otherwise relatively strong fault zone. Mylonite formation is correlated with syndeformational chemical alteration as well as quartz microstructures and mineral assemblages indicating elevated deformation temperatures. Not all mylonite samples record significant chemical alteration. Therefore, mylonite formation likely records locally elevated temperatures. These results illustrate how a local shift in deformation conditions can affect the evolution and rheology of a large strike-slip fault zone, and how fault rocks record these processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105268"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142326731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Normal fault architecture, evolution, and deformation mechanisms in basalts, Húsavik, Iceland: Impact on fluid flow in geothermal reservoirs and seismicity","authors":"Luca Smeraglia ,&nbsp;Andrea Billi ,&nbsp;Eugenio Carminati ,&nbsp;Luca Aldega ,&nbsp;Alasdair Skelton ,&nbsp;Gabrielle Stockmann ,&nbsp;Erik Sturkell","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Faults within layered basaltic sequences significantly influence hydrothermal fluid flow in shallow geothermal reservoirs and potentially during CO₂ sequestration and storage. Nevertheless, their characterization regarding fault zone architecture, fluid flow, deformation mechanisms, and seismic potential remains underdeveloped. This study addresses this gap by integrating structural and microstructural observations with X-ray diffraction analyses of exposed normal-transtensional faults associated with the seismically active Húsavík-Flatey Fault in the Tjörnes Fracture Zone, Northern Iceland. Our findings demonstrate that the evolution of basalt-hosted normal-transtensional faults progresses through distinct stages: (1) low-displacement fault propagation from pre-existing cooling joints; (2) fault linkage via dilational jogs; (3) damage zone/fault core growth through brecciation and cataclastic processes; (4) shear localization along sharp slip surfaces; and (5) smearing of volcaniclastic interbeds along the principal fault plane. Evidence of shear localization, truncated clasts, and hydrothermal breccias/veins suggests repeated seismic slip events facilitated by overpressured fluids. Conversely, the presence of clay-rich foliated cataclasite indicates aseismic slips during interseismic periods. Slip along fault jogs, bends, geometric irregularities, and orientation changes causes the dilatant opening of the fault planes and extensional horsetail fractures at fault tips. These structures create main tabular zones for lateral movement of hydrothermal fluids parallel to the fault strike in shallow geothermal reservoirs situated in active extensional-transtensional tectonic settings. In addition, the dilational jogs and the intersection of horsetail veins with the hosting faults may define linear zones of high structural permeability and intense localized fluid flow parallel to the σ2 paleostress orientation and finally mineral precipitation. The results of this study can be utilized to improve models of geothermal fluid flow for enhanced recovery in basaltic reservoirs and assess seismic risk in basaltic faults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105265"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142322763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Control by preexisting morphology on layer-bound faults in the southern Qiongdongnan Basin, NW South China Sea","authors":"Xiaodong Yang ,&nbsp;Yingci Feng ,&nbsp;Xiaochuan Wu ,&nbsp;Jiaxian Huang ,&nbsp;Christopher K. Morley","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105262","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105262","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The ideal development of layer-bound, polygonal faults occurs in an isotropic stress field. However, some populations of layer-bound faults appear to have originated as ‘polygonal’ faults, but display atypical plan-view fault geometries that suggest development under anisotropic stress conditions. High-resolution 2D/3D seismic data in the southern Qiongdongnan Basin displays three tiers of layer-bound faults with distinct strike variations and complex structural patterns that depart from the geometries of isotropic polygonal fault cells. The lower fault tier displays preferred orientations along E-W, NE-SW, NW-SE directions; the middle fault tier shows a primary E-W orientation and a secondary N-S trend; the shallow tier features strong N-S and E-W orientations. Fault patterns in map view include orthogonal, quasi-polygonal and circumferential geometries, among which the orthogonal pattern is dominant in the shallow fault tier. Several factors are inferred to cause these variable geometrical and structural patterns in layer-bound faults, they are: pre-existing tectonic faults, an uplifted region, local slopes, contourite depressions, and large contourite-related channels. The orthogonal fault patterns have longer E-W orientation parallel to the contourite channels and shorter N-S trends perpendicular to the thalwegs. The presence of submarine channels is suggested to locally deflect the stress orientation, which in turn impacts fault patterns.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105262"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142272919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Timing and characteristics of co-seismic surface ruptures in the Yadong rift, southern Tibet","authors":"Shiguang Wang ,&nbsp;Marie-Luce Chevalier ,&nbsp;Paul Tapponnier ,&nbsp;Haibing Li ,&nbsp;Wenjun Zheng ,&nbsp;Xulong Wang ,&nbsp;Kang Li ,&nbsp;Xiwei Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105264","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105264","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Yadong-Gulu rift (YGR) is the most prominent and seismically active of the seven main ∼ NS-trending rifts in southern Tibet. Although the morphology of the southern YGR clearly indicates it has witnessed large earthquakes in the past, and despite its significant late Quaternary throw rates of ∼1 mm/yr, no large historical or instrumental earthquakes have been reported, including in the southernmost Pagri half-graben, in contrast to the northern part of the rift which is highly seismically active. Here, geomorphic characteristics helped us constrain the timing of a paleoearthquake that produced surface ruptures along the Pagri half-graben, used to document its past activity and evaluate its seismic hazard. We demonstrate that the co-seismic surface ruptures extend for ∼65 km along the Yadong normal fault, with a maximum vertical displacement ranging from 2 to 4.0 ± 0.1 m. Based on empirical relationships between magnitude, surface rupture length, and fault displacement, we suggest that this event may correspond to a M_w6.9–7.2 earthquake. Combined with previous studies, our radiocarbon (¹⁴C) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) ages from three pits within the earthquake wedge