Mechanical analysis of a natural example of onland gravity gliding: The role of river incision and deposition

Gravity gliding implies rigid translation of a body down a slope where displacements are parallel to a tilted detachment plane. Although large-scale gravity gliding is commonly observed offshore, under conditions of high fluid overpressure and abundant upslope sedimentary supply, its occurrence on land is debated. We investigate the mechanical feasibility of such a process as well as the role of fluvial incision and sedimentation down the slope in the initiation of the gliding. We use a two-dimensional (2-D) finite element model combined with a 2-D failure analysis approach. The numerical models simulate the deformation and provide quantitative estimates of the failure criteria at the head and toe of the overburden. Analytical solutions approximate the numerical results by taking into account the fluvial incision and sedimentation, the internal friction angle, and the thickness and length of the overburden. Our models are based on a field example in the Andean foothills of Argentina, where gravity gliding of a 1000 m thick section is suspected above a crustal-scale anticline. The incision and sedimentation reduce and strengthen, respectively, the downslope resistance to contractional failure. The critical slope at which the gliding is initiated is reduced by fluvial incision and increased by sedimentation. We show that tectonic uplift may lead to large-scale gravity gliding on land where the overburden thickness is less than 2000 m. Incision facilitates and localizes the frontal shortening. Incision greater than 1000 m may trigger gliding for overburden up to 4000 m thick, while sedimentation thicker than 1000 m inhibits gliding. These results show that thin-skinned onland gravity gliding could be common in tectonically active regions where incision is important. ©2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.Our thanks to TOTAL DGEP/TDO/CA/AS/TEC (FR00002338), Jean-Paul Xavier and Yves Hervouët for funding and supporting our project in the Neuquén Basin.Peer Reviewe

Geomorphic expression of the southern Central Andes forebulge (37°S, Argentina)

We present a geomorphologic analysis of an east-west transect located east of the southern Andes of Argentina (~37°S). We observe a succession of zones that underwent erosion and deposition during the Pleistocene. If the proximal Andean foothills are incised, a proximal depozone receives sediments feeding the megafan of the Rio Colorado on the Chadileuvú plain. More distally, the abandoned palaeo-valleys and bending of the valley floors reflect a localized uplift. Further to the east, another depozone corresponds to the Pampa Deprimida lowland. This pattern is consistent with the presence of a classical flexural geometry of the lithosphere. The distal uplift of the foreland corresponds in terms of location, length (150 km) and amplitude (240 m) to the Andean forebulge modelled by a geophysical approach. In this study, we identify the morphological imprint of this bulge and show its effect on the fluvial activity. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Peer Reviewe

Orogenic front propagation in the basement involved Malargüe fold and thrust belt, Neuquén Basin, (Argentina)

ACTInternational audienc

Multiscale tectonic analysis of the basement-involved Malargüe fold-and-thrust-belt, Northern Neuquén Basin, (Argentina)

ACTInternational audienc

Mechanisms of basin contraction and reactivation in the basement involved Malargue fold-and thrust-belt, Central Andes (34°S-36°S)

ACLInternational audienc

The irreversible inactivation of ribonucleotide reductase from Escherichia coli by superoxide radicals.

International audienceThe expression of superoxide dismutase in all aerobic living organisms supports the concept that superoxide radicals are toxic species. However, because of the limited chemical reactivity of superoxide, the mechanisms of this toxicity are still uncertain. Protein R2, the small component of ribonucleotide reductase, a key enzyme for DNA synthesis, is shown here to be irreversibly inactivated during incubation with an enzymatic generator of superoxide radicals, at neutral pH. During inactivation the essential tyrosyl radical of protein R2 is irreversibly destroyed. Full protection is afforded by superoxide dismutase. It is proposed that coupling between superoxide radicals and the radical protein R2 generates oxidized forms of tyrosine, tyrosine peroxide and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine

Mechanisms of basin contraction and reactivation in the basement-involved Malargüe fold-and-thrust belt, Central Andes (34-36°S)

ACLInternational audienceWe have conducted a structural study of both the basement-involved Malargüe fold-andthrust belt (MFTB) and the active San Rafael Block (SRB), which are located in the Central Andes at latitude 34-36° S. Based on several field examples located both in the inner and frontal part of belt and from the distal foreland zone, we focus on the relationships between basement and cover deformation with respect to the known palaeogeography and structural inheritance. In several zones, we point out similarities in the structural and sedimentary responses to Andean shortening. The recent morphologic response has also been investigated through the analysis of active deformation along the eastern border of the SRB. We show that these structural and sedimentary processes are continuous in time and space since they can be applied in the various parts of the fold belt and also at different stages of fold-and-thrust-belt building as well. Finally, we propose the illustration of those mechanisms by complete cross-section along the Rio Grande valley and a possible kinematic scenario of deformation propagation. © 2016 Cambridge University Press

Plio-Quaternary thin-skinned tectonics along the crustal front flexure of the southern Central Andes: A record of the regional stress regime or of local tectonic-driven gravitational processes?

We present here a record of Plio-Pleistocene deformations above the flexural front of the southern Central Andes of Argentina. We combine a seismic profile with structural and geomorphological observations to show that thin-skinned extension located on top of the crustal front flexure is coeval with thin-skinned shortening at the toe of the topographic bulge. The seismic line shows that a flat zone with no internal deformation separates the stretched and shortened domains. Such features are usually interpreted as the result of strike-slip faulting along basement faults, or tangential longitudinal strain folding in the soft sedimentary cover above crustal bending. We propose an alternative linking extension at the apex of the crustal anticline, to basal contraction by the downslope translation of a rigid thin nappe of sediments (30 × 30 km2 in area) above evaporites at a depth of 700-900 m. The size of such a process is unusually large onshore (630-810 km3) but mimics the gravity gliding observed in deltas and passive margins. Since this process disconnects zones with a shallow stress field from deeper crustal levels, it could allow extension above a compressive deformation front and should not be interpreted merely as a record of the crustal stress regime. Large-scale gravity gliding of the cover down the slope of a structural high could also explain some of the extension observed in mountain hinterlands.Peer reviewe

Evidence of active shortening along the eastern border of the San Rafael basement block: Characterization of the seismic source of the Villa Atuel earthquake (1929), Mendoza province, Argentina

ACLInternational audienceOn the 30 May 1929, a massive earthquake occurred in the San Rafael area (southern Mendoza province) leading to the destruction of the Villa Atuel and Las Malvinas towns. The region affected by the ground shaking covers a large part of southern South America. Although no surface breaks have been detected on the surface, several authors have pointed out active faults that could be related to the event of 1929. Using satellite imagery and field observations, we investigated two active faults situated on the eastern border of the San Rafael Block (SRB) close to or within the epicentral area. The most prominent faults are the c. 40 km long Las Malvinas and c. 30 km long Cerro Negro reverse faults which are located near the epicentral area. Geological and morphological observations allow us to describe late Pleistocene activity and estimate the long-term slip rates of these faults. Possible ruptures that match our observations and which are compatible with the cartographic length of these faults would account for a seismic moment magnitude of M0 = 2.8×1019 N m and a moment magnitude of MW = 6.9. The morphological signatures of these fault segments and the occurrence of the San Rafael earthquake suggests that the southern Mendoza Province is still currently submitted to shortening. © 2016 Cambridge University Press

Microtectonic record of the strain pat- tern in the Malargüe fold and thrust belt using fractures analysis and ASM data

ACTInternational audienc