Record of Alpine tectonic activity of the Železné hory Fault expressed by brittle deformation within its southeastern segment
Abstract
The Železné hory Fault represents one of the major tectonic structures of the Bohemian Massif which were proved to be reactivated as reverse faults during the Alpine orogeny. However, the architecture and kinematic history of the fault are known only incompletely due to the fact that the trace of the fault is covered by extensive Quaternary sediments.
Three sites in the SE segment of the fault were revised and characterized: they provide exposures of the fault core and brittle-deformed ambient rocks for a direct structural study. At the first site at the Sloupno village near Chotěboř, the fault core is exposed in a gorge of a brook.
The second site is the nearby active quarry, which reveals the damage zone cutting crystalline rocks. The study of the fault core and its damage zone at the third site of Horní Studenec near Ždírec nad Doubravou would necessitate its re-opening by minor excavations.