Publications
Highlights from our publications!
From the results of a collaborative study on the Aleutian subduction zone in Alaska, Darcy Cordell and collaborators published a new paper on the dynamics of this margin. A portion of this subduction zone, known as the Shumagin Gap, was the focus. Unlike the other segments of the subduction zone, it is rarely the source of large earthquakes and we set out to shed some light on why this might be.
The study found that fluids play a pivotal and unexpected role in earthquake behavior, click the photo to learn more!
This paper details a recent study done by ELECCTRO post-doc, Christine Chesley and collaborators on New Zealand's Hikurangi Margin. This is a subduction zone, where two tectonic plates collide and the denser of the two is pulled deep into the mantle. These boundaries host the largest and most destructive earthquakes, which is why we are invested in understanding subduction systems more fully.
To do this we used EM data, which are highly sensitive to conductors, like seawater, melt, and metallic minerals, allowing us to determine where these components are present in the subduction system.
Using our EM data, we imaged a seamount along the seafloor and one that is already subducting. The results from the seamount along the seafloor revealed that these features have a strong core and can store larger amounts of water than typical ocean sediments. These features can damage the overriding plate while also transporting excess fluids to the plate interface or deeper, this was confirmed by the subducted seamount that we imaged.
All Publications
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Rob Evans full publications list