‘Subduction‐Factory’ Meeting studies Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana Margin

Abstract

Subduction zones are regions in which the Earth's sedimentary layers and hydrosphere are recycled into the deep mantle. These downwellings provide most of the force needed to drive the plates and are the dominant mode of mantle convection. The cold material sinking in subduction zones releases water into the overlying mantle, causing mantle melting and fractionating elements between surface and deep mantle reservoirs. The term “subduction factory” captures the scale of these interactions and the fact that studying “balance sheets” of inputs and outputs provides powerful constraints for our understanding of how subduction zones work.