Mississippi Valley-type(MVT) Zn-Pb deposits predominantly form within both orogenic forelands and fold-andthrust belts, yet the mineralization process within the latter tectonic setting remains inadequately understood...Mississippi Valley-type(MVT) Zn-Pb deposits predominantly form within both orogenic forelands and fold-andthrust belts, yet the mineralization process within the latter tectonic setting remains inadequately understood. This study, through a comprehensive review of MVT deposits across global fold-and-thrust belts, introduces a novel model elucidating the mineralization process in the context of tectonic belt evolution. It is demonstrated that during the stage Ⅰ, regional compression is introduced by early stages of plate convergence, causing the folding and thrusting and creating structural or lithological traps such as evaporite diapirs and unconformity-related carbonate dissolution-collapse structures. Thereafter, in stage Ⅱ, hydrocarbons begin to migrate and accumulate within these traps, where reduced sulfur is generated through thermochemical or bacterial sulfate reduction concurrent with or preceding Zn-Pb mineralization. In the subsequent stage Ⅲ, as plate convergence persists, the regional stress transitions from compression to transpression or extension. Under these conditions, steeply-dipping extensional faults are generated, facilitating the ascent of metalliferous brines into early-formed structural or lithological traps. Precipitation of Zn and Pb sulfides occurs through the mixing of Zn-Pb-transporting fluids with pre-existing reduced sulfur or by interaction with hydrocarbons.展开更多
Triangle zones, generally found in foreland fold-and-thrust belts, serve as favorable objects of petroleum exploration. Taking the Dabashan foreland belt as an example, we studied the formation and development of tria...Triangle zones, generally found in foreland fold-and-thrust belts, serve as favorable objects of petroleum exploration. Taking the Dabashan foreland belt as an example, we studied the formation and development of triangle zones, and investigated the effect of d^collements and the mechanical contrast of lithology by employing the method of physical modeling. Four experimental models were conducted in the work. The results showed that ＇sand wedges＇ grew episodically, recorded by deformational length, height and slope angle. The height versus shortening rate presented an S-shape curve, and uplifting occurred successively in the direction of the foreland belt. During the formation of the triangle zone, layer-parallel shortening took place at the outset; deformation decoupling then occurred between the upper and lower brittle layers, divided by a middle-embedded silicone polymers layer. The upper brittle layers deformed mainly by folding, while the lower sand layers by thrusting. As shortening continued, the geometry of a triangle zone was altered. We consider that the triangle zone in the Dabashan foreland belt was modified from an early one based on available seismic profiles and the experimental results. In addition, dccollements and mechanical contrast impose significant influence on structural development, which can directly give rise to structural discrepancies. More d^collements and obvious mechanical contrast between brittle layers can promote the coupling between the upper and lower brittle layers. Basal d^collement controls the whole deformation and decreases the slope angle of the wedge, while roof d^collement determines whether a triangle zone can be formed.展开更多
Recent discoveries of ophiolites indicate that there must be a Palaeotethyan geosuture zone bordering China and Vietnam, which separates the Vietbac block from the South China subcontinent. The Indosinian foreland fol...Recent discoveries of ophiolites indicate that there must be a Palaeotethyan geosuture zone bordering China and Vietnam, which separates the Vietbac block from the South China subcontinent. The Indosinian foreland fold-and-thrust belt bordering Yunnan and Guangxi provided further evidence for the palaeotethysides. The oceanic crust was subducted southwestwards while the magmatic arc migrated northeastwards, and the continent-arc collision occurred in the Late Triassic with the thrusting being extended towards the north or northeast. The features of thrust-nappe structure are discussed, which proved the continental margin of the Palaeotethyan ocean there to be a complicated one. A face-to-face collision occurred first along the NW-striking segment and then along the ENE-striking segment accompanied by transpression or oblique thrusting occurring along the NW-striking one.展开更多
