Publication by Maierová et al. in Communications Earth & Environment"
Author: Macron Software
Publication by Maierová et al. in Communications Earth & Environment"
Karel Schulmann
The Bohemian Massif is a key area for understanding of the process of the Tibetan-Himalayan-type continental collision, and it is also one of the best-studied areas in the world. However, the conceptual ideas of geologists cannot be considered a physically justified model and geological scenarios remain at the level of sketches or more or less naive drawings. Therefore, thermomechanical modeling is considered one of the pillars of the modern geology.
Recently, the article "Trans-lithospheric diapirism explains the presence of ultra-high pressure rocks in the European Variscides" by Petra Maierová et al. has been published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. It offers a quantitative view of the Variscan continental collision and provides the necessary visualization and mechanical justification of processes described by geologists. The article presents thermomechanical numerical models of continental collision and formation of (ultra-) high-pressure rocks. The models show that the deeply subducted crust can use an unusual path to rise back to the surface: it flows through the thermally and magmatically softened lithospheric mantle and the lower crust of the upper plate. The ascent of these rocks through the mantle successfully explains a number of geological observations: high temperatures typical of Czech high-pressure rocks (granulites) and their association with mantle and lower-crustal rocks. The model also offers an explanation for the origin of ultra-potassic magmas that represent a characteristic feature of the Variscan collision.
Communications Earth & Environment is a new scientific journal of the Nature Research group that focuses on the Earth, environmental and planetary sciences.The full article is freely available on the website of the journal on attached link.
