2-D elastic FEM simulation on stress state in the deep part of a subducted slab

Introduction Geoscientists concern the explanation of deep focus earthquakes greatly. As a great progress in understanding the formation of deep focus earthquakes, Sung and Burns (1976a, b) proposed that olivine could exist in transition zone in metastable form in the core of some cold subducting slabs, which have got supports from laboratory studies (Rubie, Ross, 1994). Iidaka and Suetsugu (1992) used the seismic data recorded by the dense seismograph networks in Japan to study the travelti…

2-D elastic FEM simulation on stress state in the deep part of a subducted slab

Based upon some simplified numerical models, a 2-D plain strain elastic FEM program is compiled to study the distributions of the stress fields produced by the volume change of the phase transformation from olivine to spinel, by the volume change from temperature variation, and by density difference and boundary action in a piece of subducted slab located in transition zone of the mantle. Thermal stress could explain the fault plane solutions of deep focus earthquakes, but could not explain the distribution of deep seismicity. When large extent metastable olivine is included, the stress field produced by the density difference contradicts with the results of fault plane solutions and with the distribution of deep seismicity. Although the stress produced by volume change of the phase transformation from olivine to spinel dominates the stress state, its main direction is different from the observed results. We conclude that the deep seismicity could not be simply explained by elastic simulation.