Scaling of transfer zones in the British Isles

Widths of transfer zones between stepping normal faults obey power-law scaling relationships, probably from widths of millimetres to tens or hundreds of kilometres. Relay ramp widths in the Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the Somerset coast obey a power-law up to similar to50 m, above which there is a censoring effect caused by the width of the wave-cut platform. A structural map of the British Isles indicates that transfer zones obey a power-law up to widths of at least 250 km. This indicates that normal faults can interact over tens or hundreds of kilometres, especially where transfer zones occur between stepping half-grabens. Interaction is therefore another aspect of faulting that obeys fractal behaviour. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.