Attila Balázs

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Earth Sciences, Faculty Member

Followers

Following

Co-authors

Mentions

Public Views

Attila Balázs was born on January 20, 1989 in Szeged, Hungary. In 2011 he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences, in 2013 his Master’s degree in Geophysics (with Honours) from Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. Following his graduation he was teaching and working on his PhD project in the Department of Geophysics and Space Sciences of Eötvös Loránd University and in the Tectonics Research Group of the Department of Earth Sciences of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Between November 2017 - 2019 he was a post-doc researcher at the Universiy of Rome III. In November 2019 he joined ETH Zurich.

less

Nima Nezafati

Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, Bochum

Christos Kanellopoulos

Université de Genève

Luis Gonzalez

University of Kansas

Paul E. Olsen

Columbia University

Florin Curta

University of Florida

girolamo fiorentino

University of Salento

Vasilios Melfos

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Patricia A. Beddows

Northwestern University

Mine Sezgül Kayseri Özer

Dokuz Eylül University

Enrico Capezzuoli

Università degli Studi di Firenze (University of Florence)

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Attila Balázs

Magmatic fingerprints of subduction initiation and mature subduction: numerical modelling and observations from the Izu-Bonin-Mariana system

Frontiers in earth science, Feb 15, 2024

Download

Arc and forearc rifting in the Tyrrhenian subduction system

Download

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau driven by mantle delamination from the overriding plate

Nature Geoscience, 2024

The geodynamic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau remains highly debated. Any model of its evolutio... more The geodynamic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau remains highly debated.
Any model of its evolution must explain the plateau’s growth as constrained by palaeo-altitude studies, the spatio-temporal distribution of magmatic activity, and the lithospheric mantle removal inferred from seismic velocity anomalies in the underlying mantle. Several conflicting models have been proposed, but none of these explains the first-order topographic, magmatic and seismic features self-consistently. Here we propose and test numerically an evolutionary model of the plateau that involves gradual peeling of the lithospheric mantle from the overriding plate and consequent mantle and crustal melting and uplift. We show that this model successfully reproduces the successive surface uplift of the plateau to more than 4 km above sea level and is consistent with the observed migration of magmatism and geometry of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary resulting from subduction of the Indian plate and delamination of the mantle lithosphere of the Eurasian plate. These comparisons indicate that mantle delamination from the overriding plate is the driving force behind the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and, potentially, orogenic plateaus more generally.

Download

Effects of strain- vs. strain-rate-dependent faults weakening for continental corner collision: insight from 3D thermomechanical models

Geological and geophysical observations have highlighted the multi-stage deformation history of t... more Geological and geophysical observations have highlighted the multi-stage deformation history of the continental lithosphere. Such inherited heterogeneities, observed from microscopic to kilometre-scales, lead to important mechanical weakening for the subsequent development of orogens. This strain-weakening may be frictional (fault gauge, filled veins), ductile (banding, recrystallisation, etc) or caused by changes in grain-size, and largely determines the response of the lithosphere to stresses (Bercovici &amp; Ricard, 2014). Representing the microstructural weakening mechanisms with the relatively low resolution of regional and global numerical modelling studies has been a longstanding challenge. Mechanisms are often grouped into an “effective” plastic strain weakening implementation, where the frictional strength decreases with increasing accumulated strain. Alternatively, materials can be modelled to weaken depending on the local strain-rate (Ruh et al., 2014), which is characteristic for e.g. coseismic frictional weakening of faults. Here we show key differences of strain- vs. strain-rate-dependent faults weakening in terms of orogenic strain propagation patterns in numerical models of a corner collision setting, based on the eastern corner of the India-Eurasia collision. The numerical model I3ELVIS (Gerya &amp; Yuen, 2007) consists of a finite-difference, marker-in-cell method coupled to a diffusion-advection-based finite-difference surface process model, FDSPM (Munch et al., 2022). We highlight key differences between the results of a model with strain-rate-dependent weakening, and a model with conventional strain-dependent weakening based on accumulated strain. The former shows significantly sharper shear zones, as well as a higher number of thrust faults that are relatively evenly spaced, which is more realistic in natural collision zones. Gerya, T. V., &amp; Yuen, D. A. (2007). Robust characteristics method for modelling multiphase visco-elasto-plastic thermo-mechanical problems. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 163(1), 83–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pepi.2007.04.015Bercovici, D., &amp; Ricard, Y. (2014). Plate tectonics, damage and inheritance. Nature, 508(7497), 513–516. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13072Ruh, J. B., Gerya, T., &amp; Burg, J.-P. (2014). 3D effects of strain vs. Velocity weakening on deformation patterns in accretionary wedges. Tectonophysics, 615–616, 122–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2014.01.003Munch, J., Ueda, K., Schnydrig, S., May, D. A., &amp; Gerya, T. V. (2022). Contrasting influence of sediments vs surface processes on retreating subduction zones dynamics. Tectonophysics, 836, 229410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2022.229410

