Tectonic feedback, intraplate, orogeny and the geochemical structure of the crust: a central Australian perspective

Abstract

The geological record of intraplate deformation in central Australia implies that past tectonic activity (basin formation, deformation and erosion) has modulated the response of the lithosphere during subsequent tectonic activity. In particular, there is a correspondence between the localization of deformation during intraplate orogeny and the presence of thick sedimentary successions in the preserved remnants of a formerly widespread intracratonic basin. This behaviour can be understood as a kind of 'tectonic feedback', effected by the longterm thermal and mechanical consequences of changes in the distribution of heat producing elements induced by earlier tectonism. From a geochemical point..