Experimental remolding on the caprock's 3D strain field of the Indosinian-Yanshanian epoch in Tongling deposit concentrating area

Based on field observations and rheology analysis, we perform one analogue experiment and remold the 3D structural frame of Tongling deposit concentrating area firstly. Then we disassemble and dialyze the 3D structures of the model using the methods of "slicing" and "stripping". A series of sliced planes vertical to the fold hinges show similar landscapes of that in the drill hole profiles. Meanwhile, layer stripping analysis indicates that the deformation features of each layer in the model are qualitatively analogical to those obtained from field observations. Through contrasting the 3D structure between the experimental model and the field phenomena, we verify the following 3D deformation features of the caprock in this area: (1) the Tongling area mainly consists of three series of NE S-typed fold groups; (2) in the uniform stress field, the incoherent folds universally develop in different positions, along different axes as well as in different strata; (3) the faults propagate upward which are mostly inter-bedded detachment faults, while the fold amplitudes decrease while going deeper; and (4) the folds and cleavages are highly developed in the Silurian System indicating that the deformation effect of the Indosinian-Yanshanian structural layer terminates at this layer, which suggests that the Silurian System is the crucial layer for the inversion between brittle and plastic deformation domains and the underlying strata are subject to the control of another deformation system with distinct properties.