Origin of Meteoric Fluids in Extensional Detachments

Figure 5

(a) Initial geometry of a buried unconformity with an infiltration zone in which the pores are filled by surface water (grey zone). A normal fault with detachment nucleates on this unconformity. (b) A core complex has formed. All rocks in the dark grey area have passed below the black split marker. During extension and exhumation, this volume would have released fluid, which would have been focused into the detachment zone.

(a)

(b)