A simple three-dimensional model of thermo-chemical convection in the mantle wedge

In order to understand the possible existence of small-scale convection in the mantle wedge, we have constructed a simple three-dimensional model of convection driven by both thermal and chemical buoyancies above the subducting slab. In this model, a chemical agent, which affects both the density and the viscosity of mantle, is introduced from the top of the subducting slab and the associated density and viscosity decreases are treated as parameters. The model does not include the along-arc variation of the source of the chemical agent. We found that the major effects of low density chemical anomaly are to suppress the three-dimensional instability and make the flow two-dimensional, i.e., the flow velocity is normal to the plate boundary. The chemically polluted region tends to stay in the corner of the mantle wedge because of its low density and this results in the low temperature zone there. This suggests the importance of chemical buoyancy on the origin of cold mantle part or “nose” in the corner of the mantle wedge. We also studied the hybrid case: The region closer to the trench is in the low density and viscosity state and the region in the back arc is in the low viscosity state only. This case shows the existence of the low temperature nose and the small-scale thermally driven convection in the back arc. We also investigated the nature of the flip-flop phenomenon of the thermally driven convection and found that the thickness of the thermal boundary layer under the back arc controls it. This flow pattern in the back arc may have a close connection with the temporal and spatial variation of volcano distribution.