New Geology Articles Published Online Ahead of Print in October
Boulder, Colo., USA: Article topics and locations include lagoon infilling
by coral reef sand aprons as a proxy for carbonate sediment productivity;
mobilization of tin during subduction; and reworked pollen reduces apparent
floral change during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. These Geology articles are online at
https://geology.geoscienceworld.org/content/early/recent
.
Fault surface morphology as an indicator for earthquake nucleation
potential
Agathe M. Eijsink; James D. Kirkpatrick; François Renard; Matt J. Ikari
Abstract:
Laboratory measurements can determine the potential for geologic materials
to generate unstable (seismic) slip, but a direct relation between sliding
behavior in the laboratory and physical characteristics observable in the
field is lacking, especially for the phyllosilicate-rich gouges that are
widely observed in natural faults. We integrated laboratory friction
experiments with surface topography microscopy and demonstrated a
quantitative correlation between frictional slip behavior and fault surface
morphology of centimeter-scale samples. Our results show that striated,
smooth fault surfaces were formed in experiments that exhibited stable
sliding, whereas potentially unstable sliding was associated with rougher,
isotropic fault surfaces. We interpret that frictional stability and fault
surface morphology are linked via the evolution of asperity contacts on
localized slip surfaces. If fault surface roughness obeys a fractal
relationship over a large range of length scales, then we infer that the
morphological characteristics observed in the laboratory could indicate the
earthquake nucleation potential on natural fault surfaces.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50258.1/618283/Fault-surface-morphology-as-an-indicator-for
Raman thermometry and (U-Th)/He thermochronometry reveal Neogene
transpressional exhumation in the Nacimiento block of central
California, USA
B. Lacroix; A. Lahfid; C. Ward; N.A. Niemi; A.D. Chapman ...
Abstract:
We present a novel approach for mapping vertical uplifts in exhumed
metasedimentary rocks by coupling Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous
material with (U-Th)/He thermochronometry on apatite and zircon. We apply
this approach to carbonaceous metasedimentary rocks of the Franciscan
subduction complex, exposed in the Nacimiento block of central California,
USA, an area that records high-pressure–low-temperature metamorphism prior
to entrainment within the present-day transform plate boundary. We reveal
the extent and magnitude of previously unrecognized exhumation gradients,
which, combined with regional structural observations, can be used to
quantify vertical crustal motion associated with localized transpression.
We propose that the Nacimiento block was affected by a kilometer-scale,
post-subduction thermal anomaly linked to a localized transpressive regime
since ca. 25 Ma, with an uplift rate of ~0.3 mm/yr.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G49882.1/618284/Raman-thermometry-and-U-Th-He-thermochronometry
Early Au-rich sulfide liquid saturation explains the low Au endowment
of continental intraplate alkaline magmas
Bertrand Rottier; Cyril Chelle-Michou; Vincent Casanova; Camille Pastore;
Peter Tollan
Abstract:
Alkaline magmatic systems formed in intraplate settings have a low Au
endowment, contrasting with the high Au fertility of alkaline magmatic
systems in arc and rift settings, which host numerous Au-rich porphyries
and Cu-Au and Au-Ag epithermal deposits. Among other factors, the Au
fertility of a magmatic system is determined by the Au concentration of the
ore-forming magma, which is strongly controlled by the amount and chemistry
of magmatic sulfides that fractionated during magma differentiation. To
better explore the factors controlling the low Au endowment of alkaline
magmatic systems formed in intraplate settings, we studied magmatic sulfide
and silicate melt inclusions hosted in various phenocrysts from the
Mont-Dore Massif (France). The magmatic system was saturated with Cu-poor,
Au-rich sulfide liquid during its differentiation from basanite to
trachyandesite, leading to a strong depletion of both Cu and Au in the
residual melt. This presumably reduced the capacity of the magmatic system
to form Au-rich magmatic-hydrothermal deposits. Such evolution contrasts
with previous studies conducted in sulfide-saturated magmatic systems
formed in arc settings, where an Au-poor monosulfide solid solution was the
main sulfide phase to crystallize, only marginally affecting the Au budget
of those systems. We conclude that the observed saturation of Au-rich
sulfide liquid during evolution of the studied volcanic products could
explain the low Au endowment of intraplate alkaline magmatic systems.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50515.1/618285/Early-Au-rich-sulfide-liquid-saturation-explains
High-magnitude stresses induced by mineral-hydration reactions
Oliver Plümper; David Wallis; Floris Teuling; Evangelos Moulas; Stefan M.
