Shear Tectonic Fabric in the Atlantic Ocean and Its Relation to the Geodynamic Condition of the Upper Mantle and Intraplate Deformations

Abstract

The tectogenesis of the Atlantic Ocean segments is complicated by the axial difference in spreading half-velocities, which causes additional shear displacements between the lithospheric blocks along the transform faults. The intensity of these processes and density of the fault zones iis related to the presence of “cold” sublithospheric lenses along the MAR at a depth of 500 km.