Structural features at the deformation front of the Barbados Ridge complex, Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 78A.

Abstract

As Site 541, a fault of 262m occurs within an interval characterized by probable stratal disruption and randomly oriented, semi-penetrative, slickensided slip surfaces. Disrupted Miocene hemipelagic mud was emplaced over Pliocene nannofossiliferous mud along a sharply defined reverse fault visible at 276m. Thin sections and SEM photomicrographs show that platy clay minerals in the penetratively deformed, smectite-rich Miocene mud acquired a strong planar preferred orientation. The lower 70m of core from Site 541 is disrupted, characterized locally by a scaly foliation, with more lithified tectonic inclusions of variably colored radiolarian mudstone.-from Authors