Arc splitting and back-arc spreading evolution: the control of hydration and melts

While there has been a lot of work focusing on improving our understanding of divergent and conve... more While there has been a lot of work focusing on improving our understanding of divergent and convergent plate boundaries, the complex nature of the back-arc region, where convergent margins transition into large-scale extension in the upper plate, is yet to be investigated fully. Indeed, why and how extensional basins open near the boundaries between convergent plates, followed by their tectonic inversion, have long been outstanding questions in plate tectonics.Here we investigate a wide range of factors that influence the development of back-arc extension using 2D thermo-mechanical code I2VIS employing visco-plastic rheologies, hydration and dehydration processes, melting and surface processes. We systematically vary several parameters to determine their roles and respective importance, including a) fluid and melt induced weakening, b) upper plate geothermal gradient and c) amount of sediment in the accretionary wedge. The fluid and melt induced weakening is implemented by using the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion that limits the creep viscosity, altogether yielding an effective visco-plastic rheology, and controlled via the melt/fluid pore fluid pressure parameters, λfluid and λmelt. The upper plate geothermal gradient is controlled by the parameter TMoho . Finally, the amount of sediment in the accretionary wedge is changed through the parameter Sedlev, which controls the minimum y-coordinate sediments can occupy, throughout the model. The higher the Sedlev, the less the height of sediment that can accumulate in the accretionary wedge.Our extensive series of high-resolution models led to the following conclusions:a) a higher upper plate geothermal gradient predictably leads to a more ductile rheology, which then results in an initial wider rift, followed by enhanced melting and earlier arc splitting; b) higher erosion and sedimentation rates lead to increasing hydration of the mantle wedge and enhancing mantle melting, and decreasing the stress transfer from the lower to the upper plate; c) λfluid controls arc rifting to a greater extent, relative to λmelt, and for λfluid smaller than 0.2, arc rifting occurs. This means that the fluid induced weakening has to be high, in order to produce arc rifting. These initial results suggest that the upper plate geotherm has the highest magnitude effects in modulating arc rifting, but fluid and melt induced weakening are also major controls in rift development, in the sense that they regulate whether it happens at all, or not. The height of the accretionary wedge works with the fluid weakening of the upper plate, facilitating arc rifting.

The coupled evolution of forearc and back-arc basins: inferences from 2D and 3D numerical modelling

The subsidence history of forearc and back-arc basins reflects the relationship between subductio... more The subsidence history of forearc and back-arc basins reflects the relationship between subduction kinematics, mantle dynamics, magmatism, crustal tectonics, and surface processes. The distinct contributions of these processes to the topographic variations of active margins during subduction initiation, oceanic subduction, and collision are less understood.We conducted a series of 2D and 3D thermo-mechanical numerical models with the codes 2DELVIS and 3DELVIS, based on staggered finite differences and marker-in-cell techniques to solve the mass, momentum and energy conservation equations. Physical properties are transported by Lagrangian markers that move with the velocity field interpolated from the fix Eulerian grid. We discuss the influence of different subduction obliquity angles, the role of mantle flow variations and their connection with sediment transport and upper plate deformation. Furthermore, slab tearing and the gradual propagation of slab break-off is modelled during collision.The models show the evolution of wedge-top and retro-forearc basins on the continental overriding plate, separated by a forearc high. They are affected by repeated compression and extension phases. Compression-induced subsidence is recorded in the syncline structure of the retro-forearc basin from the onset of subduction. The 2–4 km upper plate negative residual topography is produced by the gradually steepening slab, which drags down the upper plate. Trench retreat leads to slab unbending and decreasing slab dip angle that leads to upper plate trench-ward tilting. Back-arc basins are either formed along inherited weak zones at a large distance from the arc or are connected to the volcanic arc evolution leading to arc splitting. Backarc subsidence is primarily governed by crustal thinning that is controlled by slab roll-back and supported by the underlying mantle convection. High subduction and mantle convection velocities result in large wavelength negative dynamic topography. Collision and continental subduction are linked to the uplift of the forearc basins; however, the back-arc records ongoing extension during a soft collision. During the hard collision, both the forearc and back-arc basins are ultimately affected by the compression. Our modeling results are compared with the evolution of Mediterranean subduction zones.

Competing effects of post-rift thermal subsidence and contraction-induced tectonic uplift in inverted extensional basins: inferences from numerical models and observations from the Pannonian Basin

Basin inversion is usually associated with compressional uplift and erosion of the exhuming sedim... more Basin inversion is usually associated with compressional uplift and erosion of the exhuming sedimentary succession, while the resulting uplift rates are governed by variable convergence rates and the inherited lithospheric structure. However, observations from the Pannonian Basin (Central Europe) record continuous basin-wide subsidence and deposition of anomalously thick sedimentary successions during its inversion. In this study, we investigate the controlling processes behind the subsidence and uplift patterns during the structural inversion of rifted basins.We conducted a series of high resolution 3D numerical experiments to simulate the successive rifting and inversion stages of the Wilson cycle by applying the coupled I3ELVIS-FDSPM thermo-mechanical and surface processes numerical code. The code is based on staggered finite differences and marker-in-cell techniques to solve the mass, momentum and energy conservation equations for incompressible media, and it also takes into account simplified melting and surface processes.The models show the successive stages of sedimentary basin formation during the extension. The variability of crustal and mantle thinning below the depocenters leads to spatial and temporal variations of subsidence rates during the syn-rift phase. At the onset of convergence, inversion localizes where the lithosphere is the hottest and thus the weakest. High convergence rate (i.e. 2 cm/yr) leads to localized uplift of the basin center above the asthenospheric upwelling, which also results in the flexural subsidence of the basin margins. This evolution ultimately leads to intraplate orogen formation and overprinting the former basin structure. In contrast, low convergence rate (i.e. 2 mm/yr) results in continuous thermal subsidence. Superimposed on this large-wavelength motion, localized contractional structures are formed. In this case, partial reactivation of the inherited extensional crustal fault zones is more dominant, while inversional structures are visible along the basin margins.The modeling results are compared to the thermal and subsidence evolution of the Pannonian Basin during its Middle to Late Miocene rifting and Late Miocene to recent inversion.

Effects of deep lithospheric processes and lateral crustal heterogeneity on the 3D evolution of foreland basins

