trajaona/aspect: Rifting Model of the East African Rift

This software package is a modified version of ASPECT v.2.2.0, which allows to reproduce model results of Rajaonarison et al. (submitted to GRL). The model setup is as follow:

1) In this model, the lithospheric deformation is  driven by lithospheric buoyancy forces which are imposed by implementing the CRUST1.0 (density and thicknesses for lower, middle, and upper crust) and ETOPO1 data sets into the 3D model.

2) The lithospheric temperature structure is a steady-state conductive geothermal gradient characteristic of the continental lithosphere, which is constrained using estimates of regional lithospheric thickness and surface heat flow of the key tectonic regions (cratons, mobile belts, and rifts).

3) Isostatic compensation is enforced through adjustments to the mantle density (i.e. Pratt isostasy) down to 100 km, with a constant value of 3300 kg/m**3 assigned from the compensation depth to 660 km.

4) The rheological model combines non-linear viscous flow: dislocation creep of dry quartzite with plastic failure in the crust, dislocation creep of olivine in the mantle lithosphere, and composite rheology of dry olivine in the sublithospheric mantle. In the deforming regions, a plastic strain weakening factor for cohesion and friction is applied to the lithospheric viscosity to promote strain localization.

The model can be run using the parameter file (EAR_rifting.prm) that is attached with this description. We refer the reader to the ASPECT user manual for information about how to run model in ASPECT.