Venus’ light slab hinders its development of planetary-scale subduction

Chen, Junxing; Jiang, Huaidong; Tang, Ming; Hao, Jihua; Tian, Meng; Chu, Xu

doi:10.1038/s41467-022-35304-3

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(87 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This may be due to the high surface temperature of Venus, which allows rapid healing of damage along shear zones (Bercovici & Ricard, 2014) and arrests the formation of continuous plate boundaries (Davaille et al., 2017). Alternatively, it may be harder to convert Venus crust to eclogite, hindering development of planetary‐scale subduction (Chen et al., 2022). In addition to the various ongoing differences between the two planets, another significant distinction may be the initial conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Giant Impact Origin for the First Subduction on Earth

Yuan,

Gurnis,

Asimow

et al. 2024

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hadean zircons provide a potential record of Earth's earliest subduction 4.3 billion years ago. It remains enigmatic how subduction could be initiated so soon after the presumably Moon‐forming giant impact (MGI). Earlier studies found an increase in Earth's core‐mantle boundary (CMB) temperature due to the accumulation of the impactor's core, and our recent work shows Earth's lower mantle remains largely solid, with some of the impactor's mantle potentially surviving as the large low‐shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs). Here, we show that a hot post‐impact CMB drives the initiation of strong mantle plumes that can induce subduction initiation ∼200 Myr after the MGI. 2D and 3D thermomechanical computations show that a high CMB temperature is the primary factor triggering early subduction, with enrichment of heat‐producing elements in LLSVPs as another potential factor. The models link the earliest subduction to the MGI with implications for understanding the diverse tectonic regimes of rocky planets.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Giant Impact Origin for the First Subduction on Earth

Yuan,

Gurnis,

Asimow

et al. 2024

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Conversely, Venus' high surface temperature combined with a shallow thermal gradient may cause eclogite formation to occur deeper in Venus' mantle than within Earth (James et al., 2013); it has been estimated to occur between 50 and 70 km depth and is often approximated an instantaneous density jump ( γ = 0 MPa/K) near these depths (Armann & Tackley, 2012; Ogawa & Yanagisawa, 2014; Rolf et al., 2018; Uppalapati et al., 2020). More recently, P‐T density maps calculated from the Vega 2 composition which assume full water saturation show a gradual transition to eclogite beginning at approximately 70 km depth and continuing at deeper depths (Chen et al., 2022). Here, we chose to model the eclogite transition as an instantaneous density jump (Δ ρ = 420 kg/m 3 , γ = 0 MPa/K) at 70 km depth, which helps sustain delamination but does not play a role in the early stages of its initiation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plume‐Induced Delamination Initiated at Rift Zones on Venus

Adams,

Stegman,

Mohammadzadeh

et al. 2023

JGR Planets

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Venus' tectonic evolution is not well understood. Thousands of kilometers of possible subduction sites on Venus have been identified along networks of rift zone trenches called chasmata. Rift zones are strong candidates for tectonic recycling due to pre‐existing weaknesses in the lithosphere. Recently, peel‐back delamination (PBD) was proposed as a mechanism of regional‐scale lithospheric recycling initiated at Venusian rift zones (Adams et al., 2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022je007460). PBD occurs when the lithospheric mantle becomes sufficiently thick and negatively buoyant to decouple and peel away from the overlying crust remaining at the surface. Both positively and negatively buoyant lithosphere were shown to undergo buoyancy‐driven PBD, though delamination is inhibited by increasing positive plate buoyancy. In this study, we use 2D numerical models to verify that delamination can be initiated in thinner, more positively buoyant lithosphere than in models with no plume‐rift interactions. Our results show that plume‐induced PBD in positively buoyant plates is facilitated by the excess negative buoyancy in the lithospheric mantle and increasing plume buoyancy force, and it is inhibited by increasing crustal buoyancy and decreasing rift width. We propose an age‐progressive framework for delamination at rift zones, where young, thin plates require a larger plume buoyancy force to be destabilized than thicker, yet still positively buoyant plates. We use lithospheric thickness constraints to predict PBD may be most likely to initiate near the Dali‐Diana Chasmata system.

show abstract

Mantle potential temperature and felsic continental crust control the initiation and cessation of plate tectonics

Dai,

Li,

Cawood

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the initiation of plate tectonics is crucial for unraveling our planet's geological history and its unique tectonic regime. The roles of cooling of the Earth and growth of the continental crust in triggering plate tectonics remain controversial, in part due to the paucity of quantifiable evidence. We employ two-dimensional numerical models to investigate the initiation time and underlying mechanism of modern plate tectonics. Our simulations reveal a dynamic mechanism that elucidates the unique occurrence of multi-mode tectonics during the early stages of Earth's evolution and sheds light on the timing of the initiation of global plate tectonics. We demonstrate that lithospheric rheological strength and its contrast between oceanic and continental lithospheres, which are governed by the mantle potential temperature and thickness of the continental crust, drove the transition from multi-mode tectonics to an ordered tectonic regime. This transition is indicative of the initiation of plate tectonics. Initially in our models the subduction initiation was more difficult, then transition to phase where subduction initiation is possible and the required forces only slightly greater than the ridge push force, to a final situation where the required forces are again large and inhibit subduction. Integrating our models with the geological record indicate the transition to global networked plate tectonic framework occurred at 2.3 Ga-1.8 Ga, whereas the eventual cessation of plate tectonics will occur in another 2.3 Ga. The progressive changes in lithospheric rheological strength may be more generally applicable to planetary evolution and may provide valuable insights for Earth-like planets, including Mars and Venus.

show abstract

Venus’ light slab hinders its development of planetary-scale subduction

Cited by 3 publications

References 75 publications

A Giant Impact Origin for the First Subduction on Earth

A Giant Impact Origin for the First Subduction on Earth

Plume‐Induced Delamination Initiated at Rift Zones on Venus

Mantle potential temperature and felsic continental crust control the initiation and cessation of plate tectonics

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About