Rifting continents
Rifting continents
Continental rifts can form when and where continents are stretched. If the driving forces can overcome lithospheric strength, a rift valley forms. Rifts are characterized by faults, sedimentary basins, earthquakes, and/or volcanism. With the right set of weakening feedbacks, a rift can evolve to break a continent into conjugate rifted margins such as those found along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. When, however, strengthening processes overtake weakening, rifting can stall and leave a failed rift, such as the North Sea or the West African Rift. A clear definition of continental breakup is still lacking because the transition from continent to ocean can be complex, with tilted continental blocks and regions of exhumed lithospheric mantle. Rifts and rifted margins not only shape the face of our planet, they also have a clear societal impact, through hazards caused by earthquakes, volcanism, landslides, and CO2 release, and through their resources, such as fertile land, hydrocarbons, minerals, and geothermal potential. This societal relevance makes an understanding of the many unknown aspects of rift processes as critical as ever.
Continental breakup, Continental extension, Rift, Rifted margin, Sedimentary basin, Wilson cycle
459-481
Buiter, Susanne J.H.
26a5e7e2-7195-4d9b-9d38-26a70cc48701
Brune, Sascha
2610fb89-af9e-4fae-8292-fac70ec15418
Keir, Derek
5616f81f-bf1b-4678-a167-3160b5647c65
Peron-Pinvidic, Gwenn
ce53bb61-1896-4079-b650-82dfa9690afc
Buiter, Susanne J.H.
26a5e7e2-7195-4d9b-9d38-26a70cc48701
Brune, Sascha
2610fb89-af9e-4fae-8292-fac70ec15418
Keir, Derek
5616f81f-bf1b-4678-a167-3160b5647c65
Peron-Pinvidic, Gwenn
ce53bb61-1896-4079-b650-82dfa9690afc
Buiter, Susanne J.H., Brune, Sascha, Keir, Derek and Peron-Pinvidic, Gwenn
(2023)
Rifting continents.
In,
Dynamics of Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection.
1 ed.
Elsevier, .
(doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-85733-8.00016-0).
Record type:
Book Section
Abstract
Continental rifts can form when and where continents are stretched. If the driving forces can overcome lithospheric strength, a rift valley forms. Rifts are characterized by faults, sedimentary basins, earthquakes, and/or volcanism. With the right set of weakening feedbacks, a rift can evolve to break a continent into conjugate rifted margins such as those found along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. When, however, strengthening processes overtake weakening, rifting can stall and leave a failed rift, such as the North Sea or the West African Rift. A clear definition of continental breakup is still lacking because the transition from continent to ocean can be complex, with tilted continental blocks and regions of exhumed lithospheric mantle. Rifts and rifted margins not only shape the face of our planet, they also have a clear societal impact, through hazards caused by earthquakes, volcanism, landslides, and CO2 release, and through their resources, such as fertile land, hydrocarbons, minerals, and geothermal potential. This societal relevance makes an understanding of the many unknown aspects of rift processes as critical as ever.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 17 February 2023
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Keywords:
Continental breakup, Continental extension, Rift, Rifted margin, Sedimentary basin, Wilson cycle
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Local EPrints ID: 478099
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/478099
PURE UUID: 80ce884e-e132-4d70-aa78-806a7d685a87
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Date deposited: 21 Jun 2023 16:55
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 01:49
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Author:
Susanne J.H. Buiter
Author:
Sascha Brune
Author:
Gwenn Peron-Pinvidic
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