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Figure 9 | Earth, Planets and Space

Figure 9

From: A large mantle water source for the northern San Andreas fault system: a ghost of subduction past

Figure 9

Schematic diagram illustrating the possible mobilization of serpentinite bodies by the process described in this paper. These bodies, occurring as fault blocks, slivers, and diapirs shown in orange, are thought to come from the fossil forearc mantle. Their ascent is enabled by the release of pressurized water from the base of the serpentinized fossil forearc mantle wedge caused by the thermal decomposition of wedge during conductive heating after subduction ceased, a process modeled in this paper. The fluid pressures generated by this model are also implicated as the source of high fluid pressures that could reduce the resistance to frictional sliding along the segments of the San Andreas Fault System.

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