Gravitational energy released when Earth quakes: Heat supply for island-arc volcanism
Abstract
We address a long-standing paradox in plate tectonics concerning the thermodynamics of its very origin: What supplies the thermal energy for the intense island-arc volcanism at the subduction zones, the supposedly cool end of the mantle convection? We surmise a first-principle physics model tracking the gravitational energy (Eg)-heat conversion within the mantle convection. The scenario points to a great amount of Eg release of ~10 TW induced by the thrust-faulting earthquakes that occur predominantly in the upper mantle at the subduction zones. Generally ~1000 times greater than the seismic energy release or nearly a quarter of the total terrestrial heat flow, this Eg release, upon conversion into heat in the irreversible convection process, supplies amply for the island-arc volcanism. Meanwhile similar but opposite and less vigorous Eg gains at ~2 TW occur at the diverging plate boundaries via the normal-faulting earthquakes. This model resolves the said paradox, and more importantly provides a new paradigm pointing to an active role of seismicity in the plate tectonic energetics and evolution of the convecting mantle.
Related
- The big impact of small quakes on tectonic tremor synchronization
- Synergistic optimization and allocation of water-energy-carbon-pollution nexus in Zhengzhou’s water supply system under uncertainty
- Tectonic modulation of caldera volcanism on the South Aegean Volcanic Arc
- 3-D thermomechanical geodynamic modelling of heating and volcanism in the Massif Central (France) and Eifel Volcanic Region (Germany)
- Magma Buoyancy Couples Lunar Mantle Convection and Magmatism: Long-Lasting Mare Volcanism and Radius Change in a 3-D Regional Model
BibTeX
@misc{chao2026gravitational,
title = {{Gravitational energy released when Earth quakes: Heat supply for island-arc volcanism}},
author = {Benjamin F. Chao and Sheng-An Shih and Frederic Deschamps and Eh Tan},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.18036},
eprint = {2609.18036},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.18036},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Gravitational energy released when Earth quakes: Heat supply for island-arc volcanism
AU - Benjamin F. Chao
AU - Sheng-An Shih
AU - Frederic Deschamps
AU - Eh Tan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.18036
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.18036
AB - We address a long-standing paradox in plate tectonics concerning the thermodynamics of its very origin: What supplies the thermal energy for the intense island-arc volcanism at the subduction zones, the supposedly cool end of the mantle convection? We surmise a first-principle physics model tracking the gravitational energy (Eg)-heat conversion within the mantle convection. The scenario points to a great amount of Eg release of ~10 TW induced by the thrust-faulting earthquakes that occur predominantly in the upper mantle at the subduction zones. Generally ~1000 times greater than the seismic energy release or nearly a quarter of the total terrestrial heat flow, this Eg release, upon conversion into heat in the irreversible convection process, supplies amply for the island-arc volcanism. Meanwhile similar but opposite and less vigorous Eg gains at ~2 TW occur at the diverging plate boundaries via the normal-faulting earthquakes. This model resolves the said paradox, and more importantly provides a new paradigm pointing to an active role of seismicity in the plate tectonic energetics and evolution of the convecting mantle.
ER -