IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v4y2013i1d10.1038_ncomms3456.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Oblique subduction modelling indicates along-trench tectonic transport of sediments

Author

Listed:
  • Cristina Malatesta

    (DISTAV, University of Genoa)

  • Taras Gerya

    (Institute of Geophysics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zurich))

  • Laura Crispini

    (DISTAV, University of Genoa)

  • Laura Federico

    (DISTAV, University of Genoa)

  • Giovanni Capponi

    (DISTAV, University of Genoa)

Abstract

Convergent plate margins are currently distinguished as ‘accretional’ or ‘erosional’, depending on the tendency to accumulate sediments, or not, at the trench. Accretion and erosion can coexist along the same margin and we have noticed that this mostly occurs where subduction is oblique. Here we show that at oblique subduction zones, sediments that enter the trench are first buried, and later migrate laterally parallel to the trench and at various depths. Lateral migration of sediments continues until they reach a physical barrier where they begin to accumulate. The accretionary wedge size decreases along the trench moving away from the barrier. We therefore suggest that the gradual variation of the accretionary wedge size and sediment amount at the trench along one single subduction zone, as observed in many active plate margins worldwide, can be explained by the lateral tectonic migration of sediments driven by obliquity of subduction as well.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristina Malatesta & Taras Gerya & Laura Crispini & Laura Federico & Giovanni Capponi, 2013. "Oblique subduction modelling indicates along-trench tectonic transport of sediments," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 1-6, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:4:y:2013:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms3456
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3456
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms3456
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms3456?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:4:y:2013:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms3456. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.