Articles tagged with Subduction
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Researchers found that seafloor spreading rates have slowed down globally over the past 19 million years, with an average slowdown of 40%. This decrease is linked to increased friction between colliding tectonic plates and may be driven by subduction zones. The study's findings could help contextualize long-term changes in the atmosphere.
Scientists used supercomputers to model plate tectonics and reconstruct dynamics of Pacific plate motion. The study explains the mysterious 60-degree bend in the seamount chain by introducing a new factor: subduction zones in the Russian Far East.
Researchers used geochemical data from 225 hot springs to create a detailed map of the boundary between the Indian and Asian continental plates, revealing processes occurring deep below the surface. The findings suggest that an old theory about the flat position of the Indian plate beneath Tibet is no longer tenable.
Scientists have developed a new model to simulate the formation of subduction zones, which are crucial for understanding Earth's global dynamics. The model predicts the initiation of self-replicating subduction zones and their potential impact on earthquake risk.
Researchers found variations in carbon isotopes in younger kimberlites, suggesting the Cambrian Explosion affected the Earth's lower mantle. The study suggests that changes in marine sediments leave profound traces on the Earth's interior.
Researchers use boron isotopes to identify sources and properties of fluids in subduction zones. They found that serpentinite-derived fluid drives metasomatism in continental subduction zones.
Researchers analyzed the 2018-2019 Bungo Channel slow slip event to gain insight into megathrust earthquake behavior. Despite its short duration, this event was larger in terms of slippage amount and slip velocity compared to past events, providing valuable information for predicting future earthquakes.
A recent study by a UT graduate student has unraveled the enigma of how tectonic plates break Earth's rock-hard shell. By monitoring seismic images and matching them with rock samples, the researcher found that a small break in the Australian plate grew over millions of years until it unzipped and set in motion a runaway geologic process.
A team of researchers used advanced dating techniques to determine that the subduction of continental material occurred after the obduction of the Samail Ophiolite, contradicting previous estimates. The study provides new insights into subduction zones and their formation.
Researchers used big data imaging to visualize the entire subterranean formation and its effect on regional tectonics. The findings provide critical information for predicting near-future earthquake processes.
Research reveals that magmas from Mount Etna and Mount Vulture have extremely high Nb/Ta ratios, indicating a deep carbon-rich lithospheric mantle beneath southern Italy. This process contributes significantly to global volcanic CO2 emissions.
Researchers discovered a connection between earthquake characteristics and tsunami size, finding that shallow rupture can produce larger tsunamis. This study suggests reevaluating the use of earthquake magnitude in estimating tsunami threats.
A new study reveals that modern top-down climate-related factors combined with traditional bottom-up tectonic models can help uncover the history of the Andes Mountains. The research suggests that a submerged volcanic hotspot chain, known as the Juan Fernandez Ridge, plays a crucial role in shaping the Andes' unique tectonic setting.
A new study has found that serpentinite plays a crucial role in recycling oxygen in the Earth's tectonic plates. The research, led by Cornell University scientists, reveals that the oxidation state of the mantle is controlled by the subduction system's thermodynamic conditions and geometry.
A team of Chinese scholars used deep seismic reflection profiling to uncover the fine details of continental collision, solving a decades-long mystery. The study found four key points: northward subduction, a crustal-scale vertical collision, and southward subduction under the Qilian Mountains.
Researchers propose that crushing large olivine crystals reduces plate resistance, allowing it to bend into segments. Simulations support observations from nature, including fault patterns and seismic velocity structure.
New research reveals that sinking tectonic plates are significantly weakened as they enter the mantle, but not broken apart entirely. The study's computer model shows a 'tectonic snake' shape, with stresses pinching the plate along weak points.
Scientists aim to develop computer models that can forecast earthquake chances and impact, like weather forecasting. The project will also train students and researchers from diverse backgrounds to work on computational geoscience.
Slow slips, or silent earthquakes, are fractures of the Earth's crust that propagate slowly without producing seismic waves. The new database sheds light on the mechanisms behind these events and their potential to trigger regular earthquakes.
Computer modeling suggests giant blobs of subducted sediment floated up through deep Earth, forming enormous diapirs. These rocks are now found in places like the Mojave Desert and western Arizona.
Scientists found that a rift in the Earth's crust was caused by a super volcano splitting the Indian Plate from Africa. The process involved the rotation of the continental plates due to the subcontinent acting like an axis.
