3-D Computational Modelling of Oblique Continental Collision near South Island, New Zealand

Abstract:

The research explores the highly oblique continental convergence at the South Island of New Zealand, considering the fundamental geodynamic mechanisms of sub-crustal lithospheric deformation during the orogenesis. In addition to the high velocity of along-strike plate motion, the oppositely verging subduction zones bounding the collision make the problem inherently three-dimensional. To study such factors during orogenesis, we conduct 3D computational modelling and present the results of a series of new experiments configured for the oblique South Island collision. The geodynamic modelling uses ASPECT – a robust highly-scalable and extendable geodynamic code featuring adaptive mesh refinement and complex rheologies. The model domain is defined by a box with prescribed velocities on the left and right faces with varied ratio of convergent versus strike-slip components, periodic boundary conditions for the front and back faces, free surface on top, and free slip at the bottom. Two different rheology types are used: brittle (pressure-, strain rate-, and material strength-dependent) for crust and visco-plastic (temperature-, pressure- and strain rate-dependent) for mantle. The obtained results provide insight into the behaviour of the lithosphere under the situation of young oblique convergence. We focus on the development of the mantle lithosphere, considering how the morphology of the sub-crustal orogenic root evolves during the convergent/strike-slip plate motions. The numerical experiments explore the dependence of this process on such factors as ratio of convergent versus strike-slip motion at the plate boundary, and rheological parameters of crust and mantle. The behaviour of the crust is also tracked to determine how the deep 3D tectonics may manifest at the surface.