Pangea breakup and northward drift of the Indian subcontinent reproduced by a numerical model of mantle convection.

ABSTRACT: Since around 200?Ma, the most notable event in the process of the breakup of Pangea has been the high speed (up to 20?cm yr(-1)) of the northward drift of the Indian subcontinent. Our numerical simulations of 3-D spherical mantle convection approximately reproduced the process of continental drift from the breakup of Pangea at 200?Ma to the present-day continental distribution. These simulations revealed that a major factor in the northward drift of the Indian subcontinent was the large-scale cold mantle downwelling that developed spontaneously in the North Tethys Ocean, attributed to the overall shape of Pangea. The strong lateral mantle flow caused by the high-temperature anomaly beneath Pangea, due to the thermal insulation effect, enhanced the acceleration of the Indian subcontinent during the early stage of the Pangea breakup. The large-scale hot upwelling plumes from the lower mantle, initially located under Africa, might have contributed to the formation of the large-scale cold mantle downwelling in the North Tethys Ocean.

SUBMITTER: Yoshida M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4325333 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature