TY - JOUR A1 - Bai, Yongliang A1 - Dong, Dongdong A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - Wu, Shiguo A1 - Wang, Zhenjie T1 - Crustal stretching style variations in the northern margin of the South China Sea JF - Tectonophysics : international journal of geotectonics and the geology and physics of the interior of the earth N2 - Linking deep seismic profiles with regional-scale gravity inversion is a powerful tool to deduce the architecture of rifted margins and their structural evolution. Here we map upper and lower crustal thicknesses of the northern South China Sea (SCS) margin in order to investigate the occurrence of depth-dependent crustal extension from the proximal to the distal margin. By comparing upper and lower crustal stretching factors, we find that the northern margin of the SCS is segmented in three parts: (1) sedimentary basins where upper crust is stretched more than lower crust, (2) distal margin where lower crust is stretched more than upper crust, (3) mostly proximal margin regions where the two layers have similar stretching factors. Our results suggest that sedimentary basins and distal margin prominently feature depth-dependent extension, however accommodated by different processes. While differential thinning within sedimentary basins appears to be governed by lateral pressure variations inducing lower crustal flow, we suggest the distal margin to be affected by a combination of mantle flow-induced lower crustal shearing and sequential fault activity during crustal hyper-extension. KW - Crustal stretching style KW - Lower crustal flow KW - The northern margin of the South China Sea KW - Gravity inversion KW - Sediment load KW - Divergent mantle flow Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2018.12.012 SN - 0040-1951 SN - 1879-3266 VL - 751 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - Corti, Giacomo A1 - Ranalli, Giorgio T1 - Controls of inherited lithospheric heterogeneity on rift linkage: Numerical and analog models of interaction between the Kenyan and Ethiopian rifts across the Turkana depression JF - Tectonics N2 - Inherited rheological structures in the lithosphere are expected to have large impact on the architecture of continental rifts. The Turkana depression in the East African Rift connects the Main Ethiopian Rift to the north with the Kenya rift in the south. This region is characterized by a NW-SE trending band of thinned crust inherited from a Mesozoic rifting event, which is cutting the present-day N-S rift trend at high angle. In striking contrast to the narrow rifts in Ethiopia and Kenya, extension in the Turkana region is accommodated in subparallel deformation domains that are laterally distributed over several hundred kilometers. We present both analog experiments and numerical models that reproduce the along-axis transition from narrow rifting in Ethiopia and Kenya to a distributed deformation within the Turkana depression. Similarly to natural observations, our models show that the Ethiopian and Kenyan rifts bend away from each other within the Turkana region, thus forming a right-lateral step over and avoiding a direct link to form a continuous N-S depression. The models reveal five potential types of rift linkage across the preexisting basin: three types where rifts bend away from the inherited structure connecting via a (1) wide or (2) narrow rift or by (3) forming a rotating microplate, (4) a type where rifts bend towards it, and (5) straight rift linkage. The fact that linkage type 1 is realized in the Turkana region provides new insights on the rheological configuration of the Mesozoic rift system at the onset of the recent rift episode. Plain Language Summary The Turkana depression in the Kenya/Ethiopia borderland is most famous for its several million years old human fossils, but it also holds a rich geological history of continental separation. The Turkana region is a lowland located between the East African and Ethiopian domes because its crust and mantle have been stretched in a continent-wide rift event during Cretaceous times about 140-120 Ma ago. This thin lithosphere exerted paramount control on the dynamics of East African rifting in this area, which commenced around 15 Ma ago and persists until today. Combining analog "sandbox" experiments with numerical geodynamic modeling, we find that inherited rift structures explain the dramatic change in rift style from deep, narrow rift basins north and south of the Turkana area to wide, distributed deformation within the Turkana depression. The failed Cretaceous rift is also responsible for the eastward bend of the Ethiopian rift and the westward bend of the Kenyan rift when entering the Turkana depression, which generated the characteristic hook-shaped form of present-day Lake Turkana. Combing two independent modeling techniques-analog and numerical experiments-is a very promising approach allowing to draw robust conclusions about the processes that shape the surface of our planet. KW - continental rifting KW - east African rift KW - numerical modeling KW - analog modeling KW - tectonic inheritance