Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics

Continental collision is a key process in lithospheric evolution, driving mountain building, crustalthickening, and supercontinent assembly. Within the Wilson cycle, collision marks the finalstage following rifting, ocean spreading, and subduction. Early rifting and rifted margindevelopment precede...

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Authors: Ruh, J.B.; Granado, Pablo
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2026
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:recercat____::0f9ee3ed701cea657d8b72eacd978fb9
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/229587
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Geodinàmica
Marges continentals
Deriva continental
Rifts
Geodynamics
Continental margins
Continental drift
Rifts (Geology)
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author Ruh, J.B.
author2 Granado, Pablo
author2_role author
author_browse Granado, Pablo
Ruh, J.B.
author_facet Ruh, J.B.
Granado, Pablo
author_role author
collection Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
description Continental collision is a key process in lithospheric evolution, driving mountain building, crustalthickening, and supercontinent assembly. Within the Wilson cycle, collision marks the finalstage following rifting, ocean spreading, and subduction. Early rifting and rifted margindevelopment precede basement accretion and hard continental collision, leaving complexrecords that complicate tectonic interpretations. We present mantle-scale numerical modelssimulating rifting, post-rift thermal re-equilibration, convergence, subduction, and collision.Results show that a strong continental crust produces narrow rifted margins, while weak crustleads to margins with wider hyperextended domains. Subduction initiates beneath riftedcontinental margins due to inherited zones of reduced grain size. We assess the impact of syn-rift sediment rheology, erosion rates, and mantle serpentinization on non-magmatic riftedmargin evolution, subduction and collision. Our findings indicate that rift-inherited architectureprimarily controls basement accretion and collision style, more than surface processes orsediment rheology. Lithospheric shear zones with reduced grain size may serve as the locationof subduction initiation. Comparisons with natural examples such as the Alps, Pyrenees, andGreater Caucasus support a first-order interpretation of their structural and mechanicalevolution based on our models.
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
format article
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institution Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
instname_str Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
oai_identifier_str oai:dnet:recercat____::0f9ee3ed701cea657d8b72eacd978fb9
publishDate 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher Wiley
publisherStr Wiley
reponame_str Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
spelling Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics Ruh, J.B. Granado, Pablo Geodinàmica Marges continentals Deriva continental Rifts Geodynamics Continental margins Continental drift Rifts (Geology) Continental collision is a key process in lithospheric evolution, driving mountain building, crustalthickening, and supercontinent assembly. Within the Wilson cycle, collision marks the finalstage following rifting, ocean spreading, and subduction. Early rifting and rifted margindevelopment precede basement accretion and hard continental collision, leaving complexrecords that complicate tectonic interpretations. We present mantle-scale numerical modelssimulating rifting, post-rift thermal re-equilibration, convergence, subduction, and collision.Results show that a strong continental crust produces narrow rifted margins, while weak crustleads to margins with wider hyperextended domains. Subduction initiates beneath riftedcontinental margins due to inherited zones of reduced grain size. We assess the impact of syn-rift sediment rheology, erosion rates, and mantle serpentinization on non-magmatic riftedmargin evolution, subduction and collision. Our findings indicate that rift-inherited architectureprimarily controls basement accretion and collision style, more than surface processes orsediment rheology. Lithospheric shear zones with reduced grain size may serve as the locationof subduction initiation. Comparisons with natural examples such as the Alps, Pyrenees, andGreater Caucasus support a first-order interpretation of their structural and mechanicalevolution based on our models. Wiley https://hdl.handle.net/2445/229587
spellingShingle Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics
Ruh, J.B.
Geodinàmica
Marges continentals
Deriva continental
Rifts
Geodynamics
Continental margins
Continental drift
Rifts (Geology)
status_str publishedVersion
title Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics
title_full Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics
title_fullStr Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics
title_full_unstemmed Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics
title_short Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics
title_sort Influence of inherited rifted margin architecture on continental collision dynamics
topic Geodinàmica
Marges continentals
Deriva continental
Rifts
Geodynamics
Continental margins
Continental drift
Rifts (Geology)
topic_facet Geodinàmica
Marges continentals
Deriva continental
Rifts
Geodynamics
Continental margins
Continental drift
Rifts (Geology)
url https://hdl.handle.net/2445/229587