Heterogeneous Age-Averaged Crustal Thickness in the Southeast Indian Ocean
Description
Age-averaged crustal thickness (AACT) along the SEIR spreading path from 74°E to 127°E, focusing on oceanic crust younger than 30 Ma. The AACT represents the mean crustal thickness measured along flow lines, which correspond to seafloor spreading trajectories across the oceanic basin. Since each flow line intersects oceanic crust that progressively ages with increasing distance from the MOR, the AACT is fundamentally independent of crustal age. A series of seafloor spreading/flow paths, with a 2 km interval, are derived from the plate reconstruction model (Seton et al., 2020), which is based on oceanic crustal age contours, fracture zones, and other parameters. The AACT can then be estimated by integrating the crustal thickness along each flow line. And thus, the variations of the AACT along the SEIR can be derived.