Oroclinal buckling and associated lithospheric-scale material flow – insights from physical modelling: Implication for the Mongol-Hingan orocline

Abstract

We present a new analogue model of oroclinal buckling, which is based on recent advances in our geological understanding of the Mongolian orocline in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The model simulates an amplification of a preexisting, gently arcuated accretionary system. In the analogue models, we established three neighboring subdomains that represent contrasting lithospheric domains separated by a steep “subduction” interface. The shortening of the model is parallel to the pseudo-linear interface between these subdomains and produces two different deformation patterns in the amplified interlimb areas of the orocline. We used analogue modelling techniques to investigate both the flow of a ductile lithosphere and the brittle deformation of an upper crust that is associated with the development of an orocline. The modelling results show that: (1) two types of regional-scale folds develop both of which are upright. The largest are steeply plunging oroclines and the smaller have sub-horizontal axes; (2) the overall deformation distribution displays significant thickening/thinning and exhumation of the lower ductile layers with variations of upward transfer of crustal material; (3) the hinge regions of the two adjacent oroclines studied consist of different materials, one contains oceanic and the other felsic lower crustal rocks. It is found that the geometry of the lithosphere beneath the two regions is very different; (4) the geometry of the orocline is non-cylindrical and exhibits an increasing plunge of fold axes when traced from the upper-crust to deeper lithospheric layers. The resulting model is used to geophysically constrain deep crustal structures and surface deformation patterns in Mongolia.