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Deep earthquakes triggered by the olivine-poirierite transition
- April 17, 2026 at 2:40 AM
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Seismicity decreases with depth because elevated confining pressure prevents frictional sliding of faults. However, seismicity tends to increase with depth in the mantle transition zone (depths of 410−600km). It has been believed that pressure-induced phase transitions of olivine in the "cold" subducted slabs is the cause of high seismicity in the mantle transition zone.
Originally published at Phys.org