Fault Rocks of the Moine Thrust Zone: Microstructures and Textures of Selected Mylonites

Abstract

In this paper, the microstructures typifying the common mylonites found in the Moine Thrust Zone at Eriboll are presented along with c-axis quartz textures. Typical cataclasite microstructures are also depicted. The study revealed that the deformation and softening mechanisms in fault rocks can change with increasing shear strain. It also revealed that strain can be extremely inhomogeneous on the microscale at high shear strains. There is evidence for episodic pulses of brittle behaviour which has been associated with possible seismic behaviour within the zone. The contribution concludes by outlining the microstructural and textural features that can be used to determine the direction of shearing in a mylonite zone.