Dynamic interactions between subduction zones – focusing on the Mediterranean

Abstract:

A common feature of tectonic reconstructions is the migration of subduction zones on the surface and consequently the horizontal migration of slabs through the mantle. During their life-time slabs might meet and interact with each other, resulting in complex tectonic patterns, including the combination of vertical uplift, strong rotation, reduced trench migration rate and slab break-off. In single subduction zones, fundamental properties such as slab buoyancy, dip direction, and coupled mantle flow determine the motions the trench. When these zones approach, stress transfers between the slabs through the lithosphere and the mantle, thereby altering the subduction force balance, favoring, opposing, or diverting further motions. A range of such configurations have been reported in tectonic reconstructions and their dynamics have been addressed through analog and numerical models. Multiple geometry of slab-slab interactions can be found in both the recent evolution of South-East Asia and of the Mediterranean area. This study addresses how the coeval activity of several subduction zones during the Africa-Europe convergence affected the tectonic evolution of the Central Mediterranean area, showing that the interactions among slabs and mantle may have shaped the distribution of basins and mountain belts, their uplift, and volcanism in this tectonic province.