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Structure of orogenic belts controlled by lithosphere age

Nature Geoscience volume 6, pages 785–789 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

The structure of a mountain belt reflects the manner in which plate convergence is accommodated in Earth’s lithosphere. However, the extent to which orogenic structure is preconditioned by the thermo-mechanical conditions of the converging plates is debated1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Here we re-process and analyse existing data on the amount and style of contractional deformation in 30 orogens worldwide and compare this with the lithospheric strength and age of the colliding plates. We find a correlation between orogenic deformation, and specifically the depth at which the crust decouples from the underlying plate, and the age of the lithospheric plate at the time of collision. Orogens formed from Phanerozoic lithosphere, which has high geothermal gradients and weak mantle, are characterized by several under-thrust faults that form in the mid-to-lower crust and moderate amounts of deformation, at less than 35% crustal strain. In contrast, orogens formed on older lithospheric plates, which have greater strength and higher-viscosity mantle, are characterized by a large detachment fault and large amounts of deformation, at about 70% crustal strain. We conclude that inherited lithospheric strength influences the style and amount of plate-tectonic contraction during mountain building, and thus the stability of continental subduction. Our results emphasize the influence of the deep Earth on the structural style of collisional orogens.

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Figure 1: Shortening (R) in collisional orogens and global Te structure of the lithosphere (2°×2°).
Figure 2: Shortening in thrust belts plotted against proxies of the long-term lithosphere strength.
Figure 3: Thermo-mechanical properties for lithospheres with thermal ages of 50 Myr and 1 Gyr.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Gerya (ETH) for his constructive and insightful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut des Sciences de la Terre, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France

    Frédéric Mouthereau & Evgueni Burov

  2. CNRS, Institut des Sciences de la Terre Paris (ISTEP), UMR 7193, F-75005 Paris, France

    Frédéric Mouthereau & Evgueni Burov

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK

    Anthony B. Watts

Authors
  1. Frédéric Mouthereau
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  3. Evgueni Burov
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Contributions

F.M. designed the study and compiled global shortening data. A.B.W. provided updated global Te data and E.B. provided compilation of results from thermomechanical modelling. All authors discussed problems and methods, interpreted the data and wrote the paper.

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Correspondence to Frédéric Mouthereau.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Mouthereau, F., Watts, A. & Burov, E. Structure of orogenic belts controlled by lithosphere age. Nature Geosci 6, 785–789 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1902

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