Influence of Inherited Rifted Margin Architecture on Continental Collision Dynamics

Abstract Continental collision is a key process in lithospheric evolution, driving mountain building, crustal thickening, and supercontinent assembly. Within the Wilson cycle, collision marks the final stage following rifting, ocean spreading, and subduction. Early rifting and rifted margin development precede basement accretion and hard continental collision, leaving complex records that complicate tectonic interpretations. We present mantle‐scale numerical models simulating rifting, post‐rift thermal re‐equilibration, convergence, subduction, and collision. Results show that a strong continental crust produces narrow rifted margins, while a weak crust leads to margins with wider hyperextended domains. Subduction initiates beneath rifted continental margins due to inherited zones of reduced grain size. We assess the impact of syn‐rift sediment rheology, erosion rates, and mantle serpentinization on non‐magmatic rifted margin evolution, subduction and collision. Our findings indicate that rift‐inherited architecture primarily controls basement accretion and collision style, more than surface processes or sediment rheology. Lithospheric shear zones with reduced grain size may serve as the location of subduction initiation. Comparisons with natural examples such as the Alps, Pyrenees, and Greater Caucasus support a first‐order interpretation of their structural and mechanical evolution based on our models.