Pub Date : 2026-01-12Epub Date: 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230987
Daian Chen , Shuangshuang Lan , Hongbiao Gu , Lixiao Wang
Earthquakes not only cause direct surface damage but also induce significant perturbations in subsurface aquifer systems. This study developed water level-barometric pressure/tide response models for three observation wells located in the Huaying Mountain Fault Zone, with the aim of quantitatively assessing the effects of the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquakes on both the structure and vulnerability of the aquifer. The results indicate that when there is a strong coherence between water level and barometric pressure/tide signals, the degree of model fitting is significantly improved, thereby enhancing the reliability of parameter inversion. Well B demonstrates greater suitability for the barometric model (BE = 0.907), while Wells A and C align more closely with tidal response characteristics. Overall, it was found that strong earthquakes lead to an increase in vertical leakage coefficients by 15 % to 50 %, whereas transmissivity decreases by 30 % to 50 %. Additionally, following these seismic events, the average fracture dip angle shifts by 15° to 25°, becoming more vertical; concurrently, there is a significant reduction in the aquifer vulnerability index (Cts) ranging from 20 % to 50 %. These findings suggest that earthquakes facilitate reorganization within fracture networks, enhance vertical permeability, and create new seepage channels while simultaneously diminishing pollution prevention capacity—thereby significantly elevating pollution risk. This study provides theoretical and technical support for the post-earthquake assessment of groundwater resources, as well as for the sustainable protection and targeted prevention of hydrogeological hazards.
{"title":"Quantitative estimation of earthquake effects on aquifer structure and vulnerability","authors":"Daian Chen , Shuangshuang Lan , Hongbiao Gu , Lixiao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230987","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230987","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Earthquakes not only cause direct surface damage but also induce significant perturbations in subsurface aquifer systems. This study developed water level-barometric pressure/tide response models for three observation wells located in the Huaying Mountain Fault Zone, with the aim of quantitatively assessing the effects of the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquakes on both the structure and vulnerability of the aquifer. The results indicate that when there is a strong coherence between water level and barometric pressure/tide signals, the degree of model fitting is significantly improved, thereby enhancing the reliability of parameter inversion. Well B demonstrates greater suitability for the barometric model (BE = 0.907), while Wells A and C align more closely with tidal response characteristics. Overall, it was found that strong earthquakes lead to an increase in vertical leakage coefficients by 15 % to 50 %, whereas transmissivity decreases by 30 % to 50 %. Additionally, following these seismic events, the average fracture dip angle shifts by 15° to 25°, becoming more vertical; concurrently, there is a significant reduction in the aquifer vulnerability index (Cts) ranging from 20 % to 50 %. These findings suggest that earthquakes facilitate reorganization within fracture networks, enhance vertical permeability, and create new seepage channels while simultaneously diminishing pollution prevention capacity—thereby significantly elevating pollution risk. This study provides theoretical and technical support for the post-earthquake assessment of groundwater resources, as well as for the sustainable protection and targeted prevention of hydrogeological hazards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"919 ","pages":"Article 230987"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145461763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10Epub Date: 2025-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230986
Xiaohui Liu , Yimin Liu , Ying Rao , Yangrui Guo , Xiaoyu Guo , Xingfu Huang , Huilin Li , Lin Ding , Rui Gao
The Qiangtang terrane in the central Tibetan Plateau records critical evidence for understanding the early stages of plateau growth. However, the timing, mechanisms, and paleotopographic evolution of the central Qiangtang terrane remain controversial, which limits our understanding of closure of the Tethys Ocean and related uplift of Tibet. This study focuses on the Shuanghu basin of the central Qiangtang terrane, where we integrated new detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology and clumped isotope (Δ47) thermometry. Our results demonstrate that the detrital zircon age spectra of the Eocene strata in the Shuanghu basin are dominated by populations at 240–190 Ma, 675–500 Ma and 1040–770 Ma, consistent with those from the Cretaceous strata in the same basin. This suggests a persistent sediment source from Late Triassic granitic rocks and pre-Jurassic metamorphic basements within the central Qiangtang, rather than from the northern or southern Qiangtang terranes. Clumped isotope results of ca. 90–120 °C indicate that the primary formation temperatures of terrestrial carbonates have been reset, precluding paleoelevation reconstruction, most likely due to recrystallization and vein formation during Neogene east-west extension. Collectively, our new data, together with existing structural, thermochronological, and magmatic evidence, indicate that the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision before the Late Cretaceous triggered widespread crustal shortening, exhumation, and outward-propagating deformation from the central Qiangtang terrane. These processes led to significant surface uplift of the central Qiangtang terrane, establishing a proto-plateau prior to the Cenozoic India-Asia collision. These findings highlight the central Qiangtang terrane's role as an initial growth nucleus of the Tibetan Plateau, with its uplift predating Cenozoic continental collision.
