Structural Dynamics of Salt Systems

The structural dynamics of salt systems-salt tectonics-encompasses any deformation involving salt or other evaporites. It includes halokinesis, in which deformation is driven primarily by salt upwelling and withdrawal, not by regional tectonics. A salt-tectonic system is composed of a source layer of rock salt or other evaporites (collectively referred to as "salt"), overlain by sedimentary overburden, and overlying a basement or subsalt strata. The salt acts as a lubricant, aiding decoupling of the overburden, and accommodates the potential gaps and overlaps between shifting fault blocks in the deforming overburden. This review focuses on the structural dynamics of such salt systems, with an emphasis on diapir formation in both extensional and contractional settings. We also consider subsiding diapirs, salt welds, and allochthonous salt sheets.

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