In the Upington region, there are three major- tectonic crustal provinces; namely the Kaapvaal Craton, Kheis and Namaqua tectonic provinces. The Eburnian-aged (early Proterozoic) Kheis Province developed along the western flank of the Archaean Kaapvaal Craton while the Kibaran-aged (middle Proterozoic) Namaqua Metamorphic Province, superimposed on the Eburnian-aged basement, developed to the east of the Kheis Province. The Namaqua Metamorphic Province is divided into the Gordonia and Bushmanland Subprovinces, the former being further subdivided into various tectonostratigraphic terranes. These are termed, from west to east, the Kakamas, Areachap, and Upington Terranes. The Upington Terrane includes fault bounded grabens with accompanied bimodal volcanism and sedimentation of the Wilgenhoutsdrif and Koras Groups. The Areachap Terrane consists predominantly of amphibolites generated in an island arc environment while the Kakamas Terrane is characterised by volcano-sedimentary sequences which have been extensively intruded by syn to late-tectonic predominantly I-type Keimoes Suite granitoids. The main styles of mineralisation correlate well with the various tectonostratigraphic terranes. Sedimentary exhalative massive sulphide deposits are characteristic of the Bushmanland Subprovince and are thought to be associated with the deposits at Aggeneys and Putsberg to the west of the area under investigation. These deposits are considered to have been deposited in an east-west-elongated intracontinental basin. The Kakamas Terrane is typified by granite-related mineralisation. In the eastern portion of the Kakamas Terrane, Sn-Wand base metal-bearing veins occur while pegmatites are developed in the western portion. These two styles of granite-related mineralisation is considered to reflect differing depths of formation due mainly to varying degrees of thrusting. The Areachap Terrane consists of volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits of the Besshi-type and is considered to have formed in a back-arc environment. In the Upington Terrane, the Wilgenhoutsdrif and Koras Groups consists essentially of minor Cu occurrences mainly disseminated within basalts and in structural trap sites. The possibility for sediment-hosted Cu deposits is not ruled out. More recent surface processes have led to uranium and gypsum deposits in pans, river beds and calcretes. Eburnian aged tectonic setting remains enigmatic. Kibaran-aged tectonics which best fits the metallogeny of the area under investigation is considered to be of a subduction zone from west to east formed by the collision of the Bushmanland "microcontinent" against the Kaapvaal Craton. Subduction fbrmed an island arc setting in which the massive sulphide deposits were formed in the Areachap Terrane while the Wilgenhoutsdrif Groups developed in a marginal basin. Further convergence led to collision of the two continents and underriding of the Bushmanland "microcontinent" which generated predominantly I-type granitoids represented by the Keimoes Suite. The level of emplacement of these granitoids is a reflection of the degree of foreland thrusting and produced shallower level Sn-W and base metal vein-type mineralisation closer to the suture zone and deeper level pegmatites further from the suture zone to the west. The final period of deformation is represented by northward lateral movement which created "pull apart" fault-bounded basins into which the Koras Group was deposited.

The Cambrian – Lower Ordovician Potsdam Group is a mostly siliciclastic unit that provides important insight into the paleoenvironmental, geologic and tectonic history of Early Paleozoic Laurentia. Nevertheless, in spite of 178 years of study the Potsdam in the Ottawa Embayment and Quebec Basin remains poorly understood. Also poorly understood is how the Potsdam relates with coeval strata regionally. In this work six siliciclastic paleoenvironments are recognized: (a) braided fluvial, (b) ephemeral fluvial, (c) aeolian, (d) coastal sabkha, (e) tide-dominated marine and (f) open-coast tidal flat. Fluvial strata were examined in particular detail and interpreted to consist of two end-member kinds. Braided fluvial deposits are dominated by low-relief bars formed in wide, shallow channels; however where basement structures limited the lateral growth of channels, flows were deeper and bar deposits thicker and higher angle. In contrast, ephemeral fluvial strata are dominated by sheetflood splay sedimentation with rare preservation of scour-filling supercritical bedform strata – all later subjected to aeolian reworking. In the upper Potsdam, alternating ephemeral and braided fluvial strata provide a record of climate change, which, respectively, correlate with documented global cool (arid) and warm (humid) periods during the Late Cambrian and Early Ordovician. Three allounits are recognized in Potsdam strata, recording regional episodes of sedimentation and facilitating correlation with coeval strata throughout eastern North America. These correlations, aided with provenance data from detrital zircons, show that changes in the areal distribution of sediment supply, accommodation and deposition/erosion were principally controlled by episodic reactivation of the Neoproterozoic Ottawa graben, which then periodically modified the stratigraphic expression of the ongoing Sauk transgression. Specifically, episodes of tectonic reactivation occurred during late Early to Middle Cambrian (allounit 1), late Middle to early Late Cambrian (allounits 2 – 3 unconformity), and Earliest Ordovician (allounits 3 – 4 unconformity). The earliest episode is correlated to regional extension of southern Laurentia, whereas the latter two are linked to peri-Laurentian accretion events that triggered reactivation of the Ottawa graben via the Missisquoi oceanic fracture zone.

