Magma-compensated crustal thinning in continental rift zones

H. Thybo () and C. A. Nielsen
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H. Thybo: University of Copenhagen, Oester Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
C. A. Nielsen: University of Copenhagen, Oester Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark

Nature, 2009, vol. 457, issue 7231, 873-876

Abstract: Magma at continental rift zones Continental rifts are elongated depressions in the Earth's surface, often more than 1,000 km long, 20 km wide, and 10 km deep, filled with sediments and volcanic rocks. Conventional models of rift zones include three characteristic features: surface manifestation as an elongated topographic trough, Moho shallowing due to crustal thinning, and reduced seismic velocity in the uppermost mantle. Hans Thybo and Christoffer Nielsen present a new seismic profile that demonstrates that the Baikal Rift Zone in Siberia displays only one of these characteristic features, the elongated surface trough. There is a localized zone in the lower crust with exceptionally high seismic velocity and high reflectivity. The expected Moho uplift appears to have been compensated by magmatic intrusion into the lower crust, producing the observed high-velocity zone. This finding points to a previously unknown role for magmatism in rifting.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07688

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