@article {Rosas2012, title = {{Thrust{\textendash}wrench interference between major active faults in the Gulf of Cadiz (Africa{\textendash}Eurasia plate boundary, offshore SW Iberia): Tectonic implications from coupled analog and numerical modeling}}, journal = {Tectonophysics}, volume = {548-549}, year = {2012}, month = {jun}, pages = {1{\textendash}21}, abstract = {Analog and numerical modeling experiments were carried out to investigate the tectonic interference between intersecting major active strike-slip and thrust faults in the Gulf of Cadiz (Africa-Eurasia plate boundary, offshore SW Iberia). The obtained results show that newly mapped tectonic features located in the fault intersection area (corner zone) consist mostly in oblique (dextral-reverse) faults that accommodate significant strain partitioning. Modeling of this corner-zone faults show that they have endured some degree of rotation, displaying successive evolving geometries and kinematics. Numerical modeling results further show that an interbedded shallow soft layer, accounting for a regional (Late Miocene) gravitational "Chaotic" unit, could explain the mild bathymetric expression of the fault pattern in the corner-zone. Moreover, a recognized depth discrepancy, between the (upper crust) interference fault-pattern and the (lithospheric mantle) seismicity, is interpreted as a manifestation of similar thrust-wrench tectonic interference at different lithospheric depths. Accordingly, an intermediate lower crust-upper mantle aseismic (i.e. softened) depth-domain could be explained by pervasive alteration/serpentinization, prompted by fluid percolation through fault-related fractures associated with the newly revealed corner zone fault-network. Overall obtained results reinforce the relevance of a thrust-wrench multi-rupture seismic scenario as the main cause for the moderate seismicity (Mw < 6.0) in the study area. {\textcopyright} 2012 Elsevier B.V.}, keywords = {Analog and numerical modeling, Fault interference, Gulf of Cadiz, Lithospheric mantle seismicity, Multi-rupture seismic hazards, Thrust-wrench tectonics}, issn = {00401951}, doi = {10.1016/j.tecto.2012.04.013}, url = {http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84862115104\&partnerID=tZOtx3y1}, author = {Rosas, F.M. and Duarte, J.C. and Neves, M.C. and Terrinha, P. and Silva, S. and Matias, L. and Gr{\`a}cia, E. and Bartolome, R.} }