General models for episodic surface denudation and its measurement by cosmogenic nuclides

In order to use cosmogenic nuclides to infer erosion rates and exposure ages, it is necessary to apply a quantitative model for the accumulation of these nuclides in an eroding surface. The most straightforward model assumes that the surface continuously erodes at a constant rate. In many cases, however, the erosion is episodic: denudation is the result of the spalling off of slabs of rock in a series of discrete events. In a previous paper, we discussed two models for such episodic erosion; in one model slabs of rock spalled off periodically, while in the other slabs spalled off at stochastic time intervals. In both models we took the slabs to have a given, fixed width. In this paper we expand the previously treated models to allow for a statistical distribution of widths; this makes the models more realistic, and broadens our discussion of the fluctuations in the nuclide concentration that may be observed. We present general results for both models, results which allow for any distribution of widths. We then explore the stochastic model in more detail, applying a particular choice of width distribution. This allows us to address an interesting limiting case: when the widths are very small, the average nuclide concentration is accurately given by the standard continuous erosion model; yet, perhaps surprisingly, the fluctuations about this average can be quite significant.     

Effects of relative plate motion on the deep structure and penetration depth of slabs below the Izu-Bonin and Mariana island arcs

An increasing number of seismological studies indicate that slabs of subducted lithosphere penetrate the Earth's lower mantle below some island arcs but are deflected, or, rather, laid down, in the transition zone below others. Recent numerical simulations of mantle flow also advocate a hybrid form of mantle convection, with intermittent layering. We present a multi-disciplinary analysis of slab morphology and mantle dynamics in which we account explicitly for the history of subduction below specific island arcs in an attempt to understand what controls lateral variations in slab morphology and penetration depth. Central in our discussion are the Izu-Bonin and Mariana subduction zones. We argue that the differences in the tectonic evolution of these subduction zones—in particular the amount and rate of trench migration—can explain why the slab of subducted oceanic lithosphere seems to be (at least temporarily) stagnant in the Earth's transition zone below the Izu-Bonin arc but penetrates into the lower mantle below the Mariana arc. We briefly speculate on the applicability of our model of the temporal and spatial evolution of slab morphology to other subduction zones. Although further investigation is necessary, our tentative model shows the potential for interpreting seismic images of slab structure by accounting for the plate-tectonic history of the subduction zones involved. We therefore hope that the ideas outlined here will stimulate and direct new research initiatives.     

Geodynamic modeling of thermal structure of subduction zones

During subduction processes, slabs continuously have heat exchange with the ambient mantle, including both conduction and advection effects. The evolution of slab thermal structure is one of the dominant factors in controlling physical and chemical property changes in subduction zones. It also affects our understanding of many key geological processes, such as mineral dehydration, rock partial melting, arc volcanism, and seismic activities in subduction zones. There are mainly two ways for studying thermal structure of subduction zones with geodynamic models: analytical model and numerical model. Analytical model provides insights into the most dominant controlling physical parameters on the thermal structure, such as slab age, velocity and dip angle, shear stress and thermal conductivity, etc. Numerical model can further deal with more complicated environments, such as viscosity change in the mantle wedge, coupling process between slabs and the ambient mantle, and incorporation of petrology and mineralogy. When applying geodynamic modeling results to specific subduction zones on the Earth, there are many factors which may complicate the process, therefore it is difficult to precisely constrain the thermal structure of subduction zones. With the development of new quantitative methods in geophysics and geochemistry, we may obtain more observational constraints for thermal structure of subduction zones, thus providing more reasonable explanations for geological processes related to subduction zones.     

Geological,tomographic, kinematic and geodynamic constraints on the dynamics of sinking slabs

