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Effects of oblique subduction on the 3‐D pattern of small‐scale convection within the mantle wedge
Author(s) -
Honda Satoru,
Yoshida Takeyoshi
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl023106
Subject(s) - subduction , geology , slab , mantle wedge , mantle (geology) , oblique case , geophysics , lithosphere , slab window , mantle convection , plate tectonics , convection , wedge (geometry) , seismology , oceanic crust , mechanics , geometry , tectonics , physics , linguistics , philosophy , mathematics
We have developed a 3‐D numerical model of obliquely subducting slab and mantle flow above. Using this model, we explore the effects of oblique subduction on the small‐scale convection within the mantle wedge. We find that the spatial pattern and time dependent characteristics of oblique subduction are similar to those of non‐oblique cases whose subduction speed is the same as the subduction velocity component normal to the strike of subducting slab. This also implies that the axes of rolls of small‐scale convection are nearly normal to the plate boundary, assuming that the plate boundary represents the strike of subducting plate. Only when the back‐arc lithosphere overlying the small‐scale convection moves along the strike of subduction, a significant change of the orientation of roll axes is observed.