Presentation
The subduction zones, convergent plate margins, are the most active tectonic and volcanic zones on Earth and, due to fluid circulation, generate ore deposits and the continental crust. Subduction zones are sites of major chemical exchange between the Earth’s surface and deep interior, as fluids released from the subducting plate, the slab, are transferred to the overlying mantle wedge. However, the origin, the chemical composition and redox conditions of fluids remain poorly constrained as well as the exchange rates between slab and mantle wedge.
Through fruitful collaborations between ULB and University of Cambridge, this proposal aims to solve those unknowns by a combination of state-of-the-art analyses (e.g. Fe and Zn isotopes, Fe and S oxidation states) on precious and unique sample collection (serpentine-bearing mantle rocks, originating from the Mariana convergent margin (IODP expedition 366) and the Sanbagawa orogenic belt (a fossil convergent margin, Japan).
Promoters
- Helen Williams, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
- Nadine Mattielli, Faculty of Sciences, ULB