Recent high-resolution seismic experiments reveal that the crust beneath th
e San Gabriel Mountains portion of the Transverse Ranges thickens by 10-15
km (contrary to earlier studies). Associated with the Transverse Ranges, th
ere is an anomalous ridge of seismically fast upper mantle material extendi
ng at least 200 km into the mantle. This high-velocity anomaly has previous
ly been interpreted as a lithospheric downwelling. Both lithospheric downwe
lling and crustal thickening are associated with the oblique convergence of
Pacific and North America plates across the San Andreas Fault, though it s
eems likely that the lithospheric downwelling is driven at least partly by
gravitational instability of the cold lithospheric mantle. We show by means
of numerical experiment that the balance between buoyancy forces that driv
e deformation and viscous stresses that resist deformation determines the g
eometry of crustal thickening and mantle downwelling. We use a simple two-l
ayered lithospheric model in which dense lithospheric mantle overlies relat
ively inviscid and less dense asthenosphere and is overlain by buoyant crus
t. External plate motion drives convergence, which is constrained by bounda
ry conditions to occur within a central convergent zone of specified width.
A fundamental transition in the geometry of downwelling is revealed by our
experiments. For slow convergence, or low crustal viscosity, downwelling o
ccurs as multiple sheets on the margins of the convergent zone. For fast co
nvergence or crust that is stronger than mantle lithosphere a single downwe
lling occurs beneath the center of the convergent zone. This complexity in
the evolution of the system is attributed to the interaction of crustal buo
yancy with the evolving gravitational instability. In order for a narrow do
wnwelling slab to have formed beneath the Transverse Ranges within the last
5 Myr, the effective lithospheric viscosity of the convergent region is at
most about 10(20) Pa s.