Lithospheric contraction concentric to Tharsis: 3D structural modeling of large thrust faults between Thaumasia highlands and Aonia Terra, Mars

Abstract

Large thrust faults on Mars are caused by lithospheric planetary contraction. The geometry of these faults is linked with the mechanical behavior of the lithosphere. Tharsis, the largest volcano-tectonic province on Mars, controls the global tectonic pattern of the planet. Here, we present a study of five large thrust faults concentric to Tharsis, located between the Thaumasia Highlands and the Argyre impact basin. We applied a 3D structural modeling, using a combination of fault-parallel flow and trishear algorithms to estimate the geometry and kinematics of the faults at depth. The modeled faults show an upper planar part dipping 33° to 40°, rooting with a listric geometry into horizontal levels at 13–27 km depth, with fault slips of 801–3366 m. The general out-of-Tharsis vergence, the listric fault geometries and the deepening of the depth of faulting toward Thaumasia outline an incipient thrust wedge architecture. Assuming that the largest faults rooted at the Brittle-Ductile Transition, we calculate a heat flow at the time of faulting of 24–54 mW m−2. The obtained strength envelopes for dry and wet conditions show that all the strength of the lithosphere was located in the upper half of the crust.