L’intérêt de la télédétection appliquée aux volcans actifs et potentiellement dangereux a été démontré depuis longtemps dans la mesure où cette technique a participé à l’amélioration de la compréhension des processus éruptifs et des aléas volcaniques, amélioration qui permet une réduction des risques volcaniques. Nous avons entrepris plusieurs études volcanologiques reposant sur l’usage d’images de moyenne et haute résolution spatiale, qu’elles soient optiques (IKONOS, Pléiades, GeoEye, Quickbird and SPOT5), radar (ALOS-PALSAR) ou bien thermiques (ASTER et MODIS «hot spot»). Associées à l’analyse de MNTs et de photographies aériennes acquises par un drone, ces études ont consisté à appliquer des techniques de télédétection sur le Semeru et le Merapi, deux des volcans composites les plus actifs et les plus densément peuplés de l’ile de Java en Indonésie. Cette recherche fondée sur la télédétection a permis de mettre en évidence des structures géologiques et tectoniques, d’identifier, de classer et de cartographier des dépôts éruptifs sur les deux volcans et a servi à améliorer l’évaluation des risques à la suite des grandes éruptions de 2002-2003 au Semeru et de 2010 au Merapi. Nous avons également initié une étude afin de comprendre les interactions entre l’activité éruptive et le contexte sismo-tectonique régional en utilisant l’analyse des données MODIS avec la méthode MODVOLC. Nous avons remis à jour la carte géologique du volcan Semeru en y associant des données issues de l’interprétation d’images HSR récentes, des photographies aériennes, l’analyse de MNTs et des observations de terrain, notamment dans le réseau hydrograhique qui convoie des lahars. Nous avons décrit l’histoire éruptive postérieure à 2001 au Semeru en incluant la grande éruption à l’origine des écoulements pyroclastiques (EPs) en 2002-2003 et les éruptions effusives de 2012-2014, qui constituent un phénomène rarement observé sur ce volcan. Le Semeru a produit un volume de 2.5 ± 0.5 106m3 de coulées de lave provenant du cratère sommital entre 2010 et 2014, ce qui peut annoncer, pour la première fois depuis 1967 ou 1941, une modification profonde du style éruptif de ce volcan. Au moment de terminer cette thèse, le dome-coulée situé dans le cratère Jonggring-Seloko continue à croître et les coulées de lave dépassent 2 km de longueur dans la cicatrice majeure en pente raide sur le flanc SE ; leurs fronts pourraient s’effondrer et produire des EPs dont le volume moyen pourrait excéder les valeurs de 3 à 6.5 million de m3 mesurées sur la période 1967-2007. Les écoulements futurs pourront déborder des parois de la cicatrice vers l’aval et se propager vers les vallées des flancs est et sud-ouest. L’épisode éruptif du 26 octobre au 23 novembre 2010 s’est avéré l’événement majeur de l’activité du Merapi depuis 1872. Notre interprétation des images HSR démontre qu’à l’issue des éruptions explosives, le sommet du Merapi a perdu un volume de 10 x 106m3 et la gorge de Gendol orientée SSE a été élargie jusqu’à mesurer 1.3 x 0.3 x 0.2 km. Le nouveau cratère élargi et profond inclut le dome post-2010, qui a été fracturé en 2013, tandis que ses parois verticales instables peuvent être fragilisées par les explosions mineures de 2013 et 2014. Nous avons identifié et cartographié les dépôts pyroclastiques et de lahar de 2010 en appliquant plusieurs méthodes de classification aux images optiques HSR et aux données polarisées de Radar à Synthèse d’Ouverture (RSO). Les résultats démontrent la capacité de l’imagerie satellitaire HSR à capturer l’extension et les impacts de dépôts immédiatement après une grande éruption et avant tout remaniement. Cette technique met en exergue l’utilité de l’imagerie haute résolution et des données radar pour les volcans en activité persistante dont l’accès est souvent rendu impossible. (...) / Remote sensing