The initiation of Early Palaeozoic Subduction in Eastern Australia and North America: causes and effects

Subduction is the most important process in terrestrial geology. It permits plate tectonic motion and continental collision and drives mountain building. It is a key to the chemical evolution of the planet. And yet, for all this importance the cause of the initiation and immediate geological consequences of subduction are very unclear. In this project an international team of modellers, geogechemists, geologists and geophysicists will investigate how some Atlantic style passive margins undergo the dramatic change to become Pacific style subduction margins and how this event is preserved in the geological record.