Slab window
Encyclopedia
In geology
, a slab window is a gap that forms in a subducted
oceanic plate
when a mid-ocean ridge
meets with a subduction zone. They are commonly associated with the formation of convergent plate boundaries
and they have had significant effects on the formation of the North American Cordillera
.
A slab gap is essentially a zone beneath a section of the earth's crust which lacks the usual rigid layer of the upper mantle; it's lithosphere lacking the mantle portion. Such a gap puts the crust in direct contact with the hotter more plastic layer of the mantle.
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, a slab window is a gap that forms in a subducted
Subduction
In geology, subduction is the process that takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate, sinking into the Earth's mantle, as the plates converge. These 3D regions of mantle downwellings are known as "Subduction Zones"...
oceanic plate
Oceanic crust
Oceanic crust is the part of Earth's lithosphere that surfaces in the ocean basins. Oceanic crust is primarily composed of mafic rocks, or sima, which is rich in iron and magnesium...
when a mid-ocean ridge
Mid-ocean ridge
A mid-ocean ridge is a general term for an underwater mountain system that consists of various mountain ranges , typically having a valley known as a rift running along its spine, formed by plate tectonics. This type of oceanic ridge is characteristic of what is known as an oceanic spreading...
meets with a subduction zone. They are commonly associated with the formation of convergent plate boundaries
Convergent boundary
In plate tectonics, a convergent boundary, also known as a destructive plate boundary , is an actively deforming region where two tectonic plates or fragments of lithosphere move toward one another and collide...
and they have had significant effects on the formation of the North American Cordillera
North American Cordillera
The North American Cordillera is the North American portion of the American Cordillera which is a cordillera extending up and down the western side of the Americas. The North American Cordillera covers an extensive area of mountain ranges, intermontane basins, and plateaus in western North...
.
A slab gap is essentially a zone beneath a section of the earth's crust which lacks the usual rigid layer of the upper mantle; it's lithosphere lacking the mantle portion. Such a gap puts the crust in direct contact with the hotter more plastic layer of the mantle.