On subducting slab entrainment of buoyant asthenosphere.

Phipps Morgan, J., Hasenclever, Jörg, Hort, M., Rüpke, Lars and Parmentier, E. M. (2007) On subducting slab entrainment of buoyant asthenosphere. Terra Nova, 19 (3). pp. 167-173. DOI 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2007.00737.x.

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Abstract

Laboratory and numerical experiments and boundary layer analysis of the entrainment of buoyant asthenosphere by subducting oceanic lithosphere implies that slab entrainment is likely to be relatively inefficient at removing a buoyant and lower viscosity asthenosphere layer. Asthenosphere would instead be mostly removed by accretion into and eventual subduction of the overlying oceanic lithosphere. The lower (hot) side of a subducting slab entrains by the formation of a ∼10–30 km-thick downdragged layer, whose thickness depends upon the subduction rate and the density contrast and viscosity of the asthenosphere, while the upper (cold) side of the slab may entrain as much by thermal 'freezing' onto the slab as by mechanical downdragging. This analysis also implies that proper treatment of slab entrainment in future numerical mantle flow experiments will require the resolution of ∼10–30 km-thick entrainment boundary layers.

Document Type: Article
Keywords: buoyant asthenosphere, slab entrainment
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR
OceanRep > SFB 574 > C5
OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence
OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB4 Dynamics of the Ocean Floor > FB4-MUHS
OceanRep > SFB 574
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: Wiley
Projects: Future Ocean, SFB574
Contribution Number:
Project
Number
SFB 574
116
Date Deposited: 15 Jul 2010 07:34
Last Modified: 23 Sep 2019 17:14
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/8658

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