Slab pull

Slab pull is the portion of motion of a tectonic plate that can be accounted for by its subduction. Plate motion is partly driven by the weight of cold, dense plates sinking into the mantle at trenches. This force and slab suction account for almost all of the force driving plate tectonics. The ridge push at rifts contributes only 5 to 10%. Carlson et al. (1983) in Lallemandet al. (2005) defines the slab pull force as: Where: The slab pull force manifests itself between two extreme forms:

Slab pull

Slab pull is the portion of motion of a tectonic plate that can be accounted for by its subduction. Plate motion is partly driven by the weight of cold, dense plates sinking into the mantle at trenches. This force and slab suction account for almost all of the force driving plate tectonics. The ridge push at rifts contributes only 5 to 10%. Carlson et al. (1983) in Lallemandet al. (2005) defines the slab pull force as: Where: The slab pull force manifests itself between two extreme forms: