About this Research Topic

Background

The lithosphere is the mechanically rigid outermost layer of the Earth. The lithosphere is inhomogeneous, with large thickness variations as well as variable geophysical properties like seismic velocity, attenuation and electrical resistivity, etc. The thickness of lithosphere is about 100 km or less in tectonically active regions while it is ~200 km or more beneath old, stable regions. The heterogeneous structure of the lithosphere carries important information about past plate tectonic processes in the long geologic history of our planet. The lithosphere does not only move horizontally leading to extension or collision, but can also move vertically while interacting with deep mantle structures (e.g., subduction). During these tectonic processes, most resources that humans utilize are emplaced into the lithosphere, ranging from the shallow crust (e.g., coal, oil, gas) to the deep lithosphere (e.g., gold, diamonds).

Lithospheric evolution is strongly variable between different tectonic regions and geological environments such as plateau, basin, orogen or craton. In recent years, geophysical observations have greatly improved for both continent and oceanic settings. In combination with geological and geochemical evidence, these valuable geophysical data sources will help to image fine-scale structures representing young activity as well as old relics: delaminated lithosphere, subducted slabs, magma chambers, stable, modified or even destroyed cratonic lithosphere, plume relics, etc.

This Research Topic aims to gather contributions covering the whole range of lithospheric evolution via geophysical images and multi-disciplinary studies at both regional and global scales, with the general goal of better understanding the tectonic framework and past and present processes in the Earth system. We encourage original research, reviews, methods, and other article types of contributions suited for this topic. We particularly welcome (but are not limited to) contributions covering the following issues:

1) New geophysical imaging approaches for crust and mantle structural imaging;
2) Studies on crustal and upper mantle structure using geophysical methods in different tectonic settings (e.g., continent/ocean, craton, orogen);
3) Lithospheric structure and tectonics revealed from important earthquakes;
4) Seismological reference models at crustal and upper mantle scales and their interpretations;
5) Resource potential in stable and modified lithosphere;
6) High-performance computation approaches for improving geophysical imaging resolution or efficiency;
7) Other contributions aimed at understanding the global range of lithospheric evolution.


*The cover image is being used with permission from Prof. P. A. Cawood and taken from the 2013 paper 'The continental record and the generation of continental crust'.

Keywords: lithosphere, asthenosphere, crust, upper mantle, geophysical imaging, structures and processes, earth system, plate tectonics, dynamic evolution

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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