@phdthesis{Pons2023,
  author    = {Pons, Micha{\"e}l},
  title     = {The Nature of the tectonic shortening in Central Andes},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-60089},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-600892},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {160},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {The Andean Cordillera is a mountain range located at the western South American margin and is part of the Eastern- Circum-Pacific orogenic Belt. The ~7000 km long mountain range is one of the longest on Earth and hosts the second largest orogenic plateau in the world, the Altiplano-Puna plateau. The Andes are known as a non-collisional subduction-type orogen which developed as a result of the interaction between the subducted oceanic Nazca plate and the South American continental plate. The different Andean segments exhibit along-strike variations of morphotectonic provinces characterized by different elevations, volcanic activity, deformation styles, crustal thickness, shortening magnitude and oceanic plate geometry. Most of the present-day elevation can be explained by crustal shortening in the last ~50 Ma, with the shortening magnitude decreasing from ~300 km in the central (15°S-30°S) segment to less than half that in the southern part (30°S-40°S). Several factors were proposed that might control the magnitude and acceleration of shortening of the Central Andes in the last 15 Ma. One important factor is likely the slab geometry. At 27-33°S, the slab dips horizontally at ~100 km depth due to the subduction of the buoyant Juan Fernandez Ridge, forming the Pampean flat-slab. This horizontal subduction is thought to influence the thermo-mechanical state of the Sierras Pampeanas foreland, for instance, by strengthening the lithosphere and promoting the thick-skinned propagation of deformation to the east, resulting in the uplift of the Sierras Pampeanas basement blocks. The flat-slab has migrated southwards from the Altiplano latitude at ~30 Ma to its present-day position and the processes and consequences associated to its passage on the contemporaneous acceleration of the shortening rate in Central Andes remain unclear. Although the passage of the flat-slab could offer an explanation to the acceleration of the shortening, the timing does not explain the two pulses of shortening at about 15 Ma and 4 Ma that are suggested from geological observations. I hypothesize that deformation in the Central Andes is controlled by a complex interaction between the subduction dynamics of the Nazca plate and the dynamic strengthening and weakening of the South American plate due to several upper plate processes. To test this hypothesis, a detailed investigation into the role of the flat-slab, the structural inheritance of the continental plate, and the subduction dynamics in the Andes is needed. Therefore, I have built two classes of numerical thermo-mechanical models: (i) The first class of models are a series of generic E-W-oriented high-resolution 2D subduction models thatinclude flat subduction in order to investigate the role of the subduction dynamics on the temporal variability of the shortening rate in the Central Andes at Altiplano latitudes (~21°S). The shortening rate from the models was then validated with the observed tectonic shortening rate in the Central Andes. (ii) The second class of models are a series of 3D data-driven models of the present-day Pampean flat-slab configuration and the Sierras Pampeanas (26-42°S). The models aim to investigate the relative contribution of the present-day flat subduction and inherited structures in the continental lithosphere on the strain localization. Both model classes were built using the advanced finite element geodynamic code ASPECT. The first main finding of this work is to suggest that the temporal variability of shortening in the Central Andes is primarily controlled by the subduction dynamics of the Nazca plate while it penetrates into the mantle transition zone. These dynamics depends on the westward velocity of the South American plate that provides the main crustal shortening force to the Andes and forces the trench to retreat. When the subducting plate reaches the lower mantle, it buckles on it-self until the forced trench retreat causes the slab to steepen in the upper mantle in contrast with the classical slab-anchoring model. The steepening of the slab hinders the trench causing it to resist the advancing South American plate, resulting in the pulsatile shortening. This buckling and steepening subduction regime could have been initiated because of the overall decrease in the westwards velocity of the South American plate. In addition, the passage of the flat-slab is required to promote the shortening of the continental plate because flat subduction scrapes the mantle lithosphere, thus weakening the continental plate. This process contributes to the efficient shortening when the trench is hindered, followed by mantle lithosphere delamination at ~20 Ma. Finally, the underthrusting of the Brazilian cratonic shield beneath the orogen occurs at ~11 Ma due to the mechanical weakening of the thick sediments covered the shield margin, and due to the decreasing resistance of the weakened lithosphere of the orogen. The second main finding of this work is to suggest that the cold flat-slab strengthens the overriding continental lithosphere and prevents strain localization. Therefore, the deformation is transmitted to the eastern front of the flat-slab segment by the shear stress operating at the subduction interface, thus the flat-slab acts like an indenter that "bulldozes" the mantle-keel of the continental lithosphere. The offset in the propagation of deformation to the east between the flat and steeper slab segments in the south causes the formation of a transpressive dextral shear zone. Here, inherited faults of past tectonic events are reactivated and further localize the deformation in an en-echelon strike-slip shear zone, through a mechanism that I refer to as "flat-slab conveyor". Specifically, the shallowing of the flat-slab causes the lateral deformation, which explains the timing of multiple geological events preceding the arrival of the flat-slab at 33°S. These include the onset of the compression and of the transition between thin to thick-skinned deformation styles resulting from the crustal contraction of the crust in the Sierras Pampeanas some 10 and 6 Myr before the Juan Fernandez Ridge collision at that latitude, respectively.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LendleinHeuchel2021,
  author    = {Lendlein, Andreas and Heuchel, Matthias},
  title     = {Shape-memory polymers designed in view of thermomechanical energy storage and conversion systems},
  series = {ACS central science},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {ACS central science},
  number    = {10},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {2374-7951},
  doi       = {10.1021/acscentsci.1c01032},
  pages     = {1599 -- 1601},
  year      = {2021},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Niemz2022,
  author    = {Niemz, Peter},
  title     = {Imaging and modeling of hydraulic fractures in crystalline rock via induced seismic activity},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-55659},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-556593},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {135},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are considered a cornerstone of future sustainable energy production. In such systems, high-pressure fluid injections break the rock to provide pathways for water to circulate in and heat up. This approach inherently induces small seismic events that, in rare cases, are felt or can even cause damage. Controlling and reducing the seismic impact of EGS is crucial for a broader public acceptance. To evaluate the applicability of hydraulic fracturing (HF) in EGS and to improve the understanding of fracturing processes and the hydromechanical relation to induced seismicity, six in-situ, meter-scale HF experiments with different injection schemes were performed under controlled conditions in crystalline rock in a depth of 410 m at the {\"A}sp{\"o} Hard Rock Laboratory (Sweden). I developed a semi-automated, full-waveform-based detection, classification, and location workflow to extract and characterize the acoustic emission (AE) activity from the continuous recordings of 11 piezoelectric AE sensors. Based on the resulting catalog of 20,000 AEs, with rupture sizes of cm to dm, I mapped and characterized the fracture growth in great detail. The injection using a novel cyclic injection scheme (HF3) had a lower seismic impact than the conventional injections. HF3 induced fewer AEs with a reduced maximum magnitude and significantly larger b-values, implying a decreased number of large events relative to the number of small ones. Furthermore, HF3 showed an increased fracture complexity with multiple fractures or a fracture network. In contrast, the conventional injections developed single, planar fracture zones (Publication 1). An independent, complementary approach based on a comparison of modeled and observed tilt exploits transient long-period signals recorded at the horizontal components of two broad-band seismometers a few tens of meters apart from the injections. It validated the efficient creation of hydraulic fractures and verified the AE-based fracture geometries. The innovative joint analysis of AEs and tilt signals revealed different phases of the fracturing process, including the (re-)opening, growth, and aftergrowth of fractures, and provided evidence for the reactivation of a preexisting fault in one of the experiments (Publication 2). A newly developed network-based waveform-similarity analysis applied to the massive AE activity supports the latter finding. To validate whether the reduction of the seismic impact as observed for the cyclic injection schemes during the {\"A}sp{\"o} mine-scale experiments is transferable to other scales, I additionally calculated energy budgets for injection experiments from previously conducted laboratory tests and from a field application. Across all three scales, the cyclic injections reduce the seismic impact, as depicted by smaller maximum magnitudes, larger b-values, and decreased injection efficiencies (Publication 3).},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ThompsonChenYangetal.2018,
  author    = {Thompson, Jessica A. and Chen, Jie and Yang, Huili and Li, Tao and Bookhagen, Bodo and Burbank, Douglas},
