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Backbone of the Americas—Patagonia to Alaska, (3–7 April 2006)

Paper No. 10
Presentation Time: 11:50 AM

FLAT SLAB SUBDUCTION IN CENTRAL MEXICO AS DETERMINED BY THE MASE PROJECT


CLAYTON, Robert W.1, PEREZ-CAMPOS, Xyoli2, HUSKER, Allan3, IGLESIAS, Arturo2, KIM, Young Hee1, MANEA, Vlad Constantin1, DAVIS, Paul3, FERRARI, Luca4, GURNIS, Michael1 and KOSTOGLODOV, Vladimir5, (1)Seismological Laboratory, California Instiute of Technology, 252-21, Pasadena, CA 91125, (2)Institute of Geophysics, UNAM, Mexico City, (3)Earth and Space Science, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, (4)Centro de Geociencias, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Juriquilla, 76230, Mexico, (5)Insituto de Geofisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico D.F, clay@gps.caltech.edu

In this paper, we report on the preliminary results from MASE (Middle America Subduction Experiment), which is a collaborative investigation among the Tectonics Observatory at Caltech, Geophysical and Geological Institutes at UNAM, the CENS project at UCLA, and Geosciences Center at UNAM. The seismic component of the project consists of a 100-station passive broadband array that extends from Acapulco to Tampico in central Mexico. The initial results show that the subducted slab is horizontally underplating the continental crust for approximately 250 km from the trench. The images also show there is significant slab erosion in the first 80 km from the coast.

The goal of the project is to develop a geodynamical model that explains the underplating and subsequent roll-back. In addition to the seismic experiment, important observations are coming from GPS (current state of strain), geology and tectonics (past history and timing), and geochemistry (interaction of the slab with the wedge). We will show the current state of these observations, and a geodynamical model.

Session No. 9

T3. Shallowing and Steepening Subduction Zones II
Thursday, 6 April 2006: 8:30 AM-12:30 PM
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Speciality Meeting No. 2, p.90
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