Maierová, P. , Schulmann, K. and Gerya, T. 2025. Numerical simulations of subduction, relamination and accretion of magmatic arcs–implications for continent-ocean convergent margins. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 652.
DOI Google ScholarCLR person interests, research and publications
Researcher
Dr. Petra Maierová
Research fellow
Numerical modelling of tectonic processes
+420257089411
petra.maierova@geology.cz
RID:
G-5686-2014
About me
My specialization is numerical modeling of tectonic processes. I focus on deformation, heat transport and magmatism in the crust in collisional setting. My models are compared with data acquired in the ancient and modern orogens. My aim is to clarify how observed features such as structures and pressure–temperature conditions were formed. In this respect I benefit from a tight collaboration with geologists.
Currently my main interest is the fate of the subducted continental crust and formation of collisional orogens. The geological data from the Bohemian Massif show that in this region, continental crust was first deeply subducted and then exhumed through the upper-plate lithospheric mantle. This style of evolution may explain occurences of ultra-high-pressure rocks also in other orogens, but it is definitely not the only possibility – different evolution is characteristic for the Caledonian cratonic collision, and yet different for the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Understanding these differences in a single numerical-model framework is a great challenge.
Recently I have been also dealing with models that include melting and melt migration. With these models I aim to understand the interplay between melting, internal deformation and thermal evolution of crust in thick and warm collisional belts.
Research interests
- Dynamics of continental subduction and collision
- Partial melting and migration of melt through the continental crust
- Grain size evolution and grain-size sensitive creep in crustal material
Research projects
Pervasive melt migration in continental crust: a micro-scale process with large-scale implications
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Melt migration is the key process transferring mass, heat and volatiles from the Earth’s depth towards the surface, and therefore shaping the chemical and thermal structure of the lithosphere. Common understanding of crustal melt migration is biased towards mechanisms that can be easily identified as they preserve macroscopic segregations of melt in outcrops, such as in dykes or leucosome-bearing migmatites. In contrast, recent observations show that micro-scale pervasive flow of melt along grain boundaries can affect significant portions of hot continental crust.
Origin of the relaminant in the Bohemian Massif during the Variscan orogeny
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The granulite-gneiss extrusions in the Bohemian Massif are interpreted as parts of the lower plate, subducted, relaminated below the upper plate and exhumed as kilometre-scale translithospheric diapirs through upper plate. Because dominated by metagranites, it is repeatedly stated that they originated from continent subduction. Many studies were dedicated to their tectono-metamorphic Variscan evolution. Almost missing are studies trying to understand their paleo-environment that allowed such unprecedented travel of rocks through mantle.
Generation, extent, and longevity of magma mush columns
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We need to determine what is the structure of magmatic systems that underlay volcanoes in order to understand how volcanic eruptions are fed from depth and how mineral resources associated to igneous rocks are generated. The current paradigm is that transient pockets of crystal-poor magma form in extended columns of crystal-rich magma mush.
The role of Paleozoic accretionary and collisional orogens on the formation and growth of continental crust
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Selected segments of Euroasian orogenic system are used to constrain relative contribution of contrasting processes of continental construction in collisional and accretionary orogenic systems. Principal objectives of the proposal are: (i) identification of the individual terranes, kinematic analysis of their movements and characterization of deformation style connected with their amalgamation; (ii) estimation of net crustal growth vs. recycling of preexistent crustal material.
Granulite-migmatite domes - insight into the Devonian and Carboniferous development of the Variscan belt
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We aim to study and compare various aspects that are related to exhumation of deeply buried felsic rocks that form now Devonian and Carboniferous granulite-migmatite domes in the Variscan belt and contributed thus to large-scale crustal differentiation. The role of melting on the rheological weakening of the rocks is known for a long time, but differences of the melting processes of metasedimentary rocks and granitoid rocks, with respect to fluid-present, dehydration and fluid-fluxed melting and relation to the P-T path of the rocks are rarely studied simultaneously.
Publications
Peřestý, V. , Soejono, I. , Schulmann, K. , Ruffet, G. , Kylander-Clark, A. , Sláma, J. , Štípská, P. , Maierová, P. , Hanžl, P. , Aguilar, C. and 2025. Late Cambrian syn-intrusive thickening of the Ikh Mongol Arc domains in the Mongolian Collage. Tectonics. 44, e2024TC008437.
