Solution-mass-transfer deformation adjacent to the Glarus Thrust, with implications for the tectonic evolution of the Alpine wedge in eastern Switzerland

Abstract We have studied aspects of absolute finite strain of sandstones and the deformation history above and below the Glarus Thrust in eastern Switzerland. The dominant deformation mechanism is solution mass transfer (SMT), which resulted in the formation of a semi-penetrative cleavage. Our analysis indicates that the Verrucano and Melser sandstones, which lie above the thrust, were deformed coaxially, with pronounced contraction in a subvertical Z direction and minor extension in a subhorizontal X direction, trending at ∼200°. Most of the contraction in Z was balanced by mass-loss volume strains, averaging ∼36%. Below the Glarus Thrust, sandstones of the North Helvetic flysch have small…