Role of strike-slip faulting in the tectonic evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula

• Published in: Journal of the Geological Society
• Main Authors: Storey, B.C., Nell, P.A.R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Geological Society of London 1988
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/521819/; https://doi.org/10.1144/gsjgs.145.2.0333

The Antarctic Peninsula Mesozoic magmatic arc has had a long history of dextral, strike-slip deformation. The deformation was initially associated with the development of a wide accretionary complex, by the migration of fore-arc slivers, and the formation and inversion of a thick fore-arc basin succession. It also formed an important component within major shear zones in the arc, and may have controlled the formation of sedimentary basins in the back-arc region. Although some transcurrent motion within the fore-arc region was related to a component of oblique subduction, the main movement occurred during the breakup of Gondwanaland and the formation of a major transtensional rift system. A new reconstruction for this part of Gondwanaland is presented taking this transcurrent motion into consideration.