Tectonics and geodynamics of the eastern Tethys and northern Gondwana since the Jurassic

Sabin Zahirovic; Nicolas Flament; Jeremy Iwanec; Rakib Hassan; Kara Matthews; Daniela Garrad; Kevin Hill; Maria Seton; Ting Yang; Gilles Brocard; Michael Gurnis; R Dietmar Muller

doi:10.1071/ASEG2018abM1_1C

1st Australasian Exploration Geoscience Conference – Exploration Innovation Integration

ISSN: 2202-0586
E-ISSN:

oa Tectonics and geodynamics of the eastern Tethys and northern Gondwana since the Jurassic
Authors Sabin Zahirovic^a, Nicolas Flament^b, Jeremy Iwanec^c, Rakib Hassan^d, Kara Matthews^e, Daniela Garrad^f, Kevin Hill^g, Maria Seton^h, Ting Yangⁱ, Gilles Brocard^j, Michael Gurnis^k and R Dietmar Muller^l
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^a University of Sydney Madsen, Building F09 University of Sydney NSW, 2006, [email protected] ^b University of Wollongong, Building 41 Wollongong, NSW, 2522, [email protected] ^c Oil Search Limited, 1 Bligh Street Sydney, NSW, 2000, [email protected] ^d Geoscience Australia, 101 Jerrabomberra Ave Symonston, ACT, 2609, [email protected] ^e University of Sydney, Madsen Building F09 University of Sydney NSW, 2006, [email protected] ^f Oil Search Limited, 1 Bligh Street Sydney, NSW, 2000, [email protected] ^g University of Melbourne, McCoy Building Parkville, VIC, 3010, [email protected] ^h University of Sydney, Madsen Building F09 University of Sydney NSW, 2006, [email protected] ⁱ University of Melbourne, McCoy Building Parkville, VIC, 3010, [email protected] ^j University of Sydney, Madsen Building F09 University of Sydney NSW, 2006, [email protected] ^k California Institute of Technology Seismological Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA, [email protected] ^l University of Sydney, Madsen Building F09 University of Sydney NSW, 2006, [email protected]
Publisher: Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Source: ASEG Extended Abstracts, Volume 2018, Issue 1st Australasian Exploration Geoscience Conference – Exploration Innovation Integration, Dec 2018, p. 1 - 6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/ASEG2018abM1_1C
- Published online: 01 Dec 2018

Abstract

Southeast Asia experienced a complex tectonic and geodynamic history related to the subduction of the eastern Tethyan ocean basins, resulting from the long-term convergence between the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, and Pacific plates since Pangea breakup. The complex collage of continental and island arc terranes can be reconstructed into an estimated ancient arrangement using plate tectonic reconstruction approaches based on a synthesis of continental and marine geological and geophysical data. We use the open-source and cross-platform software GPlates (www. gplates.org) to refine the evolution of the eastern Neo-Tethys since the latest Jurassic rifting episodes along northern Gondwana. We apply the resulting plate motions to drive numerical models of mantle flow in order to predict the evolving mantle structure. New Guinea’s northward motion over subducted slabs, related to the Sepik back-arc basin and the Maramuni subduction system, resulted in long-term flooding of the margin since ~20 Ma, despite falling long-term global sea levels. The Sundaland continental promontory experienced dynamic uplift in the latest Cretaceous to Eocene times due to the accretion of the Woyla Arc at ~80 Ma, leading to slab breakoff and a temporary interruption of subduction. However, renewed subduction along the Sunda margin resulted in renewed dynamic subsidence from ~30 Ma, which was amplified by regional basin rifting events. In addition, the sinking Sunda slab likely triggered a mantle slab avalanche, resulting in a counterintuitive combination of contemporaneous basin inversion and strong dynamic subsidence from ~15 Ma. The evolution of the eastern Tethyan oceanic gateway provides an important framework for understanding the role of plate tectonics in controlling long-term oceanic circulation and climate, as well as shedding light on the complex interplay between deep Earth and surface processes in driving basin formation and evolution. These results provide new avenues for reconciling stratigraphic and tectonic processes, as well as contributing new approaches for basin analysis and hydrocarbon exploration.

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/content/journals/10.1071/ASEG2018abM1_1C

Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): Dynamic Topography; Geodynamics; Mantle Convection; Tectonics; Tethys

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