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Comparison of steep subduction and flat-slab subduction

January 2025 (approx.)

Detailed Description

Comparison of steep subduction (like that occurring today beneath the Pacific Northwest of the United States) and flat-slab subduction (which led to the formation of the Rocky Mountains a few tens of millions of years ago). Black arrows indicate the relative direction of movement of the oceanic plate. Red arrows indicate the force from compressed mantle and moving oceanic plate. This figure is modified from Gutscher (2018) and is a simplified version of the model detailed in Axen et al. (2018).

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.

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