Plate motion and plume-induced subduction initiation

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Autoren

  • Marzieh Baes
  • Stephan Sobolev
  • Taras Gerya
  • Robert Stern
  • Sascha Brune

Organisationseinheiten

Externe Organisationen

  • Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ)
  • Universität Potsdam
  • ETH Zürich
  • University of Texas at Dallas
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Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)277-288
Seitenumfang12
FachzeitschriftGondwana research
Jahrgang98
Frühes Online-Datum22 Juni 2021
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Okt. 2021

Abstract

Impingement of a hot buoyant mantle plume head on the lithosphere is one of the few scenarios that can initiate a new subduction zone without requiring any pre-existing weak zones. This mechanism can start subduction and plate tectonics on a stagnant lid and can also operate during active plate tectonics where plume-lithosphere interactions is likely to be affected by plate motion. In this study, we explore the influence of plate motion on lithospheric response to plume head-lithosphere interaction including the effect of magmatic weakening of lithosphere. Using 3d thermo-mechanical models we show that the arrival of a new plume beneath the lithosphere can either (1) break the lithosphere and initiate subduction, (2) penetrate the lithosphere without subduction initiation, or (3) spread asymmetrically below the lithosphere. Outcomes indicate that lithospheric strength and plume buoyancy control plume penetration through the lithosphere whereas the plate speed has a subordinate influence on this process. However, plate motion may affect the geometry and dynamics of plume-lithosphere interaction by promoting asymmetry in the subduction zone shape. When a sufficiently buoyant plume hits a young but subductable moving lithosphere, a single-slab modern-style subduction zone can form instead of multiple subduction zones predicted by stagnant lid models. In the case of subduction initiation of older moving oceanic lithosphere, asymmetrical cylindrical subduction is promoted instead of more symmetrical stagnant lid subduction. We propose that the eastward motion of the Farallon plate in Late Cretaceous time could have played a key role in forming one-sided subduction along the southern and western margin of the Caribbean and NW South America.

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

  • Erdkunde und Planetologie (insg.)
  • Geologie

Zitieren

Plate motion and plume-induced subduction initiation. / Baes, Marzieh; Sobolev, Stephan; Gerya, Taras et al.
in: Gondwana research, Jahrgang 98, 10.2021, S. 277-288.

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftArtikelForschungPeer-Review

Baes M, Sobolev S, Gerya T, Stern R, Brune S. Plate motion and plume-induced subduction initiation. Gondwana research. 2021 Okt;98:277-288. Epub 2021 Jun 22. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2021.06.007
Baes, Marzieh ; Sobolev, Stephan ; Gerya, Taras et al. / Plate motion and plume-induced subduction initiation. in: Gondwana research. 2021 ; Jahrgang 98. S. 277-288.
Download
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abstract = "Impingement of a hot buoyant mantle plume head on the lithosphere is one of the few scenarios that can initiate a new subduction zone without requiring any pre-existing weak zones. This mechanism can start subduction and plate tectonics on a stagnant lid and can also operate during active plate tectonics where plume-lithosphere interactions is likely to be affected by plate motion. In this study, we explore the influence of plate motion on lithospheric response to plume head-lithosphere interaction including the effect of magmatic weakening of lithosphere. Using 3d thermo-mechanical models we show that the arrival of a new plume beneath the lithosphere can either (1) break the lithosphere and initiate subduction, (2) penetrate the lithosphere without subduction initiation, or (3) spread asymmetrically below the lithosphere. Outcomes indicate that lithospheric strength and plume buoyancy control plume penetration through the lithosphere whereas the plate speed has a subordinate influence on this process. However, plate motion may affect the geometry and dynamics of plume-lithosphere interaction by promoting asymmetry in the subduction zone shape. When a sufficiently buoyant plume hits a young but subductable moving lithosphere, a single-slab modern-style subduction zone can form instead of multiple subduction zones predicted by stagnant lid models. In the case of subduction initiation of older moving oceanic lithosphere, asymmetrical cylindrical subduction is promoted instead of more symmetrical stagnant lid subduction. We propose that the eastward motion of the Farallon plate in Late Cretaceous time could have played a key role in forming one-sided subduction along the southern and western margin of the Caribbean and NW South America.",
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T1 - Plate motion and plume-induced subduction initiation

