[Strecker] Tectonics and climate in a low-latitude rift: rift-shoulder denudation and sedimentation processes in northern Lake Malawi

German Title: Tectonics and climate in a low-latitude rift: rift-shoulder denudation and sedimentation processes in northern Lake Malawi

Abbreviation: 185

Current Status: completed


Main Applicant:Prof. Dr. Manfred Strecker


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Conveyor Begin:
Conveyor End:
Conveyor Duration:
Year: 2004


Description

Lake Malawi is an integral part of the East African Rift and contains an important low-latitude paleoclimate record reflecting the influence of climatic changes on erosion and rift sedimentation. An available network of high resolution seismic reflection profiles (3000 km length) provides an outstanding opportunity to characterize and quantify mass flux and sediment volumes in the northern Malawi Rift. Previous work has identified 100 kyr sedimentary cycles in the imaged seismic packages. A basin-wide analysis of this dataset with correlated seismic packages, and comparison with long-term denudation rates derived from thermochronology (U-Th/He; apatite fission track) will help assess the influence of multiple climate changes on erosion and sedimentation processes. In conjunction with geochronologic work on existing drill cores, and information to be obtained from future ICDP drilling in northern Lake Malawi the proposed analysis of seismic stratigraphic packages and low temperature thermochronology of rift-shoulder rocks will result in an improved model of sedimentation in an active rift. In addition, the expected results will determine the importance of climate vs. tectonic processes in rift sedimentation.

Related Publications

Mortimer, E. J., Paton, D. A., Scholz, C. A., Strecker, M. R. (2016). "Implications of structural inheritance in oblique rift zones for basin compartmentalization: Nkhata Basin, Malawi Rift (EARS)" Marine and Petroleum Geology 72 p110-121


Mortimer, Estelle, Kirstein, Linda A., Stuart, Finlay M., Strecker, Manfred R. (2016). "Spatio-temporal trends in normal-fault segmentation recorded by low-temperature thermochronology: Livingstone fault scarp, Malawi Rift, East African Rift System" Earth and Planetary Science Letters 455 p62-72


Mortimer, E., Paton, D. A., Scholz, C. A., Strecker, M. R., Blisniuk, P. (2007). "Orthogonal to oblique rifting: effect of rift basin orientation in the evolution of the North basin, Malawi Rift, East Africa" Basin Research 19 p393-407