The impact of erosion and sediment deposition on the initiation and evolution of faults: an investigation using fully coupled three-dimensional numerical models

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The topography of tectonically active areas results from the interaction between tectonic displacement and surface processes. As shown by numerical models, this interaction does not only control the evolution of landscapes but also influences the style of tectonic deformation by affecting the state of stress in the crust. However, these previous models did not include discrete faults and hence did not allow to investigate the effect of surface processes on the slip behaviour of individual faults. Using a newly developed finite-element technique that couples a rheologically stratified, isostatically responding tectonic model including faults with a well established landscape evolution model, the proposed project aims to quantify the impact of erosion and sedimentation on the slip evolution of individual faults in different tectonic regimes. In particular, the potential of surface processes to initiate fault slip or to promote slip after cessation of the tectonic forcing will be investigated. The slip evolution obtained from the model will be compared to case studies from extensional tectonic regimes (Basin-and-Range Province, Gulf of Corinth) and contractional settings (Nepalese Himalayas), where geological and geomorphological data suggest that faulting is considerably influenced by denudation of the fault-bounded mountain ranges.