Some remarks on high-temperature—low-pressure metamorphism in convergent orogens

Many high-temperature–low-pressure (high- T –low- P ) metamorphic terranes show evidence for peak mineral growth during crustal thickening strain increments at pressures near the maximum attained during the heating–cooling cycle. Such terranes are not readily explained as the conductive response to crustal thickening since the resulting Moho temperatures would greatly exceed the crustal liquidus and because heating due to conductive equilibration on length scales appropriate to lithospheric-scale strains must greatly outlast the deformation. Consequently, high- T –low- P metamorphism may be generated during crustal thickening only when significant heat is advected within the crust, as for example may occur during the segregation of granitic melts. We show that without the addition of asthenospheric melts and at strain rates appropriate to continental deformation the conditions required for significant lower crustal melting during deformation are only likely to be attained if heat flow into the lower crust during crustal thickening is increased substantially, for example, by removing the mantle part of the lithosphere. A simple parameterization of lithospheric deformation involving the vertical strain on the scale of the crust, _c, and the lithosphere, ₁ respectively, allows the potential energy of the evolving orogen to be readily evaluated. Using this parameterization we show that an important isostatic consequence of the deformation geometries capable of generating such high- T –low- P metamorphism during crustal thickening (with _c1) is an imposed upper limit to crustal thicknesses which is much lower than for homogeneous deformations (f_c= f₁) for the same initial lithospheric configuration.     

Lithospheric Evolution and Geodynamic Process of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:An Inspiration from the Yadong-Golmud-Ejin Geoscience Transect

The Tibet Geoscience Transect (Yadong-Golmud-Ejin) has revealed the basic structures, tectonic evolution and geodynamic process of the lithosphere of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The evidence of northward thrusting of the Indian plate beneath the Himalayans on the southern margin and to southward compression of the Alxa block on the northern margin has been found. They were the driving forces causing the plateau uplift. The plateau is a continent resulting from amalgamation of eight terranes. These tenanes are separated by sutures or large-scale faults, and different terranes have different lateral inhomogeneities and multi-layered lithospheric structures. At depths of about 20-30 km of the crust in the ulterior of the plateau there commonly exists a low-velocity layer. It is an uncoupled layer of the tectonic stress; above the layer, the upper crustal slices were thrust and overlapped each other and the rocks underwent brittle deformation, thus leading to shortening and thickening of the upper crust Belo     

Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic evolution of the North German Basin—results from 3-D geodynamic modelling

The Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic evolution of the North German Basin has been investigated by 3-D thermomechanical finite element modelling. The model solves the equations of motion of an elasto-visco-plastic continuum representing the continental lithosphere. It includes the variations of stress in time and space, the thermal evolution, surface processes and variations in global sea level.The North German Basin became inverted in the Late Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic. The inversion was most intense in the southern part of the basin, i.e. in the Lower Saxony Basin, the Flechtingen High and the Harz. The lower crustal properties vary across the North German Basin. North of the Elbe Line, the lower crust is dense and has high seismic velocity compared to the lower crust south of the Elbe Line. The lower crust with high density and high velocity is assumed to be strong. Lateral variations in lithospheric strength also arise from lateral variations in Moho depth. In areas where the Moho is deep, the upper mantle is warm and the lithosphere is thereby relatively weak.Compression of the lithosphere causes shortening, thickening and surface uplift of relatively weak areas. Tectonic inversion occurs as zones of preexisting weakness are shortened and thickened in compression. Contemporaneously, the margins of the weak zone subside. Cenozoic subsidence of the northern part of the North German Basin is explained as a combination of thermal subsidence and a small amount of deformation and surface uplift during compression of the stronger crust in the north.The modelled deformation patterns and resulting sediment isopachs correlate with observations from the area. This verifies the usefulness and importance of thermomechanical models in the investigation of intraplate sedimentary basin formation.     

