Thrust tectonics

There are two main types of thrust tectonics, thin-skinned and thick-skinned, depending on whether or not basement rocks are involved in the deformation.

The distinction is important as attempts to structurally restore the deformation will give very different results depending on the assumed geometry.

This style may also occur in the foreland where no effective decollement surface is present or where pre-existing extensional rift structures may be inverted.

[4] The most significant areas of thrust tectonics are associated with destructive plate boundaries leading to the formation of orogenic belts.

[7] Passive margins are characterised by large prisms of sedimentary material deposited since the original break-up of a continent associated with formation of a new spreading centre.