Schmalholz ...
Abstract:
Fluid-rock interactions play a critical role in Earth’s lithosphere and
environmental subsurface systems. In the absence of chemical mass
transport, mineral-hydration reactions would be accompanied by a
solid-volume increase that may induce differential stresses and associated
reaction-induced deformation processes, such as dilatant fracturing to
increase fluid permeability. However, the magnitudes of stresses that
manifest in natural systems remain poorly constrained. We used optical and
electron microscopy to show that one of the simplest hydration reactions in
nature [MgO + H2O = Mg(OH)2] can induce stresses of
several hundred megapascals, with local stresses of as much as ~1.5 GPa. We
demonstrate that these stresses not only cause fracturing but also induce
plastic deformation with dislocation densities (1015 m –2) exceeding those typical of tectonically deformed rocks. If
these reaction-induced stresses can be transmitted across larger length
scales, they may influence the bulk stress state of reacting regions.
Moreover, the structural damage induced may be the first step toward
catastrophic rock failure, triggering crustal seismicity.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50493.1/618286/High-magnitude-stresses-induced-by-mineral
Hematite accommodated shallow, transient Pleistocene slow slip in the
exhumed southern San Andreas fault system, California, USA
Alexandra A. DiMonte; Alexis K. Ault; Greg Hirth; Kelly K. Bradbury
Abstract:
Slow slip is part of the earthquake cycle, but the processes controlling
this phenomenon in space and time are poorly constrained. Hematite, common
in continental fault zones, exhibits unique textures and (U-Th)/He
thermochronometry data patterns reflecting different slip rates. We
investigated networks of small hematite-coated slip surfaces in basement
fault damage of exhumed strike-slip faults that connect to the southern San
Andreas fault in a flower structure in the Mecca Hills, California, USA.
Scanning electron microscopy shows these millimeter-thick surfaces exhibit
basal hematite injection veins and layered veinlets comprising nanoscale,
high-aspect-ratio hematite plates akin to phyllosilicates. Combined
microstructural and hematite (U-Th)/He data (n = 64 new, 24
published individual analyses) record hematite mineralization events ca.
0.8 Ma to 0.4 Ma at <1.5 km depth. We suggest these hematite faults
formed via fluid overpressure, and then hematite localized repeated
subseismic slip, creating zones of shallow off-fault damage as far as 4 km
orthogonal to the trace of the southern San Andreas fault. Distributed
hematite slip surfaces develop by, and then accommodate, transient slow
slip, potentially dampening or distributing earthquake energy in shallow
continental faults.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50489.1/618287/Hematite-accommodated-shallow-transient
Tibetan Plateau insights into >1100 °C crustal melting in the
Quaternary
Xiu-Zheng Zhang; Qiang Wang; Derek Wyman; Andrew C. Kerr; Wei Dan ...
Abstract:
Partial melting during high-temperature to ultrahigh-temperature (UHT)
metamorphism facilitates crustal differentiation, element transfer, and the
evolution of topography in orogens, however the mechanisms that drive
heating of Earth’s crust remain controversial. We provide new evidence from
ca. 2.3 Ma dacites in the Tibetan Plateau, representing the youngest known
UHT metamorphic event. Our results show that these dacites were mainly
generated by fluid-absent melting of metasedimentary rocks and minor mafic
rocks at peak temperatures of 1100–1150 °C and pressures of 0.8–0.9 GPa.
The dacites represent mixtures of UHT melts and granulite residues and are
geochemically similar to A-type granites with extremely high
heat-production values (5.33–5.99 μW m–3). Compared with the
geological and geophysical observations, numerical modeling indicates that
the key factor determining the thermal evolution of Tibet is the thickness
of the radioactive layer. Orogens dominated by rocks of felsic composition,
like Tibet, could easily reach UHT conditions within a short period of time
(20–40 m.y.) after crustal thickening by radioactive heating, without the
need for an additional tectonic mechanism.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50387.1/618288/Tibetan-Plateau-insights-into-gt-1100-C-crustal
Molybdenum isotopes in mafic igneous rocks record slab-mantle
interactions from subarc to postarc depths
Wei Fang; Li-Qun Dai; Yong-Fei Zheng; Zi-Fu Zhao
Abstract:
Arc volcanic rocks erupted above oceanic subduction zones generally have
heavy molybdenum (Mo) isotopic compositions, which are attributed to
contributions from oceanic slab–derived fluids with isotopically heavy Mo
at subarc depths. Given that mafic igneous rocks with light Mo isotopic
compositions have been rarely identified, it is unclear where light Mo
isotope reservoirs reside, as these must exist due to oceanic subduction
through geologic time. We present Mo isotope data from Mesozoic–Cenozoic
mafic igneous rocks from the eastern North China craton, which were
affected by continuous subduction of the oceanic slab. The Mesozoic mafic
igneous rocks have island-arc basalt (IAB)–like features and high δ 98Mo values of –0.15‰ to +0.09‰. In contrast, the Cenozoic mafic
igneous rocks have ocean-island basalt (OIB)–like features and low δ 98Mo values of –0.53‰ to –0.19‰. In addition, these two suites
of rocks exhibit systematic differences in Sr-Nd isotopic compositions and
fluid- and melt-mobile element contents, indicating that their mantle
sources contained crustal components derived from different depths. The
heavy Mo and weakly enriched Sr-Nd isotopic compositions and IAB-like
trace-element signatures were inherited from slab fluids (including oceanic
crust–derived aqueous solutions and seafloor sediment–derived hydrous
melts) liberated at subarc depths. The light Mo and depleted Sr-Nd isotopic
compositions and OIB-like trace-element signatures were inherited from
dehydrated slab–derived melts (with rutile breakdown) at postarc depths.
Therefore, Mo isotope systematics of mafic igneous rocks are a powerful
means with which to trace the geochemical fluxes from subducting oceanic
slabs to the mantle wedge at different depths.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50456.1/618289/Molybdenum-isotopes-in-mafic-igneous-rocks-record
Global Ba/Nb systematics in arc magmas reflect the depths of mineral
dehydration in subducted slabs
Nicholas D. Barber; Marie Edmonds; Frances Jenner; Helen Williams
Abstract:
The transfer of material from subducting slabs to the overlying mantle is
one of the most important processes regulating Earth’s geochemical cycles.
A major part of this material cycling involves slab devolatilization and
the release of sediment- and slab-derived fluids to the mantle wedge,
triggering melting and subsequent arc volcanism. Previous geodynamic,
geophysical, and geochemical studies have revealed many important controls
on fluid fluxing to the mantle and its manifestations in arc magmas.
However, it remains difficult to identify the specific mineral breakdown
reactions that control element fluxes from the subducting slab into the
overriding mantle. To address this challenge, we combine global arc
whole-rock compositional data with geophysical information (e.g., depths to
slab) and thermodynamic data. We observe three peaks in Ba/Nb in global arc
magma whole-rock compositions corresponding to depths to slab of 60, 120,
and >290 km. Using published thermodynamic and geodynamic models of slab
evolution, we show that these peaks can be linked to the progressive
breakdown of hydrous minerals (e.g., epidote, actinolite, lawsonite) in
subducting slabs.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50447.1/618208/Global-Ba-Nb-systematics-in-arc-magmas-reflect-the
Mobilization of tin during continental subduction-accretion processes
Rolf L. Romer; Uwe Kroner; C. Schmidt; Claus Legler
Abstract:
Major tin (Sn) deposits within the Variscan orogen are closely related to
325–270 Ma postkinematic granites that intruded the metamorphic rocks of
the former precollisional accretionary wedge of the Gondwana margin. In the
Erzgebirge (Germany), some of these metasedimentary rocks have high Sn
contents (locally more than 1000 ppm Sn). We report cassiterite (SnO 2) U-Pb ages of 395–365 Ma and high Sn contents in prograde
biotite in these metasedimentary rocks. These data demonstrate that Sn was
already introduced into these rocks during accretion and prograde
metamorphism. Mobilization of Sn from sedimentary source rocks during
prograde fluid loss in a subduction-accretion setting represents an
important process of pre-enrichment of sedimentary source rocks that upon
partial melting may produce Sn-enriched melts. The large-scale metamorphic
mobilization of Sn, documented here for the first time, highlights the
possible importance of metamorphic Sn enrichment in accretionary complexes,
thereby explaining the spatial distribution of major Sn districts within
the Variscan orogen.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50466.1/618209/Mobilization-of-tin-during-continental-subduction
Dominant precessional forcing of the East Asian summer monsoon since
260 ka
Benhong Guo; Junsheng Nie; Thomas Stevens; Jan-Pieter Buylaert; Tingjiang
Peng ...
