The session topic is interpretation and modelling of the geodynamic processes in the lithosphere-asthenosphere system and the interaction between crust and lithospheric mantle, as well as the importance of these processes for the formation of the discontinuities that we today observe in the crust and mantle. We aim at establishing links between seismological observations and process-oriented modelling studies to better understand the relation between present-day fabrics of the lithosphere and contemporary deformation and ongoing dynamics within the asthenospheric mantle.
The Tethyan Belt is the most prominent collisional zone on Earth, covering the vast area between far eastern Asia and Europe. The Tethyan Belt is the result of the subduction of the Tethyan Oceans, including significant terrane amalgamation, and collisional tectonics along the whole belt. The belt is today strongly affected by the ongoing convergence and collision between the Eurasian, African, Arabian and Indian plates. The long formation history and the variability of tectonic characteristics and deep structures of the belt make it a natural laboratory for understanding the accretion processes that have shaped the Earth through its history and have led to the formation of vast resources in the crust.
We invite contributions based on geological, tectonic, geophysical and geodynamic studies of the lithosphere. We particularly invite interdisciplinary studies, which integrate observational data and interpretations based on a variety of methods. Papers with focus on the structure of the crust and the nature of the Moho are also welcome.
Lijun Liu, Irina M. Artemieva