Deformation rates and localization of an active fault system in relation with

rheological and frictional slip properties: the Corinth Rift case

S. El Arem

(1,*)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

, H. Lyon-Caen , P. Bernard , J-D. Garaud , F. Rolandone , P. Briole

(1)

(1) Laboratoire de Gologie, Ecole Normale Suprieure CNRS, Paris, France. (2) Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, France.
(3) Onera - The French Aerospace Lab, F-92322 Chtillon, France. (4) ISTeP, UPMC, CNRS, Paris, France
(*) Contacts: elarem@geologie.ens.fr

I. CONTEXT AND AIM OF THE STUDY

TheCorinthRiftinGreeceisoneofthemostactiveextensional
regions in the Mediterranean area (Fig. 1). The Corinth Rift
Laboratory project (CRL, http://crlab.eu) is based on the
cooperation of various european institutions that merge their
efforts to study fault mechanics and related hazards in this
naturallaboratorywherenumerouscontinuousobservationsare
a
made. The present rift is asymmetric and deformation is very
localized. Numerous GPS campaigns since 1991 indicate a
stableopeningrateofabout1.5cm/yroverawidthof1012km
inthewesternpartoftherift(Fig.2).ContinuousGPSstations
installed 10 years ago start to reveal reliable vertical
d
displacement (Fig.3). The seismic activity is localized in the
upper12Kmofthecrust.Althoughthe3Dgeometryofactive
faultsmightbequitecomplex(Fig.4),wepresenthereasimple
2D mechanical model including one normal fault embedded in
an elastoviscoplastic medium, aimed at exploring crustal
rheology and fault parameters able to explain both horizontal
extensionratesandverticaldeformation.

b
Figure1.seismotectoniccontext
ofthewesternriftofCorinth,
withfaultsandseismicity.Green
dots:seismicity19642008,from
NationalObservatoryofAthens
(M>3,depth020km).Blue
rectangle:Aigion1995
earthquakearea.Red:major
activefaults.

Figure 4. 3D sketch of major

active faults in the study area

Figure 2. GPS horizontal velocity field with

Peloponissos fixed obtained from compilation of
variousobservationssince1991(fromE.Perouse).

Figure3.VerticaldisplacementatTRIZONIA
d
islandcontinuouspermanentstation,closeto
thenortherncoastofCorinthrift.

Ourpurposeswiththissimple2Dmodelare:

1. To constrain the upper crust rheology by modelling the available deformation data
b

(horizontalandverticalGPSvelocities).

2. To explore the effects of the crustal rheology and fault parameters on the stress and
straindistributionatdepth.

II.Model

1.Rheology:AMaxwellextendedmodelrheologyisconsideredinthiswork(Fig.5).Thehydrostaticstressdependencein
crustalrocksisaccountedbyconsideringtheDruckerPragerplasticitycriterion.Thus,theyieldsurfaceis:F=qPtan()d

q= ( 1/ 2S : S)
withthefrictionangleanddthecohesion.isthehysrostaticpressureandtheVonMises
P=1 /3trace( )
G=qPtan ()

equivalentstress.Thepotentialflowisdescribedby:withthedilatationangle.Inthiswork,weconsideranassociated
=
flowrule:(Fig.6).
2.FiniteElementmodel:Our2DmodelrepresentsaNNESSWcrosssectionacrosstherift.Itextendsdownto40kmandis108kmlong
(Fig.7a).Weconsideralinearverticaltemperaturegradientof16C/Km(Fig.7b).

Finiteelementmesh:Weconsiderlinearelementswitharesolutionof300minthefaultareathatdecreasesto2~3kmalongtheboundaries.
Loading:Themodelissubmittedtotheeffectsofgravityandahorizontalextentionof1.3cm/yr.
Mechanicalmodelling:planestrainapproximationinthefinitestrainframeworkisconsidered,andcontactconditionswithCoulombconstant
frictiononthefaultlips.
v
n
21
n 1
1

=A
q
exp(Q/
RT
)
,
n=3.1
,
R=8.314
,
A=2.10 Pa s ,
Creep:viscouspowerlawrheology:
Q=152 KJ mol
Withtheseparameters,thebrittleductiletransitionoccursatapproximately8Kmdepth(Fig.7c).

Figure 5. Rheologicalmodel

Figure 6. Yieldsurfaceand
flowdirection

Figure7.(a)FEModel,loadingandBC(b)linearverticalTgradientand(c)Verticaldifferentialstressq

Figure 8. The vertical differential stress for the current rheology, the
Bingham's generalized model (with de dashpot in parallel with the
plasticity friction element), and a viscoelastic rheology (no plasticity).

