crustal versus mantle core complexes deep crustal and mantle rocks are exhumed in core complex mode of extension in three types of structures metamorphic core complexes oceanic core complexes and magma poor passive margins using available analogue and numerical models and their comparison with natural examples the present paper reviews the mechanical processes involved in these different types of extensional setting three main aspects are considered i the primary role of lithosphere rheology ii the lithosphere scale patterns of progressive deformation that lead to the exhumation of deep metamorphic or mantle rocks and iii the initiation and development of detachment zones crustal core complexes develop in continental lithospheres whose moho temperature is higher than 750 c with upper crust dominated strength profiles contrary to what is commonly believed it is argued from analogue and numerical models that detachments that accommodate exhumation of core complexes do not initiate at the onset of extension but in the course of progressive extension when the exhuming ductile crust reaches the surface in models convex upward detachments result from a rolling hinge process mantle core complexes develop in either the oceanic lithosphere at slow and ultra slow spreading ridges or in continental lithospheres whose initial moho temperature is lower than 750 c with sub moho mantle dominated strength profiles it is argued that the mechanism of mantle exhumation at passive margins is a nearly symmetrical necking process at lithosphere scale without major and permanent detachment except if strong strain localization could occur in the lithosphere mantle distributed crustal extension by upper crust faulting above a decollement along the ductile crust increases toward the rift axis up to crustal breakup mantle rocks exhume in the zone of crustal breakup accommodated by conjugate mantle shear zones that migrate with the rift axis during increasing extension

folding of mylonitic zones in cordilleran metamorphic core complexes evidence from near the mylonitic front metamorphic core complexes of north america are asymmetric when viewed perpendicular to the direction of tectonic transport on one side mylonitic fabrics and the overlying detachment fault dip gently in the direction of upper plate transport and the mylonitic rocks have a down dip sense of shear on the opposite side the mylonitic zone rolls over to a dip opposed to the direction of upper plate transport diverges downward from the detachment fault and dies out upward across a mylonitic front new kinematic data show that the backdipping mylonitic zone in most complexes is a downfolded continuation of the main mylonitic zone folding of the mylonitic zone was accompanied by the formation of antithetic shear zones and occurred during the late stages of mylonitization

structural analysis of basement tectonites from the aegean metamorphic core complex of ios cyclades greece abstract the island of ios in the cyclades aegean sea greece exposes high pressure metamorphic rocks that were subjected to miocene continental extension subsequent to the alpine collisional orogeny the pre alpine history of the lower plate of this aegean metamorphic core complex involves intrusion of granitoids into metasediments which subsequently underwent hercynian amphibolite facies metamorphism during the alpine orogeny d2 these rocks were overthrust by the cyclades blueschist nappe later the lower plate was tectonically exhumed during oligo miocene continental extension and associated plutonism final exhumation occurred as a result of the operation of a south directed crustal scale shear zone and low angle normal faults this study shows that the ios core complex reflects an intrinsic relationship between early thrusting and later extensional tectonism basement rocks have been exhumed from beneath the nappes that originally overrode them

sequential development of interfering metamorphic core complexes numerical experiments and comparison with the cyclades greece the mechanics of metamorphic core complex mcc development and the associated process of lower crustal flow have been the topic of several modelling studies the model setup usually includes a local heterogeneity forcing deformation to localize at a given site enabling only one mcc to develop this paper presents numerical lithospheric scale experiments in whichdeformationis not a priorilocalizedinaspecificplace inordertoexaminewhethermultiple mccs could develop during extension at which conditions and how configurations with either a singlemccorseveralfar distantmccsalignedinthesectionparalleltoextensionare obtainedfor arelativelywiderangeofinitialconditions theonlyfirmrequirementbeingthatthelowercrustand the sub moho mantle both have very low strengths in contrast only a narrow range of conditions leads to the development of closely spaced mccs in this case the mccs interfere with one another the domes are partly superimposed or and share a shear zone in common and develop in sequence this configuration is compared with the cyclades archipelago where closely spaced chains of mccs have been described in the literature a review of available data on the islandsdocumentsa goodagreement with the experiments intermsoffinal depthofthe moho geo metry and kinematic pattern of the mccs and timing of exhumation of the metamorphic rocks based on this agreement we tentatively deduce from the numerical results some of the conditions that prevailed at the initiation of and during post orogenic mcc type extension in the cyclades themostlikely initial thicknessofthecrust is between40 and44 km a thermallithospheric thick ness of only c 60 km is also likely which might be a condition at the onset of extension or may have been obtained during early stages of extension while the lithosphere was warmed up either a backarc subduction setting or a process of mantle delamination may account for this situ ation the numerical results also suggest a boundary velocity of 2 0 2 3 cm a which should basi cally reflect the rate at which the south hellenic subduction zone retreated considering c 500 km as an upper bound for the amount of retreat balanced by aegean extension and assuming that this retreat mostly occurred during mcc type extension in the cyclades we find that the boundary velocity could have been as high as 2 1 cm a if mcc type extension lasted 24 ma starting at c 30 ma and finishing at c 6 ma as suggested by available geochronological data a velocity of 2 1 cm a agrees well with the numerical results

near n s paleo extension in the western deccan region india does it link strike slip tectonics with india seychelles rifting this is the first detailed report and analyses of deformation from the w part of the deccan large igneous province dlip maharashtra india this deformation related to the india seychelles rifting during late cretaceous early paleocene was studied and the paleostress tensors were deduced near n s trending shear zones lineaments and faults were already reported without significant detail an e w extension was envisaged by the previous workers to explain the india seychelles rift at 64 ma the direction of extension however does not match with their n s brittle shear zones and also those faults sub vertical ne sw nw se and few n s we report and emphasize in this work slickenside bearing fault planes brittle shear zones and extension fractures in meso scale enabled us to estimate the paleostress tensors directions and relative magnitudes the field study was complemented by remote sensing lineament analyses to map dykes and shear zones dykes emplaced along pre existing n s to ne sw nw se shears fractures this information was used to derive regional paleostress trends a nw se ne sw minimum compressive stress in the oldest kalsubai subgroup and a n s direction for the younger lonavala wai and salsette subgroups were deciphered thus a nw ne to n s extension is put forward that refutes the popular view of e w india seychelles extension paleostress analyses indicate that this is an oblique rifted margin field criteria suggest only ne sw and nw se with some n s strike slip faults brittle shear zones we refer this deformation zone as the western deccan strike slip zone wdsz the observed deformation was matched with offshore tectonics deciphered mainly from faults interpreted on seismic profiles and from magnetic seafloor spreading anomalies these geophysical findings too indicate oblique rifting in this part of the w indian passive margin we argue that the seychelles microcontinent separated from india only after much of the dlip erupted further studies of magma rich passive margins with respect to timing and architecture of deformation and emplacement of volcanics are required

