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Rapid subduction initiation and magmatism in the Western Pacific driven by internal vertical forces

Earth Sciences

Rapid subduction initiation and magmatism in the Western Pacific driven by internal vertical forces

B. Maunder, J. Prytulak, et al.

Discover groundbreaking insights into subduction initiation—the mystery of tectonic plates sliding beneath each other. This research, led by B. Maunder, J. Prytulak, S. Goes, and M. Reagan, reveals that internal vertical forces drive this crucial geological process, challenging long-held beliefs and providing exciting new evidence from the Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction system.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Plate tectonics, driven primarily by subduction, requires the formation of plate boundaries. The initiation of subduction, the process of one plate sliding beneath another, remains poorly understood. This study uses a continuous, in situ record of subduction initiation from the Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction system (recovered by IODP Expedition 352) and numerical models to demonstrate that this process is driven by internal, vertical forces rather than previously proposed horizontal external forcing. The models reproduce the observed temporal and spatial distribution of magmatic products, showcasing a rapid (~1 million years) transition from fore-arc basalt to boninite magmatism. This internally driven initiation is a whole-plate scale event, and the resulting rock sequence, also found along the Tethyan margin, serves as evidence for this type of subduction initiation.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Apr 20, 2020
Authors
B. Maunder, J. Prytulak, S. Goes, M. Reagan
Tags
subduction
plate tectonics
magmatism
internal forces
Izu-Bonin-Mariana
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