A community benchmark for subduction zone modeling

We have developed a suite of benchmarks to facilitate the comparison of numerical models for the dynamics and thermal structure of subduction zones. The benchmark cases are based on a thermomechanical approach in which the slab is prescribed kinematically and the wedge flow is computed dynamically. We propose various cases to investigate the influence of boundary conditions and rheology on wedge flow and resulting thermal structure. A comparison between the codes suggest that accurate modeling of the thermal field requires a good implementation of the velocity discontinuity along the seismogenic zone and high resolution in the thermal boundary layers. A minor modification to the boundary conditions of the wedge flow is also necessary to avoid a pressure singularity that exists in analytical solutions of the cornerflow model. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.