Abstract:
One of the most perplexing problems in paleoclimate research is how orbital
cyclicities force East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) precipitation variation
over the middle to late Quaternary. Chinese loess records suggest that EASM
precipitation was dominated by 100 k.y. cycles controlled by Northern
Hemisphere ice sheet forcing. In contrast, speleothem records suggest that
EASM precipitation was dominated by 23 k.y. cycles caused by Northern
Hemisphere summer insolation forcing. In order to resolve this
inconsistency, we present high-resolution paleoclimate records from Xijin
drill cores on the western Chinese Loess Plateau for the past 260 k.y., the
rough upper limit of luminescence dating. Magnetic susceptibility (χ) shows
clear 23 k.y. precessional cycles over interglacials but has constant low
values over glacials. This is interpreted as indicating a lack of
pedogenesis, such that χ cannot record EASM precipitation variations,
rather than an absence of EASM variation itself. To circumvent this issue,
we use inversed sand content as an alternative proxy for EASM precipitation
over glacials and splice this with the interglacial logarithmic χ from
Xijin drill cores. This new record reveals dominant 23 k.y. cycles over
both interglacials and glacials, consistent with speleothem δ18O
data and dominant insolation forcing. These findings allow a consistent
understanding of EASM variability and forcing mechanisms from both loess
and speleothem archives, resolving one of the largest debates in past
monsoon research. These results challenge suggestions of high-latitude ice
sheet forcing of the EASM based on slowly accumulated loess records from
the central Loess Plateau.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50206.1/618210/Dominant-precessional-forcing-of-the-East-Asian
Oceanographic consequences of the Bransfield Strait (Antarctica)
opening
Shan Liu; F. Javier Hernández-Molina; Chupeng Yang; Cuimei Zhang; Xiaoxia
Huang ...
Abstract:
The Bransfield Strait (Antarctica) is an important region for evaluating
changes in Weddell Sea shelf waters on geological time scales because of
its restricted connections to the surrounding ocean. However, the detailed
oceanographic consequences of the opening of the strait remain unclear. We
present bottom-current-related sedimentary features in the Bransfield
Strait and examine the impact of the strait’s opening on deep-water
circulation. Our findings show that the ocean circulation started to
resemble that of the present day after a period of volcanic activity,
possibly around the Middle Pleistocene. Coeval changes in Bransfield Strait
morphology and an increase in seafloor irregularities due to the formation
of volcanic chains finally determined new pathways for the Bransfield deep
and bottom waters, enhanced due to the new climatic scenario of 100 k.y.
cycles. The fact that “modern-like” oceanic circulation occurred only
during previous interglacial periods demonstrates the significant impact of
100 k.y. climate cycles on the thermohaline changes of Antarctic deep
waters. Hence, establishing a modern-day circulation model would enable
researchers to assess paleoproductivity and local upwelling that have
profoundly influenced the marine ecosystem of the Antarctic Peninsula after
the Middle Pleistocene.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50389.1/618211/Oceanographic-consequences-of-the-Bransfield
Novel age constraints for the onset of the Steptoean Positive Isotopic
Carbon Excursion (SPICE) and the late Cambrian time scale using
high-precision U-Pb detrital zircon ages
Hannah R. Cothren; Thomas P. Farrell; Frederick A. Sundberg; Carol M.
