TY - CHAP

T1 - Glacially Induced Faults in Germany

AU - Müller, Katharina

AU - Winsemann, Jutta

AU - Tanner, David C.

AU - Lege, Thomas

AU - Spies, Thomas

AU - Brandes, Christian

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Cambridge University Press 2022.

PY - 2021/1/1

Y1 - 2021/1/1

N2 - Germany is a geologically diverse, intraplate setting affected by several tectonic phases, which caused a complex fault pattern. Despite the intraplate setting, significant palaeo-, historical and recent seismicity has been observed on many faults, especially in three zones of crustal weakness: the Rhine Rift Valley, the Swabian Alp, and eastern Thuringia/western Saxony. Recent studies have shown that the low seismicity of northern Germany is characterized by fault activity caused by the decay of the Late Pleistocene (Weichselian) ice sheet. Several faults and fault systems show evidence of neotectonic activity, such as the Aller Valley Fault System, Halle Fault System, Harz Boundary Fault, Steinhuder Meer Fault and Osning Thrust, all of which are oriented parallel to the margin of the Pleistocene ice sheets. The timing of fault movements implies that seismicity in northern Germany is likely induced by varying lithospheric stress conditions related to glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), and faults can be thus classified as glacially induced faults (GIFs). For the Osning Thrust, the Harz Boundary Fault and the Schaabe Fault, this is supported by numerical simulation of GIA-related stress field changes. GIA processes are also a likely driver for the historical and parts of the recent fault activity. The southern extent of GIA-induced fault reactivations caused by the decay of the Fennoscandian ice sheet is not clear. Modelling results imply the influence of GIA reached up to 230 km south of the former Weichselian ice sheet. GIA processes are also described for the Alps, but it is difficult to clearly distinguish between reactivation of faults in the foreland of the Alps due to the Alpine collision and GIA processes.

AB - Germany is a geologically diverse, intraplate setting affected by several tectonic phases, which caused a complex fault pattern. Despite the intraplate setting, significant palaeo-, historical and recent seismicity has been observed on many faults, especially in three zones of crustal weakness: the Rhine Rift Valley, the Swabian Alp, and eastern Thuringia/western Saxony. Recent studies have shown that the low seismicity of northern Germany is characterized by fault activity caused by the decay of the Late Pleistocene (Weichselian) ice sheet. Several faults and fault systems show evidence of neotectonic activity, such as the Aller Valley Fault System, Halle Fault System, Harz Boundary Fault, Steinhuder Meer Fault and Osning Thrust, all of which are oriented parallel to the margin of the Pleistocene ice sheets. The timing of fault movements implies that seismicity in northern Germany is likely induced by varying lithospheric stress conditions related to glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), and faults can be thus classified as glacially induced faults (GIFs). For the Osning Thrust, the Harz Boundary Fault and the Schaabe Fault, this is supported by numerical simulation of GIA-related stress field changes. GIA processes are also a likely driver for the historical and parts of the recent fault activity. The southern extent of GIA-induced fault reactivations caused by the decay of the Fennoscandian ice sheet is not clear. Modelling results imply the influence of GIA reached up to 230 km south of the former Weichselian ice sheet. GIA processes are also described for the Alps, but it is difficult to clearly distinguish between reactivation of faults in the foreland of the Alps due to the Alpine collision and GIA processes.

KW - Central European Basin System

KW - Forebulge

KW - Germany

KW - Glacial Isostatic Adjustment

KW - Harz Boundary Fault

KW - Neotectonics

KW - Osning Thrust

KW - Schaabe Fault

KW - Seismicity

KW - Soft-Sediment Deformation Structures

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85185204537&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/9781108779906.021

DO - 10.1017/9781108779906.021

M3 - Contribution to book/anthology

AN - SCOPUS:85185204537

SN - 9781108490023

SP - 283

EP - 303

BT - Glacially-Triggered Faulting

PB - Cambridge University Press

ER -