Wholesale flat subduction of the Indian slab and northward mantle convective flow: Plateau growth and driving force of the India-Asia collision.

ABSTRACT: The tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau has been influenced by continental collision and postcollisional convergence of Indian and Eurasian plates, both of which have undoubtedly imposed their imprints on the lithosphere and upper-mantle structures beneath the collision zone. However, the mode by which the Indian Plate has subducted beneath Tibet, and its driving forces, have been highly uncertain. Here, we present seismic evidence from a full-waveform tomographic model that reveals flat subduction of the Indian Plate beneath nearly the entire plateau at [Formula: see text]300 km depth, implying that the slab may have transitioned to positive/neutral buoyancy and is no longer capable of supporting steep-angle deep subduction. The horizontal distance over which the flat slab slides no

SUBMITTER: Ma J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11848353 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature