Articles | Volume 15, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-807-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-807-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
09 Jul 2024
Research article |
| 09 Jul 2024
| 09 Jul 2024
Rift and plume: a discussion on active and passive rifting mechanisms in the Afro-Arabian rift based on synthesis of geophysical data
Ran Issachar
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute for Geosciences, Geophysics, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel
Peter Haas
Institute for Geosciences, Geophysics, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
Nico Augustin
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
Jörg Ebbing
Institute for Geosciences, Geophysics, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
Related authors
No articles found.
Peter Haas, Myron F. H. Thomas, Christian Heine, Jörg Ebbing, Andrey Seregin, and Jimmy van Itterbeeck
Solid Earth, 15, 1419–1443, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1419-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1419-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Transform faults are conservative plate boundaries where no material is added or destroyed. Oceanic fracture zones are their inactive remnants and record tectonic processes that formed oceanic crust. In this study, we combine high-resolution data sets along fracture zones in the Gulf of Guinea to demonstrate that their formation is characterized by increased metamorphic conditions. This is in line with previous studies that describe the non-conservative character of transform faults.
Judith Freienstein, Wolfgang Szwillus, Agnes Wansing, and Jörg Ebbing
Solid Earth, 15, 513–533, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-513-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-513-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Geothermal heat flow influences ice sheet dynamics, making its investigation important for ice-covered regions. Here we evaluate the sparse measurements for their agreement with regional solid Earth models, as well as with a statistical approach. This shows that some points should be excluded from regional studies. In particular, the NGRIP point, which strongly influences heat flow maps and the distribution of high basal melts, should be statistically considered an outlier.
Angelika Graiff, Matthias Braun, Amelie Driemel, Jörg Ebbing, Hans-Peter Grossart, Tilmann Harder, Joseph I. Hoffman, Boris Koch, Florian Leese, Judith Piontek, Mirko Scheinert, Petra Quillfeldt, Jonas Zimmermann, and Ulf Karsten
Polarforschung, 91, 45–57, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-91-45-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-91-45-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
There are many approaches to better understanding Antarctic processes that generate very large data sets (
Antarctic big data). For these large data sets there is a pressing need for improved data acquisition, curation, integration, service, and application to support fundamental scientific research, and this article describes and evaluates the current status of big data in various Antarctic scientific disciplines, identifies current gaps, and provides solutions to fill these gaps.
William Colgan, Agnes Wansing, Kenneth Mankoff, Mareen Lösing, John Hopper, Keith Louden, Jörg Ebbing, Flemming G. Christiansen, Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen, Lillemor Claesson Liljedahl, Joseph A. MacGregor, Árni Hjartarson, Stefan Bernstein, Nanna B. Karlsson, Sven Fuchs, Juha Hartikainen, Johan Liakka, Robert S. Fausto, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Anders Bjørk, Jens-Ove Naslund, Finn Mørk, Yasmina Martos, Niels Balling, Thomas Funck, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Dorthe Petersen, Ulrik Gregersen, Gregers Dam, Tove Nielsen, Shfaqat A. Khan, and Anja Løkkegaard
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2209–2238, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2209-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2209-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We assemble all available geothermal heat flow measurements collected in and around Greenland into a new database. We use this database of point measurements, in combination with other geophysical datasets, to model geothermal heat flow in and around Greenland. Our geothermal heat flow model is generally cooler than previous models of Greenland, especially in southern Greenland. It does not suggest any high geothermal heat flows resulting from Icelandic plume activity over 50 million years ago.
Igor Ognev, Jörg Ebbing, and Peter Haas
Solid Earth, 13, 431–448, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-431-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new 3D crustal model of Volgo–Uralia, an eastern segment of the East European craton. We built this model by processing the satellite gravity data and using prior crustal thickness estimation from regional seismic studies to constrain the results. The modelling revealed a high-density body on the top of the mantle and otherwise reflected the main known features of the Volgo–Uralian crustal architecture. We plan to use the obtained model for further geothermal analysis of the region.
Pavol Zahorec, Juraj Papčo, Roman Pašteka, Miroslav Bielik, Sylvain Bonvalot, Carla Braitenberg, Jörg Ebbing, Gerald Gabriel, Andrej Gosar, Adam Grand, Hans-Jürgen Götze, György Hetényi, Nils Holzrichter, Edi Kissling, Urs Marti, Bruno Meurers, Jan Mrlina, Ema Nogová, Alberto Pastorutti, Corinne Salaun, Matteo Scarponi, Josef Sebera, Lucia Seoane, Peter Skiba, Eszter Szűcs, and Matej Varga
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 2165–2209, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2165-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2165-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The gravity field of the Earth expresses the overall effect of the distribution of different rocks at depth with their distinguishing densities. Our work is the first to present the high-resolution gravity map of the entire Alpine orogen, for which high-quality land and sea data were reprocessed with the exact same calculation procedures. The results reflect the local and regional structure of the Alpine lithosphere in great detail. The database is hereby openly shared to serve further research.
Maximilian Lowe, Jörg Ebbing, Amr El-Sharkawy, and Thomas Meier
Solid Earth, 12, 691–711, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-691-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-691-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study estimates the gravitational contribution from subcrustal density heterogeneities interpreted as subducting lithosphere beneath the Alps to the gravity field. We showed that those heterogeneities contribute up to 40 mGal of gravitational signal. Such density variations are often not accounted for in Alpine lithospheric models. We demonstrate that future studies should account for subcrustal density variations to provide a meaningful representation of the complex geodynamic Alpine area.
Wolfgang Szwillus, Jörg Ebbing, and Bernhard Steinberger
Solid Earth, 11, 1551–1569, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1551-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1551-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
At the bottom of the mantle (2850 km depth) two large volumes of reduced seismic velocity exist underneath Africa and the Pacific. Their reduced velocity can be explained by an increased temperature or a different chemical composition. We use the gravity field to determine the density distribution inside the Earth's mantle and find that it favors a distinct chemical composition over a purely thermal cause.
Cameron Spooner, Magdalena Scheck-Wenderoth, Hans-Jürgen Götze, Jörg Ebbing, György Hetényi, and the AlpArray Working Group
Solid Earth, 10, 2073–2088, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-2073-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-2073-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
By utilising both the observed gravity field of the Alps and their forelands and indications from deep seismic surveys, we were able to produce a 3-D structural model of the region that indicates the distribution of densities within the lithosphere. We found that the present-day Adriatic crust is both thinner and denser than the European crust and that the properties of Alpine crust are strongly linked to their provenance.