&lt;p&gt;Foreland basins develop in front of growing mountain belts due to the flexure of... more &lt;p&gt;Foreland basins develop in front of growing mountain belts due to the flexure of the downgoing plate in response to forces from slab pull and a topographic load. Many foreland basins worldwide show along-strike variable basin subsidence and architecture. Various factors such as lateral variations in slab pull, rheology and stress transfer, topographic loading of the adjacent mountain belt, presence of lateral crustal heterogeneity, slab breakoff, and its lateral tearing propagation have been suggested as drivers. However, the quantification of these factors is still lacking.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;In this contribution, we study the effects of slab break-off and tearing on the along-strike variations in foreland basin subsidence and deposition in a collisional setting. We also consider the heterogeneities of the lower plate continental margin by taking into account the presence of a microcontinent (i.e. Brianconnais high), being formed during a preceding extensional phase. To do so, we use 3D thermo-mechanical numerical models coupled with surface processes, such as sedimentation and erosion to investigate the effects of the following parameters on the foreland basin evolution: (1) convergence velocity, (2) age of the subducting oceanic lithosphere, (3) length of the subducting slab, (4) continental margin obliquity relative to the trench, and (5) presence of pre-existing rigid blocks in the downgoing plate.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Our preliminary results show that younger age of the subducting oceanic slab (&amp;#8804; 50 Ma) facilitate slab breakoff and basin uplift during continent-continent collision. On the other hand, the higher margin obliquity (&amp;#8805; 15&amp;#176; ) causes a delay in the propagation of slab breakoff along the strike, i.e. lateral tearing. This process leads to diachronous basin subsidence and uplift along the strike. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results on the 3D evolution of the Northern Alpine Foreland Basin where slab breakoff and subsequent lateral tearing have been proposed as a probable controlling factor leading to the along-strike variations of the sedimentary basin architecture. &amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

Structural inversion of sedimentary basins: insights from 3D coupled thermo-mechanical and surface processes models and observations from the Mediterranean

Arc and forearc rifting in the Tyrrhenian subduction system

Scientific Reports, Mar 18, 2022

The evolution of forearc and backarc domains is usually treated separately, as they are separated... more The evolution of forearc and backarc domains is usually treated separately, as they are separated by a volcanic arc. We analyse their spatial and temporal relationships in the Tyrrhenian subduction system, using seismic profiles and numerical modelling. A volcanic arc, which included the Marsili volcano, was involved in arc-rifting during the Pliocene. This process led to the formation of an oceanic backarc basin (~ 1.8 Ma) to the west of the Marsili volcano. The eastern region corresponded to the forearc domain, floored by serpentinised mantle. Here, a new volcanic arc formed at ~ 1 Ma, marking the onset of the forearc-rifting. This work highlights that fluids and melts induce weakening of the volcanic arc region and drive the arc-rifting that led to the backarc basin formation. Later, the slab rollback causes the trench-ward migration of volcanism that led to the forearc-rifting under the control of fluids released from the downgoing plate. Forearc basin represents a recurrent feature over the subduction zone and forms between the arc and the trench along with the overriding plate. Its evolution is punctuated by phases of subsidence and uplift, and characterised by compressional and extensional episodes. The mechanisms of forearc basin formation are poorly understood, and probably reflect the behaviour of megathrust and the overall response of the upper plate to slab rollback and trench retreat 1-4. On the other side of the volcanic arc, the backarc basin form when the subduction rate exceeds the plate convergence rate 5-7 , leading to lithospheric stretching and locally to continental break-up, mantle exhumation or seafloor spreading 8. The evolution of backarc and forearc basins is usually treated separately, as the volcanic arc represents a clear barrier between them. Their spatial extension and temporal evolution are associated with processes occurring in a continuously evolving subduction zone 9-11 , such as the trench-ward migration of volcanism and the oceanic crust formation. The Mediterranean represents an outstanding example of this interaction. The retreat of the subduction zones in the region produced extensional backarc basins 12-14 like the Algerian-Provenca, Tyrrhenian, Aegean or the Pannonian, but also smaller basins, like the Transylvanian basin, the Cretan Sea basin, the Marsili basin, and the Gibraltar basin. Here, we will reconstruct the origin of one of those basins, the Marsili basin in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean), using seismic reflection profiles coupled with literature data. We constrain the crustal structure of the basin revealing the different seismic characteristics on both sides. We show that the oceanic backarc basin corresponds to the area west of the Marsili volcano only, and it results from the arc-rifting process that affected an old (Pliocene) volcanic arc. The eastern side of the Marsili basin, commonly interpreted as a part of the backarc basin, is instead a forearc region floored by serpentinised mantle. This domain is later involved in an extensional process responsible for forming a new volcanic arc and the onset of a backarc basin behind it. Using numerical modelling, we show that the transition from forearc to backarc represents a common dynamical evolutionary scenario during trench rollback in the presence of fluids released from the slab. Our results bring then insight into the upper plate evolution during slab rollback. Tectonic background. The evolution of the western Mediterranean basin is produced by the subduction and retreat of the Adriatic-Ionian plate beneath Eurasia since Oligocene times 15. In Central Mediterranean, this process first led to the opening of the Liguro-Provençal basin 16,17 and then of the Tyrrhenian basin 18-20. At place, like on the Gulf of Lyon, the extension also caused lower crustal and mantle exhumation that now marks the

Download

Magmatic Fingerprints of Subduction Initiation and Mature Subduction of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Subduction Zone: Numerical Modelling and Observations

&lt;p&gt;Subduction of oceanic lithosphere has been proposed as the main driving mechanis... more &lt;p&gt;Subduction of oceanic lithosphere has been proposed as the main driving mechanism for plate tectonics for decades and it represents a key process for the geochemical cycles on Earth. However, the physical processes and melting that occur as the subduction zone began foundering and evolved to reach a mature stage is still debated. The Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) intra-oceanic subduction zone, that represents the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea, is an ideal natural laboratory to study subduction zone processes from their inception to their stabilization. The rock record produced in IBM reveals a rapid compositional variability in slab-fluid tracers as well as in mantle depletion-enrichment over a short timescale (within 1 to 5 Ma of subduction inception). Despite this geochemical evolution, it is still highly debated whether IBM initiated as a forced or spontaneous subduction zone, i.e. induced by or in the absence of horizontal forcing, respectively.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Here, we conducted 2D high-resolution petrological-thermomechanical subduction models that include spontaneous deformation, erosion, sedimentation and slab dehydration processes, as well as melting, assuming a visco-plastic rheology using the i2VIS code. We aimed to model the initiation and the early stage of IBM with ultra-low horizontal forcing and inception triggered by transform collapse. Our new numerical model proposes a viable scenario for the transition from juvenile to mature subduction zone. This evolution includes initiation by gravitational collapse of the slab and the development of a near-trench spreading, the gradual build-up of a return flow of asthenospheric mantle and the progressive maturation of the volcanic arc. Our numerical results of mantle depletion within the mantle wedge and the overall subduction history of IBM are compared further with seismological and geochemical evidences.&lt;/p&gt;

The coupled evolution of forearc and back-arc basins: inferences from 2D and 3D numerical modelling

The Dynamics of Forearc – Back‐Arc Basin Subsidence: Numerical Models and Observations From Mediterranean Subduction Zones

Tectonics

The subsidence history of forearc and back‐arc basins reflects the relationship between subductio... more The subsidence history of forearc and back‐arc basins reflects the relationship between subduction kinematics, mantle dynamics, magmatism, crustal tectonics, and surface processes. The distinct contributions of these processes to the topography variations of active margins during subduction initiation, oceanic subduction, and collision are less understood. We ran 2D elasto‐visco‐plastic numerical models including surface and hydration processes. The models show the evolution of wedge‐top and retro‐forearc basins on the continental overriding plate, separated by a forearc high. They are affected by repeated compression and extension phases. Compression‐induced subsidence is recorded in the syncline structure of the retro‐forearc basin from the onset of subduction. The 2–4 km upper plate negative residual topography is produced by the gradually steepening slab, which drags down the upper plate. Trench retreat leads to slab unbending and decreasing slab dip angle that leads to upper pl...

