Mechanics of basin inversion

Abstract

The long-term consequences of rifting for the thermal state of the deep crust and upper mantle reflect, in part, cooling induced by the reduction in heat production in the attenuated lithosphere and heating due to the burial of this heat production beneath the basin. Provided that the heat production is largely concentrated in the upper half of the crust, these factors result in significant increases in temperature at deep crustal and upper mantle levels. Because the Moho depth is likely to be reduced in the long-term limit of an isostatically balanced basin, these same factors may lead to slight cooling or slight heating of the Moho, depending on the nature of the basin-fill. For a Brace-Go..