We use geodynamic models with imposed plate velocities to test the forward-modeled history of subduction based on a particular plate motion model against alternative seismic tomography models. We utilize three alternative published reference frames: a hybrid moving hotspot-palaeomagnetic, a hybrid moving hotspot-true polar wander corrected-palaeomagnetic, and a Subduction Reference Frame, a plate model including longitudinal shifts of subduction zones by matching subduction volumes imaged by P-wave tomography, to assess which model best predicts present day mantle structure compared with seismic tomography and volumetrically derived subduction history. Geodynamic modeling suggests paleo-longitudinal corrections applied to the Subduction Reference Frame result in lower mantle slab material beneath North America and East Asia accumulating up to 10–15° westward of that imaged by tomography, whereas the hybrid models develop material offset by 2–9°. However, the Subduction Reference Frame geodynamic model produces slab material beneath the Tethyan Domain coinciding with slab volumes imaged by tomography, whereas the hybrid reference frame models do not, suggesting regional paleo-longitudinal corrections are required to constrain slab locations. We use our models to test inferred slab sinking rates in the mantle focusing on well-constrained regions. We derive a globally averaged slab-sinking rate of 13 ± 3 mm/yr by combining the ages of onset and cessation of subduction from geological data and kinematic reconstructions with images of subducted slabs in the mantle. Our global average slab-sinking rate overlaps with the 15–20 mm/yr rate implied by mantle convection models using a lower mantle viscosity 100 times higher than the upper mantle.     

Seismicity and the subduction process

There is considerable variation between subduction zones in the largest characteristic earthquake within each zone. Assuming that coupling between downgoing and upper plates is directly related to characteristic earthquake size, we have tested for correlations between variation in coupling and other physical features of subduction zones: the lateral extent and penetration depth of Benioff zones, age of subducting lithosphere, convergence rate, and back-arc spreading. Using linear multivariate regression, coupling is correlated with two variables: convergence rate and lithosphere age. Secondary correlations within the data set are penetration depth versus lithosphere age, and lateral extent versus convergence rate. An important additional correlation is that back-arc spreading is found to be associated with subduction zones where coupling is low (those characterised by small earthquakes). Taken together, the observed correlations suggest a simple qualitative model where convergence rate and lithosphere age determine the horizontal and sinking rates, respectively, of slabs: these parameters influence the seismic coupling in the subduction zone. In the limit of a fast sinking rate and slow convergence rate, back-arc spreading occurs and thereby appears to be a passive process.     

双地震带的影响因素探讨

讨论了全球39个俯冲带内的双地震带层间距、应力类型与俯冲参数的相互关系,这些俯冲参数包括动力学参数(板块年龄、热参数、板片拉力)、运动学参数(俯冲板块速度、上覆板块运动速度、海沟迁移速度、弧后形变特征)、几何形态参数(浅俯冲角、深俯冲角、俯冲深度、长度)及上覆板块性质等.结果表明:(1)I型双地震带易形成于年龄较古老(...     

Late Weichselian relative sea-level changes and ice sheet history in southeast Greenland

Relative sea-level (RSL) observations from the margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) provide information regarding the timing and rate of deglaciation and constraints on geophysical models of ice sheet evolution. In this paper we present the first RSL record for the southeast sector of the GIS based on field observations completed close to Ammassalik. The local marine limit is c. 69 m above sea-level (asl) and is dated to c. 11 k cal. yrs BP (thousand calibrated years before present) and is a minimum date for ice free conditions at the study site. RSL fell to c. 24 m asl by 9.5 k cal. yrs BP and continued to fall at a decreasing rate to reach close to present by 6.5 k cal. yrs BP. Our chronology agrees with radiocarbon dates from offshore cores that indicate ice free conditions on the adjacent mid-shelf by 15 k cal. yrs BP. We compare the new RSL data with predictions generated using two recently published glaciological models of the GIS that differ in the amount and timing of ice loading and unloading over our study area. These two GIS models are coupled to the same Earth viscosity model and background (global) ice model to aid in the data-model comparison. Neither model provides a close fit to the RSL observations. Based on a preliminary sensitivity study using a suite of Earth viscosity models, we conclude that the poor data-model fit is most likely due to an underestimate of the local ice unloading. An improved fit could be achieved by delaying the retreat of a thicker ice sheet across the continental shelf. A thick ice sheet extending well onto the continental shelf is in agreement with other recent observations elsewhere in east and south Greenland.     

论青藏高原及邻区板片构造的一个新模式

本文首先论述了板块学说提出的过程和存在的一些不足与疑问,特别是该学说将Holmes（1948）的地幔热对流说作为驱使岩石圈板块运动的动力机制.而后又以青藏高原及邻区为例,根据区域地质、蛇绿岩和地质构造研究的成果,特别是地震测深研究的成果,详细地论证了本区不存在有大洋中脊扩张成为大洋盆地的新大洋和大洋板块简单的B型俯冲模式,但存在有海底扩张的陆间海和海洋地壳板片（蛇绿岩构造岩片）的仰冲以及大陆岩石圈板片复杂的A型俯冲新模式.新模式不是以地幔对流运动,而是以扩张分离A型俯冲的大陆岩石圈板片与软流圈之间的水平剪切相对运动机制作为它的躯动力.     

