Thermoelastic bending of the lithosphere: implications for basin subsidence

Abstract

Thermoelastic stresses are capable of producing significant lithospheric deflection. A systematic approach to modelling this effect is presented, in which the lithosphere is presumed to behave as a thin, elastic (or viscoelastic) plate on a fluid substrate, and lateral variations in basal heat flow induce both vertical buoyant loads and thermoelastic bending moments. The amount of uplift or subsidence produced by a given heat source depends on a number of factors, including the strength, duration and lateral extent of the thermal anomaly, and the thickness, density, rigidity and viscosity of the plate.