Publication Date:
2008-07-10
Description:
A restorable geological cross-section through the entire crust of the Tauern Window is presented. It is drawn from surface geology and seismic data of the TRANSALP vibroseis section using balancing software. The architecture of the window is characterized by three horses in a large duplex structure and folded granitic sills. The duplex was later uplifted along two large faults at its northern rim. The first is a blind fault along the deep-reaching sub-Tauern ramp with a displacement of 17 km. The tip of the hanging wall block wedged underneath the Austroalpine and Penninic nappes and caused a triangle structure. This led to backthrusting and backfolding within the marginal rocks of the window. At the second one, the Tauern North Boundary Fault occurred in our retrodeformation, a throw of c. 3 km. A total shortening of the crust or parts of the crust of c. 60 km in north-south direction led to uplift of the Tauern Window.
