The Impact of Climate‐Driven Lake Level Changes on Mantle Melting in Continental Rifts

Autor: Liang Xue, James D. Muirhead, Robert Moucha, Lachlan J. M. Wright, Christopher A. Scholz
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 50, Iss 18, Pp n/a-n/a (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1944-8007
0094-8276
DOI: 10.1029/2023GL103905
Popis: Abstract Climate cycles fundamentally control surface processes that affect the distribution of water and sediment, and their associated loads, across the Earth's surface. Here, we use a geodynamic model to examine how water loading can affect mantle melt generation in continental rift settings covered by deep lakes. Our modeling results suggest that lake level fluctuations can modulate the timing and rate of mantle melting. A rapid lake level drop of 800 m has the potential to increase mantle melt volumes by enhancing mantle upwelling beneath the rift, whereas a lake level rise can lead to a reduction of mantle melting. The volume of melt produced driven by lake level fluctuations is also dependent on crustal rheology, extension rate, mantle potential temperature, and lithosphere thickness. Our study identifies the importance of water loading for controlling rift processes, while also demonstrating critical links between changing climate, rift evolution and mantle melting.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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