The effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere in the Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean

• Published in: Terra Nova
• Main Authors: Ling, Zi‐Long, Zhao, Li‐Hong, Zhang, Tao, Zhai, Guo‐Jun, Yang, Fan‐Lin
• Other Authors: National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2021
• Subjects: Geology; Amerasia Basin; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Canada; Makarov Basin; Podvodnikov Basin; canada basin; Central Arctic; makarov basin
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ter.12524; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ter.12524; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/ter.12524

Abstract As a proxy for the lithospheric strength at the time of loading, the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere (Te) can aid in understanding the structure and evolution of the lithosphere. Here, we obtain spatial variations in Te of Amerasia Basin and surrounding regions using the fan‐shaped Morlet wavelet method. Our results show that variations in Te generally agree well with tectonic provinces in the region. The eastern part of Makarov Basin has the same lithospheric strength as Alpha and Mendeleev ridges, which may be attributed to the influence of the High Arctic large igneous province. N‐S and E‐W Te variations in Podvodnikov Basin may reflect two phases of its formation. Western and eastern parts of south Canada Basin have prominent low and high Te values, respectively. This study provides the reliable Te results of central Arctic and improves our understanding of the evolution of the Arctic.