Serena Yeung

Ex-Research Assistant

serena.yeung@sydney.edu.au

Phone: –

Research Project 
Slab windows: A global review using seismic tomography and surface geology.

Project Summary
This project aims to produce a global review of past and present-day slab windows. Slab windows may arise from the subduction of a mid-ocean ridge or a slab tear in a subducting slab, spreading from an area of weakness such as at a fracture zone. As the flanks of a mid-ocean ridge are subducted, they continue diverging but new crust is not formed due to the absence of cool water to solidify the emerging magma. By investigating slab windows and their global distribution, additional insights into the evolution and location of plate boundaries can be gained.

We will use seismic tomography models to identify potential slab windows in the Americas, northeast Asia, the Mediterranean and Sundaland by locating “gaps” in the positive seismic velocity anomalies. The suitability of using these models to predict the presence of slab windows will be assessed, including comparisons between models. Together with evidence from surface geology, the locations, depth ranges and absolute ages of documented slab windows across the globe will be compiled and reviewed.

See below for EarthByte content related to Serena.