Numerical models of mantle lithosphere weakening, erosion and delamination induced by melt extraction and emplacement

Continental rifting caused by extension and heating from below affects the lithosphere or cratons in various ways. Volcanism and melt intrusions often occur along with thinning, weakening and even breaking lithosphere. Although mechanical necking models of the lithosphere are often applied, the aspects of melting and the implications due to melt transport and emplacement at shallower depths are not well understood. A two-phase flow approach employing melt extraction and shallow emplacement associated with thermal weakening is developed and compared with observations. The results of this comparison indicate the importance of partial melts and an asthenospheric magma source for increasing the rising rate of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary during extension. Thermo-mechanical physics of visco-plastic flow is approximated using the Finite Difference method with Eulerian formulation in 2D. The conservation of mass, momentum and energy equations are solved for a multi-component (crust–mantle) and two-phase (melt–matrix) system. Rheology is temperature- and stress-dependent. In consideration of depletion and enrichment melting and solidification are controlled by a simplified linear binary solid solution model. Melt is extracted and emplaced in predefined depth regions (emplacement zones) in the lithospheric mantle and crust. The Compaction Boussinesq Approximation was applied; its validity was tested against the Full Compaction formulation and found fully satisfactory for the case of sublithospheric melting models. A simple model guided by the geodynamic situation of the Rwenzori region typically results in updoming asthenosphere with melt-assisted erosion of the lithosphere’s base. Even with a conservative approach for a temperature anomaly melting alone doubles the lithospheric erosion rate in comparison with a model without melting. With melt extraction and intrusion lithospheric erosion and upwelling of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary speeds up by a factor 3–4. In an extreme case, delamination may occur if weakening fully decouples a hanging mantle block. Models with an emplacement zone of up to approximately 70 km agree well with observations, especially for a concept based on seismological and petrological data.