Abstract
2D seismic reflection profiles revealed the presence of a triangle zone at the frontal part of the western Kura foreland fold-and-thrust belt of the pro-wedge of the Greater Caucasus. To understand the triangle zone geometry, seismic interpretations should be substantiated by forward kinematic modeling, supported by analog experiments. This study presents a new structural model for the region by integrating field observations, well data, and seismic reflection data. East-West directed along-strike structural variation of the frontal thrust is observed on the interpreted seismic profiles which affected the fold geometry. The Bitsmendi breakthrough fault-propagation fold gradually transits into a wedge structure in the W-E direction and is represented by the triangle zone. The seismic profiles interpretation results completely match with analog models of similar triangle zones. The analysis of the experimental results helps us to further understand the kinematic evolution of natural systems and improve seismic interpretation. The triangle zone developed in the western part of the Bitsmendi breakthrough fault-propagation fold is related to double fault-bend fold structural wedges and is characterized by the presence of passive, and active wedges, and passive-backthrust and passive-forethrust.
1 Introduction
Triangle zones are common structures of many fold-and-thrust belts and are formed by linked, oppositely dipping thrusts that sole into one or more detachment levels, mainly near the deformation front (e.g., ; ; ; ; ). The term triangle zone was first used by in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Generally, the triangle zones are interpreted to be associated with tectonic wedging and passive-roof duplex thrusts (e.g., ; ; ). The triangle zones with several detachments involved are known also as “fish-tail” or “zig-zag” structures. These structures form when the deeper detachment connects to the uppermost detachment by a ladder of thrust ramps of opposite vergence (e.g., ; ). According to , triangle zones are classified into detachment-dominated (Type I) and ramp-dominated (Type II) triangle zones. Detachment-dominated triangle zones are related to a single ductile detachment and ramp-dominated triangle zones are linked to a secondary detachment and evolve due to bedding parallel slip at the upper ramp edge (). Geometric models of multiple types of triangle zones of fold-and-thrust belts are shown in Figure 1.
FIGURE 1
Analog and numerical models of triangle zones have been built to try to understand the geometry and kinematics of triangle zones related to one or several detachment levels (e.g.,
Presented in this study structural styles along the frontal part of the western Kura foreland fold-and-thrust belt (KFFTB), evidence an evolution of triangle zone geometries like fish-tails. The formation of this triangle zone is related to a difference vergence of double wedge thrusts. In this study, we show the utility of this kinematic approach by matching seismic reflection profiles, and analog and forward kinematic models of triangle zone to gain further insight into the formation of these structures.
2 Geological setting
The KFFTB is located between the LC and the GC double wedge orogens (Figure 2A), which accommodates the crustal shortening due to far-field effects of the collision between the Arabian and Eurasian plates (e.g.,
FIGURE 2

(A) Tectonic map of the Caucasus (
Within our study area, the formation of the complex structure of the LC-GC convergence zone is governed by northward and southward-directed thrusting (e.g.,
The Kura foreland basin (KFB) developed mainly during the Oligocene-early Miocene through loading by the LC retro-wedge and the GC pro-wedge (
The study area stratigraphy records the evolution from the extensional basins to the KFB of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone (
3 Data and methods
The surface geological information was obtained from a 1:100,000 geological map (
FIGURE 3

(A) Uninterpreted and (B) interpreted seismic profiles AAI (fragment); (C) Uninterpreted and (D) interpreted seismic profiles BBI (fragment); (E) Uninterpreted and (F) interpreted seismic profiles CCI (fragment), and (G) Uninterpreted and (H) interpreted seismic profiles DDI. Location is shown in Figure 2. Abbreviation: Q–Quaternary.
