Reaction-induced rheological weakening enables oceanic plate subduction

Plate subduction initiation requires weak boundaries between tectonic plates, but how weaknesses develop is unclear. Here, using high-pressure friction experiments on peridotite gouge material, the authors show that hydration reactions contribute to the weak mantle shear zones leading to subduction...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ken-ichi Hirauchi, Kumi Fukushima, Masanori Kido, Jun Muto, Atsushi Okamoto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2016-08-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12550