The structure and evolution of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary beneath the Atlantic–Mediterranean Transition Region

Fullea, Javier; Fernàndez, M.; Afonso, Juan Carlos; Vergés, Jaume; Zeyen, H.

doi:10.1016/j.lithos.2010.03.003

Cited by 133 publications

(183 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…They found deeper values of ∼90-100 km beneath the Betics and Rif mountain ranges, the south of Portugal and Morocco foreland. Studies from potential fields inversion provide, too, lithospheric thickness estimations (Torné et al 2000;Fullea et al 2007Fullea et al , 2010. They reported the same areas with thick lithosphere as the S-RF study but shown strong discrepancies in the values of LAB depths with ∼140 km as their maximum value.…”

Section: Geological Setting and Previous Analysismentioning

confidence: 79%

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Crustal thickness and images of the lithospheric discontinuities in the Gibraltar arc and surrounding areas

Mancilla

Stich

Morales

et al. 2015

Geophysical Journal International

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S U M M A R YThe Gibraltar arc and surrounding areas are a complex tectonic region and its tectonic evolution since Miocene is still under debate. Knowledge of its lithospheric structure will help to understand the mechanisms that produced extension and westward motion of the Alboran domain, simultaneously with NW-SE compression driven by Africa-Europe plates convergence. We perform a P-wave receiver function analysis in which we analyse new data recorded at 83 permanent and temporary seismic broad-band stations located in the South of the Iberian peninsula. These data are stacked and combined with data from a previous study in northern Morocco to build maps of thickness and average v P /v S ratio for the crust, and cross-sections to image the lithospheric discontinuities beneath the Gibraltar arc, the Betic and Rif Ranges and their Iberian and Moroccan forelands. Crustal thickness values show strong lateral variations in the southern Iberia peninsula, ranging from ∼19 to ∼46 km. The Variscan foreland is characterized by a relatively flat Moho at ∼31 km depth, and an average v P /v S ratio of ∼1.72, similar to other Variscan terranes, which may indicate that part of the lower crustal orogenic root was lost. The thickest crust is found at the contact between the Alboran domain and the External Zones of the Betic Range, while crustal thinning is observed southeastern Iberia (down to 19 km) and in the Guadalquivir basin where the thinning at the Iberian paleomargin could be still preserved. In the cross-sections, we see a strong change between the eastern Betics, where the Iberian crust underthrusts and couples to the Alboran crust, and the western Betics, where the underthrusting Iberian crust becomes partially delaminated and enters into the mantle. The structures largely mirror those on the Moroccan side where a similar detachment was observed in northern Morocco. We attribute a relatively shallow strong negativepolarity discontinuity to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. This means relatively thin lithosphere ranging from ∼50 km thickness in southeastern Iberia and northeastern Morocco to ∼90-100 km beneath the western Betics and the Rif, with abrupt changes of ∼30 km under the central Betics and northern Morocco. Our observations support a geodynamic scenario where in western Betics oceanic subduction has developed into ongoing continental subduction/delamination while in eastern Betics this process is inactive.

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Section: Geological Setting and Previous Analysismentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Most of them combine geoid gravity, topography, and heat flow data (e.g. Torné et al 2000;Fullea et al 2007Fullea et al , 2010. The reported values are consistently larger over the whole area.…”

Section: A Shallow Lithosphere-asthenosphere Boundary (Lab)mentioning

confidence: 98%

Crustal thickness and images of the lithospheric discontinuities in the Gibraltar arc and surrounding areas

Mancilla

Stich

Morales

et al. 2015

Geophysical Journal International

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“…From other independent geophysical information, we can relate these horizons to main crustal discontinuities. Several recent publications (e.g., Piromallo and Morelli, 2003;Boschi et al, 2004;Panza et al, 2007;Fullea et al, 2010) dealing with mantle structure in the Iberian Peninsula inferred from shear-wave tomography and P-wave velocity data have located the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) at a depth of 110-140 km. Our deepest depth is fairly consistent with this estimate, suggesting it could correspond to the base of the lithosphere.…”

Section: Processing Of Gravity Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Crustal structure from gravity signatures in the Iberian Peninsula

Gómez-Ortíz

Agarwal

Tejero

et al. 2011

Geological Society of America Bulletin

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Through two-dimensional fi ltering and spectral analysis of gravity data, we infer the density structure of the Iberia Peninsula's lithosphere (western Europe). The gravity anomaly map of the Iberian Peninsula displays long-wavelength anomaly minima related to Alpine ranges. These anomalies are primarily linked to a greater crustal thickness. Low-pass fi ltering of the anomaly map using a cutoff wavelength of 150 km was adequate for effective separation of shallow and deep sources used for computing the three-dimensional (3-D) Moho interface.

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“…Fullea et al (2010) propose that the Atlantic- Despite in our models crustal deformation is extremely simplified the large variations in 17 the lithospheric mantle thickness contrast with the more homogeneous crustal structure. 18…”

Section: Weak Lithospherementioning

confidence: 85%

Coupled mantle dripping and lateral dragging controlling the lithosphere structure of the NW-Moroccan margin and the Atlas Mountains: A numerical experiment

Zlotnik

Jiménez‐Munt

Fernández

2014

Lithos

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Recent studies integrating gravity, geoid, surface heat flow, elevation and seismic data indicate a prominent lithospheric mantle thickening beneath the NW-Moroccan margin (LAB >200 km-depth) followed by thinning beneath the Atlas Domain (LAB about 80 km-depth). Such unusual configuration has been explained by the combination of mantle underthrusting due to oblique Africa-Eurasia convergence together with viscous dripping fed by asymmetric lateral mantle dragging, requiring a strong crust-mantle decoupling. In the present work we examine the physical conditions under which the proposed asymmetric mantle drip and drag mechanism can reproduce this lithospheric configuration. We also analyse the influence of varying the kinematic boundary conditions as well as the mantle viscosity and the initial lithosphere geometry. Results indicate that the proposed drip-drag mechanism is dynamically feasible and only requires a lateral variation of the lithospheric strength. The further evolution of the gravitational instability can become either in convective removal of the lithospheric mantle, mantle delamination, or subduction initiation. The model reproduces the main trends of the present-day lithospheric geometry across the NW-Moroccan margin and the Atlas Mountains, the characteristic time of the observed vertical movements, the amplitude and rates of uplift in the Atlas Mountains and offers an explanation to the Miocene to Pliocene volcanism. An abnormal constant tectonic subsidence rate in the margin is predicted. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

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The structure and evolution of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary beneath the Atlantic–Mediterranean Transition Region

Cited by 133 publications

References 84 publications

Crustal thickness and images of the lithospheric discontinuities in the Gibraltar arc and surrounding areas

Crustal thickness and images of the lithospheric discontinuities in the Gibraltar arc and surrounding areas

Crustal structure from gravity signatures in the Iberian Peninsula

Coupled mantle dripping and lateral dragging controlling the lithosphere structure of the NW-Moroccan margin and the Atlas Mountains: A numerical experiment

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