A transdisciplinary and community-driven database to unravel subduction zone initiation

Crameri, F. et al. (2020) A transdisciplinary and community-driven database to unravel subduction zone initiation. Nature Communications, 11, 3750. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17522-9) (PMID:32719322) (PMCID:PMC7385650)

Abstract

Subduction zones are pivotal for the recycling of Earth’s outer layer into its interior. However, the conditions under which new subduction zones initiate are enigmatic. Here, we constructed a transdisciplinary database featuring detailed analysis of more than a dozen documented subduction zone initiation events from the last hundred million years. Our initial findings reveal that horizontally forced subduction zone initiation is dominant over the last 100 Ma, and that most initiation events are proximal to pre-existing subduction zones. The SZI Database is expandable to facilitate access to the most current understanding of subduction zone initiation as research progresses, providing a community platform that establishes a common language to sharpen discussion across the Earth Science community.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Research Council of Norway Centres of Excellence project 223272.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Grima, Dr Antoniette
• Authors: Crameri, F., Magni, V., Domeier, M., Shephard, G. E., Chotalia, K., Cooper, G., Eakin, C. M., Grima, A. G., Gürer, D., Király, Á., Mulyukova, E., Peters, K., Robert, B., and Thielmann, M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Journal Name: Nature Communications
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• ISSN (Online): 2041-1723
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Nature Communications 11:3750
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License