Pre‐Rift Orogenic Erosion Facilitates the Exhumation of Lower Crust at Rifted Margins
Abstract During the late‐stage of continental rifting, lower crustal rocks can be exhumed to the Earth's surface. Such exposure has been identified especially in rifts that developed within former orogens. These rifts exploited zones of lithospheric weakness created during previous mountain‐bui...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113543 |
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| author | Kai Li Sascha Brune Zoltán Erdős Xiaoping Yuan Anne Glerum Christian Berndt Peter Haas |
| author_facet | Kai Li Sascha Brune Zoltán Erdős Xiaoping Yuan Anne Glerum Christian Berndt Peter Haas |
| author_sort | Kai Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract During the late‐stage of continental rifting, lower crustal rocks can be exhumed to the Earth's surface. Such exposure has been identified especially in rifts that developed within former orogens. These rifts exploited zones of lithospheric weakness created during previous mountain‐building events. Here we investigate whether lower crustal exhumation during rifting could result directly from structural inheritance of prior orogeny. To this aim we use Wilson‐Cycle numerical models where we impose a prior shortening and subsequent extension. Our models incorporate the effects of thermal and structural inheritance as well as surface processes. We find that the erosion of mountain belts thins the upper crust, reducing the upper‐to‐lower crustal ratio prior to rifting. This process facilitates the exhumation of lower crustal material during extension, exposing them at the Earth's surface along the footwall of normal faults. We suggest a new conceptual model to explain lower crustal exhumation observed at rifted margins worldwide. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d5d87ba9a2ca4c2f91b308ff72a59591 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-d5d87ba9a2ca4c2f91b308ff72a595912025-08-20T03:08:48ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-07-015214n/an/a10.1029/2024GL113543Pre‐Rift Orogenic Erosion Facilitates the Exhumation of Lower Crust at Rifted MarginsKai Li0Sascha Brune1Zoltán Erdős2Xiaoping Yuan3Anne Glerum4Christian Berndt5Peter Haas6GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences Potsdam GermanyGFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences Potsdam GermanyGFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences Potsdam GermanySchool of Earth Sciences China University of Geosciences Wuhan ChinaGFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences Potsdam GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel Kiel GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel Kiel GermanyAbstract During the late‐stage of continental rifting, lower crustal rocks can be exhumed to the Earth's surface. Such exposure has been identified especially in rifts that developed within former orogens. These rifts exploited zones of lithospheric weakness created during previous mountain‐building events. Here we investigate whether lower crustal exhumation during rifting could result directly from structural inheritance of prior orogeny. To this aim we use Wilson‐Cycle numerical models where we impose a prior shortening and subsequent extension. Our models incorporate the effects of thermal and structural inheritance as well as surface processes. We find that the erosion of mountain belts thins the upper crust, reducing the upper‐to‐lower crustal ratio prior to rifting. This process facilitates the exhumation of lower crustal material during extension, exposing them at the Earth's surface along the footwall of normal faults. We suggest a new conceptual model to explain lower crustal exhumation observed at rifted margins worldwide.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113543Wilson cycleerosionriftsexhumation of lower crust |
| spellingShingle | Kai Li Sascha Brune Zoltán Erdős Xiaoping Yuan Anne Glerum Christian Berndt Peter Haas Pre‐Rift Orogenic Erosion Facilitates the Exhumation of Lower Crust at Rifted Margins Geophysical Research Letters Wilson cycle erosion rifts exhumation of lower crust |
| title | Pre‐Rift Orogenic Erosion Facilitates the Exhumation of Lower Crust at Rifted Margins |
| title_full | Pre‐Rift Orogenic Erosion Facilitates the Exhumation of Lower Crust at Rifted Margins |
| title_fullStr | Pre‐Rift Orogenic Erosion Facilitates the Exhumation of Lower Crust at Rifted Margins |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pre‐Rift Orogenic Erosion Facilitates the Exhumation of Lower Crust at Rifted Margins |
| title_short | Pre‐Rift Orogenic Erosion Facilitates the Exhumation of Lower Crust at Rifted Margins |
| title_sort | pre rift orogenic erosion facilitates the exhumation of lower crust at rifted margins |
| topic | Wilson cycle erosion rifts exhumation of lower crust |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113543 |
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