3D structural and geophysical investigation of the Vlore-Elbasan tectonic lineament in the Albanide orogenic belt, Albania

Seismic reflection data and fault kinematic analyses along the Vlore--Elbasan Transfer Zone (VETZ) in the Albanides (Albania) reveal that this NE-SW-trending, ∼50-km-wide tectonic lineament characterizes a crustal-scale dextral shear zone. Major structures within VETZ include right- and left-lateral faults as synthetic--antithetic Riedel shears, right-lateral P shear fractures, NW-SE-oriented normal faults, and NE-SW-running positive flower structures. VETZ represents a major component of a series of NE-SW-oriented, dextral shear zones, which cause segmentation of the orogenic wedge above the underplating Adria plate. The VETZ and other shear zones have been accommodating for differential GPS velocity fields and strain rates within the adjacent crustal segments that are caused by SW propagation of the deformation front, the counterclockwise rotation of Adria, and the SSW rollback of the Hellenic trench since the Paleocene-Eocene.