The diversity of Late Neogene sedimentary basins generated by wrench faulting in the Eastern Betic Cordillera, SE Spain

Abstract

The types of sedimentary basins generated by wrench faulting are reviewed, with emphasis to the Late Neogene Eastern Betic Shear Zone, a well-documented segment of the Trans-Alboran Shear Zone. The general characteristics of this wrench `corridor' are described, including the role of inherited structures. Compressional `groove-shaped synclines' which run parallel to master strike-slip faults are more typical type of basin. The basins are generally short-lived and undergo structural inversion. In the Eastern Betics, the compressional waves are more efficient than extensional basins in terms of their subsidence and sedimentation rates, the thickness of the clastic fill, and the intensity of synsedimentary deformation.