Much progress has been made over the past several decades in delineating the structure of
subducting slabs, but several key aspects of their dynamics remain poorly constrained …

Surface measurements of shear wave splitting patterns are widely used to infer the mantle
circulation around subducting slabs; however, the relation between mantle flow and seismic …

Understanding the dynamics of subduction is critical to our overall understanding of plate
tectonics and the solid Earth system. Observations of seismic anisotropy can yield …

Several models have been proposed to relate slab geometry to parameters such as plate
velocity or plate age. However, studies on the observed relationships between slab …

The effect of rheology on the evolution of the slab‐tip during subduction initiation is analyzed
using 2‐D numerical flow models. Experimentally determined flow laws have both strong …

The character of the mantle flow field in subduction zones remains poorly understood,
despite its importance for our understanding of subduction dynamics. In particular, little …

Inferring the circulation of the mantle around subducting plates from surface measurements
of shear wave splitting patterns remains to date elusive. To assist the interpretation of the …

This study provides new constraints on the resolvability of mantle flow in subduction zone
settings as inferred by observations of seismic anisotropy. We are motivated by the broad …

Subduction systems are vitally important to plate tectonics and mantle convection, but
questions remain about many aspects of subduction dynamics, particularly the nature of sub …

Phase relations among mantle minerals are perturbed by the thermal environment of
subducting slabs, both under equilibrium and disequilibrium (metastable) conditions. Such …