Senstrukturens

Senstrukturens is a term used in geology, particularly within Danish-language literature, to denote late-stage structural features that form after the main tectonothermal events that shaped a rock body or region. The term reflects a focus on post-orogenic or post-tectonic processes that record deformation occurring subsequent to primary fabric development. The construction combines sen ('late') with struktur ('structure') and the definite article suffix -ens, yielding the concept of 'the late structure' in a geologically meaningful sense.

In practice, senstrukturens encompasses post-tectonic features such as late brittle faults, secondary fold geometries, fracture networks that host hydrothermal vein mineralization, and other deformation features formed after the principal phase of metamorphism or deformation. Studying these structures helps reconstruct the sequential history of a region, including timing, kinematics, and the relation to metamorphism and sedimentation.

Methods used to characterize senstrukturens include detailed field mapping, cross-cutting and restoration relationships, geochronology, petrographic analysis, and structural analysis. The concept emphasizes differentiating early deformational events from later-stage processes, which is essential for regional tectonics, ore deposit exploration, and basin analysis.

Notes: The term is most common in Danish-language sources and may be translated as 'late structure' or 'late-stage structure' in English. See also structural geology, tectonics, cross-cutting relationships, hydrothermal processes.