Compaction bands: a structural analog for anti-mode I cracks in aeolian sandstone

We present evidence for the existence of tabular zones of localized deformation in aeolian sandstone, that accommodate pure compaction. In this sense they are analogs for anticracks or closing mode I fractures such as pressure solution surfaces or stylolites. The so called “compaction bands” are exposed in outcrops of the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone in the Kaibab monocline, Utah. They are characterized by lack of shear offset across their plane,...