Abstract
Geophysical evidence is presented for an episode of active delamination of a piece of continental lithosphere. Observations of earthquake hypocentre locations, seismic wave velocities and attenuation, Bouguer gravity, seismic reflection and drill hole data are combined with surface geology to infer the presence of a high-velocity, seismically active, rigid body in the upper mantle beneath the Alboran Sea and surrounding Betic and Rif mountain belts of the western Mediterranean region. This upper-mantle body, inferred to be the delaminating continental lithosphere, is overlain by a low-velocity, aseismic and strongly attenuating uppermost mantle, inferred to be the asthenospheric material replacing the delaminating lithosphere.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dewey, J. F. Tectonics 7, 1123–1139 (1988).
Nelson, K. D. Geology 20, 498–502 (1992).
Bird, P. J. geophys. Res 84, 7561–7571 (1979).
Houseman, G. A., McKenzie, D. P. & Molnar, P. J. geophys. Res. 86, 6115–6132 (1981).
Docherty, C. & Banda, E. Tectonics 14, 804–818 (1995).
Kay, R. & Kay, S. M. Tectonophysics 219, 177–189 (1993).
Seber, D. et al. J. geophys. Res. (in the press).
Blanco, M. J. & Spakman, W. Tectonophysics 221, 13–34 (1993).
De Galdeano, C. S. Tectonophysics 172, 107–119 (1990).
Morley, C. J. African Earth Sci. 14, 57–65 (1992).
Watts, A. B., Platt, J. P. & Buhl, J. P. Basin Res. 5, 153–177 (1993).
Cloetingh, S. et al. Geo-Mar. Lett. 12, 66–75 (1992).
Campillo, A. C., Maldonado, A. & Mauffret, A. Geo-Mar. Lett. 12, 165–172 (1992).
Dewey, J., Helman, M., Turco, E., Hutton, D. & Knott, S. in Alpine Tectonics (eds Coward, M., Dietrich, D. & Park, R.) 265–283 (Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ. 45, Oxford, 1989).
Weijermars, R. Phys. Earth planet. Inter. 37, 135–148 (1985).
Duran-Delga, M. & Oliver, P. in The Atlas System of Morocco (ed. Jacobshagen, V.) 465–480 (Springer, Berlin, 1988).
Andrieux, J., Fontbote & Mattauer, M. Bull. Soc. géol. Fr. 27, 115–118 (1971).
Platt, J. P. & Vissers, R. L. M. Geology 17, 540–543 (1989).
Vissers, R. L. M., Platt, J. P. & van der Wal, D. Tectonics 12, 804–818 (1995).
Royden, L. Tectonics 12, 629–638 (1993).
Comas, M., Garcia-Duenas, C. V. & Jurado, M. J. Geo-Mar. Lett. 12, 157–164 (1992).
Steiger, R. H. & Frick, U. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 13(2), 762 (1973).
Docherty, C. & Banda, E. Geo-Mar. Lett. 12, 82–87 (1992).
Bourgois, J., Mauffret, A., Ammar, A. & Demnati, A. Geo-Mar. Lett. 12, 117–122 (1992).
Horvath, F. & Berckhemer, H. in Alpine Mediterranean Geodynamics (eds Berckhemer, H. & Hsu, K.) Vol. 7, 141–173 (Geodynamics Ser., American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, 1982).
Garcia-Duenas, V., Balanya, J. C. & Martinez-Martinez, J. M. Geo-Mar. Lett. 12, 88–95 (1992).
Ait Brahim, L. thesis, Univ. Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco (1991).
Ait Brahim, L. & Chotin, P. J. African Earth Sci. 11, 273–280 (1990).
Arana, V. & Vegas, R. Tectonophysics 24, 197–212 (1974).
Doblas, M. & Oyarzun, R. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 93, 76–84 (1989).
Hatzfeld, D. & Ben Sari, D. Bull. Soc. géol. Fr. 7, 749–756 (1977).
Working Group for the Deep Seismic Sounding in the Alboran Sea Pure appl. Geophys. 116, 167–180 (1978).
Banda, E. Phys. Earth planet. Inter. 51, 222–225 (1988).
Buforn, E., Udias, A. & Colombas, M. A. Tectonophysics 152, 89–118 (1988).
Klein, F. W. Hypercenter Location Program, HYPOINVERSE (US open file rep. 78–694, US Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, 1978).
Bonini, W. E., Loomis, T. P. & Robertson, J. D. J. geophys. Res. 78, 1372–1382 (1973).
Demnati, A. Bulletino di Geofisica Teorica ed Applicata 14, 203–236 (1972).
Gotze, H. J. & Lahmeyer, B. Geophysics 53, 1096–1108 (1988).
Polyak, B. G. et al. Ann. Geofisicae 13, C18 (1994).
Rimi, A. Geothermics 19, 443–454 (1990).
Cermak, V. in Terrestrial Heat Flow in Europe (eds Cermak, L. & Rybach, L.) (Springer, Berlin, 1979).
Albert-Beltran, J. F. in Terrestrial Heat Flow in Europe (eds Cermak, L. & Rybach, L.) 261–266, (Springer, Berlin, 1979).
Molnar, P. & Oliver, J. J. geophys. Res. 74, 2648–2682 (1969).
Turcotte, D. & Schubert, G. Geodynamics, Applications of Continuum Physics to Geological Problems 450 (Wiley, New York, 1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Seber, D., Barazangi, M., Ibenbrahim, A. et al. Geophysical evidence for lithospheric delamination beneath the Alboran Sea and Rif–Betic mountains. Nature 379, 785–790 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/379785a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/379785a0
This article is cited by
-
Fertile upper mantle peridotite xenoliths indicate no wholesale destruction of cratonic root in East Asia
Communications Earth & Environment (2023)
-
Active crustal differentiation beneath the Rio Grande Rift
Nature Geoscience (2020)
-
Lithospheric mantle buoyancy: the role of tectonic convergence and mantle composition
Scientific Reports (2019)
-
Style and timing of tectonic deformation across the Bou Arada-El Fahs troughs system, Northeast Tunisia: integration in the structural evolution of Atlas fold and thrust belt
Arabian Journal of Geosciences (2018)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.