Mechanisms of oroclinal bending along vertical axis
Oroclinal bending along vertical axis is a mechanism, which attracts a lot of attention to explain geology of Iberia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and range of regions along Pacific convergent margins. We perform large scale structural and geochronological studies combined with paleomagnetic investigations to characterize this process in Mongolia. While the understanding of oroclinal bending kinematics is straightforward, the mechanisms of bending together with response of asthenospheric mantle and orogenic lower crust remain obscured. 3D analogue modelling combined with tracking of linear zones of alkaline magmatism in Mongolia and China are used to understand the coupling between upper mantle and crust during this process.