| Title: |
Numerical Modeling of Purely Active (Plume-Produced) Continental Rifting and Break-Up |
| Authors: |
Koptev, Alexander; Lavecchia, Alessio; Cloetingh, Sierd; Pons, Michaël; Marzotto, Enrico; Brune, Sascha; Kovács, István; Tesauro, Magdala; Beekman, Fred; Wang, Qin; Sobolev, Stephan V.; Faccenna, Claudio; Jolivet, Laurent; Utrecht Centre for Earth & Planetary Processes (UCEPP, in development); Tectonics; Research Programme in Earth Sciences Utrecht (DES / IVAU) |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Subject Terms: |
Geophysics; Geochemistry and Petrology; Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous); Space and Planetary Science |
| Description: |
In contrast to the traditional mechanism of passive continental rifting (driven by far-field tectonic forces), the active rifting-to-break-up processes (caused by rising mantle plumes) are still poorly understood. However, most episodes of fragmentation of the last supercontinent Pangea were relatively shortly preceded (within ∼10 Myr) by the emplacement of Large Igneous Provinces, indicating that a link between lithospheric ruptures and mantle plumes is very close and frequent. In this study, we present a systematic numerical modeling of purely active continental rifting and break-up, that is, without far-field extension, examining the following parameters: (a) the thermo-rheological structure of the lithosphere, (b) the buoyancy of the thermo-chemical mantle plume anomaly, and (c) the duration of the incoming plume flux. Thermo-mechanical experiments show that a classic active rifting scenario, involving the complete break-up of the lithosphere within less than 10 Myr following the arrival of a mantle plume, is achievable, though only under specific conditions. These include: (a) a continuously fed plume with an elevated thermal and/or compositional density deficit ((Formula presented.) ≤ −30 kg m−3) and (b) a relatively warm overlying continental plate, characterized by an above-average Moho temperature ((Formula presented.) = 750°C). Although both prerequisites do not seem entirely unrealistic, their simultaneous occurrence in the Phanerozoic Earth is unlikely. We therefore conclude that for a successful transition to lithospheric break-up, plume-activated continental rifting events in the Mesozoic–Cenozoic time must be accompanied by external tectonic stresses. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| ISSN: |
2169-9313 |
| Relation: |
https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/480867 |
| Availability: |
https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/480867 |
| Rights: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.CF14443E |
| Database: |
BASE |