KW - Turkana depression Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/2017TC004739 SN - 0278-7407 SN - 1944-9194 VL - 36 SP - 1767 EP - 1786 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rubey, Michael A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - Heine, Christian A1 - Davies, D. Rhodri A1 - Williams, Simon E. A1 - Müller, R. Dietmar T1 - role of subducted slabs JF - Solid earth Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-8-899-2017 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 8 SP - 899 EP - 919 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wong, Kevin A1 - Mason, Emily A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - East, Madison A1 - Edmonds, Marie A1 - Zahirovic, Sabin T1 - Deep Carbon Cycling Over the Past 200 Million Years: A Review of Fluxes in Different Tectonic Settings JF - Frontiers in Earth Science KW - deep carbon cycle KW - carbonate assimilation KW - solid Earth degassing KW - plate reconstructions KW - carbon dioxide KW - subduction zone Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00263 SN - 2296-6463 VL - 7 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lescoutre, Rodolphe A1 - Tugend, Julie A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - Masini, Emmanuel A1 - Manatschal, Gianreto T1 - Thermal Evolution of Asymmetric Hyperextended Magma-Poor Rift Systems: Results From Numerical Modeling and Pyrenean Field Observations JF - Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems N2 - We investigate the thermal and structural evolution of asymmetric rifted margin using numerical modeling and geological observations derived from the Western Pyrenees. Our numerical model provides a self-consistent physical evolution of the top basement heat flow during asymmetric rifting. The model shows a pronounced thermal asymmetry that is caused by migration of the rift center toward the upper plate. The same process creates a diachronism for the record of maximum heat flow and maximum temperatures (T-max) in basal rift sequences. The Mauleon-Arzacq basin (W-Pyrenees) corresponds to a former mid-Cretaceous asymmetric hyperextended rift basin. New vitrinite reflectance data in addition to existing data sets from this basin reveal an asymmetry in the distribution of peak heat (T-max) with respect to the rift shoulders, where highest values are located at the former upper- to lower-plate transition. This data set from the Arzacq-Mauleon field study confirms for the first time the thermal asymmetry predicted by numerical models. Numerical modeling results also suggest that complexities in synrift thermal architecture could arise when hanging-wall-derived extensional allochthons and related T-max become part of the lower plate and are transported away from the upper- to lower-plate transition. This study emphasizes the limitations of the common approach to integrate punctual thermal data from pre-rift to synrift sedimentary sequences in order to describe the rift-related thermal evolution and paleothermal gradients at the scale of a rift basin or a rifted margin. KW - Thermal evolution KW - Asymmetric rifting KW - Numerical model KW - Field analogue KW - Pyrenees KW - Heat flow Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008600 SN - 1525-2027 VL - 20 IS - 10 SP - 4567 EP - 4587 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Naliboff, John B. A1 - Glerum, Anne A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - Péron-Pinvidic, G. A1 - Wrona, Thilo T1 - Development of 3-D rift heterogeneity through fault network evolution JF - Geophysical Research Letters N2 - Observations of rift and rifted margin architecture suggest that significant spatial and temporal structural heterogeneity develops during the multiphase evolution of continental rifting. Inheritance is often invoked to explain this heterogeneity, such as preexisting anisotropies in rock composition, rheology, and deformation. Here, we use high-resolution 3-D thermal-mechanical numerical models of continental extension to demonstrate that rift-parallel heterogeneity may develop solely through fault network evolution during the transition from distributed to localized deformation. In our models, the initial phase of distributed normal faulting is seeded through randomized initial strength perturbations in an otherwise laterally homogeneous lithosphere extending at a constant rate. Continued extension localizes deformation onto lithosphere-scale faults, which are laterally offset by tens of km and discontinuous along-strike. These results demonstrate that rift- and margin-parallel heterogeneity of large-scale fault patterns may in-part be a natural byproduct of fault network coalescence. KW - magma-poor KW - continental lithosphere KW - extension KW - insights KW - margins KW - architecture KW - systems KW - models KW - sea KW - reactivation Y1 - 2019 VL - 47 IS - 13 PB - John Wiley & Sons, Inc. CY - New Jersey ER - TY - GEN A1 - Brune, Sascha T1 - Forces within continental and oceanic rifts BT - numerical modeling elucidates the impact of asthenospheric flow on surface stress T2 - Geology Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1130/focus022018.1 SN - 0091-7613 SN - 1943-2682 VL - 46 IS - 2 SP - 191 EP - 192 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Boulder ER - TY - THES A1 - Brune, Sascha T1 - Landslide generated tsunamis : numerical modeling and real-time prediction T1 - Tsunamis, die durch unterseeische Rutschungen angeregt werden : numerische Modellierung und Echtzeit-Vorhersage N2 - Submarine landslides can generate local tsunamis posing a hazard to human lives and coastal facilities. Two major related problems are: (i) quantitative estimation of tsunami hazard and (ii) early detection of the most dangerous landslides. This thesis focuses on both those issues by providing numerical modeling of landslide-induced tsunamis and by suggesting and justifying a new method for fast detection of tsunamigenic landslides by means of tiltmeters. Due to the proximity to the Sunda subduction zone, Indonesian coasts are prone to earthquake, but also landslide tsunamis. The aim of the GITEWS-project (German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System) is to provide fast and reliable tsunami warnings, but also to deepen the knowledge about tsunami hazards. New bathymetric data at the Sunda Arc provide the opportunity to evaluate the hazard potential of landslide tsunamis for the adjacent Indonesian islands. I present nine large mass movements in proximity to Sumatra, Java, Sumbawa and Sumba, whereof the largest event displaced 20 km³ of sediments. Using numerical modeling, I compute the generated tsunami of each event, its propagation and runup at the coast. Moreover, I investigate the age of the largest slope failures by relating them to the Great 1977 Sumba earthquake. Continental slopes off northwest Europe are well known for their history of huge underwater landslides. The current geological situation west of Spitsbergen is comparable to the continental margin off Norway after the last glaciation, when the large tsunamigenic Storegga slide took place. The influence of Arctic warming on the stability of the Svalbard glacial margin is discussed. Based on new geophysical data, I present four possible landslide scenarios and compute the generated tsunamis. Waves of 6 m height would be capable of reaching northwest Europe threatening coastal areas. I present a novel technique to detect large submarine landslides using an array of tiltmeters, as a possible tool in future tsunami early warning systems. The dislocation of a large amount of sediment during a landslide produces a permanent elastic response of the earth. I analyze this response with a mathematical model and calculate the theoretical tilt signal. Applications to the hypothetical Spitsbergen event and the historical Storegga slide show tilt signals exceeding 1000 nrad. The amplitude of landslide tsunamis is controlled by the product of slide volume and maximal velocity (slide tsunamigenic potential). I introduce an inversion routine that provides slide location and tsunamigenic potential, based on tiltmeter measurements. The accuracy of the inversion and of the estimated tsunami height near the coast depends on the noise level of tiltmeter measurements, the distance of tiltmeters from the slide, and the slide tsunamigenic potential. Finally, I estimate the applicability scope of this method by employing it to known landslide events worldwide. N2 - Submarine Erdrutsche können lokale Tsunamis auslösen und stellen somit eine Gefahr für Siedlungen an der Küste und deren Einwohner dar. Zwei Hauptprobleme sind (i) die quantitative Abschätzung der Gefahr, die von einem Tsunami ausgeht und (ii) das schnelle Erkennen von gefährlichen Rutschungsereignissen. In dieser Doktorarbeit beschäftige ich mich mit beiden Problemen, indem ich Erdrutschtsunamis numerisch modelliere und eine neue Methode vorstelle, in der submarine Erdrutsche mit Hilfe von Tiltmetern detektiert werden. Die Küstengebiete Indonesiens sind wegen der Nähe zur Sunda-Subduktionszone besonders durch Tsunamis gefährdet. Das Ziel des GITEWS-Projektes (Deutsch- Indonesisches Tsunami-Frühwarnsystem) ist es, schnell und verlässlich vor Tsunamis zu warnen, aber auch das Wissen über Tsunamis und ihre Anregung zu vertiefen. Neue bathymetrische Daten am Sundabogen bieten die Möglichkeit, das Gefahrenpotential von Erdrutschtsunamis für die anliegenden indonesischen Inseln zu studieren. Ich präsentiere neun große Rutschungereignisse nahe Sumatra, Java, Sumbawa und Sumba, wobei das größte von ihnen 20 km³ Sediment bewegte. Ich modelliere die Ausbreitung und die Überschwemmung der bei diesen Rutschungen angeregten Tsunamis. Weiterhin untersuche ich das Alter der größten Hanginstabilitäten, indem ich sie zu dem Sumba Erdbeben von 1977 in Beziehung setze. Die Kontinentalhänge im Nordwesten Europa sind für Ihre immensen unterseeischen Rutschungen bekannt. Die gegenwärtige geologische Situation westlich von Spitzbergen ist vergleichbar mit derjenigen des norwegischen Kontinentalhangs nach der letzten Vergletscherung, als der große Tsunamianregende Storegga-Erdrutsch stattfand. Der Einfluss der