Influence of rheologically weak layers on fault architecture: insights from analogue models in the context of the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin

Abstract We present a series of analogue models inspired by the geology of the Zürcher Weinland region in the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin of Switzerland to explore the influence of rheological weak, i.e. (partially) ductile layers on the 3D evolution of tectonic deformation. Our model series test the impact of varying weak layer thickness and rheology, as well as different kinematics of an underlying “basal fault”. Model analysis focuses on deformation in the weak layer overburden and, uniquely, within the weak layer itself. We find that for low to moderate basal fault displacements, the above-mentioned parameters strongly influence the degree of coupling between the basal fault and the weak layer overburden. Coupling between the basal fault and overburden decreases by reducing the strength of the weak layer, or by increasing the weak layer’s thickness. As a result, basal fault displacement is less readily transferred through the weak layer, leading to a different structural style in the overburden. By contrast, increasing the amount, or rate, of basal fault slip enhances coupling and leads to a more similar structural style between basal fault and overburden. Moreover, dip-slip displacement on the basal fault is more readily transferred to the overburden than strike-slip displacement of the same magnitude. Our model results compare fairly well to natural examples in the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin, explaining various structural features. These comparisons suggest that rheological weak layers such as the Jurassic Opalinus Clay have exerted a stronger control on fault zone architecture than is commonly inferred, potentially resulting in vertical fault segmentation and variations in structural style. Furthermore, the novel addition of internal marker intervals to the weak layer in our models reveals how complex viscous flow within these layers can accommodate basal fault slip. Our model results demonstrate the complex links between fault kinematics, mechanics and 3D geometries, and can be used for interpreting structures in the Alpine Foreland, as well as in other settings with similar weak layers and basal faults driving deformation in the system.