{"title":"Cretaceous–Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the central Qiangtang terrane and implications for the initial growth of the Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Xiaohui Liu , Yimin Liu , Ying Rao , Yangrui Guo , Xiaoyu Guo , Xingfu Huang , Huilin Li , Lin Ding , Rui Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230986","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230986","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Qiangtang terrane in the central Tibetan Plateau records critical evidence for understanding the early stages of plateau growth. However, the timing, mechanisms, and paleotopographic evolution of the central Qiangtang terrane remain controversial, which limits our understanding of closure of the Tethys Ocean and related uplift of Tibet. This study focuses on the Shuanghu basin of the central Qiangtang terrane, where we integrated new detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology and clumped isotope (<em>Δ</em><sub>47</sub>) thermometry. Our results demonstrate that the detrital zircon age spectra of the Eocene strata in the Shuanghu basin are dominated by populations at 240–190 Ma, 675–500 Ma and 1040–770 Ma, consistent with those from the Cretaceous strata in the same basin. This suggests a persistent sediment source from Late Triassic granitic rocks and pre-Jurassic metamorphic basements within the central Qiangtang, rather than from the northern or southern Qiangtang terranes. Clumped isotope results of ca. 90–120 °C indicate that the primary formation temperatures of terrestrial carbonates have been reset, precluding paleoelevation reconstruction, most likely due to recrystallization and vein formation during Neogene east-west extension. Collectively, our new data, together with existing structural, thermochronological, and magmatic evidence, indicate that the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision before the Late Cretaceous triggered widespread crustal shortening, exhumation, and outward-propagating deformation from the central Qiangtang terrane. These processes led to significant surface uplift of the central Qiangtang terrane, establishing a proto-plateau prior to the Cenozoic India-Asia collision. These findings highlight the central Qiangtang terrane's role as an initial growth nucleus of the Tibetan Plateau, with its uplift predating Cenozoic continental collision.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230986"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145434942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10Epub Date: 2025-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230983
Xueling Wang , Xiaoming Shen , Zhiyuan He , Xiaoping Yuan , Paul R. Eizenhöfer , Yukui Ge , Xuemin Pan , Xiong Wu , Yingying Jia , Yanglin Zhao
The Gongga Shan (main peak of Gongga Mountain at 7556 m) on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is a key area for studying plateau tectonic evolution owing to its remarkable topographic relief and rapid uplift, with a local relief exceeding 6500 m within a horizontal distance of ∼30 km. This study investigates the topographic growth history and driving mechanisms of Gongga Shan since the late Miocene through quantitative geomorphic analyses (hypsometric integral, , and normalized river steepness index, ), combined with low-temperature thermochronology and cosmogenic nuclide datasets. Our results show exceptionally large values for and near the main peak while spearman statistics further reveal a significant positive relationship between and , supporting their tectonic significance, while the influence of precipitation and lithology only shows a weak correlation. Modeling constrained by the thermochronologic dataset indicates that rapid exhumation commenced in the late Miocene (∼10–8 Ma), with the exhumation center migrating southward along the Xianshuihe Fault and localizing near the main peak around 2 Ma with exhumation rates exceeding 3 mm/yr. Integrating previous geological and geophysical evidence, we propose that underthrusting of the Yangtze Craton (YZC) beneath the Songpan-Garzê Terrane (SGT) laid the deep tectonic foundation for uplift, while lithospheric-scale deformation along the geometric bend of the Xianshuihe Fault promoting rock uplift. Climatic factors (precipitation and glaciation) further accelerated surface erosion and, in turn, facilitating rock uplift. Our findings reveal a tectonically dominated, surface evolution model for Gongga Shan's uplift history, providing new insights into the tectonic-geomorphic coupling processes along the eastern Tibetan Plateau.
