The rise and fall of continental arcs: Interplays between magmatism, uplift, weathering, and climate

Lee, Cin-Ty A.; Thurner, S.; Paterson, Scott R.; Cao, Wenrong

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.05.045

Cited by 130 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…This model therefore precludes examining the effect of crustal thickening on mineralogical (and thus density) changes to lower crust over time like the growth of garnet pyroxenite2627. Given that the growth of the AMPB is thought to occur after convective removal of dense lithospheric mantle and lower crust82829, neglecting such density changes from metamorphic reactions in this instance seems appropriate.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is worth noting, however, that if magmatic thickening from growth of the APMB has indeed triggered the growth of garnet pyroxenite in the lower crust, then the subdued topography from the dampened isostatic response would lead to an under-prediction of melt volume. Furthermore, here we do not consider the effects of erosion on a magmatically thickened crust27. Precipitation rates drop significantly from the eastern flank of the Central Andes to the plateau surface30, and the high preservation of ignimbrites that blanket the landscape of the Altiplano-Puna plateau suggest minimal erosion over the course of the 11 Myr ignimbrite flare-up.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…27). For example, the work of Lee et al 27. suggests that enhanced CO 2 output from flare-ups of continental arc magmatism may contribute to greenhouse conditions, and the subsequent weathering and increased erosion of remnant arc high topography may lead to icehouse conditions over the 50 million years-timescale oscillations in Earth's climate47.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That the topographic response to building a batholith can be of similar magnitude to surface uplift from removal of the mantle lithosphere2627 has implications both for interpreting the paleo-elevation history of the Central Andes as well as for geodynamical modellers seeking to understand the processes responsible for orogenesis and pluton growth in arc settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Surface uplift in the Central Andes driven by growth of the Altiplano Puna Magma Body

et al. 2016

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The Altiplano-Puna Magma Body (APMB) in the Central Andes is the largest imaged magma reservoir on Earth, and is located within the second highest orogenic plateau on Earth, the Altiplano-Puna. Although the APMB is a first-order geologic feature similar to the Sierra Nevada batholith, its role in the surface uplift history of the Central Andes remains uncertain. Here we show that a long-wavelength topographic dome overlies the seismically measured extent of the APMB, and gravity data suggest that the uplift is isostatically compensated. Isostatic modelling of the magmatic contribution to dome growth yields melt volumes comparable to those estimated from tomography, and suggests that the APMB growth rate exceeds the peak Cretaceous magmatic flare-up in the Sierran batholith. Our analysis reveals that magmatic addition may provide a contribution to surface uplift on par with lithospheric removal, and illustrates that surface topography may help constrain the magnitude of pluton-scale melt production.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Surface uplift in the Central Andes driven by growth of the Altiplano Puna Magma Body

et al. 2016

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“…Erosion may further alter the topography and drainage structure, resulting in different porosity and permeability distributions. Thus, the observed intra-lithology spread in Dw distributions may be driven by these variations in flow path porosity/permeability (e.g., White et al, 1996, 1999a, 2001, Jacobson et al, 2002Maher et al, 2009;Navarre-Sitchler et al, 2009Sak et al, 2010;Ryu et al, 2011;Parry et al, 2015) and/or erosion rates (e.g., Chamberlain et al, 2005;Waldbauer and Chamberlain, 2005;Hren et al, 2007;Porder et al, 2007;Eiriksdottir et al, 2008;Moon et al, 2011;West, 2012;Lee et al, 2015). Finally, on seasonal timescales ion-exchange on clay minerals or organic matter surfaces can serve as a temporary reservoir (Sverdrup and Warfvinge, 1988;White and Blum, 1995;Chorover and Sposito, 1995;Chorover et al, 2007;Clow and Mast, 2010;Andrews et al, 2016) and decouple the fluid residence times from the solute residence times, although for this study, we limit our dataset to sites with sufficient temporal coverage to negate seasonal biases.…”

Section: Comparison Of Damköhler Coefficientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleoclimate Constraints on Terrestrial Hydroclimate, Silicate Weathering, and the Carbon Cycle

Ibarra¹

2018

Preprint

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Maintenance of a habitable planet requires connections and balance among Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. Further, the strength of the feedbacks and couplings determines the stability of conditions in the surface climate system necessary for the evolution of life. Records of Earth’s past climate, paleoclimate records, provide constraints beyond the reach of the instrumental record on the directionality, strength and co-evolution of key Earth system cycles. This includes the geologic carbon cycle, the water cycle and the planet’s energy balance. Crucially, the geography, topography and lithology of Earth’s continents have two important features that are the focus of this dissertation. First, the continents provide boundary conditions that determine global circulation and hydroclimate patterns that couple Earth’s water and carbon cycles (Chapters 1 and 2). Second, the land surface provides a stabilizing negative feedback in the form of silicate weathering fluxes (Chapters 3 and 4, and Appendix E), balancing the long-term carbon cycle through alkalinity and solute delivery to the oceans, and subsequent carbonate burial. In this dissertation I use data, observations and modeling to place mechanistic constraints on how interactions between Earth’s surface and long-term biogeochemical cycles maintain balance and habitable conditions in our climate system conducive for the evolution of life. Fundamental to understanding our climate system is predicting the anticipated sign of terrestrial hydroclimate change during periods of climatic change. To this end I have investigated the regional response of hydroclimate change using paleoclimate records from mid-latitude lake systems. First, in Chapter 1, I have developed an inverse model to quantify how a mid-latitude lake system in Asia, the Songliao Basin, responded to a transient warming event during the Cretaceous. This model was also applied to a Holocene ostracod record from Lake Miragoane, Haiti. Second, in Chapter 2, I compile spatial distributions and size estimates of pluvial lake systems in western North America during the Pliocene-Pleistocene. By imposing mass and energy balance constraints (sensu Budyko) I forward modeled lake area distributions to demonstrate that now-arid western North America was wetter during both past colder and warmer periods during the Pliocene-Pleistocene, a result not predicted for future warming scenarios. Geologic observations primarily suggest wetter conditions globally during warmer-than-present periods. Importantly, this observation is a requirement for the operation of the stabilizing negative feedback between silicate weathering and climate. Understanding the factors that control silicate weathering rates is fundamental to constraining the evolution of Earth’s carbon cycle over geologic timescales. One challenge for reconstructing past weathering rates is determining the reactivity of Earth’s surface. In Chapter 3 I have quantified the reactivity of modern basalt and granite catchments using a process-based solute production model and concentration-discharge weathering relationships. This approach provides mechanisms that link runoff (i.e., terrestrial hydroclimate changes that were the focus of Chapters 1 and 2) with the distribution of global sub-aerial silicate lithologies. In Chapter 4 I utilize an emerging metal isotope system, lithium isotopes, to investigate the terrestrial weathering response to a large perturbation in the carbon cycle during the Cretaceous. We determine that the background-state of the Cretaceous weathering system was more congruent and, hence, more sensitive to perturbations in the carbon cycle than during the Neogene. Finally, in Appendix E I have quantified how step-wise geologic evolution of land plants strengthened the silicate weathering feedback over the Phanerozoic. I have developed a new reactive transport framework for evaluating the relative plant-controlled roles of hydrologic versus thermodynamic mechanisms that influence the coupling between the water cycle and silicate weathering fluxes on a continental scale. The results described in this dissertation constrain links between two connected portions of the exogenic Earth system. I have provided constraints for how the land surface records past changes in regional atmospheric circulation patterns, as well as regional water and energy balances. Further, using reactive transport modeling, I have placed new constraints on the role of plants and lithology in determining the coupling between terrestrial hydroclimate and weathering. Collectively these results suggest that the surface Earth system, our planet’s fluid envelope, has been progressively tuned by the advent of continents and the evolution of life. [Note: this is the non-embargoed portion of my dissertation]

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A mass balance and isostasy model: Exploring the interplay between magmatism, deformation and surface erosion in continental arcs using central Sierra Nevada as a case study

Cao¹,

Paterson

2016

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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A one-dimensional mass balance and isostasy model is used to explore the feedbacks between magmatism, deformation and surface erosion and how they together affect crustal thickness, elevation, and exhumation in a continental arc. The model is applied to central Sierra Nevada in California by parameterizing magma volume and deformational strain. The simulations capture the first-order MesozoicCenozoic histories of crustal thickness, elevation and erosion including moderate Triassic crustal thickening and Jurassic crustal thinning followed by a strong Cretaceous crustal thickening, the latter resulting in a 60-70 km-thick crust plus a 20 km-thick arc eclogitic root, and a $5 km elevation in the Late Cretaceous. The contribution of contractional deformation to the crustal thickening is twice that of the magmatism. The contribution to elevation from magmatism is dampened by the formation of an eclogitic root. Erosion rate increases with the magnitude of crustal thickening (by magmatism and deformation) but its peak rate always lags behind the peak rate of thickening. We propose that thickened crust initially promotes magma generation by downward transport of materials to the magma source region, which may eventually jam the mantle wedge affecting the retro-arc underthrusting process and reducing arc magmatism.

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The rise and fall of continental arcs: Interplays between magmatism, uplift, weathering, and climate

Cited by 130 publications

References 73 publications

Surface uplift in the Central Andes driven by growth of the Altiplano Puna Magma Body

Surface uplift in the Central Andes driven by growth of the Altiplano Puna Magma Body

Paleoclimate Constraints on Terrestrial Hydroclimate, Silicate Weathering, and the Carbon Cycle

A mass balance and isostasy model: Exploring the interplay between magmatism, deformation and surface erosion in continental arcs using central Sierra Nevada as a case study

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