TY - JOUR A1 - Petrunin, A. G. A1 - Kaban, M. K. A1 - El Khrepy, S. A1 - Al-Arifi, N. T1 - Mantle Convection Patterns Reveal the Mechanism of the Red Sea Rifting Y1 - 2020 VL - 39 IS - 2 JF - Tectonics DO - 10.1029/2019TC005829 DO - 10.23689/fidgeo-4982 N2 - We present a new model of the stress state and present-day tectonics of the Red Sea Rift (RSR) based on an instantaneous geodynamic mantle flow model. The initial density and viscosity variations in the mantle are derived from a joint inversion of gravity, residual topography, and tomography, which provides higher resolution than existing models. The calculated mantle flow shows clear distinctions along the rift axis. The tectonics of the southern part of the Red Sea is mainly controlled by the Afar plume and characterized by divergent mantle flow. The passive rifting along the central part of the RSR can be explained either by asthenospheric upwelling due to the Red Sea floor spreading or by the plume, rising from the transition zone and not directly related to the Afar plume. We also observed ridge-axis-aligned flow in the uppermost mantle in the northern part of the RSR. UR - http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/9328 ER -