Modeling the Dynamics of Subducting Slabs

Cold, dense subducting lithosphere provides the primary force driving tectonic plates at Earth's surface. The force available to drive the plates depends on a balance between the buoyancy forces driving subduction and the mechanical and buoyancy forces resisting subduction. Because both the buoyancy and rheology of the slab and mantle depend on temperature, composition, grain size, water content, and melt fraction, unraveling which of these processes exert a first-order control on slab dynamics and under what circumstances other processes become first-order effects can be challenging. Laboratory and numerical models of slab dynamics provide a powerful method for testing the combined effects of buoyancy and strength changes that accompany the slab evolution in the upper mantle, transition zone, and lower mantle. Recent studies have focused on understanding how rheologic variations (Newtonian versus non-Newtonian viscosity or water content), geometry (2D versus 3D), and plate motions (trench roll-back or advance) influence the evolution of slabs in the upper mantle and how they sink into the lower mantle. These models suggest that spatial and temporal variations in slab strength and the history of subduction determine whether slabs sink directly into the lower mantle or are trapped in the transition zone.