Potsdam, GeoForschungsZentrum

11.00 h, Building A19

Prof. Sue Kay
Cornell University

Magmatic and Geophysical Evidence for Crustal and Mantle Lithosphere removed by Forearc Subduction Erosion and Delamination entering Central Andean Arc and Backarc Magma Sources

Forearc subduction erosion has been suggested to be a major process shaping the Andean margin from Colombia to Patagonia and delamination of thickened crust and lithosphere a major factor in the evolution of the Central Andean plateau. Evidence for forearc subduction erosion has largely come from the forearc, and questions remain as to how much of the removed forearc crust and mantle lithosphere reaches the arc magma source region and the wedge under the backarc, and ultimately how much is recycled into the deeper mantle. A similar question can be asked for material removed by delamination. This crustal and mantle lithosphere can potentially be tracked using both geochemical and geophysical methods as shown in examples from the northern Southern Volcanic Zone, the southern Central Volcanic Zone and the Chilean (Pampean) flat-slab region.