Structural conditions within Sava Fault zone in the Western Karavanke mountains, NW Slovenia

Abstract

The investigated area of Western Karavanke lies in the zone of Sava Fault - the southern most part of the Periadriatic Fault zone. The work is based on detail structural mapping of the fault zones combined with measurements of microtectonic data used for paleostress tensor inversion. The prevailing orientation of fault zones in the studied area is generally E-W oriented with steep dips towards N with strike-slip kinematics as the main slip sense recorded on them. Alongside horizontal deformation, records of vertical movements on these faults are also to be seen in the field and the inversion data confirm such kinematic style with compressional stress regime. Two systems of connecting faults that lie between two strands of E-W oriented faults are also present in the studied area. Along both of them blocks of more deformable rocks were extruded on more rigid rock units. I connect the age of this style of deformation to post-collisional processes connected to Alpine orogenesis, and recent earthquakes in the area prove the ongoing active deformation of the area.