The formation and evolution of continental rift systems and passive margins are of primary interest to both academics and the industry. Processes involved in the development of rift basins in extensional settings span across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. During this presentation, I intend to illustrate through a series of examples, compared to field analogues, how numerical modelling can help geoscientists decipher the complex signals associated with tectonic, and to a lesser extend surface processes, in rift systems.
This journey through rift modelling will start at the very large scale, with an overview of the potential of 3D lithospheric-scale thermo-mechanical modelling to address questions about the mechanisms driving rift propagation on Earth, as well as improving our understanding of the structural architecture of oblique rift systems. Then, we shall look more closely at the formation of extensional structures and assess the influence of the geometry of normal faults bounding continental rift basins. Finally, we will examine the surface response to active extensional tectonics in terms of drainage evolution and sediment budget using landscape evolution models.