Related subject area
Subject area: Tectonic plate interactions, magma genesis, and lithosphere deformation at all scales | Editorial team: Structural geology and tectonics, paleoseismology, rock physics, experimental deformation | Discipline: Tectonics
On the role of trans-lithospheric faults in the long-term seismotectonic segmentation of active margins: a case study in the Andes
Along-strike variation in volcanic addition controlling post-breakup sedimentary infill: Pelotas margin, austral South Atlantic
Stress state at faults: the influence of rock stiffness contrast, stress orientation, and ratio
Interseismic and long-term deformation of southeastern Sicily driven by the Ionian slab roll-back
Propagating rifts: the roles of crustal damage and ascending mantle fluids
Cretaceous–Paleocene extension at the southwestern continental margin of India and opening of the Laccadive basin: constraints from geophysical data
Importance of basement faulting and salt decoupling for the structural evolution of the Fars Arc, Zagros fold-and-thrust belt: A numerical modeling approach
The influence of vertical lithological contrasts on strike-slip fault behavior: Insights from analogue models
Extensional exhumation of cratons: insights from the Early Cretaceous Rio Negro–Juruena belt (Amazonian Craton, Colombia)
Hydrogen solubility of stishovite provides insights into water transportation to the deep Earth
Networks of geometrically coherent faults accommodate Alpine tectonic inversion offshore southwestern Iberia
Melt-enhanced strain localization and phase mixing in a large-scale mantle shear zone (Ronda peridotite, Spain)
Selective inversion of rift basins in lithospheric-scale analogue experiments
The link between Somalian Plate rotation and the East African Rift System: an analogue modelling study
Inversion of extensional basins parallel and oblique to their boundaries: inferences from analogue models and field observations from the Dolomites Indenter, European eastern Southern Alps
Magnetic fabric analyses of basin inversion: a sandbox modelling approach
The influence of crustal strength on rift geometry and development – insights from 3D numerical modelling
Construction of the Ukrainian Carpathian wedge from low-temperature thermochronology and tectono-stratigraphic analysis
Analogue modelling of basin inversion: a review and future perspectives
Insights into the interaction of a shale with CO2
Tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Slyne Basin
Control of crustal strength, tectonic inheritance, and stretching/ shortening rates on crustal deformation and basin reactivation: insights from laboratory models
Late Cretaceous–early Palaeogene inversion-related tectonic structures at the northeastern margin of the Bohemian Massif (southwestern Poland and northern Czechia)
The analysis of slip tendency of major tectonic faults in Germany
Earthquake ruptures and topography of the Chilean margin controlled by plate interface deformation
Late Quaternary faulting in the southern Matese (Italy): implications for earthquake potential and slip rate variability in the southern Apennines
Rare earth elements associated with carbonatite–alkaline complexes in western Rajasthan, India: exploration targeting at regional scale
Structural complexities and tectonic barriers controlling recent seismic activity in the Pollino area (Calabria–Lucania, southern Italy) – constraints from stress inversion and 3D fault model building
The Mid Atlantic Appalachian Orogen Traverse: a comparison of virtual and on-location field-based capstone experiences
Chronology of thrust propagation from an updated tectono-sedimentary framework of the Miocene molasse (western Alps)
Orogenic lithosphere and slabs in the greater Alpine area – interpretations based on teleseismic P-wave tomography
Ground-penetrating radar signature of Quaternary faulting: a study from the Mt. Pollino region, southern Apennines, Italy
U–Pb dating of middle Eocene–Pliocene multiple tectonic pulses in the Alpine foreland
Detrital zircon provenance record of the Zagros mountain building from the Neotethys obduction to the Arabia–Eurasia collision, NW Zagros fold–thrust belt, Kurdistan region of Iraq
The Subhercynian Basin: an example of an intraplate foreland basin due to a broken plate
Late to post-Variscan basement segmentation and differential exhumation along the SW Bohemian Massif, central Europe
Holocene surface-rupturing earthquakes on the Dinaric Fault System, western Slovenia
Contribution of gravity gliding in salt-bearing rift basins – a new experimental setup for simulating salt tectonics under the influence of sub-salt extension and tilting
Thick- and thin-skinned basin inversion in the Danish Central Graben, North Sea – the role of deep evaporites and basement kinematics
Complex rift patterns, a result of interacting crustal and mantle weaknesses, or multiphase rifting? Insights from analogue models
Interactions of plutons and detachments: a comparison of Aegean and Tyrrhenian granitoids
Insights from elastic thermobarometry into exhumation of high-pressure metamorphic rocks from Syros, Greece
Stress rotation – impact and interaction of rock stiffness and faults
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene exhumation in central Europe – localized inversion vs. large-scale domal uplift
Kinematics and extent of the Piemont–Liguria Basin – implications for subduction processes in the Alps
Effects of basal drag on subduction dynamics from 2D numerical models
Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea
Long-wavelength late-Miocene thrusting in the north Alpine foreland: implications for late orogenic processes
A reconstruction of Iberia accounting for Western Tethys–North Atlantic kinematics since the late-Permian–Triassic
The enigmatic curvature of Central Iberia and its puzzling kinematics
Gonzalo Yanez C., Jose Piquer R., and Orlando Rivera H.
Solid Earth, 15, 1319–1342, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1319-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1319-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We postulate that the observed spatial distribution of large earthquakes in active convergence zones, organised in segments where large events are repeated every 100–300 years, depends on large-scale continental faults and fluid release from the subducting slab. In order to support this model, we use proxies at different spatial and temporal scales (historic seismicity, megathrust slip solutions, inter-seismic cumulative seismicity, GPS/viscous plate coupling, and coastline morphology).
Marlise C. Cassel, Nick Kusznir, Gianreto Manatschal, and Daniel Sauter
Solid Earth, 15, 1265–1279, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1265-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1265-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the along-strike variation in volcanics on the Pelotas segment of the Brazilian margin created during continental breakup and formation of the southern South Atlantic. We show that the volume of volcanics strongly controls the amount of space available for post-breakup sedimentation. We also show that breakup varies along-strike from very magma-rich to magma-normal within a relatively short distance of less than 300 km. This is not as expected from a simple mantle plume model.
Moritz O. Ziegler, Robin Seithel, Thomas Niederhuber, Oliver Heidbach, Thomas Kohl, Birgit Müller, Mojtaba Rajabi, Karsten Reiter, and Luisa Röckel
Solid Earth, 15, 1047–1063, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1047-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1047-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The rotation of the principal stress axes in a fault structure because of a rock stiffness contrast has been investigated for the impact of the ratio of principal stresses, the angle between principal stress axes and fault strike, and the ratio of the rock stiffness contrast. A generic 2D geomechanical model is employed for the systematic investigation of the parameter space.
Amélie Viger, Stéphane Dominguez, Stéphane Mazzotti, Michel Peyret, Maxime Henriquet, Giovanni Barreca, Carmelo Monaco, and Adrien Damon
Solid Earth, 15, 965–988, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-965-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-965-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
New satellite geodetic data (PS-InSAR) evidence a generalized subsidence and an eastward tilting of southeastern Sicily combined with a local relative uplift along its eastern coast. We perform flexural and elastic modeling and show that the slab pull force induced by the Ionian slab roll-back and extrado deformation reproduce the measured surface deformation. Finally, we propose an original seismic cycle model that is mainly driven by the southward migration of the Ionian slab roll-back.
Folarin Kolawole and Rasheed Ajala
Solid Earth, 15, 747–762, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-747-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-747-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the upper-crustal structure of the Rukwa–Tanganyika rift zone in East Africa, where the Tanganyika rift interacts with the Rukwa and Mweru-Wantipa rifts, coinciding with abundant seismicity at the rift tips. Seismic velocity structure and patterns of seismicity clustering reveal zones around 10 km deep with anomalously high Vp / Vs ratios at the rift tips, indicative of a localized mechanically weakened crust caused by mantle volatiles and damage associated with bending strain.
Mathews George Gilbert, Parakkal Unnikrishnan, and Munukutla Radhakrishna
Solid Earth, 15, 671–682, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-671-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-671-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study identifies evidence for extension south of Tellicherry Arch along the southwestern continental margin of India through the integrated analysis of multichannel seismic and gravity data. The sediment deposition pattern indicates that this extension occurred after the Eocene. We further propose that the anticlockwise rotation of India and the passage of the Réunion plume have facilitated the opening of the Laccadive basin.
Fatemeh Gomar, Jonas Bruno Ruh, Mahdi Najafi, and Farhad Sobouti
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1123, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1123, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study investigates the structural evolution of the Fars Arc in the Zagros Mountain by numerical modeling. We focus on the effects of the interaction between basement faults and salt décollement levels during tectonic inversion, including a rifting and a convergence phase. In conclusion, our results emphasize the importance of considering fault geometry, salt rheology, and basement involvement in understanding the resistance to deformation and seismic behavior of fold-thrust belts.
Sandra González-Muñoz, Guido Schreurs, Timothy Schmid, and Fidel Martín-González
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-852, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-852, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This work investigates the influence of vertical rheological contrasts on the nucleation and behavior of strike-slip faults, using analogue modelling. The introduction of rheological contrasts was achieved using quartz sand and microbeads grains. The study shows how the strike, type and evolution of the faults strongly depend on the characteristic of the lithology and its contact orientation. The results are comparable with the fault systems observed in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula.
Ana Fonseca, Simon Nachtergaele, Amed Bonilla, Stijn Dewaele, and Johan De Grave
Solid Earth, 15, 329–352, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-329-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-329-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the erosion and exhumation processes and history of early continental crust hidden within the Amazonian Rainforest. This crust forms part of the Amazonian Craton, an ancient continental fragment. Our surprising findings reveal the area underwent rapid early Cretaceous exhumation triggered by tectonic forces. This discovery challenges the traditional perception that cratons are stable and long-lived entities and shows they can deform readily under specific geological contexts.
Mengdan Chen, Changxin Yin, Danling Chen, Long Tian, Liang Liu, and Lei Kang
Solid Earth, 15, 215–227, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-215-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-215-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Stishovite remains stable under mantle conditions and can incorporate various amounts of water in its crystal structure. We provide a systematic review of previous studies on water in stishovite and propose a new model for water solubility of Al-bearing stishovite. Calculation results based on this model suggest that stishovite may effectively accommodate water from the breakdown of hydrous minerals and could make an important contribution to water enrichment in the mantle transition zone.
Tiago M. Alves
Solid Earth, 15, 39–62, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-39-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-39-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Alpine tectonic inversion is reviewed for southwestern Iberia, known for its historical earthquakes and tsunamis. High-quality 2D seismic data image 26 faults mapped to a depth exceeding 10 km. Normal faults accommodated important vertical uplift and shortening. They are 100–250 km long and may generate earthquakes with Mw > 8.0. Regions of Late Mesozoic magmatism comprise thickened, harder crust, forming lateral buttresses to compression and promoting the development of fold-and-thrust belts.
Sören Tholen, Jolien Linckens, and Gernold Zulauf
Solid Earth, 14, 1123–1154, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1123-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-1123-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Intense phase mixing with homogeneously distributed secondary phases and irregular grain boundaries and shapes indicates that metasomatism formed the microstructures predominant in the shear zone of the NW Ronda peridotite. Amphibole presence, olivine crystal orientations, and the consistency to the Beni Bousera peridotite (Morocco) point to OH-bearing metasomatism by small fractions of evolved melts. Results confirm a strong link between reactions and localized deformation in the upper mantle.
Anindita Samsu, Weronika Gorczyk, Timothy Chris Schmid, Peter Graham Betts, Alexander Ramsay Cruden, Eleanor Morton, and Fatemeh Amirpoorsaeed
Solid Earth, 14, 909–936, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-909-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-909-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
When a continent is pulled apart, it breaks and forms a series of depressions called rift basins. These basins lie above weakened crust that is then subject to intense deformation during subsequent tectonic compression. Our analogue experiments show that when a system of basins is squeezed in a direction perpendicular to the main trend of the basins, some basins rise up to form mountains while others do not.
Frank Zwaan and Guido Schreurs
Solid Earth, 14, 823–845, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-823-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-823-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The East African Rift System (EARS) is a major plate tectonic feature splitting the African continent apart. Understanding the tectonic processes involved is of great importance for societal and economic reasons (natural hazards, resources). Laboratory experiments allow us to simulate these large-scale processes, highlighting the links between rotational plate motion and the overall development of the EARS. These insights are relevant when studying other rift systems around the globe as well.
Anna-Katharina Sieberer, Ernst Willingshofer, Thomas Klotz, Hugo Ortner, and Hannah Pomella
Solid Earth, 14, 647–681, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-647-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-647-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Through analogue models and field observations, we investigate how inherited platform–basin geometries control strain localisation, style, and orientation of reactivated and new structures during inversion. Our study shows that the style of evolving thrusts and their changes along-strike are controlled by pre-existing rheological discontinuities. The results of this study are relevant for understanding inversion structures in general and for the European eastern Southern Alps in particular.
Thorben Schöfisch, Hemin Koyi, and Bjarne Almqvist
Solid Earth, 14, 447–461, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-447-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-447-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A magnetic fabric analysis provides information about the reorientation of magnetic grains and is applied to three sandbox models that simulate different stages of basin inversion. The analysed magnetic fabrics reflect the different developed structures and provide insights into the different deformed stages of basin inversion. It is a first attempt of applying magnetic fabric analyses to basin inversion sandbox models but shows the possibility of applying it to such models.
Thomas B. Phillips, John B. Naliboff, Ken J. W. McCaffrey, Sophie Pan, Jeroen van Hunen, and Malte Froemchen
Solid Earth, 14, 369–388, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-369-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-369-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Continental crust comprises bodies of varying strength, formed through numerous tectonic events. When subject to extension, these areas produce distinct rift and fault systems. We use 3D models to examine how rifts form above
strongand
weakareas of crust. We find that faults become more developed in weak areas. Faults are initially stopped at the boundaries with stronger areas before eventually breaking through. We relate our model observations to rift systems globally.
Marion Roger, Arjan de Leeuw, Peter van der Beek, Laurent Husson, Edward R. Sobel, Johannes Glodny, and Matthias Bernet
Solid Earth, 14, 153–179, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-153-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-153-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We study the construction of the Ukrainian Carpathians with LT thermochronology (AFT, AHe, and ZHe) and stratigraphic analysis. QTQt thermal models are combined with burial diagrams to retrieve the timing and magnitude of sedimentary burial, tectonic burial, and subsequent exhumation of the wedge's nappes from 34 to ∼12 Ma. Out-of-sequence thrusting and sediment recycling during wedge building are also identified. This elucidates the evolution of a typical wedge in a roll-back subduction zone.
Frank Zwaan, Guido Schreurs, Susanne J. H. Buiter, Oriol Ferrer, Riccardo Reitano, Michael Rudolf, and Ernst Willingshofer
Solid Earth, 13, 1859–1905, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1859-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1859-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
When a sedimentary basin is subjected to compressional tectonic forces after its formation, it may be inverted. A thorough understanding of such
basin inversionis of great importance for scientific, societal, and economic reasons, and analogue tectonic models form a key part of our efforts to study these processes. We review the advances in the field of basin inversion modelling, showing how the modelling results can be applied, and we identify promising venues for future research.
Eleni Stavropoulou and Lyesse Laloui
Solid Earth, 13, 1823–1841, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1823-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1823-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Shales are identified as suitable caprock formations for geolocigal CO2 storage thanks to their low permeability. Here, small-sized shale samples are studied under field-representative conditions with X-ray tomography. The geochemical impact of CO2 on calcite-rich zones is for the first time visualised, the role of pre-existing micro-fissures in the CO2 invasion trapping in the matererial is highlighted, and the initiation of micro-cracks when in contact with anhydrous CO2 is demonstrated.
Conor M. O'Sullivan, Conrad J. Childs, Muhammad M. Saqab, John J. Walsh, and Patrick M. Shannon
Solid Earth, 13, 1649–1671, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1649-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1649-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Slyne Basin is a sedimentary basin located offshore north-western Ireland. It formed through a long and complex evolution involving distinct periods of extension. The basin is subdivided into smaller basins, separated by deep structures related to the ancient Caledonian mountain-building event. These deep structures influence the shape of the basin as it evolves in a relatively unique way, where early faults follow these deep structures, but later faults do not.
Benjamin Guillaume, Guido M. Gianni, Jean-Jacques Kermarrec, and Khaled Bock
Solid Earth, 13, 1393–1414, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1393-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1393-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Under tectonic forces, the upper part of the crust can break along different types of faults, depending on the orientation of the applied stresses. Using scaled analogue models, we show that the relative magnitude of compressional and extensional forces as well as the presence of inherited structures resulting from previous stages of deformation control the location and type of faults. Our results gives insights into the tectonic evolution of areas showing complex patterns of deformation.
Andrzej Głuszyński and Paweł Aleksandrowski
Solid Earth, 13, 1219–1242, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1219-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1219-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Old seismic data recently reprocessed with modern software allowed us to study at depth the Late Cretaceous tectonic structures in the Permo-Mesozoic rock sequences in the Sudetes. The structures formed in response to Iberia collision with continental Europe. The NE–SW compression undulated the crystalline basement top and produced folds, faults and joints in the sedimentary cover. Our results are of importance for regional geology and in prospecting for deep thermal waters.
Luisa Röckel, Steffen Ahlers, Birgit Müller, Karsten Reiter, Oliver Heidbach, Andreas Henk, Tobias Hergert, and Frank Schilling
Solid Earth, 13, 1087–1105, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1087-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1087-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Reactivation of tectonic faults can lead to earthquakes and jeopardize underground operations. The reactivation potential is linked to fault properties and the tectonic stress field. We create 3D geometries for major faults in Germany and use stress data from a 3D geomechanical–numerical model to calculate their reactivation potential and compare it to seismic events. The reactivation potential in general is highest for NNE–SSW- and NW–SE-striking faults and strongly depends on the fault dip.
Nadaya Cubas, Philippe Agard, and Roxane Tissandier
Solid Earth, 13, 779–792, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-779-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-779-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Earthquake extent prediction is limited by our poor understanding of slip deficit patterns. From a mechanical analysis applied along the Chilean margin, we show that earthquakes are bounded by extensive plate interface deformation. This deformation promotes stress build-up, leading to earthquake nucleation; earthquakes then propagate along smoothed fault planes and are stopped by heterogeneously distributed deformation. Slip deficit patterns reflect the spatial distribution of this deformation.
Paolo Boncio, Eugenio Auciello, Vincenzo Amato, Pietro Aucelli, Paola Petrosino, Anna C. Tangari, and Brian R. Jicha
Solid Earth, 13, 553–582, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-553-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-553-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We studied the Gioia Sannitica normal fault (GF) within the southern Matese fault system (SMF) in southern Apennines (Italy). It is a fault with a long slip history that has experienced recent reactivation or acceleration. Present activity has resulted in late Quaternary fault scarps and Holocene surface faulting. The maximum slip rate is ~ 0.5 mm/yr. Activation of the 11.5 km GF or the entire 30 km SMF can produce up to M 6.2 or M 6.8 earthquakes, respectively.
Malcolm Aranha, Alok Porwal, Manikandan Sundaralingam, Ignacio González-Álvarez, Amber Markan, and Karunakar Rao
Solid Earth, 13, 497–518, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-497-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-497-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Rare earth elements (REEs) are considered critical mineral resources for future industrial growth due to their short supply and rising demand. This study applied an artificial-intelligence-based technique to target potential REE-deposit hosting areas in western Rajasthan, India. Uncertainties associated with the prospective targets were also estimated to aid decision-making. The presented workflow can be applied to similar regions elsewhere to locate potential zones of REE mineralisation.
Daniele Cirillo, Cristina Totaro, Giusy Lavecchia, Barbara Orecchio, Rita de Nardis, Debora Presti, Federica Ferrarini, Simone Bello, and Francesco Brozzetti
Solid Earth, 13, 205–228, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-205-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-13-205-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Pollino region is a highly seismic area of Italy. Increasing the geological knowledge on areas like this contributes to reducing risk and saving lives. We reconstruct the 3D model of the faults which generated the 2010–2014 seismicity integrating geological and seismological data. Appropriate relationships based on the dimensions of the activated faults suggest that they did not fully discharge their seismic potential and could release further significant earthquakes in the near future.
