Abstract
Sedimentation impacts thermal and subsidence evolution in continental rifting. Estimating the blanketing effect of sediments is crucial to reconstructing the heat flow during rifting. The sedimentary load affects the basin subsidence rate. Numerical investigation of these effects requires active and complex simulations of the thermal structure, lithospheric stretching, and sedimentation. In this paper, we introduce a numerical model to quantify these effects, which was developed using the COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation software. Our numerical setting for the analytical and numerical solutions of thermal structure and subsidence is based on previous continental rifting studies. In our model, we accumulate a column of 5 m thick sediment layers with varied stretching factors and sedimentation rates, spanning the syn-rift to early post-rift phases over a period of 12 myr. Our results provide intuitive models to understand these sedimentation effects. The models show that an increase in sedimentation thickness significantly decreases surface heat flow, leading to lower geothermal temperature, and amplifies the subsidence magnitude. The findings also demonstrate that increases in the stretching factor and sedimentation rate enhance the blanketing effect and subsidence rate. Based on these results, we discuss key outcomes for geological applications and the possible limitations of our approach.
Highlights
Continental rifting is an important geological process described in rifted continental margins and sedimentary basins such as the Rio Grande Rift, East African Rift, and North Sea Basin (e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]).Fundamentally, it commences by stretching/thinning of the continental lithosphere and rising of the mantle asthenosphere close to the surface
In order to investigate the effects of sedimentation on the evolution of continental rifting, such as the blanketing effect and sedimentary load, we developed a numerical model that simulates heat flow and subsidence from syn-rift to early post-rift phases over 12 myr
The surface heat flow and thermal subsidence models presented in previous studies were reconstructed, results of which constitute the background set-up for our numerical modelling
Summary
Continental rifting is an important geological process described in rifted continental margins and sedimentary basins such as the Rio Grande Rift, East African Rift, and North Sea Basin (e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]) Rifting is affected by sedimentation, the evolution of the thermal structure and subsidence. Analytical , and numerical benchmark effects on the evolution of continental rifting. Analytical and numerical benchmark solutions for solutions for the thermal structure and subsidence in the continental rifting system [40,41,42].
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