The evolution of the layered lower crust and the Moho through geological time in Western Europe: contribution of deep seismic reflection profiles

Deep seismic reflection images from a set of profiles shot in Western Europe have been reviewed and compared, and tentative conclusions have been proposed concerning the evolution of the layered lower crust and the Moho. The disappearance of Variscan mountain roots is related to the set-up of a new Moho at a typical 30-km depth and the creation of seismic layering in the lower crust. Deep seismic profiles suggest that these processes resulted, at least in part, from magmatic intrusion, partial crustal melting and metamorphism of deep crustal rocks into eclogite. On the other hand, the layered lower crust is greatly attenuated beneath Cretaceous basins and Tertiary rifts in relation to prominent Moho upwellings. The unusual amplitude of the Moho reflection and the presence of anomalously high seismic velocities in the lowermost crust beneath the Tertiary rifts suggest that the Moho and part of the layering are comparatively young features related to interactions between crust and mantle. Beneath Triassic-Jurassic basins, the layered lower crust was not affected by the subsidence of the basement, with the whole crustal thinning being entirely concentrated in the upper crust. This indicates that the layered lower crust and the Moho were formed or restored during or after the main rifting phase. Seismic data reveal constraints on the processes that affect the crust-mantle transition and seem to restore the Moho to its typical depth after any mechanical deformation of the lithosphere.     

Stress and strain during fault-controlled lithospheric extension—insights from numerical experiments

Two-dimensional finite element techniques are used to study the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of stress and strain during lithospheric extension. The thermomechanical model includes a pre-existing fault in the upper crust to account for the reactivation of older tectonic elements. The fault is described using contact elements which allow for independent meshing of hanging wall and foot wall as well as simulation of large differential displacements between the fault blocks. Numerical models are run for three different initial temperature distributions representing extension of weak, moderately strong and strong lithosphere and three different extension velocities. In spite of the simple geodynamic boundary conditions selected, i.e., wholesale extension at a constant rate, stress and strain vary substantially throughout the lithosphere. In particular, in case of the weak lithosphere model, lower crustal flow towards the locus of maximum upper crustal extension results in the formation of a lower crustal dome while maintaining a subhorizontal Moho relief. The core of the dome experiences hardly any internal deformation, although it is the part of the lower crust which is exhumed the most. Stress fields in the lower crustal dome vary significantly from the regional trend underlining mechanical decoupling of the lower crust from the rest of the lithosphere. These differences diminish if cooler temperatures and, hence, stronger rheologies are considered. Lithospheric strength also exerts a profound control on the basin architecture and the surface expressions of extension, i.e., rift flank uplift and basin subsidence. If the lower crust is sufficiently weak, its flow towards the region of extended upper crust can provide a threshold value for the maximum subsidence which can be achieved during the syn-rift stage. In spite of continuous regional extension, corresponding burial history plots show exponentially decreasing subsidence rates which would traditionally be interpreted in terms of lithospheric cooling during the post-rift stage. The models provide templates to genetically link the surface and sub-surface expressions of lithospheric extension, for which usually no contemporaneous observations are possible. In particular, they help to decipher the information on the physical state of the lithosphere at the time of extension which is stored in the architecture and subsidence record of sedimentary basins.     

青藏高原东部壳幔速度结构和地幔变形场的研究

在青藏高原东部地球动力学问题中,笔者在文中主要考虑与地壳上地幔速度结构和地幔变形场有关的问题,它涉及当前流行的下地壳流动模型和壳-幔的耦合-解耦模型。在2000年完成的穿过川西高原和四川盆地的深地震测深剖面,揭示了川西高原的地壳结构具有地壳增厚(主要是下地壳增厚)、地壳平均速度低等特点,显示地壳的缩短与增厚的碰撞变形特征。根据川西高原上设置各爆炸点的记录截面图共同呈现PmP(莫霍界面反射波)弱能量的特点,推断在川西高原的下地壳介质具有强衰减(Qp=100～300)的性质,支持存在下地壳流动的模型。青藏高原东部和川滇西部地区的上地幔各向异性(SKS波快波偏振方向和快慢波延迟时间)的初步结果表明,这两个地区的壳-幔变形特征是不同的,尽管它们在地理位置上属于同一个板块碰撞带。在青藏高原内部的壳幔变形属于垂直连贯变形,它以缩短为主,而高原外部的地壳(或岩石圈)则相对于其下方地幔运动。在高原内部和外部之间存在一个重要的地幔变形过渡带。然而,高原内部的垂直连贯变形与高原内部存在大范围下地壳流动的模型不一致。笔者在该地区开展了近两年的宽频带流动地震观测,试图从地震记录中确定过渡带的位置和探讨它的流变性质。文中扼要回顾已经取得的结果,并介绍正在进行的研究。     

