The petrological research on the ultra high pressure metamorphism (UHP) of collisional orogen indicates that the upper crustal rocks is subducted to depths exceeding 100 km, and returned to the surface rapidly. In this study, we investigate the thermal structure of collisional orogen as a slab of continental lithosphere being subducted beneath an overriding wedge of continental lithosphere by the 2 D finite element method. The advection heat transfer due to the accretion of orogenic wedge is considered. The wedge is composed of the upper crust materials through the accretion from the down going plate to the upper plate. For identifying the significance of the geometric and/or kinetic factors on the thermal structure of continental subduction, the different combinations of parameters, including dip angle of subduction zone, accretion or erosion rates, and the convergence velocity etc., are used in modelling. The time span of continental subduction in our calculation is less than 30 Ma, according to the short duration of ultra deep subduction of continental slab suggested by the preservation of metastable pre peak low pressure mineralogy assemblage in the garnet of UHP rocks. Therefore, the steep dip angle of down going plate and/or low rate of accretion favour the ultra deep subduction of upper crust materials, especially for the slower down going slab. Meanwhile, taking the erosion rate as the level of exhumation rate of UHP rocks in some orogens (i.e., 1-2 km/Ma or more) does not result in the anatexis melting of crust of the overriding plate, due to the cooling effect of the rapid down going slab. However, the temperature structures of all models are generally cooler than those recovered by thermobarometric studies of the UHP rocks. This implies the significant increase of temperature after the rapid subduction of continental slab. Following the method of Davies and von Blackenburg (1998), we show that the slab breakoff can occur at the depth exceeding 100 km. Thermal modelling on the post subduction stage shows the heating related to the plate breakoff can cause the higher temperature recorded by the exhumed UHP rocks. The higher geotherm during post subduction stage leads to the weak strength of the orogenic wedge, and favours the faster upward movement of the UHP rock slices as ductile agents. The lower temperature gradient of the subduction slab predicted by modelling suggests the cold subducting slab could have transported significant fluids to mantle depth, not released during subduction. Accordingly, the absence of coeval calc alkalic magmatism in UHP orogens might resulted from the lower temperature as well as the fluid free circumstance, both are related to the rapid subduction of cold plate. Therefore, shear heating is not needed for explanation the thermal evolution of UHP orogen. On the other hand, the post collisional or late stage granitic plutonism is closely related to the deep seated heat producing materials of the accretion wedge.
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