Models of Lithospheric Stresses in the Cenozoic

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

Lithgow-Bertelloni 9980551 The PI proposes to develop models of lithospheric stress to assess the relative contributions of long-wavelength intra-lithospheric, plate boundary tractions, and mantle sources to the stress field. The following questions will be addressed in detail: 1) Does mantle flow contribute to the intraplate stress field? 2) Can a long-wavelength contribution in lithospheric sources be distinguished? What is their relative magnitude compared to the mantle derived tractions? 3) What can be said to first order about how the stress field evolved during the Cenozoic? Can any questions about the cause of plate rearrangements be answered? 4) What are the consequences of abrupt changes in plate motion on the state of stress of a plate? Does a new fracturing pattern develop? This research will contribute to our understanding of the interplay between plate tectonics and the dynamics of the Earth's interior.