  title     = {Coarse- versus fine-grain quartz OSL and cosmogenic Be-10 dating of deformed fluvial terraces on the northeast Pamir margin, northwest China},
  series = {Quaternary geochronology : the international research and review journal on advances in quaternary dating techniques},
  volume    = {46},
  journal   = {Quaternary geochronology : the international research and review journal on advances in quaternary dating techniques},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {1871-1014},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quageo.2018.01.002},
  pages     = {1 -- 15},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Along the NE Pamir margin, flights of late Quaternary fluvial terraces span actively deforming fault-related folds. We present detailed results on two terraces dated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and cosmogenic radionuclide Be-10 (CRN) techniques. Quartz OSL dating of two different grain sizes (4-11 mu m and 90-180 mu m) revealed the fine-grain quartz fraction may overestimate the terrace ages by up to a factor of ten. Two-mm, small-aliquot, coarse-grain quartz OSL ages, calculated using the minimum age model, yielded stratigraphically consistent ages within error and dated times of terrace deposition to similar to 9 and similar to 16 ka. We speculate that, in this arid environment, fine-grain samples can be transported and deposited in single, turbid, and (sometimes) night-time floods that prevent thorough bleaching and, thereby, can lead to relatively large residual OSL signals. In contrast, sand in the fluvial system is likely to have a much longer residence time during transport, thereby providing greater opportunities for thorough bleaching. CRN Be-10 depth profiles date the timing of terrace abandonment to similar to 8 and similar to 14 ka: ages that generally agree with the coarse-grain quartz OSL ages. Our new terrace age of similar to 13-14 ka is broadly consistent with other terraces in the region that indicate terrace deposition and subsequent abandonment occurred primarily during glacial-interglacial transitions, thereby suggesting a climatic control on the formation of these terraces on the margins of the Tarim Basin. Furthermore, tectonic shortening rates calculated from these deformed terraces range from similar to 1.2 to similar to 4.6 mm/a and, when combined with shortening rates from other structures in the region, illuminate the late Quaternary basinward migration of deformation to faults and folds along the Pamir-Tian Shan collisional interface.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Ibarra2021,
  author    = {Ibarra, Federico},
  title     = {The thermal and rheological state of the Central Andes and its relationship to active deformation processes},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-50622},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-506226},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xvi, 149},
  year      = {2021},
  abstract  = {The Central Andes region in South America is characterized by a complex and heterogeneous deformation system. Recorded seismic activity and mapped neotectonic structures indicate that most of the intraplate deformation is located along the margins of the orogen, in the transitions to the foreland and the forearc. Furthermore, the actively deforming provinces of the foreland exhibit distinct deformation styles that vary along strike, as well as characteristic distributions of seismicity with depth. The style of deformation transitions from thin-skinned in the north to thick-skinned in the south, and the thickness of the seismogenic layer increases to the south. Based on geological/geophysical observations and numerical modelling, the most commonly invoked causes for the observed heterogeneity are the variations in sediment thickness and composition, the presence of inherited structures, and changes in the dip of the subducting Nazca plate. However, there are still no comprehensive investigations on the relationship between the lithospheric composition of the Central Andes, its rheological state and the observed deformation processes. The central aim of this dissertation is therefore to explore the link between the nature of the lithosphere in the region and the location of active deformation. The study of the lithospheric composition by means of independent-data integration establishes a strong base to assess the thermal and rheological state of the Central Andes and its adjacent lowlands, which alternatively provide new foundations to understand the complex deformation of the region. In this line, the general workflow of the dissertation consists in the construction of a 3D data-derived and gravity-constrained density model of the Central Andean lithosphere, followed by the simulation of the steady-state conductive thermal field and the calculation of strength distribution. Additionally, the dynamic response of the orogen-foreland system to intraplate compression is evaluated by means of 3D geodynamic modelling. The results of the modelling approach suggest that the inherited heterogeneous composition of the lithosphere controls the present-day thermal and rheological state of the Central Andes, which in turn influence the location and depth of active deformation processes. Most of the seismic activity and neo--tectonic structures are