GD5.1/GMPV18/TS6.9

Subduction zone dynamics: A slab's journey in the upper and lower mantle (co-organized)
Convener: Susanne Buiter  | Co-Convener: Douwe J. J. van Hinsbergen 
Oral Programme
 / Fri, 07 May, 08:30–12:00  / Room 31
Poster Programme
 / Attendance Thu, 06 May, 17:30–19:00  / Hall A

Invited presenters:
Laurent Husson (University of Rennes)
Shun-ichiro Karato (Yale University)

The journey, and fate, of a subducting slab in Earth's mantle are controlled by the interplay of processes ranging from plate motions, changes in slab strength and rheology, mantle flow, to phase transformations and melt/fluid migration. Together these determine the evolution of the slab from the Earth's surface to the base of the upper mantle or even to the core-mantle-boundary. Understanding subduction zone dynamics therefore requires the integration of observations from many disciplines. These include, among others: seismological observations of slab morphologies and mantle anisotropy; geochemical determinations of sediment and crust recycling; mineral physics measurements and simulations of thermoelastic and transport properties; geological fieldwork which unravels past subduction histories; and geodynamical modelling. We invite contributions that highlight advances in all these fields to discuss the fate of subducting material in a broad interdisciplinary approach.