• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.397-409
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• 2018

Izumi sedimentary basin (ISB), west of Shikoku, Japan, is widely distributed across the western side of the Sakuragi Bend of the Japan Median Tectonic Line (MTL). It is not obvious how the ISB formed, but this feature is similar to an asymmetric pull-apart basin. The stratigraphic succession and tuff layers show that ages tend to decrease toward the Sakuragi Bend. We investigate whether the ISB is an asymmetric pull-apart basin using analogue model experiments with running sand. A pull-apart basin of length 60 cm and width 20 cm is formed, and secondary normal faults appear on the surrounding surface. A cross-section parallel to the direction of displacement shows that the stratigraphic succession of the pull-apart basin becomes younger toward the releasing bend. A listric normal fault, which has the opposite dip to the master fault, is observed in a cross-section perpendicular to the direction of displacement. These results are consistent with the observed properties of the ISB west of Shikoku, thereby supporting the possibility that the ISB is an asymmetric pull-apart basin.