Articles | Volume 17, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-573-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/se-17-573-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Mar 2026
Research article |
| 25 Mar 2026
| 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
Department of Geological Sciences, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India
Nibir Mandal
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geological Sciences, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India
Related authors
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Pramit Chatterjee, Arnab Roy, and Nibir Mandal
Solid Earth, 15, 1281–1301, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1281-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1281-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding strain accumulation processes in shear zones is essential for explaining failure mechanisms at great crustal depths. This study explores the rheological and kinematic factors determining the varying modes of shear accommodation in natural shear zones. Numerical simulations suggest that an interplay of parameters – initial viscosity, bulk shear rate, and internal cohesion – governs the dominance of one accommodation mechanism over another.
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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.
Accretionary wedges are the prime locations of exhumed high-pressure (HP) and low-temperature...
