Subduction dynamics and the origin of Andean orogeny and the Bolivian orocline

F. A. Capitanio (), C. Faccenna, S. Zlotnik and D. R. Stegman
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F. A. Capitanio: School of Geosciences, Monash University, Clayton, 3800 Victoria, Australia
C. Faccenna: Universitá Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, Italy
S. Zlotnik: School of Geosciences, Monash University, Clayton, 3800 Victoria, Australia
D. R. Stegman: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, California 92093-0220, USA

Nature, 2011, vol. 480, issue 7375, 83-86

Abstract: Upping the Andes Subduction of old and heavy oceanic lithosphere provides the fundamental forces of plate motions and deformations on our planet. Yet how these drive continental tectonics to form giant mountain belts, such as the Andes, is still not fully explained by plate tectonic theory. Capitanio et al. use three-dimensional numerical modelling to demonstrate that the subduction of the older Nazca oceanic plate below the Central Andes can explain the locally thickened crust and higher elevations. This suggests that the rise of the Central Andes and orocline formation are directly related to the local increase of Nazca plate age and the present-day age gradients, which may also explain the enigmatic delay in the formation of the modern Andes.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10596

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