Forearc high uplift by lower crustal flow during growth of the Cyprus-Anatolian margin

•Models show a mechanism where forearc sediments thermally activate deep crustal flow.•Viscous flow changes regional subsidence into short-wavelength uplift/subsidence.•Forearc high uplift is controlled by sediment accretion, sedimentation and temperature.•Mechanism explains S Anatolia upper-plate strain and vertical motions in Neogene.•Mechanism explains S Turkey uplift by accretion and viscous flow, not slab break-off. We present a model for the dynamic formation of the forearc high of southern Anatolia where sedimentation in the forearc basin leads to thermally-activated deformation in the lower crust. Our thermo-mechanical models demonstrate that forearc sedimentation increases the temperature of the underlying crust by “blanketing” the heat flux and increasing Moho depth. Deformation switches from frictional to viscous with a higher strain rate led by increased temperature. Viscous deformation changes large-wavelength subsidence into coeval, short-wavelength uplift and subsidence. Models show that forearc highs are intrinsic to accretionary wedges and can grow dynamically and non-linearly at rates dependent on sediment accretion, sedimentation and temperature. The mechanism explains the uplift of the southern margin of the Central Anatolian Plateau and the Neogene vertical motions and upper-plate strain in the Anatolian margin along Central Cyprus. This system is analogous to forearc highs in other mature accretionary margins, like Cascadia, Lesser Antilles or Makran.