has long been recognized as a tool for analysis at active and hazardous volcanoes because it can augment our understanding of the processes that underlie volcanic activity so as enable us to apply this understanding to volcanic risk reduction. This thesis presents a volcanological study using High-Spatial Resolution optical images (IKONOS, Pléiades, GeoEye, Quickbird and SPOT5 satellites), radar data (ALOS-PALSAR sensor) and thermal (ASTER satellite and MODIS hot spot) images. In association with DEMs and low-altitude aerial photographs, remote sensing techniques have been applied for tracing the evolution of activity at Semeru and Merapi, two of the most active and densely populated volcanoes in Java, Indonesia. This remotely sensing-based study has unraveled structures, geological features and erupted deposits of both volcanoes and has improved the existing hazard assessment after their most recent eruptions. The thesis also presents the first advance towards deciphering possible interactions between regional tectonic earthquakes and renewed stages of eruptive activity of Merapi and Semeru volcanoes based on the analysis of volcanic hotspots detected by the MODVOLC technique. The geological map of Semeru is updated, including additional data derived from the interpretation of the most recent satellite images, aerial photographs, DEM analysis and fieldwork. The post-2001 eruptive activity at Semeru, including the large PDC-forming eruption in 2002-2003 and uncommon lava flow eruptions in 2010-2014 are investigated. The fact that Semeru has produced several lava flows from the central summit vent between 2010 and 2014 may herald a profound change in eruption style for the first time since at least 1967. At the time of writing, a dome-fed coulée in the Jonggring-Seloko crater continues to grow and lava flows are extending to distances of >2 km down Semeru's SE-scar; their fronts may collapse and produce large-volume pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), perhaps exceeding the average (1967-2007) volume range of 3 to 6.5 million m3. Future dome-collapse PDCs may travel farther down the main SE scar and can spill over its lowermost rims towards the southwest and eastward radiating drainage network. The 26 October-23 November 2010 eruption was the Merapi’s largest event since 1872 (it attained VEI=4). The interpretation of HSR images shows that due to the explosive eruptions, the summit area lost about 10 x 106m3 and the SSE-trending Gendol Breach enlarged to reach 1.3 x 0.3 x 0.2 km in size. The new, enlarged and deep summit crater including the 2010 lava dome is extremely unstable having been weakened by the post-2010 explosive events. This instability is a result of the steep Gendol Breach below the mouth of the crater and the steep and unstable crater walls. The 2010 Merapi pyroclastic and lahar deposits have been identified by applying several classification methods to HSR optical images and dual-polarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The results show the ability of remotely sensed data to capture the extent and impacts of pristine deposits shortly after emplacement and before any reworking, and highlight the purpose of using high-spatial resolution imagery and SAR data on persistently active volcanoes where access for field survey is often impossible. The 2010 tephra and PDC deposits covered ca. 26 km2 in two catchments of Gendol and Opak Rivers on Merapi’s south flank, i.e. 60-75% of the total PDC deposit area and a total bulk volume of 45 x 106m3. The tephra-fall deposit covered an area of ca. 1300 km2 with a volume range of 18-21 x 106m3. Volumes of these deposits were estimated using the areas determined from remote sensing data and deposit thickness measured in the field. (...) / Penginderaan jauh telah lama dikenal sebagai suatu alat untuk