Coevolution of duplexing and crustal flow during Himalayan growth

Coevolution of duplexing and crustal flow during Himalayan growth | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Coevolution of duplexing and crustal flow during Himalayan growth Xiaoping Yuan, Sascha Brune, Jean Braun, Michael Pons, Kai Li, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6922355/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Himalayan orogen is one of the most tectonically active regions on Earth, characterized by extensive crustal deformation due to continental collision and strong interactions between strain localization, locally high levels of erosion, and orographically enhanced precipitation. However, the relative roles of climatic, tectonic, and surface processes in driving the Himalayan growth remain controversial, with several debated models (i.e., crustal flow, out‐of‐sequence thrusting, and duplex models) existing for the Himalayan structural evolution. Here we use a coupled numerical model—integrating tectonics, orographic precipitation, and surface processes, constrained by uplift and erosion observations—to demonstrate that key geological features (including the frontal Himalayan range with outward duplexing, ductile extrusion at the plateau edge, and low-viscosity crustal flow beneath the plateau) emerge from a cyclic behavior between alternating periods of thin-skinned and thick-skinned tectonics. We also suggest that different stages in this cyclic behavior coexist along the present-day Himalayan arc and can be identified by their distinctive precipitation patterns. Our results also imply that the geometry of crustal structures is mostly controlled by the mechanical behavior of the crust and not erosion or climate. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geodynamics Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geomorphology Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files MovieS1Kf2.2x109.avi Movie S1 MovieS2Kf5x109.avi Movie S2 MovieS3Kf7x109.avi Movie S3 MovieS4Kf10x109.avi Movie S4 MovieS5Kf5x109UniformP.avi Movie S5 MovieS6Kf1x108UniformP.avi Movie S6 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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