Controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces
While oceanic detachment faults have been proposed to account for the accretion of ∼40% of new seafloor in the North Atlantic ocean, clear exposures of large-offset, often-corrugated fault surfaces remain scarce and spatially limited. To help resolve this paradox, we examine the conditions under whi...
Published in: | Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.001 https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/85190.pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/ |
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:10670/1.918brj 2023-05-15T17:33:47+02:00 Controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces Olive, Jean-arthur Parnell-turner, Ross Escartín, Javier Smith, Deborah K. Petersen, Sven https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.001 https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/85190.pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/ en eng Elsevier BV doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.001 10670/1.918brj https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/85190.pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/ other Archimer, archive institutionnelle de l'Ifremer Earth And Planetary Science Letters (0012-821X) (Elsevier BV), 2019-01 , Vol. 506 , P. 381-387 geo envir Text https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_18cf/ fttriple https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.001 2023-01-22T17:06:30Z While oceanic detachment faults have been proposed to account for the accretion of ∼40% of new seafloor in the North Atlantic ocean, clear exposures of large-offset, often-corrugated fault surfaces remain scarce and spatially limited. To help resolve this paradox, we examine the conditions under which detachment fault growth may or may not lead to extensive exposure of corrugated fault planes at the seafloor. Using high-resolution bathymetry from four detachment faults at the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, we investigate the rafting of hanging wall-derived debris over emerging fault scarps, which can lead to covering shallow-dipping corrugated fault surfaces. We model this process using critical taper theory, and infer low effective friction coefficients (∼0.2) on the shallowest portion of detachment faults. A corollary to this result is that detachments emerging from the seafloor at angles <13° are more likely to become blanketed under an apron of hanging wall material. We generalize these findings as a simple model for the progressive exposure and flexural rotation of detachment footwalls, which accounts for the continued action of seafloor-shaping processes. Our model suggests that many moderate-offset, hidden detachment faults may exist along slow mid-ocean ridges, and do not feature an exposed fault surface. Text North Atlantic Unknown Mid-Atlantic Ridge Earth and Planetary Science Letters 506 381 387 |
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English |
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geo envir Olive, Jean-arthur Parnell-turner, Ross Escartín, Javier Smith, Deborah K. Petersen, Sven Controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces |
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geo envir |
description |
While oceanic detachment faults have been proposed to account for the accretion of ∼40% of new seafloor in the North Atlantic ocean, clear exposures of large-offset, often-corrugated fault surfaces remain scarce and spatially limited. To help resolve this paradox, we examine the conditions under which detachment fault growth may or may not lead to extensive exposure of corrugated fault planes at the seafloor. Using high-resolution bathymetry from four detachment faults at the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, we investigate the rafting of hanging wall-derived debris over emerging fault scarps, which can lead to covering shallow-dipping corrugated fault surfaces. We model this process using critical taper theory, and infer low effective friction coefficients (∼0.2) on the shallowest portion of detachment faults. A corollary to this result is that detachments emerging from the seafloor at angles <13° are more likely to become blanketed under an apron of hanging wall material. We generalize these findings as a simple model for the progressive exposure and flexural rotation of detachment footwalls, which accounts for the continued action of seafloor-shaping processes. Our model suggests that many moderate-offset, hidden detachment faults may exist along slow mid-ocean ridges, and do not feature an exposed fault surface. |
format |
Text |
author |
Olive, Jean-arthur Parnell-turner, Ross Escartín, Javier Smith, Deborah K. Petersen, Sven |
author_facet |
Olive, Jean-arthur Parnell-turner, Ross Escartín, Javier Smith, Deborah K. Petersen, Sven |
author_sort |
Olive, Jean-arthur |
title |
Controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces |
title_short |
Controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces |
title_full |
Controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces |
title_fullStr |
Controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces |
title_full_unstemmed |
Controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces |
title_sort |
controls on the seafloor exposure of detachment fault surfaces |
publisher |
Elsevier BV |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.001 https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/85190.pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/ |
geographic |
Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
geographic_facet |
Mid-Atlantic Ridge |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
Archimer, archive institutionnelle de l'Ifremer Earth And Planetary Science Letters (0012-821X) (Elsevier BV), 2019-01 , Vol. 506 , P. 381-387 |
op_relation |
doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.001 10670/1.918brj https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/85190.pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00469/58106/ |
op_rights |
other |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.001 |
container_title |
Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
container_volume |
506 |
container_start_page |
381 |
op_container_end_page |
387 |
_version_ |
1766132390350028800 |