AU - Baes, Marzieh

AU - Sobolev, Stephan

AU - Gerya, Taras

AU - Stern, Robert

AU - Brune, Sascha

N1 - Funding Information: This study has been funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) (Projects BR 5815/1-1 and BA 6613/2-1). The computations of this work was supported by the North-German Supercomputing Alliance (HLRN). We thank Zhong-Hai Li and Alexander Koptev for their careful reading of the manuscript and their constructive remarks.

PY - 2021/10

Y1 - 2021/10

N2 - Impingement of a hot buoyant mantle plume head on the lithosphere is one of the few scenarios that can initiate a new subduction zone without requiring any pre-existing weak zones. This mechanism can start subduction and plate tectonics on a stagnant lid and can also operate during active plate tectonics where plume-lithosphere interactions is likely to be affected by plate motion. In this study, we explore the influence of plate motion on lithospheric response to plume head-lithosphere interaction including the effect of magmatic weakening of lithosphere. Using 3d thermo-mechanical models we show that the arrival of a new plume beneath the lithosphere can either (1) break the lithosphere and initiate subduction, (2) penetrate the lithosphere without subduction initiation, or (3) spread asymmetrically below the lithosphere. Outcomes indicate that lithospheric strength and plume buoyancy control plume penetration through the lithosphere whereas the plate speed has a subordinate influence on this process. However, plate motion may affect the geometry and dynamics of plume-lithosphere interaction by promoting asymmetry in the subduction zone shape. When a sufficiently buoyant plume hits a young but subductable moving lithosphere, a single-slab modern-style subduction zone can form instead of multiple subduction zones predicted by stagnant lid models. In the case of subduction initiation of older moving oceanic lithosphere, asymmetrical cylindrical subduction is promoted instead of more symmetrical stagnant lid subduction. We propose that the eastward motion of the Farallon plate in Late Cretaceous time could have played a key role in forming one-sided subduction along the southern and western margin of the Caribbean and NW South America.

AB - Impingement of a hot buoyant mantle plume head on the lithosphere is one of the few scenarios that can initiate a new subduction zone without requiring any pre-existing weak zones. This mechanism can start subduction and plate tectonics on a stagnant lid and can also operate during active plate tectonics where plume-lithosphere interactions is likely to be affected by plate motion. In this study, we explore the influence of plate motion on lithospheric response to plume head-lithosphere interaction including the effect of magmatic weakening of lithosphere. Using 3d thermo-mechanical models we show that the arrival of a new plume beneath the lithosphere can either (1) break the lithosphere and initiate subduction, (2) penetrate the lithosphere without subduction initiation, or (3) spread asymmetrically below the lithosphere. Outcomes indicate that lithospheric strength and plume buoyancy control plume penetration through the lithosphere whereas the plate speed has a subordinate influence on this process. However, plate motion may affect the geometry and dynamics of plume-lithosphere interaction by promoting asymmetry in the subduction zone shape. When a sufficiently buoyant plume hits a young but subductable moving lithosphere, a single-slab modern-style subduction zone can form instead of multiple subduction zones predicted by stagnant lid models. In the case of subduction initiation of older moving oceanic lithosphere, asymmetrical cylindrical subduction is promoted instead of more symmetrical stagnant lid subduction. We propose that the eastward motion of the Farallon plate in Late Cretaceous time could have played a key role in forming one-sided subduction along the southern and western margin of the Caribbean and NW South America.

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KW - Numerical models

KW - Plate motion

KW - Plume buoyancy

KW - Plume-induced subduction initiation

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U2 - 10.1016/j.gr.2021.06.007

DO - 10.1016/j.gr.2021.06.007

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85108862913

VL - 98

SP - 277

EP - 288

JO - Gondwana research

JF - Gondwana research

SN - 1342-937X

ER -

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