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Transverse tectonics control on the Late Quaternary development of the central main Ethiopian rift

Transverse tectonics control on the Late Quaternary development of the central main Ethiopian rift
Transverse tectonics control on the Late Quaternary development of the central main Ethiopian rift
Extension of continental plates should typically result in the development of normal faults perpendicular or sub-perpendicular to the plate motion vector. However, several factors such as linkage of rift segments and the presence of pre-existing fabrics may result in the development of complex fault systems, with structures oblique or even sub-parallel to the extension vector. This paper is focused on the extension-related deformation of the central sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) and shows the presence of a transverse structure (ie., sub-parallel to extension) in the central MER that played an important role during the Late Quaternary, influencing the hydrographic evolution in this area. Structural data evidence its tectonic activity and the analysis of distribution of magmatic centres and other volcanic features shows that interaction between transverse structures and the faults delimiting the rift may favour formation of volcanic centres. The orientation of this transverse structure, sub-parallel to extension, is interpreted as being caused by the linkage of major segments of the MER that likely exploited pre-existing structures, as widely documented in the MER.
Continental rifting, Main Ethiopian Rift, Transverse tectonics
2038-1719
42-56
Benvenuti, Marco
db0ff0af-d3da-4367-88f0-b9c8a26625f3
Corti, Giacomo
dce88b12-5b7a-43b1-8a58-5bd1bc13634c
Keir, Derek
5616f81f-bf1b-4678-a167-3160b5647c65
Sani, Federico
6c59b4c4-ecca-4ecc-ba2c-66efa5e5e3df
Benvenuti, Marco
db0ff0af-d3da-4367-88f0-b9c8a26625f3
Corti, Giacomo
dce88b12-5b7a-43b1-8a58-5bd1bc13634c
Keir, Derek
5616f81f-bf1b-4678-a167-3160b5647c65
Sani, Federico
6c59b4c4-ecca-4ecc-ba2c-66efa5e5e3df

Benvenuti, Marco, Corti, Giacomo, Keir, Derek and Sani, Federico (2023) Transverse tectonics control on the Late Quaternary development of the central main Ethiopian rift. Italian Journal of Geosciences, 142 (1), 42-56. (doi:10.3301/IJG.2023.05).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Extension of continental plates should typically result in the development of normal faults perpendicular or sub-perpendicular to the plate motion vector. However, several factors such as linkage of rift segments and the presence of pre-existing fabrics may result in the development of complex fault systems, with structures oblique or even sub-parallel to the extension vector. This paper is focused on the extension-related deformation of the central sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) and shows the presence of a transverse structure (ie., sub-parallel to extension) in the central MER that played an important role during the Late Quaternary, influencing the hydrographic evolution in this area. Structural data evidence its tectonic activity and the analysis of distribution of magmatic centres and other volcanic features shows that interaction between transverse structures and the faults delimiting the rift may favour formation of volcanic centres. The orientation of this transverse structure, sub-parallel to extension, is interpreted as being caused by the linkage of major segments of the MER that likely exploited pre-existing structures, as widely documented in the MER.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 28 November 2022
Published date: February 2023
Additional Information: Funding Information: This paper has been partly funded by MiUR project PRIN2009 (prot. 2009H37M59), MiUR project PRIN2017 (prot. 2017P9AT72) and Florence University ordinary funds. This paper is included in the special volume on ‘Continental rifting and associated magmatism in space and time’. We thank Ameha A. Muluneh and J. Muirhead for the useful comments that greatly helped to increase the quality of the paper. Publisher Copyright: © Società Geologica Italiana, Roma 2023.
Keywords: Continental rifting, Main Ethiopian Rift, Transverse tectonics

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 476861
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/476861
ISSN: 2038-1719
PURE UUID: 4fb7aee2-964e-49e5-a7ef-3a6886e671ed
ORCID for Derek Keir: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8787-8446

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Date deposited: 18 May 2023 16:36
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:24

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Contributors

Author: Marco Benvenuti
Author: Giacomo Corti
Author: Derek Keir ORCID iD
Author: Federico Sani

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