[1] Double Wadati‐Benioff seismic zones (DSZ) with two parallel planes of seismicity separated by 15–30 km are a global feature of subduction zones in the 50–200 km depth range. Upper plane seismicity is generally attributed to dehydration of the oceanic crust but the origin of the lower seismicity plane is debated. Serpentine or hydrous‐phase dehydration embrittlement is a commonly advocated m...

Mantle oxygen fugacity exerts a primary control on mass exchange between Earth's surface and interior at subduction zones, but the major factors controlling mantle oxygen fugacity (such as volatiles and phase assemblages) and how tectonic cycles drive its secular evolution are still debated. We present integrated measurements of redox-sensitive ratios of oxidized iron to total iron (Fe3+/SigmaF...

The notorious ~60° bend separating the Hawaiian and Emperor chains marked a prominent change in the motion of the Pacific plate at ~47 Ma (million years ago), but the origin of that change remains an outstanding controversy that bears on the nature of major plate reorganizations. Lesser known but equally significant is a conundrum posed by the pre-bend (~80 to 47 Ma) motion of the Pacific plate...

[1] Subtropical cells (STCs) connect subduction zones of the eastern subtropics of both hemispheres to the equatorial current systems via equatorward flow in the thermocline. Some of this thermocline water is converted back into warm near-surface water in the eastern equatorial cold tongue from whence it is exported poleward. Here we examine the export pathways from the cold tongue in the Atlan...

Electromagnetic exploration is a geophysical method for examining the Earth's interior through observations of natural or artificial electromagnetic field fluctuations. The method has been in practice for more than 70 years, and 40 years ago it was first applied to ocean areas. During the past few decades, there has been noticeable progress in the methods of instrumentation, data acquisition (o...

Climate trends on timescales of 10s to 100s of millions of years are controlled by changes in solar luminosity, continent distribution, and atmosphere composition. Plate tectonics affect geography, but also atmosphere composition through volcanic degassing of CO2 at subduction zones and midocean ridges. So far, such degassing estimates were based on reconstructions of ocean floor production for...

Detailed studies of the seismicity of several subduction zones demonstrate that shallow-dipping thrust zones turn to steeper angles at depths of about 40 kilometers. An increased downward body force resulting from shallow phase changes in subducted oceanic crust may be the cause of this increased dip angle. In addition, the volume reduction associated with phase changes may produce sufficiently...

Lawsonite eclogites represent fossil records of processes occurring during subduction of cold and fast-subducting slabs, and provide the opportunity to investigate the thermal and metamorphic evolution of palaeosubduction zones. Occurrences of lawsonite eclogites are rare because lawsonite is often replaced during exhumation. We report here, for the first time, the occurrence of a lawsonite ecl...

We have determined a detailed three-dimensional P wave velocity structure of the Japan subduction zone to 500-km depth by inverting local, regional, and teleseismic data simultaneously. We used 45,318 P wave arrivals from 1241 shallow and deep earthquakes which occurred in and around the Japan Islands. The arrival times are recorded by the Japan University Seismic Network which covers the entir...