Mantle earthquakes in the absence of subduction? Continental delamination in the Romanian Carpathians

Lithosphere

Volumn 2, Issue 5, 2010, Pages 333-340

  Fillerup, Melvin A ^a   Knapp, James H ^a   Knapp, Camelia C ^a   Raileanu, Victor ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA   (United States)

^b NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR EARTH PHYSICS   (Romania)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

INTERMEDIATE DEPTHS; LITHOSPHERIC STRUCTURE; OROGENIC CRUST; ROMANIAN CARPATHIANS; SEISMOGENIC ZONES; SUBDUCTION PROCESS; SUBDUCTION ZONES; UPPER MANTLE;

SEISMOGRAPHS;

CRUSTAL ROOT; DATA INTERPRETATION; DATA SET; DELAMINATION; DIP; EARTHQUAKE; LITHOSPHERIC STRUCTURE; MIOCENE; SEISMIC REFLECTION; SEISMIC SOURCE; SEISMIC ZONE; SEISMICITY; SUBDUCTION; SUBDUCTION ZONE; UPPER MANTLE;

CARPATHIANS; ROMANIA;

EID: 78549270499     PISSN: 19418264     EISSN: 19474253     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1130/L102.1     Document Type: Article

References (59)

1. Austrheim, H., 1991, Eclogite formation and dynamics of crustal roots under continental collision zones: Terra Nova, v. 3, p. 492-499, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3121.1991.tb00184.x
2. Bird, P., 1979, Continental delamination and the Colorado Plateau: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 84, p. 7561-7571.
3. Bousquet, R., Goffe, B., Henry, P., LePichon, X., and Chopin, C., 1997, Kinematic, thermal and petrological model of the central Alps: Lepontine metamorphism in the upper crust and eclogitisation of the lower crust: Tectonophysics, v. 273, p. 105-127, doi: 10.1016/S0040-1951(96)00290-9.
4. Burchfi el, B.C., 1976, Geology of Romania: Geological Society of America Special Paper 158, 82 p.
5. Chalot-Prat, F., and Girbacea, R., 2000, Partial delamination of continental mantle lithosphere, uplift-related crust-mantle decoupling, volcanism and basin formation: A new model for the Pliocene-Quaternary evolution of the southern East-Carpathians, Romania: Tectonophysics, v. 327, p. 83-107, doi: 10.1016/S0040-1951(00)00155-4.
6. Cloetingh, S., Burov, E., Matenco, L., Toussiant, G., Bertotti, G., Andriessen, P.A.M., Wortel, M.J.R., and Spakman, W., 2004, Thermo-mechanical controls on the mode of continental collision in the SE Carpathians (Romania): Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 218, p. 57-76, doi: 10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00645-9.
7. Csontos, L., 1995, Tertiary tectonic evolution of the intra-Carpathian area: A review: Acta Vulcanologica, v. 7, p. 1-13.
8. Csontos, L., and Voros, A., 2004, Mesozoic plate tectonic reconstruction of the Carpathian region: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 210, p. 1-56, doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2004.02.033.
9. Diehl, T., and Ritter, J.R.R., and the CALIXTO Group, 2005, The crustal structure beneath SE Romania from teleseismic receiver functions: Geophysical Journal International, v. 163, p. 238-251, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2005.02715.x.
10. Downes, H., Seghedi, I., Szakács, A., Dobosi, G., James, D.E., Vaselli, O., Rigby, I.J., Ingram, G.A., Rex, D., and Pécskay, Z., 1995, Petrology and geochemistry of late Tertiary/Quaternary mafi c alkaline volcanism in Romania: Lithos, v. 35, p. 65-81, doi: 10.1016/0024-4937(95)91152-Y.
11. Falus, G., Tommasi, A., Ingrin, J., and Szabo, C., 2008, Deformation and seismic anisotropy of the lithospheric mantle in the southeastern Carpathians inferred from the study of mantle xenoliths: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 272, p. 50-64, doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.04.035.
12. Fan, G., and Wallace, T.C., 1998, Tomographic imaging of deep velocity structure beneath the Eastern and Southern Carpathians, Romania: Implications for continental collision: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 103, p. 2705-2723, doi: 10.1029/97JB01511.
13. Fuchs, K., Bonjer, K.-P., Bock, G., Cornea, I., Radu, C., Enescu, D., Jianu, D., Nourescu, A., Merkler, G., Moldoveanu, T., and Tudorache, G., 1979, The Romanian earthquake of March 4, 1977: II. Aftershocks and migration of seismic activity: Tectonophysics, v. 53, p. 223-247, doi: 10.1016/0040-1951(79)90068-4.
14. Fugenschuh, B., and Schmid, S.M., 2005, Age and signifi cance of core complex formation in a very curved orogen: Evidence from fi ssion track studies in the South Carpathians (Romania): Tectonophysics, v. 404, p. 33-53, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2005.03.019.
15. Girbacea, R., and Frisch, W., 1998, Slab in the wrong place: Lower lithospheric mantle delamination in the last stage of the Eastern Carpathian subduction retreat: Geology, v. 26, p. 611-614, doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0611:SITWPL>2.3.CO;2.
16. Grecu, B., 2007, Romanian Earthquake Catalogue ROMPLUS: http://infp.infp.ro/catal.php (accessed December 2007).
17. Gvirtzman, Z., 2002, Partial detachment of a lithospheric root under the southeast Carpathians: Toward a better defi nition of the detachment concept: Geology, v. 30, p. 51-54, doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0051:PDOALR>2.0.CO;2.
18. Hauser, F., Raileanu, V., Fielitz, W., Dinu, C., Landes, M., Bala, A., and Prodehl, C., 2007, Seismic crustal structure between the Transylvanian Basin and the Black Sea, Romania: Tectonophysics, v. 430, p. 1-25, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2006.10.005.
19. Heidbach, O., Ledermann, P., Kurfeß, D., Peters., G., Buchmann, T., Matenco, L., Negut, M., Sperner, B., Müller, B., Nuclelt, A., and Schmitt, G., 2007, Attached or not attached: Slab dynamics beneath Vrancea, Romania, in Proceedings, International Symposium on Strong Vrancea Earthquakes and Risk Mitigation, 4-6 October, 2007: Bucharest, Romania, p. 3-20.
20. Houseman, G.A., and Gemmer, L., 2007, Intra-orogenic extension driven by gravitational instability: Carpathian-Pannonian orogeny: Geology, v. 35, p. 1135-1138, doi: 10.1130/G23993A.1.
21. Ismail-Zadeh, A., Mueller, B., and Schubert, G., 2005, Three-dimensional numerical modeling of contemporary mantle fl ow and tectonic stress beneath the earthquake-prone southeastern Carpathians based on integrated analysis of seismic, heat fl ow, and gravity data: Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, v. 149, p. 81-98, doi: 10.1016/j.pepi.2004.08.012.
22. Ismail-Zadeh, A., Schubert, G., Tsepelev, I., and Korotkii, A., 2008, Thermal evolution and geometry of the descending lithosphere beneath the SE-Carpathians: An insight from the past: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 273, p. 68-79, doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.06.012.
23. Ivan, M., Popa, M., and Ghica, D., 2008, SKS splitting observed at Romanian broad-band seismic network: Tectonophysics, v. 462, p. 89-98, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2007.12.015.
24. Jackson, J.A., Austrheim, H., McKenzie, D., and Priestley, K., 2004, Metastability, mechanical strength, and the support of mountain belts: Geology, v. 32, p. 625-628, doi: 10.1130/G20397.1.
25. Kay, R.W., and Mahlburg Kay, S., 1991, Creation and destruction of the lower continental crust: Geologische Rundschau, v. 80, p. 259-278, doi: 10.1007/BF01829365.
26. Kay, R.W., and Mahlburg Kay, S., 1993, Delamination and delamination magmatism: Tectonophysics, v. 219, p. 177-189, doi: 10.1016/0040-1951(93)90295-U.
27. Knapp, J.H., Knapp, C.C., Raileanu, V., Matenco, L., Mocanu, V., and Dinu, C., 2005, Crustal constraints on the origin of mantle seismicity in the Vrancea zone, Romania: The case for active continental lithospheric delamination: Tectonophysics, v. 410, p. 311-323, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2005.02.020.
28. Krezsek, C., and Bally, A.W., 2006, The Transylvanian basin (Romania) and its relation to the Carpathian fold and thrust belt: Insights in gravitational salt tectonics: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 23, p. 405-442, doi: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2006.03.003.
