1 Introduction A high-level generalization of structures in the earth crust has been given by Ramsay (1980): low-angle thrusts in the brittle upper crust and high-angle reverse shear zones in the ductile middle-lower crust are formed in contractional regimes; high-angle normal faults in the brittle upper crust and low-angle normal shear zones in the ductile middle- lower crust are formed in extensional regimes. The formation of low-angle thrusts and high-angle normal faults in brittle domains …