Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Tectonics

Sinking continents

The sequence of events during the collision between India and Eurasia has long been contested. Numerical simulations imply that the key to the puzzle could lie in the subduction of continental lithosphere.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: P-wave mantle tomography4 roughly linked to reconstruction ages using average slab-sinking velocities8.

References

  1. Capitanio, F. A. et al. Nature Geosci. 3, 136–139 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Aitchison, J., Ali, J. R. & Davis, A. M. J. Geophys. Res. 112, 10.1029/2006JB004706 (2007).

  3. Hafkenscheid, E., Wortel, M. J. R. & Spakman, W. J. Geophys. Res. 111, B08401 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Li, C., van der Hilst, R. D., Engdahl, E. R. & Burdick, S. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 9, Q05018 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Molnar, P. & Stock, J. M. Slowing of India's convergence with Eurasia since 20 Ma and its implications for Tibetan mantle dynamics. Tectonics 28, 10.1029/2008TC002271 (2009).

  6. Stampfli, G. M. & Borel, G. D. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 196, 17–33 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Corfield, R. I., Watts, A. B. & Searle, M. P. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 162, 135–146 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Richards, S., Lister, G. & Kennett, B. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 8, Q12003 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Replumaz, A. & Tapponnier, P. J. Geophys. Res. 108, 2285 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Lee, T.-Y. & Lawver, L. A. Tectonophysics 251, 85–138 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Müller, R. D. et al. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 9, Q04006 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Müller, R. Sinking continents. Nature Geosci 3, 79–80 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo751

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo751

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing