Modelling the Middle Pleistocene uplift in the Ardennes-Rhenish Massif: Thermo-mechanical weakening under the Eifel?
article
Middle Pleistocene uplift in the Eifel has been interpreted as the isostatic response of the lithosphere to a deep buoyant hot body. The spatial and temporal distribution of the uplift in the Ardennes-Rhenish Massif Region has recently been constrained by new data of river incision that have been compiled in this work. The uplift distribution can be reproduced using a thin elastic plate model and assuming that the uplift is created by a deep buoyant load, the distribution of which coincides with the weakening. Models incorporating a lithospheric weakening provide a better fit of the observed uplift than models with homogeneous flexural rigidity. These results are confirmed by numerical experiments using a depth-dependent elasto-plastic plate rheology, linking the flexural model with the thermo-mechanical structure of the lithosphere. Copyright © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.
Topics
TNO Identifier
280381
ISSN
09218181
Source
Global and Planetary Change, 27(1-4), pp. 39-52.
Pages
39-52
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