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Subduction dynamics and the origin of Andean orogeny and the Bolivian orocline

Nature volume 480, pages 83–86 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

The building of the Andes results from the subduction of the oceanic Nazca plate underneath the South American continent1,2. However, how and why the Andes and their curvature, the Bolivian orocline, formed in the Cenozoic era (65.5 million years (Myr) ago to present), despite subduction continuing since the Mesozoic era3 (251.0–65.5 Myr ago), is still unknown. Three-dimensional numerical subduction models demonstrate that variations in slab thickness, arising from the Nazca plate’s age at the trench, produce a cordilleran morphology consistent with that observed1,2. The age-dependent sinking of the slab in the mantle drives traction towards the trench at the base of the upper plate, causing it to thicken. Thus, subducting older Nazca plate below the Central Andes can explain the locally thickened crust and higher elevations. Here we demonstrate that resultant thickening of the South American plate modifies both shear force gradients and migration rates along the trench to produce a concave margin that matches the Bolivian orocline. Additionally, the varying forcing along the margin allows stress belts to form in the upper-plate interior, explaining the widening of the Central Andes and the different tectonic styles found on their margins, the Eastern and Western Cordilleras2. The rise of the Central Andes and orocline formation are directly related to the local increase of Nazca plate age and an age distribution along the margin similar to that found today; the onset of these conditions only occurred in the Eocene epoch4. This may explain the enigmatic delay of the Andean orogeny, that is, the formation of the modern Andes.

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Figure 1: The Andes and South American subduction.
Figure 2: Subduction models with slab morphologies, vertical stresses and velocities, after 2,000 km of subduction.
Figure 3: Surface stress and pressure from the model with heterogeneities in both plates.
Figure 4: Effects of upper-plate thickening.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Faccenda, R. F. Weinberg and J. P. Brun for discussions. F.A.C. was supported by the Australian Research Council's Discovery Projects DP0987374. D.R.S. was supported in part by the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geosciences, Monash University, Clayton, 3800 Victoria, Australia,

    F. A. Capitanio & S. Zlotnik

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Universitá Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, Italy,

    C. Faccenna

  3. School of Mathematical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, 3800 Victoria, Australia,

    S. Zlotnik

  4. Laboratori de Calcul Numeric, Departament de Matematica Aplicada III, UPC-Barcelona Tech, Jordi Girona 1-3 E-08034 Barcelona, Spain,

    S. Zlotnik

  5. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, California 92093-0220, USA,

    D. R. Stegman

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Contributions

F.A.C. designed and performed the numerical modelling. F.A.C. and S.Z. processed the models’ output and the data. All authors contributed to the writing of the paper.

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Correspondence to F. A. Capitanio.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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The file contains Supplementary Methods and Data, Supplementary Figures 1-9 with legends, Supplementary Tables 1-2 and additional references. (PDF 19390 kb)

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Capitanio, F., Faccenna, C., Zlotnik, S. et al. Subduction dynamics and the origin of Andean orogeny and the Bolivian orocline. Nature 480, 83–86 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10596

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