Journal
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
Volume 40, Issue 10, Pages 1984-1988Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1002/grl.50417
Keywords
shear zone; tectonic overpressure; numerical modelling
Categories
Funding
- SNF [200021_131897, 200021_144250]
- University of Lausanne
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [200021_144250, 200021_131897] Funding Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
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A two-dimensional numerical simulation of lithospheric shortening shows the formation of a stable crustal-scale shear zone due to viscous heating. The shear zone thickness is controlled by thermomechanical coupling that is resolved numerically inside the shear zone. Away from the shear zone, lithospheric deformation is dominated by pure shear, and tectonic overpressure (i.e., pressure larger than the lithostatic pressure) is proportional to the deviatoric stress. Inside the shear zone, deformation is dominated by simple shear, and the deviatoric stress decreases due to thermal weakening of the viscosity. To maintain a constant horizontal total stress across the weak shear zone (i.e., horizontal force balance), the pressure in the shear zone increases to compensate the decrease of the deviatoric stress. Tectonic overpressure in the weak shear zone can be significantly larger than the deviatoric stress at the same location. Implications for the geodynamic history of tectonic nappes including high-pressure/ultrahigh-pressure rocks are discussed.
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