scholarly journals Sanaga Fault: Evidence of Neotectonics and Landscape Evolution in Edéa Region (Cameroon, Centre-Africa)

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augustin P. Moussango Ibohn ◽  
François Mvondo Owono ◽  
Bernard Njom ◽  
Simon P. Mbog Bassong ◽  
Jean-Paul Sep Nlomngan ◽  
...  

Morphometric parameters extracted fromDEM (90 m) combined with field and literature data of Edéa region, a portion of Cameroonian passive margin located between 3°43’ - 4°00 ’N and 10°00’ - 10°15’E, were used to constraint the present day landscape and forces that have acted and is currently acting on its evolving topography. The obtained results show that the Sanaga Fault is one of the main driver forces responsible for this evolution. Set up during the Pan-African orogeny, this fault which affects a good part of the Proterozoic basement and Tertiary sedimentary cover has developed two systems of secondary active faults different by their nature and characteristics, quite visible in the Edéa region: the Ekitté System, shearing normal faults with a N-S to NNE-SSW strike and the Sanaga-Batignol System shearing directional faults with a NW-SE strike. Most of these faults constitute the river beds and play iteratively, deeply affecting both the drainage system and the landscape. Morphometric indices used reveal that the landscape has been rejuvenated and experiences uplifts and tiltings to present-day due to these reactivations. Structural and petrographical analyses confirm the current role played by the Sanaga Fault and its systems in the segmentation of the region into block tectonics and the occurrence of pseudotachylites and tectonic breccia. Block tectonics, pseudotachylites, tectonic breccias are accompanied with the recent earth tremors with magnitudes comprised between 2.6 and 4.0 on the Richter scale highlighting the neotectonics in this region.

2013 ◽  
Vol 184 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 427-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile Allanic ◽  
Charles Gumiaux

Abstract In metamorphic chain areas characterized by low seismicity, the evidence of neotectonic activity is generally very poor. However, direct evidences of seismogenic faults are reported hereafter in the Lepontine dome (Central Alps) considered in the literature as tectonically quiescent. Identification of aligned cluster of microseismic events guided morphotectonic researches. The latter revealed clear clues of recent faulting, i.e. marked scarps, perturbation of the drainage system or shift of terminal moraines. Thus, thanks to combination of seismological, geological and morphological data, we accurately locate four seismogenic faults and determine precisely their kinematic from fault-stria data and focal mechanisms. Three roughly NW-SE seismogenic dextral-normal faults were evidenced: the first close to the Simplon fault zone, the second in the middle northern part of the dome and the third one to the north of Bellinzona. They are part of a regional Riedel-shear zone system linked to the Insubric line. Dextral strike-slip component increases when strike of fault planes approaches the E-W orientation (corresponding to pure strike-slip) and respectively normal component increases when strike of fault planes is close to NW-SE. The second system highlighted corresponds to WSW-ENE normal faults mainly distributed on the whole northern flank of the dome along a zone of 10 km wide. They are roughly parallel to the Rhône and Bedretto valleys and exploit pre-existing basement fabric. These data coherent at all scales provide new constraints on the current stress regime going on in the Lepontine Dome and could have implications for future seismic hazard studies in the broader area.


Resources ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oreste Fecarotta ◽  
Armando Carravetta ◽  
Maria Morani ◽  
Roberta Padulano

The paper is focused on the optimal scheduling of a drainage pumping station, complying with variations in the pump rotational speed and a recurrent pattern for the inflow discharge. The paper is structured in several consecutive steps. In the first step, the experimental set-up is described and results of calibration tests on different pumping machines are presented to obtain equations linking significant variables (discharge, head, power, efficiency). Then, those equations are utilized to build a mixed-integer optimization model able to find the scheduling solution that minimizes required pumping energy. The model is solved with respect to a case study referred to a urban drainage system in Naples (Italy) and optimization results are analysed to provide insights on the algorithm computational performance and on the influence of pumping machine characteristics on the overall efficiency savings. With reference to the simulated scenarios, an average value of 32% energy can be saved with an optimized control. Its actual value depends on the hydraulic characteristics of the system.


