Deformation mechanisms and ductile strain localization in the lithosphere
Deformation mechanisms and ductile strain localization in the lithosphere
Editor(s): L. Menegon, G. Pennacchioni, M. Stipp, N. Mancktelow, and R. Law

The special issue provides an overview of recent advances in the study of deformation mechanisms and microstructures and the process of ductile strain localization in the lithosphere. Microstructures and textures (crystallographic preferred orientations) represent the link between natural and experimental rock deformation, allowing extrapolation and application of laboratory data to natural shear zones and rock rheology. The investigation of progressive microstructural development and related deformation mechanisms in shear zones is therefore of prime importance for understanding strain localization, which occurs throughout the lithosphere and determines the lithospheric strength and general geodynamic processes. Recent contributions have highlighted the interactions between fracturing and ductile deformation under a wide range of P and T conditions, as well as the importance of planar rheological heterogeneities for shear zone localization in the crust and mantle. These aspects need to be further explored in order to achieve a quantitative understanding of the mechanical behavior of the lithosphere and of the resulting distribution of deformation.

The special issue welcomes (but is not limited to) contributions presented at the session "Ductile deformation and its interaction with brittle fracture: fabrics, strain localization, fluid-rock interaction and metamorphic conditions" at the EGU General Assembly 2014, and aims to present a mix of both review papers and original research studies.

Download citations of all papers

09 Mar 2016
Brittle grain-size reduction of feldspar, phase mixing and strain localization in granitoids at mid-crustal conditions (Pernambuco shear zone, NE Brazil)
Gustavo Viegas, Luca Menegon, and Carlos Archanjo
Solid Earth, 7, 375–396, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-375-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-375-2016, 2016
Short summary
08 Mar 2016
Strain localization in ultramylonitic marbles by simultaneous activation of dislocation motion and grain boundary sliding (Syros, Greece)
A. Rogowitz, J. C. White, and B. Grasemann
Solid Earth, 7, 355–366, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-355-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-7-355-2016, 2016
Short summary
02 Sep 2015
Pinch and swell structures: evidence for strain localisation by brittle–viscous behaviour in the middle crust
R. L. Gardner, S. Piazolo, and N. R. Daczko
Solid Earth, 6, 1045–1061, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1045-2015,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-1045-2015, 2015
Short summary
24 Jul 2015
Strain localization in brittle–ductile shear zones: fluid-abundant vs. fluid-limited conditions (an example from Wyangala area, Australia)
L. Spruzeniece and S. Piazolo
Solid Earth, 6, 881–901, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-881-2015,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-881-2015, 2015
11 Jun 2015
Brittle–viscous deformation of vein quartz under fluid-rich lower greenschist facies conditions
H. J. Kjøll, G. Viola, L. Menegon, and B. E. Sørensen
Solid Earth, 6, 681–699, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-681-2015,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-681-2015, 2015
19 May 2015
Fracturing of ductile anisotropic multilayers: influence of material strength
E. Gomez-Rivas, A. Griera, and M.-G. Llorens
Solid Earth, 6, 497–514, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-497-2015,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-497-2015, 2015
07 May 2015
An evaluation of different measures of dynamically recrystallized grain size for paleopiezometry or paleowattometry studies
M. A. Lopez-Sanchez and S. Llana-Fúnez
Solid Earth, 6, 475–495, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-475-2015,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-475-2015, 2015
Short summary
16 Dec 2014
Microscale strain partitioning? Differential quartz crystallographic fabric development in Phyllite, Hindu Kush, Northwestern Pakistan
K. P. Larson, J. L. Lamming, and S. Faisal
Solid Earth, 5, 1319–1327, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-1319-2014,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-1319-2014, 2014
Short summary
18 Nov 2014
Finite lattice distortion patterns in plastically deformed zircon grains
E. Kovaleva, U. Klötzli, G. Habler, and E. Libowitzky
Solid Earth, 5, 1099–1122, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-1099-2014,https://doi.org/10.5194/se-5-1099-2014, 2014
Short summary
CC BY 4.0