Origin and character of deep-seated veins from convergent margins

地球表面可以细分为几个大陆所在的构造板块。由于这些板块在不断运动，大陆经常发生碰撞，形成山带。地球上所有的大山脉，如阿尔卑斯山和喜马拉雅山脉，都是由于板块碰撞而形成的。沿着这些碰撞前沿，地壳被不断地消耗，因为它被埋藏到很深的地方，这一过程被称为俯冲，然后当被埋藏的地壳中的一部分带回地表时(挖掘)，地壳被回收。造山和地壳再循环被认为是由俯冲和构造埋藏的地壳岩石转变为更致密的物质(榴辉岩)所推动的。在超过40公里的深度，地壳被认为表现为塑性，因为下行板块中的高压和温度条件被认为抑制了脆性变形，这可能会引发地震。然而，许多地震发生在50-300公里深的地方。了解和预测地震的发生，需要解决与断层运动有关的物理化学过程，以及俯冲带中控制粘滑事件的因素。对这些地区的研究很重要，因为地震通常发生在人口稠密的大陆沿海地区，如加利福尼亚州和不列颠哥伦比亚省，当地震位于海底时，可能会引发海啸。

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.