Global paleostress predictions from upper mantle flow models: application to rapid plume-driven Cretaceous Cenozoic stress changes in western Europe

Abstract

We derive global stress fields through time using an analytical asthenospheric flow estimation that involves plate motions, subduction geometry and variable plume flux. Among these, the most effective way to drive rapid regional stress changes in the continents is by varying plume flux, especially when more than one plume is present, as is the case for Europe. We apply our paleostress model to the case study of western Europe, a region that experienced rapid, substantial and large-scale lithospheric stress changes in the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. We find that the behaviour of pressure-driven asthenosphere flow, resulting from variations in plume flux, dominates the rapidly temporo-spatially varying stress signal. Given the potential causes of stress change in this particular region, we further interpret the tectonic changes in the context of dynamic topography as expressed by the stratigraphic record, shifts in plate motion, paleostress indicators and past interpretations of the tectonic evolution of Europe. Through this approach, we move away from the paradigm of stress changes being driven by plate-boundary or body forces in the lithosphere and emphasize the active role of the mantle and the importance of interpreting models in relation to multiple process-linked observations.