The Kuqa fold-and-thrust belt exhibits apparent structural variation in the western and eastern zone.Two salt layer act as effective decollements and influence the varied deformation.In this study,detailed seismic int...The Kuqa fold-and-thrust belt exhibits apparent structural variation in the western and eastern zone.Two salt layer act as effective decollements and influence the varied deformation.In this study,detailed seismic interpretations and analog modeling are presented to construct the suprasalt and subsalt structures in the transfer zone of the middle Kuqa and investigate the influence of the two salt layers.The results reveal that the relationship of the two salt layers changes from separated to connected,and then overlapped toward the foreland in the transfer zone.Different structural models are formed in the suprasalt and subsalt units due to the interaction of the two salt layers.The imbricate thrust faults form two broom-like fault systems in the subsalt units.The suprasalt units develop detached folds terminating toward the east in the region near the orogenic belt.Whereas,two offset anticlines with different trends develop at the frontal edge of the lower salt layer and the trailing edge of the upper salt layer,respectively.According to exploration results in this region,the relationship between suprasalt and subsalt structures has an influence on hydrocarbon accumulation.We believe that the connected deformation contains high-risk plays while the decoupled deformation contains well-preserved plays.展开更多
The Southern Highland Fold and Thrust Belt(SHFTB),the boundary of the Australian plate and the New Guinea Highland block,significantly contributes to the convergent deformation along the plate bound-ary.However,due to...The Southern Highland Fold and Thrust Belt(SHFTB),the boundary of the Australian plate and the New Guinea Highland block,significantly contributes to the convergent deformation along the plate bound-ary.However,due to the lack of observation data,the detailed slip pattern of the SHFTB and the orogenic mechanism beneath the New Guinea Highlands remains controversial.On 25 February 2018,the M_(w)7.5 Papua New Guinea(PNG)earthquake struck the southeastern segment of the SHFTB.The detailed rupture characteristics of this event is significant for further clarifying the inter-seismic slip pattern along the SHFTB.Here,the coseismic deformation field of this earthquake was obtained using high-resolution ALOS-2 satellite images.We find that the 2018 M_(w)7.5 PNG earthquake ruptured a large-scaled fault(SHFTB)extending to the lower crust(deeper than 20 km)beneath the New Guinea Highlands,with a dip angle of 24°.The slips on the fault plane are equivalent to moment magnitudes of M_(w)7.51.Three major asperities with thrust-dominated slip of up to 3.94 m are detected on the fault plane.This finding implies that the slip pattern on the eastern segment of the SHFTB is dominated by thrust,rather than with significant sinistral movement,as previously reported.The tectonic deformation across the New Guinea Highlands is possibly concentrated on the large-scale fault SHFTB and primarily controls the intra-continental orogeny in the central Papua New Guinea.展开更多
The Wuwei Basin is one of the most important oil-and gas-bearing basins in the Meso-Cenozoic basin groups in the Lower Yangtze River region.It has great shale gas resource prospects.The formation mechanism of this bas...The Wuwei Basin is one of the most important oil-and gas-bearing basins in the Meso-Cenozoic basin groups in the Lower Yangtze River region.It has great shale gas resource prospects.The formation mechanism of this basin is poorly studied for lack of constraining data for deep structures.In this paper,a crustal electrical structure model of the Wuwei Basin and the adjacent areas is constructed based on the two-dimensional inversion of a magnetotelluric(MT)sounding profile achieved with the nonlinear conjugate gradient method.The results show that large-scale low-resistance bodies have developed in the underlying middle and lower crust of the Wuwei Basin,and are different from the uplifts on the two sides according to their high-resistance electrical characteristics.The electrical structure and regional geological and geophysical data suggest that the peak zone of the Chuzhou-Chaohu foreland fold-and-thrust belt is located on the east bank of the Yangtze River(Wuhu Section),which,together with the main thrust fault belt in the east,forms a typical thrust structure belt.An early Yanshanian sinistral strike-slip fault developed in the deep part of the Wuwei Basin,which may have controlled the formation and evolution of the basin,whereas the tectonic inversion of the early-developed thrust faults is relatively weak.These findings provide a geophysical basis for future studies of basin tectonic evolution and regional tectonic frameworks.展开更多
A two-dimensional finite element method （FEM） model that incorporates faults, elastic rock physical properties, topographical load due to gravity and far-field plate velocity boundary conditions was used to recogniz...A two-dimensional finite element method （FEM） model that incorporates faults, elastic rock physical properties, topographical load due to gravity and far-field plate velocity boundary conditions was used to recognize the seismogenic stress state along the fold-and-thrust belt of the Precordillera-Sierras Pampeanas ranges of western Argentina. A plane strain model with nine experiments was presented here to examine the fault strength with two major rock phyical properties： cohesion and angle of internal friction. Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion with bulk rock properties were applied to analyse faults. The stress field at any point of the model was assumed to be comprised of gravitational and tectonic components. The analysis was focused to recognize the seismogenic shear strain concentrated in the internal-cristaline domain of the orogene shown by the modeling. Modeling results are presented in terms of four parameters, i. e., （i） distributions, orientations, and magnitudes of principal stresses （σ1 and σ3）, （ii） displacement vector1 （iii） strain distribution, and （iv） maximum shear stress （τmax） contour line within the model. The simulation results show that the compressive stress is distributed in and around the fault systems. The overall orientation of of σ1 is in horizontal directions, although reorientations do occur within some stress weaker parts, especially subsequent to the faults. A large-scale shear stress is accumulating along the active faults of Tapias-Villicum Fault （TVF）, Salinas-Berros Fault （SBF）, Ampacama-Niquizanga Fault （ANF） and Las Charas Fault （CF）, which could act as local stress and strain modulators to localize the earthquakesoccurrence.展开更多