关于华北克拉通燕山期岩石圈减薄的机制与过程的讨论:是拆沉,还是热侵蚀和化学交代?

关于华北克拉通燕山期岩石圈减薄作用,主要有两种模型:(1)岩石圈拆沉;(2)热侵蚀和/或化学交代。文中主要从岩浆活动与构造变形两个途径,通过(1)燕山带造山幕和结构要素组合以及造山过程的p-T-t轨迹;(2)收缩构造变形、火成岩构造组合和下地壳岩石捕虏体3个独立证据提出陆壳的构造加厚;(3)火成岩成因的壳幔相互作用模型和热模拟等,试图讨论华北地区克拉通有浮力的岩石圈如何转变为密度大的岩石圈,随之发生拆沉作用,而不是热侵蚀或化学交代机制使岩石圈地幔改造为EMI印记实现的减薄作用。大量对流的软流圈物质注入克拉通是诱发陆壳发生局部熔融所必需的条件。底侵玄武质岩浆的加热并弱化先前的冷和强的克拉通地壳,创造一个流变学条件,以使收缩构造变形和陆壳加厚成为可能。陆壳最下部和岩石圈地幔中形成的大量玄武质岩石,在构造加厚作用下,相转变为榴辉岩,致使原先有浮力的岩石圈转变为密度大的岩石圈,随之发生拆沉作用。     

长江中下游成矿带及典型矿集区深部结构探测——SinoProbe-03年度进展综述

大陆现今的地壳结构和物质组成是地壳经历了复杂的动力学演化过程形成的"产品",保留着演化过程中重大地质事件留下的痕迹,使用现代地球物理探测技术对这个"产品"进行成像,不仅可以了解现今的构造和物质状态,还可以推演过去曾经发生的动力学过程.长江中下游成矿带是我国重要的铁、铜多金属资源基地,其形成的深部动力学过程一直是矿床学家...     

Crustal complexity in the Lachlan Orogen revealed from teleseismic receiver functions

There is an ongoing debate about the tectonic evolution of southeast Australia, particularly about the causes and nature of its accretion to a much older Precambrian core to the west. Seismic imaging of the crust can provide useful clues to address this issue. Seismic tomography imaging is a powerful tool often employed to map elastic properties of the Earth's lithosphere, but in most cases does not constrain well the depth of discontinuities such as the Mohorovi?i? (Moho). In this study, an alternative imaging technique known as receiver function (RF) has been employed for seismic stations near Canberra in the Lachlan Orogen to investigate: (i) the shear-wave-velocity profile in the crust and uppermost mantle, (ii) variations in the Moho depth beneath the Lachlan Orogen, and (iii) the nature of the transition between the crust and mantle. A number of styles of RF analyses were conducted: H-K stacking to obtain the best compressional–shear velocity (V _P /V _S) ratio and crustal thickness; nonlinear inversion for the shear-wave-velocity structure and inversion of the observed variations in RFs with back-azimuth to investigate potential dipping of the crustal layers and anisotropy. The thick crust (up to 48 km) and the mostly intermediate nature of the crust?mantle transition in the Lachlan Orogen could be due to the presence of underplating at the base of the crust, and possibly to the existing thick piles of Ordovician mafic rocks present in the mid and lower crust. Results from numerical modelling of RFs at three seismic stations (CAN, CNB and YNG) suggest that the observed variations with back-azimuth could be related to a complex structure beneath these stations with the likelihood of both a dipping Moho and crustal anisotropy. Our analysis reveals crustal thickening to the west beneath CAN station which could be due to slab convergence. The crustal thickening may also be related to the broad Macquarie volcanic arc, which is rooted to the Moho. The crustal anisotropy may arise from a strong N–S structural trend in the eastern Lachlan Orogen and to the preferred crystallographic orientation of seismically anisotropic minerals in the lower and middle crust related to the paleo-Pacific plate convergence.     