spatially correlated to regions of modelled high strength gradients, in the transition from the felsic, hot and weak orogenic lithosphere to the more mafic, cooler and stronger lithosphere beneath the forearc and the foreland. Moreover, the results of the dynamic simulation show a strong localization of deviatoric strain rate second invariants in the same region suggesting that shortening is accommodated at the transition zones between weak and strong domains. The vertical distribution of seismic activity appears to be influenced by the rheological state of the lithosphere as well. The depth at which the frequency distribution of hypocenters starts to decrease in the different morphotectonic units correlates with the position of the modelled brittle-ductile transitions; accordingly, a fraction of the seismic activity is located within the ductile part of the crust. An exhaustive analysis shows that practically all the seismicity in the region is restricted above the 600°C isotherm, in coincidence with the upper temperature limit for brittle behavior of olivine. Therefore, the occurrence of earthquakes below the modelled brittle-ductile could be explained by the presence of strong residual mafic rocks from past tectonic events. Another potential cause of deep earthquakes is the existence of inherited shear zones in which brittle behavior is favored through a decrease in the friction coefficient. This hypothesis is particularly suitable for the broken foreland provinces of the Santa Barbara System and the Pampean Ranges, where geological studies indicate successive reactivation of structures through time. Particularly in the Santa Barbara System, the results indicate that both mafic rocks and a reduction in friction are required to account for the observed deep seismic events.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SheikholeslamiOberhaensliGhassemi2019,
  author    = {Sheikholeslami, Mohammad Reza and Oberh{\"a}nsli, Roland and Ghassemi, Mohammad R.},
  title     = {Transpression tectonics in the eastern Binalud Mountains, northeast Iran; Insight from finite strain analysis, vorticity and Ar-40/Ar-39 dating},
  series = {Journal of Asian earth sciences},
  volume    = {179},
  journal   = {Journal of Asian earth sciences},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {1367-9120},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.jseaes.2019.04.014},
  pages     = {219 -- 237},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Different tectonic episodes from Late Triassic to recent times in the eastern Binalud Mountains have resulted from convergence and transpression between the Turan and Central Iran plates. Heterogeneous deformation and variable portions of pure and simple shear, demonstrated by finite strain and vorticity analysis in the Mashhad metamorphic rocks, indicate strain partitioning during the first tectonic episode. Modern strain partitioning is characterized by reverse and strike-slip faulting along the Neyshabur fault system and Shandiz fault zone in the southern and northern flanks of the eastern Binalud, respectively. Time-transgressive regional deformation migrated from the hinterland of the belt into the foreland basin, from northeast to the southwest of the mountains. Different generations of deformation resulted in obliteration of the subduction-related accretionary wedge, and growth of an orogenic wedge resulted from collision between the Central Iran and Turan plates.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{IbarraLiuMeessenetal.2019,
  author    = {Ibarra, Federico and Liu, Sibiao and Meeßen, Christian and Prezzi, Claudia Beatriz and Bott, Judith and Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena and Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir and Strecker, Manfred},
  title     = {3D data-derived lithospheric structure of the Central Andes and its implications for deformation: Insights from gravity and geodynamic modelling},
  series = {Tectonophysics : international journal of geotectonics and the geology and physics of the interior of the earth},
  volume    = {766},
  journal   = {Tectonophysics : international journal of geotectonics and the geology and physics of the interior of the earth},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0040-1951},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.tecto.2019.06.025},
  pages     = {453 -- 468},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {We present a new three-dimensional density model of the Central Andes characterizing the structure and composition of the lithosphere together with a geodynamic simulation subjected to continental intraplate shortening. The principal aim of this study is to assess the link between heterogeneities in the lithosphere and different deformation patterns and styles along the orogen-foreland system of the Central Andes. First, we performed a 3D integration of new geological and geophysical data with previous models through forward modelling of Bouguer anomalies. Subsequently, a geodynamic model was set-up and parametrized from the previously obtained 3D structure and composition. We do not find a unambigous correlation between the resulting density configuration and terrane boundaries proposed by other authors. Our models reproduce the observed Bouguer anomaly and deformation patterns in the foreland. We find that thin-skinned deformation in the Subandean fold-and thrust belt is controlled by a thick sedimentary layer and coeval underthrusting of thin crust of the foreland beneath the thick crust of the Andean Plateau. In the adjacent thick-skinned deformation province of the inverted Cretaceous extensional Santa Barbara System sedimentary strata are much thinner and crustal thickness transitions from greater values in the Andean to a more reduced thickness in the foreland. Our results show that deformation processes occur where the highest gradients of lithospheric strength are present between the orogen and the foreland, thus suggesting a spatial correlation between deformation and lithospheric strength.