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    Volume 51 Issue 5
    May  2026
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    Zou Yaoyao, Wan Xiaofan, Wang Liang, Ge Xiang, Gao Yanjie, Shen Chuanbo, 2026. Progress and Application of Centrifuge Analogue Modelling in Tectonic Deformation. Earth Science, 51(5): 1749-1767. doi: 10.3799/dqkx.2026.135
    Citation: Zou Yaoyao, Wan Xiaofan, Wang Liang, Ge Xiang, Gao Yanjie, Shen Chuanbo, 2026. Progress and Application of Centrifuge Analogue Modelling in Tectonic Deformation. Earth Science, 51(5): 1749-1767. doi: 10.3799/dqkx.2026.135

    Progress and Application of Centrifuge Analogue Modelling in Tectonic Deformation

    doi: 10.3799/dqkx.2026.135
    • Received Date: 2026-01-29
    • Publish Date: 2026-05-25
    • Centrifuge analogue modelling is an effective method to reproduce the tectonic deformation process of the crust-lithosphere scale with a multi-layer rheological structure. Due to its important role in investigating deep rheological architectures and their influence on brittle deformation in the upper crust, it has been widely applied to studies of diapirism, fold-and-thrust belts, continental extension, magma-rift interactions, and strike-slip pull-apart basins. In this study, the development history of centrifuge analogue tectonic modeling is summarized, and the modelling principles, apparatus, materials, and recent advances in monitoring and analysis techniques are discussed in detail. Differences between centrifuge and normal gravity analogue modeling experiments are systematically compared. Representative applications of centrifuge analogue modeling under different tectonic settings are analyzed, including extensional, compressional, strike-slip, and salt/magmatic tectonic regimes. Finally, it presents the application prospects of centrifuge analogue modelling in hydrocarbon exploration and deep-earth system research and discuss the future development direction of this technology.

       

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