DOI Google ScholarTesauro, M. , Maierová, P. , Koptev, A. , Pastorutti, A. , Pivetta, T. , Koulakov, I. and Braitenberg, C. 2024. What controls structural variations along the Zagros Collision Zone? Insights from geophysical observations and thermo-mechanical modelling. Gondwana Research. 133.
DOI Google ScholarŠtípská, P. , Schulmann, K. , Soejono, I. , Peřestý, V. , Kylander-Clark, A. , Collett, S. , Aguilar, C. , Maierová, P. , Racek, M. and Hanzl, P. 2024. Supra-subduction thickening of a continental back-arc: Ediacaran–early Cambrian (Baikalian) metamorphism in the NE Baidrag block (Mongolian Collage). Gondwana Research. 135.
DOI Google ScholarSchulmann, K. , Maierová, P. , Jeřábek, P. , Lexa, O. , Ulrich, S. , Hobbs, B. and Ord, A. 2023. Deformation mechanisms and rheology inversion of jointly deformed marble and quartzite in natural thermal gradient. Journal of Structural Geology. 104892.
DOI Google ScholarMaierová, P. , Hasalová, P. , Schulmann, K. , Štípská, P. and Souček, O. 2023. Porous melt flow in continental crust—A numerical modeling study. Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth. 128, 1–25.
DOI Google ScholarMaierová, P. , Schulmann, K. , Štípská, P. , Gerya, T. and Lexa, O. 2021. Trans-lithospheric diapirism explains the presence of ultra-high pressure rocks in the European Variscides. Communications Earth & Environment. 2, 1–9.
DOI Google ScholarNahodilová, R. , Hasalová, P. , Štípská, P. , Schulmann, K. , Závada, P. , Míková, J. , Kylander-Clark, A. and Maierová, P. 2020. Exhumation of subducted continental crust along the arc region. Gondwana Research. 80, 157–187.
DOI Google ScholarMaierová, P. , Schulmann, K. and Gerya, T. 2018. Relamination Styles in Collisional Orogens. Tectonics. 37, 224–250.
DOI Google ScholarMaierová, P. , Lexa, O. , Jeřábek, P. , Schulmann, K. and Franěk, J. 2017. Computational study of deformation mechanisms and grain size evolution in granulites–Implications for the rheology of the lower crust. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 466, 91–102.
Google ScholarRacek, M. , Lexa, O. , Schulmann, K. , Corsini, M. , Štípská, P. and Maierová, P. 2017. Re-evaluation of polyphase kinematic and 40Ar/39Ar cooling history of Moldanubian hot nappe at the eastern margin of the Bohemian Massif. International Journal of Earth Sciences. 106, 397–420.
DOI Google ScholarValentová, L. , Gallovič, F. and Maierová, P. 2017. Three-dimensional S-wave velocity model of the Bohemian Massif from Bayesian ambient noise tomography. Tectonophysics. 717, 484–498.
DOI Google ScholarMaierová, P. , Schulmann, K. , Lexa, O. , Guillot, S. , Štípská, P. , Janoušek, V. and Čadek, O. 2016. European Variscan orogenic evolution as an analogue of Tibetan-Himalayan orogen: Insights from petrology and numerical modeling. Tectonics. 35, 1760–1780.
DOI Google ScholarLi, J. , Tosi, N. , Maierová, P. and Yuen, D. 2015. Evidence from Caustics Waveform Modelling for Long Slab Thickening above the 660-km Discontinuity under Northeast Asia: Dynamical Implications.. Subduction Dynamics: From Mantle Flow to Mega Disasters. American Geophysical Union. 5–18.
Google ScholarTosi, N. , Maierová, P. and Yuen, D. 2015. Influence of variable thermal expansivity and conductivity on deep subduction.. Subduction Dynamics: From Mantle Flow to Mega Disasters. . American Geophysical Union. 234 p.
Google ScholarMaierová, P. , Lexa, O. , Schulmann, K. and Štípská, P. 2014. Contrasting tectono-metamorphic evolution of orogenic lower crust in the Bohemian Massif: A numerical model. Gondwana Research.
Google ScholarMaierová, P. , Chust, T. , Steinle-Neumann, G. , Čadek, O. and Hana, Čížková . 2012. The effect of variable thermal diffusivity on kinematic models of subduction. Journal of Geophysical Research. 117, B07202.
Google ScholarMaierová, P. , Čadek, O. , Lexa, O. and Schulmann, K. 2012. A numerical model of exhumation of the orogenic lower crust in the Bohemian Massif during the Variscan orogeny. Studia Geophysica et Geodaetica. 56, 595–619.
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