Parameters Inversion of Oceanic Lithosphere and Modeling of Basin Formation Due to Lithospheric Stretching Based on Variable‐Parameters Plate Models

Abstract

AbstractBased on empirical formula of heat conductivity, specific heat and coefficient of thermal expansion varied with temperature, we adopt the implicit finite difference method to solve non‐linear heat conduction equation and estimate plate thickness and basal temperature of oceanic lithosphere using crustal ages and bathymetries from the North Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. The results indicate that the thickness of oceanic lithosphere is about 105 km and the basal temperature is about 1450°C, which is consistent with the results obtained by Stein et al. When the variable‐parameters plate model is applied to investigate the formation mechanism of sedimentary basins due to lithospheric stretching, it can be found that the thermal subsidence predicted by the variable‐parameters model is greater than that predicted by the original uniform stretching model. Therefore we point out that the fact that the McKenzie's uniform stretching model predicts larger initial subsidence and smaller thermal subsidence than observed results is possibly due to this model didn't take the dependence of lithospheric thermophysical parameters on depth or temperature into account.