{"title":"Insights into the uplift mechanism of Gongga Shan, Eastern Tibetan Plateau: From the perspective of geomorphic and exhumation characteristics","authors":"Xueling Wang , Xiaoming Shen , Zhiyuan He , Xiaoping Yuan , Paul R. Eizenhöfer , Yukui Ge , Xuemin Pan , Xiong Wu , Yingying Jia , Yanglin Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230983","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230983","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Gongga Shan (main peak of Gongga Mountain at 7556 m) on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is a key area for studying plateau tectonic evolution owing to its remarkable topographic relief and rapid uplift, with a local relief exceeding 6500 m within a horizontal distance of ∼30 km. This study investigates the topographic growth history and driving mechanisms of Gongga Shan since the late Miocene through quantitative geomorphic analyses (hypsometric integral, <span><math><mi>HI</mi></math></span>, and normalized river steepness index, <span><math><msub><mi>k</mi><mi>sn</mi></msub></math></span>), combined with low-temperature thermochronology and cosmogenic nuclide datasets. Our results show exceptionally large values for <span><math><mi>HI</mi></math></span> and <span><math><msub><mi>k</mi><mrow><mi>s</mi><mi>n</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> near the main peak while spearman statistics further reveal a significant positive relationship between <span><math><mi>HI</mi></math></span> and <span><math><msub><mi>k</mi><mrow><mi>s</mi><mi>n</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>, supporting their tectonic significance, while the influence of precipitation and lithology only shows a weak correlation. Modeling constrained by the thermochronologic dataset indicates that rapid exhumation commenced in the late Miocene (∼10–8 Ma), with the exhumation center migrating southward along the Xianshuihe Fault and localizing near the main peak around 2 Ma with exhumation rates exceeding 3 mm/yr. Integrating previous geological and geophysical evidence, we propose that underthrusting of the Yangtze Craton (YZC) beneath the Songpan-Garzê Terrane (SGT) laid the deep tectonic foundation for uplift, while lithospheric-scale deformation along the geometric bend of the Xianshuihe Fault promoting rock uplift. Climatic factors (precipitation and glaciation) further accelerated surface erosion and, in turn, facilitating rock uplift. Our findings reveal a tectonically dominated, surface evolution model for Gongga Shan's uplift history, providing new insights into the tectonic-geomorphic coupling processes along the eastern Tibetan Plateau.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230983"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145441706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10Epub Date: 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230979
Laurent Bollinger , Emile A. Okal
The 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake is the largest instrumental earthquake to strike Nepal. However, its moment magnitude is still associated with considerable uncertainty in the literature, with a wide range of values between 8.0 ± 0.3 and as high as 8.4. In this paper we re-evaluate its seismic moment using teleseismic surface wave records from 6 stations. A total of 10 independent measurements lead to a seismic moment of 3.8 × 1021 N.m (Mw = 8.3 ± 0.1), releasing more than 4 times the seismic moment of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.
Given this seismic moment release, we consider several rupture scenarios with different length-width-slip estimates for the mainshock. We compare them with slip estimates derived from field observations and show that the average slip is likely to have been between 8 and 16 m, a value significantly larger than previous estimates. We compare the dimensions obtained with those of other intercontinental thrust earthquakes. The results reduce the uncertainties associated with the assessment of the deficit of the seismic moment accumulated since the great earthquakes of the medieval period in Nepal.
{"title":"A quantitative reassessment of the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake and its seismotectonic implications","authors":"Laurent Bollinger , Emile A. Okal","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake is the largest instrumental earthquake to strike Nepal. However, its moment magnitude is still associated with considerable uncertainty in the literature, with a wide range of values between 8.0 ± 0.3 and as high as 8.4. In this paper we re-evaluate its seismic moment using teleseismic surface wave records from 6 stations. A total of 10 independent measurements lead to a seismic moment of 3.8 × 10<sup>21</sup> N.m (M<sub>w</sub> = 8.3 ± 0.1), releasing more than 4 times the seismic moment of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.</div><div>Given this seismic moment release, we consider several rupture scenarios with different length-width-slip estimates for the mainshock. We compare them with slip estimates derived from field observations and show that the average slip is likely to have been between 8 and 16 m, a value significantly larger than previous estimates. We compare the dimensions obtained with those of other intercontinental thrust earthquakes. The results reduce the uncertainties associated with the assessment of the deficit of the seismic moment accumulated since the great earthquakes of the medieval period in Nepal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230979"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145424076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Peloponnese is a seismotectonically active region in Greece (Eastern Mediterranean) located just north of the Hellenic Subduction Zone, along which the Aegean and Nubian continental plates converge, and south of the Corinth Gulf, a rapidly extending rift. In addition to these highly tectonically active margins, the crust of the Peloponnese is undergoing deformation, which has locally generated significant earthquakes. In this paper, an upper crustal deformation analysis has been performed in order to comprehend i) how much and under which mechanism this region is deforming, ii) whether our results can explain the past seismicity, and iii) whether areas of low recorded seismic activity till recently are prone to a possible future increase of activity, a vital piece of information in terms of seismic hazard assessment. This analysis was based on primary geodetic raw data, collected by 32 permanent GPS/GNSS stations, which monitor the wider Peloponnese region. Considering these measurements, the geodetic strain parameters were estimated by implementing triangulation and interpolation methodologies, providing the qualitative and quantitative deformation properties of Peloponnese. The results show a wide-spread low deformation, mostly shear, with local highs in areas where seismic activity is evident; the 2008 Andravida earthquake is a typical example, as it is related to a right-lateral blind strike-slip fault. However, normal faulting with a dip-slip component also contributes to upper-crustal deformation in the study area, as demonstrated by seismic events such as the Sparta and Kalamata earthquakes. These results suggest that several seismically ‘quiet’ regions of Peloponnese (such as the eastern-northeastern part) show significant deformation, since the accumulated strain in these regions appears not to be released by smaller frequent events; therefore, they might have the potential of hosting moderate to strong earthquakes along localized zones of deformation in the future, indicated as areas with recorded higher strains.