4 Results
4.1 2D seismic reflection profiles interpretation
All seismic lines (Line AA’, BB’, CC’, and DD’) are approximately perpendicular to the average strike of the main structures of the western KFFTB frontal part (Figure 2B). The seismic reflection profiles have revealed the geometry of triangle zone in the western KFFTB frontal part. The structural interpretation comprises four horizons (i.e., the top of Sarmatian—Late Miocene, Middle Miocene, Maikopian (Oligocene-Early Miocene), and Late Eocene), and south-vergent thrust faults (Figures 3B, D, F, H). Along Line AA’ (Figure 3B), the frontal structure of the western KFFTB is represented by the Bitsmendi structure and is more compatible with a breakthrough fault-propagation fold (
Interpreted seismic profiles show that the Bitsmendi anticline was formed due to the movement along the frontal thrust fault of the western KFFTB and demonstrate significant along-strike variations in structural geometry. Observations of the Bitsmendi structure along Line BB’, CC’, and DD’ (Figures 3D, F, H) are consistent with the geometric models of a structural wedge. In our case, the Bitsmendi breakthrough fault-propagation fold (Figure 3B) gradually transits into a wedge structure in the W-E direction and is represented by the triangle zone (Figures 3C, F, H). In the northern part of seismic profiles (Line BB’, CC’, and DD’), the Late Miocene syn-kinematic sediment thickness increase on the hinterland side, and the formation of fish-tail structure is related to two detachment levels (Figures 3C, F, H). The lower detachment is located in the lower part of Sarmatian mudstones (Late Miocene) and the upper detachment is developed between Sarmatian and Meotis-Pontian (Late Miocene) boundary (Supplementary Figure S1). On the seismic profile DD’, the north-vergent passive-roof duplex, composed of Cretaceous-Late Eocene strata is developed below the LC-GC convergence zone and is represented by the part of blind retro-wedge of the LC. Below the north-vergent passive-roof duplex pre-growth units are complicated by normal faults (Figure 3H).
4.2 Comparison between seismic images and analog modeling
Many triangle zone structures were correlated between the analog model and the seismic images. For comparison with our seismic data, we used and re-interpreted published analog modeling data on triangle zones (
FIGURE 4

(A–C) Re-interpreted line-drawing analog models with different sedimentation rates for hinterland and foreland domains (modified from
The main results provided by
4.3 Forward kinematic modeling
Using Move software and the geometric constraints provided by the seismic reflection data (Supplementary Figure S7), we generated a forward kinematic model (Figure 4D) of the triangle zone to test how effectively they could replicate the geometry of the Bitsmendi structure. The reflector characters of onlaps within the lower part of Meotian-Pontian (Late Miocene) units in the seismic profile BBI, allowed the syn-kinematic (or growth) strata interpretation and have indicated that the formation of the triangle zone started at about 7 Ma (Supplementary Figure S7). Forward kinematic modeling shows that the triangle zone is developed in association with two detachment levels and the southward decrease of the syn-kinematic sedimentation produces a large variation in compressive structures (Figure 4D). The kinematic model of the sequential development of the triangle zone demonstrates that the formation of the Bitsmendi structure is related to the difference vergence of double wedge thrusts and is formed by the coeval activity of these thrusts that are linked at a wedge tip. As slip increases on the fault system, the wedge tip translates toward the foreland along the upper detachment level. The presence of north and south-vergent thrusts suggests that a component of slip on two detachments is accommodated by fault-bend fold structural wedging (Figure 4D).
5 Discussion
The transition from one type of fold into another (e.g., from the detachment into the fault-propagation fold or from the fault-propagation into the fault-bend fold) has been established in various fold-and-thrust belts (e.g.,
Based on the above-mentioned analog models’ examples and forward kinematic modeling, the main parameters controlling the structural evolution of triangle zones are the presence of i) detachment levels, ii) the amount and rate of shortening, and iii) the amount of syn-kinematic sedimentation. Interpreted line-drawing seismic profile BBI shows that together with high sedimentation rates the early Miocene sediments are duplicated by a south-vergent thrust, which conditions the increase in sediment thickness on the hinterland side (Supplementary Figure S7). The geometry of the structure is highly dependent on the sedimentation/uplift ratio. This implies that more fish-tail structures are developed when the syn-kinematic sedimentation rate is higher. Thus, the analog model’s analysis allows us to compare them with the interpretation of seismic profiles. The seismic profiles interpretation results completely match with analog models of similar triangle zones (Figures 4A–C).
