Syncollisional delamination and tectonic wedge development in convergent orogens

Abstract

Delamination of the lower crust and lithospheric mantle has occurred in several convergent orogens, most notably the Alps and Pyrenees. Some workers suggest that the process is mechanically similar to tectonic wedging and triangle-zone development, and dependent on the pattern of mechanical layering. A search of over 35 orogens that have been explored by geophysical techniques showed that no correlation exists between crustal composition and delamination. Delamination of passive subducting plate margins is more common than that of tectonically and/or volcanically active overriding margins. Estimates show that the lithospheric mantle of cool passive margins may contain greater net negatively buoyant mass than warmer active margins. The top of the lower lithospheric layer containing the greatest net negatively buoyant mass is aligned with a weak zone near the Moho. Passive margin lithosphere thus has a greater tendency to delaminate during a collisional event than active margin lithosphere. For delamination to initiate above the Moho, the lower crust must be subducted or depressed to allow for exposure to eclogite grade conditions. Transformation of the mafic lower crust to mafic eclogite also creates a likely delamination horizon above a lower lithospheric layer containing net negatively buoyant mass aligned with a weak zone in the lithosphere. In contrast to the stratigraphic delamination that is key to the development of small-scale wedge structures, syncollisional delamination is likely to occur in response to an increase in the lateral tectonic stress on a weak horizon already stressed by net negatively buoyant mass in the lower lithosphere. Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.