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Influence of Mechanical Stratigraphy on the Deformation Evolution of Fold-Thrust Belts: Insights from the Analogue Modeling of Eastern Sichuan-Western Hunan and Hubei, South China

  • Geotectology
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Abstract

The eastern Sichuan-western Hunan and Hubei belt (ESWHHB) is an important fold-thrust belt in the Middle-Upper Yangtze region of China, and it is also an important area for petroleum and gas prospect in China. The influence of mechanical stratigraphy on the deformation evolution of the ESWHHB is a hot problem that has received widespread attention. However, due to the complexity of geological conditions, this issue has not been sufficiently addressed. Previews geological exploration studies show that the deformation evolution of the belt is closely related to the mechanical stratigraphy. Physical simulation has proven to be effective for studying the deformation evolution of fold-and-thrust belt. Based on the geological conditions of the ESWHHB, six groups of physical models were designed to analyze the influences of the ductile layer and overlap configuration on the structural deformation of the ESWHHB. The results show that the mechanical stratigraphy has significant control on the deformation evolution of the fold-thrust belt. The ESWHHB evolution is related to the lower viscosity of the ductile layer and the larger thickness of the ductile layer, while only gradual propagated fold-and-thrust belt can be resulted from the higher viscosity of the ductile layer and the smaller thickness of the ductile layer. Additionally, the overlap between the stratigraphy at various structural belts leads to significant differences in their mechanical properties, and it critically influences the structural patterns of the ESWHHB.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Project of the State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, Beijing (No. PRP/Open-1903), and the Zunyi Normal University Project (No. BS[2018]04). I thank Prof. Jianxun Zhou, associate Prof. Graveleau and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful reviews and suggestions. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-020-1281-2.

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  1. College of Engineering and Technology, Zunyi Normal University, Zunyi, 563002, China

    Wengang He

  2. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Wengang He

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He, W. Influence of Mechanical Stratigraphy on the Deformation Evolution of Fold-Thrust Belts: Insights from the Analogue Modeling of Eastern Sichuan-Western Hunan and Hubei, South China. J. Earth Sci. 31, 795–807 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-020-1281-2

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