arktischen Erwärmung auf die Hangstabilität vor Spitzbergen wird untersucht. Basierend auf neuen geophysikalischen Messungen, konstruiere ich vier mögliche Rutschungsszenarien und berechne die entsprechenden Tsunamis. Wellen von 6 Metern Höhe könnten dabei Nordwesteuropa erreichen. Ich stelle eine neue Methode vor, mit der große submarine Erdrutsche mit Hilfe eines Netzes aus Tiltmetern erkannt werden können. Diese Methode könnte in einem Tsunami-Frühwarnsystem angewendet werden. Sie basiert darauf, dass die Bewegung von großen Sedimentmassen während einer Rutschung eine dauerhafte Verformung der Erdoberfläche auslöst. Ich berechne diese Verformung und das einhergehende Tiltsignal. Im Falle der hypothetischen Spitzbergen-Rutschung sowie für das Storegga-Ereignis erhalte ich Amplituden von mehr als 1000 nrad. Die Wellenhöhe von Erdrutschtsunamis wird in erster Linie von dem Produkt aus Volumen und maximaler Rutschungsgeschwindigkeit (dem Tsunamipotential einer Rutschung) bestimmt. Ich führe eine Inversionsroutine vor, die unter Verwendung von Tiltdaten den Ort und das Tsunamipotential einer Rutschung bestimmt. Die Genauigkeit dieser Inversion und damit der vorhergesagten Wellenhöhe an der Küste hängt von dem Fehler der Tiltdaten, der Entfernung zwischen Tiltmeter und Rutschung sowie vom Tsunamipotential ab. Letztlich bestimme ich die Anwendbarkeitsreichweite dieser Methode, indem ich sie auf bekannte Rutschungsereignisse weltweit beziehe. KW - Tsunami KW - Erdrutsch KW - Indonesien KW - Spitzbergen KW - Tiltmeter KW - Tsunami KW - Landslide KW - Indonesia KW - Spitsbergen KW - Tiltmeter Y1 - 2009 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-32986 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - Williams, Simon E. A1 - Müller, R. Dietmar T1 - Oblique rifting: the rule, not the exception JF - Solid earth N2 - Movements of tectonic plates often induce oblique deformation at divergent plate boundaries. This is in striking contrast with traditional conceptual models of rifting and rifted margin formation, which often assume 2-D deformation where the rift velocity is oriented perpendicular to the plate boundary. Here we quantify the validity of this assumption by analysing the kinematics of major continent-scale rift systems in a global plate tectonic reconstruction from the onset of Pangea breakup until the present day. We evaluate rift obliquity by joint examination of relative extension velocity and local rift trend using the script-based plate reconstruction software pyGPlates. Our results show that the global mean rift obliquity since 230 Ma amounts to 34 degrees with a standard deviation of 24 degrees, using the convention that the angle of obliquity is spanned by extension direction and rift trend normal. We find that more than similar to 70 % of all rift segments exceeded an obliquity of 20 degrees demonstrating that oblique rifting should be considered the rule, not the exception. In many cases, rift obliquity and extension velocity increase during rift evolution (e.g. Australia-Antarctica, Gulf of California, South Atlantic, India-Antarctica), which suggests an underlying geodynamic correlation via obliquity-dependent rift strength. Oblique rifting produces 3-D stress and strain fields that cannot be accounted for in simplified 2-D plane strain analysis. We therefore highlight the importance of 3-D approaches in modelling, surveying, and interpretation of most rift segments on Earth where oblique rifting is the dominant mode of deformation. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-1187-2018 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 9 IS - 5 SP - 1187 EP - 1206 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ulvrova, Martina M. A1 - Brune, Sascha A1 - Williams, Simon E. T1 - Breakup Without Borders BT - How Continents Speed Up and Slow Down During Rifting JF - Geophysical research letters N2 - Relative plate motions during continental rifting result from the interplay of local with far-field forces. Here we study the dynamics of rifting and breakup using large-scale numerical simulations of mantle convection with self-consistent evolution of plate boundaries. We show that continental separation follows a characteristic evolution with four distinctive phases: (1) an initial slow rifting phase with low divergence velocities and maximum tensional stresses, (2) a synrift speed-up phase featuring an abrupt increase of extension rate with a simultaneous drop of tensional stress, (3) the breakup phase with inception of fast sea-floor spreading, and (4) a deceleration phase occurring in most but not all models where extensional velocities decrease. We find that the speed-up during rifting is compensated by subduction acceleration or subduction initiation even in distant localities. Our study illustrates new links between local rift dynamics, plate motions, and subduction kinematics during times of continental separation. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080387 SN - 0094-8276 SN - 1944-8007 VL - 46 IS - 3 SP - 1338 EP - 1347 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER -