Minding the gap; what goes in the in-between? an investigative analysis of the fault bound gully at Ras Ħanzir, Magħlaq

Abstract

This research provides a detailed study of the Maghlaq Fault system, its kinematics and dynamics. Through site specific investigations of the said fault at Ras Hanzir, one of the most structurally complex facets of the Maghlaq fault is exposed. Fault trace linkage at the site produced a fault bound gully, infilled by a tectonically controlled ramp of incompetent Globigerina and Blue Clay strata, exhibiting strain accommodation through various magnitudes of deformation. Rigid deformation, mainly through compression and the generation of cataclasite and fault bound lenses, can also be observed on the footwall of the gully. The genesis, development and expression of the processes that shape this gully at Ras Hanzir, is one of the main focuses of the dissertation; the other being strata response to stress and strain. In dealing with these themes this study spans across several pertinent sub topics such as gee-chemistry and gee-mechanics and in doing so attempts to give an intimate understanding of the site.