Buckling of orogens: Insights from analogue modelling

Three-dimensional analogue models are employed to investigate whether oroclines may develop by horizontal buckling. A first series of experiments demonstrates that a crustal ribbon carried by a subducting plate cannot buckle and detach from its mantle root because it weakens and deforms when entering the subduction zone, such that little compressive stress is transferred through the ribbon. A second series of experiments shows that the aspect...