Mantle flow, dynamic topography, and rift-flank uplift of Arabia

Abstract

Research Article| October 01, 2003 Mantle flow, dynamic topography, and rift-flank uplift of Arabia Amy Daradich; Amy Daradich 1Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jerry X. Mitrovica; Jerry X. Mitrovica 1Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Russell N. Pysklywec; Russell N. Pysklywec 2Department of Geology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Sean D. Willett; Sean D. Willett 3Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alessandro M. Forte Alessandro M. Forte 4Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Amy Daradich 1Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada Jerry X. Mitrovica 1Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada Russell N. Pysklywec 2Department of Geology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada Sean D. Willett 3Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Alessandro M. Forte 4Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 17 Mar 2003 Revision Received: 18 Jun 2003 Accepted: 08 Jul 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2003) 31 (10): 901–904. https://doi.org/10.1130/G19661.1 Article history Received: 17 Mar 2003 Revision Received: 18 Jun 2003 Accepted: 08 Jul 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Amy Daradich, Jerry X. Mitrovica, Russell N. Pysklywec, Sean D. Willett, Alessandro M. Forte; Mantle flow, dynamic topography, and rift-flank uplift of Arabia. Geology 2003;; 31 (10): 901–904. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G19661.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Rift-flank uplift adjacent to the Red Sea is asymmetric, i.e., a broad tilt of the entire Arabian plate along an axis parallel to the rift and more localized uplift on the African shoulder. A suite of models has been proposed to explain this pattern, but no model has considered the dynamic effects of large-scale mantle flow. Recent high-resolution images from seismic tomography show a massive, anomalously slow shear velocity structure that emerges from the core-mantle boundary beneath South Africa and that reaches close to the surface at the Red Sea. This buoyant megaplume has been identified as the driving mechanism for anomalously high topography in southern Africa and rifting in East Africa; in this paper we investigate its role in present-day African-Arabian topography. In particular, we present predictions of dynamic topography based on viscous-flow simulations initiated using seismically inferred mantle heterogeneity. These predictions demonstrate that viscous stresses associated with mantle flow are responsible for the long-wavelength signal in African-Arabian flank uplift. Our results do not preclude localized topographic contributions from other processes, particularly within the near field of the Red Sea. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.