{"title":"Seismotectonic implications for the Peloponnese (SW Greece) region based on geodetic crustal deformation analysis","authors":"Ilias Lazos , Sotirios Sboras , Sotirios Kokkalas , Vassilios Karastathis , Georgios Xiroudakis , Kyriaki Iordanidou , Dimitrios Galanakis , Christos Pikridas , Spyridon Bellas , Ioannis Karamitros , Evaggelos Mouzakiotis , Christos Kanellopoulos , Stylianos Bitharis , Alexandros Chatzipetros , Spyros Pavlides","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230969","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230969","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Peloponnese is a seismotectonically active region in Greece (Eastern Mediterranean) located just north of the Hellenic Subduction Zone, along which the Aegean and Nubian continental plates converge, and south of the Corinth Gulf, a rapidly extending rift. In addition to these highly tectonically active margins, the crust of the Peloponnese is undergoing deformation, which has locally generated significant earthquakes. In this paper, an upper crustal deformation analysis has been performed in order to comprehend i) how much and under which mechanism this region is deforming, ii) whether our results can explain the past seismicity, and iii) whether areas of low recorded seismic activity till recently are prone to a possible future increase of activity, a vital piece of information in terms of seismic hazard assessment. This analysis was based on primary geodetic raw data, collected by 32 permanent GPS/GNSS stations, which monitor the wider Peloponnese region. Considering these measurements, the geodetic strain parameters were estimated by implementing triangulation and interpolation methodologies, providing the qualitative and quantitative deformation properties of Peloponnese. The results show a wide-spread low deformation, mostly shear, with local highs in areas where seismic activity is evident; the 2008 Andravida earthquake is a typical example, as it is related to a right-lateral blind strike-slip fault. However, normal faulting with a dip-slip component also contributes to upper-crustal deformation in the study area, as demonstrated by seismic events such as the Sparta and Kalamata earthquakes. These results suggest that several seismically ‘quiet’ regions of Peloponnese (such as the eastern-northeastern part) show significant deformation, since the accumulated strain in these regions appears not to be released by smaller frequent events; therefore, they might have the potential of hosting moderate to strong earthquakes along localized zones of deformation in the future, indicated as areas with recorded higher strains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230969"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145383875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10Epub Date: 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230980
H. Tim Breitfeld , Marco W.A. van Hattum , Robert Hall , Stuart Burley , Juliane Hennig-Breitfeld , Max Franzel , Simon M. Suggate , Pieter Vermeesch , Max Webb
Most of Sabah in northern Borneo is covered with Paleogene to Lower Miocene deep marine turbidite sequences that were deposited along the southern side of the Proto-South China Sea (PSCS). They include the Sapulut and Trusmadi formations of central-south Sabah, the Labang and Kulapis formations of eastern Sabah, the Kudat Formation of NW Sabah and the Crocker Formation of western Sabah. Sandstone petrography, heavy mineral analysis and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology reveals changing sources associated with the evolution of the PSCS. Volcanic lithic fragments in some Labang Formation samples and Middle Eocene zircons in a lower Crocker Formation sample, as well as unstable heavy minerals such as apatite and epidote indicate input from contemporaneous volcanism, likely derived from the PSCS subduction arc to the north. By contrast, abundant ultra-stable heavy minerals and Mesozoic zircons indicate multi-recycling from southern sources.
