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Géosciences Azur, Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, 250 rue A. Einstein, 06560 Valbonne, France wibbs{at}geoazur.unice.fr
This paper examines how crystalline basement thrust sheets can detach in foreland thrust belts, in terms of the deformation mechanisms and rheological evolution of the detachment fault zones. Basement thrust fault zones of the Moine Thrust Belt and the external Western Alps show relatively narrow thrust zones considering the large displacements accommodated. Microscopic examination of fault rocks from these high strain thrust zones show that syntectonic alteration of fractured feldspars to white mica of strong preferred orientation generated ultramylonites deforming by diffusion creep and other viscous deformation mechanisms, similar to documented basement thrust zones in North America. Motivated by these observations coupled with other published examinations of foreland basement thrust zones, and recent developments in crustal hydrology, a conceptual model is proposed to explain basement detachment formation and evolution. Meteoric fluid that percolated into a previously fractured upper crust is drawn into developing fault zones by dilatancy pumping during the early stages of thrust-related deformation. The generation of cataclastic fault rocks with fresh fracture surfaces by microfracturing enhances the rate of fluid-rock interaction. Syntectonic alteration causes a deformation-mechanism transition to phyllosilicate-dominated ductile fault-rock rheologies, resulting in a large ductility contrast between host rock and fault zone that inhibits growth of the zone into the wall rock and weakens the thrust. Deformation becomes focused into these weakened early thrust zones so that they become zones of high strain, preventing the development of other newer fault zones elsewhere. This model explains the detachment and continued sliding of basement thrust sheets on narrow mica-rich zones of high strain in foreland thrust belts, and suggests that reaction weakening of the basement is important in decreasing the strength of the foreland crust in orogenic wedge evolution.
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