analisis di gunungapi aktif dan berbahaya karena dapat meningkatkan pemahaman kita tentang proses yang mendasari aktivitas gunung berapi sehingga memungkinkan kita untuk menerapkan pemahaman ini dalam pengurangan risiko erupsi gunungapi. Disertasi ini menyajikan studi vulkanologi menggunakan citra satelit optik resolusi tinggi (IKONOS, Pléiades, GeoEye, Quickbird dan SPOT5), data radar (ALOS-PALSAR sensor) dan citra termal (satelit ASTER dan hotspot MODIS). Dalam kaitannya dengan DEM dan foto udara, teknik penginderaan jauh telah diterapkan untuk melihat evolusi aktivitas di Semeru dan Merapi, dua gunung berapi yang paling aktif dengan kepadatan penduduk yang tinggi terletak di Pulau Jawa, Indonesia. Studi berbasis penginderaan jauh ini telah mengkaji struktur, fitur geologi dan material erupsi dari kedua gunungapi tersebut dan telah mempertajam penilaian bahaya yang ada setelah erupsi terkini. Disertasi ini juga menyajikan kemajuan awal dalam menafsirkan kemungkinan interaksi antara gempa tektonik regional dan aktivitas gunungapi Merapi dan Semeru berdasarkan analisis hotspot vulkanik yang terdeteksi oleh MODVOLC. Peta geologi Semeru telah diperbaharui dengan memasukkan data tambahan yang berasal dari interpretasi citra satelit terbaru, foto udara, analisis DEM dan data lapangan. Aktivitas erupsi pasca-2001 di Semeru, termasuk erupsi dengan aliran pirokastik (Pyroclastic Density Current/PDC) besar pada tahun 2002-2003 dan erupsi tidak biasa dengan aliran lava pada 2010-2014, telah dikaji. Fakta bahwa Semeru telah menghasilkan beberapa aliran lava dari kawah di puncak antara tahun 2010 dan 2014, mengindikasikan perubahan besar dalam gaya erupsi untuk pertama kalinya setidaknya sejak 1967. Pada saat penulisan disertasi ini, sebuah kubah lava (Coulée) di kawah Jonggring- Seloko terus tumbuj dan aliran lava yang memanjang hingga jarak >2 km arah tenggara Semeru; ujung lava kemungkinan dapat runtuh dan menghasilkan aliran piroklastik yang mungkin melebihi volume rata-rata (tahun 1967 hingga 2007) dalam kisaran 3-6.5 juta m3. Aliran piroklastik yang akan datang mungkin mengalir sepanjang gawir utama ke arah tenggara dan dapat menyebar melampaui lereng paling bawah ke arah barat daya dan ke arah timur menyebar ke jaringan drainase. Erupsi yang terjadi pada 26 Oktober-23 November 2010 adalah erupsi terbesar Merapi (mencapai VEI 4) sejak 1872. Interpretasi citra resolusi tinggi menunjukkan bahwa daerah puncak kehilangan batuannya sekitar 10 juta m3 akibat erupsi eksplosif. Erupsi juga memperbesar “Gendol Breach” dengan orientasi tenggara menjadi berukuran 1.3x0.3x0.2 km. Kawah puncak yang baru, diperbesar dan dalam, termasuk juga kubah lava tahun 2010 sangat tidak stabil dan telah diperlemah oleh beberapa erupsi eksplosif pasca-2010. Ketidakstabilan ini diakibatkan oleh curamnya Gendol Breach di bawah mulut kawah dan kondisi dinding kawah yang curam dan tidak stabil. Deposit piroklastik dan lahar diidentifikasi dengan menerapkan beberapa metode klasifikasi terhadap citra optik resolusi tinggi dan data dual-polarisasi Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Hasilnya menunjukkan kemampuan data penginderaan jauh untuk merekam jangkauan dan dampak dari deposit murni sesaat setelah pengendapan dan sebelum proses erosi, serta menyoroti tujuan penggunaan citra resolusi tinggi dan data SAR di gunungapi sangat aktif dengan akses untuk survei lapangan sering kali tidak memungkinkan. Endapan tephra dan PDC menutupi area sekitar 26 km2 di dua DAS, Kali Gendol dan Opak, di sisi selatan Merapi, atau 60-75% dari total luas endapan PDC, dan total volume 45 juta m3. Deposit tephra jatuh menutupi area seluas sekitar 1.300 km2 dengan volume 18-21 juta m3. Volume endapan vulkanik ini diestimasi menggunakan informasi luas yang ditentukan dari data penginderaan jauh dan ketebalan yang diukur di lapangan. (...)