Changes in provenance are seen across key stratigraphies. The lower part of the Crocker Formation has similar provenance as the Rajang Group in Sarawak and is interpreted as a more distal equivalent. While the upper Crocker Formation has a similar provenance as the Nyalau Formation in Sarawak and is interpreted as its deeper marine continuation. Parts of the Labang and Kulapis formations suggest an extension of this depositional system into eastern Sabah. In the Early Miocene the Palawan microcontinental fragment collided with the Cagayan Arc, resulting in uplift of a forearc high and formation of mélanges in eastern Sabah. The uplifted forearc was most likely the provenance source for the Temburong Formation in western Sabah.
{"title":"Evolution of Paleogene to Early Miocene deep-water provenance sources in Sabah, northern Borneo reveals changing Proto-South China Sea paleogeography","authors":"H. Tim Breitfeld , Marco W.A. van Hattum , Robert Hall , Stuart Burley , Juliane Hennig-Breitfeld , Max Franzel , Simon M. Suggate , Pieter Vermeesch , Max Webb","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Most of Sabah in northern Borneo is covered with Paleogene to Lower Miocene deep marine turbidite sequences that were deposited along the southern side of the Proto-South China Sea (PSCS). They include the Sapulut and Trusmadi formations of central-south Sabah, the Labang and Kulapis formations of eastern Sabah, the Kudat Formation of NW Sabah and the Crocker Formation of western Sabah. Sandstone petrography, heavy mineral analysis and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology reveals changing sources associated with the evolution of the PSCS. Volcanic lithic fragments in some Labang Formation samples and Middle Eocene zircons in a lower Crocker Formation sample, as well as unstable heavy minerals such as apatite and epidote indicate input from contemporaneous volcanism, likely derived from the PSCS subduction arc to the north. By contrast, abundant ultra-stable heavy minerals and Mesozoic zircons indicate multi-recycling from southern sources.</div><div>Changes in provenance are seen across key stratigraphies. The lower part of the Crocker Formation has similar provenance as the Rajang Group in Sarawak and is interpreted as a more distal equivalent. While the upper Crocker Formation has a similar provenance as the Nyalau Formation in Sarawak and is interpreted as its deeper marine continuation. Parts of the Labang and Kulapis formations suggest an extension of this depositional system into eastern Sabah. In the Early Miocene the Palawan microcontinental fragment collided with the Cagayan Arc, resulting in uplift of a forearc high and formation of mélanges in eastern Sabah. The uplifted forearc was most likely the provenance source for the Temburong Formation in western Sabah.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230980"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145461751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-10Epub Date: 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230999
Alvar Braathen , Elin Skurtveit
Current understanding of extensional faults, which are essential for subsurface CO2 storage, reveals that fault risk assessment and modeling are significantly hindered by uncertainty. This underscores the need for insights into the datasets and methodologies used for evaluating fault sealing and reactivation. Data on fault architecture from outcrops, combined with mechanical insights, indicate the presence of hydraulic anisotropy and varying strength relationships within faults that influence their potential for reactivation. We propose that large portions of faults may yield through minor slip events or creep, while sticky spots are responsible for larger fault slip events. Enhancing our detection and understanding of these sticky spots – primarily characterized by abrupt displacement gradients that require further investigation - could improve risk assessment, monitoring, and mitigation strategies related to fault reactivation and inform seismic activity in CO2 storage initiatives.
