Cooling of Synkinematic Plutons During The Development of Metamorphic Core Complexes

The metamorphic core complex (MCC) is considered one of the most striking crustal features that develops when the lithosphere undergoes stretching. The cooling paths of MCCs are varied, which are well recorded by the magmatic domes. In this paper, a series of two-dimensional thermo-mechanical numerical experiments are implemented in order to explore the factors that likely control the cooling of the magmatic dome. Our experimental results indicate that the cooling rate is linearly dependent on the uplifted rate, which is controlled by the extensional rate. The boundary extensional rate is the first-order and ultimately factor that determines the cooling rate. When the extensional rate varies from 1 to 10 mm/yr, the maximum cooling rate increase approximately linearly from 15.5 to 514.7℃/Myr in our numerical model. Other factors such as crustal thickness, geothermal gradient, density and the emplacement depths of magmatites could obviously affect the cooling paths but only slightly affect the maximum cooling rate they experienced. Such solutions may provide a possibility to determine the average boundary extensional rate from the magmatic cooling rate in nature to a certain degree.