Water ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Raphael Schneider ◽  
Simon Stisen ◽  
Anker Lajer Højberg

About half of the Danish agricultural land is drained artificially. Those drains, mostly in the form of tile drains, have a significant effect on the hydrological cycle. Consequently, the drainage system must also be represented in hydrological models that are used to simulate, for example, the transport and retention of chemicals. However, representation of drainage in large-scale hydrological models is challenging due to scale issues, lacking data on the distribution of drain infrastructure, and lacking drain flow observations. This calls for more indirect methods to inform such models. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that drain flow leaves a signal in streamflow signatures, as it represents a distinct streamflow generation process. Streamflow signatures are indices characterizing hydrological behaviour based on the hydrograph. Using machine learning regressors, we show that there is a correlation between signatures of simulated streamflow and simulated drain fraction. Based on these insights, signatures relevant to drain flow are incorporated in hydrological model calibration. A distributed coupled groundwater–surface water model of the Norsminde catchment, Denmark (145 km2) is set up. Calibration scenarios are defined with different objective functions; either using conventional stream flow metrics only, or a combination with hydrological signatures. We then evaluate the results from the different scenarios in terms of how well the models reproduce observed drain flow and spatial drainage patterns. Overall, the simulation of drain in the models is satisfactory. However, it remains challenging to find a direct link between signatures and an improvement in representation of drainage. This is likely attributable to model structural issues and lacking flexibility in model parameterization.


2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Th. Rondoyanni ◽  
D. Galanakis ◽  
Ch. Georgiou ◽  
I. Baskoutas

Geological mapping on a 1:5.000 scale and a tectonic analysis in the wider Chalkida region of the Island of Evia and the adjacent Drossia area of Central Greece, have allowed the identification of a number of active and potentially active normal faults. These faults have been formed or reactivated during the Late Quaternary, since they affect Pleistocene brackish and terrestrial deposits. Some of the faults affect the contact of the limestone bedrock with the Quaternary formations, presenting characteristic polished surfaces. The faults, in places covered by the alluvial deposits of the Chalkida plain, are also detected by geophysical research. Among the identified faults, the most important are considered the Aghios Minas- Chalkida, the Avlida and the Lefkadi active faults. The first one extends from Drossia to the Chalkida area, crossing the sea straights, and has an ENE-WSW direction and a south dip. The other two, are parallel antithetic faults oriented WNW-ESE, and bound the South Evoikos Gulf on the Greek mainland and the Evia Island respectively. The mapping and evaluation of active faults in this region of moderate seismicity, with low topographic relief and consequent absence of morphotectonic features, is especially important from a seismic hazard point of view.


2021 ◽  
pp. jgs2021-045
Author(s):  
B. Anders ◽  
S. Tyrrell ◽  
D. Chew ◽  
C. Mark ◽  
G. O'Sullivan ◽  
...  

Multiple factors (e.g. source rock composition, climate, nature/scale of sedimentary system) influence the volume and composition of sediment delivered to basins. Fluctuations in these parameters produce cryptic source signals which can vary within the same sedimentary system. Bespoke multi-proxy provenance approaches, targeted at minerals of variable stability, allow for an assessment of natural biasing (recycling) and intra-basinal spatial variations.Provenance of fluvial/deltaic sandstones (Mullaghmore Sandstone Formation) in the NW Carboniferous Basin, Ireland, has been constrained using zircon and apatite U-Pb geochronology, trace elements in apatite and Pb-in-K-feldspar analysis. Zircon U-Pb grain populations are consistent with feldspar data, suggesting Proterozoic basement highs offshore Ireland and Scotland were the main contributor with minor supply from Archean-Palaeoproterozoic rocks of Greenland/NW Scotland and Caledonian-aged rocks. However, apatite data shows a much larger proportion of Caledonian-aged grains of metamorphic origin, suggesting significant sediment was recycled from Neopropterozoic metasedimentary rocks. The spatial variation in provenance indicates that, at onset of clastic input, sediment was being routed to the basin through a complex drainage system, comprising of several discrete hinterland catchments, rather than supply from a single, large interconnected sedimentary system. Such complexities can only be identified with the careful application of a bespoke multi-proxy provenance approach.Supplementary material:https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5536691


Author(s):  
Thomas Chartier ◽  
Oona Scotti ◽  
Hélène Lyon-Caen ◽  
Aurélien Boiselet