Au Nord-Est de la microplaque Adriatique la jonction Alpes-Dinarides représente une région clé pour comprendre les interactions entre la microplaque et l’Europe stable. Alors que la tectonique active de la partie alpine de cette zone est relativement bien contrainte, peu de données sont disponibles quant aux déformations actives contrôlées par la rotation de la microplaque à travers les Dinarides. Par une approche morpho-tectonique (étude de terrain combinée à l’analyse d’images aériennes et satellitaires, de cartes topographiques et modèles numériques de terrain haute résolution) nous avons cartographié en détails les failles actives des Dinarides septentrionales et de la partie orientale des Alpes du Sud. Sur la base de cette cartographie et des données géologiques une quarantaine de décalages tectoniques cumulés allant de quelques mètres à plusieurs kilomètres a été identifiée. A l’aide de datations 36Cl de marqueurs morphologiques affectés par les failles combinées aux chronologies existantes les vitesses de déformation actuelles ont ensuite été estimées. L’évolution des déformations depuis le Pliocène a pu être contrainte dans les Dinarides mettant en évidence une initiation des failles au début du Pliocène et un changement cinématique important autour du Pléistocène moyen. Les vitesses obtenues, notamment environ 3mm/an de mouvement dextre le long des Dinarides, ont finalement été confrontées aux modèles existants ce qui a conduit à proposer un modèle cinématique décrivant l’accommodation de la rotation de l’Adriatique par le mouvement relatif de blocs lithosphériques rigides et qui permet d’expliquer les déformations actives observées aux frontières de ces blocs. / At the northeastern corner of the Adria microplate the Alps-Dinarides junction represents a key region to understand the interactions between the microplate and the stable Europe. While the active tectonics of the alpine part of the area is relatively well-known, few data allow characterizing the present-day deformations controlled by the microplate rotation across the Dinarides. Using a morpho-tectonic approach (field study combined to the analysis of aerial and satellite images, topographical maps and high-resolution digital elevation models) we mapped in details the active faults in the Northern Dinarides and the eastern part of the Southern Alps. Based on this mapping and geologic data forty tectonic cumulative displacements ranging from few meters to several kilometers have been identified. By determining the 36Cl exposure ages of faulted geomorphic markers and comparing it to existing chronologies the present-day rates of deformation have then been assessed. The evolution of the deformations since the Pliocene could also have been constrained revealing an Early Pliocene age for the onset of strike-slip faulting and a major kinematic change during the Middle Pleistocene. Finally the yielded faults slip-rates, especially about 3 mm/yr of right-lateral motion across the Dinarides, have been compared to existing models. That allowed proposing a kinematic model describing the Adria rotation accommodation through the relative motion of rigid lithospheric blocks and explaining the observed active deformations at their boundaries.

M.Sc. (Geology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The central and eastern United States is subject to seismic hazards from both natural and induced earthquakes, as evidenced by the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquake sequence, consisting of at least three magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes, and by four magnitude 5 and greater induced earthquakes in Oklahoma since 2011. To mitigate seismic hazards, both earthquake sources and their effects need to be characterized. Ground motion site response can cause additional damage to susceptible infrastructure and buildings. Recent studies indicate that Vs30, one of the primary site-response predictors used in current engineering practice, is not reliable. To investigate site response in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, ratios of surface-to-bedrock amplitude spectra, TFT, from S-wave recordings at the two deep vertical seismic arrays in the sediment-filled upper Mississippi Embayment (i.e., VSAP and CUSSO) were calculated. The mean TFT curves were compared with theoretical transfer functions; the results were comparable, indicating that TFT estimates of the empirical, linear SH-wave site responses at these sites. The suitability of surface S-wave horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios, H/V, for estimating the empirical site transfer function was also evaluated. The results indicate that mean S-wave H/V curves are similar to TFT at low frequencies (less than the fifth natural frequencies) at both CUSSO and VSAP. SH-wave fundamental frequency, f0, and fundamental-mode amplification, A0, were evaluated as alternatives to the Vs30 proxy to estimate primary linear site-response characteristics at VSAP, CUSSO, and nine other seismic stations in the CEUS. In addition, calculated f0 and A0 were compared with the first peaks of S-wave H/V spectral ratios. The f0 and A0 were found to approximate the 1-D linear, viscoelastic, fundamental-mode responses at most stations. Also, S-wave H/V from weak-motion earthquakes can be used to measure f0. However, S-wave H/V does not reliably estimate A0 in the project area. S-wave H/V observations reveal site response within the frequency band of engineering interest from deeper, unmodeled geological structures. Because damaging or felt earthquakes induced by hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal have occurred in the CEUS, characterizing background seismicity prior to new large-scale subsurface fluid injection is important to identify cases of and the potential for induced seismicity. The Rogersville Shale in the Rome Trough of eastern Kentucky is being tested for unconventional oil and gas potential; production of this shale requires hydraulic fracturing, which has been linked to induced seismicity elsewhere in the CEUS. To characterize natural seismicity and to monitor induced seismicity during testing, a temporary seismic network was deployed in the Rome Trough near the locations of new, Rogersville Shale oil and gas test wells. Using the real-time recordings of this network and those of other regional seismic stations, three years of local seismicity were cataloged. Only three earthquakes occurred in the Rome Trough of eastern Kentucky, none of which was associated with the deep Rogersville Shale test wells that were stimulated during the time the network was in operation.

Numerical simulations of a 15° restraining bend analog claybox experiment include considering the fault geometry, rheology, and boundary conditions. The numerical models show that a growing fault from an analog experiment propagates at depth rather than at the surface and is exposed in later stages of the experiment, and that the wet kaolin clay from the analog experiment is partially decoupled from the steel plate. The numerical models provide the stresses to predict accurate fault growth from the analog experiment and provide the evolution of external work within the fault system. The external work from the numerical models decrease as faults continue to grow, which agrees with the continuously increasing kinematic efficiency within the analog experiment. Three-dimensional mechanical models are used to simulate the southern San Andreas fault. These models show that incorporating fault interaction, time since last earthquake rupture, and nearby earthquakes affects the stress state along a fault. Absolute shear tractions are calculated by multiplying time since last earthquake rupture with the simulated interseismic stressing rates for each fault strand. From our multi-cycle model, fault interaction affects local normal stressing rates so that the stresses are not relieved in between earthquakes. We provide our absolute shear tractions and scale our multi-cycle normal stressing rates to be near to failure so that dynamic rupture modelers from University of California, Riverside use our results to simulate earthquake propagation for the complex fault region of the San Gorgonio Pass.

Le Tien Shan est une chaîne de montagne active située à plus de 1000 km de la limite de plaque la plus proche, le front Himalayen. Elle possède une histoire ancienne qui va de la fin du Protérozoïque à la fin du Paléozoïque dans un contexte d’accrétions successives formant la plus grande chaîne d’accrétion du monde, la CAOB. Afin de comprendre comment l’histoire paléozoïque du Tien Shan influence la localisation de la déformation cénozoïque, nous avons dans un premier temps étudié la structuration de la chaîne pour en identifier les principales structures héritées. Nous avons mis en avant le partitionnement de la déformation entre les zones de sutures Sud et Nord au cours de la collision entre le Tarim et le Tien Shan au Carbonifère supérieur. Le front de collision est caractérisé par des chevauchements et des détachements au sein d’unités métamorphiques. Au Nord, se trouve une zone en décrochement caractérisée par une structure en fleur positive. Ensuite, ces résultats sont utilisés comme les conditions initiales de modèles numériques thermo-mécaniques 2D dont le but est de tester l’influence de ces zones héritées sur la localisation de la déformation cénozoïque. Ces modèles montrent que la déformation cénozoïque dans le Tien Shan se localise à la faveur de zones de faiblesses crustales et non mantelliques. De plus, nous avons pu établir que la bordure nord du Tarim avait une rhéologie proche de celle du Tien Shan. Finalement, à l’aide des modèles numériques une étude systématique a permis de mettre en évidence que le couplage entre l’érosion et le réseau de drainage jouait un rôle important dans la répartition et l’âge des roches de basse température exhumées. / The Tien Shan is an active mountain belt located at more than thousand kilometres of the closest plate boundary, the Himalayan front. Its Late Proterozoic to Late Paleozoic history takes place during the CAOB accretion which represents the largest accretionary belt in the world. In order to understand how the Paleozoic tectonics of the Tien Shan influences the Cenozoic strain localization, we aim at identifying the main inherited structures of the belt. We highlighted the strain partitioning between the North and South suture zones during the Tarim-Tien Shan Late Carboniferous collision. The collisional front is characterized by thrusts and detachments in metamorphic units while northward, a strike-slip zone is evidenced by a positive flower structure. Then, these results are used as variable inputs in 2D numerical thermo-mechanical models in order to assess the role of these inherited structures on the Cenozoic strain localization. These models show that the Cenozoic deformation in the Tien Shan is localized in favour of crustal weak zones instead of mantellic ones. Moreover, we are able to show that the northern border of the Tarim has a Tien Shan like rheology. Finally, we performed a systematic numerical modelling analyse in order to show that the coupling between erosion and drainage network plays an important role on low temperature rocks exhumation ages and repartition.

