Sequential development of the Appalachian orogen above a master decollement — A hypothesis

Research Article| December 01, 1979 Sequential development of the Appalachian orogen above a master decollement — A hypothesis Leonard D. Harris; Leonard D. Harris 1U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 22092 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kenneth C. Bayer Kenneth C. Bayer 1U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 22092 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Leonard D. Harris 1U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 22092 Kenneth C. Bayer 1U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 22092 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1979) 7 (12): 568–572. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1979)7<568:SDOTAO>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Leonard D. Harris, Kenneth C. Bayer; Sequential development of the Appalachian orogen above a master decollement — A hypothesis. Geology 1979;; 7 (12): 568–572. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1979)7<568:SDOTAO>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 Surface geology and seismic-reflection data suggest that rather than having a massive rooted central core the southern part of the Appalachian orogen from the Appalachian Plateau to the Atlantic continental shelf is underlain by an eastward-dipping decollement zone. We infer that this decollement zone was a long-lived structural element, intermittently growing from east to west during late Proterozoic to late Paleozoic time. Onshore displacement along the detachment surface was episodic through this long period of time, so that reliable estimates of total shortening for the entire orogen are not possible. Palinspastic restoration of only the western margin of the orogen, the area west of the Brevard zone, suggests a minimum of 280 km (175 mi) of Alleghenian displacement. Total accumulated shortening through time within the entire orogen must be considerably greater, probably exceeding hundreds of additional kilometres. 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.