large scale structure of the eclogite blueschist belt of new caledonia abstract this paper considers the large scale geometry of the northern part of the eclogite blueschist belt of new caledonia based largely on classical style structural analysis but in consideration of modern concepts regarding crustal extension exhumation of high pressure rocks and uplift shear zones played an important role in the evolution of the region early shear zones and high pressure metamorphism appear to be associated with overthrusting of an ultramafic sheet middle stage shear zones are associated with large scale continental extension during which the high pressure rocks were exhumed the extended crust was subsequently folded during renewed compression producing an orogen scale antiform throughout the high pressure belt that folds all previously formed structures late stage shear zones formed when the orogen was once again thrown into extension relatively youthful normal faults caused late block faulting uplifting a regional peneplain and producing the present geomorphology previously published interpretations of the structure and geometry of the belt have suggested that the high pressure rocks are found in the core of a regionally developed antiform interpreted as a metamorphic core complex our structural mapping shows that allochthonous slices of high pressure rocks are draped over a younger unrelated foliation antiform lower grade retrogressed equivalent rocks are found within the core of the antiform thus the metamorphic core complex model is rejected

hydrolytic weakening in olivine single crystals deformation experiments on single crystals of san carlos olivine under hydrous conditions were performed to investigate the microphysical processes responsible for hydrolytic weakening during dislocation creep hydrogen was supplied to the crystals using either talc or brucite sealed in nickel capsules with the crystal deformation experiments were carried out using a gas medium apparatus at temperatures of 1050 to 1250 c a confining pressure of 300 mpa differential stresses of 45 to 294 mpa and resultant strain rates of 1 5 10 6 to 4 4 10 4 s 1 for talc buffered i e water and orthopyroxene buffered samples at high temperatures the dependence of strain rate on stress follows a power law relationship with a stress exponent n of 2 5 and an activation energy of 490 kj mol brucite buffered samples deformed faster than talc buffered samples but contained similar hydrogen concentrations demonstrating that strain rate is influenced by orthopyroxene activity under hydrous conditions the values of n and dependence of strain rate on orthopyroxene activity are consistent with hydrolytic weakening occurring in the climb controlled dislocation creep regime that is associated with deformation controlled by lattice diffusion under hydrous conditions and by pipe diffusion under anhydrous conditions analyses of postdeformation electron backscatter diffraction data demonstrate that dislocations with 100 burgers vectors are dominant in the climb controlled regime and dislocations with 001 are dominant in the glide controlled regime comparison of the experimentally determined constitutive equations demonstrates that under hydrous conditions crystals deform 1 to 2 orders of magnitude faster than under anhydrous conditions

large magnitude extension along metamorphic core complexes of western arizona and southeastern california evaluation with paleomagnetism cordilleran metamorphic core complexes mccs and their associated structures detachment faults and mylonites are the products of large magnitude cenozoic extension paleomagnetic data from the harquahala harcuvar buckskin and whipple mccs of western arizona and southeastern california 1900 samples 191 of 278 sites accepted for inclusion in group and grand means allow us to estimate the magnitude of footwall tilting associated with extension all mcc crystalline rocks sampled are in the footwalls of associated brittle detachment faults rocks sampled include synkinematic miocene intrusions dikes and plutons late cretaceous granites and proterozoic host rocks these rocks with different levels of success at the site level yield dual polarity high unblocking temperature and high to moderate coercivity magnetizations demagnetization behavior reveals that those sites with well grouped magnetizations and high laboratory unblocking temperatures and or high to moderate coercivities have characteristic remanent magnetizations carried by either magnetite with minor hematite or by hematite with minor magnetite results of baked contact tests show that these footwall rocks possess thermoremanent magnetizations or high temperature thermochemical remanent magnetizations acquired early in their cooling history either before or during extension our overall interpretation of the paleomagnetic data is that during cenozoic extension mcc footwalls tilted flattened only a modest amount 15 in the direction of tectonic transport we also interpret harcuvar and whipple mcc paleomagnetic data to indicate tectonic tilting steepening of the mylonitic zone to form a back dipping mylonitic front the whipple bullard eagle eye detachment fault system and associated mylonites are interpreted to have originated with a low angle dip 10 to 25 ne we relate the small amount of footwall flattening in the direction of tectonic transport and the steepening of the back dipping mylonitic front to the buoyant rise of exhumed footwalls according to rolling hinge isostatic uplift models our interpretation refutes the widespread applicability of models that predict mccs to represent strongly tilted crustal blocks originally bounded by high moderate angle normal faults additionally a fold test of harquahala mcc data yielded negative results this suggests that antiformal footwall arches represent the oldest structures of mccs that developed prior to or during mylonitization of footwall rocks before acquisition of the remanent magnetizations carried by these rocks

the extensional messaria shear zone and associated brittle detachment faults aegean sea greece structural thermochronological and metamorphic data are used to elucidate the tectonic nature and evolution of the ductile extensional messaria shear zone and the associated brittle messaria and fanari detachment faults which exhumed their footwall from mid crustal depths on the island of ikaria in the aegean thermobarometric data indicate that the messaria shear zone formed at 350 400 c and 3 4 kbar i e at a depth of c 15 km normal faulting was accompanied by the intrusion of two granites which together with the thermobarometric data indicate a relatively high thermal field gradient of 25 35 c km 1 zircon and apatite fission track and apatite u th he ages demonstrate rapid cooling in the footwall of the messaria detachment from c 400 c to c 40 c between 11 and 3 ma age distance relationships of the data suggest that the messaria shear zone and the messaria detachment slipped at apparent rates of c 6 9 km ma 1 kinematic indicators show a consistent top to the nne shear sense for the extensional faults however at the southern part of the messaria detachment some late stage shear sense indicators are top to the ssw and are assumed to be associated with updoming of the footwall numerous deformed pegmatite veins in the messaria shear zone allow the reconstruction of deformation and flow parameters the mean kinematic vorticity number ranges from 0 13 to 0 80 indicating that shearing deviated significantly from simple shear that is extensional shearing was associated with vertical ductile thinning which contributed to tectonic exhumation finite strain shows oblate geometries and axial ratios of the finite strain ellipse in sections parallel to tectonic transport and normal to the mylonitic foliation range from 1 8 to 19 9 we calculate using a 1d numerical model that vertical ductile thinning contributed c 20 to exhumation during extensional shearing normal faulting was the major agent exhuming the footwall from c 15 km depth