P-wave velocity features of the lithosphere under the Eromanga Basin, Eastern Australia, including a prominent MID-crustal (Conrad?) discontinuity

The crustal structure of the central Eromanga Basin in the northern part of the Australian Tasman Geosyncline, revealed by coincident seismic reflection and refraction shooting, contrasts with some neighbouring regions of the continent. The depth to the crust-mantle boundary (Moho) of 36–41 km is much less than that under the North Australian Craton to the northwest (50–55 km) and the Lachlan Fold Belt to the southeast (43–51 km) but is similar to that under the Drummond and Bowen Basins to the east.The seismic velocity boundaries within the crust are sharp compared with the transitional nature of the boundaries under the North Australian and Lachlan provinces. In particular, there is a sharp velocity increase at mid-crustal depths (21–24 km) which has not been observed with such clarity elsewhere in Australia (the Conrad discontinuity?).In the lower crust, the many discontinuous sub-horizontal reflections are in marked contrast to lack of reflecting horizons in the upper crust, further emphasising the differences between the upper and lower crust. The crust-mantle boundary (Moho) is characterised by an increase in velocity from 7.1–7.7 km/s to a value of 8.15 + 0.04 km/s. The depth to the Moho under the Canaway Ridge, a prominent basement high, is shallower by about 5 km than the regional Moho depth; there is also no mid-crustal horizon under the Canaway Ridge but there is a very sharp velocity increase at the Moho depth of 34 km. The Ridge could be interpreted as a horst structure extending to at least Moho depths but it could also have a different intra-crustal structure from the surrounding area.The sub-crustal lithosphere has features which have been interpreted, from limited data, as being caused by a velocity gradient at 56–57 km depth with a low velocity zone above it.Because of the contrasting crustal thicknesses and velocity gradients, the lithosphere of the central Eromanga Basin cannot be considered as an extension of the exposed Lachlan Fold Belt or the North Australian Craton. The lack of seismic reflections from the upper crust indicates no coherent accoustic impedance pattern at wavelengths greater than 100 m, consistent with an upper crustal basement of tightly folded meta-sedimentary and meta-volcanic rocks. The crustal structure is consistent with a pericratonic or arc/back-arc basin being cratonised in an episode of convergent tectonics in the Early Palaeozoic. The seismic reflections from the lower crust indicate that it could have developed in a different tectonic environment.     

The Seismic Structure of Wilkes Land/Terre Adelie, East Antarctica and Comparison with Australia: First Steps in Reconstructing the Deep Lithosphere of Gondwana

A determination of the seismic structure of the crust and uppermost mantle of East Antarctica, in the region of Casey station, Wilkes Land and Dumont DUrville station, Terre Adelie is presented. High-fidelity waveforms from teleseismic earthquakes recorded at stations CASY and DRV (1996-2001) are used to calculate the seismic receiver function, the signal produced as energy passes through layers in the seismic velocity structure under the receiving station. The receiver functions are stacked to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and then modelled using an inverse algorithm to find the structure that best fits the observed waveform at each station. Inferences are made regarding the tectonic structure, in particular, the crustal thickness and character of the seismic Moho.The crustal thickness under Casey Station is found to be 30 km (+/- 2 km) with a fairly sharp Moho, considerably less than Dumont D'Urville Station, where the crustal thickness is 42 km, and there IS a significant low velocity region the deep crust. The structure of the Wilkes Land lithosphere is comparable to that of the Albany-Fraser Orogen, Western Australia, part of its conjugate margin. This places a new constraint on the relative position of East Antarctica and Australia in the reconstruction of Gondwana, and earlier, supercontinents. A recent reinterpretation of Antarctic geology proposes tectonic province boundaries trending perpendicular to the coast with counterparts in southern Australia. Seismic techniques, determining structure beneath regions with no surface exposure, are vital tools in testing such tectonic hypotheses, towards the reconstruction of Gondwana to full lithospheric depth.     

