Deciphering Subduction Polarity During Ancient Arc‐Continent Collisions

Abstract The closure of an ancient ocean basin via oceanic arc‐continent collision has two subduction styles with opposite polarities, which may proceed via subduction polarity reversal (SPR) or a subduction zone jump (SZJ). Interpreting the geometry or kinematic evolution of ancient collisional zon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Zhiyong Yan, Lin Chen, Andrew V. Zuza, Xiao Xiang, Renxian Xie, Sanxi Ai
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
arc‐continent collision
diagnostic indicators
subduction polarity
numerical simulation
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
Kamchatka
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108761
https://doaj.org/article/f20b8f3cec6142e789c99dc185e0b001
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Summary:Abstract The closure of an ancient ocean basin via oceanic arc‐continent collision has two subduction styles with opposite polarities, which may proceed via subduction polarity reversal (SPR) or a subduction zone jump (SZJ). Interpreting the geometry or kinematic evolution of ancient collisional zones, especially the original subduction polarity, can be challenging. Here we used 2D thermo‐mechanical modeling to investigate the dynamic evolution process of SPR versus SZJ. Our modeling predicts different structural, topographic, magmatic, and basin histories for SPR and SZJ, which can be compared against, and help interpret, the geologic record past sites of oceanic closure during collisional orogens. Our results match geologic observations of past collisions in Kamchatka, eastern Russia, and the Banda Arc, eastern Indonesia, and thus our results can help effectively decode the evolutionary history of past arc‐continent collisions.

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