Timing, kinematics and mechanics of the Adriatic indentation: lessons from Dinarides-Pannonian observations and modelling

EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, Apr 1, 2019

Surface processes control on orogenic evolution: inferences from 3D coupled numerical models and observations from the India-Eurasia collision zone

The inherent links between tectonics, surface processes and climatic variations have lon... more The inherent links between tectonics, surface processes and climatic variations have long since been recognised as the main drivers for the evolution of orogens. Oceanic and continental subduction and collision processes lead to distinct topographic signals. Simultaneously, different climatic forcing factors and denudation rates substantially modify the style of deformation leading to different stress and thermal fields, strain localisation and even deep mantle evolution. An ideal area where the above-mentioned processes and their connections can be studied is the India-Eurasia collision zone.Understanding&#160;the complex interplay between tectonics, erosion, sediment transportation and deposition requires the coupled application of thermo-mechanical and surface processes modelling techniques. To this aim, we used a 3D coupled numerical modelling approach. The influence&#160;of different plate convergence, erosion and sedimentation rates has been tested by the thermo-mechanical code I3ELVIS (Gerya and Yuen, 2007) coupled to the diffusion-advection based (FDSPM) surface processes model.We show preliminary results to demonstrate&#160; that the diffusion-advection erosion implementation has significant effects on local and regional mass redistribution and topographic evolution within narrow, curved, high orogens such as the Himalayas and their syntaxes,&#160;where erosion is a dominant forcing factor. We also discuss possible implications from different erosion/sedimentation implementations such as DAC (Ueda et al., 2015; Goren et al., 2014) in combination with the reference thermo-mechanical model to analyse&#160;changes in orogenic development as a consequence of different erosional processes in more detail.References:Gerya, T. V., & Yuen, D. A. (2007). Robust characteristics method for modelling multiphase visco-elasto-plastic thermo-mechanical problems. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 163(1-4), 83-105. Ueda, K., Willett, S. D., Gerya, T., & Ruh, J. (2015). Geomorphological&#8211;thermo-mechanical modeling: Application to orogenic wedge dynamics. Tectonophysics, 659, 12-30. Goren, L., Willett, S. D., Herman, F., & Braun, J. (2014). Coupled numerical&#8211;analytical approach to landscape evolution modeling. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 39(4), 522-545.

The dynamics of forearc - back-arc vertical motion: numerical models and observations from the Mediterranean

Extensional Polarity Change in Continental Rifts: Inferences From 3‐D Numerical Modeling and Observations

Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2018

Extensional basins often show along‐strike variability in terms of fault geometries, basement str... more Extensional basins often show along‐strike variability in terms of fault geometries, basement structures, subsidence, and thermal evolution. This is particularly pronounced when extension reactivates preexisting suture zones with opposing dip directions, that is, opposite polarities, which creates wide strike‐slip transfer zones. We have studied this extensional variability by means of thermomechanical lithospheric‐scale 3‐D numerical modeling. We conducted a series of experiments to model the extension of a thick lithosphere simulating a young orogenic area containing segmented suture zones inherited from former opposing subduction polarities, implemented as rheologically weak inclined layers with opposite dips. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the initial subduction sutures are reactivated by two long‐lived lithospheric‐scale detachment faults, which remain active until the onset of oceanic spreading. The opposite polarity of these faults causes their migration toward each o...

Download

Intraplate volcanism in the Danube basin: 3D geophysical model of the Late Miocene Pásztori volcano

