Abstract
Three subsequent Tertiary paleostress fields that are deduced from fault-slip data for the eastern part of the Tajo Basin are analyzed by finite-element studies. The modelling results show that maximum horizontal stresses (S(Hmax)) are mainly controlled by the geometry of the model limits and the boundary conditions applied. The models are used to test two hypotheses on the origin of the Altomira Range. A local stress field responsible for its formation ('Altomira') can be modelled successfully by superposition in time and place of two major paleostress fields ('Iberian' and 'Guadarrama'). Stress trajectories have been modelled with respect to a homogeneous cover and heterogeneous basement to investigate the role of rheological contrasts between different basement blocks on the orientation of the stress field. Results of this kind of modelling suggest a mechanical decoupling between the cover and the basement, especially for the 'Altomira' paleostress field.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 47-62 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Tectonophysics |
| Volume | 300 |
| Issue number | 1-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Dec 1998 |
Funding
The authors would like to thank to Dr. Reches and Dr. Lee for providing us with the stress inversion and the Lissage programs, as well as to M. Gölke, M.E. Janssen and G. Bada for the comments and help during the realisation of the finite-element models at the Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam). The authors appreciate the referees' critical reading and improvement of the manuscript. This paper is a part of the PhD. Thesis of the first author and has been funded by the DGICYT (Spain) project number PB94-0242 and by GOA (Netherlands). Contribution 970175 of the Netherlands Research School of Sedimentary Geology.
Keywords
- Finite-element modelling
- Paleostress
- Tajo Basin
- Tertiary