Subduction zone processes involve considerable changes in mass, energy and conditions of materials as sea floor is subducted to mantle depths. The goal of this project is to construct numerical models incorporating heat transfer, induced mantle convection, fluid flow paths, and phase equilibria of minerals undergoing metamorphism. The model will predict pressure- temperature-time paths for rocks in the subducting slab and the overlying mantle wedge as a function of the initial thermal structure, convergence rate, and angle of subduction, duration of subduction and similar parameters. The model will be tested against rocks preserved in paleo-subduction zones including the Catalina Schist and Franciscan complex in California and the Japan and Lesser Antilles subduction zones. Results are expected to provide improved insight into the processes occurring at depth in subduction zones and the generation of arc magmas.
