Abstract
Low-angle normal faults seem to violate the criterion that relates fault dip to stress orientation. To explain such faults one must postulate a 45° rotation of principal stress directions at mid-crustal depths, which is difficult to understand on the basis of previous elastic crust models. Such a stress rotation is shown to be a natural consequence of a low-viscosity lower crust.
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Melosh, H. Mechanical basis for low-angle normal faulting in the Basin and Range province. Nature 343, 331–335 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/343331a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/343331a0
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