Asymmetrical to symmetrical magnetic fabric of dikes: Paleo-flow orientations and Paleo-stresses recorded on feeder-bodies from the Motru Dike Swarm (Romania)

The fabric in a dike is representative of the magmatic flow, considered as Newtonian. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of the rocks gives a good representation of the shape-preferred orientation which, in turn, is a marker of the magmatic flow. Generally, a symmetrical pattern of the fabric across the dike is in agreement with a flow of magma within a channel: the flow direction is then reliable with this imbrication. An asymmetrical fabric is dependent on the flow and displacement of the wall. We present the case of both symmetrical and asymmetrical dike fabrics recording different emplacements. From a Pan-African calc–alkaline dike swarm (of basaltic–andesitic–dacitic–rhyolitic composition) of the Alpine Danubian window from South Carpathians (Romania), two populations of dikes have been described: thick (1–30 m) N–S-trending dikes and thin (<1 m) E–W dikes. The first display asymmetrical fabric and record the regional sinistral movement of the walls. In contrast, the thin dikes are symmetrical and frequently display an arteritic morphology that limits the dike length, with no cartographic extension. We propose to relate the two types of dikes to the same regional stress field in a continuum of emplacement during a regional brittle event.