Subduction is a major process that plays a first-order role in the dynamics of the Earth. The sinking of cold lithosphere into the mantle is thought by many authors to be the most important source of energy for plates driving forces. It also deeply modifies the thermal and chemical structure of the mantle, producing arc volcanism and is responsible for the release of most of the seismic energy on Earth. There has been considerable achievements done during the past decades regarding the complex interactions between the various processes acting in subduction zones. This volume contains a collection of contributions that were presented in June 2007 in Montpellier (France) during a conference that gave a state of the art panorama and discussed the perspectives about "Subduction Zone Geodynamics". The papers included in this special volume offer a unique multidisciplinary picture of the recent research on subduction zones geodynamics. They are organized into five main topics: Subduction zone geodynamics, Seismic tomography and anisotropy, Great subduction zone earthquakes, Seismogenic zone characterization, Continental and ridge subduction processes. Each of the 13 papers collected in the present volume is primarily concerned with one of these topics. However, it is important to highlight that papers always treat more than one topic so that all are related lighting on different aspects of the complex and fascinating subduction zones geodynamics.
Frontiers in Earth Sciences Series Editors: J.P. Brun, O. Oncken, H. Weissert, C. Dullo Serge Lallemand • Francesca Funiciello Editors Subduction Zone Geodynamics 123 Editors Serge Lallemand Laboratoire Géosciences Montpellier Université Montpellier 2, CNRS/INSU CC. 60, place E. Bataillon 34095 Montpellier cedex 5 France
[email protected] ISBN 978-3-540-87971-8 Francesca Funiciello Dipartimento Scienze Geologiche Università degli Studi «Roma TRE» Largo S. Leonardo Murialdo 1 00146 Roma Italy
[email protected] e-ISBN 978-3-540-87974-9 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-87974-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008940148 © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: deblik, Berlin Printed on acid-free paper 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 springer.com Preface Subduction is a major process that plays a first-order role in the dynamics of the Earth. The sinking of cold lithosphere into the mantle is thought by many authors to be the most important source of energy for plates driving forces. It also deeply modifies the thermal and chemical structure of the mantle, producing arc volcanism, and is responsible for the release of most of the seismic energy on Earth. There have been considerable achieve