Reconciling lithospheric deformation and lower crustal flow beneath central Tibet

A viscous region with deformable boundaries is used to model simultaneous crustal flow and lithospheric coupling in northern Tibet. This model suggests that (1) the deformation of northern Tibet is different from that of southern Tibet because of structural differences between the regions; (2) the viscosity contrast between the crust and the mantle lithosphere is relatively small beneath northern Tibet; and (3) crustal flow is compatible with crust-mantle coupling under these conditions.