thermal effects of exhumation of a metamorphic core complex on hanging wall syn rift sediments an example from the rechnitz window eastern alps the removal of overburden by tectonic processes displaces the rock masses and their temperature with respect to the surface consequently high cooling rates and increased heat flow have been reported from rapidly exhuming terrains previous studies were mainly focused on the greenschist and amphibolite facies tectono thermal evolution of the footwall a two dimensional numerical thermal model presented in this study concentrates on the thermal history of the hanging wall and the footwall blocks and evaluates the variation of the near surface heat flow above an evolving metamorphic core complex based on structural thermobarometric and geochronological constraints from the rechnitz core complex of the eastern alps the modelling suggests that rapid movement along the extensional fault took place between 22 and 17 ma during this period the heat flow reached values of 140 150 mw m 2 in the hanging wall in a 10 15 km wide zone parallel to the fault trace the increased heat flow caused the high coal rank in the miocene syn rift sediments deposited on the hanging wall apatite fission track geochronology of the thermally overprinted sedimentary deposits gives the time at which the bottom of the syn rift sediment pile passed through 110oc 13 6 0 9 ma the vitrinite reflectance data rr 0 67 1 04 suggest significant burial of the margin of the hanging wall at the time of core complex formation considering the coal rank data and the thermal conductivity of the sedimentary deposits by modelling of the organic maturation we calculate syn rift early middle miocene burial of the hanging wall margin of the rechnitz core complex to be 1100 1600 m this value shows the importance of the post middle miocene erosion of the region which was related to the inversion of the pannonian basin 1998 elsevier science b v all rights reserved

evolution of north himalayan gneiss domes structural and metamorphic studies in mabja dome southern tibet field structural and metamorphic petrology investigations of mabja gneiss dome southern tibet suggest that contractional extensional and diapiric processes contributed to the structural evolution and formation of the domal geometry the dome is cored by migmatites overlain by sillimanite zone metasedimentary rocks and orthogneiss metamorphic grade diminishes upsection and is defined by a series of concentric isograds evidence for three major deformational events two older penetrative contractional and extensional events and a younger doming event is preserved metamorphism migmitization and emplacement of a leucocratic dike swarm were syntectonic with the extensional event at mid crustal levels metamorphic temperatures and pressures range from 500 8c and 150 450 mpa in chloritoid zone rocks to 705 65 8c and 820 100 mpa in sillimanite zone rocks we suggest that adiabatic decompression during extensional collapse contributed to development of migmatites diapiric rise of low density migmatites was the driving force at least in part for the development of the domal geometry the structural and metamorphic histories documented in mabja dome are similar to kangmar dome suggesting widespread occurrence of these events throughout southern tibet q 2004 elsevier ltd all rights reserved

thermochronometric constraints on the tectonic evolution of the serifos detachment aegean sea greece we constrain the timing and kinematics of the serifos detachment in the southwestern cyclades greece using low temperature thermochronometry fission track dating shows that the serifos detachment was active between 13 and 6 ma and that the serifos granodiorite in its footwall intruded at or before 12 11 ma into the extensional shear zone and initially cooled very rapidly at rates 180 c per million year the mylonite zone at the top of the granodiorite and mylonitic structures in its country rocks record a consistent top ssw shear sense in the ductile crust in the brittle regime top nne shear sense indicators occur as well conjugate top ssw and top nne high angle normal faults are the youngest deformational features and cut across the detachment age distance relationships for the fission track data display a relatively flat pattern we discuss a model advocating initial top ssw movement on the serifos detachment before and during emplacement of the granodiorite updoming of the detachment during exhumation and cooling caused subsequent bivergent extension in the brittle crust

mode of extension and rifting history of upper tiburon and upper delfin basins northern gulf of california 1 the crustal structure of the northern gulf of california transtensional margin has been investigated by a 280 km long nw se profile including deep multichannel seismic reflection and densely sampled refraction wide angle reflection seismic information combined with gravity modeling the seismic and gravity modeling constrains two thinned crustal areas corresponding to the upper delfin and the upper tiburon basins on both sides of the profile toward the baja california peninsula and the mexico mainland a progressive thickening of the continental crust is observed our results indicate that the crustal thickness is 19 km below the coastline and it decreases to 14 and 17 km below the upper delfin and upper tiburon basins respectively in the area between both basins the crust thickens to 19 5 km there are significant lateral thickness variations for the different levels of the crust the interpreted structure is consistent with the existence of an aborted rift below the upper tiburon basin prominent dipping reflections in the multichannel data under upper tiburon basin and the ridge between upper tiburon and upper delfin basins can be explained as a mylonite like zone related to a detachment fault this interpretation suggests that the structural evolution of upper tiburon basin could be controlled by a major fault that cuts through the upper crust and merges into a zone of subhorizontal reflections in the lower crust the mode and locus of extension have evolved from a core complex in upper tiburon to a narrow rift mode in upper delfin basin

geometry and kinematics of shear zones formed during continental extension in eastern papua new guinea abstract the d entrecasteaux islands eastern papua new guinea lie in an area of continental extension that has been active since the mid miocene during the last 4 ma the metamorphic basement rocks composing most of the islands have been uplifted and tectonically exhumed from depths of approximately 35 km tectonic exhumation appears to have been controlled by deformation in broad kilometre scale mylonitic shear zones a progressive evolution is documented in the shear zones characterized by increasing localized deformation a change from dominantly ductile to dominantly brittle processes and decreasing metamorphic grade i e retrograde metamorphism the evolution is believed to be the result of uplift and cooling of the basement accompanying shear zone movement the kinematic history of the shear zones is complex a number of sinistrally offset extensional detachment zones separate a multiply deformed high grade metamorphic basement from a cover of largely undeformed ultramafic and mafic cover rocks the detachment zones are connected by transverse shear zones these transverse zones appear to act as sinistral strike slip zones which also accommodate transfer motion between the detachment zones