across the surface ruptures constrain the paleoearthquake timing at 3470-2056 years BP. We suggest that the southern YGR currently has a high regional seismic hazard for a M_w6.8–7.1 earthquake, considering the significant throw rates and long timespan since the last strong event. Furthermore, we suggest that such different seismic activity and throw/extension rates between the southern and northern YGR may be explained by different upper crustal rheology behavior and mid-crustal structure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105264"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142319935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ground penetrating radar - based investigation of fracture stratigraphy and structural characterization in karstified carbonate rocks, Brazil","authors":"Vincenzo La Bruna ,&nbsp;Renata E.B. Araújo ,&nbsp;Juliana A.G. Lopes ,&nbsp;Luana S. Silva ,&nbsp;Walter E. Medeiros ,&nbsp;Fabrizio Balsamo ,&nbsp;Josibel G. Oliveira Jr. ,&nbsp;Flávio L. Santana ,&nbsp;Francisco H.R. Bezerra","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fracture stratigraphy study for a subsurface sedimentary rock sequence can be a challenging and demanding task. Typically, the data obtained from seismic and well-logs are heavily impacted by resolution issues and are difficult to interconnect. In this work, we document and extract fracture properties (orientation, density, intensity, etc.) from a layered carbonate sequence for fracture stratigraphy characterization. High-resolution subsurface Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data images, coupled with drone and previously documented well-log profiles, were analyzed to achieve the structural characterization task. The studied outcrop is localized in the Potiguar Basin (Brazil), where the Cretaceous Jandaíra Formation carbonates are exposed for hundreds of meters. The sequence is subdivided into an upper packstone/grainstone portion and a lower wackestone bed package. We documented the higher fracture intensity/density in the lower bed package portion, highlighting that depositional texture and intra-bed stylolites control the higher fracture distribution in the sequence. Finally, a 3D conceptual model describing the overall results is presented. This model summarizes and shows the innovative fracture stratigraphy method based on the GPR data analysis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105263"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142241467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of pre-existing structures on the Cenozoic rifting processes: Insights from seismic reflection imaging of the northeastern south China sea","authors":"Zongdong Pan ,&nbsp;Shaoping Lu ,&nbsp;Hongfang Gao ,&nbsp;Qing He ,&nbsp;Han Chen ,&nbsp;Xiao Ge","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The South China Sea (SCS) opened due to the extension of a compressional setting of the paleo-Pacific subduction. The pre-existing structure significantly influences the geometry of rift basins and the kinematic evolution of the rifting. However, structural evidence of the paleo-Pacific subduction in the northeastern SCS remains enigmatic. The deformation front, serving as the structural evidence of paleo-subduction, is associated with accretionary style deformation and would be reactivated during the subsequent extension phase. In this study, we use a multi-channel seismic profile to investigate the pre-existing structure related to the paleo-Pacific subduction in the northeastern SCS, emphasizing the influence of pre-existing structure on the rift evolution. The seismic profile reveals imbricate reflections in the lower crust. These reflections are interpreted as the deformation front of the Paleo-Pacific subduction. Notably, the deformation front is hyperextended in the Chaoshan Depression. The result of the stretching factors indicates that the ductile lower crust experienced preferential thinning during the rifting beneath the Chaoshan Depression. In the northern part of the profile, a transparent reflection zone was identified and interpreted as a magmatic arc related to Mesozoic subduction. One major achievement of our study is these seismic reflections provide the structural evidence for Paleo-Pacific subduction and reveal that the northeastern SCS has experienced crustal shortening and imbrication through a series of dipping thrusts. Subsequently, we discuss the role of pre-existing structures in lower crustal thinning and continental rifting. We propose the deformation front of the Mesozoic subduction, as a pre-existing weakness, facilitated the kinematic evolution of the rifting in the northeastern SCS during the Cenozoic.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105257"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142240818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intraplate active deformation: Lake Salt fault zone and source of the Obruk (Bor-Niğde) earthquakes, Cappadocia-central Anatolia, Türkiye","authors":"Ali Koçyiğit ,&nbsp;Uğur Doğan ,&nbsp;Şule Gürboğa ,&nbsp;Doğan Kalafat","doi":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105256","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105256","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Intraplate strike slip deformation structures play a crucial role in understanding how the earthquake are triggered, and respond to long-term deformation in plate interiors. One of the examples for intraplate structure is the Lake Salt Fault Zone (LSFZ) in Türkiye, located at the Central Anatolia region which has hosted a few moderate magnitude earthquakes. The LSFZ extends in NW-SE direction along the eastern border of the Lake Salt basin. In the western and central sections, it exhibits a rather linear trace, and it marks the west-northwestern boundary of the Cappadocian plateau. Along its strike, two big cities, namely, Aksaray and Niğde, and some significant eruption centers (the Hasan, Keçibuyduran and Melendiz Mountain stratovolcanoes) are located, and there is a 12 km right lateral offset. LSFZ has four main segments, namely, Karacaören, Keçikalesi, Obruk and Büyükkaraoğlan fault segments, and they have hosted two moderate-sized (Mw = 5.1 to 5.2) earthquakes (on September 20, 2020 and February 25, 2023) at the localities approximately 5 km ENE and SSW of Obruk Town (Niğde). Their focal mechanisms revealed that the LSFZ exhibits dominantly dextral strike-slip faulting with normal component. The vertical and horizontal displacement rates along the LSFZ are 0.14 mm/yr and 4.6 mm/yr, respectively. The recurrence interval of earthquakes of Mw ≥ 6.7 on the LSFZ is more than one thousand years, owing to the low slip rate. We propose that the LSFZ is in a seismic gap having potential to host a large earthquake.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Structural Geology","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 105256"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142228935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}