Abstract
The question of whether sediments are subducted at convergent margins and subsequently incorporated in arc magmas has long been controversial. The cosmogenic isotope 10Be (T1/2 = 1.5 million years) suggests that sediments are indeed recycled at some volcanic arcs. Further, the 10Be data suggest that sediment subduction may be enhanced where topographic steps in the oceanic plate (fracture zones, seamount chains, grabens) are subducted. If all sediments contained within grabens are presumed to be subducted, then the global sediment subduction rate is 2–5 × 105 km3/Ma; model calculations suggest that 11–14% of the subducted sediment is recycled in volcanic arcs and that the remainder is available for subduction deep into the earth.
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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Morris, J., Tera, F., Sacks, I.S., Brown, L., Klein, J., Middleton, R. (1989). Sediment Recycling at Convergent Margins: Constraints from the Cosmogenic Isotope 10Be. In: Hart, S.R., Gülen, L. (eds) Crust/Mantle Recycling at Convergence Zones. NATO ASI Series, vol 258. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0895-6_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0895-6_9
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