The compositional anomaly of basalt in subducting slabs dominates its deep fate
Abstract：Recently, Yang Xusong and others published a paper in the journal Nature (Yang et al., 2025). Through a receiver function study of the mantle transition zone beneath the Lesser Antilles subduction zone, they found localized accumulation of basalt in the mantle transition zone, and for the first time revealed the important contribution of heterogeneity within the oceanic lithosphere to the compositional heterogeneity of the mantle transition zone. The low-density intra-plate basalt anomaly provides buoyancy that allows the subducting slab to stagnate in the mantle transition zone. This study has significant implications for understanding the deep migration process of subducting slabs.
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Publication Date：2026-01-31
Online Publishing Date：2025-10-09(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：3( 126-128 )