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Lithospheric shortening can be described by one of two end-member modes: indentation of the lithosphere and subduction of the lithospheric mantle. Deciphering the difference between these modes is crucial in the interpretation of past and present orogens and in predicting their structural architecture at depth. It is therefore important to establish how observable upper crustal proxies reflect deep lithospheric kinematics and dynamics. Over the last few decades, geological and geophysical data have provided valuable constraints on the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. This margin is defined by the Qilian Shan thrust belt, which developed in response to the far-field convergence between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The primary mechanism for this development is the southward subduction of the Asian lithospheric mantle beneath the Tibetan Plateau. We conducted numerical modelling to simulate the kinematics and response of the upper crust to the southward subduction of the lithospheric mantle. Our results show that subduction of the lithospheric mantle can result in upper crustal deformation that matches the records in the Qilian Shan, where pure shear shortening alone does not generate similar upper crust proxies, including the broad width and architecture of the bivergent orogenic wedge, the timing of fault initiation and evolution, seismicity and fault activity, the topography and geomorphology. The geometry of the subducting lithosphere impacts the width and asymmetry of the bivergent orogenic wedge. Our results demonstrate how records of crustal strain can be used to better interpret the deep structural architecture of past and present orogenic wedges.
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This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2026
Mode of intracontinental mountain building controlled by lower crustal composition and mantle lithosphere depletion
Tectonic plate convergence is accommodated across the continental lithosphere via discrete lithospheric subduction or distributed shortening and thickening. These end-member deformation modes control intra-plate mountain building, but their selection mechanism remains unclear. The variable composition of the continental crust and lithospheric mantle, which impacts its density and rheology, can be inferred by the distribution of magnetic-indicated crustal iron. Here we demonstrate that vertically coherent pure-shear shortening dominated the active Tian Shan orogen, central Asia, based on high-resolution aeromagnetic imaging and geophysical-geodetic observations. Integrating these findings with thermomechanical collisional models reveals that the mode of intracontinental deformation depends on contrasts in lower crust composition and mantle lithosphere depletion between the converging continents and central orogenic region. Distributed shortening prevails when the converging continents have a more iron-enriched mafic crust and iron-depleted mantle lithosphere when compared to the intervening orogenic region. Conversely, continental subduction occurs without such lithospheric contrasts. This result explains how the Tian Shan orogen formed via distributed lithospheric thickening without continental subduction or underthrusting. Our interpretations imply that iron distribution in the crust correlates with lithospheric compositional, density, and rheological structure, which impacts the preservation and destruction of Earth’s continents, including long-lived cratons, during intracontinental orogeny.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1914501
- PAR ID:
- 10644746
- Publisher / Repository:
- Nature
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nature Communications
- Volume:
- 16
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2041-1723
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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