Subduction erosion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tectonic erosion or subduction erosion is the loss of crust from an overriding tectonic plate due to subduction.[1] Two types of tectonic erosion exist: frontal erosion at the outer margin of a plate and basal erosion at the base of the plate's crust.[1] Basal erosion causes a thinning of the overriding plate.[2] When frontal tectonic erosion consumes a crustal block at the outer margin it may induce a domino effect on upper crustal tectonics causing the remaining blocks to fault and tilt to fill the “gap” left by the consumed block.[2] Subduction erosion is believed to be enhanced by high convergence rates and low sediment supply to the trench.[1]
Before the Neoproterozoic, subduction erosion rates were probably higher than at present due to higher convergence rates. A scarcity of blueschists from this time seems to support this view.[1] However, this assertion is arguably wrong because the earliest oceanic crust would have contained more magnesium than today's crust and, therefore, would have formed greenschist-like rocks at blueschist facies.[3]
The following features and processes have been associated with subduction erosion:
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