Seismic structure and rheology of the crust under mainland China

The crust and upper mantle in mainland China were relatively densely probed with wide-angle seismic profiling since 1958, and the data have provided constraints on the amalgamation and lithosphere deformation of the continent. Based on the collection and digitization of crustal P-wave velocity models along related wide-angle seismic profiles, we construct several crustal transects across major tectonic units in mainland China. In our study, we analyzed the seismic activity, and seismic energy releases during 1970 and 2010 along them. We present seismogenic layer distribution and calculate the yield stress envelopes of the lithosphere along the transects, yielding a better understanding of the lithosphere rheology strength beneath mainland China. Our results demonstrate that the crustal thicknesses of different tectonic provinces are distinctively different in mainland China. The average crustal thickness is greater than 65 km beneath the Tibetan Plateau, about 35 km beneath South China, and about 36–38 km beneath North China and Northeastern China. For the basins, the thickness is ~ 55 km beneath Qaidam, ~ 50 km beneath Tarim, ~ 40 km beneath Sichuan and ~ 35 km beneath Songliao. Our study also shows that the average seismic P-wave velocity is usually slower than the global average, equivalent with a more felsic composition of crust beneath the four tectonic blocks of mainland China resulting from the complex process of lithospheric evolution during Triassic and Cenozoic continent–continent and Mesozoic ocean–continent collisions. We identify characteristically different patterns of seismic activity distribution in different tectonic blocks, with bi-, or even tri-peak distribution of seismic concentration in South Tibet, which may suggest that crustal architecture and composition exert important control role in lithosphere deformation. The calculated yield stress envelopes of lithosphere in mainland China can be divided into three groups. The results indicate that the lithosphere rheology structure can be described by jelly sandwich model in eastern China, and crème brulee models with weak and strong lower crust corresponding to lithosphere beneath the western China and Kunlun orogenic belts, respectively. The spatial distribution of lithospheric rheology structure may provide important constraints on understanding of intra- or inter-plate deformation mechanism, and more studies are needed to further understand the tectonic process(es) accompanying different lithosphere rheology structures.     

藏北岩石圈厚度与减薄机制分析

天然地震S波和大地电磁测深给出了两种不同的藏北岩石圈厚度模型,两种测量结果的地质含义至今还不十分清楚。通过对地表高程与地壳厚度回归关系的研究,以回归直线的斜率和截距作为地壳和岩石圈地幔平均密度取值的约束,并考虑相变因素对软流圈密度的影响,采用均衡理论对藏北岩石圈厚度进行了计算。计算结果表明,在可能的软流圈温度取值范围内藏北岩石圈的平均厚度约为106～120km,地壳增厚前的岩石圈平均厚度约80km。藏北新生代火山作用和岩浆起源-分凝深度分析表明,藏北现今岩石圈厚度主要受金云母脱水深度所控制。增厚前岩石圈地幔底部温度高于橄榄岩湿固相线温度,并受闪石和金云母高压脱水作用的影响。加厚岩石圈地幔因其底部不断发生脱水低程度熔融而进入软流圈小尺度对流体系,使岩石圈加厚过程中伴随有底部的脉动减薄作用。     

Origin of high-velocity anomalies beneath the Siberian craton: A fingerprint of multistage magma underplating since the Neoarchean

