subducie

Subducie is a term occasionally used in geology to refer to the initiation phase of subduction—the process by which one tectonic plate begins to descend beneath another at a convergent boundary. The word is not standard in most textbooks; it appears primarily in pedagogical contexts or in discussions intended to emphasize the onset of subduction rather than its mature, steady-state phase. Etymologically it is drawn from Latin subducere, meaning to lead under, though in formal literature the process is usually described as subduction initiation or the development of a subduction zone.

In concept, subducie encompasses the conditions and mechanisms that allow a plate to begin downward motion into the mantle. This includes factors such as compressional stresses in the overriding plate, differences in plate buoyancy, presence of weaker crust or mantle lithosphere, and variations in rheology that enable slab tunneling into the mantle. The early stage features trench formation, bending of the lithosphere, and the initiation of downhill flow of the downgoing slab, followed by mantle flow around the slab and hydration of the mantle wedge, which can influence volcanic activity along the arc.

Because subduction initiation is a complex, debated topic in geophysics, the term subducie remains informal. Researchers study it through numerical models, analog experiments, seismic imaging, and reconstructions of ancient subduction zones. See also subduction zone, plate tectonics, and subduction initiation.