Mantle plume influence on the Neogene uplift and extension of the U.S. western Cordillera?

Research Article| January 01, 1994 Mantle plume influence on the Neogene uplift and extension of the U.S. western Cordillera? Tom Parsons; Tom Parsons 1U.S. Geological Survey, MS 999, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar George A. Thompson; George A. Thompson 2Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Norman H. Sleep Norman H. Sleep 2Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Tom Parsons 1U.S. Geological Survey, MS 999, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025 George A. Thompson 2Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Norman H. Sleep 2Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1994) 22 (1): 83–86. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0083:MPIOTN>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 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, George A. Thompson, Norman H. Sleep; Mantle plume influence on the Neogene uplift and extension of the U.S. western Cordillera?. Geology 1994;; 22 (1): 83–86. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0083:MPIOTN>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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract espite its highly extended and thinned crust, much of the western Cordillera in the United States is elevated more than 1 km above sea level. Therefore, this region cannot be thought of as thick crust floating isostatically in a uniform mantle; rather, the lithospheric mantle and/or the upper asthenosphere must vary in thickness or density across the region. Utilizing crustal thickness and density constraints, we modeled the residual mass deficit that must occur in the mantle lithosphere and asthenosphere beneath the western Cordillera. A major hot spot broke out during a complex series of Cenozoic tectonic events that included lithospheric thickening, backarc extension, and transition from a subduction to a transform plate boundary. We suggest that many of the characteristics that make the western Cordillera unique among extensional provinces can be ttributed to the mantle plume that created the Yellowstone hot spot. 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.