Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | B08406 |
| Journal | Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth |
| Volume | 114 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2009 |
Abstract
Changes in the volumes of ice caps considerably alter the stress state of the lithosphere by generating a transient signal that is added to the tectonic background stress field. These stress field changes, in turn, affect crustal deformation and in particular the slip behavior of existing faults. Here we use three-dimensional finite element models to investigate how arrays of normal and thrust faults near a growing and subsequently melting ice cap are influenced in their slip evolution. The results show that regardless of fault dip, both types of faults experience a decrease in their slip rate during ice cap advance and an increase in their slip rate during ice cap retreat if they are located beneath the ice cap. In contrast, faults outside the ice cap that are loaded on their footwall or hanging wall only show the opposite pattern: their slip rate increases during glacial loading and decreases during subsequent unloading. If the load is located along strike of the fault; that is, at one of its tips, the slip behavior of normal and thrust faults is different: The normal fault shows a slip rate increase during unloading, the thrust fault during loading. Our results explain the location and timing of deglaciation-induced paleoearthquakes in Scandinavia and the contrasting slip histories reported from normal faults in the Basin and Range Province, which are located at different positions relative to the former Yellowstone ice cap. More generally, our findings imply that a uniform slip behavior of faults in formerly glaciated regions should not be expected.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Geophysics
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Geochemistry and Petrology
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
- Space and Planetary Science
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 114, No. 8, B08406, 01.08.2009.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Three-dimensional numerical modeling of slip rate variations on normal and thrust fault arrays during ice cap growth and melting
AU - Hampel, Andrea
AU - Hetzel, Ralf
AU - Maniatis, Georgios
AU - Karow, Tobias
PY - 2009/8/1
Y1 - 2009/8/1
N2 - Changes in the volumes of ice caps considerably alter the stress state of the lithosphere by generating a transient signal that is added to the tectonic background stress field. These stress field changes, in turn, affect crustal deformation and in particular the slip behavior of existing faults. Here we use three-dimensional finite element models to investigate how arrays of normal and thrust faults near a growing and subsequently melting ice cap are influenced in their slip evolution. The results show that regardless of fault dip, both types of faults experience a decrease in their slip rate during ice cap advance and an increase in their slip rate during ice cap retreat if they are located beneath the ice cap. In contrast, faults outside the ice cap that are loaded on their footwall or hanging wall only show the opposite pattern: their slip rate increases during glacial loading and decreases during subsequent unloading. If the load is located along strike of the fault; that is, at one of its tips, the slip behavior of normal and thrust faults is different: The normal fault shows a slip rate increase during unloading, the thrust fault during loading. Our results explain the location and timing of deglaciation-induced paleoearthquakes in Scandinavia and the contrasting slip histories reported from normal faults in the Basin and Range Province, which are located at different positions relative to the former Yellowstone ice cap. More generally, our findings imply that a uniform slip behavior of faults in formerly glaciated regions should not be expected.
AB - Changes in the volumes of ice caps considerably alter the stress state of the lithosphere by generating a transient signal that is added to the tectonic background stress field. These stress field changes, in turn, affect crustal deformation and in particular the slip behavior of existing faults. Here we use three-dimensional finite element models to investigate how arrays of normal and thrust faults near a growing and subsequently melting ice cap are influenced in their slip evolution. The results show that regardless of fault dip, both types of faults experience a decrease in their slip rate during ice cap advance and an increase in their slip rate during ice cap retreat if they are located beneath the ice cap. In contrast, faults outside the ice cap that are loaded on their footwall or hanging wall only show the opposite pattern: their slip rate increases during glacial loading and decreases during subsequent unloading. If the load is located along strike of the fault; that is, at one of its tips, the slip behavior of normal and thrust faults is different: The normal fault shows a slip rate increase during unloading, the thrust fault during loading. Our results explain the location and timing of deglaciation-induced paleoearthquakes in Scandinavia and the contrasting slip histories reported from normal faults in the Basin and Range Province, which are located at different positions relative to the former Yellowstone ice cap. More generally, our findings imply that a uniform slip behavior of faults in formerly glaciated regions should not be expected.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=72749086058&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1029/2008JB006113
DO - 10.1029/2008JB006113
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:72749086058
VL - 114
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
SN - 2169-9313
IS - 8
M1 - B08406
ER -