Large fluctuations of shallow seas in low-lying Southeast Asia driven by mantle flow

Zahirovic, Sabin; Flament, Nicolas; Müller, R. Dietmar; Seton, Maria; Gurnis, Michael

doi:10.1002/2016gc006434

Cited by 31 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Further west at the Sumatra margin, subduction ceased by ∼75 Ma consistent with a magmatic gap between ∼75 and 60 Ma on Sumatra and a hiatus of subduction along this margin (McCourt et al, ). The resumption of subduction at 60 Ma is consistent with seismic images of the mantle and interpretations of the marine inundation of SE Asia (Zahirovic et al, ), where we assign a 70–50 Ma range based on the model resolution. The Andaman arc formed on oceanic crust and U‐Pb zircon dating of rocks from South Andaman Island reveals an age of crustal formation of 95 ± 2 Ma (Pedersen et al, ), which we assigned to the initiation of this subduction zone.…”

Section: Data Setsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…10 Myr hiatus in volcanism (Wu & Wu, ), evidence as a gap in high seismic velocities imaged with seismic tomography. A similar 10–15 Myr subduction hiatus could have also occurred beneath the Sundaland, as inferred from the magmatic gap between 75 and 60 Ma (McCourt et al, ) and the dynamic uplift and emergence of Sundaland between 80 and 60 Ma (Zahirovic et al, ). However, in these situations, the large‐scale deeper source of negative buoyancy could still induce mantle flow that would tend to pull the new (reinitiated) slab in the direction of the overriding plate, making the new slab shallower.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

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Subduction Duration and Slab Dip

Gurnis

2020

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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The dip angles of slabs are among the clearest characteristics of subduction zones, but the factors that control them remain obscure. Here, slab dip angles and subduction parameters, including subduction duration, the nature of the overriding plate, slab age, and convergence rate, are determined for 153 transects along subduction zones for the present day. We present a comprehensive tabulation of subduction duration based on isotopic ages of arc initiation and stratigraphic, structural, plate tectonic and seismic indicators of subduction initiation. We present two ages for subduction zones, a long-term age and a reinitiation age. Using cross correlation and multivariate regression, we find that (1) subduction duration is the primary parameter controlling slab dips with slabs tending to have shallower dips at subduction zones that have been in existence longer; (2) the long-term age of subduction duration better explains variation of shallow dip than reinitiation age; (3) overriding plate nature could influence shallow dip angle, where slabs below continents tend to have shallower dips; (4) slab age contributes to slab dip, with younger slabs having steeper shallow dips; and (5) the relations between slab dip and subduction parameters are depth dependent, where the ability of subduction duration and overriding plate nature to explain observed variation decreases with depth. The analysis emphasizes the importance of subduction history and the long-term regional state of a subduction zone in determining slab dip and is consistent with mechanical models of subduction.

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Section: Data Setsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Subduction Duration and Slab Dip

Gurnis

2020

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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“…However, because isostatic topography from crustal and lithospheric loads dominates the total topography, and because the density and viscosity structures within the lithosphere and mantle are not well constrained (Le Stunff & Ricard, ; Panasyuk & Hager, ), the estimated residual topography and calculated dynamic topography often do not agree. Although mantle flow models often predict large‐amplitude negative dynamic topography in east and southeast Asia (Flament et al, ; Lithgow‐Bertelloni & Gurnis, ; Lithgow‐Bertelloni & Richards, ; Ricard et al, ; Steinberger, ; Yang & Gurnis, ; Zahirovic et al, ; Zhang et al, ), residual topography has been estimated to be close to zero or positive in the same region (Flament et al, ; Kaban et al, ; Le Stunff & Ricard, ; Panasyuk & Hager, ; Wheeler & White, ). The amplitude of the estimated long‐wavelength residual topography generally ranges between 0 and 500 m (Kaban et al, ; Le Stunff & Ricard, ; Panasyuk & Hager, ; Wheeler & White, ), although some have estimated the values to be higher, up to about 1 km (Davies & Pribac, ; Gurnis et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oceanic Residual Topography Agrees With Mantle Flow Predictions at Long Wavelengths

