Passive margin evolution, initiation of subduction and the Wilson cycle

Abstract

We have constructed finite element models at various stages of passive margin evolution, in which we have incorporated the system of forces acting on the margin, depth-dependent rheological properties and lateral variations across the margin. We have studied the interrelations between age-dependent forces, geometry and rheology, to decipher their net effect on the state of stress at passive margins. Lithospheric flexure induced by sediment loading dominates the state of stress at passive margins. This study has shown that if after a short evolution of the margin (time span a few tens of million years) subduction has not yet started, continued aging of the passive margin alone does not result in conditions more favourable for transformation into an active margin. Although much geological evidence is available in support of the key role small ocean basins play in orogeny and ophiolite emplacement, evolutionary frameworks of the Wilson cycle usually are cast in terms of opening and closing of wide ocean basins. We propose a more limited role for large oceans in the Wilson cycle concept.