Computer Science
Scientific paper
Mar 1995
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1995natur.374..154v&link_type=abstract
Nature, Volume 374, Issue 6518, pp. 154-157 (1995).
Computer Science
60
Scientific paper
AT the Tonga trench, old Pacific sea floor subducts at a rapid rate below the Indo-Australia plate, generating most of the world's deep earthquakes (focal depth >300 km)1,2 and producing a deep slab of former oceanic lithosphere. The seismogenic part of the slab has been mapped in detail3,4, but its fate has remained enigmatic. Here I present evidence from seismic tomography that the Pacific plate descends deep into the Earth's mantle along a trajectory that is more complex than previously thought. In the north, the slab deflects in the transition zone (between about 400 and 700 km depth) before continuing into the lower mantle (below 700 km). Further south, penetration into the lower mantle occurs without a kink. The slab morphology can be explained in terms of the recent tectonic evolution of the subduction system, and reconciles pre-existing evidence from this region for both local horizontal flow in the transition zone2-8 and slab penetration into the lower mantle9-12.
No associations
LandOfFree
Complex morphology of subducted lithosphere in the mantle beneath the Tonga trench does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Complex morphology of subducted lithosphere in the mantle beneath the Tonga trench, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Complex morphology of subducted lithosphere in the mantle beneath the Tonga trench will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-849082