3D Reconstruction of a Normal Fault Zone - A Trenching Study on a Strand of the Active Baza Fault, South Central Spain

Faults are rarely a discrete two-dimensional surface, but a three-dimensional volume with a complex internal structure. The structure of a fault zone in 3D is poorly understood, particularly because outcrops exposing fault zones in 3D are rare, and few have large (e.g. 100 m) throw. Detailed 3D studies of fault zones can help provide insight into their internal structure, and processes undergone during faulting as well as improve the predictability of subsurface (e.g. reservoir) models. The main objective of this project is to construct a 3D structural model of a strand of the Baza fault, an active normal fault located in south central Spain in the Betic Cordillera. This strand has an estimated throw of 30 m in relatively unconsolidated clay to silt and carbonates Pliocene sequence. Through a trenching study, 8 vertical dip sections, 3 vertical strike sections and 1 depth section in an area of approximately 80 m^2 were excavated, cleaned, LiDAR scanned, photographed and documented. Based on these sections, we have reconstructed the 3D geometry and associated structures of this superb fault zone. These data can also be useful for geophysical and reservoir modeling studies