Subduction And Collision Dynamics Of Tectonic Plates

Subduction dynamics has been actively studied through seismology, mineral physics, and laboratory and numerical experiments. Understanding the dynamics of the subducting slab is critical to a better understanding of the primary societally relevant natural hazards emerging from our planetary interior, the megathrust earthquakes and consequent tsunamis. Subduction Dynamics is the result of a meeting that was held between August 19 and 22, 2012 on Jeju island, South Korea, where about fifty researchers from East Asia, North America and Europe met. Chapters treat diverse topics ranging from the response of the ionosphere to earthquake and tsunamis, to the origin of mid-continental volcanism thousands kilometers distant from the subduction zone, from the mysterious deep earthquakes triggered in the interior of the descending slabs, to the detailed pattern of accretionary wedges in convergent zones, from the induced mantle flow in the deep mantle, to the nature of the paradigms of earthquake occurrence, showing that all of them ultimately are due to the subduction process. Volume highlights include: Multidisciplinary research involving geology, mineral physics, geophysics and geodynamics Extremely large-scale numerical models with sliate-of-the art high performance computing facilities Overview of exceptional three-dimensional dynamic representation of the evolution of the Earth interiors and of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami dynamics Global risk assessment strategies in predicting natural disasters This volume is a valuable contribution in earth and environmental sciences that will assist with understanding the mechanisms behind plate tectonics and predicting and mitigating future natural hazards like earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis.

A synthesis of current knowledge on collisional and convergent plate boundaries worldwide Major mountain belts on Earth, such as the Alps, Himalayas, and Appalachians, have been built by compressional tectonic processes during continent-continent and arc-continent collisions. Understanding their formation and evolution is important because of the hazards associated with convergent and collisional plate boundaries, and because these mountain belts contain resources such as precious metals, rare earth elements, oil, gas, and coal. Compressional Tectonics: Plate Convergence to Mountain Building reviews our present-day knowledge of the tectonic evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan and Appalachian belts. Volume highlights include: overview of terminology relating to compressional and contractional tectonics discussion of subduction zone dynamics debates over the timing of the collision and convergence of particular subduction and suture zones examples of the different stages in the development of orogenic belts This book is one of a set of three Tectonic Processes: A Global View The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals.

Subduction is a major process that plays a first-order role in the dynamics of the Earth. The sinking of cold lithosphere into the mantle is thought by many authors to be the most important source of energy for plates driving forces. It also deeply modifies the thermal and chemical structure of the mantle, producing arc volcanism and is responsible for the release of most of the seismic energy on Earth. There has been considerable achievements done during the past decades regarding the complex interactions between the various processes acting in subduction zones. This volume contains a collection of contributions that were presented in June 2007 in Montpellier (France) during a conference that gave a state of the art panorama and discussed the perspectives about "Subduction Zone Geodynamics". The papers included in this special volume offer a unique multidisciplinary picture of the recent research on subduction zones geodynamics. They are organized into five main topics: Subduction zone geodynamics, Seismic tomography and anisotropy, Great subduction zone earthquakes, Seismogenic zone characterization, Continental and ridge subduction processes. Each of the 13 papers collected in the present volume is primarily concerned with one of these topics. However, it is important to highlight that papers always treat more than one topic so that all are related lighting on different aspects of the complex and fascinating subduction zones geodynamics.

Arc-continent collision has been one of the important tectonic processes in the formation of mountain belts throughout geological time, and it continues to be so today along tectonically active plate boundaries such as those in the SW Pacific or the Caribbean. Arc-continent collision is thought to have been one of the most important process involved in the growth of the continental crust over geological time, and may also play an important role in its recycling back into the mantle via subduction. Understanding the geological processes that take place during arc-continent collision is therefore of importance for our understanding of how collisional orogens evolve and how the continental crust grows or is destroyed. Furthermore, zones of arc-continent collision are producers of much of the worlds primary economic wealth in the form of minerals, so understanding the processes that take place during these tectonic events is of importance in modeling how this mineral wealth is formed and preserved. This book brings together seventeen papers that are dedicated to the investigation of the tectonic processes that take place during arc-continent collision. It is divided into four sections that deal firstly with the main players involved in any arc-continent collision; the continental margin, the subduction zone, and finally the volcanic arc and its mineral deposits. The second section presents eight examples of arc-continent collisions that range from being currently active through to Palaeoproterozoic in age. The third section contains two papers, one that deals with the obduction of large-slab ophiolites and a second that presents a wide range of physical models of arc-continent collision. The fourth section brings everything that comes before together into a discussion of the processes of arc-continent collision.

Dynamics of Plate Tectonics and Mantle Convection, written by specialists in the field, gathers state-of-the-art perspectives on the dynamics of plate tectonics and mantle convection. Plate tectonics is a unifying theory of solid Earth sciences. In its initial form, it was a kinematic theory that described how the planet’s surface is fragmented into several rigid lithospheric plates that move in relation to each other over the less viscous asthenosphere. Plate tectonics soon evolved to describe the forces that drive and resist plate movements. The Earth sciences community is now developing a new perspective that looks at plate tectonics and mantle convection as part of a single system. Why does our planet have plate tectonics, and how does it work? How does mantle convection drive the supercontinent cycle? How have tectono-convective modes evolved over the Earth’s history? How did they shape the planet and impact life? Do other planets have mantle convection and tectonics? These are some of the fascinating questions explored in this book. This book started with a challenge from the editor to the authors to provide perspectives from their vantage point and open the curtain to the endeavors and stories behind the science. Provides diverse perspectives from different experts around the world in plate tectonics and geodynamics Includes the most up-to-date knowledge on plate tectonics and mantle convection Sets the scene for the developments and challenges likely to be faced by researchers in the future of geodynamics

Presents the online edition of the publication "This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics" (ISBN 0-16-048220-8) by W. Jacquelyne Kious and Robert I. Tilling, published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Denver, Colorado. Posts contact information via mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail. Notes that a hard copy of the publication is available. Provides a table of contents and endnotes. Links to the USGS home page.

Sedimentary rocks are created by the deposition or accumulation of material, organic particles, or minerals in bodies of water and formed at the Earth’s surface. Sedimentation is the name given to the formation of these rocks. Limestone, dolostone, clay, sandstone, sandstone, and shale are some common sedimentary rocks formed out of the sedimentation and cementation processes that cause these particles, which can be coarse, medium, or fine-grained or stratified according to their conditions of formation. The first section of this book discusses different aspects of sedimentary rocks. Aquifers are vital resources of freshwater in many countries. However, such groundwater resources are limited, scarce, and unevenly distributed over the Earth’s surface. The second section of this book discusses the basaltic aquifer and aquifers in South Africa.