Download

Lithospheric mantle delamination control on orogenic plateau formation

&lt;p&gt;The convergence of continents is accommodated by the subduction of the oceanic l... more &lt;p&gt;The convergence of continents is accommodated by the subduction of the oceanic lithosphere, followed by continental collision. A long-lasting collisional stage can lead to the rise of wide and high orogenic areas, such as the Tibetan or Iranian Plateau. The mechanisms maintaining high convergence rates during continental collision remain debatable. A viable process involves the peeling off and sinking of the dense continental mantle lithosphere and rise of the asthenosphere underlying crustal accretion. This geodynamic process is so called &amp;#8220;delamination&amp;#8221;, which is invoked in accounting for a variety of geological and geophysical phenomenon such as widespread igneous rocks, rapidly uplift in geological history, and high velocity anomaly in seismic tomography observed in many orogenic plateaus (Bird, 1979).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Different regimes of delamination would lead to different modes of mantle convection and crustal deformation, resulting in various surface expressions and the formation of orogenic plateaus. In this study, we simulate oceanic subduction, followed by continental collision and delamination. We aim to understand and quantify the spatial and temporal evolution of orogenic plateau formation and its connection to lithospheric mantle delamination, upper and lower crustal deformation and deep subduction dynamics.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We use 2D numerical modeling with the I2ELVIS code (Gerya &amp; Yuen, 2003), simulating visco-plastic rheology, hydration and dehydration processes, melting and surface processes. Our initial setup involves two continents separated by a ca. 700 km wide oceanic domain. We present preliminary results on the influence of different subduction velocities, plate rheology and different intensity of surface processes for different geodynamic regimes of orogeny and orogenic plateau formation.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Reference&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Bird, P. (1979). Continental delamination and the Colorado Plateau. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 84(B13), 7561-7571.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Gerya, T. V., &amp; Yuen, D. A. (2003). Characteristics-based marker-in-cell method with conservative finite-differences schemes for modeling geological flows with strongly variable transport properties. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 140(4), 293-318.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

Migration of basin formation and contrasting deformation style in the south-western Pannonian Basin (central Europe)

&lt;p&gt;The Pannonian Basin is a continental extensional basin system with various depoc... more &lt;p&gt;The Pannonian Basin is a continental extensional basin system with various depocentres within the Alpine&amp;#8211;Carpathian&amp;#8211;Dinaridic orogenic belt. Along the western basin margin, exhumation along the Rechnitz, Pohorje, Kozjak, and Baj&amp;#225;n detachments resulted in the cooling of variable units of the Alpine nappe stack. This process is constrained by thermochronological data between ~25&amp;#8211;23 to ~15 Ma (Fodor et al., 2021). Rapid subsidence in supradetachment sub-basins indicates the onset of sedimentation in the late Early Miocene from ~19 or 17.2 Ma. In addition to extensional structures, strike-slip faults mostly accommodated differential extension; branches of the Mid-Hungarian Shear Zone (MHZ) could also play the role of transfer faults.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;During this period, the hanging wall margin of the detachment system, i.e., the pre-Miocene rocks of the Transdanubian Range (TR) experienced surface exposure, karstification, and terrestrial sedimentation. After ~14.5 Ma faulting, subsidence, and basin formation shifted north-eastward and reached the TR where fault-controlled basin subsidence lasted until ~8 Ma.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;3D thermo-mechanical forward models analyze this depocenter migration and predict the subsidence and heat flow evolution that fits observational data. These models consider fast lithospheric thinning, mantle melting, lower crustal viscous flow, and upper crustal brittle deformation. Models suggest ~150&amp;#8211;200 km of shift in depocenters during ~12 Myr.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Simultaneously with depocenter migration, the southern part of the former rift system, near or within the MHZ, underwent ~N&amp;#8211;S shortening; the early syn-rift basin fill was folded and their boundary faults were inverted. Deformation was dated to ~15&amp;#8211;14 Ma (&amp;#8222;middle&amp;#8221; Badenian) and continued locally to ~9.7 Ma while north of the MHZ the TR was still affected by modest extensional faulting. The particularity of this shortening is that it happened during the post-rift thermal cooling stage. The low-rate contraction and related uplift rarely exceeded this regional thermal subsidence.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;MOL Ltd. largely supported the research. The research is supported by the scientific grant NKFI OTKA 134873 and the Slovenian Research Agency (No. P1-0195).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Fodor, L., Bal&amp;#225;zs, A., Csillag, G., Dunkl, I., H&amp;#233;ja, G., Jelen, B., Kelemen, P., K&amp;#246;v&amp;#233;r, Sz., N&amp;#233;meth, A., Ny&amp;#237;ri, D., Selmeczi, I., Trajanova, M., Vrabec, M., Vrabec, M. (2021): Crustal exhumation and depocenter migration from the Alpine orogenic margin towards the Pannonian extensional back-arc basin controlled by inheritence. Global and Planetary Change 201, 103475. 31p. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103475&lt;/p&gt;