Abstract. Modelling the seismic potential of active faults is a fundamental step of probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA). An accurate estimation of the rate of earthquakes on the faults is necessary in order to obtain the probability of exceedance of a given ground motion. Most PSHA studies consider faults as independent structures and neglect the possibility of multiple faults or fault segments rupturing simultaneously (Fault to Fault -FtF- ruptures). The latest Californian model (UCERF-3) takes into account this possibility by considering a system level approach rather than an individual fault level approach using the geological , seismological and geodetical information to invert the earthquake rates. In many places of the world seismological and geodetical information long fault networks are often not well constrained. There is therefore a need to propose a methodology relying only on geological information to compute earthquake rate of the faults in the network. In this methodology, similarly to UCERF-3, a simple distance criteria is used to define FtF ruptures and consider single faults or FtF ruptures as an aleatory uncertainty. Rates of earthquakes on faults are then computed following two constraints: the magnitude frequency distribution (MFD) of earthquakes in the fault system as a whole must follow an imposed shape and the rate of earthquakes on each fault is determined by the specific slip-rate of each segment depending on the possible FtF ruptures. The modelled earthquake rates are then confronted to the available independent data (geodetical, seismological and paleoseismological data) in order to weigh different hypothesis explored in a logic tree. The methodology is tested on the Western Corinth Rift, Greece (WCR) where recent advancements have been made in the understanding of the geological slip rates of the complex network of normal faults which are accommodating the ~15 mm/yr North-South extension. Modelling results show that geological, seismological extension rates and paleoseismological rates of earthquakes cannot be reconciled with only single fault rupture scenarios and require hypothesising a large spectrum of possible FtF rupture sets. Furthermore, in order to fit the imposed regional Gutenberg-Richter MFD target, some of the slip along certain faults needs to be accommodated either with interseismic creep or as post-seismic processes. Furthermore, individual fault’s MFDs differ depending on the position of each fault in the system and the possible FtF ruptures associated with the fault. Finally, a comparison of modelled earthquake rupture rates with those deduced from the regional and local earthquake catalogue statistics and local paleosismological data indicates a better fit with the FtF rupture set constructed with a distance criteria based on a 5 km rather than 3 km, suggesting, a high connectivity of faults in the WCR fault system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 131 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 1440-1458
Author(s):  
Charles R. Bacon ◽  
Joel E. Robinson

Abstract Volcanoes of subduction-related magmatic arcs occur in a variety of crustal tectonic regimes, including where active faults indicate arc-normal extension. The Cascades arc volcano Mount Mazama overlaps on its west an ∼10-km-wide zone of ∼north-south–trending normal faults. A lidar (light detection and ranging) survey of Crater Lake National Park, reveals several previously unrecognized faults west of the caldera. Postglacial vertical separations measured from profiles across scarps range from ∼2 m to as much as 12 m. Scarp profiles commonly suggest two or more postglacial surface-rupturing events. Ignimbrite of the ca. 7.6 ka climactic eruption of Mount Mazama, during which Crater Lake caldera formed, appears to bury fault strands where they project into thick, valley-filling ignimbrite. Lack of lateral offset of linear features suggests principally normal displacement, although predominant left stepping of scarp strands implies a component of dextral slip. West-northwest–east-southeast and north-northwest–south-southeast linear topographic elements, such as low scarps or ridges, shallow troughs, and straight reaches of streams, suggest that erosion was influenced by distributed shear, consistent with GPS vectors and clockwise rotation of the Oregon forearc block. Surface rupture lengths (SRL) of faults suggest earthquakes of (moment magnitude) Mw6.5 from empirical scaling relationships. If several faults slipped in one event, a combined SRL of 44 km suggests an earthquake of Mw7.0. Postglacial scarps as high as 12 m imply maximum vertical slip rates of 1.5 mm/yr for the zone west of Crater Lake, considerably higher than the ∼0.3 mm/yr long-term rate for the nearby West Klamath Lake fault zone. An unanswered question is the timing of surface-rupturing earthquakes relative to the Mazama climactic eruption. The eruption may have been preceded by a large earthquake. Alternatively, large surface-rupturing earthquakes may have occurred during the eruption, a result of decrease in east-west compressive stress during ejection of ∼50 km3 of magma and concurrent caldera collapse.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Muñoz-López ◽  
Gemma Alías ◽  
David Cruset ◽  
Irene Cantarero ◽  
Cédric M. Jonh ◽  
...  

