Abstract
Dynamic topography refers to the vertical motion of Earth’s surface driven by mantle flow. Its transient, low-amplitude, and long-wavelength nature makes it difficult to constrain from field evidence or to estimate through modelling, due to uncertainties in lithospheric structure and mantle properties. Geophysical-petrological modelling tools such as
LitMod2D_2.0
allow us to infer the present-day thermochemical and density distribution of the crust and upper mantle; however, the resulting elevation does not account for the dynamic contribution associated with mantle flow. Here we present
LitModDyn
, a new Python-based post-processing tool designed to compute dynamic topography from thermodynamically constrained lithospheric and mantle structure. The model incorporates rheological layering constrained by integrated geophysical and petrological modelling, using thermodynamic outputs from the integrated modelling to ensure consistency between viscosity, density, thermal, and seismic structures. We apply this approach to two published transects across the Adria microplate, where slab rollback and slab detachment/breakoff provide a natural laboratory for investigating the surface response to mantle processes. Our results show that the resulting dynamic topography along both transects is modest in amplitude, generally remaining below 400 m. Beneath the northern Apennines, a west-dipping attached slab extending below 400 km produces the largest dynamic subsidence, reaching up to ∼400 m. In contrast, slab detachment beneath the southern Apennines leads to reduced stress transmission to the surface, resulting in a weaker negative dynamic topography of only ∼120 m despite enhanced mantle flow. Along the eastern margin of Adria, the dynamic contribution increases southward, reaching ∼150 m beneath the southern Dinarides, while remaining negligible beneath the northern Dinarides, consistent with variations in slab geometry. Comparison with residual topography indicates that mantle-driven dynamics account for a substantial fraction of the residual elevation in the northern Apennines, whereas lithospheric heterogeneities largely control residual topography beneath the southern Adriatic domain and the Dinarides. These results indicate that slab geometry exerts a primary control on lithosphere–mantle coupling. Attached, high-density slabs enhance mantle flow, promote focused downwelling and adjacent upwelling, and amplify dynamic topography. In contrast, slab detachment accelerates mantle flow, but the resulting decoupling from the overlying lithosphere reduces stress transfer and weakens the surface dynamic response.