Rapid subduction initiation and magmatism in the Western Pacific driven by internal vertical forces

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15737-4
• Publication Date: 2020-04-20T10:03:07Z
• Authors: B. Maunder; J. Prytulak; S. Goes; M. Reagan
• Keywords: Pacific Plate

Abstract Plate tectonics requires the formation of plate boundaries. Particularly important is enigmatic initiation subduction: sliding one below other, and primary driver tectonics. A continuous, in situ record subduction was recovered by International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 352, which drilled a segment fore-arc Izu-Bonin-Mariana system, revealing distinct magmatic progression with rapid timescale (approximately 1 million years). Here, using numerical models, we demonstrate that these observations cannot be produced previously proposed horizontal external forcing. Instead geodynamic evolution dominated internal, vertical forces produces both temporal spatial distribution products, progresses to self-sustained subduction. Such primarily internally driven event necessarily whole-plate scale rock sequence generated (also found along Tethyan margin) may considered as smoking gun for this type event.