Folding by Large Scale Cataclastic Flow at Shallow Crustal Levels in the Internal Portions of the Sevier Orogenic Belt, West-Central Utah

University Of Rochester, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

0001030 Mitra Deformation in accretionary wedges commonly involve thrust faults and folds, and as material is progressively brought closer to the surface by uplift and erosion, it enters the brittle field. Yet large-scale folds occur, which may indicate fold tightening by cataclastic flow, a mechanism that has not been studied in detail. This project will study a first-order fold developed in quartzite in the internal portion of the Sevier fold and thrust belt, and will gather data on fractures, fracture networks and strain in order to test models for cataclastic flow. Results should aid understanding the process of large-scale cataclastic flow and place constraints on its role in folds in an orogenic wedge.