Abstract
In this contribution we will explore the potential coupling between change in surface loading and melt generation during continental extension. The removal of a surface load will increase the rate of decompression and hence increase the rate of melt generation, yet the rate of decompression within the zone of partial melting will also be modulated by the elastic and viscous relaxation of the lithosphere. Therefore it remains an open question as to if climate can directly influence the thermal history of an evolving rift basin. To understand how linked climate and volcanism might be, we developed numerical models of rift evolution that allow for the interaction of first order surface processes. Deglaciation is found to have a strong impact on melt production if the ice-sheet is greater than 100 km in width and the lithosphere strength is low. Under such conditions, melt productivity can be increased by more than 1000 %. Rapid sediment removal due to increased run-off could have a similar effect on melt productivity. Crucially, we find that rift evolution is strongly dependent on the rate of change in surface load, suggesting that rapid climate change may strongly influence rift basin formation.
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