Cross-faults and differential stretching of hanging walls in regions of low-angle normal faulting: examples from western Turkey

Abstract

Large oblique-throw hinge faults orientated at high angles to the strike of major breakaway faults in W Turkey are examined. They exhibit variable displacements which commonly increase towards the breakaway fault with which they seem to be associated and bound cross-blocks that in places have rotated around vertical axes by differing amounts and senses, and are interpreted in terms of the possibility that hanging walls of major low-angle breakaway faults (extensional allochthons), may exhibit differential internal extension accommodated by transverse faults that may or may not rotate around vertical axes. Such transverse faults, here called accommodation faults, are different from transfer faults in that they need not offset the main breakaway fault and may accomplish significant map-view distortions of extensional allochthons.