Three-dimensional Flow, Temperature and Melting Distributions in Mantle Subduction Zones

We will predict spatial distributions and time evolution of temperature and magma production in subduction zones, where cold oceanic plates sink into the Earth s mantle, recycle crust and sediments, and generate volcanic arcs. Three-dimensional laboratory experiments, including 3-D flow visualization and high-resolution temperature measurements, will model slab segments, different rates and modes of subduction and upward transport of melt. Ocean trench migration ( rollback subduction) is of special interest because it gives patterns of temperature and vertical motion most conducive to melting. Results will be used to interpret geochemical and seismic data from the Tonga subduction zone in the South Pacific.