Tectonic geomorphometrics of the western United States: Speculations on the surface expression of upper mantle processes

Abstract

The topography of the western United States provides a classic field laboratory for investigations of the relationship between surface features and sub-crustal dynamic processes. The interpretation of recently collected, high-resolution seismic images of the upper mantle beneath the central Colorado Rocky Mountains substantiates the notion that much of the high elevation coincides with thin or attenuated continental crust (with respect to predicted Airy crustal thicknesses), necessitating topographic support by anomalously buoyant mantle. This is highly suggestive that broad-scale topographic features may be correlated with buoyancy variations in the upper mantle. In an attempt to sharpen our understanding of the underlying geodynamics, we evaluate the correlation between the surface topographic character and data sets that provide information about density variations indicative of buoyancy in the upper mantle, including the lithospheric geoid, upper mantle seismic velocity anomalies, and crustal (Lg) Q. Our general conclusion is that mantle buoyancy is driving differential surface uplift throughout the western United States and this driver of topography is manifested by measureable anomalies in the topographic roughness at short wavelengths (tens of kilometer) and elevated spectral power in the topography at longer (several hundred kilometers) wavelengths. A provocative conclusion is that the long-recognized physiographic provinces of the Colorado Plateau, Rocky Mountains, and Rio Grande rift are also neotectonic provinces that are related to convective processes and related buoyancy in the upper mantle.