On The initiation of subduction

Mueller, Steve; Phillips, R. J.

doi:10.1029/90jb02237

Cited by 218 publications

(233 citation statements)

References 142 publications

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“…Studies on subduction initiation have been many and continue to this day (e.g., McKenzie 1977;Karig 1982;Mueller & Phillips 1991;Toth & Gurnis 1998;Niu et al 2003;Stern 2004;Gurnis et al 2004;Stern et al 2012;Shervais & Choi 2012;Marques et al 2014). With all factors considered, the hypothesis of "subduction initiation as a consequence of lateral compositional buoyancy contrast within the lithosphere" (Niu et al 2003) is physically straightforward, geologically consistent with observations, and is capable of making testable predictions.…”

Section: The Origin Of Subduction Zonesmentioning

confidence: 80%

Geological understanding of plate tectonics: Basic concepts, illustrations, examples and new perspectives

Niu¹

2018

gtm

115

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Publisher's copyright statement:This article is available under CC-BY-NC Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence, which permits users to use, reproduce, disseminate or display the article provided that the author is attributed as the original creator and that the reuse is restricted to non-commercial purposes i.e. research or educational use. Additional information:Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. With 16 figuresAbstract: In this paper, I have reviewed some basic concepts of the plate tectonics theory in a plain geological language with the aim of encouraging geologists to correctly understand this theory in its applications to geological problems. I emphasized the decisive role of subduction as the ultimate (dominant) driving force of all the plate tectonics phenomena. Hence, my discussion has focused on major issues such as the origin of subduction zones, slab rollback, trench retreat, trench suction and driving mechanism of plate motion (both oceanic and continental) by means of illustration with hypothetical and real examples. As much of the discussion is heavily based on my personal (original) perspectives, some of the concepts, interpretations and hypotheses may not be familiar to many and may not be readily found in the existing literature. Mantle plume hypothesis is not the focus of this paper and is thus only mentioned in passing.

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Section: The Origin Of Subduction Zonesmentioning

confidence: 80%

Geological understanding of plate tectonics: Basic concepts, illustrations, examples and new perspectives

Niu¹

2018

gtm

115

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“…The model also postulates initial breakup of the lithosphere along the strike-slip fault and subsequent propagation of the breakup by seafloor spreading. Because major strike-slip faults or transform faults represent the weakest zones in the lithosphere (e.g., Mueller and Phillips, 1991), it is plausible to assume that initial breakup of the lithosphere was generated at the strike-slip margin. Figure 11.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tectonic Synthesis and Implications of Japan Sea ODP Drilling

Tamaki¹,

Suyehiro²,

Allan³

et al. 1992

Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program

117

116

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ABSTRACTthat the basin volcanism results from seafloor spreading or a continental rifting process. The borehole seismometer experiment at Site 794 indicates the crust is 12 km thick with the lower crust twice as thick as that of the Japan Basin. Eight discrete stages of basin subsidence history were derived from the comparative study of stratigraphy of the drilling sites and the surrounding offshore and onshore geological sections.Analyses of these new data, together with more detailed identification of magnetic anomaly lineations in the Japan Basin, have yielded a tectonic scenario for the evolution of the Japan Sea. The entire Japan Sea was extending from 32 Ma to 10 Ma, during which major opening associated with vigorous basin volcanism occurred about 28 to 18 Ma. The Japan Sea started its opening by crustal thinning within the proto-Japan arc. As thinning proceeded, breakup of the lithosphere was initiated at the major strike-slip fault forming the eastern margin of the juvenile sea, triggering seafloor spreading. Subsequent rifting and seafloor spreading process propagated southwestward during a period when the southern part of the Japan Sea was still undergoing crustal thinning, which ceased about 18 Ma and left oceanic crust in its wake. This crust now forms the eastern floor of the Japan Basin. Thinned arc crusts and relic pieces of the upper crust of the proto-Japan arc were left in the southern part of the Japan Sea as deep sea basins and rises and ridges, respectively. Crustal thinning and propagating seafloor spreading of thinned crust are identified as the most significant processes for the opening of the Japan Sea.

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“…Following Taconian / Grampian collision of part of the subduction system with Laurentia, remaining parts of the Iapetus Ocean were progressively "infected" with subduction (cf. Mueller & Phillips, 1991). The infection of the Iapetus with subduction may explain the early transition from opening to closing, and the complex collage of terranes in the central part of the orogen, many of which were deformed well before Silurian closure.…”

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confidence: 99%