Slab weakening: Mechanical and thermal-mechanical consequences for slab detachment

Abstract Slab detachment is a geophysical instability whose manifestation can be revealed by seismic tomography. Evidence of this phenomenon is in the Dinarides/Hellenic and the New Hebrides subduction zones. Subducted slabs in these regions are torn horizontally at depths ranging from 100 to 300 km. We constructed a viscoelastic three-dimensional finite element model and investigated the state of stress. We found that an area with high stress concentration of the order of several hundred MPa is formed near the tip of the tear inside the slab, which can cause lateral migration of the tear. Favorable conditions for slab detachment are characterized by large interplate frictional force at a subduction zone and small slab resistance force deeper down. Stress concentration increases with the down-dip tension inside the slab. The phenomenon of slab weakening has also been studied from a thermal-mechanical standpoint, using a two-dimensional convection model with non-Newtonian, temperature-dependent rheology. The stress-dependent rheology plays an important role in causing local weakening of the descending slab. In strongly time-dependent situations the fast descending slab is not strong everywhere but has a weak region in the middle, making it vulnerable to slab detachment. The presence of viscous heating will enhance slab detachment tendency by further weakening the interior by the frictional heating. Besides these effects, there are other mechanisms which can also weaken the slab interior and help to make slabs more pliable and susceptible to detachment.     

Tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Fold Belt, southeastern Australia: constraints from coupled numerical models of crustal deformation and surface erosion driven by subduction of the underlying mantle

We have used a coupled thermo-mechanical finite-element (FE) model of crustal deformation driven by mantle/oceanic subduction to demonstrate that the tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) during the Mid-Palaeozoic (Late Ordovician to Early Carboniferous) can be linked to continuous subduction along a single subduction zone. This contrasts with most models proposed to date which assume that separate subduction zones were active beneath the western, central and eastern sections of the Lachlan Orogen. We demonstrate how the existing data on the structural, volcanic and erosional evolution of the Lachlan Fold Belt can be accounted for by our model. We focus particularly on the timing of fault movement in the various sectors of the orogen. We demonstrate that the presence of the weak basal decollement on which most of the Lachlan Fold Belt is constructed effectively decouples crustal structures from those in the underlying mantle. The patterns of faulting in the upper crust appears therefore to be controlled by lateral strength contrasts inherited from previous orogenic events rather than the location of one or several subduction zones. The model also predicts that the uplift and deep exhumation of the Wagga-Omeo Metamorphic Belt (WOMB) is associated with the advection of this terrane above the subduction point and is the only tectonic event that gives us direct constraints on the location of the subduction zone. We also discuss the implications of our model for the nature of the basement underlying the present-day orogen.     

Reconciling strong slab pull and weak plate bending: The plate motion constraint on the strength of mantle slabs

Although subducting slabs undergo a bending deformation that resists tectonic plate motions, the magnitude of this resistance is not known because of poor constraints on slab strength. However, because slab bending slows the relatively rapid motions of oceanic plates, observed plate motions constrain the importance of bending. We estimated the slab pull force and the bending resistance globally for 207 subduction zone transects using new measurements of the bending curvature determined from slab seismicity. Predicting plate motions using a global mantle flow model, we constrain the viscosity of the bending slab to be at most ~ 300 times more viscous than the upper mantle; stronger slabs are intolerably slowed by the bending deformation. Weaker slabs, however, cannot transmit a pull force sufficient to explain rapid trenchward plate motions unless slabs stretch faster than seismically observed rates of ~ 10^− 15 s^− 1. The constrained bending viscosity (~ 2 × 10²³ Pa s) is larger than previous estimates that yielded similar or larger bending resistance (here ~ 25% of forces). This apparent discrepancy occurs because slabs bend more gently than previously thought, with an average radius of curvature of 390 km that permits subduction of strong slabs. This gentle bending may ultimately permit plate tectonics on Earth.     

Migration of a volcanic front inferred from K–Ar ages of late Miocene to Pliocene volcanic rocks in central Japan

K–Ar ages have been determined for 14 late Miocene to Pliocene volcanic rocks in the north of the Kanto Mountains, Japan, for tracking the location of the volcanic front through the time. These samples were collected from volcanoes located behind the trench–trench–trench (TTT) triple junction of the Pacific, Philippine Sea, and North American plates. This junction is the site of subduction of slabs of the Pacific and the Philippine Sea plates, both of which are thought to have influenced magmatism in this region. The stratigraphy and K–Ar ages of volcanic rocks in the study area indicate that volcanism occurred between the late Miocene and the Pliocene, and ceased before the Pleistocene. Volcanism in adjacent areas of the southern NE Japan and northern Izu–Bonin arcs also occurred during the Pliocene and ceased at around 3 Ma with the westward migration of the volcanic front, as reported previously. Combining our new age data with the existing data shows that before 3 Ma the volcanic front around the TTT junction was located about 50 km east of the preset‐day volcanic front. We suggest that northward subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate slab ended at ～3 Ma as a result of collision between the northern margin of the plate with the surface of the Pacific Plate slab. This collision may have caused a change in the subduction vector of the Philippine Sea Plate from the original north‐directed subduction to the present‐day northwest‐directed subduction. This indicates that the post ～3 Ma westward migration of the volcanic front was a result of this change in plate motion.     

Joint bulk-sound and shear tomography for Western Pacific subduction zones

Detailed regional body wave tomographic inversion of the Western Pacific region has been performed using P and S travel times from common sources and receivers, with a joint inversion in terms of bulk-sound and shear wave-speed variations in the mantle. This technique allows the separation of the influence of bulk and shear moduli, and hence a more direct comparison with mineral physics information. The study region is parameterized with cells of side 0.5° to 2° and 19 layers to a depth of 1500 km, while the rest of the mantle was parameterized with 5×5° cells with 16 layers between the surface and the core–mantle boundary. A simultaneous inversion is made for regional and global structures to minimize the influence of surrounding structures on the regional image. A nested iterative inversion scheme is employed with local linearization and three-dimensional ray tracing through the successive model updates. The results of the regional tomographic inversion reveal the penetration of a subducted slab below the 660 km discontinuity at the Kurile–Kamchatka trench, while flattening of slabs above this depth is observed in the Japan and Izu–Bonin subduction zones on both the bulk-sound and shear wave-speed images. The penetration of a subducted slab down to a depth of at least 1200 km is seen below the southern part of the Bonin trench, Mariana, Philippine, and Java subduction zones. Fast shear wave-speed perturbations associated with the subducted slabs, down to the 410 km transition zone, are larger than the comparable bulk-sound perturbations for all these subduction zones except the Philippines. The bulk-sound signature for the subducted slab is more pronounced than for shear in the Philippines, Talaud, New Guinea, Solomon, and Tonga subduction zones, where penetration of the slab into the middle mantle is observed. Variation in the amplitude ratio between bulk-sound and shear wave-speed anomalies correlates well with the subduction parameters of the descending slab. Slabs younger than 90 Ma at the trench show bulk-sound dominance in the upper mantle, while older slabs have a stronger shear wave-speed signature. Spreading of the fast shear wave-speed zone between 800 and 1000 km is observed in the areas of deep subducted slab penetration, but has no comparable expression in the bulk-sound images. This high-velocity feature may reflect physical or chemical disequilibria introduced to the lower mantle by subducted slabs.     

Effects of plate and slab viscosities on the geoid

The effects of plate rheology (strong plate interiors and weak plate margins) and stiff subducted lithosphere (slabs) on the geoid and plate motions, considered jointly, are examined with three-dimensional spherical models of mantle flow. Buoyancy forces are based on the internal distribution of subducted lithosphere estimated from the last 160 Ma of subduction history. While the ratio of the lower mantle/upper mantle viscosity has a strong effect on the long-wavelength geoid, as has been shown before, we find that plate rheology is also significant and that its inclusion yields a better geoid model while simultaneously reproducing basic features of observed plate motion. Slab viscosity can strongly affect the geoid, depending on whether a slab is coupled to the surface. In particular, deep, high-viscosity slabs beneath the northern Pacific that are disconnected from the surface as a result of subduction history produce significant long-wavelength geoid highs that differ from the observation. This suggests that slabs in the lower mantle may be not as stiff as predicted from a simple thermally activated rheology, if the slab model is accurate.     

