Inverse and Forward Modeling of the Utah System of Colorado Plateau Basement-Cored Uplifts

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Davis0001222In large-scale systems of thin-skinned folding and thrusting a more or less uniform regional stress field is assumed and there is generally a distinct parallelism of folds and thrusts observed oriented approximately perpendicular to the direction of tectonic shortening. However, where the structures are not parallel, it does not follow that the stress field was not regionally uniform; basement inherited features can control structural orientations resulting from a homogeneous stress field. This project will use extensive spatial kinematic data from basement-cored uplifts in the Colorado Plateau that have diverse orientations and model the stress field that was responsible. It is expected that this work will illuminate the regional variations in the Laramide stresses acting on the Colorado Plateau and the effect various pre-existing basement features may have had on the final orientations of various structures. Results should help develop an integrated overview of the structural response of the Colorado Plateau to Laramide tectonics.