29. Leever, K.A., Matenco, L., Bertotti, G., Cloetingh, S., and Drijkoningen, G.G., 2006, Late orogenic vertical movements in the Carpathian bend zone-Seismic constraints on the transition zone from orogen to foredeep: Basin Research, v. 18, p. 521-545, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2117.2006.00306.x.
30. Linzer, H., Frisch, W., Zweigel, P., Girbacea, R., Hann, H., and Moser, F., 1998, Kinematic evolution of the Romanian Carpathians: Tectonophysics, v. 297, p. 133-156, doi: 10.1016/S0040-1951(98)00166-8.
31. Lorinczi, P., and Houseman, G.A., 2009, Lithospheric gravitational instability beneath the southeast Carpathians: Tectonophysics, v. 474, p. 322-336, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2008.05.024.
32. Marchant, R.H., and Stampfl i, G.M., 1997, Subduction of continental crust in the western Alps: Tectonophysics, v. 269, p. 217-235, doi: 10.1016/S0040-1951(96)00170-9.
33. Martin, M., and Ritter, J.R.R., and the CALIXTO Working Group, 2005, High-resolution teleseismic body-wave tomography beneath SE Romania: I. Implications for three-dimensional versus one-dimensional crustal correction strategies with a new crustal velocity model: Geophysical Journal International, v. 162, p. 448-460.
34. Mason, P.R.D., Downes, H., Thirlwall, M.F., Seghedi, I., Szakacs, A., Lowry, D., and Mattey, D., 1996, Crustal assimilation as a major petrogenetic process in the East Carpathian Neogene and Quaternary continental margin arc, Romania: Journal of Petrology, v. 37, p. 927-959, doi: 10.1093/petrology/37.4.927.
35. Matenco, L., Bertotti, G., Leever, K., Cloetingh, S., Schmid, S.M., Tarapoanca, M., and Dinu, C., 2007, Large-scale deformation in the locked collisional boundary: Interplay between subsidence and uplift, intraplate stress, and inherited lithospheric structure in the late stage of the SE Carpathians evolution: Tectonics, v. 26, TC4011, doi: 10.1029/2006TC001951.
36. Morley, C.K., 1996, Models for relative motion of crustal blocks within the Carpathian region, based on restorations of the outer Carpathian thrust sheets: Tectonics, v. 15, p. 885-904, doi: 10.1029/95TC03681.
37. Morogan, V., Upton, B.G.J., and Fitton, J.G., 2000, The petrology of the Ditrau alkaline complex, Eastern Carpathians: Mineralogy and Petrology, v. 69, p. 227-265, doi: 10.1007/s007100070023.
38. Mucuta, D., Knapp, C., and Knapp, J., 2006, Constraints from Moho geometry and crustal thickness on the geodynamic origin of the Vrancea seismogenic zone (Romania): Tectonophysics, v. 420, p. 23-36, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2006.01.018.
39. Nelson, K.D., 1991, A unifi ed view of craton evolution motivated by recent deep seismic refl ection and refraction results: Geophysical Journal International, v. 105, p. 25-35, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.1991.tb03441.x.
40. Nelson, K.D., Arnow, J.A., McBride, J.H., Willemin, J.H., Huang, J., Zheng, L., Oliver, J.E., Brown, L.D., and Kaufman, S., 1985, New COCORP profi ling in the southeastern United States. Part I: Late Paleozoic suture and Mesozoic rift basin: Geology, v. 13, p. 714-718, doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(1985)13<714:NCPITS>2.0.CO;2.
41. Panea, I., Stephenson, R., Knapp, C., Mocanu, V., Drijkoingen, G., Matenco, L., Knapp, J., and Prodehl, K., 2005, Near-vertical seismic refl ection image using a novel acquisition technique across the Vrancea zone and Focsani basin, south-eastern Carpathians (Romania): Tectonophysics, v. 410, p. 293-309, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2005.01.009.
42. Pécskay, Z., Lexa, J., Szakács, A., Seghedi, I., Balogh, K., Konečný, V., Zelenka, T., Kovacs, M., Póka, T., Fülöp, A., Márton, E., Panaiotu, C., and Cvetković, V., 2006, Geochronology of Neogene magmatism in the Carpathian arc and intra-Carpathian area: Geologica Carpathica, v. 57, p. 511-530.
43. Peltz, S., Vasiliu, C., Udrescu, C., and Vasilescu, A., 1973, Geochemistry of volcanic rocks from the Calimani Gurghiu, and Harghita Mountains (major and trace elements): Buchuresti, Anuarul Institutului Geologic, Strada Caransebes, no. 1, p. 341-393.