Abstract. Calcite veins precipitated in the Estamariu thrust during two tectonic events decipher the temporal and spatial relationships between deformation and fluid migration in a long-lived thrust and determine the influence of basement rocks on the fluid chemistry during deformation. Structural and petrological observations constrain the timing of fluid migration and vein formation, whilst geochemical analyses (δ13C, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, clumped isotope thermometry and elemental composition) of the related calcite cements and host rocks indicate the fluid origin, pathways and extent of fluid-rock interaction. The first tectonic event, recorded by calcite cements Cc1a and Cc2, is related to the Alpine reactivation of the Estamariu thrust, and is characterized by the migration of meteoric fluids, heated at depth (temperatures between 56 and 98 °C) and interacted with crystalline basement rocks before upflowing through the thrust zone. During the Neogene extension, the Estamariu thrust was reactivated and normal faults and shear fractures with calcite cements Cc3, Cc4 and Cc5 developed. Cc3 and Cc4 precipitated from hydrothermal fluids (temperatures between 127 and 208 °C and between 102 and 167 °C, respectively) derived from crystalline basement rocks and expelled through fault zones during deformation. Cc5 precipitated from low temperature meteoric waters percolating from the surface through small shear fractures. The comparison between our results and already published data in other structures from the Pyrenees suggests that regardless of the origin of the fluids and the tectonic context, basement rocks have a significant influence on the fluid chemistry, particularly on the 87Sr/86Sr ratio. Accordingly, the cements precipitated from fluids interacted with crystalline basement rocks have significantly higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios (> 0.710) with respect to those precipitated from fluids that have interacted with the sedimentary cover (


Geology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément de Sagazan ◽  
Jean-Arthur Olive

The stabilizing effect of surface processes on strain localization, albeit predicted by several decades of geodynamic modeling, remains difficult to document in real tectonic settings. Here we assess whether intense sedimentation can explain the longevity of the normal faults bounding the Andaman Sea spreading center (ASSC). The structure of the ASSC is analogous to a slow-spreading mid-ocean ridge (MOR), with symmetric, evenly spaced axis-facing faults. The average spacing of faults with throws ≥100 m (8.8 km) is however large compared to unsedimented MORs of commensurate spreading rate, suggesting that sedimentation helps focus tectonic strain onto a smaller number of longer-lived faults. We test this idea by simulating a MOR with a specified fraction of magmatic plate separation (M), subjected to a sedimentation rate (s) ranging from 0 to 1 mm/yr. We find that for a given M ≥ 0.7, increasing s increases fault lifespan by ~50%, and the effect plateaus for s > 0.5 mm/yr. Sedimentation prolongs slip on active faults by leveling seafloor relief and raising the threshold for breaking new faults. The effect is more pronounced for faults with a slower throw rate, which is favored by a greater M. These results suggest that sedimentation-enhanced fault lifespan is a viable explanation for the large spacing of ASSC faults if magmatic input is sufficiently robust. By contrast, longer-lived faults that form under low M are not strongly influenced by sedimentation.


2001 ◽  
Vol 80 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 297-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Vandycke ◽  
Y. Quinif

AbstractThis paper presents observations of recent faulting activity in the karstic network of the Rochefort Cave (Namur Province, Belgium, Europe). The principal recent tectonic features are bedding planes reactivated as normal faults, neo-formatted normal faults in calcite flowstone, fresh scaling, extensional features, fallen blocks and displacement of karstic tube. The seismo-tectonic aspect is expanded by the presence of fallen blocks where normally the cavity must be very stable and in equilibrium. Three main N 070° fault planes and a minor one affect, at a decimetre scale, the karst features and morphology. The faults are still active because recent fresh scaling and fallen blocks are observable. The breaking of Holocene soda straw stalactites and displacements of artificial features observed since the beginning of the tourist activity, in the last century, also suggest very recent reactivation of these faults. This recent faulting can be correlated to present-day tectonic activity, already evidenced by earthquakes in the neighbouring area. Therefore, karstic caves are favourable sites for the observation and the quantification of recent tectonic activity because they constitute a 3-D framework, protected from erosion. Fault planes with this recent faulting present slickensides. Thus a quantitative analysis in term of stress inversion, with the help of striated faults, has permitted to reconstruct the stress tensor responsible for the brittle deformation. The principal NW-SE extension (σ3 horizontal) is nearly perpendicular to that of the present regional stress as illustrated by the analysis of the last strong regional earthquake (Roermond, The Netherlands) in 1992. During the Meso-Cenozoic, the main stress tectonics recorded in this part of the European platform is similar to the present one with a NE-SW direction of extension.The discrepancy between the regional stress field and the local stress in the Rochefort cave can be the result of the inversion of the σ2 and σ3 axes of the stress ellipsoid due to its symmetry or of a local modification at the ground surface of the crustal stress field as it has been already observed in active zones.


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