The Pamir region, located to the northwest of the Tibetan Plateau, provides important information that can aid the understanding of the plateau＇s tectonic evolution. Here we present new findings on the deforma- tion ...The Pamir region, located to the northwest of the Tibetan Plateau, provides important information that can aid the understanding of the plateau＇s tectonic evolution. Here we present new findings on the deforma- tion geometry and timing of the Wupoer thrust belt at the northeastem margin of Pamir. Field investigations and interpretations of seismic profiles indicate that the eastern portion of the Wupoer thrust belt is dominated by an underlying foreland basin and an overlying piggy-back basin. A regional unconformity occurs between the Pliocene （N2） and the underlying Miocene （NI） or Paleogene （Pg） strata associated with two other local unconformities between Lower Pleistocene （Q1） and N2 and between Middle Pleistocene （Q2-4） and Q1 strata. Results of structural restorations suggest that compres- sional deformation was initiated during the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene, contributing a total shortening magnitude of 48.6 km with a total shortening rate of 48.12%, most of which occurred in the period from the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene. These results, com- bined with previous studies on the Kongur and Tarshkor- gan extensional system, suggest an interesting picture of strong piedmont compressional thrusting activity concur- rent with interorogen extensional rifting. Combining these results with previously published work on the lithospheric architecture of the Pamir, we propose that gravitational collapse drove the formation of simultaneous extensional and compressional structures with a weak, ductile middle crustal layer acting as a decollement along which both the extensional and compressional faults merged.展开更多
The timing of the "Yanshanian Movement" and the tectonic setting that controlled the Yanshan fold-and-thrust belt during Jurassic time in China are still matters of controversy. Sediments that filled the int...The timing of the "Yanshanian Movement" and the tectonic setting that controlled the Yanshan fold-and-thrust belt during Jurassic time in China are still matters of controversy. Sediments that filled the intramontane basins in the Yanshan belt perfectly record the history of "Yanshanian Movement" and the tectonic background of these basins. Recognizing syn-tectonic sedimentation, clarifying its relationship with structures, and accurately defining strata ages to build up a correct chronostratigraphic framework are the key points to further reveal the timing and kinematics of tectonic deformation in the Yanshan belt from the Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. This paper applies both tectonic and sedimentary methods on the fold-and-thrust belt and intramontane basins in the Zhangjiakou area, which is located at the intersection between the western Yanshan and northern Taihangshan. Our work suggests that the pre-defined "Jurassic strata" should be re-dated and sub-divided into three strata units: a Late Triassic to Early Jurassic unit, a Middle Jurassic unit, and a Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous unit. Under the control of growth fold-and-thrust structures, five types of growth strata developed in different growth structures: fold-belt foredeep type,thrust-belt foredeep type, fault-propagation fold-thrust structure type, fault-bend fold-thrust structure type, and fault-bend foldthrust plus fault-propagation fold composite type. The reconstructed "source-to-sink" systems of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic,Middle Jurassic and Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous times, which are composed of a fold-and-thrust belt and flexure basins, imply that the "Yanshanian Movement" in our study area started in the Middle Jurassic. During Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous times, there have been at least three stages of fold-thrust events that developed "Laramide-type" basementinvolved fold-thrust structures and small-scale intramontane broken "axial basins". The westward migration of a "pair" of basement-involved fold-thrust belt and flexure basins might have been controlled by flat subduction of the western Paleo-Pacific slab from the Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous.展开更多
基金funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42125204, 92155305, 42103068, 42372114, 42372115)。
