Controls of mantle subduction on crustal-level architecture of intraplate orogens, insights from sandbox modeling

Abstract

Subduction of mantle lithosphere can initiate in the continental interior and acts as an important mechanism for intraplate orogeny. However, the associated kinematic response in the upper crust is still poorly resolved, hindering identification and investigation of mantle subduction during intraplate orogeny. Here we conducted sandbox experiments incorporating mantle-subduction-type and traditional indentation-type convergence to explore their difference in crustal-level orogenic architecture and deformation kinematics. We demonstrate that mantle-subduction-type convergence enhances orogen expansion above the subducting plate, whereas indentation-type convergence promotes deformation propagation toward the overriding plate. Such contrast leads to systematic variations in deformation sequence, structural style, and the first-order orogen geometry. We also show that changes of convergence mode leave distinct structural relics. Out-of-sequence faulting occurs when indentation-type convergence replaces the mantle-subduction-type mode. Conversely, the overprinting of mantle subduction on an earlier indentation mode triggers immediate in-sequence, foreland-propagating thrusting. Additionally, the influence of mantle-subduction-type convergence concentrates within the subducting plate when under a combined convergence involving opposite-direction indentation and mantle-subduction. This creates a special pattern of deformation localization comparable to the distribution of present-day seismicity and topography observed in the active Qilian Shan fold-thrust (northern Tibetan Plateau), confirming a bi-directional compression state during its recent evolution. Our modeling results can provide insights into the geodynamics of other intraplate orogens.