III. MAIN RESULTS

5. Localization of horizontal deformation

1. Differential stress: Activation energy influence

Figure8.(a)Differentialstress(DS)asafunctionoftheactivationenergyQ.TheDSdistributionreflectsthebrittle
andviscousrheologiesprevailingintheupperandlowercrust,respectively.ThebrittleductileTransitionDepth(TD)
decreaseswithdecreasingQ(b)DistributionofDSforQ=150KJ/molmarkingthetransitionfrombrittletoductile
behavioratadepthofabout8Km.

2. Plastic deformation localization

Figure13.Evolutionofthelocaltototalopeningrate:R=R25/(totalextensionrate).R25isthe
localextensionratemeasuredwithin25Kmfromthefault.ForafaultwithdepthlessthantheTD
(5and7Km),Rneverexceeds60%evenafter600Kyofextension.Fordeeperfaults,Rreaches
highlevels(>75%)atarelativelyearlystageoftheprocess.

6. Surface vertical Deformation

V
a

Figure9.Cumulatedplasticdeformationafter200Kyofextensionshowinglocalizationclosetothefaultzone
preceedingtheappearanceofnewfaults.Qualitatively,frictionalplasticstrainaccumulatesinatriangularwedgeofthe
footwallblockandisconspicuouslyverylowwithinthehangingwall.(b)Totalequivalentstrainshowinglocalizationof
viscousstraininthelowerzone.Lessdeformationoccursinthezonebeneaththefaultsincethiszoneremainsunder
compressionformorethan200Kyofextensionat1.3cm/yr.Q=150KJ/mol,faultdepth=15Km

3. Vertical strain distribution

Figure14.Verticaldisplacementshowinganupliftinthesouthandsubsidenceinthenorthof
theCR.

Figure10.Elastic,plasticandviscousverticalstrainsevolutionwithextensiontimefrom30to600Kyat40Kmfromthe
fault(verticallineVFig.9b).Frictionalplasticdeformationaccumulatesexclusivelyintheuppercrustatdepths
shallowerthantheTD(8Km).Viscousdeformationisthedominantcontributiontodeformationathightemperature
andpressurecharacterizingthelowercrust.Q=150KJ/mol,faultdepth=10Km.

4. Surface Deformation

Figure15.VerticalVelocities(VV).ItappearsthatVVatTRIZcannotbereproducedby
thissimplemodelbecauseitislikelytobeaffectedbythepresenceofsecondaryfaults.

IV. CONCLUSIONS

Figure11.Horizontal(a)andvertical(b)displacementsdistributionsshowingthediscontinutiesduetothemouvements
ofthefaultblocksandtheslipgradientonthefault.

Figure12.HorizontalGPSvelocitiesvs.computedopenningratesfor10and15Kmfaultdepth.Forfaultdepthsgreater
thantheTransitionDepth(TD),andafter200to300Kyofextension,themajorpartofsurfacedeformationislocalized
aroundthefaultzone.

Bibliography
- P. Bernard et al. Seismicity, Deformation and seismic hazard in the western rift of Corinth : New insights from the Corinth Rift
Laboratory (CRL), Tectonophysics 426 (2006) 7 30.
- Cianetti et al., Modelling deformation rates in the western gulf of corinth: rheological constraints Geophys. J. Int. (2008) 174,
749-757
- Dempsey et al., the role of frictional plasticity in the evolution of normal fault systems J. Structural Geology, 2012

A2Dplanestrainmodelisconsideredtoinvestigatetheextension
and subsequent deformation within the brittle crust. In addition to
dipsliponthefaultcontactsurface,extensionmechanismleadstoan
accumulation of plastic deformation within the upper crust. Below
the brittleductile transition depth, both plastic strain and fault
slipping decrease rapidly. The viscous deformation prevails in the
lowercrust.
In order to explain both horizontal and vertical surface
deformationvelocities,anddepthrangeofseismicactivity(<12Km),
thefollowingconditionsshouldbemet:
A/abrittletoductiletransitiondepth(TD)shallowerthan12Km
B/AfaultdepthgreaterthantheTD
Moreover, the evolution towards a symmetric profile of the
computedverticalvelocity(asshowninFig.15)isnotconsistentwith
the field observations. This finding implies that the normal fault
systemactiveinthewesterncorinthriftisquiteyoung(<200Ky).