Controls of the Foreland Deformation Pattern in the Orogen‐Foreland Shortening System: Constraints From High‐Resolution Geodynamic Models

Abstract

Controls on the deformation pattern (shortening mode and tectonic style) of orogenic forelands during lithospheric shortening remain poorly understood. Here, we use high‐resolution 2D thermomechanical models to demonstrate that orogenic crustal thickness and foreland lithospheric thickness significantly control the shortening mode in the foreland. Pure‐shear shortening occurs when the orogenic crust is not thicker than the foreland crust or thick, but the foreland lithosphere is thin (<70–80 km, as in the Puna foreland case). Conversely, simple‐shear shortening, characterized by foreland underthrusting beneath the orogen, arises when the orogenic crust is much thicker. This thickened crust results in high gravitational potential energy in the orogen, which triggers the migration of deformation to the foreland under further shortening. Our models present fully thick‐skinned, fully thin‐skinned, and intermediate tectonic styles in the foreland. The first tectonics forms in a pure‐shear shortening mode whereas the others require a simple‐shear mode and the presence of thick (>∼4 km) sediments that are mechanically weak (friction coefficient <∼0.05) or weakened rapidly during deformation. The formation of fully thin‐skinned tectonics in thick and weak foreland sediments, as in the Subandean Ranges, requires the strength of the orogenic upper lithosphere to be less than one‐third as strong as that of the foreland upper lithosphere. Our models successfully reproduce foreland deformation patterns in the Central and Southern Andes and the Laramide province.

Key Points:

Thicknesses of the orogenic crust and the foreland lithosphere control the foreland shortening mode (pure‐shear or simple‐shear).

Foreland weak sediments and the upper lithosphere of the weaker orogen control the foreland tectonic style (thin‐skinned or thick‐skinned).

High‐resolution geodynamic models successfully reproduce foreland deformation patterns in several natural orogen‐foreland shortening systems.