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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
06:55
Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling
Published on: August 5, 2016
How subduction evolution drives sediment-hosted mineralisation along craton edges
Hojat Shirmard1, Ben Mather2, Ehsan Farahbakhsh3
1EarthByte Group, School of Geosciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. hojat.shirmard@sydney.edu.au.
Nature Communications
|June 10, 2026
Summary
Mineral deposits form along craton edges due to mantle enrichment and lithospheric weakening caused by subduction. This process, driven by mantle return-flow cells, pre-conditions the lithosphere for metallogenesis, guiding resource exploration.
Area of Science:
- Earth Sciences
- Geodynamics
- Economic Geology
Background:
- Sediment-hosted mineral deposits are concentrated near craton edges.
- The geodynamic controls driving this mineralisation pattern are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the tectonic and geodynamic factors controlling mineralisation at craton edges.
- To establish a predictive geodynamic framework for continental resource distribution.
Main Methods:
- Integration of a 1.8 Ga global plate motion model.
- Craton-edge mapping using full-waveform seismic tomography.
- Geodynamic modelling and analysis of a global mineral deposit database.
Main Results:
- Mineralised craton edges consistently form 800–1800 km from subduction zones.
- Geodynamic models reveal mantle return-flow cells focus stress and weakening at these distances.
- This mechanically driven weakening enhances permeability and volatile infiltration, promoting metallogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Subduction-craton coupling is a primary control on sediment-hosted mineral systems.
- The findings provide a geodynamic framework for understanding deep-time resource distribution.
- Subduction near cratons enriches the mantle and facilitates mineral formation along continental margins.
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