Abstract
Measurement of the rate of tectonically driven surface uplift is crucial to a complete understanding of mountain building dynamics. The lack of a suitable rock record typically prevents determination of this quantity, but the unusual geology of Papua New Guinea's Finisterre mountains makes measurement of this rate possible. The tectonic surface uplift rate at the Finisterre range is 0.8-2.1 mmyr-1, approximately that expected to arise from crustal thickening.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
England, P. & Molnar, P. Geology 18, 1173–1177 (1990).
England, P. C. & Houseman, G. A. J. Geophys. Res. 94, 17561–17579 (1989).
Molnar, P. & Lyon-Caen, H. in Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Publ. 218, 179–207 (1988).
Bird, P. J. Geophys. Res. 84, 7561–7571 (1979).
Charlton, T. R. Geology 19, 28–31 (1991).
Raymo, M. E., Ruddiman, W. F. & Froelich, P. N. Geology 16, 649–653 (1988).
Molnar, P. & England, P. Nature 346, 29–34 (1990).
Molnar, P., England, P. & Martinod, J. Rev. Geophys. 31, 357–396 (1993).
Koons, P. O. Am. J. Sci. 289, 1041–1069 (1989).
Beaumont, C., Fullsack, P. & Hamilton, J. in Thrust Tectonics (ed. McClay, K. R.) 1–18 (Chapman & Hall, 1992).
Chappell, J. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 85, 553–570 (1974).
Chappell, J. Search 14, 99–101 (1983).
Garfunkel, Z. Tectonophysics 150, 33–49 (1988).
Brown, R. W. Geology 19, 74–77 (1991).
Tsuboi, C. Gravity (George Allen & Unwin, 1983).
Small, E. E. & Anderson, R. S. Science 270, 277–280 (1995).
Abbott, L. D. et al. J. Sed. Res. B64, 169–183 (1994).
Abbott, L. D. in MARKHAM 1:250,000 Geological Series (Revision 1): Explanatory Notes (eds Findlay, R. H., Arumba, J., Kopi, G. & Nekitel, S.) (Geological Survey of Papua New Guinea, in the press).
Davies, H. L. et al. Geo-Marine Lett. 7, 143–152 (1987).
Abbott, L. D., Silver, E. A. & Galewsky, J. Tectonics 13, 1007–1034 (1994).
Angevine, C. L., Heller, P. L. & Paola, C. AAPG Short Course Note Series No. 32 (American Association Petroleum Geologists, 1990).
Katz, B. J., Pheifer, R. N. & Schunk, D. J. Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 72, 926–931 (1988).
Gill, J. B., Morris, J. D. & Johnson, R. W. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 57, 4269–4283 (1993).
Mitasova, H. & Mitas, L. Math. Geol. 25, 641–655 (1993).
Mitasova, H. & Hofierka, J. Math. Geol. 25, 657–669 (1993).
Abers, G. A. & McCaffrey, R. Tectonics 13, 227–245 (1994).
Galewsky, J., Silver, E. A. & Abbott, L. D. Eos 73, 535 (1992).
Hetenyi, M. Beams on Elastic Foundation (University of Michigan Press, Michigan, 1946).
Abers, G. A. & Roecker, S. W. J. Geophys. Res. 96, 6379–6401 (1991).
Quinn, T. M. & Matthews, R. K. Geology 18, 942–945 (1990).
Haq, B. U., Hardenbol, J. & Vail, P. R. in SEPM Spec. Publ. 42 (ed. Wilgus, C. K.) 71–108 (Soc. Economic Paleo. Mineral., 1988).
Prentice, M. L. & Matthews, R. K. Geology 16, 963–966 (1988).
Crook, K. A. W. Tectonophysics 163, 105–118 (1989).
Kulig, C., McCaffrey, R., Abers, G. A. & Letz, H. Tectonophysics 227, 81–93 (1993).
Taylor, B. Geology 7, 171–174 (1979).
Berggren, W. A. et al. SEPM Spec. Publ. 54, 129–212 (1995).
Berggren, W. A. et al. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 107, 1272–1287 (1995).
Ingle, J. C. Cushman Foundation Spec. Publ. 19, 163–195 (1980).
Pettifer, G. R. Austr. BMR Rec. 174/65 (1974).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abbott, L., Silver, E., Anderson, R. et al. Measurement of tectonic surface uplift rate in a young collisional mountain belt. Nature 385, 501–507 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/385501a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/385501a0
This article is cited by
-
Geomorphic response of bedrock landslides induced landscape evolution across the Teesta catchment, Eastern Himalaya
Environmental Earth Sciences (2023)
-
Extremely rapid up-and-down motions of island arc crust during arc-continent collision
Communications Earth & Environment (2022)
-
Instantaneous rock transformations in the deep crust driven by reactive fluid flow
Nature Geoscience (2020)
-
Seismotectonic model and probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for Papua New Guinea
Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (2020)
-
Present-day crustal motion in Papua New Guinea
Earth, Planets and Space (2014)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.