Generating Single-sided Subduction with Parameterized Mantle Wedge

Abstract:

Subduction on Earth is one-sided, where one oceanic plate sinks beneath the overriding plate. However, subduction zones in most numerical models tends to develop two-sided subduction, where both plates sink to the mantle. In this study, we use numerical model to find out how the existence of low viscosity wedge (LVW) can enable single-sided subduction and affects the flow in the subduction system.At the mantle wedge, water released from dehydrated oceanic crust serpentinized the mantle, which forms the LVW. LVW is an important part of the subduction system and provides efficient lubricant between the subducting slab and overriding lithosphere.

Single-sided subduction can be generated in numerical models by different techniques, including prescribed plate velocity, non-Newtonian rheology, and free surface. These techniques either requires kinematic boundary condition, which produce mantle flow inconsistent with the buoyancy, or costs great amount of computational resources when solving nonlinear equations. In this study, we tried to generating single-sided subduction with Newtonian viscosity and free slip surface. A set of tracers representing hydrated oceanic crust are placed near the surface. As the tracers subducted with the lithosphere, we assume that the oceanic crust becomes dehydrated and serpentinizes the mantle wedge above. A parameterized LVW is placed above the subducted tracers in the models. We test with different upper/lower depth limits of the LVW and the viscosity of the LVW. Both overriding plate and subducting plate's surface velocity relative to the trench is calculated in order to determine whether the subduction is one-sided.

Results of our numerical models show that not only the low viscosity wedge above the slab is essential for the formation of one-side subduction, a low viscosity layer in between two tectonic plates is also needed to provide the slab efficient lubricant after the subduction started. On the other hand, the plate's age, which effects the plate's thickness and viscosity, strongly influence the speed of subduction.