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Positive fault inversion triggering ‘intrusive diapirism’: an analogue modelling perspective
Author(s) -
Ventisette Chiara Del,
Montanari Domenico,
Bonini Marco,
Sani Federico
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2005.00637.x
Subject(s) - diapir , geology , inversion (geology) , salt tectonics , extensional definition , petrology , structural basin , fault (geology) , tectonics , seismology , geomorphology
Understanding the formation and the development of salt structures is very important especially because they are of significant economical interest for hydrocarbon trapping and for long‐term storage of radioactive waste and energy reserves. Generally, the activity of normal faults developed in extensional regimes is considered the most efficient mechanism for salt diapirs. The results of analogue models reported in this paper suggest a new triggering mechanism for the rise of salt structures during basin inversion. This mechanism relates the localization of ductile diapirs to early normal faults only after their inversion during later shortening. In this case, diapiric growth is related to the strong dip‐slip reactivation component along the fault extruding the silicone‐simulating salt upward. Some natural cases, in which the timing and the mechanism of diapiric growth is not clear, can be re‐interpreted in the light of these analogue model results.