Tectonics and Structural Geology

TS Must Read – 3D seismic analysis of the structure and evolution of a salt-influenced normal fault zone: a test of competing fault growth models, Jackson & Rotevatn (2013)

The Must-read team September 23, 2024

In this Must Read paper “3D seismic analysis of the structure and evolution of a salt-influenced normal fault zone: a test of competing fault growth models (2013)”, by Christopher A-L. Jackson and Atle Rotevatn used detailed 3D seismic reflection data from the Suez Rift, Egypt, to gain a better understanding of the structural evolution of normal faults. Specifically, the paper shows th ...[Read More]

TS Must-Read – Peron-Pinvidic et al. (2013) Structural comparison of archetypal Atlantic rifted margins: A review of observations and concepts

The Must-read team August 2, 2024

Rifted margins are regions at the transition from oceanic to continental crust, formed by the stretching and thinning of the Earth’s lithosphere before the creation of new ocean basins. The study focused on three key transects across Atlantic rifted margins. In their 2013 article in Marine and Petroleum Geology, Peron-Pinvidic et al. present a comparative analysis of the architecture of vari ...[Read More]

TS Must-Read – Wang et al. (2012) Deformation cycles of subduction earthquakes in a viscoelastic Earth

The Must-read team May 13, 2024

Large subduction earthquakes cause perturbation of the subduction system, whose response depends on its rheological characteristics. The evolution of the subduction system from earthquake to earthquake is defined as subduction earthquake cycle (SEC), and is characterised by three main processes that operate over decades/centuries: postseismic afterslip, viscoelastic mantle relaxation, and fault re ...[Read More]

TS Must-Read – Mancktelow (2008): Tectonic pressure: Theoretical concepts and modelled examples

The Must-read team February 15, 2024

Neil Mancktelow published this Must-Read paper on the concept of “tectonic pressure” in 2008. The paper reviews previous work and theoretical concepts published on this fundamental topic. Additionally, numerical models that estimate the magnitude of tectonic pressure variations are presented for several realistic natural structures, such as folds, boudins, and inclusions. The premise of tectonic p ...[Read More]

TS Must-Read – Bürgmann and Dresen (2008): Rheology of the Lower Crust and Upper Mantle: Evidence from Rock Mechanics, Geodesy and Field Observations

The Must-read team February 2, 2024

In 2008 Roland Bürgmann and Georg Dresen published their Must-Read paper on the rheology of the lower crust and upper mantle, based on findings from the lab, the field and space. As stated in the introduction, “rheology is the study of the flow and deformation of all forms of matter,” and as such the rheology of the Earth’s lower crust and upper mantle is closely linked to the evolution and deform ...[Read More]

TS Must-Read – Hudec and Jackson (2007) Terra infirma: Understanding salt tectonics

The Must-read team January 19, 2024

The TS Must-Read paper by Hudec and Jackson (2007) provides a combination of analogue models and natural cases to describe, in a review paper, salt flow mechanisms, diapir growth, and the ways these processes interact with regional deformation, in compression and extensional tectonics. Salt is mechanically weak and can flow like a fluid under gravitation, displacement, and thermal lo ...[Read More]

TS Must-Read – Bond et al. (2007) What do you think this is? “Conceptual uncertainty” in geoscience interpretation

The Must-read team December 1, 2023

The Must-Read paper by Bond et al. (2007) is a truly original piece of work, focusing on the conceptual uncertainty that occurs when earth scientists carry out a geological interpretation on data with limited resolution and/or spatial coverage. In this example it is about an interpretation of seismic reflection data (Fig. 1), but it can be applied to other situations as well. Conceptual uncertaint ...[Read More]

TS Must-Read – Cannat et al. (2006) Modes of seafloor generation at a melt-poor ultraslow-spreading ridge

The Must-read team January 18, 2023

For the first time in 2006 Cannat and co-workers described a smooth seafloor type in the mid-ocean ridge located in the SW Indian Ocean (SWIR). The 660-km-long off-axis bathymetry, gravity, and magnetic dataset presented in the study lies near the Rodrigues triple junction (RTJ in Fig. 1). The must read paper expanded the previous conceptual models that considered mid ocean ridges as primarily vol ...[Read More]

TS Must Read – Spatio-temporal evolution of strain accumulation derived from multi-scale observations of Late Jurassic rifting in the northern North Sea: A critical test of models for lithospheric extension, Cowie et al. (2005)

The Must-read team August 24, 2022

Cowie et al. (2005) is an exciting “must-read” for any geologist interested in rift systems. It examines strain accumulation and extension within a rift basin and scrutinizes model predictions with field observations. The authors highlight two sets of models, the first set of models uses brittle deformation to explain extension (e.g., King et al., 1988; Kusznir et al., 1991; Ter Voorde et al., 199 ...[Read More]

TS Must read – Wortel and Spakman (2000), Subduction and slab detachment in the Mediterranean-Carpathian region

The Must-read team August 19, 2022

The must read paper Wortel & Spakman (2000) uses seismic tomography models showing the three-dimensional upper mantle velocity structure of the Mediterranean-Carpathian region to hypothesize lithospheric processes related to slab detachment, and particularly, the lateral migration of the detachment along plate boundaries (Fig. 1). The paper defends that this process is a key control in the lit ...[Read More]