The active southwest margin of the Colorado Plateau: Uplift of mantle origin

Research Article| February 01, 1995 The active southwest margin of the Colorado Plateau: Uplift of mantle origin Tom Parsons; Tom Parsons 1U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jill McCarthy Jill McCarthy 1U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1995) 107 (2): 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1995)107<0139:TASMOT>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Tom Parsons, Jill McCarthy; The active southwest margin of the Colorado Plateau: Uplift of mantle origin. GSA Bulletin 1995;; 107 (2): 139–147. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1995)107<0139:TASMOT>2.3.CO;2 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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract During Cenozoic time, the Colorado Plateau was raised about 2 km above sea level. The most-recent and best-documented uplift of the plateau (∼1 km) has been concentrated at its southwest margin between 6 and 1 Ma, whereas the eastern Colorado Plateau may have been at high elevations since Eocene time. To better understand the recent tectonic activity at the southwest margin of the Colorado Plateau, we compile detailed crustal thickness and density information from seismic and gravity data for a region that includes northwest Arizona and the southern tip of Nevada. This information is used to isolate the mantle contribution to uplift. We find that there is relatively low density mantle underlying the southern margin of the plateau in northwest Arizona, which could result from about 60–80 km of thinning of the dense mantle lithosphere combined with about 100 °C of heating through a 100-km-thick mantle layer. The available estimates from earthquake-source seismology in or near the study area are compatible with this estimate of lithospheric thinning. We speculate that uplift may result from subduction-related thinning of the continental lithosphere. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.