Birth of an ocean in the Red Sea: Initial pangs

摘要: [1] We obtained areal variations of crustal thickness, magnetic intensity, and degree melting the sub-axial upwelling mantle at Thetis Nereus Deeps, two northernmost axial segments initial oceanic accretion in Red Sea, where Arabia is separating from Africa. The emplacement crust occurred South Central roughly ∼2.2 ∼2 Ma, respectively, taking place today northern southern tips. Basaltic glasses major trace element composition suggests a rift-to-drift transition marked by magmatic activity with typical MORB signature, no contamination continental lithosphere, but slight differences source and/or potential temperature between Nereus. Eruption rate, spreading thickness were highest both very phases accretion, immediately after breakup, probably due to fast enhanced an initially strong horizontal thermal gradient. This consistent rift model lower lithosphere has been replaced asthenosphere before rupturing, implying depth-dependent extension decoupling upper mantle-lithosphere-necking breakup crustal-necking breakup. Independent along-axis centers form rifting stage just buoyancy-driven convection within hot, low viscosity asthenosphere. Each cell taps different asthenospheric serves as nucleus for propagation resulting linear spreading.