44. Raileanu, V., and Diaconescu, C.C., 1998, Some seismic signatures in the Romanian crust: Tectonophysics, v. 288, p. 127-136, doi: 10.1016/S0040-1951(97)00293-X.
45. Roure, F., Roca, E., and Sassi, W., 1993, The Neogene evolution of the outer Carpathian fl ysch units (Poland, Ukraine and Romania): Kinematics of a foreland/fold-and-thrust belt system: Sedimentary Geology, v. 86, p. 177-201, doi: 10.1016/0037-0738(93)90139-V.
46. Royden, L., 1993, The tectonic expression of slab pull at continental convergent boundaries: Tectonics, v. 12, p. 303-325, doi: 10.1029/92TC02248.
47. Russo, R.M., Mocanu, V., Radulian, M., Popa, M., and Bonjer, K.P., 2005, Seismic attenuation in the Carpathian bend zone and surroundings: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 237, p. 695-709, doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2005.06.046.
48. Sanders, C.A.E., Andriessen, P.A.M., and Cloetingh, S.A.P.L., 1999, Life cycle of the East Carpathian orogen: Erosion history of a doubly vergent critical wedge assessed by fi ssion track thermochronology: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 104, p. 29,095-29,112, doi: 10.1029/1998JB900046.
49. Sandulescu, M., 1988, Cenozoic tectonic history of the Carpathians, in Royden, L.H., and Horvath, F., eds., The Pannonian Basin; a Study in Basin Evolution: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 45, p. 17-25.
50. Schmid, S.M., Bernoulli, D., Fügenschuh, B., Matenco, L., Schefer, S., Schuster, R., Tischler, M., and Ustaszewski, K., 2008, The Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic orogenic system: Correlation and evolution of tectonic units: Swiss Journal of Geoscience, v. 101, p. 139-183, doi: 10.1007/s00015-008-1247-3.
51. Seghedi, I., Downes, H., Szakács, A., Mason, P., Thirlwall, M.F., Roşu, E., Pécskay, Z., Márton, E., and Panaiotu, C., 2004, Neogene-Quaternary magmatism and geodynamics in the Carpathian-Pannonian region: A synthesis: Lithos, v. 72, p. 117-146, doi: 10.1016/j. lithos.2003.08.006.
52. Seghedi, I., Downes, H., Harangi, S., Mason, P.R.D., and Pesckay, Z., 2005, Geochemical response of magmas to Neogene-Quaternary continental collision in the Carpathian-Pannonian region: A review: Tectonophysics, v. 410, p. 485-499, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2004.09.015.
53. Sperner, B., Lorenz, F., Bonjer, K., Hettel, S., Muller, B., and Wenzel, F., 2001, Slab break-off- Abrupt cut or gradual detachment? New insights from the Vrancea region (SE-Carpathians, Romania): Terra Nova, v. 13, p. 172-179, doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3121.2001.00335.x.
54. Sperner, B., Ioane, D., and Lilly, R.J., 2004, Slab behavior and its surface expression: New insights from gravity modeling in the SE-Carpathians: Tectonophysics, v. 382, p. 51-84, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2003.12.008.
55. Tarapoanca, M., Bertotti, B., Matenco, L., Dinu, C., and Cloetingh, S., 2003, Architecture of the Focsani Depression: A 13 km deep basin in the Carpathian bend zone (Romania): Tectonics, v. 22, p. 1074, doi: 10.1029/2002TC001486.
56. Ustaszewski, K., Schmid, S.M., Fugenschuh, B., Tischler, M., Kissling, E., and Spakman, W., 2008, A map-view restoration of the Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic system for the early Miocene: Swiss Journal of Geosciences, v. 101, supplement 1, p. S273-S294.
57. Weidle, C., Widiyantoro, S. and CALIXTO Working Group, 2005, Improving depth resolution of teleseismic tomography by simultaneous inversion of teleseismic and global P-wave traveltime data-Application to the Vrancea region in southeastern Europe: Geophysics Journal International, v. 162, p. 811-823.
58. Wortel, M.J.R., and Spakman, W., 2000, Subduction and slab detachment in the Mediterranean-Carpathian region: Science, v. 290, p. 1910-1917, doi: 10.1126/science.290.5498.1910.
59. Zhao, W., Nelson, N.D., and Project INDEPTH Team, 1993, Deep seismic refl ection evidence for continental underthrusting beneath southern Tibet: Nature, v. 366, p. 557-559, doi: 10.1038/366557a0.