3D geometry of superposed folds in a large-scale refolded fault surface using geostatistical methodsinternal zones of the Betic Cordillera, SE Spain

Resum

Purpose In this work, we restore the folded and partly eroded surface of the Mecina Fault in the internal zones of the Betic Cordillera. The main aim of this restoration is to analyze the geometry of the folds of Sierra Nevada, Sierra de los Filabres and the southern branch of the Guadix-Baza Basin. Methods The restoration was made in an ArcGIS environment using the kriging geostatistical method, allowing the building of an accurate digital surface model (DSM), as the estimation errors are low. The DSM and field measures provided the orientation data used in the geometrical analysis of the structures by standard structural geology methods. Results The results indicate the superposition between two generations of folds, resulting in a pattern that combines domes and basins and non-plane non-cylindrical folds with hinge replacement. Conclusion These two generations of folds were forming during the Tortonian (first generation) and the Pliocene (second generation) according to previous works of sedimentology and thermochronology.