Strain variation associated with the development of a major recumbent curvilinear fold in the Dalradian rocks of NW Achill Island, western Ireland

Abstract

The regionally metamorphosed, Riphean–Cambrian Argyll Group Dalradian rocks of NW Achill Island, western Ireland are disposed in a large-scale, regionally west-facing, tight, recumbent F2 curvilinear fold, with which two ductile shear zones are associated. Clasts in conglomerates within the Dalradian sequence that are deformed by the shear zones preserve evidence for a constrictional overprint of earlier plane strain as the fold became curvilinear, while stretched clasts maintained a constant orientation as the hinge curvilinearity developed. During the constrictional overprint a crenulation fabric, S2b, overprinted a penetrative foliation, S2a, in the shear zones. The S2b has an orientation that varies systematically with that of the fold hinge. It is inferred that, although the S2b surfaces initiated as a dip-slip fabric, there was an increasing degree of strike slip on these surfaces as the fold hinge approached parallelism with the direction of tectonic transport. It is possible that many curvilinear folds have an early history involving plane strain, but that increasing constrictional strain is intrinsic to the later stages of their development.