Tectonic Deformation At The Baltica-avalonia Contact Region During The Paleocene
Abstract
Predictions from dynamic modelling of the lithospheric deformation are presented for Northern Europe, where several basins underwent inversion during the Late Creta- ceous and Early Tertiary and contemporary uplift and erosion of sediments occurred. In order to analyse the evolution of the continental lithosphere the equations for the deformation of a continuum are solved numerically under the thin sheet assumption for the lithosphere. The most important stress sources is assumed to be the late Cre- taceous Alpine tectonics, but additional stress sources are also incorporated into the modelling, such as localized rheological heterogeneities that may affect the local de- formation and stress patterns. Present-day observations available in the studied region and coming from seismic structural interpretations and stress measurements have been used to constrain the model. We demonstrate that the geometry of the boundary be- tween Baltica and Avalonia, together with a different rheological identity of the two plates, has a crucial role on the predicted local crustal deformation and faulting regime resulting in the Tornquist Fan areas from the S-N Alpine convergence.
- Publication:
-
EGS General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002EGSGA..27.2440M