field tests of rolling hinges existence mechanical types and implications for extensional tectonics in rolling hinge models a locus of isostatic footwall uplift migrates together with the withdrawing hanging wall of a large displacement tens of kilometers normal fault a fault bend fold that migrates through the footwall results causing progressive deactivation of the updip part of the fault as it is tilted to a lower dip rolling hinge migration should leave a discernible geologic record but compelling tests are difficult to design because predictions of rolling hinge models are nonunique and alternative models commonly can explain individual data sets field tests based on thermochronology paleomagnetism and structural analysis are typically applied to footwall rocks whereas sedimentology geochronology of volcanic rocks and structural analysis are typically applied to upper plate rocks we review existing theoretical models and case studies in 14 detachment terranes some negative results are reasonably compelling but positive tests as yet tend to permit rather than demand a rolling hinge locally both positive and negative conclusions have been reached about the passage of a hinge within the same terrane such differences in interpretation may depend more on the scale of observation or on the specific model considered than on the geological development of the area subvertical simple shear and flexural failure mechanisms with or without significant induced flow of lower crustal material are thought to dominate hinge related footwall deformation in individual sites although rolling hinge models offer an alternative to low initial fault dips hinge related deformation does not demand a steep initial fault dip few areas in which rolling hinge tectonics are permissible had initially steep faults 35 rather where the evidence most strongly favors a rolling hinge detachment faults had initial dips 35 in the future conclusive results are most likely to be obtained if diverse tests are applied to both the upper and lower plates of detachment terranes where other geological sources of ambiguity are minimal at best the rolling hinge mechanism does not universally explain the observation that earthquakes are rare on low angle normal faults nor solve the mechanical problems of frictional slip on such faults

plutonism and the origin of metamorphic core complexes the formation of metamorphic core complexes may be triggered by plutonic activity during episodes of continental extension pulses of ductile deformation have taken place during short lived thermal events initiated by the heat input from intruded plutons sills or dikes such intrusions may be the underlying cause for differential uplift of the footwall during tectonic denudation of metamorphic core complexes fast cooling inferred from 40 ar 39 ar apparent ages may have taken place after periods of magma arrival and need not be the result of rapid erosional or tectonic denudation heterogeneity of 40 ar 39 ar apparent ages can be explained by rapid cooling of deforming mylonites formed at shallow crustal levels in the thermal aureoles of intruded sills or sill swarms under such circumstances apparently isothermal decompression paths may actually link pressure temperature points set during periods of transient mineral growth during and after periods of igneous activity

the transition from large magnitude extension to distributed dextral faulting in the buckskin rawhide metamorphic core complex west central arizona brittle fault data from the buckskin rawhide metamorphic core complex west central arizona document the miocene transition from large magnitude ne directed extension to distributed e w extension and dextral faulting the buckskin rawhide detachment fault locally records a clockwise rotation of the slip direction from dominant top ne directed slip to ene and e directed slip during the last stages of activity postmylonitic brittle deformation is dominated by normal and dextral slip along moderately to steeply ne dipping faults relative timing relationships indicate that most postmylonitic normal faulting was coeval with middle miocene detachment fault slip whereas dextral and oblique dextral faulting postdates detachment fault slip post 11 ma based on the persistent sw dip of lower plate fabrics and ne dip of abundant normal faults the amount of ne sw brittle extension across the mylonitic lower plate is estimated to be 20 30 in several areas the end of detachment faulting in the buckskin rawhide metamorphic core complex was marked by a transition to dominantly e w extension and associated dextral normal faulting at least 10 ne dipping postdetachment faults record 0 1 1 km dextral or oblique dextral displacement the cumulative amount of dextral shear across the core complex is probably 7 9 km which is the amount needed to restore the topographic trend of lower plate corrugations into alignment with the dominant extension direction postdetachment dextral transtensional faulting across the core complex reflects the increasing influence of the diffuse pacific north america transform plate boundary toward the end of the middle miocene

relationship between polarity of extensional fault arrays and presence of detachments abstract extensional fault arrays are often dominated by a single fault vergence forming domino fault blocks the polarity of faults can be defined as synthetic or antithetic in relation to the overall shear sense across the fault system observations of the geometry of a number of field examples of extensional fault arrays vs the lithologies as a proxy for strength profile show that synthetic extensional arrays from the north sea and bristol channel basin detach on salt layers whereas examples of antithetic arrays from the north sea are found to pin out downwards and no basal detachment is present in the sacramento mountains core complex of the basin and range the major low angle detachment fault post dates antithetic shears that evolved at mid crustal level and are preserved in the granitic footwall these antithetic shears were cut by the main low angle detachment whose hanging wall disintegrated into an array of synthetic faults the kinematics of synthetic vs antithetic arrays dictate that faults within synthetic arrays must branch onto a basal detachment whereas faults within antithetic arrays may die out downwards therefore the results emphasise that fault polarity in domino arrays may be related to the boundary conditions of the fault blocks and therefore may be diagnostic of the strength profile of the faulted stratigraphy

dating slate belts using 40 ar 39 ar geochronology and zircon ages from crosscutting plutons a case study from east central maine usa abstract we report the ages of cleavage development in a normally intractable lower greenschist facies slate belt the central maine aroostook matapedia belt in east central maine we have attacked this problem by identifying the minimum ages of muscovite in a regional acadian cleavage s 1 and in a local ductile fault zone cleavage s 2 using 40 ar 39 ar geochronology and the ages of crosscutting plutons our success stems from the regional low grade metamorphism of the rocks in which each crystallization event preserves a 40 ar 39 ar crystallization age and not a cooling age evidence for recrystallization via a pressure solution mechanism comes from truncations of detrital authigenic and in some rocks s 1 muscovite and chlorite grains by new cleavage forming muscovite and chlorite grains low blank furnace age spectra from meta arkosic and slaty rocks climb from moderate temperature devonian age steps dominated by cleavage forming muscovite to ordovician age steps dominated by a detrital muscovite component s 1 and s 2 cleaved rocks were hornfelsed by granitoids of 407 and 377 ma respectively the combination of these minimum ages with the maximum metamorphic crystallization ages establishes narrow constraints on the timing of these two cleavage forming events 410 ma s 1 and 380 ma s 2 these two events coincide in time with a change in the plate convergence kinematics from the arrival of the avalon terrane acadian orogeny to a right lateral transpression arrival of the meguma terrane in the neoacadian orogeny