{"title":"Faults in CO2 storage: Anisotropy in flow and irregular displacement gradients informing reactivation","authors":"Alvar Braathen , Elin Skurtveit","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230999","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230999","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Current understanding of extensional faults, which are essential for subsurface CO2 storage, reveals that fault risk assessment and modeling are significantly hindered by uncertainty. This underscores the need for insights into the datasets and methodologies used for evaluating fault sealing and reactivation. Data on fault architecture from outcrops, combined with mechanical insights, indicate the presence of hydraulic anisotropy and varying strength relationships within faults that influence their potential for reactivation. We propose that large portions of faults may yield through minor slip events or creep, while sticky spots are responsible for larger fault slip events. Enhancing our detection and understanding of these sticky spots – primarily characterized by abrupt displacement gradients that require further investigation - could improve risk assessment, monitoring, and mitigation strategies related to fault reactivation and inform seismic activity in CO2 storage initiatives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230999"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145461759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The role of the en echelon Karakorum-Jiali fault zone (KJFZ) in accommodating eastward extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau remains a subject of ongoing debate. To clarify the present-day strain accumulation along its eastern section (encompassing the Gyaring Co, Beng Co, and Jiali faults), we integrated Sentinel-1 InSAR and GNSS velocities to derive a comprehensive three-dimensional crustal deformation field. Our analysis revealed distributed dextral shear across the Lhasa terrane east of the Yadong-Gulu rift, a sharp contrast to the concentrated shear west of this rift. Both the Beng Co fault and the Gyaring Co fault exhibit a dextral slip rate of ∼3 mm/yr and extend beyond their previously mapped traces. Quantifying the slip rate of the Jiali fault proved challenging due to the smooth deformation gradient across it; the shear strain is primarily concentrated to its south along the western segment (from Nagqu to Xiama), yet shifts to the north along the central segments (from Jiali to Yigong). This spatial variation suggests that the Bianba Lhorong fault to the north is likely the easternmost strand of the KJFZ. Furthermore, we identified focused uplift of 2–3 mm/yr along the central segments of the Jiali fault, potentially driven by reverse faulting and/or deglaciation unloading. Such a present-day strain partitioning pattern indicates that the Tibetan crust's eastward-increasing lateral extrusion is collectively accommodated by the approximately E-W trending dextral strike-slip active faults situated between the KJFZ and the Himalayan arc, implying lower slip rate than the previously proposed 10–20 mm/yr for the KJFZ.
{"title":"Deformation pattern and slip rate of the Karakorum-Jiali Fault Zone in Southeastern Tibet from Sentinel-1 InSAR","authors":"Yunfeng Tian , Jing Liu-Zeng , Wanpeng Feng , Jingfa Zhang , Baoqi Ma , Wenliang Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230976","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230976","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The role of the en echelon Karakorum-Jiali fault zone (KJFZ) in accommodating eastward extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau remains a subject of ongoing debate. To clarify the present-day strain accumulation along its eastern section (encompassing the Gyaring Co, Beng Co, and Jiali faults), we integrated Sentinel-1 InSAR and GNSS velocities to derive a comprehensive three-dimensional crustal deformation field. Our analysis revealed distributed dextral shear across the Lhasa terrane east of the Yadong-Gulu rift, a sharp contrast to the concentrated shear west of this rift. Both the Beng Co fault and the Gyaring Co fault exhibit a dextral slip rate of ∼3 mm/yr and extend beyond their previously mapped traces. Quantifying the slip rate of the Jiali fault proved challenging due to the smooth deformation gradient across it; the shear strain is primarily concentrated to its south along the western segment (from Nagqu to Xiama), yet shifts to the north along the central segments (from Jiali to Yigong). This spatial variation suggests that the Bianba Lhorong fault to the north is likely the easternmost strand of the KJFZ. Furthermore, we identified focused uplift of 2–3 mm/yr along the central segments of the Jiali fault, potentially driven by reverse faulting and/or deglaciation unloading. Such a present-day strain partitioning pattern indicates that the Tibetan crust's eastward-increasing lateral extrusion is collectively accommodated by the approximately <em>E</em>-W trending dextral strike-slip active faults situated between the KJFZ and the Himalayan arc, implying lower slip rate than the previously proposed 10–20 mm/yr for the KJFZ.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230976"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145427977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study investigates the conditions sustaining long-lived molten plutons in the middle to upper crust, driven by lower crustal melting due to magmatic underplating and episodic melt extraction. Using 2D two-phase flow models solving conservation equations for mass, composition, momentum, and energy, and assuming a simplified melting law, we examine the interplay between long-term magmatic processes (e.g., lower crust heating, melt generation, segregation, diapiric ascent) and short-term dynamics (e.g., magma extraction, dyke ascent, emplacement). A novel melt extraction and intrusion formulation is introduced, varying parameters such as melt extraction volume threshold, intrusion depth, size, and geometry. Results indicate that smaller extraction thresholds lead to more frequent intrusions, increasing total melt volume in the intrusion and prolonging pluton lifespan. Intrusion geometry strongly influences melt accumulation: small radii (∼2 km) favor significant melt volumes, while larger zones (>4 km) promote rapid freezing. Circular intrusions retain heat longer than dyke- or sill-like intrusions. Frequent intrusions promote vertical stacking of melt batches, pluton floor subsidence, and compositional stratification. Model-derived magma supply rates (0.15–0.3 km3/yr per extraction pulse; 0.001–0.002 km3/yr averaged over the total time extraction events) align with observed Central Andean magmatic systems. Melt extraction accelerates heat transport, producing early heat flux peaks (0.5–2 Myr) via the heat pipe mechanism, introduced in geoscience literature as a rapid transport of heat and mass through the lithosphere. This effect, quantified by a Nusselt number, increases with greater extracted melt volumes and shallower intrusions. Comparison with Central Andean heat flux data suggests a heat pipe Nusselt number of ∼3.5, indicating extraction and intrusion enhance heat transport by this factor. These findings provide insights into the interplay between magmatism, heat transfer, and pluton evolution in continental crust.
