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Continental rifting precedes the breakup of continents, leading to the formation of passive margins and oceanic lithosphere. Although rifting dynamics is classically described in terms of either active rifting caused by active mantle upwelling, or passive rifting caused by farfield extensional stresses, it was proposed that a transition from passive to active rifting can result from changes in buoyancy forces due to localized thinning of the lithosphere. Three-dimensional numerical experiments of rifting near an Euler pole allow the quantification of these buoyancy forces and show that gravitational stresses are strong enough not only to sustain rifting and drive axis-parallel motion in the asthenosphere dome, but also to promote along-axis asthenospheric flow and to drive the propagation of the rift tip toward its rotation pole. We show that gradients of gravitational potential energy due to the presence of the dome of asthenosphere induce time-dependent phases of compressional and transcurrent stress regimes, despite an overall divergent plate setting. Our experiments predict overdeepened bathymetry at the tip of the propagating rift, as well as the variability of focal mechanisms of shallow seismic events similar to those observed in such a setting. We also explain the episodes of basin inversion documented in many rifted continental margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses melting of Earth's mantle, which is seen as the cause for basaltic volcanism. Topics discussed include differences between plate-tectonics-related melting of the sublithospheric mantle and partial melting in hot upwelling mantle material, the study conducted by Hole and colleagues on plume-related flood basalts on ca. 200 Ma Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP) and the role of continental lithosphere on mantle melting.

Core-complex formation driven by lithospheric extension is a first-order process of heat and mass transfer in the Earth. Core-complex structures have been recognized in the continents, at slow- and ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridges, and at continental rifted margins; in each of these settings, extension has driven the exhumation of deep crust and/or upper mantle. The style of extension and the magnitude of core-complex exhumation are determined fundamentally by rheology: (1) Coupling between brittle and ductile layers regulates fault patterns in the brittle layer; and (2) viscosity of the flowing layer is controlled dominantly by the synextension geotherm and the presence or absence of melt. The pressure-temperature-time-fluid-deformation history of core complexes, investigated via field- and modeling-based studies, reveals the magnitude, rate, and mechanisms of advection of heat and material from deep to shallow levels, as well as the consequences for the chemical and physical evolution of the lithosphere, including the role of core-complex development in crustal differentiation, global element cycles, and ore formation. In this review, we provide a survey of ~40 yr of core-complex literature, discuss processes and questions relevant to the formation and evolution of core complexes in continental and oceanic settings, highlight the significance of core complexes for lithosphere dynamics, and propose a few possible directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]