Role of tectonic denudation in warping and uplift of low-angle normal faults

Research Article| February 01, 1984 Role of tectonic denudation in warping and uplift of low-angle normal faults Jon E. Spencer Jon E. Spencer 1Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, 845 N. Park Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85719 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Jon E. Spencer 1Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, 845 N. Park Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85719 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1984) 12 (2): 95–98. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1984)12<95:ROTDIW>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jon E. Spencer; Role of tectonic denudation in warping and uplift of low-angle normal faults. Geology 1984;; 12 (2): 95–98. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1984)12<95:ROTDIW>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Large displacement on a low-angle normal fault results in isostatic uplift of the lower plate in response to tectonic denudation. Simple models of the denudation process predict warping of the lower plate into a broad antiform, or antiform-synform pair, with axes perpendicular to the direction of extension. The amount of warping is strongly influenced by initial fault geometry, surface topography, the amount of extension, and the distribution of extension within the upper plate. Late-stage processes that augment antiform growth include one-sided denudation of the antiform, reverse faulting due to concave-upward flexure, and wholesale detachment and reverse-drag folding of the antiform. Antiformal uplifts, now exhumed by erosion, form mountain ranges in the southwestern United States where conditions were favorable for warping during mid-Tertiary crustal extension. Four major structural domains are apparent in transects across these uplifts and adjacent areas: (1) unextended area, (2) synformal upper plate, (3) antiformal uplift, and (4) wedge-shaped upper plate. Each domain is separated from adjacent domains by the traces of a master low-angle normal fault. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.