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Central Europe: Active or Residual Tectonic Stresses

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Book cover Stress in the Earth

Part of the book series: Contributions to Current Research in Geophysics (CCRG) ((CCRG))

Abstract

The regional stress field in the Western Alps and their northern foreland has been investigated by in situ stress determinations. More than 600 strain relief measurements were made with resistance strain gages in boreholes carried out in mines, tunnels and quarries. The stresses calculated and data obtained from other papers were used to get a detailed idea of the stress conditions in Central Europe.

The measurements confirm a continuous flux of compressive stress from the Alps to the northern foreland east of the Rhinegraben. The largest stresses are observed in the Central Alps, the lowest in the Rhinegraben rift system. The horizontal stresses exceed at nearly all places the vertical ones. Evidently the excess of horizontal stress is generated by active plate tectonics in the Alps. A tectonic model to explain the observed stress pattern is presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Institute, University, D-7500, Karlsruhe, Kaiserstr. 12, Deutschland

    J. Henning Illies

Authors
  1. Gerhard Greiner
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  2. J. Henning Illies
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA

    Max Wyss

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© 1977 Springer Basel AG

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Greiner, G., Illies, J.H. (1977). Central Europe: Active or Residual Tectonic Stresses. In: Wyss, M. (eds) Stress in the Earth. Contributions to Current Research in Geophysics (CCRG). Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-5745-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-5745-1_2

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-5746-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-5745-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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