PROCESSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF DEEP SUBDUCTION

Subduction of oceanic lithosphere into the deep mantle is of major importance for the evolution of the Earth. The motion of lithospheric plates at the Earth's surface is a consequence of the buoyancy forces that drive subduction and a large proportion of the world's earthquakes and volcanoes are related to subduction. The deepest known earthquakes (660-700 km deep) occur in subducted lithosphere but their cause, which has long fascinated geophysicists, is still enigmatic. An understanding of these topics, involving a wide range of physical and chemical processes, requires a multidisciplinary approach. This volume includes contributions from the fields of geodynamics, seismology, mineral physics, rock mechanics, petrology and geochemistry that present a state of the art overview of modern interdisciplinary research on deep subduction. Topics include subduction dynamics (geometry, thermal structure, buoyancy forces and rheology), the nature and cause of deep earthquakes, the origin of subduction-related volcanism (stabilities of hydrous minerals, partial melting and observations from seismic tomography), and the relationship between continental collision, ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism and subduction. Several contributions deal with the cause of deep earthquakes and begin building a new consensus on this issue. For further information relating to this topic, see our journal http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/503356Physics of the Earth & Planetary Interiors