Characteristics of thrust fault imbrication near the frontal edge of the Blue Ridge thrust sheet, Buffalo Mountain, Tennessee
Conference
·
· Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States)
OSTI ID:6651982
The Buffalo Mountain thrust sheet, located along the western margin of the Blue Ridge in northeastern Tennessee, provides an excellent opportunity to examine transitional structural styles and deformation mechanisms between the Valley and Ridge and Blue Ridge. Previous interpretation suggests that, because of pre-fault tilting, thrust faults within the Buffalo Mountain complex cut down stratigraphic section. Geometric data from the present study indicate, however, that the thrust faults cut up section with stratigraphic separations of up to 16,500'. Footwall and hanging wall bedding orientations reveal a stair-step thrust geometry; the Unicoi Fm. (basal Chilhowee Gp. quartzite) is a hanging wall flat, and the Knox Gp. (Cambro-Ordovician carbonate) is a footwall ramp. Ductile and brittle deformation mechanisms are represented by mesofabric elements. Important deformation mechanisms and elements include: flexural slip and flexural flow folding styles, pressure solution cleavage, extensional and contractional fractures, quartz filled tensional fractures and cataclastic fault zones. Although previous workers have determined that thrusting within the Blue Ridge occurs in an out-of-sequence pattern, the Buffalo Mountain thrust complex provides an example of in-sequence thrusting. Thus, based on this example, deformation styles and mechanisms within the Blue Ridge appear to be similar to Valley and Ridge deformation styles and mechanisms.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6651982
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8510489-
- Conference Information:
- Journal Name: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 17
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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