As subducting plates reach the base of the upper mantle, some appear to flatten and
stagnate, while others seemingly go through unimpeded. This variable resistance to slab …

Continental arcs in Cordilleran orogenic systems display episodic changes in magma
production rate, alternating between flare ups (70–90 km 3 km− 1 Myr− 1) and lulls (< 20 km …

The thermal evolution of subducting slabs controls a range of subduction processes, yet we
lack a robust understanding of how thermal structure develops over a subduction zone's …

Variable morphologies of subducting slabs are observed in tomographic images of the
mantle transition zone (MTZ), where slabs appear to stagnate in the MTZ or enter the lower …

Abstract The Cordillera of the Andes is a double-vergent orogenic belt built up by thickening
of South American plate crust. Several models provide plausible explanations for the …

Seismic tomography shows that subducting slabs can either sink straight into the lower
mantle, or lie down in the mantle transition zone. Moreover, some slabs seem to have …

Tectonic plate motions predominantly result from a balance between the potential energy
change of the subducting slab and viscous dissipation in the mantle, bending lithosphere …

The breakup of continents and their subsequent drifting plays a crucial role in the Earth's
periodic plate aggregation and dispersal cycles. While continental aggregation is …

The concept of interplay between mantle convection and tectonics goes back to about a
century ago, with the proposal that convection currents in the Earth's mantle drive …

The Late Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Mediterranean region, which is sandwiched
between the converging African and European continents, is dominated by the process of …