TY - JOUR A1 - Mohsen, Ayman A1 - Kind, Rainer A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Weber, Michael T1 - Thickness of the lithosphere east of the Dead Sea Transform JF - Geophysical journal international N2 - We use the S receiver function method to study the lithosphere at the Dead Sea Transform (DST). A temporary network of 22 seismic broad-band stations was operated on both sides of the DST from 2000 to 2001 as part of the DESERT project. We also used data from six additional permanent broad-band seismic stations at the DST and in the surrounding area, that is, in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Cyprus. Clear S-to-P converted phases from the crust-mantle boundary (Moho) and a deeper discontinuity, which we interpret as lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) have been observed. The Moho depth (30-38 km) obtained from S receiver functions agrees well with the results from P receiver functions and other geophysical data. We observe thinning of the lithosphere on the eastern side of the DST from 80 km in the north of the Dead Sea to about 65 km at the Gulf of Aqaba. On the western side of the DST, the few data indicate a thin LAB of about 65 km. For comparison, we found a 90-km-thick lithosphere in eastern Turkey and a 160-km-thick lithosphere under the Arabian shield, respectively. These observations support previous suggestions, based on xenolith data, heat flow observations, regional uplift history and geodynamic modelling, that the lithosphere around DST has been significantly thinned in the Late Cenozoic, likely following rifting and spreading of the Red Sea. KW - Dead Sea Transform KW - S receiver functions KW - thickness of the lithosphere Y1 - 2006 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2006.03185.x SN - 0956-540X SN - 1365-246X VL - 167 IS - 2 SP - 845 EP - 852 PB - Blackwell CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baes, Marzieh A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir T1 - Mantle Flow as a Trigger for Subduction Initiation: A Missing Element of the Wilson Cycle Concept JF - Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems N2 - The classical Wilson Cycle concept, describing repeated opening and closing of ocean basins, hypothesizes spontaneous conversion of passive continental margins into subduction zones. This process, however, is impeded by the high strength of passive margins, and it has never occurred in Cenozoic times. Here using thermomechanical models, we show that additional forcing, provided by mantle flow, which is induced by neighboring subduction zones and midmantle slab remnants, can convert a passive margin into a subduction zone. Models suggest that this is a long-term process, thus explaining the lack of Cenozoic examples. We speculate that new subduction zones may form in the next few tens of millions of years along the Argentine passive margin and the U.S. East Coast. Mantle suction force can similarly trigger subduction initiation along large oceanic fracture zones. We propose that new subduction zones will preferentially originate where subduction zones were active in the past, thus explaining the remarkable colocation of subduction zones during at least the last 400 Myr. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GC006962 SN - 1525-2027 VL - 18 SP - 4469 EP - 4486 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tutu, Anthony Osei A1 - Steinberger, Bernhard A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Rogozhina, Irina A1 - Popov, Anton A. T1 - Effects of upper mantle heterogeneities on the lithospheric stress field and dynamic topography JF - Solid earth N2 - The orientation and tectonic regime of the observed crustal/lithospheric stress field contribute to our knowledge of different deformation processes occurring within the Earth's crust and lithosphere. In this study, we analyze the influence of the thermal and density structure of the upper mantle on the lithospheric stress field and topography. We use a 3-D lithosphere–asthenosphere numerical model with power-law rheology, coupled to a spectral mantle flow code at 300 km depth. Our results are validated against the World Stress Map 2016 (WSM2016) and the observation-based residual topography. We derive the upper mantle thermal structure from either a heat flow model combined with a seafloor age model (TM1) or a global S-wave velocity model (TM2). We show that lateral density heterogeneities in the upper 300 km have a limited influence on the modeled horizontal stress field as opposed to the resulting dynamic topography that appears more sensitive to such heterogeneities. The modeled stress field directions, using only the mantle heterogeneities below 300 km, are not perturbed much when the effects of lithosphere and crust above 300 km are added. In contrast, modeled stress magnitudes and dynamic topography are to a greater extent controlled by the upper mantle density structure. After correction for the chemical depletion of continents, the TM2 model leads to a much better fit with the observed residual topography giving a good correlation of 0.51 in continents, but this correction leads to no significant improvement of the fit between the WSM2016 and the resulting lithosphere stresses. In continental regions with abundant heat flow data, TM1 results in relatively small angular misfits. For example, in western Europe the misfit between the modeled and observation-based stress is 18.3°. Our findings emphasize that the relative contributions coming from shallow and deep mantle dynamic forces are quite different for the lithospheric stress field and dynamic topography. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/se-9-649-2018 SN - 1869-9510 SN - 1869-9529 VL - 9 IS - 3 SP - 649 EP - 668 PB - Copernicus CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tutu, Anthony Osei A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Steinberger, Bernhard A1 - Popov, A. A. A1 - Rogozhina, Irina T1 - Evaluating the Influence of Plate Boundary Friction and Mantle Viscosity on Plate Velocities JF - Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems N2 - Lithospheric plates move over the low-viscosity asthenosphere balancing several forces, which generate plate motions. We use a global 3-D lithosphere-asthenosphere model (SLIM3D) with visco-elasto-plastic rheology coupled to a spectral model of mantle flow at 300 km depth to quantify the influence of intra-plate friction and asthenospheric viscosity on plate velocities. We account for the brittle-ductile deformation at plate boundaries (yield stress) using a plate boundary friction coefficient to predict the present-day plate motion and net rotation of the lithospheric plates. Previous modeling studies have suggested that small friction coefficients (mu < 0.1, yield stress similar to 100 MPa) can lead to plate tectonics in models of mantle convection. Here we show that in order to match the observed present-day plate motion and net rotation, the frictional parameter must be less than 0.05. We obtain a good fit with the magnitude and orientation of the observed plate velocities (NUVEL-1A) in a no-net-rotation (NNR) reference frame with mu < 0.05 and a minimum asthenosphere viscosity of similar to 5 . 10(19) Pas to 10(20) Pas. Our estimates of net rotation (NR) of the lith-osphere suggest that amplitudes similar to 0.1-0.2 (degrees/Ma), similar to most observation-based estimates, can be obtained with asthenosphere viscosity cutoff values of similar to 10(19) Pas to 5 . 10(19) Pas and friction coefficients mu < 0.05. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GC007112 SN - 1525-2027 VL - 19 IS - 3 SP - 642 EP - 666 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baes, Marzieh A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Quinteros, Javier T1 - Subduction initiation in mid-ocean induced by mantle suction flow JF - Geophysical journal international N2 - Pre-existing weakness zones in the lithosphere such as transform faults/fracture zones and extinct mid-oceanic ridges have been suggested to facilitate subduction initiation in an intra-oceanic environment. Here, we propose that the additional forcing coming from the mantle suction flow is required to trigger the conversion of a fracture zone/transform fault into a converging plate boundary. This suction flow can be induced either from the slab remnants of former converging plate boundaries or/and from slabs of neighbouring active subduction zones. Using 2-D coupled thermo-mechanical models, we show that a sufficiently strong mantle flow is able to convert a fracture zone/transform fault into a subduction zone. However, this process is feasible only if the fracture zone/transform fault is very close to the mid-oceanic ridge. Our numerical model results indicate that time of subduction initiation depends on the velocity, domain size and location of mantle suction flow and age of the oceanic plate. KW - Numerical modelling KW - Subduction zone processes KW - oceanic transform and fracture zone processes Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggy335 SN - 0956-540X SN - 1365-246X VL - 215 IS - 3 SP - 1515 EP - 1522 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Brown, Michael T1 - Surface erosion events controlled the evolution of plate tectonics on Earth JF - Nature : international weekly journal of science N2 - Plate tectonics is among the most important geological processes on Earth, but its emergence and evolution remain unclear. Here we extrapolate models of present-day plate tectonics to the past and propose that since about three billion years ago the rise of continents and the accumulation of sediments at continental edges and in trenches has provided lubrication for the stabilization of subduction and has been crucial in the development of plate tectonics on Earth. We conclude that the two largest surface erosion and subduction lubrication events occurred after the Palaeoproterozoic Huronian global glaciations (2.45 to 2.2 billion years ago), leading to the formation of the Columbia supercontinent, and after the Neoproterozoic ‘snowball’ Earth glaciations (0.75 to 0.63 billion years ago). The snowball Earth event followed the ‘boring billion’—a period of reduced plate tectonic activity about 1.75 to 0.75 billion years ago that was probably caused by a shortfall of sediments in trenches—and it kick-started the modern episode of active plate tectonics. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1258-4 SN - 0028-0836 SN - 1476-4687 VL - 570 IS - 7759 SP - 52 EP - + PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mulyukova, Elvira A1 - Steinberger, Bernhard A1 - Dabrowski, Marcin A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir T1 - Survival of LLSVPs for billions of years in a vigorously convecting mantle: Replenishment and destruction of chemical anomaly JF - Journal of geophysical research : Solid earth N2 - We study segregation of the subducted oceanic crust (OC) at the core-mantle boundary and its ability to accumulate and form large thermochemical piles (such as the seismically observed Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs)). Our high-resolution numerical simulations of thermochemical mantle convection suggest that the longevity of LLSVPs for up to three billion years, and possibly longer, can be ensured by a balance in the rate of segregation of high-density OC material to the core-mantle boundary (CMB) and the rate of its entrainment away from the CMB by mantle upwellings. For a range of parameters tested in this study, a large-scale compositional anomaly forms at the CMB, similar in shape and size to the LLSVPs. Neutrally buoyant thermochemical piles formed by mechanical stirringwhere thermally induced negative density anomaly is balanced by the presence of a fraction of dense anomalous materialbest resemble the geometry of LLSVPs. Such neutrally buoyant piles tend to emerge and survive for at least 3Gyr in simulations with quite different parameters. We conclude that for a plausible range of values of density anomaly of OC material in the lower mantleit is likely that it segregates to the CMB, gets mechanically mixed with the ambient material, and forms neutrally buoyant large-scale compositional anomalies similar in shape to the LLSVPs. KW - LLSVPs KW - thermochemical modeling KW - segregating oceanic crust KW - mantle convection Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JB011688 SN - 2169-9313 SN - 2169-9356 VL - 120 IS - 5 SP - 3824 EP - 3847 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dannberg, Juliane A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir T1 - Low-buoyancy thermochemical plumes resolve controversy of classical mantle plume concept JF - Nature Communications N2 - The Earth's biggest magmatic events are believed to originate from massive melting when hot mantle plumes rising from the lowermost mantle reach the base of the lithosphere. Classical models predict large plume heads that cause kilometre-scale surface uplift, and narrow (100 km radius) plume tails that remain in the mantle after the plume head spreads below the lithosphere. However, in many cases, such uplifts and narrow plume tails are not observed. Here using numerical models, we show that the issue can be resolved if major mantle plumes contain up to 15-20% of recycled oceanic crust in a form of dense eclogite, which drastically decreases their buoyancy and makes it depth dependent. We demonstrate that, despite their low buoyancy, large enough thermochemical plumes can rise through the whole mantle causing only negligible surface uplift. Their tails are bulky (4200 km radius) and remain in the upper mantle for 100 millions of years. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7960 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 6 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Petrunin, Alexey G. A1 - Rioseco, Ernesto Meneses A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Weber, Michael H. T1 - Thermomechanical model reconciles contradictory geophysical observations at the Dead Sea Basin JF - Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems N2 - The Dead Sea Transform (DST) comprises a boundary between the African and Arabian plates. During the last 15-20 m.y. more than 100 km of left lateral transform displacement has been accumulated on the DST and about 10 km thick Dead Sea Basin (DSB) was formed in the central part of the DST. Widespread igneous activity since some 20 Ma ago and especially in the last 5 m.y., thin (60-80 km) lithosphere constrained by seismic data and absence of seismicity below the Moho, seem to be quite natural for this tectonically active plate boundary. However, surface heat flow values of less than 50-60 mW/m(2) and deep seismicity in the lower crust (deeper than 20 km) reported for this region are apparently inconsistent with the tectonic settings specific for an active continental plate boundary and with the crustal structure of the DSB. To address these inconsistencies which comprise what we call the "DST heat-flow paradox," we have developed a numerical model that assumes an erosion of initially thick and cold lithosphere just before or during the active faulting at the DST. The optimal initial conditions for the model are defined using transient thermal analysis. From the results of our numerical experiments we conclude that the entire set of observations for the DSB can be explained within the classical pull-apart model assuming that the lithosphere has been thermally eroded at about 20 Ma and the uppermost mantle in the region have relatively weak rheology consistent with experimental data for wet olivine or pyroxenite. KW - heat flow KW - pull-apart basin KW - tectonophysics KW - thermomechanical modeling KW - transform fault Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GC003929 SN - 1525-2027 VL - 13 IS - 8 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yuan, X. H A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Kind, Rainer A1 - Oncken, Onno A1 - Bock, Günter A1 - Asch, Günter A1 - Schurr, B. A1 - Gräber, F. A1 - Rudloff, Alexander A1 - Hanka, W. A1 - Wylegalla, Kurt A1 - Tibi, R. A1 - Haberland, Christian A1 - Rietbrock, Andreas A1 - Giese, Peter A1 - Wigger, Peter A1 - Rower, P. A1 - Zandt, G. A1 - Beck, S. A1 - Wallace, T. A1 - Pardo, M. A1 - Comte, D. T1 - Subduction and collision processes in the Central Andes constrained by converted seismic phases Y1 - 2000 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Muldashev, Iskander A. T1 - Modeling Seismic Cycles of Great Megathrust Earthquakes Across the Scales With Focus at Postseismic Phase JF - Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GC007230 SN - 1525-2027 VL - 18 SP - 4387 EP - 4408 PB - American Geophysical Union CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Koulakov, Ivan A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Weber, Bernd A1 - Oreshin, Sergey A1 - Wylegalla, Kurt A1 - Hofstetter, Rami T1 - Teleseismic tomography reveals no signature of the Dead Sea Transform in the upper mantle structure JF - Earth and planetary science letters N2 - We present results of a tomographic inversion of teleseismic data recorded at 48 stations of a temporary network which was installed in the area of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) and operated for 1 yr in the framework of the multidisciplinary DESERT Project. The 3366 teleseismic P and PKP phases from 135 events were hand picked and corrected for surface topography and crustal thickness. The inversion shows pronounced low-velocity anomalies in the crust, beneath the DST, which are consistent with recent results from local-source tomography. These anomalies are likely related to the young sediments and fractured rocks in the fault zone. The deeper the retrieved anomalies are quite weak. Most prominent is the high-velocity strip-like anomaly striking SE-NW. We attribute this anomaly to the inherited heterogeneity of lithospheric structure, with a possible contribution by the shallow Precambrian basement east of the DST and to lower crustal heterogeneity reported in this region by other seismic studies. We do not observe reliable signature of the DST in the upper mantle structure. Some weak indications of low-velocity anomalies in the upper mantle beneath the DST may well result from the down-smearing of the strong upper crustal anomalies. We also see very little topography of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath the DST, which would generate significant horizontal velocity variations. These results are consistent with predictions from a recent thereto-mechanical model of the DST. Our tomographic model provides some indication of hot mantle flow from the deeper upper mantle rooted in the region of the Red Sea. However, resolution tests show that this anomaly may well be beyond resolution of the model. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - teleseismic tomography KW - Dead Sea Transform KW - lithosphere KW - asthenosphere KW - tectonophysics Y1 - 2006 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2006.09.039 SN - 0012-821X VL - 252 IS - 1-2 SP - 189 EP - 200 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baes, Marzieh A1 - Gerya, Taras V. A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir T1 - 3-D thermo-mechanical modeling of plume-induced subduction initiation JF - Earth & planetary science letters N2 - Here, we study the 3-D subduction initiation process induced by the interaction between a hot thermochemical mantle plume and oceanic lithosphere using thermo-mechanical viscoplastic finite difference marker-in-cell models. Our numerical modeling results show that self-sustaining subduction is induced by plume-lithosphere interaction when the plume is sufficiently buoyant, the oceanic lithosphere is sufficiently old and the plate is weak enough to allow the buoyant plume to. pass through it. Subduction initiation occurs following penetration of the lithosphere by the hot plume and the downward displacement of broken, nearly circular segments of lithosphere (proto-slabs) as a result of partially molten plume rocks overriding the proto-slabs. Our experiments show four different deformation regimes in response to plume-lithosphere interaction: a) self-sustaining subduction initiation, in which subduction becomes self-sustaining; b) frozen subduction initiation, in which subduction stops at shallow depths; c) slab break-off, in which the subducting circular slab breaks off soon after formation; and d) plume underplating, in which the plume does not pass through the lithosphere and instead spreads beneath it (i.e., failed subduction initiation). These regimes depend on several parameters, such as the size, composition, and temperature of the plume, the brittle/plastic strength and age of the oceanic lithosphere, and the presence/absence of lithospheric heterogeneities. The results show that subduction initiates and becomes self-sustaining when the lithosphere is older than 10 Myr and the non dimensional ratio of the plume buoyancy force and lithospheric strength above the plume is higher than approximately 2. The outcomes of our numerical experiments are applicable for subduction initiation in the modern and Precambrian Earth and for the origin of plume-related corona structures on Venus. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - subduction initiation KW - mantle plume KW - oceanic lithosphere KW - numerical models Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.08.023 SN - 0012-821X SN - 1385-013X VL - 453 SP - 193 EP - 203 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gerya, Taras V. A1 - Stern, Robert J. A1 - Baes, Marzieh A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Whattam, Scott A. T1 - Plate tectonics on the Earth triggered by plume-induced subduction initiation JF - Nature : the international weekly journal of science N2 - Scientific theories of how subduction and plate tectonics began on Earth-and what the tectonic structure of Earth was before this-remain enigmatic and contentious(1). Understanding viable scenarios for the onset of subduction and plate tectonics(2,3) is hampered by the fact that subduction initiation processes must have been markedly different before the onset of global plate tectonics because most present-day subduction initiation mechanisms require acting plate forces and existing zones of lithospheric weakness, which are both consequences of plate tectonics(4). However, plume-induced subduction initiation(5-9) could have started the first subduction zone without the help of plate tectonics. Here, we test this mechanism using high-resolution three-dimensional numerical thermomechanical modelling. We demonstrate that three key physical factors combine to trigger self-sustained subduction: (1) a strong, negatively buoyant oceanic lithosphere; (2) focused magmatic weakening and thinning of lithosphere above the plume; and (3) lubrication of the slab interface by hydrated crust. We also show that plume-induced subduction could only have been feasible in the hotter early Earth for old oceanic plates. In contrast, younger plates favoured episodic lithospheric drips rather than self-sustained subduction and global plate tectonics. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/nature15752 SN - 0028-0836 SN - 1476-4687 VL - 527 IS - 7577 SP - 221 EP - + PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - GEN A1 - Baes, Marzieh A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Gerya, Taras V. A1 - Brune, Sascha T1 - Plume-induced subduction initiation BT - Single-slab or multi-slab subduction? T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - Initiation of subduction following the impingement of a hot buoyant mantle plume is one of the few scenarios that allow breaking the lithosphere and recycling a stagnant lid without requiring any preexisting weak zones. Here, we investigate factors controlling the number and shape of retreating subducting slabs formed by plume-lithosphere interaction. Using 3-D thermomechanical models we show that the deformation regime, which defines formation of single-slab or multi-slab subduction, depends on several parameters such as age of oceanic lithosphere, thickness of the crust and large-scale lithospheric extension rate. Our model results indicate that on present-day Earth multi-slab plume-induced subduction is initiated only if the oceanic lithosphere is relatively young (<30-40 Myr, but >10 Myr), and the crust has a typical thickness of 8 km. In turn, development of single-slab subduction is facilitated by older lithosphere and pre-imposed extensional stresses. In early Earth, plume-lithosphere interaction could have led to formation of either episodic short-lived circular subduction when the oceanic lithosphere was young or to multi-slab subduction when the lithosphere was old. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 1167 KW - subduction zone KW - plume KW - numerical model KW - singleslab KW - multi-slab Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-522742 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weber, Michael H. A1 - Abu-Ayyash, Khalil A1 - Abueladas, Abdel-Rahman A1 - Agnon, Amotz A1 - Al-Amoush, H. A1 - Babeyko, Andrey A1 - Bartov, Yosef A1 - Baumann, M. A1 - Ben-Avraham, Zvi A1 - Bock, Günter A1 - Bribach, Jens A1 - El-Kelani, R. A1 - Forster, A. A1 - Förster, Hans-Jürgen A1 - Frieslander, U. A1 - Garfunkel, Zvi A1 - Grunewald, Steffen A1 - Gotze, Hans-Jürgen A1 - Haak, Volker A1 - Haberland, Christian A1 - Hassouneh, Mohammed A1 - Helwig, S. A1 - Hofstetter, Alfons A1 - Jackel, K. H. A1 - Kesten, Dagmar A1 - Kind, Rainer A1 - Maercklin, Nils A1 - Mechie, James A1 - Mohsen, Amjad A1 - Neubauer, F. M. A1 - Oberhänsli, Roland A1 - Qabbani, I. A1 - Ritter, O. A1 - Rumpker, G. A1 - Rybakov, M. A1 - Ryberg, Trond A1 - Scherbaum, Frank A1 - Schmidt, J. A1 - Schulze, A. A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Stiller, M. A1 - Th, T1 - The crustal structure of the Dead Sea Transform N2 - To address one of the central questions of plate tectonics-How do large transform systems work and what are their typical features?-seismic investigations across the Dead Sea Transform (DST), the boundary between the African and Arabian plates in the Middle East, were conducted for the first time. A major component of these investigations was a combined reflection/ refraction survey across the territories of Palestine, Israel and Jordan. The main results of this study are: (1) The seismic basement is offset by 3-5 km under the DST, (2) The DST cuts through the entire crust, broadening in the lower crust, (3) Strong lower crustal reflectors are imaged only on one side of the DST, (4) The seismic velocity sections show a steady increase in the depth of the crust-mantle transition (Moho) from 26 km at the Mediterranean to 39 km under the Jordan highlands, with only a small but visible, asymmetric topography of the Moho under the DST. These observations can be linked to the left-lateral movement of 105 km of the two plates in the last 17 Myr, accompanied by strong deformation within a narrow zone cutting through the entire crust. Comparing the DST and the San Andreas Fault (SAF) system, a strong asymmetry in subhorizontal lower crustal reflectors and a deep reaching deformation zone both occur around the DST and the SAF. The fact that such lower crustal reflectors and deep deformation zones are observed in such different transform systems suggests that these structures are possibly fundamental features of large transform plate boundaries Y1 - 2004 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ibarra, Federico A1 - Liu, Sibiao A1 - Meeßen, Christian A1 - Prezzi, Claudia Beatriz A1 - Bott, Judith A1 - Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Strecker, Manfred T1 - 3D data-derived lithospheric structure of the Central Andes and its implications for deformation: Insights from gravity and geodynamic modelling JF - Tectonophysics : international journal of geotectonics and the geology and physics of the interior of the earth N2 - We present a new three-dimensional density model of the Central Andes characterizing the structure and composition of the lithosphere together with a geodynamic simulation subjected to continental intraplate shortening. The principal aim of this study is to assess the link between heterogeneities in the lithosphere and different deformation patterns and styles along the orogen-foreland system of the Central Andes. First, we performed a 3D integration of new geological and geophysical data with previous models through forward modelling of Bouguer anomalies. Subsequently, a geodynamic model was set-up and parametrized from the previously obtained 3D structure and composition. We do not find a unambigous correlation between the resulting density configuration and terrane boundaries proposed by other authors. Our models reproduce the observed Bouguer anomaly and deformation patterns in the foreland. We find that thin-skinned deformation in the Subandean fold-and thrust belt is controlled by a thick sedimentary layer and coeval underthrusting of thin crust of the foreland beneath the thick crust of the Andean Plateau. In the adjacent thick-skinned deformation province of the inverted Cretaceous extensional Santa Barbara System sedimentary strata are much thinner and crustal thickness transitions from greater values in the Andean to a more reduced thickness in the foreland. Our results show that deformation processes occur where the highest gradients of lithospheric strength are present between the orogen and the foreland, thus suggesting a spatial correlation between deformation and lithospheric strength. KW - Central Andes KW - Lithospheric structure KW - Gravity modelling KW - Geodynamic modelling KW - Deformation Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2019.06.025 SN - 0040-1951 SN - 1879-3266 VL - 766 SP - 453 EP - 468 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oncken, Onno A1 - Luschen, Ewald A1 - Mechie, James A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Schulze, Albrecht A1 - Gaedicke, Christoph A1 - Grunewald, Steffen A1 - Bribach, Jens A1 - Asch, Günter A1 - Giese, Peter A1 - Wigger, Peter A1 - Schmitz, Michael A1 - Lueth, Stefan A1 - Scheuber, Ekkehard A1 - Haberland, Christian A1 - Rietbrock, Andreas A1 - Götze, Hans-Jürgen A1 - Brasse, Heinrich A1 - Patzwahl, Regina A1 - Chong, Guillermo A1 - Wilke, Hans-Gerhard A1 - Gonzalez, Gabriel A1 - Jensen, Arturo A1 - Araneda, Manuel A1 - Vieytes, Hugo A1 - Behn, Gerardo A1 - Martinez, Eloy T1 - Seismic reflection image revealing offset of Andean subduction-zone earthquake locations into oceanic mantle Y1 - 1999 ER -