Dehler; Mark D. Schmitz
Abstract:
The Steptoean Positive Isotopic Carbon Excursion (SPICE) is a prominent
+4–5‰ shift in the Cambrian δ13C record used for global
chronostratigraphic correlation. The onset of this excursion is
traditionally placed at the base of the Pterocephaliid trilobite biomere
(base of the Furongian Series). Recent studies have documented local
controls on the expression of the SPICE and emphasize the need for
chronostratigraphic standards for these complex biogeochemical signals. We
build upon prior work in western Laurentia by integrating δ13C
and biostratigraphy with high-precision isotope dilution U-Pb detrital
zircon maximum depositional ages that are coincident with the onset, peak,
and falling limb of the SPICE. Our study provides the first useful
numerical age constraint for the onset of the SPICE and the Laurentian
trilobite biozones and requires revision of the late Cambrian geologic time
scale boundaries by several million years.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50434.1/618212/Novel-age-constraints-for-the-onset-of-the
Reworked pollen reduces apparent floral change during the
Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum
Vera A. Korasidis; Scott L. Wing; David M. Nelson; Allison A. Baczynski
Abstract:
Plant megafossils from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) in the
Bighorn Basin, north-central Wyoming, USA, document a dramatic shift in
floral composition, whereas palynofloral change from the same sections has
appeared to be more subtle. We investigated this discrepancy by quantifying
pollen preservation and measuring the stable carbon isotope composition of
specific pollen taxa. Pollen grains belonging to two common latest
Paleocene taxa are poorly preserved in PETM samples, and their δ 13Cpollen is similar during the latest Paleocene and
PETM. In contrast, pollen grains of a thermophilic taxon that became more
abundant during the PETM are pristine, and the δ13C pollen of PETM specimens is ~4‰ lower than that of latest
Paleocene specimens. More broadly, pollen grains belonging to lineages
currently centered in temperate climates are poorly preserved when found in
PETM samples, whereas in the same samples, pollen belonging to lineages now
centered in the tropics are well preserved. These differences in
preservation and isotopic composition indicate extensive redeposition of
older pollen grains during the PETM. Increased abundance of Cretaceous
palynotaxa in PETM samples confirms erosion and redeposition, likely
resulting from more episodic and intense precipitation. Exclusion of
reworked palynotaxa from analyses reveals that, as in the megaflora,
temperate taxa were absent during the PETM at the time when dry tropical
taxa briefly appeared. Major climate changes like the PETM may commonly
destabilize landscapes, increase reworking, and thus smooth patterns of
change in microfloras, leading to underestimates of the rate and magnitude
of floral response to past global change.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50441.1/618213/Reworked-pollen-reduces-apparent-floral-change
When knickzones limit upstream transmission of base-level fall: An
example from Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi
L. Wren Raming; Kelin X Whipple
Abstract:
A threshold drainage area limits fluvial transmission of base-level fall
and may be expressed in the form of a waterfall or a series of waterfalls,
defined here as a knickzone. Knickzones on the west coast of Kauaʻi,
Hawaiʻi (USA), exhibit evidence of a threshold drainage area. Eighteen (18)
of the 25 knickzones in our study area are located at the coast or a
tributary junction, have a drainage area <1.5 km2, and have
been stationary for at least 1.5 m.y. The other seven knickzones are
located >1 km upstream from the coast or nearest tributary junction and
range in drainage area from 1 to 5.5 km2. Both sets of
knickzones limit incision relative to canyons without knickzones. Field
observations show strong ʻaʻā flows and dikes always crop out at the lip of
knickzones, suggesting these resistant rocks and coarse sediment generated
from them act to inhibit knickzone migration. A model incorporating flood
records and channel conditions above knickzones shows thresholds of coarse
sediment entrainment are never exceeded below 1 km2. Our results
demonstrate knickzones on the west coast of Kaua‘i are enduring features
explained by resistant lava flows and physical limits in bedrock incision.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50019.1/618175/When-knickzones-limit-upstream-transmission-of
Lagoon infilling by coral reef sand aprons as a proxy for carbonate
sediment productivity
Ana Vila-Concejo; Sarah M. Hamylton; Jody M. Webster; Stephanie J. Duce;
Thomas E. Fellowes
Abstract:
Sand aprons are distinctive landforms that offer important insights into
sedimentary dynamics for reef platform development. Here we link temporal
and spatial scales of 21 sand aprons in the southern Great Barrier Reef to
understand their Holocene formation and evolution in response to relative
sea-level changes, the depth of the Pleistocene base, and contemporary
morphodynamics. Our results show that lagoon infilling is a function of
reef size and is a self-limiting process controlled by hydrodynamics and
relative sea-level changes. Lagoon infilling does not depend on the type of
reef or degree of exposure to waves, but it could reflect past wave
climates. Our carbonate productivity estimates based on lagoon infilling
are remarkably similar to those inferred from habitat classification.
