TY - GEN A1 - Schuck, Bernhard A1 - Schleicher, Anja Maria A1 - Janssen, Christoph A1 - Toy, Virginia G. A1 - Dresen, Georg T1 - Fault zone architecture of a large plate-bounding strike-slip fault BT - A case study from the Alpine Fault, New Zealand T2 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - New Zealand's Alpine Fault is a large, platebounding strike-slip fault, which ruptures in large (M-w > 8) earthquakes. We conducted field and laboratory analyses of fault rocks to assess its fault zone architecture. Results reveal that the Alpine Fault Zone has a complex geometry, comprising an anastomosing network of multiple slip planes that have accommodated different amounts of displacement. This contrasts with the previous perception of the Alpine Fault Zone, which assumes a single principal slip zone accommodated all displacement. This interpretation is supported by results of drilling projects and geophysical investigations. Furthermore, observations presented here show that the young, largely unconsolidated sediments that constitute the footwall at shallow depths have a significant influence on fault gouge rheological properties and structure. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1428 KW - san andreas fault KW - thickness-displacement relationships KW - central south island KW - Ion-Beam (FIB) KW - internal structure KW - hanging wall KW - Fluid Flow KW - frictional properties KW - weakening mechanisms KW - strain localization Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-512441 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schuck, Bernhard A1 - Schleicher, Anja Maria A1 - Janssen, Christoph A1 - Toy, Virginia G. A1 - Dresen, Georg T1 - Fault zone architecture of a large plate-bounding strike-slip fault BT - A case study from the Alpine Fault, New Zealand JF - Solid Earth N2 - New Zealand's Alpine Fault is a large, platebounding strike-slip fault, which ruptures in large (M-w > 8) earthquakes. We conducted field and laboratory analyses of fault rocks to assess its fault zone architecture. Results reveal that the Alpine Fault Zone has a complex geometry, comprising an anastomosing network of multiple slip planes that have accommodated different amounts of displacement. This contrasts with the previous perception of the Alpine Fault Zone, which assumes a single principal slip zone accommodated all displacement. This interpretation is supported by results of drilling projects and geophysical investigations. Furthermore, observations presented here show that the young, largely unconsolidated sediments that constitute the footwall at shallow depths have a significant influence on fault gouge rheological properties and structure. KW - san andreas fault KW - thickness-displacement relationships KW - central south island KW - Ion-Beam (FIB) KW - internal structure KW - hanging wall KW - Fluid Flow KW - frictional properties KW - weakening mechanisms KW - strain localization Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-95-2020 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 11 IS - 1 SP - 95 EP - 124 PB - Copernicus Publications CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schuck, Bernhard A1 - Janssen, C. A1 - Schleicher, Anja Maria A1 - Toy, Virginia G. A1 - Dresen, Georg T1 - Microstructures imply cataclasis and authigenic mineral formation JF - Journal of structural geology N2 - The Alpine Fault is capable of generating large (MW > 8) earthquakes and is the main geohazard on South Island, NZ, and late in its 250–291-year seismic cycle. To minimize its hazard potential, it is indispensable to identify and understand the processes influencing the geomechanical behavior and strength-evolution of the fault. High-resolution microstructural, mineralogical and geochemical analyses of the Alpine Fault's core demonstrate wall rock fragmentation, assisted by mineral dissolution, and cementation resulting in the formation of a fine-grained principal slip zone (PSZ). A complex network of anastomosing and mutually cross-cutting calcite veins implies that faulting occurred during episodes of dilation, slip and sealing. Fluid-assisted dilatancy leads to a significant volume increase accommodated by vein formation in the fault core. Undeformed euhedral chlorite crystals and calcite veins that have cut footwall gravels demonstrate that these processes occurred very close to the Earth's surface. Microstructural evidence indicates that cataclastic processes dominate the deformation and we suggest that powder lubrication and grain rolling, particularly influenced by abundant nanoparticles, play a key role in the fault core's velocity-weakening behavior rather than frictional sliding. This is further supported by the absence of smectite, which is reasonable given recently measured geothermal gradients of more than 120 °C km−1 and the impermeable nature of the PSZ, which both limit the growth of this phase and restrict its stability to shallow depths. Our observations demonstrate that high-temperature fluids can influence authigenic mineral formation and thus control the fault's geomechanical behavior and the cyclic evolution of its strength. KW - Alpine Fault KW - Fluid-rock interaction KW - Fault-rock microstructures KW - Fault healing KW - Authigenic mineral formation KW - Brittle deformation Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2018.03.001 SN - 0191-8141 VL - 110 SP - 172 EP - 186 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER -