Back-scattered electron imagery of the tectonic fabrics of some fine-grained sediments: Implications for fabric nomenclature and deformation processes

Back-scattered electron investigations of Argille Scagliose, mudstones from the Barbados forearc sampled during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 110, and the matrix of the Okitsu melange, southwest Japan, indicate a variety of microfabric geometries and deformation mechanisms despite the similarity of their mesoscopic scaly fabrics. In the Okitsu melange, the scaly fabric is the mesoscopic expression of an anastomosing microfabric, whereas the detailed geometry of scaly fabrics is unrelated to the microfabric in the Argille Scagliose and Leg 110 mudstones. Care must be taken in the classification and interpretation of scaly fabrics in light of these data, and future studies should focus on microstructural investigations.