Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
09:45
Laboratory Simulation of an IronII-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria
Published on: July 24, 2016
12.4K
Subduction-driven recycling of continental margin lithosphere.
A Levander1, M J Bezada2, F Niu3
1Earth Science Department, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005-1892, USA.
Nature
|November 14, 2014
Summary
Subducting oceanic plates can entrain and remove continental lithosphere from adjacent margins. This process, driven by plate tectonics, thins lithosphere and influences continental deformation.
Area of Science:
- Geophysics
- Tectonics
- Geodynamics
Background:
- Continental lithosphere recycling is complex and less understood than oceanic lithosphere recycling.
- Delamination and convective downwelling are key processes in lithospheric mantle removal.
- Oceanic plate subduction's role in adjacent continental lithosphere removal is explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between oceanic plate subduction and continental lithosphere removal.
- To explain the thinning of continental lithosphere adjacent to subduction zones.
- To reconcile geodynamic models of oceanic-continental tectonics.
Main Methods:
- Teleseismic body wave imaging from dense broadband seismic experiments.
- Analysis of subducted Atlantic and Alboran slabs.
- Rayleigh wave analysis to determine lithospheric mantle thickness.
Main Results:
- Anomalously fast mantle volumes associated with subducted slabs found beneath continental margins.
- Significantly thinner lithospheric mantle observed under continental margins.
- Thin lithosphere extends from orogens inland towards cratonic cores.
Conclusions:
- Subducting oceanic plates can entrain and remove the base of the continental thermal boundary layer.
- This process drives surface tectonics and creates topography at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary.
- Leads to secondary downwellings and potential delamination of lithospheric mantle.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
00:54What are Biogeochemical Cycles?
40.8K
The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited amounts. Therefore, these nutrients must be recycled through both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem, in processes generally called biogeochemical cycles.
40.8K
01:24Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
76
Microbial activity plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron and manganese, especially at the redox gradients characteristic of stratified aquatic environments. These cycles are driven by microbial transformations between oxidized and reduced forms of the metals, allowing organisms to exploit them for metabolic energy and structural purposes.Iron Cycling Across Redox GradientsIn neutral, oxygen-rich surface waters, iron is predominantly found in its oxidized, insoluble ferric...
76
01:14The Carbon Cycle
45.8K
Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increased agricultural practices and the burning of fossil fuels, has greatly affected the balance of the natural carbon cycle.
45.8K
01:18Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
46
The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches...
46
01:29Microbes and the Sulfur Cycle
97
Sulfur is a vital element in Earth's biogeochemical systems. It transitions through various inorganic states, including sulfate (SO₄²⁻), elemental sulfur (S⁰), and sulfide (S²⁻). Abiotic and biological mechanisms across oxic and anoxic environments intricately mediate these transformations. Sulfate, the most oxidized form of sulfur, is predominantly stored in rocks, marine sediments, and oceanic waters, acting as a long-term reservoir in the global sulfur...
97
01:22The Sulfur Cycle
53.7K
Sulfur, an important element in the chemical makeup of proteins, is recycled through the atmosphere and aquatic and terrestrial environments. Found in the atmosphere as sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur is released by decaying organisms, weathered rocks, geothermal vents, volcanos, and burning fossil fuels. It is deposited into the ecosystem, cycled through the biotic community, and either released back into the atmosphere as gas or deposited in marine sediment for long-term storage and eventual...
53.7K