文摘Mississippi Valley-type(MVT) Zn-Pb deposits predominantly form within both orogenic forelands and fold-andthrust belts, yet the mineralization process within the latter tectonic setting remains inadequately understood. This study, through a comprehensive review of MVT deposits across global fold-and-thrust belts, introduces a novel model elucidating the mineralization process in the context of tectonic belt evolution. It is demonstrated that during the stage Ⅰ, regional compression is introduced by early stages of plate convergence, causing the folding and thrusting and creating structural or lithological traps such as evaporite diapirs and unconformity-related carbonate dissolution-collapse structures. Thereafter, in stage Ⅱ, hydrocarbons begin to migrate and accumulate within these traps, where reduced sulfur is generated through thermochemical or bacterial sulfate reduction concurrent with or preceding Zn-Pb mineralization. In the subsequent stage Ⅲ, as plate convergence persists, the regional stress transitions from compression to transpression or extension. Under these conditions, steeply-dipping extensional faults are generated, facilitating the ascent of metalliferous brines into early-formed structural or lithological traps. Precipitation of Zn and Pb sulfides occurs through the mixing of Zn-Pb-transporting fluids with pre-existing reduced sulfur or by interaction with hydrocarbons.
文摘Triangle zones, generally found in foreland fold-and-thrust belts, serve as favorable objects of petroleum exploration. Taking the Dabashan foreland belt as an example, we studied the formation and development of triangle zones, and investigated the effect of d^collements and the mechanical contrast of lithology by employing the method of physical modeling. Four experimental models were conducted in the work. The results showed that ＇sand wedges＇ grew episodically, recorded by deformational length, height and slope angle. The height versus shortening rate presented an S-shape curve, and uplifting occurred successively in the direction of the foreland belt. During the formation of the triangle zone, layer-parallel shortening took place at the outset; deformation decoupling then occurred between the upper and lower brittle layers, divided by a middle-embedded silicone polymers layer. The upper brittle layers deformed mainly by folding, while the lower sand layers by thrusting. As shortening continued, the geometry of a triangle zone was altered. We consider that the triangle zone in the Dabashan foreland belt was modified from an early one based on available seismic profiles and the experimental results. In addition, dccollements and mechanical contrast impose significant influence on structural development, which can directly give rise to structural discrepancies. More d^collements and obvious mechanical contrast between brittle layers can promote the coupling between the upper and lower brittle layers. Basal d^collement controls the whole deformation and decreases the slope angle of the wedge, while roof d^collement determines whether a triangle zone can be formed.
文摘Recent discoveries of ophiolites indicate that there must be a Palaeotethyan geosuture zone bordering China and Vietnam, which separates the Vietbac block from the South China subcontinent. The Indosinian foreland fold-and-thrust belt bordering Yunnan and Guangxi provided further evidence for the palaeotethysides. The oceanic crust was subducted southwestwards while the magmatic arc migrated northeastwards, and the continent-arc collision occurred in the Late Triassic with the thrusting being extended towards the north or northeast. The features of thrust-nappe structure are discussed, which proved the continental margin of the Palaeotethyan ocean there to be a complicated one. A face-to-face collision occurred first along the NW-striking segment and then along the ENE-striking segment accompanied by transpression or oblique thrusting occurring along the NW-striking one.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41572187,41972219,41927802 and 42072320)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2020M671432)。
文摘The Kuqa fold-and-thrust belt exhibits apparent structural variation in the western and eastern zone.Two salt layer act as effective decollements and influence the varied deformation.In this study,detailed seismic interpretations and analog modeling are presented to construct the suprasalt and subsalt structures in the transfer zone of the middle Kuqa and investigate the influence of the two salt layers.The results reveal that the relationship of the two salt layers changes from separated to connected,and then overlapped toward the foreland in the transfer zone.Different structural models are formed in the suprasalt and subsalt units due to the interaction of the two salt layers.The imbricate thrust faults form two broom-like fault systems in the subsalt units.The suprasalt units develop detached folds terminating toward the east in the region near the orogenic belt.Whereas,two offset anticlines with different trends develop at the frontal edge of the lower salt layer and the trailing edge of the upper salt layer,respectively.According to exploration results in this region,the relationship between suprasalt and subsalt structures has an influence on hydrocarbon accumulation.We believe that the connected deformation contains high-risk plays while the decoupled deformation contains well-preserved plays.