The modern plate tectonic paradigm provides a predictive model to understand what mediates dynamic processes at both plate margins and intraplate settings. At some locations on the Earth, the geological record provides evidence of apparent violations of this theoretical framework. In this dissertation, I examine a region on the rifted continental margin of Eastern North America, where at least four distinct episodes of magmatism occurred (in the Late Triassic, Early Jurassic, Early Cretaceous) since the onset of rifting and ultimate breakup of the supercontinent Pangea. It also coincides with a present-day low seismic velocity anomaly in the upper mantle. No other region on the Eastern North American Margin has a record of such anomalous dynamic processes occurring and persisting for more than 200 Myr. In this dissertation, I primarily use zircon U-Pb geochronology to establish the basic chronological framework in which magmatic and magmatic-hydrothermal systems in this region existed and persisted, establishing the temporal parameter space in which it will be possible to test geodynamic mechanisms for their formation. In Chapter 2, I use ultra-high precision zircon U-Pb geochronology via Chemical Abrasion-Isotope Dilution-Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) to test whether the onset of magmatism in the largest igneous body in this region (the White Mountain Batholith) is linked to the eruption of the vast flood basalts within the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) and whether its apparent duration is indeed > 50 Myr, as previous workers using whole rock K-Ar and mineral Ar-Ar geochronologic methods suggest. My work uncovered a previously unknown episode of rift-related magmatism in the region that precedes the both the CAMP and the emplacement of the White Mountain Batholith by 3 – 5 Myr. In Chapter 3, I use a combination of high-precision zircon U-Pb geochronology and absolute plate motion models to test whether the Cretaceous igneous province in this region resulted from hot spot magmatism as North America moved over the purported Great Meteor Hotspot. These results cannot falsify the hotspot hypothesis and the new zircon U-Pb ages therefore provide the best available chronological constraints for one of the longest-lived hot spot tracks on the Earth. In Chapter 4, motivated by the confirmation of age discrepancies between low- and intermediate-temperature chronometers and the zircon U-Pb ages presented in Chapter 2, I use a combination of both CA-ID-TIMS and LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb geochronologic techniques to place constraints on the timing and duration of magmatism for the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic province. The results of this chapter demonstrate that the magmatism of the White Mountain Magma Series occurs in discrete pulses through much of the Jurassic. Together with zircon Hf isotopic analyses from select samples, I synthesize these age results and construct a hypothesis testing framework in which it will be possible for future investigators to unravel the geodynamic complexities in this region. I provide recommendations for future work and emphasize the need for unified approaches coupling geochronology, geochemistry, and geophysics, to test the range of possible mechanisms responsible for these episodes of anomalous tectono-magmatic activity.

Campaign GPS measurements during 2001-2003 in the transition between subduction and collision of the Banda arc reveal how strain is partitioned away from the trench and distributed to other parts of the arc-trench system. Genrich, et. al. (1996) conducted a GPS campaign (1992-1994) throughout the Eastern Sunda and Banda arcs that demonstrated partial accretion of the arc to the Australian plate. We reoccupied many of the sites from this earlier study and 7 additional stations, 3 of which are new benchmarks. Our study shortened many baselines and extended the observation epoch to ten years for many key stations. The resulting GPS velocity field for the active Banda arc-continent collision reveals: 1) several mostly rigid crustal blocks exist in the transition from subduction to collision, 2) relative to an Asian reference frame, most of these blocks move in the same direction as the Australian lower plate, but at different rates, 3) block boundaries may exist between the islands of Lombok and Komodo, Flores and Sumba, Savu and West Timor, and between Timor and Darwin, 4) the Timor Trough may account for at least 20 mm/yr of motion between Timor and Darwin, 5) a major transverse fault off the coast of West Timor separates the Savu/Flores/Sumba block from the Timor/Wetar Block and may account for variations in movement in Rote, 6) the Flores thrust moves the eastern Sunda arc north relative to Asia by decreasing amounts to the west, 7) the back-arc Wetar Thrust system takes up the majority of plate convergence between Australia and Asia, and 8) fault boundaries are not found between many blocks, such as various islands of the Sunda arc and forearc with different amounts of motion.