Continental lithospheric-scale subduction versus crustal-scale underthrusting in the collision zone: Numerical modeling

Two distinct styles of continental collision are observed in nature, i.e. lithospheric-scale subduction versus crustal-scale underthrusting. The former refers to a collision scenario where the lower plate subducts below the lithospheric mantle of the overriding plate, whereas the latter is characterized by the underthrusting of the subducting plate beneath the crust of the overriding plate. Systematic numerical models were constructed to study...