This article discusses the findings of two new studies published in the GSA Bulletin. The first study examines the role of berthierine in controlling reservoir quality in deeply buried sandstone reservoirs, challenging the common assertion that chlorite coating inhibits quartz overgrowths. The second study investigates the rapid emplac...
Researchers analyzed detrital-zircon data from sandstones in the Ouachita orogen, revealing a mix of sediment dispersal pathways from multiple provenances. In Scotland, the Moine thrust zone hosted highly alkaline syenite intrusions with high-temperature contact metamorphic aureoles.
The Mesaverde Group in the Wyoming-Utah-Colorado region is characterized by four tectonically driven classic wedges with large basinward and landward shoreline shifts. A new K-Ar illite dating application constrains the timing of subduction in West Sarawak, Borneo, offering insights into the dynamic interaction between tectonic control...
Researchers used seismic CT scans and supercomputers to study slow slip earthquakes in New Zealand's Hikurangi subduction zone. The study found that tectonic forces build up before releasing through slow motion tremors, revealing key processes involved in modulating slow slip.
Researchers at University of Toronto and Istanbul Technical University have discovered a new geologic process in plate tectonics that reveals early damage to areas of Earth's crust long before they are geologically altered by known plate-boundary processes. This challenges current understandings of the planet's tectonic cycle.
New research reveals ancient Chinese arc magmatism preserved in the Chicxulub impact structure, shedding light on the Maya Block basement. Additionally, detrital zircon U-Pb ages from Antarctica's Victoria Land provide new constraints on the glaciation of southern Gondwana during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age.
Scientists have developed a new method to assess earthquake and tsunami hazards in offshore subduction zones, finding that hazards might be systematically underestimated. The study's findings have important implications for the mitigation of risk in affected areas worldwide.
The latest Geology articles publish research on shocked zircon, the Holocene Sonoran Desert, Himalayan collision dynamics, and more. Recent studies reveal nonlinear fault damage zones, a history of the Larsen C Ice Shelf reconstructed from sediment cores, and evidence for slow titanium diffusion in quartz.
A new study by an interdisciplinary team of scientists has discovered a vast microbial ecosystem living deep within the Earth's crust that traps massive amounts of carbon. The microbes, called chemolithoautotrophs, sequester carbon produced during subduction by using chemical energy to build their bodies.
Researchers found low-velocity anomalies in six subduction zones, leading to a shift in rupture mechanics and potentially inducing major megathrust earthquakes. The study suggests that these anomalies can increase interplate shear stress, making it easier for earthquakes to occur.
Researchers found that Cascadia intraslab earthquakes produce fewer aftershocks, with rates lower by more than half the global average. The study suggests a 'clock-advance' model, where mainshock causes tectonically loaded fault patches to slip earlier.
Researchers reconstruct the Mesozoic paleogeography of the NE Asian continental margin, revealing a transition from passive to active continental margin settings. Additionally, studies investigate low-δ18O A-type granites in SW China, suggesting interaction between the subducted Paleotethyan slab and the Emeishan mantle plume.
Researchers uncovered a hidden fault mechanism in the Shumagin Islands region of Alaska, which led to an unexpected strike-slip earthquake. The discovery suggests that areas considered uncoupled or safe from earthquakes may actually be prone to other types of seismic activity.
Researchers developed a new methodology to estimate the source of weak ground vibrations in subduction zones, providing more accurate travel times and insights into fluid pressure and permeability at plate interfaces. This approach can aid in detecting slipping among plates and warning against larger earthquakes and tsunamis.
Compressive stresses in the lithosphere induce grain mixing and damage, generating vertical weak bands that facilitate subduction initiation. These weak zones are susceptible to bending associated with subduction and may provide insight into plate tectonics on Earth.
Researchers found that deep, slow-slip behaviors beneath subduction zones, such as Cascadia, may control the timing and behavior of megathrust earthquakes. Slow-slip events, which occur at a deeper depth than damaging earthquakes, release energy in different directions, primarily down.
A team of scientists proposes using fleets of commercial shipping vessels to detect and forecast tsunami waves. The network of ships would utilize GPS sensors to monitor the shoreline for potential surges in less than 10 minutes, providing a significant advance warning to people on shore.
A new study from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the University of Chicago sheds light on the hotly contested debate of when plate subduction began. The research suggests that this process started around 3.75 billion years ago, reshaping Earth's surface and setting the stage for life.
Scientists warn that seismic guidelines in Canada's national building code may be inadequate for Metro Vancouver's unique geological conditions, particularly the Georgia sedimentary basin. This could put taller, older buildings at greater risk during a magnitude-9 Cascadia earthquake.
