Articles | Volume 17, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-573-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-573-2026
Research article
 | 
25 Mar 2026
Research article |  | 25 Mar 2026

On the criticality of return flows in viscous accretionary wedges and its implications for deep-crustal exhumation in subduction zones

Ayan Patsa and Nibir Mandal

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Dataset for "On the criticality of return flows in viscous accretionary wedges and its implications for deep-crustal exhumation in subduction zones" Ayan Patsa and Nibir Mandal https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29331581

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Short summary
Accretionary wedges are the prime locations of exhumed high-pressure (HP) and low-temperature (LT) metamorphic rocks. Previous tectonic models invoked the corner flow theory with a premise of slab-parallel motion to explain the upward return flow of buried metasediments. In this study, we develop a generalized corner flow model with additional kinematic and rheological factors and evaluate the limiting conditions in which a wedge can set in significant return flows.
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