华北克拉通及东邻西太平洋活动大陆边缘地区的P波速度结构：对岩石圈减薄动力学过程的探讨

本文通过地震层析成像研究获得了华北克拉通及其东邻地区（30°N-50°N,95°E -145°E）1°×1°的P波速度扰动图像.结果显示,在西太平洋俯冲带地区,上地幔中西倾的板片状高速异常体与其上方的低速异常区构成俯冲带与上覆地幔楔的典型速度结构式样.俯冲板片高速体在约300~400 km深度范围内被低速物质充填,暗示俯冲板片可能发生了断离.在华北克拉通地区的上地幔中发现三个东倾排列的高速异常带.在此基础上,本文构建了华北克拉通及其东邻西太平洋活动大陆边缘地区的上地幔速度结构模式图,并据此探讨克拉通岩石圈减薄与西太平洋活动大陆边缘的深部动力学联系.本文认为,太平洋板片的俯冲（断离）,触发热地幔物质上涌并在上覆地幔楔中形成对流,使克拉通岩石圈受到改造（底侵与弱化）.随着俯冲板片后撤,地幔楔中的对流场以及对岩石圈改造的影响范围均随之东移,最终导致华北克拉通岩石圈自下而上、从西向东分三个阶段依次拆沉减薄.这一模式能很好地解释现今克拉通岩石圈自西向东呈台阶状减薄的深部现象.     

The thermal signature of subducted lithospheric slabs at the core–mantle boundary

We study the thermal structure around a cold deformable lithospheric slab as it sinks to the core–mantle boundary and migrates along it. We present analytical results for the steady thermal structure established by a steady but spatially varying motion. The analysis gives a time-like criterion for the thermal signature of a cold slab to persist by the time that the slab moves along the core–mantle boundary. The model is used to assess the feasibility of a purely thermal origin for some of the observed seismic reflectors near the core–mantle boundary. Calculations of the time-like criterion show that the dynamical conditions in our model, namely the velocity and the thickness of the descending slab, are hard to reconcile with observations of subduction and seismic features. Seismic reflections and refractions from anomalously fast regions above the core–mantle boundary could be explained as thermal slabs if the thickness of the slab at subduction was larger than 200 km or somewhat less if the slab did not split at the core–mantle boundary. A simple thermal model also predicts from mineral physics a certain correlation between S- and P-wave velocity anomalies, which is not observed. However, a purely thermal origin cannot be ruled out if the slab is buckling. This process could be in agreement with the observations: the amplitude of the seismic anomalies, the vertical extent of high-gradient zones and the P versus S comparisons. Chemical heterogeneities and phase transformations remain alternative or complementary explanations.     

华北东部复杂的660km相变界面

利用华北固定台网的宽频带地震远震记录波形资料,提取P波接收函数,通过偏移成像和共转换点叠加,得到华北地区东部地幔过渡带深度及厚度的图像.研究结果显示,地幔过渡带上界面(410km间断面)深度起伏变化不大;在华北地区东部,存在较厚的地幔过渡带,地幔过渡带下界面(660km间断面)在660km深度附近出现两个不同的界面.造成地幔过渡带增厚并出现两个深度不同的界面的原因可能是存在橄榄岩以外的地幔物质相变,该物质相变拥有与橄榄岩向钙钛矿转变不同的克拉伯龙斜率,太平洋俯冲板块的低温造成两种不同的相变界面发生不同程度的改变.双重660km间断面的范围存在向北西方向延伸的趋势并且向南至少延伸到30°N.本文的结果可为古西太平洋板块向华北俯冲前缘位置的研究提供约束.     

