Displacement and stress field along part of the Cobequid Fault, Nova Scotia

Abstract

The east-trending Cobequid Fault separates pre-Carboniferous rocks of the Cobequid Mountains to the north from Carboniferous clastic rocks along the southern flank of the mountains. A detailed study of the fault zone revealed tie predominance of right-lateral displacements. The orientation of the stress field that existed during deformation along the fault trace was determined by the study of systematic fractures in pebbles within Carboniferous conglomerate. Maximum compressive stress was aligned in a NW–SE direction, being compatible with the orientation of the displacement vectors in the fault zone. Transcurrent movement along the Cobequid Fault occurred in late Pennsylvanian time and involved both Carboniferous and pre-Carboniferous rocks; total displacement is unknown.