Origin and character of deep-seated veins from convergent margins

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Earth's surface can be subdivided into several tectonic plates on which the continents sit. Because these plates are in constant motion, continents often collide, forming mountain belts. All of the Earth's great mountain belts such as the Alps, and the Himalayas are formed due to plate collisions. Along these collisional fronts, the Earth's crust is continually consumed as it is buried to great depth, in a process known as subduction, and then recycled when some of this buried crust is brought back to the surface (exhumation). Mountain building and crustal recycling is believed to be driven by the transformation of subducted and tectonically buried crustal rocks to denser material (eclogite). At depths greater than 40 km, the crust is thought to behave plastically because, the high pressure and temperature conditions in the down-going slab are thought to inhibit brittle deformation, which may cause earthquakes. However, many earthquakes occur at depths of 50-300 km. Understanding and predicting the occurrence of earthquakes requires resolving the physical-chemical processes involved in fault movement and the factors controlling stick-slip events in subduction zones. Research into these areas is important because earthquakes are commonly localized around the coastal areas of continents, which are highly populated, such as California and British Colombia, and when located under the ocean, can create tsunamis.