Yen-Tsung Chan
Abstract
Previous studies proved that thrusting in the fold-thrust belt of west Taiwan was relatively shallow and confined to sedimentary rocks above the basement, and resulted from the decollement, or thin-skinned deformation. Nevertheless, recently it has also been recognized that reactivated normal fault play a significant role in the compressive deformation in the fold-thrust belt of western Taiwan. The recognition of the mechanism of thrust faulting in the fold-thrust belt of western Taiwan developed through rift basins is important in improving our understanding of the thrust belt structures and their geometric evolution.
Major thrust faults in the fold-thrust belt of the foothills area, southwestern Taiwan are related to reactivated normal fault. The study area is characterized by normal faulting of Paleogene through Miocene age. A group of grabens and basement highs exists in this region which are bounded by NNE-SSW and NW-SE trending normal faults. Reactivation and inversion of the pre-existing normal faults have produced thrusting and folding since middle Pliocene because of the compression deformation caused by arc-continent collision in the Taiwan. Structural interpretation of the fold-thrust belt of the study area is referred to asĦ§thick-skinned, basement-involved tectonicsĦ¨, with faulted blocks bounded by steep faults.
Reference
Chang, Y.L., Lee, C.I., Lin, C.W., Oung, J.N., Hsu, C.H., and Liu, M.C., 1995, Normal fault reactivation, inversion, and thrusting and folding in the foothills of the Chiayi-Tainan area of south-central Taiwan: Annual Meeting Program and Extended Abstracts of Geol. Soc. China, March 22-23, 1995, Taipei, p.216-220.
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Suppe, J., 1980a, Imbricated structure of western foothills belt south-central Taiwan: Petrol. Geol. Taiwan, no.17, p. 1-16.
(Abstract) (Full text)