Plateau collapse model for the Transantarctic Mountains–West Antarctic Rift System: Insights from numerical experiments

Research Article| August 01, 2007 Plateau collapse model for the Transantarctic Mountains–West Antarctic Rift System: Insights from numerical experiments Robert W. Bialas; Robert W. Bialas 1Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar W. Roger Buck; W. Roger Buck 1Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael Studinger; Michael Studinger 2Lamont-Doherty Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Paul G. Fitzgerald Paul G. Fitzgerald 3Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Robert W. Bialas 1Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA W. Roger Buck 1Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Michael Studinger 2Lamont-Doherty Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Paul G. Fitzgerald 3Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 21 Feb 2007 Revision Received: 12 Mar 2007 Accepted: 18 Mar 2007 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2007) 35 (8): 687–690. https://doi.org/10.1130/G23825A.1 Article history Received: 21 Feb 2007 Revision Received: 12 Mar 2007 Accepted: 18 Mar 2007 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Robert W. Bialas, W. Roger Buck, Michael Studinger, Paul G. Fitzgerald; Plateau collapse model for the Transantarctic Mountains–West Antarctic Rift System: Insights from numerical experiments. Geology 2007;; 35 (8): 687–690. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G23825A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The high elevation and considerable length of the Transantarctic Mountains have led to speculation about their origin. To date, no model has been able to adequately reconcile the juxtaposition of the high, curvilinear Transantarctic Mountains with the adjacent West Antarctic Rift System, a broad region of thin extended continental crust exhibiting wide rift characteristics. We present a first-order investigation into the idea that the West Antarctic Rift System–Transantarctic Mountains region was a high-elevation plateau with thicker than normal crust before the onset of continental extension. With major Cretaceous extension, the rift underwent a topographic reversal, and a plateau edge with thickened crust, representing the ancestral Transantarctic Mountains, remained. In the Cenozoic, minor extension and major denudation reduce the crustal root while simultaneously uplifting peak heights in the mountains. The Cretaceous stage of this concept is investigated using two-dimensional numerical models to determine under what conditions plateau collapse is plausible. Model results indicate that elevation of a remnant plateau edge decreases with increasing initial Moho temperature. Very cold initial Moho temperatures, <675 °C, under the plateau leave a thick plateau edge but do not exhibit wide rifting. A cold to moderate initial thermal structure, Moho temperatures of 675–850 °C, is needed to retain the plateau edge and still exhibit wide rifting in the middle of the plateau. We conclude that this plateau collapse concept is possible using these numerical experiments, and that application of this idea to the West Antarctic Rift System–Transantarctic Mountains system is also supported by geological and geophysical evidence. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.