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Foreland-directed gravitational collapse along curved thrust fronts: insights from a minor thrust-related shear zone in the Umbria–Marche belt, central-northern Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2016

PAOLO PACE Open the ORCID record for PAOLO PACE [Opens in a new window] ,
VALERIA PASQUI ,
ENRICO TAVARNELLI  and
FERNANDO CALAMITA
PAOLO PACE*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Geologia, Università degli Studi “G. D'Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, 66013 Chieti Scalo (CH), Italy
VALERIA PASQUI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy
ENRICO TAVARNELLI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100 Siena, Italy
FERNANDO CALAMITA
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Geologia, Università degli Studi “G. D'Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 31, 66013 Chieti Scalo (CH), Italy
*
†Author for correspondence: p.pace@unich.it
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Abstract

Gravitational collapse occurs during the mature evolution of orogenic belts, but its signature is difficult to discriminate in macroscopic structures from that of pre-, syn- or late-/post-orogenic extension, so reliable mesoscopic examples are particularly useful. A composite fabric developed along a lateral thrust ramp in the Apennines reveals mesoscopic normal faults that truncate the thrust surface, overprint the S-fabric and merge downwards in a foreland-directed splay, leaving the thrust footwall undeformed. These relationships indicate syn-/late-thrusting extension, which we interpret as induced by hanging-wall gravitational collapse. Our study provides critical constraints for reconstructing the kinematic evolution of collapsing thrust fronts.

Keywords

composite thrust shear zonesfolded S-fabricsyn-/late-thrusting normal faultingforeland-directed gravitational collapsecentral-northern Apennines

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Type
Rapid Communication
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 154 , Issue 2 , March 2017 , pp. 381 - 392
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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