Cited by 491High-pressure geophysics and materialsearthquake and tectonic studiesGeological and Geophysical Studies

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How Mantle Slabs Drive Plate Tectonics

Conrad, Clinton P., Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina·2002·Science

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Abstract

The gravitational pull of subducted slabs is thought to drive the motions of Earth's tectonic plates, but the coupling between slabs and plates is not well established. If a slab is mechanically attached to a subducting plate, it can exert a direct pull on the plate. Alternatively, a detached slab may drive a plate by exciting flow in the mantle that exerts a shear traction on the base of the plate. From the geologic history of subduction, we estimated the relative importance of "pull" versus "suction" for the present-day plates. Observed plate motions are best predicted if slabs in the upper mantle are attached to plates and generate slab pull forces that account for about half of the total driving force on plates. Slabs in the lower mantle are supported by viscous mantle forces and drive plates through slab suction.

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Authors: Conrad, C. P., & Lithgow-Bertelloni, C.
Affiliations: University of Michigan (US)
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Corresponding author: Conrad, Clinton P.
ORCID: Conrad, Clinton P.
Venue: Science
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published: 2002-10-04
Volume: 298
Issue: 5591
Pages: 207-209
ISSN: 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
1095-9203
DOI: 10.1126/science.1074161
OpenAlex: W2170479468
Cited by: 491
References: 22
Citations by year: 2026: 20 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 23
FWCI: 8.06
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Science (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › High-pressure geophysics and materials
Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › earthquake and tectonic studies
Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geology › Geological and Geophysical Studies
Keywords: plate tectonics, slab pull, subduction, plate motion, mantle flow, lower mantle viscosity

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How Mantle Slabs Drive Plate Tectonics

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