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Elevated fluid pressure in compression facilitates flexural reverse faulting
Zhonglan Liu1, W Roger Buck2, Jean-Arthur Olive3
1College of Earth Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Exploration and Imaging, International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China.
Science Advances
|August 14, 2026
Summary
Elevated pore fluid pressures allow reverse faults to slip deeper than previously thought, impacting tectonic plate deformation and seismic hazards. This finding is crucial for understanding lithospheric unbending and earthquake amplification.
Area of Science:
- Geophysics
- Tectonics
- Structural Geology
Background:
- Elastic flexure of tectonic plates shapes topography and causes fault slip.
- Compressional slip can reverse extensional fault offsets at mid-ocean ridges.
- Existing models underpredict the depth and surface expression of compressional faulting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of pore fluid pressures in flexure-driven reverse faulting.
- To reconcile discrepancies between models and observations of fault slip depth.
- To understand controls on lithospheric unbending and associated seismic hazards.
Main Methods:
- Numerical modeling of elastic flexure and fault slip.
- Incorporation of varying pore fluid pressures into models.
- Comparison of model results with observational data on reverse fault-bending strain.
Main Results:
- Elevated pore fluid pressures significantly increase slip on flexure-driven reverse faults.
- Models achieve quantitative agreement with observations only when pore pressures approach lithostatic levels.
- High pore pressures facilitate deep-seated reverse faulting during lithospheric unbending.
Conclusions:
- Pore fluid pressure is a critical factor controlling the depth and magnitude of reverse fault slip.
- Inherited structural heterogeneities and high pore pressures are key to deep reverse faulting.
- This mechanism can amplify flexure-induced seismicity and is a fundamental control on tectonic hazards.
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