Exhumation of UHP/LT rocks due to the local reduction of the interplate pressure: Thermo-mechanical physical modelling

Spatial distribution of UHP/LT terrains suggests that their exhumation is essentially a three-dimensional process that occurs only locally in specific sites along mountain belts. On the other hand, the continental subduction resulting in the formation of UHP/LT rocks takes place along the whole belt. The previously performed by the authors 2-D thermo-mechanical laboratory modelling of continental subduction has shown that exhumation of deeply subducted continental crust is possible only when the effective interplate pressure pn is lower than the lithostatic pressure (low compression subduction regime). At the same time, this modelling showed that for the deeply subducted continental crust to be preserved at low temperature at great depth, the continental subduction should be accompanied by the subduction of the fore-arc block or the arc plate. The latter process occurs only when pn is high (high compression regime). To reconcile both processes we suggest that within the background of a generally high compression regime the interplate pressure can be locally reduced in some specific situations which would then allow the local exhumation of UHP/LT material. Using physical modelling technique we investigate one of such situations that occurs when the frontal part of the overriding plate undergoes (subduction induced or not) extension parallel to the plate boundary with activation or formation of a strike–slip transform fault oblique to the plate boundary (to the interplate zone). The displacement along this fault results in a local reduction of the interplate pressure at the intersection of the fault with the interplate zone. This pressure reduction permits the rise of the deeply subducted low-density continental crust and sediments submitted to UHP/LT conditions under buoyancy force. A 10 km-thick slice of crust detaches at ~ 150 km-depth and moves up along the interplate zone with a starting rate of ca. 3 cm/yr. The ascent rate reduces when the unit reaches crustal depth. The deformation of this unit is small when it first detaches and starts rising, but increases when reaching the base of the overriding plate. The exhuming material is sheared and stretched in a narrow passage at ~ 70 km-depth. Therefore in real conditions the deformation is mainly recorded when the unit is submitted to HP and not UHP conditions.