Using end-member modes of a wedge(s) (
The presence of detachment levels and a high sedimentation rate is a necessary but insufficient condition to produce such fish-tail structures. One example is the Tajik fold-and-thrust belt of the western foreland of the Pamir where theoretically all conditions for the formation of a triangle zone (high sedimentation rates and salt tectonic settings) existed (e.g.,
6 Conclusion
The western Kura foreland is a thin-skinned fold-and-thrust belt developed between two orogens, the LC-GC convergence zone. According to interpreted seismic profiles, the most common structures include fault-bend and fault-propagation folds, wedges, duplexes, and triangle zones. The structural styles presented in this study along the frontal part of the central GC pro-wedge, the Bitsmendi breakthrough fault-propagation fold gradually transits into a wedge structure in the EW direction and evidence evolution of triangle zone geometries related to a double wedge thrusts configuration as well as an evolution of triangle zone geometries. We have documented the dominant structural styles of the frontal part of the western KFFTB as the triangle zone and demonstrated how these are related to different vergence structural wedges involving two detachments. These structures form when the deeper detachment connects to the uppermost detachment by a ladder of wedges (passive and active) of opposite vergence. Application of these findings in the frontal part of the western KFFTB, as well as in the similar sub-Andean thrust belt could improve structural models and reduce uncertainty in structural interpretations.
Statements
Data availability statement
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.
Author contributions
VA: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Resources; Software; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing—original draft. OE: Conceptualization; Data curation; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Resources; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Writing—review and editing. AR: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Investigation; Methodology; Software; Validation; Visualization; Writing—review and editing. TB: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Investigation; Methodology; Software; Validation; Visualization; Writing—review and editing. DM: Conceptualization; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Writing—review and editing. TS: Conceptualization; Data curation; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Resources; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Writing—review and editing. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Funding
The work was supported by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (YS-21-612—Geometry and kinematic evolution of frontal part of the Eastern Achara-Trialeti fold-and-thrust belt).
Acknowledgments
We are fairly grateful to Georgian Oil and Gas Ltd. for providing the seismic profiles for our interpretation. We are thankful to Petroleum Expert (www.petex.com) for providing the academic license of MOVE software. Many thanks to the Guest Editor, EW, SD, and GR for their constructive comments and helpful suggestions.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Supplementary material
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1195767/full#supplementary-material
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Summary
Keywords
Kura foreland fold-and-thrust belt, seismic profile, analog model, fault-propagation fold, fault-bend fold, wedge, triangle zone, fish-tail
Citation
Alania V, Enukidze O, Razmadze A, Beridze T, Merkviladze D and Shikhashvili T (2023) Interpretation and analysis of seismic and analog modeling data of triangle zone: a case study from the frontal part of western Kura foreland fold-and-thrust belt, Georgia. Front. Earth Sci. 11:1195767. doi: 10.3389/feart.2023.1195767
Received
28 March 2023
Accepted
16 August 2023
Published
30 August 2023
Volume
11 - 2023
Edited by
Ernst Willingshofer, Utrecht University, Netherlands
Reviewed by
Stephane Dominguez, UMR5243 Géosciences Montpellier, France
Gang Rao, Southwest Petroleum University, China
Dan-Ping Yan, China University of Geosciences, China
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Copyright
© 2023 Alania, Enukidze, Razmadze, Beridze, Merkviladze and Shikhashvili.
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*Correspondence: Victor Alania, victor.alania@tsu.ge; Onise Enukidze, onise.enukidze@tsu.ge
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.