A TOMOGRAPHIC VIEW ON SUBDUCTION DYNAMICS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN-TETHYAN REALM

Seismic travel-time tomography of upper and lower mantle structure has helped tremendously in advancing our understanding of subduction and collision processes all around the globe. This presentation concerns mantle structure related to subduction systems in the Mediterranean and Tethyan realm of which some have been active for more than 100 My. Although tomography provides our only means to obtain a 3D view on our planets interior, interpretation of a tomographic model is usually not straightforward and is not unique. Input from other earth science disciplines is needed to focus interpretations and built useful working hypothesis about linking deep structure to surface evolution. This has led to challenging views and hypotheses about the geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean and Tethyan realm usually involving slab detachment or other slab rupture leaving slab remnants behind. In this presentation, an overview of results will be presented with some focus on the Mediterranean.