Tag: South Sandwich

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South Sandwich SZI Events

South Sandwich subduction zone initiation

Schematic tectonic reconstruction of the South Sandwich SZI event (modified from Dalziel et al., 2013b). The arrival of the Chile ridge at the South America trench might have triggered a flip in subduction polarity, but the South Sandwich subduction zone is suggested to have initiated as a newly destructive boundary. Shown are the new subduction zone (pink line), other active subduction zones (solid purple lines), spreading ridges (solid red lines), and transform faults (red dashed lines).
Schematic tectonic reconstruction of the South Sandwich SZI event (modified from Dalziel et al., 2013b). The arrival of the Chile ridge at the South America trench might have triggered a flip in subduction polarity, but the South Sandwich subduction zone is suggested to have initiated as a newly destructive boundary. Shown are the new subduction zone (pink line), other active subduction zones (solid purple lines), spreading ridges (solid red lines), and transform faults (red dashed lines).

The South Sandwich subduction zone (SZI) marks the westward subduction of the South American plate beneath the Scotia plate, estimated to have started between 39 and 29 Ma. Debates regarding its age and implications highlight tectonic interactions and magmatic activities, driven by geologic evidence and seismic models, revealing complex plate dynamics.