基金funded by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province(2022CFB260,2021CFB508)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42074007No.42130101).
文摘The Southern Highland Fold and Thrust Belt(SHFTB),the boundary of the Australian plate and the New Guinea Highland block,significantly contributes to the convergent deformation along the plate bound-ary.However,due to the lack of observation data,the detailed slip pattern of the SHFTB and the orogenic mechanism beneath the New Guinea Highlands remains controversial.On 25 February 2018,the M_(w)7.5 Papua New Guinea(PNG)earthquake struck the southeastern segment of the SHFTB.The detailed rupture characteristics of this event is significant for further clarifying the inter-seismic slip pattern along the SHFTB.Here,the coseismic deformation field of this earthquake was obtained using high-resolution ALOS-2 satellite images.We find that the 2018 M_(w)7.5 PNG earthquake ruptured a large-scaled fault(SHFTB)extending to the lower crust(deeper than 20 km)beneath the New Guinea Highlands,with a dip angle of 24°.The slips on the fault plane are equivalent to moment magnitudes of M_(w)7.51.Three major asperities with thrust-dominated slip of up to 3.94 m are detected on the fault plane.This finding implies that the slip pattern on the eastern segment of the SHFTB is dominated by thrust,rather than with significant sinistral movement,as previously reported.The tectonic deformation across the New Guinea Highlands is possibly concentrated on the large-scale fault SHFTB and primarily controls the intra-continental orogeny in the central Papua New Guinea.
基金jointly supported by China Geological Survey(Nos.DD20190030,DD20201164,DD20221638)China National Nonprofit Institute Research(Nos.JKYZD202329,AS2017Y05,JYYWF20180902).
文摘The Wuwei Basin is one of the most important oil-and gas-bearing basins in the Meso-Cenozoic basin groups in the Lower Yangtze River region.It has great shale gas resource prospects.The formation mechanism of this basin is poorly studied for lack of constraining data for deep structures.In this paper,a crustal electrical structure model of the Wuwei Basin and the adjacent areas is constructed based on the two-dimensional inversion of a magnetotelluric(MT)sounding profile achieved with the nonlinear conjugate gradient method.The results show that large-scale low-resistance bodies have developed in the underlying middle and lower crust of the Wuwei Basin,and are different from the uplifts on the two sides according to their high-resistance electrical characteristics.The electrical structure and regional geological and geophysical data suggest that the peak zone of the Chuzhou-Chaohu foreland fold-and-thrust belt is located on the east bank of the Yangtze River(Wuhu Section),which,together with the main thrust fault belt in the east,forms a typical thrust structure belt.An early Yanshanian sinistral strike-slip fault developed in the deep part of the Wuwei Basin,which may have controlled the formation and evolution of the basin,whereas the tectonic inversion of the early-developed thrust faults is relatively weak.These findings provide a geophysical basis for future studies of basin tectonic evolution and regional tectonic frameworks.
基金the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho) of Japan for its financial support of this research.