geologic structural and thermochronologic constraints on the tectonic evolution of the sierra mazatan core complex sonora mexico new insights into metamorphic core complex formation 1 the sierra mazatan in northwestern mexico is the southernmost metamorphic core complex in the north american cordillera large magnitude tertiary extension at sierra mazatan involved both ductile and brittle slip along a major normal fault that presently dips 10 15 west extension was polyphase and involved an early period of extension from 25 to 23 ma followed by major slip from 21 to 16 ma total slip was 20 km and occurred at rates of 3 4 mm a this extension predated the plate boundary change to transtension at 12 ma and was largely decoupled from relative pacific north american plate motion numerous lines of evidence suggest that the presently low angle normal fault initiated at a steep dip 50 60 and was rotated to lower angles during slip when corrected for this tilting fault corrugations at sierra mazatan had a similar geometry to the segmentation of many active normal faults which is compatible with their origin as primary fault features many aspects of the sierra mazatan are comparable to large active normal faults indicating that this core complex formed owing to prolonged extension on an otherwise typical high angle normal fault therefore core complexes need not represent a fundamentally unique mode of crustal extension

crustal scale geometry and kinematics of late orogenic extension in the central aegean cyclades and ewia island abstract the aegean continental domain is known to be the site of widespread back arc extension since at least the middle miocene overprinting structures related to the mesozoic cenozoic hellenic orogeny features attributed to early thrusting include the overall ductile deformation within two broad belts that have suffered hp lt metamorphism across the aegean this study summarizes the results of a structural study in the central aegean area cyclades and evvia island examining in particular the relationship between ductile and brittle deformation on a regional scale extension appears to be responsible for most of the ductile deformation within hp rock units that have experienced penetrative greenschist facies and higher grade metamorphic overprinting on each island studied progressive extensional deformation has occurred through the development of a major normal sense detachment zone down to depths of about 18 25 km the geometry of the extensional system on the scale of the central aegean is described taking into account the characteristic features of the regional scale ductile strain field at least two probably three subparallel major north dipping detachment zones are identified trending nw se in the northwestern cyclades and e w in the southeastern cyclades both with initial dips estimated at around 30 45 the present geometry of the extensional system implies that these detachment zones and related metamorphic core complexes interfere with each other two main evolutionary models are considered which can account for such a kinematic link between parallel detachment zones structural data favour the sequential development of synthetic major detachments zones in a direction opposite to the sense of dip of the detachments early oligocene lower miocene detachment type extension in the area studied is related to a late orogenic post thickening back arc setting

structural and stratigraphic development of the whipple chemehuevi detachment fault system southeastern california implications for the geometrical evolution of domal and basinal low angle normal faults recent debates on the development of detachment faults during continental extension have been centered on whether they were active at low angles and initiated as relatively planar faults in addition intense investigations have concentrated on how the detachment fault geometry evolved in time and space and how the extension was accommodated in their upper and lower plates the superb exposure of the mid tertiary whipple mountains detachment fault system in southeastern california provides an unusual opportunity to address these questions analysis of the stratigraphy and structures of upper plate rock units constrains the three dimensional kinematic evolution of the mid tertiary whipple chemehuevi detachment fault system in southeastern california tertiary volcanic strata in the northwestern whipple mountains and central chemehuevi valley consist of similar rock types that have undergone about 15 extensional strain in contrast a different succession of tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks underlies the northeastern whipple mountains along the structural trend of central chemehuevi valley these strata have been extended by 40 differences in magnitudes of extension and mid tertiary stratigraphies between these two areas argue for the presence of a synformal gently east dipping normal fault above the whipple fault in the central chemehuevi valley this fault accommodates 15 km of the total 40 km extension along the whipple chemehuevi detachment fault system in addition tilting patterns of upperplate strata and the presence of an areally extensive syn extension landslide 70 km2 show that 1 the whipple detachment fault was active at low angles 70 km2 from the north side of the whipple mountains its emplacement occurred before the end of detachment faulting

tertiary sedimentary rocks associated with the harcuvar core complex in arizona u s a insights into paleogeographic evolution during displacement along a major detachment fault system abstract geologic mapping and analysis of oligocene miocene sedimentary rocks in the upper plate of the buckskin rawhide detachment fault system west central arizona reveals a complex paleogeographic history during fault displacement involving shifting sediment source areas and multiple drainage reversals within the study area four upper plate fault blocks are capped by homoclinal sedimentary sections that display fanning dip relationships indicating concurrent tilting and sedimentation during deposition of these strata upper plate sedimentation was intermittently confined to separate half graben while at other times rapid rates of aggradation relative to fault displacement resulted in burial of ridges separating sub basins four sedimentary assemblages recognized within the study area can be correlated between fault blocks on the basis of lithologic similarity stratal position provenance paleocurrent data and sparse geochronologic constraints the basal assemblage consists of lacustrine rocks and interfingering fluvial strata composed of detritus derived from the granitic terrane surrounding the northern part of the study area these sediments were deposited during the earliest stages of tilting of upper plate fault blocks and inferred displacement along the buckskin rawhide detachment fault system the lower assemblage which directly overlies the basal assemblage consists of fine grained lacustrine deposits sandy conglomerate and breccia during lower assemblage deposition mass flow dominated alluvial fans were derived from source areas consisting mainly of mesozoic and paleozoic rocks exposed to the south of the study area these source areas may have been associated with the breakaway fault of the detachment system or with fault blocks stranded above structurally elevated parts of the footwall tilting of fault blocks continued during deposition of the lower assemblage and strongly affected dispersal patterns and lithofacies distributions lacustrine sediments were deposited mainly within large deep sub basins and with few exceptions lower assemblage streams followed half graben axes the middle assemblage consists of conglomerate and sandstone deposited by an extensive south directed stream system that probably flowed off undistended parts of the hanging wall across extended parts and locally onto the footwall tilting of upper plate fault blocks continued during middle assemblage deposition but rapid burial of escarpments by sediment permitted relatively unobstructed southward drainage the upper assemblage consists of sandy conglomerate deposited by a northeast directed system of broad shallow streams these deposits display a variety of clast types including tertiary mylonitic sedimentary and volcanic rocks that were eroded from the upwarped footwall of the core complex and overlying klippen upper assemblage streams maintained relatively consistent northeasterly flow even during the early stages of deposition when some fault blocks were still rotating