Despite the violent eruption of the Siberian Traps at ~ 250 Ma, the Siberian craton has an extremely low heat flow (18–25 mW/m²) and a very thick lithosphere (300–350 km), which makes it an ideal place to study the influence of mantle plumes on the long-term stability of cratons. Compared with seismic velocities of rocks, the lower crust of the Siberian craton is composed mainly of mafic granulites and could be rather heterogeneous in composition. The very high V_p (> 7.2 km/s) in the lowermost crust can be fit by a mixture of garnet granulites, two-pyroxene granulites, and garnet gabbro due to magma underplating. The high-velocity anomaly in the upper mantle (V_p = 8.3-8.6 km/s) can be interpreted by a mixture of eclogites and garnet peridotites. Combined with the study of lower crustal and mantle xenoliths, we recognized multistage magma underplating at the crust-mantle boundary beneath the Siberian craton, including the Neoarchean growth and Paleoproterozoic assembly of the Siberian craton beneath the Markha terrane, the Proterozoic collision along the Sayan-Taimyr suture zone, and the Triassic Siberian Trap event beneath the central Tunguska basin. The Moho becomes a metamorphism boundary of mafic rocks between granulite facies and eclogite facies rather than a chemical boundary that separates the mafic lower crust from the ultramafic upper mantle. Therefore, multistage magma underplating since the Neoarchean will result in a seismic Moho shallower than the petrologic Moho. Such magmatism-induced compositional change and dehydration will increase viscosity of the lithospheric mantle, and finally trigger lithospheric thickening after mantle plume activity. Hence, mantle plumes are not the key factor for craton destruction.     

Lateral growth of NE Tibetan Plateau restricted by the Asian lithosphere: Results from a dense seismic profile

We present high-resolution receiver function images along a 700-km long dense seismic array extending from northern Tibetan Plateau to the Alxa block, crossing the entire Qilian thrust belt (QTB). The dense stations, with less than ~2 km station intervals, allow the receiver functions to unveil unprecedented details of crustal structures across the northern frontier of the growing Tibetan Plateau. The migration image shows a thickened and strongly deformed QTB crust, with an uneven Moho and complex internal structures that are indicative of pure-shear shortening. The Alxa block, in contrast, has a thinner crust, a flat Moho, and little internal crustal deformation. These results suggest that the lateral growth of NE Tibetan Plateau is restricted by the strong Asian lithosphere, which shows no visible subduction beneath the Tibetan Plateau as previously suggested.     

中国大陆现今构造应变率场及其动力学成因研究

通过分析中国大陆地壳运动GPS速度场得到现今构造应变率场。结果显示在印度板块北向推挤作用下 ,青藏高原内部及其邻域形变场并不局限于少数大型走滑断裂 ,而是在大范围内广泛分布 ,各地区构造运动驱动机制也可能各有不同。藏南地区主应变率场呈均衡的约 2× 10 -8a-1南北向挤压和东西向拉张 ,显示印度板块下插造成的地壳增厚和岩石圈拆离可能形成上地壳与上地幔间形变解耦 ,地壳内部在南北向挤压及重力场作用下产生东向塑性流驱使上地壳产生东西向拉张。西藏中部羌塘地区主应变率场显示均衡的约 2× 10 -8a-1北北东向挤压和北西西向拉张 ,反映本地区一系列走向北东和北西的共轭剪切断裂的活动 ,可能源于南北向挤压和软流层内东向塑性流的驱动。柴达木盆地及周边地区主应变率场呈约 2× 10 -8a-1北东向压缩和约 (0 1)× 10 -8a-1北西向拉张 ,表明地壳增厚造成的地壳温度上升可能还不足以造成上下地壳的充分解耦 ,南北向的消减还未能有效地转换成东西向的拉张 ,形变以褶皱和逆冲断裂运动为主。当今青藏高原形变场的形成应是构造运动从南到北阶段性发展过程中地壳与上地幔介质性质差异造成驱动机制不同的结果。     

青藏高原东北缘岩石圈缩短变形——深地震反射剖面再处理提供的证据

青藏高原是由印度板块和亚洲板块于50～60 Ma碰撞而形成的全球最高最大的高原,已成为多数国内外学者的共识.然而,关于它的岩石圈变形机制却是长期争论的问题.深地震反射剖面是精细揭示岩石圈结构、分辨变形样式的有效技术.重新处理的松潘地块一西秦岭造山带深地震反射剖面揭示出岩石圈变形的细节,以地壳上部的双重逆冲构造、地壳中部...     

