Open Access‘Subduction‐Factory’ Meeting studies Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana Margin
Author(s) -
Gill James,
Klemperer Simon,
Stern Robert,
Tamura Yoshihiko,
Wiens Doug
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2003eo010004
Subject(s) - subduction , mantle (geology) , geology , mantle convection , crustal recycling , geophysics , petrology , seismology , tectonics
Subduction zones are regions in which the Earth's sedimentary layers and hydrosphere are recycled into the deep mantle. These downwellings provide most of the force needed to drive the plates and are the dominant mode of mantle convection. The cold material sinking in subduction zones releases water into the overlying mantle, causing mantle melting and fractionating elements between surface and deep mantle reservoirs. The term “subduction factory” captures the scale of these interactions and the fact that studying “balance sheets” of inputs and outputs provides powerful constraints for our understanding of how subduction zones work.