geological investigation of a lineated massif at the kane transform fault implications for oceanic core complexes recently available new perspectives on the morphology of the sea floor near the mid atlantic ridge reveal the widespread development of dome like massifs with lineated upper surfaces in form and dimensions these features resemble continental metamorphic core complexes developed in regions of large magnitude extension and thus may be oceanic core complexes excellent examples of these features occur south of the kane transform fault where high resolution geological data from side looking sonar deeply towed cameras and manned submersibles are available the geological data from two different massifs representing somewhat different types of crustal structure provide important constraints on the development of these oceanic core complexes inferences from these direct geological investigations of oceanic core complexes are a first step toward understanding the processes by which these features form in slow spread crust specific relationships in these massifs and nearby areas suggest that these structures have formed over significant lengths of ridge axis tens of kilometres and are not necessarily confined to any specific setting with respect to morphologic segmentation patterns in some cases they are developed in thick gabbroic crust but elsewhere have formed in crust composed serpentinite riddled with gabbroic intrusions ductile stretching and thinning of these sections is recorded in extensive mylonites and shear zones syntectonic gabbroic intrusions are widespread and contradict the notion that the massifs develop during intervals of amagmatic spreading cataclastic fault zones in gabbros and serpentinites developed during uplift cooling and hydration of the stretched crust and may have been localized as major detachment faults sparse diabase dikes and basaltic lavas are the latest magmatic additions to these areas numerous joints and steeply dipping small offset faults are the youngest observed structures across part of the top surface of one massif small scale faults appear to bound elongated ridges of fractured basement rocks creating the lineated terrain thus the extensive lineated surfaces nearby need not reflect prolonged displacement along a continuous detachment fault surface geological relationships developed in the dome like massifs along the kane transform fault hint at a complex array of processes involved in the evolution of these features and raise new questions regarding their origin and analogies with continental core complexes

fission track analysis of the footwall of the catalina detachment fault arizona tectonic denudation magmatism and erosion new apatite and zircon fission track ages obtained from the footwall of the catalina metamorphic core complex record a complicated cooling history associated with mid tertiary extension zircon fission track ages record the progressive unroofing of the catalina metamorphic core complex along the catalina detachment fault zircon fission track ages range from 31 9 to 19 4 ma generally decrease in the hanging wall slip direction and yield slip rates along the catalina detachment fault ranging from 1 2 to 12 km myr 1 in contrast apatite fission track ages increase in the hanging wall slip direction samples from the main range of the santa catalina mountains yield apatite fission track ages of 20 5 to 14 6 ma samples from the santa catalina mountain forerange located closer to the detachment fault yield apatite fission track ages of 21 4 to 18 8 ma rapid cooling 40 to 60 c myr 1 related to detachment faulting is best recorded by zircon fission track ages and higher temperature thermochronometers in the main range and by nearly concordant zircon and apatite fission track ages in the forerange slower cooling 3 7 c myr 1 of the footwall is recorded by shortened mean confined fission track lengths 14 m and is related to erosional unroofing approximately 2 km of late tertiary erosion played a significant role in the unroofing of the footwall of the catalina metamorphic core complex in contrast to metamorphic core complexes in western arizona where detachment faulting is the dominant unroofing mechanism

anatomy of an extensional shear zone in the mantle lanzo massif italy analysis of the microstructures in the km scale mantle shear zone that separates the northern and the central parts of the lanzo peridotite massif provides evidence of an evolution in time and space of deformation processes accommodating shearing in the shallow mantle within an extensional setting this shear zone displays an asymmetric distribution of deformation facies from south to north gradual reorientation of the foliation of coarse porphyroclastic plagioclase bearing peridotites is followed by development of protomylonites mylonites and mm scale ultramylonite bands a sharp grain size gradient marks the northern boundary early deformation under near solidus conditions in the south is recorded by preservation of weakly deformed interstitial plagioclase and almost random clinopyroxene and plagioclase crystal orientations feedback between deformation and melt transport probably led to melt focusing and strain weakening in the shear zone overprint of melt rock reaction microstructures by solid state deformation and decrease in recrystallized grain size in the protomylonites and mylonites indicate continued deformation under decreasing temperature less enriched peridotite compositions and absence of ultramafic dykes or widespread melt impregnation microstructures north of the shear zone and clinopyroxene and amphibole enrichment in the mylonites and ultramylonites suggest that the shear zone acted as both a thermal barrier and a high permeability channel for late crystallizing fluids these observations together with chemical data indicating faster cooling of central lanzo relative to the northern body corroborate that this shear zone is a mantle detachment fault all deformation facies have crystal preferred orientations consistent with deformation by dislocation creep with dominant activation of the 010 100 and 100 001 systems in olivine and orthopyroxene respectively dynamic recrystallization produces dispersion of olivine cpo but not a change of dominant deformation mechanism evidence for activation of grain boundary sliding is limited to mm scale ultramylonite bands where solid state reactions produced very fine grained polymineralic aggregates except for these latest stages of deformation strain localization does not result from the microstructural evolution the grain size decrease is a consequence of the need to deform a rock volume whose strength continuously increases because of decreasing temperature conditions strain localization in the intermediate levels thus essentially results from the more localizing behavior of both the deep partially molten and shallow parts of this extensional shear zone distribution

rapid extension recorded by cooling age patterns and brittle deformation naxos greece the metamorphic core complex exposed as the island of naxos in the aegean sea records an unusually complete sequence of structures developed as a result of continental extension the structures formed during miocene rise and cooling from ductile upper amphibolite facies and anatectic conditions to brittle near surface conditions beneath the naxos detachment fault top to the north ductile fabrics in the footwall which initially developed during amphibolite facies prograde metamorphism were overprinted by a succession of north directed normal sense lower temperature brittle structures as the footwall was tectonically unloaded and unroofed pseudotachylite and cataclasite formation brittle faulting alteration and erosion of the footwall occurred during continued slip and tectonic denudation neogene conglomerate and megabreccia in part derived from exhumation of this footwall lie structurally above the peripheral naxos fault published k ar and 40ar 39ar ages for hornblende white mica and biotite in the footwall decrease northwestward apparent ages 17 50 ma in the southeast correspond to areas of low metamorphic grade where preextension argon was partially retained published ages 16 10 ma in higher grade rocks of the domal core in the north are cooling ages that for each of the three minerals show a component of younging in the nne direction of extension assuming this is the direction of unroofing we interpret the rate of this younging as the fault slip rate as the footwall rocks moved 20 km ssw relative to their hanging wall along the base of the naxos detachment fault the calculated rates of slip average 5 8 mm yr comparable to maximum rates reported in the basin and range province