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Helpa2015,
  author    = {Helpa, Vanessa},
  title     = {Interplay between mineral reaction and deformation via structural defects},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-90332},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {x, 104},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {This thesis contains three experimental studies addressing the interplay between deformation and the mineral reaction between natural calcite and magnesite. The solid-solid mineral reaction between the two carbonates causes the formation of a magnesio-calcite precursor layer and a dolomite reaction rim in every experiment at isostatic annealing and deformation conditions. CHAPTER 1 briefly introduces general aspects concerning mineral reactions in nature and diffusion pathways for mass transport. Moreover, results of previous laboratory studies on the influence of deformation on mineral reactions are summarized. In addition, the main goals of this study are pointed out. In CHAPTER 2, the reaction between calcite and magnesite single crystals is examined at isostatic annealing conditions. Time series performed at a fixed temperature revealed a diffusion-controlled dolomite rim growth. Two microstructural domains could be identified characterized by palisade-shaped dolomite grains growing into the magnesite and granular dolomite growing towards calcite. A model was provided for the dolomite rim growth based on the counter-diffusion of CaO and MgO. All reaction products exhibited a characteristic crystallographic relationship with respect to the calcite reactant. Moreover, kinetic parameters of the mineral reaction were determined out of a temperature series at a fixed time. The main goal of the isostatic test series was to gain information about the microstructure evolution, kinetic parameters, chemical composition and texture development of the reaction products. The results were used as a reference to quantify the influence of deformation on the mineral reaction. CHAPTER 3 deals with the influence of non-isostatic deformation on dolomite and magnesio-calcite layer production between calcite and magnesite single crystals. Deformation was achieved by triaxial compression and by torsion. Triaxial compression up to 38 MPa axial stress at a fixed time showed no significant influence of stress and strain on dolomite formation. Time series conducted at a fixed stress yield no change in growth rates for dolomite and magnesio-calcite at low strains. Slightly larger magnesio-calcite growth rates were observed at strains above >0.1. High strains at similar stresses were caused by the activation of additional glide systems in the calcite single crystal and more mobile dislocations in the magnesio-calcite grains, providing fast diffusion pathways. In torsion experiments a gradual decrease in dolomite and magnesio-calcite layer thickness was observed at a critical shear strain. During deformation, crystallographic orientations of reaction products rearranged with respect to the external framework. A direct effect of the mineral reaction on deformation could not be recognized due to the relatively small reaction product widths. In CHAPTER 4, the influence of starting material microfabrics and the presence of water on the reaction kinetics was evaluated. In these experimental series polycrystalline material was in contact with single crystals or two polycrystalline materials were used as reactants. Isostatic annealing resulted in different dolomite and magnesio-calcite layer thicknesses, depending on starting material microfabrics. The reaction progress at the magnesite interface was faster with smaller magnesite grain size, because grain boundaries provided fast pathways for diffusion and multiple nucleation sites for dolomite formation. Deformation by triaxial compression and torsion yield lower dolomite rim thicknesses compared to annealed samples for the same time. This was caused by grain coarsening of polycrystalline magnesite during deformation. In contrast, magnesio-calcite layers tended to be larger during deformation, which triggered enhanced diffusion along grain boundaries. The presence of excess water had no significant influence on the reaction kinetics, at least if the reactants were single crystals. In CHAPTER 5 general conclusions about the interplay between deformation and the mineral reaction in the carbonate system are presented. Finally, CHAPTER 6 highlights possible future work in the carbonate system based on the results of this study.},
  language  = {en}
}