Steven Whitmeyer, Lynn Fichter, Anita Marshall, and Hannah Liddle
Solid Earth, 12, 2803–2820, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2803-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2803-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Field trips in the Stratigraphy, Structure, Tectonics (SST) course transitioned to a virtual format in Fall 2020, due to the COVID pandemic. Virtual field experiences (VFEs) were developed in web Google Earth and were evaluated in comparison with on-location field trips via an online survey. Students recognized the value of VFEs for revisiting outcrops and noted improved accessibility for students with disabilities. Potential benefits of hybrid field experiences were also indicated.
Amir Kalifi, Philippe Hervé Leloup, Philippe Sorrel, Albert Galy, François Demory, Vincenzo Spina, Bastien Huet, Frédéric Quillévéré, Frédéric Ricciardi, Daniel Michoux, Kilian Lecacheur, Romain Grime, Bernard Pittet, and Jean-Loup Rubino
Solid Earth, 12, 2735–2771, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2735-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2735-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Molasse deposits, deposited and deformed at the western Alpine front during the Miocene (23 to 5.6 Ma), record the chronology of that deformation. We combine the first precise chronostratigraphy (precision of ∼0.5 Ma) of the Miocene molasse, the reappraisal of the regional structure, and the analysis of growth deformation structures in order to document three tectonic phases and the precise chronology of thrust westward propagation during the second one involving the Belledonne basal thrust.
Mark R. Handy, Stefan M. Schmid, Marcel Paffrath, Wolfgang Friederich, and the AlpArray Working Group
Solid Earth, 12, 2633–2669, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2633-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2633-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
New images from the multi-national AlpArray experiment illuminate the Alps from below. They indicate thick European mantle descending beneath the Alps and forming blobs that are mostly detached from the Alps above. In contrast, the Adriatic mantle in the Alps is much thinner. This difference helps explain the rugged mountains and the abundance of subducted and exhumed units at the core of the Alps. The blobs are stretched remnants of old ocean and its margins that reach down to at least 410 km.
Maurizio Ercoli, Daniele Cirillo, Cristina Pauselli, Harry M. Jol, and Francesco Brozzetti
Solid Earth, 12, 2573–2596, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2573-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2573-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Past strong earthquakes can produce topographic deformations, often
memorizedin Quaternary sediments, which are typically studied by paleoseismologists through trenching. Using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR), we unveiled possible buried Quaternary faulting in the Mt. Pollino seismic gap region (southern Italy). We aim to contribute to seismic hazard assessment of an area potentially prone to destructive events as well as promote our workflow in similar contexts around the world.
Luca Smeraglia, Nathan Looser, Olivier Fabbri, Flavien Choulet, Marcel Guillong, and Stefano M. Bernasconi
Solid Earth, 12, 2539–2551, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2539-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2539-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we dated fault movements at geological timescales which uplifted the sedimentary successions of the Jura Mountains from below the sea level up to Earth's surface. To do so, we applied the novel technique of U–Pb geochronology on calcite mineralizations that precipitated on fault surfaces during times of tectonic activity. Our results document a time frame of the tectonic evolution of the Jura Mountains and provide new insight into the broad geological history of the Western Alps.
Renas I. Koshnaw, Fritz Schlunegger, and Daniel F. Stockli
Solid Earth, 12, 2479–2501, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2479-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2479-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
As continental plates collide, mountain belts grow. This study investigated the provenance of rocks from the northwestern segment of the Zagros mountain belt to unravel the convergence history of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. Provenance data synthesis and field relationships suggest that the Zagros Mountains developed as a result of the oceanic crust emplacement on the Arabian continental plate, followed by the Arabia–Eurasia collision and later uplift of the broader region.
David Hindle and Jonas Kley
Solid Earth, 12, 2425–2438, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2425-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2425-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Central western Europe underwent a strange episode of lithospheric deformation, resulting in a chain of small mountains that run almost west–east across the continent and that formed in the middle of a tectonic plate, not at its edges as is usually expected. Associated with these mountains, in particular the Harz in central Germany, are marine basins contemporaneous with the mountain growth. We explain how those basins came to be as a result of the mountains bending the adjacent plate.
Andreas Eberts, Hamed Fazlikhani, Wolfgang Bauer, Harald Stollhofen, Helga de Wall, and Gerald Gabriel
Solid Earth, 12, 2277–2301, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2277-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2277-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We combine gravity anomaly and topographic data with observations from thermochronology, metamorphic grades, and the granite inventory to detect patterns of basement block segmentation and differential exhumation along the southwestern Bohemian Massif. Based on our analyses, we introduce a previously unknown tectonic structure termed Cham Fault, which, together with the Pfahl and Danube shear zones, is responsible for the exposure of different crustal levels during late to post-Variscan times.
Christoph Grützner, Simone Aschenbrenner, Petra Jamšek
Rupnik, Klaus Reicherter, Nour Saifelislam, Blaž Vičič, Marko Vrabec, Julian Welte, and Kamil Ustaszewski
Solid Earth, 12, 2211–2234, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2211-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-2211-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Several large strike-slip faults in western Slovenia are known to be active, but most of them have not produced strong earthquakes in historical times. In this study we use geomorphology, near-surface geophysics, and fault excavations to show that two of these faults had surface-rupturing earthquakes during the Holocene. Instrumental and historical seismicity data do not capture the strongest events in this area.
Michael Warsitzka, Prokop Závada, Fabian Jähne-Klingberg, and Piotr Krzywiec
Solid Earth, 12, 1987–2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1987-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1987-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A new analogue modelling approach was used to simulate the influence of tectonic extension and tilting of the basin floor on salt tectonics in rift basins. Our results show that downward salt flow and gravity gliding takes place if the flanks of the rift basin are tilted. Thus, extension occurs at the basin margins, which is compensated for by reduced extension and later by shortening in the graben centre. These outcomes improve the reconstruction of salt-related structures in rift basins.
Torsten Hundebøl Hansen, Ole Rønø Clausen, and Katrine Juul Andresen
Solid Earth, 12, 1719–1747, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1719-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1719-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have analysed the role of deep salt layers during tectonic shortening of a group of sedimentary basins buried below the North Sea. Due to the ability of salt to flow over geological timescales, the salt layers are much weaker than the surrounding rocks during tectonic deformation. Therefore, complex structures formed mainly where salt was present in our study area. Our results align with findings from other basins and experiments, underlining the importance of salt tectonics.
Frank Zwaan, Pauline Chenin, Duncan Erratt, Gianreto Manatschal, and Guido Schreurs
Solid Earth, 12, 1473–1495, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1473-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1473-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We used laboratory experiments to simulate the early evolution of rift systems, and the influence of structural weaknesses left over from previous tectonic events that can localize new deformation. We find that the orientation and type of such weaknesses can induce complex structures with different orientations during a single phase of rifting, instead of requiring multiple rifting phases. These findings provide a strong incentive to reassess the tectonic history of various natural examples.
Laurent Jolivet, Laurent Arbaret, Laetitia Le Pourhiet, Florent Cheval-Garabédian, Vincent Roche, Aurélien Rabillard, and Loïc Labrousse
Solid Earth, 12, 1357–1388, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1357-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1357-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Although viscosity of the crust largely exceeds that of magmas, we show, based on the Aegean and Tyrrhenian Miocene syn-kinematic plutons, how the intrusion of granites in extensional contexts is controlled by crustal deformation, from magmatic stage to cold mylonites. We show that a simple numerical setup with partial melting in the lower crust in an extensional context leads to the formation of metamorphic core complexes and low-angle detachments reproducing the observed evolution of plutons.
Miguel Cisneros, Jaime D. Barnes, Whitney M. Behr, Alissa J. Kotowski, Daniel F. Stockli, and Konstantinos Soukis
Solid Earth, 12, 1335–1355, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1335-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1335-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Constraining the conditions at which rocks form is crucial for understanding geologic processes. For years, the conditions under which rocks from Syros, Greece, formed have remained enigmatic; yet these rocks are fundamental for understanding processes occurring at the interface between colliding tectonic plates (subduction zones). Here, we constrain conditions under which these rocks formed and show they were transported to the surface adjacent to the down-going (subducting) tectonic plate.
Karsten Reiter
Solid Earth, 12, 1287–1307, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1287-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-1287-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The influence and interaction of elastic material properties (Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio), density and low-friction faults on the resulting far-field stress pattern in the Earth's crust is tested with generic models. A Young's modulus contrast can lead to a significant stress rotation. Discontinuities with low friction in homogeneous models change the stress pattern only slightly, away from the fault. In addition, active discontinuities are able to compensate stress rotation.
Hilmar von Eynatten, Jonas Kley, István Dunkl, Veit-Enno Hoffmann, and Annemarie Simon
Solid Earth, 12, 935–958, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-935-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-935-2021, 2021
Eline Le Breton, Sascha Brune, Kamil Ustaszewski, Sabin Zahirovic, Maria Seton, and R. Dietmar Müller
Solid Earth, 12, 885–913, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-885-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-885-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The former Piemont–Liguria Ocean, which separated Europe from Africa–Adria in the Jurassic, opened as an arm of the central Atlantic. Using plate reconstructions and geodynamic modeling, we show that the ocean reached only 250 km width between Europe and Adria. Moreover, at least 65 % of the lithosphere subducted into the mantle and/or incorporated into the Alps during convergence in Cretaceous and Cenozoic times comprised highly thinned continental crust, while only 35 % was truly oceanic.
Lior Suchoy, Saskia Goes, Benjamin Maunder, Fanny Garel, and Rhodri Davies
Solid Earth, 12, 79–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-79-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-79-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We use 2D numerical models to highlight the role of basal drag in subduction force balance. We show that basal drag can significantly affect velocities and evolution in our simulations and suggest an explanation as to why there are no trends in plate velocities with age in the Cenozoic subduction record (which we extracted from recent reconstruction using GPlates). The insights into the role of basal drag will help set up global models of plate dynamics or specific regional subduction models.
William Bosworth and Gábor Tari
Solid Earth, 12, 59–77, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-59-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-12-59-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Many of the world's hydrocarbon resources are found in rifted sedimentary basins. Some rifts experience multiple phases of extension and inversion. This results in complicated oil and gas generation, migration, and entrapment histories. We present examples of basins in the Western Desert of Egypt and the western Black Sea that were inverted multiple times, sometimes separated by additional phases of extension. We then discuss how these complex deformation histories impact exploration campaigns.
Samuel Mock, Christoph von Hagke, Fritz Schlunegger, István Dunkl, and Marco Herwegh
Solid Earth, 11, 1823–1847, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1823-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1823-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Based on thermochronological data, we infer thrusting along-strike the northern rim of the Central Alps between 12–4 Ma. While the lithology influences the pattern of thrusting at the local scale, we observe that thrusting in the foreland is a long-wavelength feature occurring between Lake Geneva and Salzburg. This coincides with the geometry and dynamics of the attached lithospheric slab at depth. Thus, thrusting in the foreland is at least partly linked to changes in slab dynamics.
Paul Angrand, Frédéric Mouthereau, Emmanuel Masini, and Riccardo Asti
Solid Earth, 11, 1313–1332, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1313-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1313-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We study the Iberian plate motion, from the late Permian to middle Cretaceous. During this time interval, two oceanic systems opened. Geological evidence shows that the Iberian domain preserved the propagation of these two rift systems well. We use geological evidence and pre-existing kinematic models to propose a coherent kinematic model of Iberia that considers both the Neotethyan and Atlantic evolutions. Our model shows that the Europe–Iberia plate boundary was made of two rift systems.
Daniel Pastor-Galán, Gabriel Gutiérrez-Alonso, and Arlo B. Weil
Solid Earth, 11, 1247–1273, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1247-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1247-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Pangea was assembled during Devonian to early Permian times and resulted in a large-scale and winding orogeny that today transects Europe, northwestern Africa, and eastern North America. This orogen is characterized by an
Sshape corrugated geometry in Iberia. This paper presents the advances and milestones in our understanding of the geometry and kinematics of the Central Iberian curve from the last decade with particular attention paid to structural and paleomagnetic studies.
Cited articles
Abebe, T., Balestrieri, M. L., and Bigazzi, G.: The Central Main Ethiopian Rift is younger than 8 Ma: confirmation through apatite fission-track thermochronology, Terra Nova, 22, 470–476, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3121.2010.00968.x, 2010.
Akram, F., Garcia, M. A., and Puig, D.: Active contours driven by difference of Gaussians, Sci. Rep., 7, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14502-w, 2017.
Anderson, D. L.: The sublithospheric mantle as the source of continental flood basalts; the case against the continental lithosphere and plume head reservoirs, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 123, 269–280, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(94)90273-9, 1994.
Anderson, D. L.: Large Igneous Provinces, Delamination, and Fertile Mantle, Elements, 1, 271–275, https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.1.5.271, 2005.
Augustin, N., van der Zwan, F. M., Devey, C. W., and Brandsdóttir, B.: 13 million years of seafloor spreading throughout the Red Sea Basin, Nat. Commun., 12, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22586-2, 2021.
Audin, L., Quidelleur, X., Coulié, E., Courtillot, V., Gilder, S., Manighetti, I., Gillot, P.‐Y., Tapponnier, P., and Kidane, T.: Palaeomagnetism and K‐-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar ages in the Ali Sabieh area (Republic of Djibouti and Ethiopia): constraints on the mechanism of Aden ridge propagation into southeastern Afar during the last 10 Myr, Geophys. J. Int., 158, 327–345, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2004.02286.x, 2004.
Autin, J., Bellahsen, N., Leroy, S., Husson, L., Beslier, M. O., and d'Acremont, E.: The role of structural inheritance in oblique rifting: Insights from analogue models and application to the Gulf of Aden, Tectonophysics, 607, 51–64, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2013.05.041, 2013.
Barberi, F. and Varet, J.: Volcanism of Afar: Small-scale plate tectonics implications, GSA Bull., 88, 1251–1266, https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1977)88<1251:VOASPT>2.0.CO;2, 1977.
Bellahsen, N., Faccenna, C., Funiciello, F., Daniel, J. M., and Jolivet, L.: Why did Arabia separate from Africa? Insights from 3-D laboratory experiments, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 216, 365–381, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00516-8, 2003.
Bellahsen, N., Husson, L., Autin, J., Leroy, S., and D'Acremont, E.: The effect of thermal weakening and buoyancy forces on rift localization: Field evidences from the Gulf of Aden oblique rifting, Tectonophysics, 607, 80–97, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2013.05.042, 2013.
Bellieni, G., Visentin, E.J., Zanettin, B., Piccirillo, E. M., Radicati di Brozolo, F., and Rita, F.: Oligocene transitional tholeiitic magmatism in Northern turkana (Kenya): Comparison with the Coeval Ethiopian volcanism, Bull. Volcanol., 44, 411–427, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02600573, 1981.
Beyene, A. and Abdelsalam, M. G.: Tectonics of the Afar Depression: A review and synthesis, J. Afr. Earth Sci., 41, 41–59, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.03.003, 2005.
Bonini, M., Corti, G., Innocenti, F., Manetti, P., Mazzarini, F., Abebe, T., and Pecskay, Z.: Evolution of the Main Ethiopian Rift in the frame of Afar and Kenya rifts propagation, Tectonics, 24, TC1007, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004TC001680, 2005.
Bosworth, W.: Geological evolution of the Red Sea: historical background, review, and synthesis, in: In The Red Sea, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 45–78, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45201-1, 2015.
Bosworth, W. and Stockli, D. F.: Early magmatism in the greater Red Sea rift: Timing and significance, Can. J. Earth Sci., 53, 1158–1176, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2016-0019, 2016.
Bosworth, W., Huchon, P., and McClay, K.: The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Basins, J. Afr. Earth Sci., 43, 334–378, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.020, 2005.
Bridges, D. L., Mickus, K., Gao, S. S., Abdelsalam, M. G., and Alemu, A.: Magnetic stripes of a transitional continental rift in Afar, Geology, 40, 203–206, https://doi.org/10.1130/G32697.1, 2012.
Bryan, S. E. and Ferrari, L.: Large igneous provinces and silicic large igneous provinces: Progress in our understanding over the last 25 years, GSA Bull., 125, 1053–1078, https://doi.org/10.1130/B30820.1, 2013.
Buiter, S. J. H. and Torsvik, T. H.: A review of Wilson Cycle plate margins: A role for mantle plumes in continental break-up along sutures?, Gondwana Res., 26, 627–653, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GR.2014.02.007, 2014.
Burke, K.: The African Plate, S. Afr. J. Geol., 99, 341–409, https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-942801f20 (last access: 26 June 2024), 1996.
Burke, K. and Dewey, J. F.: Plume-generated triple junctions: key indicators in applying plate tectonics to old rocks, J. Geol., 81, 406–433, https://doi.org/10.1086/627882, 1973.
Campbell, I. H. and Griffiths, R. W.: Implications of mantle plume structure for the evolution of flood basalts, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 99, 79–93, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(90)90072-6, 1990.
Cande, S. C. and Stegman, D. R.: Indian and African plate motions driven by the push force of the Réunion plume head, Nature, 475, 47–52, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10174, 2011.
Carbotte, S. M., Smith, D. K., Cannat, M., and Klein, E. M.: Tectonic and magmatic segmentation of the Global Ocean Ridge System: A synthesis of observations, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 420, 249–295, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP420.5, 2016.
Chatterjee, S., Goswami, A., and Scotese, C. R.: The longest voyage: Tectonic, magmatic, and paleoclimatic evolution of the Indian plate during its northward flight from Gondwana to Asia, Gondwana Res., 23, 238–267, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2012.07.001, 2013.
Chorowicz, J.: The East African rift system, J. Afr. Earth Sci., 43, 379–410, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.019, 2005.
Collet, B., Taud, H., Parrot, J. F., Bonavia, F., and Chorowicz, J.: A new kinematic approach for the Danakil block using a Digital Elevation Model representation, Tectonophysics, 316, 343–357, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0040-1951(99)00263-2, 2000.
Corti, G.: Continental rift evolution: From rift initiation to incipient break-up in the Main Ethiopian Rift, East Africa, Earth-Sci. Rev., 96, 1–53, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.06.005, 2009.
Coulié, E., Quidelleur, X., Courtillot, V., Lefèvre, J. C., and Chiesa, S.: Comparative K-Ar and Ar/Ar dating of Ethiopian and Yemenite Oligocene volcanism: Implications for timing and duration of the Ethiopian traps, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 206, 477–492, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(02)01089-0, 2003.
Courtillot, V., Jaupart, C., Manighetti, I., Tapponnier, P., and Besse, J.: On causal links between flood basalts and continental breakup, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 166, 177–195, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(98)00282-9, 1999.
DeMets, C. and Merkouriev, S.: High-resolution estimates of Nubia-Somalia plate motion since 20 Ma from reconstructions of the Southwest Indian Ridge, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Geophys. J. Int., 207, 317–332, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw276, 2016.
Doubre, C., Deprez, A., Masson, F., Socquet, A., Lewi, E., Grandin, R., Nercessian, A., Ulrich, P., De Chabalier, J. B., Saad, I. and Abayazid, A.: Current deformation in Central Afar and triple junction kinematics deduced from GPS and InSAR measurements, Geophys. J. Int., 208, 936–953, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw434, 2017.
Duclaux, G., Huismans, R. S., and May, D. A.: Rotation, narrowing, and preferential reactivation of brittle structures during oblique rifting, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 531, 115952, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115952, 2020.
Dyer, R.: Using joint interactions to estimate paleostress ratios, J. Struct. Geol., 10, 685–699, https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8141(88)90076-4, 1988.
Ebinger, C. J., Keir, D., Bastow, I. D., Whaler, K., Hammond, J. O. S., Ayele, A., Miller, M. S., Tiberi, C., and Hautot, S.: Crustal Structure of Active Deformation Zones in Africa: Implications for Global Crustal Processes, Tectonics, 36, 3298–3332, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017TC004526, 2017.
Ernst, R. E.: Large igneous provinces, Cambridge Univ. Press, ISBN 0521871778, 2014.
Eyles, J. H. W., Illsley-Kemp, F., Keir, D., Ruch, J., and Jónsson, S.: Seismicity Associated With the Formation of a New Island in the Southern Red Sea, Front. Earth Sci., 6, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2018.00141, 2018.
Faccenna, C., Becker, T. W., Jolivet, L., and Keskin, M.: Mantle convection in the Middle East: Reconciling Afar upwelling, Arabia indentation and Aegean trench rollback, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 375, 254–269, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EPSL.2013.05.043, 2013.
Faccenna, C., Glišović, P., Forte, A., Becker, T. W., Garzanti, E., Sembroni, A., and Gvirtzman, Z.: Role of dynamic topography in sustaining the Nile River over 30 million years, Nat. Geosci., 12, 1012–1017, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0472-x, 2019.
Forsyth, D. and Uyeda, S.: On the relative importance of the driving forces of plate motion, Geophys. J. Int., 43, 163–200, 1975.
Fournier, M., Chamot‐Rooke, N., Petit, C., Huchon, P., Al‐Kathiri, A., Audin, L., Beslier, M. O., d'Acremont, E., Fabbri, O., Fleury, J. M., and Khanbari, K.: Arabia-Somalia plate kinematics, evolution of the Aden-OwenCarlsberg triple junction, and opening of the Gulf of Aden, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 115, 1–24, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JB006257, 2010.
François, T., Koptev, A., Cloetingh, S., Burov, E., and Gerya, T.: Plume-lithosphere interactions in rifted margin tectonic settings: Inferences from thermo-mechanical modelling, Tectonophysics, 746, 138–154, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2017.11.027, 2018.
Frizon De Lamotte, D., Fourdan, B., Leleu, S., Leparmentier, F., and De Clarens, P.: Style of rifting and the stages of Pangea breakup, Tectonics, 34, 1009–1029, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014TC003760, 2015.
Fromm, T., Planert, L., Jokat, W., Ryberg, T., Behrmann, J. H., Weber, M. H., and Haberland, C.: South Atlantic opening: A plume-induced breakup?, Geology, 43, 931–934, https://doi.org/10.1130/G36936.1, 2015.
Garfunkel, Z.: Tectonic setting of phanerozoic magmatism in Israel, Isr. J. Earth Sci., 38, 51–74, 1989.
Garfunkel, Z. and Beyth, M.: Constraints on the structural development of Afar imposed by the kinematics of the major surrounding plates, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 259, 23–42, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2006.259.01.04, 2006.
Gass, I. G., Mallick, D. I. J., and Cos, K. G.: Volcanic islands of the Red Sea, J. Geol. Soc., 129, 275–309, https://doi.org/10.1144/gsjgs.129.3.0275, 1973.
GEBCO Compilation Group: The GEBCO_2019 Grid: a continuous terrain model of the global oceans and land, GEBCO Compilation Group GEBCO 2021 Grid [data set], https://doi.org/10.5285/c6612cbe-50b3-0cff-e053-6c86abc09f8f, 2021.
Geoffroy, L.: Volcanic passive margins, C. R. Geosci., 337, 1395–1408, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CRTE.2005.10.006, 2005.
George, R., Rogers, N., and Kelley, S.: Earliest magmatism in Ethiopia: Evidence for two mantle plumes in one flood basalt province, Geology, 26, 923–926, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0923:EMIEEF>2.3.CO;2, 1998.
Giannerini, G., Campredon, R., Feraud, G., and Abou Zakhem, B.: Deformations intraplaques et volcanisme associe; exemple de la bordure NW de la plaque Arabique au Cenozoique, Bull. Soc. Geol. Fr., IV, 937–947, https://doi.org/10.2113/gssgfbull.IV.6.937, 1988.
Gillard, M., Leroy, S., Cannat, M., and Sloan, H.: Margin-to-Margin Seafloor Spreading in the Eastern Gulf of Aden: A 16 Ma-Long History of Deformation and Magmatism from Seismic Reflection, Gravity and Magnetic Data, Front. Earth Sci., 9, 628, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.707721, 2021.
Girdler, R. W., and Styles, P.: Two stage Red Sea floor spreading, Nature, 247, 7–11, https://doi.org/10.1038/247007a0, 1974.
Global Volcanism Program: Volcanoes of the World, v. 5.2.0, Smithsonian Institution [data set], https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.VOTW5-2024.5.2, 2024.
Gvirtzman, Z., Faccenna, C., and Becker, T. W.: Isostasy, flexure, and dynamic topography, Tectonophysics, 683, 255–271, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2016.05.041, 2016.
Hill, R. I.: Starting plumes and continental break-up, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 104, 398–416, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(91)90218-7, 1991.
Hofstetter, R. and Beyth, M.: The afar depression: Interpretation of the 1960–2000 earthquakes, Geophys. J. Int., 155, 715–732, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-246X.2003.02080.x, 2003.
Hughes, G. W., Varol, O., and Beydoun, Z. R.: Evidence for Middle Oligocene rifting of the Gulf of Aden and for Late Oligocene rifting of the southern Red Sea, Mar. Petrol. Geol., 8, 354–358, https://doi.org/10.1016/0264-8172(91)90088-I, 1991.
Huismans, R. S., Podladchikov, Y. Y., and Cloetingh, S.: Transition from passive to active rifting: Relative importance of asthenospheric doming and passive extension of the lithosphere, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 106, 11271–11291, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JB900424, 2001.
Ilani, S., Harlavan, Y., Tarawneh, K., Rabba, I., Weinberger, R., Ibrahim, K., Peltz, S., and Steinitz, G.: New K-Ar ages of basalts from the Harrat Ash Shaam volcanic field in Jordan: Implications for the span and duration of the upper-mantle upwelling beneath the western Arabian plate, Geology, 29, 171–174, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0171:NKAAOB>2.0.CO;2, 2001.
Ince, E. S., Barthelmes, F., Reißland, S., Elger, K., Förste, C., Flechtner, F., and Schuh, H.: ICGEM – 15 years of successful collection and distribution of global gravitational models, associated services, and future plans, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 11, 647–674, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-11-647-2019, 2019.
International Seismological Centre: On-line Bulletin, International Seismological Centre [data set], https://doi.org/10.31905/D808B830, 2020.
Issachar, R., Ebbing, J., and Dilixiati, Y.: New magnetic anomaly map for the Red Sea reveals transtensional structures associated with rotational rifting, Sci. Rep., 12, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09770-0, 2022 (data available at: https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Transcurrent_Regimes_During_Rotational_Rifting_New_Insights_from_Magnetic_Anomalies_in_the_Red_Sea/14743272, last access: 9 July 2024).
Ivanov, A. V., Demonterova, E. I., He, H., Perepelov, A. B., Travin, A. V., and Lebedev, V. A.: Volcanism in the Baikal rift: 40 years of active-versus-passive model discussion, Earth-Sci. Rev., 148, 18–43, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.05.011, 2015.
Joffe, S. and Garfunkel, Z.: Plate kinematics of the Red Sea – a re-evaluation, Tectonophysics, 141, 5–22, 1987.
Jolivet, L. and Faccenna, C.: Meditterranean extension and the Africa-Eurasia collision, Tectonics, 19, 1095–1106, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000TC900018, 2000.
Keen, C. E.: The dynamics of rifting: deformation of the lithosphere by active and passive driving forces, Geophys. J. R. Astr. Soc., 80, 95–120, 1985.
Keir, D., Pagli, C., Bastow, I. D., and Ayele, A.: The magma-assisted removal of Arabia in Afar: Evidence from dike injection in the Ethiopian rift captured using InSAR and seismicity, Tectonics, 30, TC2008, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010TC002785, 2011.
Keir, D., Bastow, I. D., Pagli, C., and Chambers, E. L.: The development of extension and magmatism in the Red Sea rift of Afar, Tectonophysics, 607, 98–114, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2012.10.015, 2013.
Keranen, K. and Klemperer, S. L.: Discontinuous and diachronous evolution of the Main Ethiopian Rift: Implications for development of continental rifts, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 265, 96–111, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2007.09.038, 2008.
Kidane, T.: Strong clockwise block rotation of the Ali-Sabieh/Aïsha Block: Evidence for opening of the Afar Depression by a “saloon-door” mechanism, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 420, 209–219, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP420.10, 2016.
Koppers, A. A., Becker, T. W., Jackson, M. G., Konrad, K., Müller, R. D., Romanowicz, B., Steinberger, B., and Whittaker, J. M.: Mantle plumes and their role in Earth processes, Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 2, 382–401, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-021-00168-6, 2021.
Koptev, A., Gerya, T., Calais, E., Leroy, S., and Burov, E.: Afar triple junction triggered by plume-assisted bi-directional continental break-up, Sci. Rep., 8, 1–7, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-33117-3, 2018.
Le Pichon, X. and Gaulier, J.-M.: The rotation of Arabia and the Levant fault system, Tectonophysics, 153, 271–294, https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(88)90020-0, 1988.
Leroy, S., Razin, P., Autin, J., Bache, F., d’Acremont, E., Watremez, L., Robinet, J., Baurion, C., Denèle, Y., Bellahsen, N., and Lucazeau, F.: From rifting to oceanic spreading in the Gulf of Aden: A synthesis, Front. Earth Sci., 5, 385–427, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30609-9_20, 2013.
Lithgow-Bertelloni, C. and Silver, P. G.: Dynamic topography, plate driving forces and the African superswell, Nature, 395, 269–272, https://doi.org/10.1038/26212, 1998.
Macdonald, K., Sempere, J. C., and Fox, P. J.: East Pacific Rise from Siqueiros to Orozco fracture zones: along-strike continuity of axial neovolcanic zone and structure and evolution of overlapping spreading centers, J. Geophys. Res., 89, 6049–6069, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB089iB07p06049, 1984.
Maestrelli, D., Brune, S., Corti, G., Keir, D., Muluneh, A. A., and Sani, F.: Analog and Numerical Modeling of Rift-Rift-Rift Triple Junctions, Tectonics, 41, e2022TC007491, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022TC007491, 2022.
Manighetti, I., Tapponnier, P., Courtillot, V., Gallet, Y., Jacques, E., and Gillot, P. Y.: Strain transfer between disconnected, propagating rifts in Afar, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 106, 13613–13665, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000jb900454, 2001.
Mattash, M. A., Pinarelli, L., Vaselli, O., Minissale, A., Al-Kadasi, M., Shawki, M. N., and Tassi, F.: Continental Flood Basalts and Rifting: Geochemistry of Cenozoic Yemen Volcanic Province, Int. J. Geosci., 4, 1459–1466, https://doi.org/10.4236/ijg.2013.410143, 2013.
McConnell, R. and Baker, B.: The Structural Pattern of the Afro-Arabian Rift System in Relation to Plate Tectonics: Discussion, Philos. T. Roy. Soc. Lond. A, 267, 390–391, 1970.
McDougall, I. and Brown, F. H.: Timing of volcanism and evolution of the northern Kenya Rift, Geol. Mag., 146, 34–47, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756808005347, 2009.
Meshesha, D. and Shinjo, R.: Rethinking geochemical feature of the Afar and Kenya mantle plumes and geodynamics implications, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 113, 9209, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JB005549, 2008.
Mitchell, N. C. and Sofianos, S. S.: Origin of submarine channel north of hanish sill, red sea, in: Geological Setting, Palaeoenvironment and Archaeology of the Red Sea, Springer International Publishing, 259–273, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99408-6_12, 2018.
Mitchell, N. C., and Bosworth, W.: The tectonic stability of Arabia, In Rifting and sediments in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf regions, CRC Press, 75–94, https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003321415-6, 2023.
Mitra, S., Mitra, K., Gupta, S., Bhattacharya, S., Chauhan, P., and Jain, N.: Alteration and submergence of basalts in Kachchh, Gujarat, India: implications for the role of the Deccan Traps in the India–Seychelles break-up, Geol. Soc. Lond. Spec. Publ., 445, 47–67, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP445.9, 2017.
Morag, N., Haviv, I., Eyal, M., Kohn, B. P., and Feinstein, S.: Early flank uplift along the Suez Rift: Implications for the role of mantle plumes and the onset of the Dead Sea Transform, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 516, 56–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.03.002, 2019.
Moretti, I. and Froidevaux, C.: Thermomechanical models of active rifting, Tectonics, 5, 501–511, https://doi.org/10.1029/TC005I004P00501, 1986.
Morgan, W. J.: Convection plumes in the lower mantle, Nature, 230, 42–43, https://doi.org/10.1038/230042a0, 1971.
Okwokwo, O. I., Mitchell, N. C., Shi, W., Stewart, I. C. F., and Izzeldin, A. Y.: How have thick evaporites affected early seafloor spreading magnetic anomalies in the Central Red Sea?, Geophys. J. Int., 229, 1550–1566, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggac012, 2022.
Pagli, C., Wang, H., Wright, T. J., Calais, E., and Lewi, E.: Current plate boundary deformation of the Afar rift from a 3-D velocity field inversion of InSAR and GPS, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 119, 8562–8575, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JB011391, 2014.
Pagli, C., Yun, S.-H., Ebinger, C., Keir, D., and Wang, H.: Strike-slip tectonics during rift linkage, Geology, 47, 31–34, https://doi.org/10.1130/G45345.1, 2018.
Peate, I. U., Baker, J. A., Al-Kadasi, M., Al-Subbary, A., Knight, K. B., Riisager, P., Thirlwall, M. F., Peate, D. W., Renne, P. R., and Menzies, M. A.: Volcanic stratigraphy of large-volume silicic pyroclastic eruptions during Oligocene Afro-Arabian flood volcanism in Yemen, Bull. Volcanol., 68, 135–156, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-005-0428-4, 2005.
Plaziat, J.-C., Baltzer, F., Choukri, A., Conchon, O., Freytet, P., Orszag-Sperber, F., Raguideau, A., and Reyss, J.-L.: Quaternary marine and continental sedimentation in the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Suez (Egyptian coast): influences of rift tectonics, climatic changes and sea-level fluctuations, in: Sedimentation and Tectonics in Rift Basins Red Sea: Gulf of Aden, Springer Netherlands, 537–573, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4930-3_29, 1998.
Prave, A. R., Bates, C. R., Donaldson, C. H., Toland, H., Condon, D. J., Mark, D., and Raub, T. D.: Geology and geochronology of the Tana Basin, Ethiopia: LIP volcanism, Super eruptions and Eocene-Oligocene environmental change, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 443, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.03.009, 2016.
Pusok, A. E. and Stegman, D. R.: The convergence history of India-Eurasia records multiple subduction dynamics processes, Sci. Adv., 6, eaaz8681, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz8681, 2020.
Qaysi, S., Liu, K. H., and Gao, S. S.: A Database of Shear-Wave Splitting Measurements for the Arabian Plate, Seismol. Res. Lett., 89, 2294–2298, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220180144, 2018.
Reilinger, R. and McClusky, S.: Nubia-Arabia-Eurasia plate motions and the dynamics of Mediterranean and Middle East tectonics, Geophys. J. Int., 186, 971–979, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2011.05133.x, 2011.
Reilinger, R., McClusky, S., Vernant, P., Lawrence, S., Ergintav, S., Cakmak, R., Ozener, H., Kadirov, F., Guliev, I., Stepanyan, R., and Nadariya, M.: GPS constraints on continental deformation in the Africa-Arabia-Eurasia continental collision zone and implications for the dynamics of plate interactions, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 111, B05411, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JB004051, 2006.
