Stanca, R orcid.org/0000-0003-0020-1016, McCarthy, DJ, Paton, DA et al. (2 more authors) (2022) The tectono-stratigraphic architecture of the Falkland Plateau Basin; implications for the evolution of the Falkland Islands Microplate. Gondwana Research, 105. pp. 320-342. ISSN 1342-937X
Abstract
Commonly, intra-continental wrenching is associated with a high degree of crustal faulting and fragmentation. The resulting continental blocks can undergo vertical-axis rotations, which in turn can lead to the generation of intricate fault networks within and along their boundary regions. Investigations into these structural complexities can support understanding of when and how these continental blocks rotate, and what their position was prior to transform margin formation. In the case of the Falkland Islands Microplate (part of the Falkland Plateau transform margin), its position between South Africa, South America, and East Antarctica prior to the break-up of Gondwana is still debatable. This uncertainty affects the reliability of plate models for this region. Here we integrate gravity and 2D and 3D seismic reflection data from the eastern margin of the microplate (west side of the Falkland Plateau Basin) to provide insights into the tectono-stratigraphic architecture of this area from Jurassic onwards, and into the evolution of the Falkland Islands Microplate. Our findings show that the western part of the Falkland Plateau Basin is an integral part of the microplate, and it underwent deformation in a relatively fast-changing stress regime. Stress field configuration estimates across the Falkland Islands Microplate support an alternation between a NE-SW and NW-SE/WNW-ESE orientation of σ3 during the Jurassic and an ENE-WSW oriented σ3 during the Lower Cretaceous. Correlations of this local stress configuration with the regional support a Middle to Upper Jurassic rotation of the microplate in a predominantly extensional setting facilitated by the early fragmentation of south-western Gondwana.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Extesional tectioncs; Microplate; Seismic reflection; South-western Gondwana; Stree field |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Applied Geosciences (IAG) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 05 Oct 2021 14:53 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 22:46 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.gr.2021.09.014 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:178673 |