On the relationships between slab dip, back‐arc stress, upper plate absolute motion, and crustal nature in subduction zones

188

182

[1] Several models have been proposed to relate slab geometry to parameters such as plate velocity or plate age. However, studies on the observed relationships between slab geometry and a wide range of subduction parameters show that there is not a simple global relationship between slab geometry and any one of these other subduction parameters for all subduction zones. Numerical and laboratory models of subduction provide a method to explore the relative importance of different physical processes in determining subduction dynamics. Employing 2-D numerical models with a viscosity structure constrained by laboratory experiments for the deformation of olivine, we show that the observed range in slab dip and the observed trends between slab dip and convergence velocity, subducting plate age, and subduction duration can be reproduced without trench motion (i.e., slab roll-back) for locations away from slab edges. Successful models include a stiff slab that is 100-1000 times more viscous than previous estimates from models of plate bending, the geoid, and global plate motions. We find that slab dip in the upper mantle depends primarily on slab strength and plate boundary coupling, with a small dependence on subducting plate age. Once the slab sinks into the lower mantle the primary processes controlling slab evolution are (1) the ability of the stiff slab to transmit stresses up dip, (2) resistance to slab descent into the higherviscosity lower mantle, and (3) subduction-induced flow in the mantle-wedge corner.

Section: Subduction Observablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Subduction Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Subduction Observablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Subduction Observablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Subduction Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Rheologic controls on slab dynamics

Billen

Hirth

2007

188

182

Relationship between outer forearc subsidence and plate boundary kinematics along the Northeast Japan convergent margin

Regalla

Fisher

Kirby

et al. 2013

[1] Tectonic erosion along convergent plate boundaries, whereby removal of upper plate material along the subduction zone interface drives kilometer-scale outer forearc subsidence, has been purported to explain the evolution of nearly half the world's subduction margins, including part of the history of northeast Japan. Here, we evaluate the role of plate boundary dynamics in driving forearc subsidence in northeastern Japan. A synthesis of newly updated analyses of outer forearc subsidence, the timing and kinematics of upper plate deformation, and the history of plate convergence along the Japan trench demonstrate that the onset of rapid fore-arc tectonic subsidence is contemporaneous with upper plate extension during the opening of the Sea of Japan and with an acceleration in convergence rate at the trench. In Plio-Quaternary time, relative uplift of the outer forearc is contemporaneous with contraction across the arc and a decrease in plate convergence rate. The coincidence of these changes across the forearc, arc, backarc system appears to require an explanation at the scale of the entire plate boundary. Similar observations along other western Pacific margins suggest that correlations between forearc subsidence and major changes in plate kinematics are the rule, rather than the exception. We suggest that a significant component of forearc subsidence at the northeast Japan margin is not the consequence of basal tectonic erosion, but instead reflects dynamic changes in plate boundary geometry driven by temporal variations in plate kinematics. If correct, this model requires a reconsideration of the mass balance and crustal recycling of continental crust at nonaccretionary margins.

A systematic 2‐D investigation into the mantle wedge's transient flow regime and thermal structure: Complexities arising from a hydrated rheology and thermal buoyancy

Voci

Davies

Goes

et al. 2014

[1] Arc volcanism at subduction zones is likely regulated by the mantle wedge's flow regime and thermal structure and, hence, numerous studies have attempted to quantify the principal controls on mantle wedge conditions. In this paper, we build on these previous studies by undertaking a systematic 2-D numerical investigation into how a hydrated rheology and thermal buoyancy influence the wedge's flow regime and associated thermal structure. We quantify the role of a range of plausible: (i) water contents (0-5000 H/10 6 Si); (ii) subduction velocities (2-10 cm/yr); and (iii) upper-plate ages (50-120 Myr), finding that small-scale convection (SSC), resulting from Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities, or drips, off the base of the overriding lithosphere, is a typical occurrence. The morphology of SSC varies with viscosity and subduction parameters, with drips at their most prominent when subduction velocities and wedge viscosities are low. Our results confirm that high subduction velocities and wedge viscosities promote a dominantly corner-flow regime, and strong upper-plate erosion below the arc region. By contrast, we find that back-arc upper-plate erosion by SSC is largely controlled by wedge viscosity, occurring when: (i) viscosities are < 5Á10 18 Pa s; and (ii) the length of the upper plate, available for destabilization, exceeds the characteristic wavelength of instabilities. Thus, if hydrous weakening of wedge rheology extends at least 100-150 km from the trench, our 2-D models predict an unstable flow regime, resulting in temperature fluctuations of 50-100 K, which are sufficient to influence melting and the stability of hydrous minerals.