Internal structure and deformation of an accommodation zone in the northern part of the Suez rift

Moustafa, Adel R.

doi:10.1016/0191-8141(95)00078-r

Cited by 69 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Geologic and geophysical studies of rifting in the SR indicate significant differences between its northern and southern parts (Moretti and Colletta, 1987;Moustafa, 1996;Patton et al, 1994;Steckler et al, 1998). The total amount of extension is considerably less in the north.…”

Section: S Rmentioning

confidence: 96%

Seismological and GPS constraints on Sinai sub-plate motion along the Suez rift

2008

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This work presents new seismological and Global Positioning System (GPS) resultsaimed at understanding the nature and rate of strain associated with the opening of the Suez rift that separates the Sinai sub-plate from the African plate. The Sinai sub-plate has played a significant role in the tectonic evolution of the northern Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean region. Most small, moderate and large earthquakes occur within belts associated with the geologically documented borders of this sub-plate including the Dead Sea fault (DSF) system in the east, the Cyprian arc (CA) in the north, and the Suez rift (SR) to the southwest. The DSF and CA are well defined; however, the SR is only partially defined. Earthquake foci distribution supports the idea that the SR is seismically active, and this earthquake activity cannot be ignored throughout the kinematics evaluation of northern Red Sea region. The earthquake activity is relatively higher in the southern part of the SR and gradually decreases northward. The high seismicity is mainly attributed to the presence of the Sinai triple junction. Earthquake focal mechanisms in the SR are dominated by oblique normal faulting with left-lateral strike-slip components on NW trending fault planes consistent with regional kinematics. The extensional semi-principal stress axes derived from fault plane solutions are oriented NNE-SSW in good agreement with the current stress field obtained from borehole breakouts along the SR as well as results from GPS surveying. Recent survey-mode GPS observations provide evidence for coherent northerly motion of the Sinai sub-plate that varies between 2 and 5 mm/yr. Moreover, strain analysis indicates that the southern SR is dominated by extension while its northern segment is characterized by constriction, inconsistent with earthquake focal mechanisms and regional tectonic models. The overall northward motion of the Sinai subplate indicates that slab-pull rather than ridge-push is the dominant force controlling regional kinematics. Based on the low rate of extension and lack of oceanic crust, the SR can be considered an incipient plate boundary between the Sinai sub-plate and the Nubian plate. K e y w o r d s : earthquakes, focal mechanisms, GPS, Sinai sub-plate, Suez rift Stud. Geophys. Geod., 52 (2008), 397−412 397

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Section: S Rmentioning

confidence: 96%

Seismological and GPS constraints on Sinai sub-plate motion along the Suez rift

2008

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“…At the boundaries of dip domains, the fault patterns become complex, resembling the accommodation zones described in the Gulf of Suez (e.g. Moustafa, 1996) and Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Mutter and Karson, 1992).…”

Section: Description Of Fault Trace Mapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of rift obliquity on fault-population systematics: results of experimental clay models

Clifton

Schlische

Withjack

et al. 2000

Journal of Structural Geology

197

163

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“…These characteristics suggest that the FPAZ is a hybrid between the typical accommodation zone just described and transfer zones. The Embudo zone in the Rio Grande riR (Muehlberger, 1979) and the Morgan zone in the Gulf of Suez (Moustafa, 1996) are other examples of accommodation zones with this mixed type of behavior (Faulds and Varga, in press). For the FFAZ this hybrid behavior might partly stem fiom the fact that it separates the Yucca Flat domain of dominant normal faulting from the Frenchman Flat domain of mixed normal and strike-slip faulting.…”

Section: Comparison and Contrasts With Other Accommodation Zonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural geology of the French Peak accommodation zone, Nevada Test Site, southwestern Nevada

Hudson¹

1997

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Internal structure and deformation of an accommodation zone in the northern part of the Suez rift

Cited by 69 publications

References 32 publications

Seismological and GPS constraints on Sinai sub-plate motion along the Suez rift

Seismological and GPS constraints on Sinai sub-plate motion along the Suez rift

Influence of rift obliquity on fault-population systematics: results of experimental clay models

Structural geology of the French Peak accommodation zone, Nevada Test Site, southwestern Nevada

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