SHEAR ZONE

Presented by
Guided by:-
Sambhabana Lenka
Dr. Manoj kumar Pattnaik
Dr. Deepak kumar Mishra PG 1st Year(2nd Sem)
Roll no-PG-GL17-23
 CONTENTS

 Introduction
 Types of shear zones

I. Brittle shear zone

II. Brittle-ductile shear zone
III. Ductile shear zone
 Rocks of shear zones
 Strain in shear zones
 Shear sense indicators
 Conclusion
 References
 INTRODUCTION
 Shear zone is a tabular to sheet like , planar or curvi-
planar narrow zone composed of rocks that are more
highly strained adjacent to the zone.
 Shear zones contain most intensely deformed rocks of
earth.
 They are mostly much longer and wider than their
thickness. The length: breadth =5:1
 The largest are about hundreds of kms long and tens of
kms thick. They may be seen under microscope.
 Shear zones are commonly arranged in networks or
sets composed of a no. of shear zones or may occur in
sub-parallel sets .
 TYPES OF SHEAR ZONE
 Depending upon the mineralogy and grain size, physical
conditions, fluid pressure during the deformation the shear
zones are classified into 3 types.

i. Brittle shear zone

ii. Brittle-ductile shear zone
iii. Ductile shear zone
Brittle shear zone:-
 Tangential displacement is taken place on a networks of
closely spaced faults.
 Formed at shallow depth(5-10kms) characterized by low
pressure-temperature conditions, fast strain rate and higher
fluid pressure.
CONTD…
Ductile shear zone:-
 No displacement, drastic reduction
in grain size , well developed
lineation and foliation.
 High pressure-temperature
condition, slow strain rate, low fluid
pressure during deformation.
 Takes place in the asthenosphere.
Brittle-ductile shear zone:-
 Tangential movement is both
associated with brittle and ductile
deformation.
 They take place at lithosphere-
asthenosphere boundary.
 Enechelon sigmoidal veins are
resulting from this types of
deformation.
 CONTD…

Behaviour of the rock bodies under the earth’s surface

 ductile
brittle

Ductile shear zone

Enechelon gash veins formed by brittle-ductile shear zone
 ROCKS OF SHEAR ZONE
Rocks of brittle shear zone:-
Fault breccias
Angular fragments of different sizes occurring in
pulverized ground mass.
Microbreccias Fault breccias
Angular fragments are microscopic.
Fault gauge
Extremely fine rock flour along fault zone.
 CONTD…
Rocks of brittle-ductile shear
zone :-
Cataclasite
Grain refinement by sliding and
rotation of larger grains within the
matrix.
 Procataclasite- (10-50) % of
matrix
Cataclasite-(50-90)% of matrix
Ultracataclasite- >90% of matrix
Pseudotrachylite
Dark glassy rocks resulting from local melting of
the rocks by frictional heating.
 CONTD….

Rocks of ductile shear zone:-

Mylonite
Foliated and lineated rock undergone
drastic reduction in grain size.
Protomylonite- <50% matrix
Mylonite- (50-90)% matrix
Ultramylonite->90% matrix.
L-S tectonites
The mylonite that are strongly deformed
with linear fabric are called L-
tectonites and with strong planar
fabric are called S-tectonites.
Phyllonite
Micaceous with notable simple shear
components.
 CONTD……
L-mylonite mylonite
.

phyllonite Mylonite gneiss

STRAIN IN SHEAR ZONE
 The strain in a shear zone is usually heterogeneous . The intensity of the
strain decreases from the centre towards the periphery.
 The deformation is typically continues in case of ductile shear zones while
it is discontinues in case of brittle shear zones.
 Strain comprises two components within the shear zone i.e.
distortion and dilation.
 The shear zones are influenced by two types of shear regimes
i.e. non-coaxial or simple shear regime
coaxial or pure shear regime
 In simple shear, the strain ellipses become progressively more elliptical
towards the centre.
 The foliation trajectory are asymmetric in nature in simple shear ductile
zone.
CONTD…

Simple shear
CONTD……
In pure shear , the foliation
trajectories are parallel to
the shear zone and here the
rocks under deformation get
squeezed.

Shear sense indicators

1. Foliation pattern
2. S-C fabric
3. Pressure fringes
4. Porphyroblast tails
5. Spiral inclusions in porphyroblasts
6. Mica fish
7. Boudinage structures
8. Slip on grain-scale fault
9. Sheath folds
10.Intrafolial folds
11. Rotation marks
FOLIATION PATTERN
 The orientation of the pre-
existing foliations at the
edge of the zone provide one
of the most useful shear
sense indicators.
 During the formation of
ductile shear zone, a
foliation may continue to
develop outside it which is
also rotated near the edge of
the shear zone.
 The foliations generally
reflect the S1S2 plane of the
nonco-axial strain ellipsoid.
so they are curved across the
boundary, making a low
angle to it. They imitate the
variation in orientation of
the strain ellipse.
 CONTD…..
C-S fabrics
The mylonites exhibit two types of banding structures ; foliations and shear
surfaces.
C-structure:
C-surfaces indicate shear bands (cissaillement - shear) which are the zones of
high shear strain. They are the spaced zones parallel or sub parallel to the
shear wall.
S-structure:
S-surfaces are parallel to the schistocity or foliation planes. They are more
penetrative ,defined by long axes of deformed clasts and preferred
orientation of micaceous minerals. S-zones are sandwiched between two C-
zones at an angle 45°.
If the angle between the C-S zones is acute, then the shear movement is
synthetic i.e. dextral and the vice versa.
C

C-S fabric
S-C FABRICS

S
 PRESSURE SHADOWS
 Pressure shadows/fringes are caused
by the process of pressure solution or
solution transfer.
 The theory of pressure solution
predicts continuous variation of
solubility around differentially
stressed grains. There is the
possibilities of diffusion from points
of higher stress to lower stress.
 In this case, the materials from a
crystal or aggregates of crystals get
dissolved where it faces the principal
compressive stress, which are then
re-deposited towards the tensile side.
 The freshly deposited materials on
the tensile side have a fibrous
appearance, which being parallel to
the local direction of incremental
extension. These are called pressure
shadows or pressure fringes.
 PORPHYROCLAST TAILS
 The remnant rigid larger grains occurring in the ductile matrixes of
mylonites are known as porphyroclasts.
 In case of simple shear, the porphyroclasts get rotated with disturbed
foliation pattern and it is described as rolling structures.
 As a result, the rotated fined recrystallised materials derived from the
dynamic recrystallisations give a tail like appearance to the
porphyroclasts. With gradual deformations, the tails become parallel to the
foliations.
 The geometry of porphyroclast tails also give a good sense of shear.
 CONTD…

Ɵ-objects
The porphyroclast has an elliptical
mantle and no real tail. It is formed
by very slow recrystallisation.
Ф-objects
The porphyroclasts have a fairly
straight centre line with respect to
the porphyroclasts. They are formed
by moderate recrystallisation, but
the strain rate is slow.

Ϭ-objects
These are the S-shaped porphyroclasts with gently curved centre line, the wings extend off
the top of one side and bottom of the opposite side. the pattern is referred as ‘stair-stepping’.
Here the recrystallisation is low as compared to strain rate. They indicate the clock wise
rotation and thus are dextral.
δ-objects
These are Z-shaped porphyroclasts having strongly curved wings that are asymmetric with
respect to porphyroclasts. Here an elongate grain get rotated anti-clock wise and then attain a
stable orientation.
δ -Type

Ϭ-type
SPIRAL INCLUSION TAILS
 In context of shear zone the inclusion
generally referred to an object that
responded deformation in a more rigid
manner than that of the surrounding
ductile deformed host.
 The growth of porphyroblast might
have been completed during an early sinistral
stage of shearing. In a latter phase of
deformation , the rotation of
porphyroblast will cause a discordance
between the inclusions and the dextral
foliations out side it.
 The clockwise rotation give Z-shaped
pattern and indicate a dextral shear
zone.
 The anti-clock wise rotation gives a S-
shaped pattern indicating a sinistral
shear zone.
 MICA FISH
 The asymmetric
synthetic
lens- shaped
coarse grains of
mica oriented
oblique to the
dominant
foliation, are
known as mica
fish.
 Sometimes a no.
of mica fish are
linked together
by tails of very
fine mica. antithetic
 The tip of mica
fish bends
towards the
direction of
shear movement.
 SHEATH FOLD
 These are unusual, non-cylindrical
folds having a strongly curved hinge
line and a rounded and conical
shape look like flattened test tube.
 They represent progressive non-
coaxial ductile deformation in a
single event. Thus during
development of a major ductile
shear zone ,successive generation of Sheath folds
sheath folds may be initiated and
refolded.
Intrafolial fold
They may be folded rock layers or
foliations that formed during earlier
phase of shear zone evolution. With
progressive deformation , they may
be rotated into sub-parallelism with
lineation. the asymmetricity of folds
give a sense of shearing.

Sheath folds
SLIP ON GRAIN-SCALE FAULTS
 The larger grains of some minerals in
mylonite may undergo micro-faulting
under certain circumstances, may be
divided into several slices by parallel
micro-faults.
 When the micro-faults are oriented
at a low angle to the foliation, then
they are synthetic and viceversa.
Micro-faulting
Boudinage structures
 When relatively strong layers of rock
become stretched and elongated
during deformation, they may be
separate into blocks or form lensoid
or pillow shaped structures through
narrow necks. These are called
boudines and the structure is called
boudinage or pull-apart structure. The
elongation of boudins shows the boudins
extension direction.
ROTATION MARKERS
 When the walls of the mylonite
zone can be identified, the sense of
shear can be determined by the
change in orientation of a dike or
vein which enters the mylonite zone
from out side.
 Within the zone the dyke/vein is
rotated with the shear sense in the
zone.
CONCLUSION
 Shear zones are the favorable sites of economic mineral
deposits.

 They are always associated with the process of metamorphism.

 They reflect the tectonic history and structural disturbances of

the concerned area.
 REFERENCES

 Structural geology – S. j Reynolds and J.H Davis

 Structural geology – S.K. Ghosh
 Structural geology-Hakon Fossen
 Structural geology – Twiss & Moore
Thank you….