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Please note that this session was withdrawn and is no longer available in the respective programme. This withdrawal might have been the result of a merge with another session.

TS9.3

Subduction initiation on Earth: new ideas on a complex process
Convener: João Duarte  | Co-Conveners: Susanne Buiter , Anne Davaille , Taras Gerya , Kalijn Peters , Elena Sizova 

Subduction initiation is a cornerstone in the theory of plate tectonics, as cold slab pull is the most efficient engine for plate motions. Nowadays, the emergence of new subduction zones marks the turning point of the Earth’s Wilson cycles and ultimately of the gran supercontinent cycles as well. But do subduction zones mostly migrate from ocean to ocean as an invasive mechanism, or can they start anew in Atlantic-type oceans? Two other related key-questions are how the first subduction started on Earth, and whether subduction always leads to Plate Tectonics.

This session is intended to be a forum where these fundamental questions will be debated. So we welcome contributions from across the disciplines of Earth Sciences, presenting new observational data, models and ideas about the subduction initiation process on Earth, both in the context of the Wilson cycles and the origin of plate tectonics.

Confirmed solicited presentation: Marzieh Baes, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