Yang

Moresi

Müller

et al. 2017

Geophysical Research Letters

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Dynamic topography, the surface deflection induced by sublithosheric mantle flow, is an important prediction made by geodynamic models, but there is an apparent disparity between geodynamic model predictions and estimates of residual topography (total topography minus lithospheric and crustal contributions). We generate synthetic global topography fields with different power spectral slopes and spatial patterns to investigate how well the long-wavelength (spherical degrees 1 to 3) components can be recovered from a discrete set of samples where residual topography has been recently estimated. An analysis of synthetic topography, along with observed geoid and gravity anomalies, demonstrates the reliability of signal recovery. Appropriate damping factors, which depend on the maximum degree in the spherical harmonic expansion that is used to fit the samples, must be applied to recover the long-wavelength topography correctly; large damping factors smooth the model excessively and suppress residual topography amplitude and power spectra unrealistically. Recovered long-wavelength residual topographies based on recent oceanic point-wise estimates with different spherical expansion degrees agree with each other and with the predicted dynamic topography from mantle flow models. The peak amplitude of the long-wavelength residual topography from oceanic observations is about 1 km, suggesting an important influence of large-scale deep mantle flow.

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“…This complex tectonic and geodynamic history has important implications for ocean circulation and climate (Gaina and Müller, 2007;Hall et al, 2011), but is also crucial in understanding basin evolution and hydrocarbon systems in the region (Doust and Sumner, 2007). Our recent work synthesises the marine and continental geological record to provide insights into the interaction between mantle and surface processes in this region (Zahirovic et al, 2016a;Zahirovic et al, 2016b), with broader implications for the interpretation of subsidence and compressional events from the stratigraphic record. Using numerical models of plate tectonics and mantle convection, the role of sinking slabs in the mantle has been shown to impart a regional signal of 'dynamic' subsidence in this region during the post-Pangea timeframe (DiCaprio et al, 2011;Harrington et al, 2017;Zahirovic et al, 2016a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Tectonics and geodynamics of the eastern Tethys and northern Gondwana since the Jurassic

Zahirovic

Flament

Iwanec

et al. 2018

ASEG Extended Abstracts

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Southeast Asia experienced a complex tectonic and geodynamic history related to the subduction of the eastern Tethyan ocean basins, resulting from the long-term convergence between the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, and Pacific plates since Pangea breakup. The complex collage of continental and island arc terranes can be reconstructed into an estimated ancient arrangement using plate tectonic reconstruction approaches based on a synthesis of continental and marine geological and geophysical data. We use the opensource and cross-platform software GPlates (www.gplates.org) to refine the evolution of the eastern Neo-Tethys since the latest Jurassic rifting episodes along northern Gondwana. We apply the resulting plate motions to drive numerical models of mantle flow in order to predict the evolving mantle structure. New Guinea's northward motion over subducted slabs, related to the Sepik back-arc basin and the Maramuni subduction system, resulted in long-term flooding of the margin since ~20 Ma, despite falling long-term global sea levels. The Sundaland continental promontory experienced dynamic uplift in the latest Cretaceous to Eocene times due to the accretion of the Woyla Arc at ~80 Ma, leading to slab breakoff and a temporary interruption of subduction. However, renewed subduction along the Sunda margin resulted in renewed dynamic subsidence from ~30 Ma, which was amplified by regional basin rifting events. In addition, the sinking Sunda slab likely triggered a mantle slab avalanche, resulting in a counterintuitive combination of contemporaneous basin inversion and strong dynamic subsidence from ~15 Ma. The evolution of the eastern Tethyan oceanic gateway provides an important framework for understanding the role of plate tectonics in controlling long-term oceanic circulation and climate, as well as shedding light on the complex interplay between deep Earth and surface processes in driving basin formation and evolution. These results provide new avenues for reconciling stratigraphic and tectonic processes, as well as contributing new approaches for basin analysis and hydrocarbon exploration.

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Large fluctuations of shallow seas in low-lying Southeast Asia driven by mantle flow

Cited by 31 publications

References 77 publications

Subduction Duration and Slab Dip

Subduction Duration and Slab Dip

Oceanic Residual Topography Agrees With Mantle Flow Predictions at Long Wavelengths

Tectonics and geodynamics of the eastern Tethys and northern Gondwana since the Jurassic

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