{"title":"Magma transfer and pluton growth: Modelling short- and long-term processes by thermo-mechanical two-phase flow including the heat pipe mechanism","authors":"Harro Schmeling , Gabriele Marquart , Herbert Wallner , Roberto Weinberg","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230968","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230968","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the conditions sustaining long-lived molten plutons in the middle to upper crust, driven by lower crustal melting due to magmatic underplating and episodic melt extraction. Using 2D two-phase flow models solving conservation equations for mass, composition, momentum, and energy, and assuming a simplified melting law, we examine the interplay between long-term magmatic processes (e.g., lower crust heating, melt generation, segregation, diapiric ascent) and short-term dynamics (e.g., magma extraction, dyke ascent, emplacement). A novel melt extraction and intrusion formulation is introduced, varying parameters such as melt extraction volume threshold, intrusion depth, size, and geometry. Results indicate that smaller extraction thresholds lead to more frequent intrusions, increasing total melt volume in the intrusion and prolonging pluton lifespan. Intrusion geometry strongly influences melt accumulation: small radii (∼2 km) favor significant melt volumes, while larger zones (>4 km) promote rapid freezing. Circular intrusions retain heat longer than dyke- or sill-like intrusions. Frequent intrusions promote vertical stacking of melt batches, pluton floor subsidence, and compositional stratification. Model-derived magma supply rates (0.15–0.3 km<sup>3</sup>/yr per extraction pulse; 0.001–0.002 km<sup>3</sup>/yr averaged over the total time extraction events) align with observed Central Andean magmatic systems. Melt extraction accelerates heat transport, producing early heat flux peaks (0.5–2 Myr) via the heat pipe mechanism, introduced in geoscience literature as a rapid transport of heat and mass through the lithosphere. This effect, quantified by a Nusselt number, increases with greater extracted melt volumes and shallower intrusions. Comparison with Central Andean heat flux data suggests a heat pipe Nusselt number of ∼3.5, indicating extraction and intrusion enhance heat transport by this factor. These findings provide insights into the interplay between magmatism, heat transfer, and pluton evolution in continental crust.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230968"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145383439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Ghardimaou–North Constantine (GNC) fault zone in northeastern Algeria challenges conventional strike-slip fault behavior: despite its ∼400 km length and ∼ 2.4 mm/yr slip rate, it predominantly hosts moderate-magnitude earthquakes. The 2020 Mw5.3 El Kantour earthquake—the largest recorded event on this fault—provides critical insights into its mechanics. High-resolution aftershock relocations reveal a blind, steeply SSW-dipping fault (MSF1; N107–109°E) and secondary subparallel strands forming a distributed network that partitions strain and impedes large rupture propagation. Rupture growth is further constrained by a seismogenic thickness (∼14 km), coinciding with a regional lower-crustal low-velocity zone (LVZ) likely acting as decoupling layer and mid-crustal barrier. Stress inversions indicate mechanical weakness, with very low friction (μ ≈ 0.25) and high fault activation angles. The sequence exhibits dual seismic behaviors: (1) mainshock–aftershock patterns near the main fault at mid-crustal depths, and (2) swarm-like, shallow off-fault cluster (85 % of events) featuring severely misoriented fault at distance over 3 km from the mainshock. Spatiotemporal multiplet patterns—including a ∼ 0.8 km/day migration rate, rapid initial bursts up to 7 km/day, spatial distribution (∼6 km), and 42-day sporadic activity —support pore-pressure diffusion and aseismic slip activation. Post-seismic sand-laden spring discharges confirm transient pore-pressure perturbations. These observations reveal a multi-process coupling between coseismic stress transfer, pore-pressure diffusion, aseismic slip, and brittle failure, forming a self-regulating feedback system that distributes stress across a permeable fracture network and prevents runaway ruptures. Our findings underscore the need for integrative hydromechanical models accounting for fluid-driven weakening, aseismic slip, and crustal rheology to refine seismic hazard assessment in fluid-rich, mechanically weak fault systems.