文摘A two-dimensional finite element method （FEM） model that incorporates faults, elastic rock physical properties, topographical load due to gravity and far-field plate velocity boundary conditions was used to recognize the seismogenic stress state along the fold-and-thrust belt of the Precordillera-Sierras Pampeanas ranges of western Argentina. A plane strain model with nine experiments was presented here to examine the fault strength with two major rock phyical properties： cohesion and angle of internal friction. Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion with bulk rock properties were applied to analyse faults. The stress field at any point of the model was assumed to be comprised of gravitational and tectonic components. The analysis was focused to recognize the seismogenic shear strain concentrated in the internal-cristaline domain of the orogene shown by the modeling. Modeling results are presented in terms of four parameters, i. e., （i） distributions, orientations, and magnitudes of principal stresses （σ1 and σ3）, （ii） displacement vector1 （iii） strain distribution, and （iv） maximum shear stress （τmax） contour line within the model. The simulation results show that the compressive stress is distributed in and around the fault systems. The overall orientation of of σ1 is in horizontal directions, although reorientations do occur within some stress weaker parts, especially subsequent to the faults. A large-scale shear stress is accumulating along the active faults of Tapias-Villicum Fault （TVF）, Salinas-Berros Fault （SBF）, Ampacama-Niquizanga Fault （ANF） and Las Charas Fault （CF）, which could act as local stress and strain modulators to localize the earthquakesoccurrence.
文摘The Pamir region, located to the northwest of the Tibetan Plateau, provides important information that can aid the understanding of the plateau＇s tectonic evolution. Here we present new findings on the deforma- tion geometry and timing of the Wupoer thrust belt at the northeastem margin of Pamir. Field investigations and interpretations of seismic profiles indicate that the eastern portion of the Wupoer thrust belt is dominated by an underlying foreland basin and an overlying piggy-back basin. A regional unconformity occurs between the Pliocene （N2） and the underlying Miocene （NI） or Paleogene （Pg） strata associated with two other local unconformities between Lower Pleistocene （Q1） and N2 and between Middle Pleistocene （Q2-4） and Q1 strata. Results of structural restorations suggest that compres- sional deformation was initiated during the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene, contributing a total shortening magnitude of 48.6 km with a total shortening rate of 48.12%, most of which occurred in the period from the latest Miocene to earliest Pliocene. These results, com- bined with previous studies on the Kongur and Tarshkor- gan extensional system, suggest an interesting picture of strong piedmont compressional thrusting activity concur- rent with interorogen extensional rifting. Combining these results with previously published work on the lithospheric architecture of the Pamir, we propose that gravitational collapse drove the formation of simultaneous extensional and compressional structures with a weak, ductile middle crustal layer acting as a decollement along which both the extensional and compressional faults merged.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41572189&91114203)National Key R&D Plan(Grant No.2017YFC0601405)the Strategic Priority Research Program(B)of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDB18000000)
文摘The timing of the "Yanshanian Movement" and the tectonic setting that controlled the Yanshan fold-and-thrust belt during Jurassic time in China are still matters of controversy. Sediments that filled the intramontane basins in the Yanshan belt perfectly record the history of "Yanshanian Movement" and the tectonic background of these basins. Recognizing syn-tectonic sedimentation, clarifying its relationship with structures, and accurately defining strata ages to build up a correct chronostratigraphic framework are the key points to further reveal the timing and kinematics of tectonic deformation in the Yanshan belt from the Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. This paper applies both tectonic and sedimentary methods on the fold-and-thrust belt and intramontane basins in the Zhangjiakou area, which is located at the intersection between the western Yanshan and northern Taihangshan. Our work suggests that the pre-defined "Jurassic strata" should be re-dated and sub-divided into three strata units: a Late Triassic to Early Jurassic unit, a Middle Jurassic unit, and a Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous unit. Under the control of growth fold-and-thrust structures, five types of growth strata developed in different growth structures: fold-belt foredeep type,thrust-belt foredeep type, fault-propagation fold-thrust structure type, fault-bend fold-thrust structure type, and fault-bend foldthrust plus fault-propagation fold composite type. The reconstructed "source-to-sink" systems of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic,Middle Jurassic and Late Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous times, which are composed of a fold-and-thrust belt and flexure basins, imply that the "Yanshanian Movement" in our study area started in the Middle Jurassic. During Middle Jurassic to early Early Cretaceous times, there have been at least three stages of fold-thrust events that developed "Laramide-type" basementinvolved fold-thrust structures and small-scale intramontane broken "axial basins". The westward migration of a "pair" of basement-involved fold-thrust belt and flexure basins might have been controlled by flat subduction of the western Paleo-Pacific slab from the Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous.