cenozoic crustal extension in southeastern arizona and implications for models of core complex development abstract in conventional models of cordilleran style metamorphic core complex development initial extension occurs along a breakaway fault which subsequently is deformed into a synform and abandoned in response to isostatic rebound and new faults breaking forward in the dominant transport direction the catalina core complex and associated geology in southeastern arizona have been pointed to as a type example of this model from southwest to northeast the region is characterized by the nw se trending tucson basin the catalina core complex the san pedro trough and the galiuro mountains the catalina core complex is bounded by the top to the southwest catalina detachment fault along its southwestern flank and the low angle northeast dipping san pedro fault along its northeastern flank the galiuro mountains expose non mylonitic rocks and are separated from the san pedro trough to the southwest by a system of low to moderate angle southwest dipping normal faults this galiuro fault system is widely interpreted to be the breakaway zone for the catalina core complex it is inferred to be folded into a synform beneath the san pedro trough to resurface to the southwest as the san pedro fault and to have been abandoned during slip along the younger catalina detachment this study aimed to test this model through analysis of field relations and geochronological age constraints and reprocessing and interpretation of 2 d seismic reflection data from the catalina core complex and san pedro trough in contrast to predictions of the conventional breakaway zone model we raise the possibility of a moderate angle southwest dipping detachment fault beneath the san pedro trough that could extend to mid crustal depths beneath the eastern flank of the catalina mountains we present an alternative kinematic model in which extension was accommodated by a pair of top to the southwest normal fault systems the catalina and galiuro detachment faults with the only major difference between the two being the magnitude of displacement which was greater for the catalina detachment

structural and geophysical expression of the solea graben troodos ophiolite cyprus field studies show that extensional structures in the north central part of the troodos ophiolite including steep normal faults grabens dikes and low angle detachment faults are related to e w present coordinates spreading the solea graben directly north of the mafic ultramafic rock outcrops around mount olympus consists of a 10 to 15 km wide western portion that is underlain by a low angle detachment fault between the sheeted dike complex and the plutonic section structural and paleomagnetic evidence indicates that the sheeted dikes above this detachment have been rotated 40 or more about subhorizontal axes the eastern portion of the graben contains sheeted dike blocks with varying axes of rotation and significantly different style of intrusive activity most structural features in the graben formed simultaneously with or shortly after cessation of spreading at the graben axis based on cross cutting ophiolitic dikes and hydrothermal mineralization timing of the uplift of the central part of the troodos ophiolite is uncertain but is probably related to the tectonic thinning of the upper crust by low angle normal faulting the solea graben spreading center provides a model for the structure of modern mid ocean ridges that are spreading amagmatically

seismic image of the deep crust at the eastern margin of the alps austria indications for crustal extension in a convergent orogen abstract a 39 km long deep seismic reflection profile recorded during two field campaigns in 1996 and 2002 provides a first detailed image of the deep crust at the eastern margin of the eastern alps austria the ese wnw trending low fold seismic line crosses austroalpine basement units and extends approximately from 20 km west of the penninic window group of rechnitz to 60 km sse of the alpine thrust front the explosive source seismic data reveals a transparent shallow crust down to 5 km depth a complexly reflective upper crust and a highly reflective lowermost crust the upper crust is dominated by three prominent west dipping packages of high amplitude subparallel reflections the upper two of these prominent packages commence at the eastern end of the profile at about 5 and 10 km depth and are interpreted as low angle normal shear zones related to the miocene exhumation of the rechnitz metamorphic core complex in the western portion of the upper crust east dipping and less significant reflections prevail the lowermost package of these reflections is suggested to represent the overall top of the european crystalline basement along the western portion of the line the lower crust is characterised by a 6 8 km thick band of high amplitude reflection lamellae typically observed in extensional provinces the moho can be clearly defined at the base of this band at approximately 32 5 km depth due to insufficient signal penetration outstanding reflections are missing in the central and eastern portion of the lower crust we speculate that the result of accompanying gravity measurements and lower crustal sporadic reflections can be interpreted as an indication for a shallower moho in the east preferable at about 30 5 km depth the high reflectivity of the lowermost part of the lower crust and prominent reflection packages in the upper crust the latter interpreted to represent broad extensional mylonite zones emphasises the latest extensional processes in accordance with eastward extrusion

modes of tilting during extensional core complex development crustal extension and formation of the mineral mountains core complex utah involved tilting of the mineral mountains batholith and associated faults during hanging wall and footwall deformation the batholith was folded in the hanging wall of the beaver valley fault between 11 and 9 million years ago yielding about 45 of tilt subsequently the batholith was unroofed along the cave canyon detachment fault and the batholith and fault were tilted approximately 40 during footwall uplift recognition of deformed dikes beneath the detachment fault establishes the importance of footwall tilt during formation of extensional core complexes and demonstrates that footwall rebound can be an important process during extension

palaeomagnetic evidence for large magnitude low angle normal faulting in a metamorphic core complex controversy exists over whether large magnitude extensional deformation can occur along low angle master detachment normal faults1 16 large amounts of cenozoic extension occurred in the basin and range province of the western united states and master detachment faults related to this extension are currently exposed as subhorizontal structures along crustal arches known as metamorphic core complexes mccs 10 11 17 one set of models suggests that mccs represent crustal scale blocks bounded by originally high angle normal faults which have tilted to sub horizontal attitudes1 6 more dynamic models propose isostatically induced flexural tilting of an initial subhorizontal fault to an active high angle fault to final abandonment as a subhorizontal structure7 9 these models require mcc detachment faults and their footwalls to have been tilted by 30 60 alternatively mcc detachment faults may have originated as subhorizontal or low angle structures10 16 here we test these models with palaeomag netic data from undeformed portions of the south mountains a typical cenozoic mcc in the southern basin and range province18 24 comparison with time averaged expected directions of the geomagnetic field25 27 yields no evidence for tilting of the footwall we conclude that the south mountains master detachment fault was active as a low angle extensional structure with a dip of 10

