@article{FoersterFoersterOberhaenslietal.2010,
  author    = {F{\"o}rster, Hans-J{\"u}rgen and F{\"o}rster, Andrea and Oberh{\"a}nsli, Roland and Stromeyer, Dietrich},
  title     = {Lithospheric composition and thermal structure of the Arabian Shield in Jordan},
  issn      = {0040-1951},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.tecto.2008.11.014},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {In this paper, a unique set of samples from the uppermost crust down to the lithospheric mantle of Jordan is analyzed for composition and petrophysical properties (density. thermal conductivity, radiogenic heat production) These data, covering a vertical section of almost 65 km. are used in conjunction with surface heat flow to generate a detailed and comprehensive lithospheric thermal model that reflects the conditions of the Arabian Shield (AS) prior to the post- Oligocene onset of lithosphere thinning and Voluminous basaltic volcanism. The pre-Miocene model geotherms, based on conductive surface heat flows of 55 and 60 mW m(-2). (a) meet the range of lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary depths of 110-160 km known from seismology, (b) conform to results of thermomechanical models on the on.-in of the Dead Sea basin that started in Miocene time. and (c) are consistent with typical xenolith-derived geotherms for terranes of similar age and lithospheric thickness. Moho temperatures (at depths between 35 and 40 km) of the AS in pre-Miocene times were most likely in the order of 530-650 degrees C, with mantle heat flows averaging between 24 and 29 mW m(-2) Results contradict former views of the late Proterozoic/early Cambrian-stabilized AS being an anomalously cold terrane A "cold" thermal structure inferred from previously measured low surface heat flows (generally <= 45 mW m(-2)) is inconsistent with the thickness, composition, and petrophysical properties of the stable lithosphere of the shield.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WichuraBousquetOberhaenslietal.2010,
  author    = {Wichura, Henry and Bousquet, Romain and Oberh{\"a}nsli, Roland and Strecker, Manfred and Trauth, Martin H.},
  title     = {Evidence for middleUocene uplift of the East African Plateau},
  issn      = {0091-7613},
  doi       = {10.1130/G31022.1},
  year      = {2010},
  abstract  = {Cenozoic uplift of the East African Plateau has been associated with fundamental climatic and environmental changes in East Africa and adjacent regions. While this influence is widely accepted, the timing and the magnitude of plateau uplift have remained unclear. This uncertainty stems from the lack of datable, geomorphically meaningful reference horizons that could record surface uplift. Here, we document the existence of significant relief along the East African Plateau prior to rifting, as inferred from modeling the emplacement history of one of the longest terrestrial lava flows, the similar to 300-km-long Yatta phonolite flow in Kenya. This 13.5 Ma lava flow originated on the present-day eastern Kenya Rift flank, and utilized a riverbed that once routed runoff from the eastern rim of the plateau. Combining an empirical viscosity model with subsequent cooling and using the Yatta lava flow geometry and underlying paleotopography (slope angle), we found that the prerift slope was at least 0.2 degrees, suggesting that the lava flow originated at a minimum elevation of 1400 m. Hence, high paleotopography in the Kenya Rift region must have existed by at least 13.5 Ma. We infer from this that middle Miocene uplift occurred, which coincides with the two-step expansion of grasslands, as well as important radiation and speciation events in tropical Africa.},
  language  = {en}
}