Intraplate rotational deformation induced by faults

Vertical axis rotations provide important constraints on the tectonic history of plate boundaries. Geodetic measurements can be used to calculate interseismic rotations, whereas paleomagnetic remanence directions provide constraints on the long-term rotations accumulated over geological timescales. Here we present a new mechanical modeling approach that links between intraplate deformational patterns of these timescales. We construct mechanical models of active faults at their locked state to simulate the presumed to be elastic interseismic deformation rate observed by GPS measurements. We then apply a slip to the faults above the locking depth to simulate the long-term deformation of the crust from which we derive the accumulated rotations. We test this approach in northern Israel along the Dead Sea Fault and Carmel-Gilboa fault system. We use 12 years of interseismic GPS measurements to constrain a slip model of the major faults found in this region. Next, we compare the modeled rotations against long-term rotations determined based on new primary magnetic remanence directions from 29 sites with known age. The distributional pattern of site mean declinations is in general agreement with the vertical axis rotations predicted by the mechanical model, both showing anomalously high rotations near fault tips and bending points. Overall, the results from northern Israel validate the effectiveness of our approach and indicate that rotations induced by motion along faults may act in parallel (or alone) to rigid block rotations. Finally, the new suggested method unravels important insights on the evolution (timing, magnitude, and style) of deformation along major faults.