阿尔及利亚东北部的Ghardimaou-North Constantine （GNC）断裂带挑战了传统的走滑断层行为：尽管其长度约400公里，滑动率约2.4毫米/年，但它主要发生中等震级地震。2020年发生的Mw5.3 El Kantour地震是该断层上有记录以来最大的地震，它为断层的机制提供了重要的见解。高分辨率的余震重定位揭示了一条盲目的、陡峭的ssw倾斜断层（MSF1; N107-109°E）和次级亚平行链，它们形成了一个分布式网络，分隔了应变，阻碍了大破裂的传播。断裂增长进一步受到发震厚度（~ 14 km）的限制，与区域下地壳低速带（LVZ）相吻合，可能起到解耦层和中地壳屏障的作用。应力反转表明机械弱点，摩擦力非常小（μ≈0.25），断层活化角很大。该序列表现出双重地震行为：(1)在地壳中部深处主断层附近的主震-余震模式；(2)在距离主震3公里以上的地方，以严重定向错误的断层为特征的群状浅层离断层群集（85%的事件）。时空多重模式——包括0.8公里/天的迁移速率、高达7公里/天的快速初始爆发、6公里的空间分布和42天的零星活动——支持孔隙压力扩散和地震滑动激活。地震后含砂弹簧泄放证实了瞬态孔隙压力扰动。这些观察结果揭示了同震应力传递、孔隙压力扩散、地震滑动和脆性破坏之间的多过程耦合，形成了一个自我调节的反馈系统，该系统将应力分布在渗透性裂缝网络中，并防止失控破裂。我们的研究结果强调，需要综合流体力学模型来考虑流体驱动的弱化、地震滑动和地壳流变，以完善富流体、机械弱断裂系统的地震危险性评估。
{"title":"Fluid-mediated and structural controls on small-to-moderate seismicity: Insights from the 2020 El Kantour Mw 5.3 sequence, Ghardimaou–North Constantine Fault Zone, NE Algeria","authors":"Hichem Bendjama , El-Mahdi Tikhamarine , Oualid Boulahia , Issam Abacha , Hamoud Beldjoudi","doi":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230988","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tecto.2025.230988","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Ghardimaou–North Constantine (GNC) fault zone in northeastern Algeria challenges conventional strike-slip fault behavior: despite its ∼400 km length and ∼ 2.4 mm/yr slip rate, it predominantly hosts moderate-magnitude earthquakes. The 2020 Mw5.3 El Kantour earthquake—the largest recorded event on this fault—provides critical insights into its mechanics. High-resolution aftershock relocations reveal a blind, steeply SSW-dipping fault (MSF1; N107–109°E) and secondary subparallel strands forming a distributed network that partitions strain and impedes large rupture propagation. Rupture growth is further constrained by a seismogenic thickness (∼14 km), coinciding with a regional lower-crustal low-velocity zone (LVZ) likely acting as decoupling layer and mid-crustal barrier. Stress inversions indicate mechanical weakness, with very low friction (μ ≈ 0.25) and high fault activation angles. The sequence exhibits dual seismic behaviors: (1) mainshock–aftershock patterns near the main fault at mid-crustal depths, and (2) swarm-like, shallow off-fault cluster (85 % of events) featuring severely misoriented fault at distance over 3 km from the mainshock. Spatiotemporal multiplet patterns—including a ∼ 0.8 km/day migration rate, rapid initial bursts up to 7 km/day, spatial distribution (∼6 km), and 42-day sporadic activity —support pore-pressure diffusion and aseismic slip activation. Post-seismic sand-laden spring discharges confirm transient pore-pressure perturbations. These observations reveal a multi-process coupling between coseismic stress transfer, pore-pressure diffusion, aseismic slip, and brittle failure, forming a self-regulating feedback system that distributes stress across a permeable fracture network and prevents runaway ruptures. Our findings underscore the need for integrative hydromechanical models accounting for fluid-driven weakening, aseismic slip, and crustal rheology to refine seismic hazard assessment in fluid-rich, mechanically weak fault systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22257,"journal":{"name":"Tectonophysics","volume":"918 ","pages":"Article 230988"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145448032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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