Richards, M. A., Duncan, R. A., and Courtillot, V. E.: Flood basalts and hot-spot tracks: Plume heads and tails, Science, 246, 103–107, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.246.4926.103, 1989.
Rime, V., Foubert, A., Ruch, J., and Kidane, T.: Tectonostratigraphic evolution and significance of the Afar Depression, Earth-Sci. Rev., 244, 104519, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104519, 2023.
Roger, J., Platel, J. P., Cavelier, C., and Bourdillon-de-Grissac, C.: Données nouvelles sur la stratigraphie et l'histoire géologique du Dhofar (Sultanat d'Oman), Bull. Soc. Géol. Fr., 2, 256–277, 1989.
Rooney, T. O.: The Cenozoic magmatism of East-Africa: Part I – Flood basalts and pulsed magmatism, Lithos, 286–287, 264–301, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2017.05.014, 2017.
Ruch, J., Keir, D., Passarelli, L., Di Giacomo, D., Ogubazghi, G., and Jónsson, S.: Revealing 60 years of Earthquake Swarms in the Southern Red Sea, Afar and the Gulf of Aden, Front. Earth Sci., 9, 690, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.664673, 2021.
Sandwell, D. T., Müller, R. D., Smith, W. H.F ., Garcia, E., and Francis, R.: New global marine gravity model from CryoSat-2 and Jason-1 reveals buried tectonic structure, Science, 346, 65–67, https://doi.org/10.1126/SCIENCE.1258213, 2014 (data available at: https://topex.ucsd.edu/grav_outreach/, last access: 9 July 2024).
Schettino, A., Macchiavelli, C., Pierantoni, P. P., Zanoni, D., and Rasul, N.: Recent kinematics of the tectonic plates surrounding the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Geophys. J. Int., 207, 457–480, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw280, 2016.
Schettino, A., Macchiavelli, C., and Rasul, N. M. A.: Plate motions around the red sea since the early oligocene, in: Geological Setting, Palaeoenvironment and Archaeology of the Red Sea, Springer International Publishing, 203–220, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99408-6_9, 2018.
Schult, A.: Palaeomagnetism of tertiary volcanic rocks from the Ethiopian southern plateau and the Danakil block, J. Geophys., 40, 203–212, 1974.
Sembroni, A., Faccenna, C., Becker, T. W., Molin, P., and Abebe, B.: Long-term, deep-mantle support of the Ethiopia-Yemen Plateau, Tectonics, 35, 469–488, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015TC004000, 2016.
Sengör, A. M. C. and Burke, K.: Relative timing of rifting and volcanism on Earth and its tectonic implications, Geophys. Res. Lett., 5, 419–421, https://doi.org/10.1029/GL005I006P00419, 1978.
Sobolev, S. V., Sobolev, A. V., Kuzmin, D. V., Krivolutskaya, N. A., Petrunin, A. G., Arndt, N. T., Radko, V. A., and Vasiliev, Y. R.: Linking mantle plumes, large igneous provinces and environmental catastrophes, Nature, 477, 312–316, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10385, 2011.
Stamps, D. S., Flesch, L. M., Calais, E., and Ghosh, A.: Current kinematics and dynamics of Africa and the East African Rift System, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 119, 5161–5186, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JB010717, 2014.
Stockli, D. F. and Bosworth, W. B.: Timing of extensional faulting along the magma-poor central and northern red sea rift margin-transition from regional extension to necking along a hyperextended rifted margin, in: Geological Setting, Palaeoenvironment and Archaeology of the Red Sea, Springer International Publishing, 81–111, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99408-6_5, 2018.
Su, H. and Zhou, J.: Timing of Arabia-Eurasia collision: Constraints from restoration of crustal-scale cross-sections, J. Struct. Geol., 135, 104041, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2020.104041, 2020.
Szymanski, E., Stockli, D. F., Johnson, P. R., and Hager, C.: Thermochronometric evidence for diffuse extension and two-phase rifting within the Central Arabian Margin of the Red Sea Rift, Tectonics, 35, 2863–2895, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016TC004336, 2016.
Tazieff, H. T., Varet, J., Barberi, F., and Giglia, G.: Tectonic significance of the Afar (or Danakil) depression, Nature, 235, 144–147, 1972.
Tesfaye, S., Harding, D. J., and Kusky, T. M.: Early continental breakup boundary and migration of the Afar triple junction, Ethiopia, Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., 115, 1053–1067, https://doi.org/10.1130/B25149.1, 2003.
van Hinsbergen, D. J. J., Steinberger, B., Doubrovine, P. V., and Gassmöller, R.: Acceleration and deceleration of India-Asia convergence since the Cretaceous: Roles of mantle plumes and continental collision, J. Geophys. Res.-Solid, 116, 6101, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JB008051, 2011.
van Hinsbergen, D. J., Steinberger, B., Guilmette, C., Maffione, M., Gürer, D., Peters, K., Plunder, A., McPhee, P. J., Gaina, C., Advokaat, E. L., and Vissers, R. L.: A record of plume-induced plate rotation triggering subduction initiation, Nat. Geosci., 14, 626–630, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00780-7, 2021.
Varet, J.: Geological map of Central and Southern Afar – (Ethiopia and djibouti republic), https://geocatalogue.africamuseum.be/geonetwork/srv/api/records/BE-RMCA-EARTHS-000649 (last access: 18 June 2024), 1975.
Varet, J.: Geology of Afar (East Africa), Springer, 1–249, ISBN 9783319608631, 2018.
Viltres, R., Jónsson, S., Ruch, J., Doubre, C., Reilinger, R., Floyd, M., and Ogubazghi, G.: Kinematics and deformation of the southern Red Sea region from GPS observations, Geophys. J. Int., 221, 2143–2154, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggaa109, 2020.
Viltres, R., Jónsson, S., Alothman, A. O., Liu, S., Leroy, S., Masson, F., Doubre, C., and Reilinger, R.: Present-Day Motion of the Arabian Plate, Tectonics, 41, e2021TC007013, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021TC007013, 2022.
Watchorn, F., Nichols, G. J., and Bosence, D. W. J.: Rift-related sedimentation and stratigraphy, southern Yemen (Gulf of Aden), in: Sedimentation and Tectonics in Rift Basins Red Sea: Gulf of Aden, Springer Netherlands, 165–189, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4930-3_11, 1998.
Wescott, W. A., Wigger, S. T., Stone, D. M., and Morley, C. K.: Geology and Geophysics of the Lotikipi Plain, in: Geoscience of Rift Systems – Evolution of East Africa, AAPG Stud. Geol., 44, 55–65, https://doi.org/10.1306/St44623C3, 1999.
White, R. and McKenzie, D.: Magmatism at rift zones: the generation of volcanic continental margins and flood basalts, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 7685–7729, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB094iB06p07685, 1989.
White, R. S. and McKenzie, D.: Mantle plumes and flood basalts, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 543–560, https://doi.org/10.1029/95jb01585, 1995.
Will, T. M. and Frimmel, H. E.: Where does a continent prefer to break up? Some lessons from the South Atlantic margins, Gondwana Res., 53, 9–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2017.04.014, 2018.
Wilson, J. T.: A possible origin of the Hawaiian Islands, Can. J. Phys., 41, 863–870, https://doi.org/10.1139/P63-094, 1963.
Wolfenden, E., Ebinger, C., Yirgu, G., Deino, A., and Ayalew, D.: Evolution of the northern Main Ethiopian rift: Birth of a triple junction, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 224, 213–228, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2004.04.022, 2004.
Zingerle, P., Pail, R., Gruber, T., and Oikonomidou, X.: The experimental gravity field model XGM2019e, GFZ Data Serv. [data set], https://doi.org/10.5880/ICGEM.2019.007, 2019.
Zingerle, P., Pail, R., Gruber, T., and Oikonomidou, X.: The combined global gravity field model XGM2019e, J. Geod., 94, 66, https://doi.org/10.1007/S00190-020-01398-0, 2020.
Zwaan, F., Corti, G., Keir, D., and Sani, F.: A review of tectonic models for the rifted margin of Afar: Implications for continental break-up and passive margin formation, J. Afr. Earth Sci., 164, 103649, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2019.103649, 2020a.
Zwaan, F., Corti, G., Sani, F., Keir, D., Muluneh, A. A., Illsley-Kemp, F., and Papini, M.: Structural Analysis of the Western Afar Margin, East Africa: Evidence for Multiphase Rotational Rifting, Tectonics, 39, e2019TC006043, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019TC006043, 2020b.
Short summary
In this contribution, we explore the causal relationship between the arrival of the Afar plume and the initiation of the Afro-Arabian rift. We mapped the rift architecture in the triple-junction region using geophysical data and reviewed the available geological data. We interpret a progressive development of the plume–rift system and suggest an interaction between active and passive mechanisms in which the plume provided a push force that changed the kinematics of the associated plates.
In this contribution, we explore the causal relationship between the arrival of the Afar plume...