A team of researchers has discovered more about the grain-scale fluid connectivity beneath the earth's surface, shedding new light on fluid circulation and seismic velocity anomalies in subduction zones. The study found that fluids with minor components, such as CO2 and NaCl, can have a significant impact on the dihedral angle between ...
Researchers measured rocks formed by seismic slips in central Japan's subduction zone to identify conditions leading to earthquake faulting. This study provides insights into the thermal fracturing process, which could contribute to generating frictional melt and accelerating seismic slip.
Researchers at ETH Zurich propose an alternative theory for the formation of the Alps, suggesting that the mountains were uplifted by the subduction of the Eurasian plate beneath the Adriatic microplate. This new model simulates the processes leading to the formation of the Alps and explains the observed seismicity in the region.
Scientists have found microdiamonds in a Cretaceous metamorphic rock formation in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, revealing that the crust has penetrated deeper than 120 km. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about Japan's geology and suggests that the country was once involved in continental collision zones.
The research reviews recent progress on ridge subduction, a key geological process involved in the generation of arc magmatism, material recycling, and metallogenesis. It highlights the significance of ridge subduction in modern oceanic plate tectonics and identifies areas for future research.
Researchers discovered evidence of ancient subduction in China and six other continents, revealing that plate tectonics went global 2 billion years ago. This finding provides the first global evidence for the operation of plate tectonics at this age.
Researchers from Curtin University have found evidence that the Earth's first continents were not formed by subduction in a modern-like plate tectonics environment. The team measured iron and zinc isotopes in rocks sourced from central Siberia and South Africa, suggesting an alternative formation process.
A recent study published in Nature reveals that the deep Earth's water cycle plays a crucial role in triggering earthquakes and tsunamis. The research, led by Dr. George Cooper, found that the amount of water released from the subducting plate is directly linked to the volcanic productivity and earthquake activity.
Researchers study syenite intrusion in Kerguelen plateau, finding similarities to continental crust formations; discovery challenges conventional understanding of continent creation
A team of geoscientists used seismic anisotropy to create high-resolution, 3D images of mantle flows in a subduction region. The images revealed fragmented tectonic plates and complex mantle flow patterns.
Deep earthquakes can provide vital clues to understanding plate tectonics and the Earth's interior. A new model simulates subduction zones, showing that deformation is a major factor in deep earthquakes.
Researchers found large-scale wobbling in the Earth's surface near plate boundaries before massive Chile and Japan quakes. The study suggests that periods of enhanced tugging may accelerate the inevitable failure at shallower segments of the subduction zone, leading to great earthquakes.
Researchers found a 'wobble' in Japan's landmasses before the 2011 magnitude-9 earthquake that killed over 15,500 people. The movement, detected by GPS data, may indicate future large subduction-zone earthquakes. However, the study's findings cannot be applied to other subduction zones without comparable data.
Researchers found that variations in subducting sediments can influence the magnitude and location of megathrust earthquakes. Sediment thinning caused by volcanic activity may play a key role in determining the size and distribution of these catastrophic events.
Research from a global team of scientists found that diverse rock types at New Zealand's largest fault contribute to varying earthquake types. Slow slip events and tsunami-generating tremors are linked to the unique properties of each rock type.
An international team of scientists has identified the conditions that lead to slow motion earthquakes by drilling down to 1km deep in water depths off New Zealand. The study revealed a unique mix of different rock types and topography that causes slow slip events, which can trigger larger earthquakes and tsunamis.
Researchers found that the angle at which the ocean plate dives under the continental plate may have gradually shallowed out over millions of years, leading to the formation of an extensional fault that could have magnified the tsunami. The study used computer models and various data sets to support its findings.
A new study found that underwater mountains pulled into subduction zones can set the stage for powerful quakes and create conditions that end up dampening them. Researchers used a computer model to simulate the effects of seamounts on surrounding rock and sediment, finding that the brittle rock ahead of the seamount creates powerful ea...
A new study published in Geology proposes that Zealandia's topographic upheaval may be linked to the formation of the western Pacific's infamous Ring of Fire. Fossils from recent seafloor drilling indicate dramatic elevation changes between 50-35 million years ago, coinciding with a global reorganization of tectonic plates.
Researchers found that upper-plate earthquakes, not subduction earthquakes, caused coastal uplift along New Zealand's Northern Hikurangi Margin. Marine terraces at two sites showed different uplift patterns, leading to the mapping of new offshore faults that may contribute to these earthquakes.