末次冰期冰盖消融对东亚历史相对海平面的影响及意义

基于新的末次冰期冰川均衡调整(GIA)模型,利用有限元算法模拟了盛冰期以来东亚相对海平面的变化,并与观测数据进行比较分析.研究表明,早期相对海平面上升由盛冰期后全球冰盖消融控制,后期的变化则由地壳黏性均衡调整控制;每个时期的结果均具有显著的区域性差异,与地壳均衡作用及远场均衡效应的区域性差异有关;模拟的不确定性主要来自冰盖消融模型差异的影响,量级在观测误差范围内.此外,利用本文的GIA模拟结果,对东亚海岸历史相对海平面观测进行改正,揭示了华南全新世以来不同阶段的地壳垂直运动,其中3-8 kaBP地壳以较稳定的速率(1~4 mm/a)下沉,之后则以较小速率下降或隆升,推测可能与东南部菲律宾板块的俯冲有关;揭示近千年来粤东海岸和珠江三角洲地壳垂直运动有长期隆升趋势,而近三十年的观测结果则显示下沉,推测该差异与人类活动导致的沉降有关.     

俯冲带耦合作用对苏门答腊地区应变场影响的三维数值模拟

采用有限元方法模拟了俯冲带耦合作用对巽他弧及其邻区的影响.根据模拟结果,对比GPS、地震和地质学观测数据,定量分析了苏门答腊及其周边地区的应变强度和主应变方向的分布特征,据此探讨了该区构造特征、地震发生模式与耦合面积之间的关系.模型由具有黏弹性性质的岩石圈和软流圈上地幔组成,其中岩石圈包括了大陆岩石圈和大洋岩石圈以及俯冲至上地幔中的俯冲板片.研究结果如下:(1) 通过对不同俯冲带耦合面积模拟,发现苏门答腊前弧伴随耦合面积的增加应变强度逐渐增大,而增大的应变强度又影响了其周边地区的应变分布特征,因此整个苏门答腊前弧呈现出明显的分段性,这与该区地震破裂模式有较好的对应.(2)苏门答腊北部地区主应变方向与南部相比存在一定的差异,该差异是俯冲带的俯冲方向、俯冲速度、俯冲形态以及不同区域间耦合面积共同作用的结果.(3)虽然苏门答腊2004年地震主震区处于弱耦合状态,但从本文模拟的结果中可以看到,在俯冲作用下该区依然存在垂直向下的位移,这为地震激发海啸提供了有利的构造环境.     

The mantle convection model with non-Newtonian rheology and phase transitions: The flow structure and stress fields

The mantle convection model with phase transitions, non-Newtonian viscosity, and internal heat sources is calculated for two-dimensional (2D) Cartesian geometry. The temperature dependence of viscosity is described by the Arrhenius law with a viscosity step of 50 at the boundary between the upper and lower mantle. The viscosity in the model ranges within 4.5 orders of magnitude. The use of the non-Newtonian rheology enabled us to model the processes of softening in the zone of bending and subduction of the oceanic plates. The yield stress in the model is assumed to be 50 MPa. Based on the obtained model, the structure of the mantle flows and the spatial fields of the stresses σ_xz and σ_xx in the Earth’s mantle are studied. The model demonstrates a stepwise migration of the subduction zones and reveals the sharp changes in the stress fields depending on the stage of the slab detachment. In contrast to the previous model (Bobrov and Baranov, 2014), the self-consistent appearance of the rigid moving lithospheric plates on the surface is observed. Here, the intense flows in the upper mantle cause the drift and bending of the top segments of the slabs and the displacement of the plumes. It is established that when the upwelling plume intersects the boundary between the lower and upper mantle, it assumes a characteristic two-level structure: in the upper mantle, the ascending jet of the mantle material gets thinner, whereas its velocity increases. This effect is caused by the jump in the viscosity at the boundary and is enhanced by the effect of the endothermic phase boundary which impedes the penetration of the plume material from the lower mantle to the upper mantle. The values and distribution of the shear stresses σ_xz and superlithostatic horizontal stresses σ_xx are calculated. In the model area of the subducting slabs the stresses are 60–80 MPa, which is by about an order of magnitude higher than in the other mantle regions. The character of the stress fields in the transition region of the phase boundaries and viscosity step by the plumes and slabs is analyzed. It is established that the viscosity step and endothermic phase boundary at a depth of 660 km induce heterogeneities in the stress fields at the upper/lower mantle boundary. With the assumed model parameters, the exothermic phase transition at 410 km barely affects the stress fields. The slab regions manifest themselves in the stress fields much stronger than the plume regions. This numerically demonstrates that it is the slabs, not the plumes that are the main drivers of the convection. The plumes partly drive the convection and are partly passively involved into the convection stirred by the sinking slabs.