Finally, we hypothesize that current carbonate productivity has slowed
because of the effects of climate change.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50453.1/618176/Lagoon-infilling-by-coral-reef-sand-aprons-as-a
Crystal plasticity enhances trace element mobility in garnet
Tommaso Tacchetto; Steven M. Reddy; Denis Fougerouse; Chris Clark; David W.
Saxey ...
Abstract:
Chemical heterogeneities along grain boundaries in garnet occur across a
wide range of metamorphic conditions, yet the processes underlying their
development remain poorly understood. Here we integrate electron
backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and atom probe tomography (APT) to
evaluate the mechanisms driving nanoscale trace element mobility to
deformation microstructures in a granulite-facies garnet. This approach
shows that low-angle boundaries can be enriched in Ca, Ti, P, Cu, K, Na,
Cl, and H. Based on the correlation between EBSD and APT data, we propose
that solute ions (Ca, Ti, P, and Cu) were segregated to the interface
during the migration of dislocation associated with ductile deformation of
the grain. In contrast, elements such as K, Na, Cl, and H are interpreted
to reflect diffusion along the low-angle boundary from an externally
derived fluid source. These results provide the missing link between
chemical heterogeneity and deformation-related microstructures in garnet.
Our approach shows that a combination of microstructural and nanoscale
geochemical analyses can provide unprecedented insights into mechanisms of
element transfer within minerals.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50283.1/618177/Crystal-plasticity-enhances-trace-element-mobility
Forced Cenozoic continental subduction of Tarim craton-like lithosphere
below the Tianshan revealed by ambient noise tomography
Weijia Sun; Songjian Ao; Qingya Tang; Marco G. Malusà; Liang Zhao ...
Abstract:
The possibility that craton-like lithosphere may undergo subduction during
convergence of major tectonic plates is still poorly investigated. We
addressed this issue using ambient noise tomography of the Tarim Basin and
the Tianshan (Central Asia). Our S-wave velocity model reveals a flat-lying
high-velocity anomaly beneath the Tarim Basin in the 45–60 km depth range,
consistent with intrusion of mafic rocks at the base of the lower crust
above a depleted lithospheric mantle, as expected after interaction of the
lithosphere with a mantle plume. This high-velocity anomaly can be followed
northward, steeply dipping (~45°) beneath the Tianshan, which indicates
that the Tarim craton-like lithosphere was subducted to mantle depths. It
is connected with a fast P-wavespeed anomaly in the upper mantle,
interpreted as a relict of the South Tianshan Ocean. A long period of
tectonic quiescence, after the closure of the South Tianshan Ocean and
before the Cenozoic tectonic rejuvenation of the Tianshan, suggests a minor
role of oceanic slab pull in controlling continental subduction. The major
player is instead the northward push of India within the framework of
Cenozoic India-Asia convergence. We conclude that forced subduction can be
experienced not only by thinned continental crust but also by a strong
craton-like lithosphere.
View article:
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G50510.1/618178/Forced-Cenozoic-continental-subduction-of-Tarim
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