Slides to illustrate thrust belts. Note: this slide set is used in the lectures for EAS 421. Material copyrighted by others will be displayed in the lecture but will show up as broken links in the web version of this page.

Graphical relationships for fault-bend folding, after Suppe, J., 1983, Geometry and kinematics of fault–bend folding: American Journal of Science, v. 283, p. 684–721. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.


Graphical relationships for fault-bend and fault-propagation folding for the special case where flats are perfectly bed-parallel: after Suppe, J., and Medwedeff, D. A., 1990, Geometry and knematics of fault-propagation folding: Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae, v. 83, p. 409-454. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.






McConnel Thrust at Mt. Yamnuska, AB


McConnel Thrust at Mt. Yamnuska AB


Map and cross-section of the French Alps: from University of Leeds http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/subalps/alpsfront.htm


Satellite view of Pennsylvania Appalachians


Cross-section of Pine Mountain thrust sheet, Appalachians

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Taiwan showing epicentre of 2002 earthquake


Thrust belt of western Taiwan

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Surface expression of thrust fault following earthquake in Taiwan


Main tectonic units of the Alps, after Twiss, R.J., and Moores, E.M., 1992, Structural Geology: New York, Freeman, 532 p. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.

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Map of Canadian Cordillera


Zonal map of the Appalachians


Peripheral bulge unconformity in Newfoundland Appalachians


Close-up - peripheral bulge unconformity in Nfld Appalachians


Turbiditic foreland basins sediments; Goose Tickle Group, Nfld


Fluvial Foreland Basin Sediments of West Newfoundland ("molasse")


Cross-section of foothills at Oldman River, showing examples of thrusts rotated into various orientations. Courtesy G.S. Stockmal, Geological Survey of Canada


Crows Nest Mountain - a klippe of the Lewis thrust sheet (Photo © P. Jones)


Diagram showing fenster and klippe, after Twiss, R.J., and Moores, E.M., 1992, Structural Geology: New York, Freeman, 532 p. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.

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Major and minor decollement horizons in the Rocky Mountain foothills of southern Alberta


Cross-section of Pine Mountain thrust showing hanging wall and footwall ramps and flats

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Lateral and oblique ramps and the corresponding fault-bend folds. After Ramsay, J. G., and Huber, M. I., 1983, The Techniques of Modern Structural Geology.  Volume 2: Folds and fractures: London, Academic Press.


Diagram showing mapped geometry of the Lewis Thrust sheet, and interpreted lateral and oblique ramps in the footwall, after Twiss, R.J., and Moores, E.M., 1992, Structural Geology: New York, Freeman, 532 p. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.

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Diagram showing Pine Mountain thrust sheet, with inferred tear faults in the footwall, after Twiss, R.J., and Moores, E.M., 1992, Structural Geology: New York, Freeman, 532 p. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.

This diagram cannot be displayed on the web
This diagram cannot be displayed on the web

Transfer between thrusts and a lateral tip line. After McClay, K. R., 1992, Glossary of thrust tectonics terms, in McClay, K. R., ed., Thrust Tectonics: London, Chapman and Hall, p. 419-433.

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View north over termination of Rundle Thrust Sheet, Rocky Mountains. Photo: C.Tippett. www.cmags.org/structural-geology.pdf


Duplexes  After McClay, K. R., 1992, Glossary of thrust tectonics terms, in McClay, K. R., ed., Thrust Tectonics: London, Chapman and Hall, p. 419-433.

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Duplex at Crowsnest Pass, BC-AB border



Triangle zones. After McClay, K. R., 1992, Glossary of thrust tectonics terms, in McClay, K. R., ed., Thrust Tectonics: London, Chapman and Hall, p. 419-433.

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Fault-bend fold. After McClay, K. R., 1992, Glossary of thrust tectonics terms, in McClay, K. R., ed., Thrust Tectonics: London, Chapman and Hall, p. 419-433. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.

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Photo of the Rundle Thrust from web site of R. Allmendinger http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/classes/RWA/GS_326/326_Gallery.html


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This diagram cannot be displayed on the web


Fault propagation fold. Arisaig, NS.


Fault-Propagation Folds. After McClay, K. R., 1992, Glossary of thrust tectonics terms, in McClay, K. R., ed., Thrust Tectonics: London, Chapman and Hall, p. 419-433. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.

Diagram cannot be displayed on the web
Diagram cannot be displayed on the web

Mosar, J., and Suppe, J., 1992, Role of shear in fault-propagation folds, in McClay, K. R., ed., Thrust tectonics: London, Chapman & Hall, p. 123-132. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.







Example of proposed cross-section, and an attempt to restore proposed section, after Ramsay, J. G., and Huber, M. I., 1983, The Techniques of Modern Structural Geology.  Volume 2: Folds and fractures: London, Academic Press. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.


Example of a fault-bend fold, Nova Scotia, with deformation in both footwall and hanging wall.









Bégin, N. J., and Spratt, D. A., 2002, Role of transverse faulting in along-strike termination of Limestone Mountain Culmination, Rocky Mountain thrust-and-fold belt, Alberta, Canada: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 24, p. 689-707. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.



Bégin, N. J., and Spratt, D. A., 2002, Role of transverse faulting in along-strike termination of Limestone Mountain Culmination, Rocky Mountain thrust-and-fold belt, Alberta, Canada: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 24, p. 689-707. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.


Bégin, N. J., and Spratt, D. A., 2002, Role of transverse faulting in along-strike termination of Limestone Mountain Culmination, Rocky Mountain thrust-and-fold belt, Alberta, Canada: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 24, p. 689-707. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.


Bégin, N. J., and Spratt, D. A., 2002, Role of transverse faulting in along-strike termination of Limestone Mountain Culmination, Rocky Mountain thrust-and-fold belt, Alberta, Canada: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 24, p. 689-707. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.


Bégin, N. J., and Spratt, D. A., 2002, Role of transverse faulting in along-strike termination of Limestone Mountain Culmination, Rocky Mountain thrust-and-fold belt, Alberta, Canada: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 24, p. 689-707. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.


Bégin, N. J., and Spratt, D. A., 2002, Role of transverse faulting in along-strike termination of Limestone Mountain Culmination, Rocky Mountain thrust-and-fold belt, Alberta, Canada: Journal of Structural Geology, v. 24, p. 689-707. © Copied under license from CANCOPY; further reproduction prohibited.