IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v408y2000i6815d10.1038_35050073.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Subduction and collision processes in the Central Andes constrained by converted seismic phases

Author

Listed:
  • X. Yuan

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Freie Universität Berlin, Fachrichtung Geophysik)

  • S. V. Sobolev

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam)

  • R. Kind

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Freie Universität Berlin, Fachrichtung Geophysik)

  • O. Oncken

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Freie Universität Berlin, Fachrichtung Geophysik)

  • G. Bock

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Andes Working Group)

  • G. Asch

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Andes Working Group)

  • B. Schurr

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Andes Working Group)

  • F. Graeber

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Andes Working Group)

  • A. Rudloff

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Andes Working Group)

  • W. Hanka

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Andes Working Group)

  • K. Wylegalla

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Andes Working Group)

  • R. Tibi

    (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
    Andes Working Group)

  • Ch. Haberland

    (Freie Universität Berlin, Fachrichtung Geophysik
    Andes Working Group)

  • A. Rietbrock

    (Freie Universität Berlin, Fachrichtung Geophysik
    Andes Working Group)

  • P. Giese

    (Freie Universität Berlin, Fachrichtung Geophysik
    Andes Working Group)

  • P. Wigger

    (Freie Universität Berlin, Fachrichtung Geophysik
    Andes Working Group)

  • P. Röwer

    (Freie Universität Berlin, Fachrichtung Geophysik
    Andes Working Group)

  • G. Zandt

    (University of Arizona
    Andes Working Group)

  • S. Beck

    (University of Arizona
    Andes Working Group)

  • T. Wallace

    (University of Arizona
    Andes Working Group)

  • M. Pardo

    (Universidad de Chile, Departemento de Geofisico
    Andes Working Group)

  • D. Comte

    (Universidad de Chile, Departemento de Geofisico
    Andes Working Group)

Abstract

The Central Andes are the Earth's highest mountain belt formed by ocean–continent collision1,2. Most of this uplift is thought to have occurred in the past 20 Myr, owing mainly to thickening of the continental crust2,3,4,5,6, dominated by tectonic shortening7,8,9,10. Here we use P-to-S (compressional-to-shear) converted teleseismic waves observed on several temporary networks in the Central Andes to image the deep structure associated with these tectonic processes. We find that the Moho (the Mohorovičić discontinuity—generally thought to separate crust from mantle) ranges from a depth of 75 km under the Altiplano plateau to 50 km beneath the 4-km-high Puna plateau. This relatively thin crust below such a high-elevation region indicates that thinning of the lithospheric mantle may have contributed to the uplift of the Puna plateau. We have also imaged the subducted crust of the Nazca oceanic plate down to 120 km depth, where it becomes invisible to converted teleseismic waves, probably owing to completion of the gabbro–eclogite transformation; this is direct evidence for the presence of kinetically delayed metamorphic reactions in subducting plates. Most of the intermediate-depth seismicity in the subducting plate stops at 120 km depth as well, suggesting a relation with this transformation. We see an intracrustal low-velocity zone, 10–20 km thick, below the entire Altiplano and Puna plateaux, which we interpret as a zone of continuing metamorphism and partial melting that decouples upper-crustal imbrication from lower-crustal thickening.

Suggested Citation

  • X. Yuan & S. V. Sobolev & R. Kind & O. Oncken & G. Bock & G. Asch & B. Schurr & F. Graeber & A. Rudloff & W. Hanka & K. Wylegalla & R. Tibi & Ch. Haberland & A. Rietbrock & P. Giese & P. Wigger & P. R, 2000. "Subduction and collision processes in the Central Andes constrained by converted seismic phases," Nature, Nature, vol. 408(6815), pages 958-961, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:408:y:2000:i:6815:d:10.1038_35050073
    DOI: 10.1038/35050073
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/35050073
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/35050073?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhipeng Zhou & Hans Thybo & Irina M. Artemieva & Timothy Kusky & Chi-Chia Tang, 2024. "Crustal melting and continent uplift by mafic underplating at convergent boundaries," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:408:y:2000:i:6815:d:10.1038_35050073. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.