large magnitude continental extension an example from the central mojave metamorphic core complex the central mojave metamorphic core complex is defined by a belt of miocene brittle ductile extension and coeval magmatism the brittle ductile fault zone defines a basin and dome geometry that results from the interference of two orthogonal fold sets that we infer to have formed by mechanically independent processes one fold set contains axes that lie parallel to the extension direction of the shear zone and has a maximum characteristic wavelength of about 10 km the axial surfaces of these folds can be traced from the footwall mylonites through the brittle detachment and into hanging wall strata however folds of mylonitic layering have smaller interlimb angles than those of the brittle detachment suggesting that the folds began to form during ductile shearing and continued to amplify in the brittle regime possibly after movement across the fault zone ceased mesoscopic fabrics related to the transport parallel fold set indicate that the folds record true crustal shortening perpendicular to the extension direction we interpret these folds to form in response to elevated horizontal compressive stress perpendicular to the extension direction and suggest that this stress regime may be a natural consequence of large magnitude extension the other fold set has axes perpendicular to the extension direction and a characteristic maximum wavelength of about 50 km mesoscopic fabrics related to these folds include northwest striking joints kink bands and en echelon tension gash arrays these fabrics formed after mylonitization and record both layer parallel extension and northeast side up subvertical shear the postmylonitic fabrics are kinematically compatible with rolling hinge style isostatic rebound of the footwall following tectonic denudation the relative timing of extension related magma intrusion and ductile deformation varies through the central mojave metamorphic core complex on the scale of the small mountain ranges that make up the central mojave metamorphic core complex no correlation was observed between either shear zone thickness or intensity of ductile deformation and either the proximity or relative volume of extension related igneous rocks this suggests that models that invoke a single upper crustal genetic relationship such as magmatism triggering extension or vice versa do not apply to the central mojave metamorphic core complex systematic variation in the relative timing of dike emplacement and mylonitization suggests that at the time of dike emplacement rocks in the mitchel range were below the brittle ductile transition while those in the hinkley hills were above it the hinkley hills and mitchel range are separated by 2 km in the dip direction of the fault zone which suggests that the vertical thickness of the brittle ductile transition probably was between 100 and 950 m

structural evolution of the warrawoona greenstone belt and adjoining granitoid complexes pilbara craton australia implications for archaean tectonic processes abstract the pilbara granite greenstone terrain 3 6 2 8 ga australia is quoted as the key area formed by passive gravity driven solid state diapirism but contrasting views have been reported recently which led us to re examine the key area the warrawoona greenstone belt and the adjoining mt edgar and corunna downs granitoid complexes we found i an asymmetric non synclinal distribution of metamorphic grade and deformation intensity across the warrawoona greenstone belt ii a major shear zone on the margin of the mt edgar granitoid complex with a unidirectional stretching lineation pattern iii a ne trending transcurrent shear zone within the central gneiss complex of the mt edgar granitoid complex iv coeval magmatic activity and doming of the granitoid complexes and v the loss of about 9 km of stratigraphic units in the warrawoona greenstone belt the area has had a prolonged history with at least four deformation phases between ca 3 47 and 2 8 ga the main domal geometry of the mt edgar granitoid complex was obtained during active ne sw extension at 3 31 ga d x 2 which appears to been in response to e w compression possibly the e w compression resulted in crustal thickening and partial melting probably of a 3 46 3 43 ga granitic basement causing crustal weakening collapse and extrusion of the 3 31 ga granitoids extension at 3 31 ga was accommodated by the mt edgar shear zone a mid crustal detachment and by the associated beaton well zone which acted as a transfer zone within the gneissic basement doming of the mt edgar granitoid complex is interpreted to have occurred in an active extensional core complex type mode an indication for deformation prior to 3 32 ga comes from syntectonically intruded gabbro diorite and dolerite sills within the mt edgar shear zone which intruded possibly as early as 3 46 3 45 ga d x 1 ultramafic schistose xenoliths within the gabbro diorite intrusions are the oldest observed deformed rocks formed during d x post doming deformation involved ne sw compression d x 3 followed by dextral transcurrent deformation d x 4 during nw se compression the latter may be related to the regional phase of deformation at 2 93 ga during which the eastern and western pilbara were amalgamated comparison of this deformation sequence to others within the marble bar domain suggests a common tectonic history from 3 46 ga onwards our structural and kinematic data especially the 3 31 ga unidirectional stretching lineation pattern lead us to reject solid state diapirism due to convectional overturn as the main cause for doming of the mt edgar granitoid complex we suggest that the cause lies in a plate tectonic process

insights into the mode of the south georgia rift extension in eastern georgia usa abstract the south georgia rift sgr lies oblique to the east coast margin of north america and across the alleghenian suture between laurentia and africa in southern georgia regionally the sgr can be divided into a southwest compartment and a northeast compartment across the jacksonville structure that is located in the vicinity of that suture analytical and numerical models are used to characterize the mode of rifting in the northeast compartment borehole cocorp seismic and regional geophysical information from the compartment that were used previously to infer the geometry of the basin are reassessed with the use of those models to analyze the lithospheric conditions influencing triassic extension this approach led to the interpretation of core complex mode extension and to the proposal of a model of progressive rifting the model shows how the riddleville and main sgr basins are associated and how changes in structural style of those two basins resulted from changing lithospheric conditions during extension the core complex model also indicated that extension was influenced by distributed deformation of a younger warmer and less stable lithosphere adjacent to the permian suture whereas extension in other east coast rifts that lie subparallel to structural fabric was probably localized by preexisting zones of weakness

evolution of the hongzhen metamorphic core complex evidence for early cretaceous extension in the eastern yangtze craton eastern china we conducted structural and geochronological studies on the hongzhen metamorphic core complex in the eastern yangtze craton the hanging wall of the hongzhen metamorphic core complex consists of neoproterozoic to permian unmetamorphosed strata which were folded during nw se shortening in the middle triassic and cretaceous terrestrial basins the exposed paleoproterozoic dongling complex in the footwall is widely overprinted by a detachment ductile shear zone which has consistent sw plunging mineral elongation lineations and top to the sw shear indicators analysis of the mesostructures microstructures and quartz c axis fabrics indicates that they formed within a low angled sw dipping extensional shear zone at midcrustal levels four muscovite grains separated from mylonites within the shear zone yielded 40 ar 39 ar plateau ages ranging from 128 5 1 0 ma to 126 1 1 1 ma they are interpreted as cooling ages of the shear zone associated with the hongzhen metamorphic core complex we propose that the hongzhen metamorphic core complex was initiated as a midcrustal low angle extensional shear zone with top to the sw shear sense at ca 145 ma and the shear zone was then warped and uplifted by the emplacement of the hongzhen granite at 122 ma brittle normal faulting and basin rifting in the hanging wall also developed during the formation of the hongzhen metamorphic core complex but these processes continued until the late cretaceous this study of the hongzhen metamorphic core complex demonstrates that the eastern yangtze craton was also involved in the early cretaceous extension widely occurring in the eastern china continent a ne sw extensional direction during the early cretaceous is indicated by the hongzhen metamorphic core complex