Interactions between syn-rift magmatism and tectonic extension at intermediate rifted margins

• Geodynamics of continental rifting at an intermediate margin is investigated. • Syn-rift magmatism facilitates the development of detachment faults and core complexes. • Inherited thermal structure critically influences continental rifting and rupture styles. • Distinct deformation modes between intermediate and magma-poor rifted margins. Intermediate rifted margins exhibit neither seaward dipping reflectors nor exhumed mantle at the continent-ocean transition (COT). Instead, they transition into normal-thickness, magmatic Penrose-type oceanic crust, and thus diverge from the classic magma-rich and magma-poor end-member models. However, several intermediate margins, such as the South China Sea (SCS), display detachment faulting similar to magma-poor margins and magmatic underplating typical of magma-rich ones. How tectonics and magmatism interact in these intermediate environments is poorly understood. Here we use 2D numerical models to demonstrate that the elevated initial geotherm inherited from prior plate subduction in the SCS explains several key observations: an early phase of wide rifting, subsequent localization onto core complexes with substantial footwall magmatic intrusions, and eventual formation of normal igneous oceanic crust at break-up. Thermal weakening caused by syn-rift footwall magmatic intrusions facilitates lower crustal ductile flow, promoting the development of ‘rolling-hinge’ type detachment faults and exhumation of core complexes. These structures are associated with accelerated tectonic subsidence, which is later moderated by detachment-related doming, as observed in the SCS. Normal-thickness oceanic crust occurs after break-up, even under ultra-slow extension rates used in our simulations, highlighting the importance of inheritance in determining margin architecture, the spatio-temporal distribution of syn-rift magmatism, and the nature of the COT. This behavior contrasts sharply with magma-poor margins, where a cooler lithosphere and similar ultra-slow extension produce no syn-rift magmatism, leading instead to crustal embrittlement, mantle serpentinization and exhumation at the COT.