Subduction zones

Exploration of Deep Earthquakes and Planetary Interiors

Ayako Tsuchiyama and edited by Rajani Shrestha December 6, 2023

Cross-sectional view showing location of deep earthquakes

Deep earthquakes inside the Earth (Image credit: Ayako Tsuchiyama)

Most earthquakes on Earth start in the shallow, brittle part of the planet. However, there are several regions where earthquakes happen deep in the mantle. Where are these regions? Why do these earthquakes get so deep? In this week’s blog post, Ayako Tsuchiyama from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) takes us on a journey into the mysterious world of deep earthquakes. Growing u ...[Read More]

Reflections on the geological and geodynamic evolution of the Southern Central Andes

Matías Barrionuevo and edited by Michaël Pons June 21, 2023

Sketch showing the flat slab configuration, where the Nazca plate subducts beneath the South American plate with a subhorizontal angle (modified from Sanchez et al., 2019)

Reflections on the geological and geodynamic evolution of the Southern Central Andes

How does slab tearing evolve?

Nevena Andrić-Tomašević, Alexander Koptev and edited by Giridas Maiti March 29, 2023

Slab tearing refers to the gradual propagation of the break-off of a subducting plate. As observed in numerous modern and ancient convergent tectonic settings, the growth of the tear “window” in the downgoing plate has strongly influenced various geologic and geodynamic processes, such as depocenter migration of foreland basins, uplift rates in mountain ranges, earthquakes, volcanism, and flow pat ...[Read More]

Arc and Intraplate Volcanism in Northeast Asia Since mid-Miocene: Numerical model studies

Changyeol Lee and edited by Giridas Maiti January 11, 2023

Locations of the Quaternary arc and intraplate volcanoes in Northeast Asia, depicted as black triangles, with major plate boundaries. Modified from Kim et al. (2015).

Northeast Asia may be one of the best natural laboratories to investigate both arc and intraplate volcanisms which have developed since the mid-Miocene. The arc volcanoes have occurred above the sinking young (Philippine) and old (Pacific) oceanic plates in Southwest and Northeast Japan subduction zones, respectively. The intraplate volcanoes across the Korean Peninsula and China have occurred abo ...[Read More]