Mechanism of formation of superdeep sedimentary basins: lithospheric stretching or eclogitization?

The superdeep North Caspian, South Caspian, and Barents basins have their sedimentary fill much thicker and the Moho, correspondingly, much deeper than it is required for crustal subsidence by lithospheric stretching. In the absence of large gravity anomalies, this crustal structure indicates the presence under the Moho of a thick layer of eclogite which is denser than mantle peridotite. Crustal subsidence in the basins can be explained by high-grade metamorphism of mafic lower crust. The basins produced by lithospheric stretching normally subside for the first ～100 myr of their history, while at least half of the subsidence in the three basins occurred after that period, which is another evidence against the stretching formation mechanism. According to the seismic reflection profiling data, stretching can be responsible for only a minor part of the subsidence in the Caspian and Barents basins. As for the South Caspian basin, there has been a large recent subsidence event in a setting of compression. Therefore, eclogitization appears to be a realistic mechanism of crustal subsidence in superdeep basins.     

Two layer model of lithospheric compression and uplift/exhumation in an intracratonic setting: an example from the Cooper–Eromanga Basins,Australia

Seismic reflection profiles indicate the compressive nature of the structural style associated with the major uplift events in the Cooper–Eromanga Basins. Inversion geometries and reactivated features attest to a period of compression during Late Triassic–Early Jurassic times. In the Eromanga Basin, compressional structural styles associated with Late Cretaceous–Tertiary are apparent. Many of the Late Cretaceous–Tertiary structures coincide with exhumation highs in Late Cretaceous–Tertiary times. The two-layer lithospheric compression model is considered as the most complete explanation of both the uplift of areas subject to compression and crustal thickening, and of the regional uplift of areas not subject to any apparent Late Cretaceous–Tertiary compression. In the model, compression and thickening in the lower lithosphere is decoupled and laterally displaced from that in the upper crust. Thickening of the mantle lithosphere without thickening of the overlying crust can account for the initial subsidence then uplift of not inverted platform areas. The opening of the Tasman Sea and the Coral Seas can lead to stress transmission in the interior of the continent. These stresses are likely to generate uplift but cannot explain the distribution of uplift in areas not subject to compression.     

The isostatic state of the southern Urals crust

The Uralide orogen, in Central Russia, is the focus of intense geoscientific investigations during recent years. The international research is motivated by some unusual lithospheric features compared with other collisional belts including the preservation of (a) a collisional architecture with an orogenic root and a crustal thickness of 55–58 km, and (b) large volumes of very low-grade and non-metamorphic oceanic crust and island arc rocks in the upper crust of a low–relief mountain belt. The latter cause anomalous gravity highs along the thickened crust and the isostatic equilibrium inside the Uralides lithosphere as well as the overthrust high-metamorphic rocks. The integrated URSEIS '95 seismic experiment provides fundamentally new data revealing the lithospheric architecture of an intact Paleozoic collisional orogen that allows the construction of density models. In the Urals' lithosphere different velocity structures resolved by wide-angle seismic experiments along both the URSEIS '95- and the Troitsk profile. They can be used to constrain lithospheric density models: a first model consists of a deep subducted continental lower crust which has been highly eclogitized at depths of 60–90 km to a density of 3550 kg/m³. The second model shows a slightly eclogitized lower crust underlying the Uralide orogen with a crustal thickness of 60 km. The eclogitized lower crust causes a too-small impedance contrast to the lithospheric mantle resulting in a lack of reflectors in the area of the largest crustal thickness. Both models fit the measured gravity field. Analyzing the isostatic state of the southern Urals' lithosphere, both density models are in isostatic equilibrium.