Non-steady-state subduction and trench-parallel flow induced by overriding plate structure

The direction of plate tectonic motion and the direction of mantle flow, as inferred from observations of seismic anisotropy measurements, show a good global correlation far from subduction zones. However, this correlation is poor near subduction zones, where below the slab seismic anisotropy is aligned parallel to the trench and above the slab has a complex pattern, which has not been fully explained. Here we present time-dependent three-dimensional (3D) fully-dynamic simulations of subduction to study the effect of overriding plate structure on the evolution of slab geometry and induced mantle flow. We find that along-strike variation in thermal thickness of the overriding plate causes increased hydrodynamic suction and shallower slab dip beneath the colder portion of the overriding plate; the variation in slab geometry drives strong trench-parallel flow beneath the slab and a complex flow pattern above the slab. This new mechanism for driving trench-parallel flow provides a good explanation for seismic anisotropy observations from the Middle and South America subduction zones, where both slab dip and overriding plate thermal state are strongly variable and correlated, and thus may be an important mechanism in other subduction zones. The location and strength of trench-parallel flow vary with the time-dependent evolution of the slab, suggesting that the global variability in seismic anisotropy observations in subduction zones is in part due to the non-steady-state behavior of these systems.