Heat release from tectonic friction

TrueCreation, I don't know the science behind it, but am not fully convinced about the whole heat creation argument. It all depends on HOW two plates collide. If the one simply sinks below the other, the heat creation is a lot less than if one collides into another as in mountain building processes. I am not mathematical, I could never work out the amount of heat generated for the formation of the main mountain ranges, but surely the heat generated would be limited to the formation of existing mountain ranges? ie what effect would the heat generated in the creation of the Himalayas over say 800 years have on the earth?Two plates sliding over one another as per the Japanese quake, 50 m of ocean floor lost in one day, had no significant heat effects.
Same as the splitting of the Afar rift in 2005, in some areas it split by 30M wide, with no descernible heat effects. So the observed reality as opposed to the theory, is that its possible to have continuous continental drift of many meters in one day, without any significant effects, both in subduction and spreading zones.Edited by mindspawn, : No reason given.Edited by mindspawn, : No reason given.

It seems there have not been much studies on the actual temperatures at subduction zones, so all the maths is just speculation. Just through deductive reasoning its pretty clear that if you move two plates past each other there is less friction than if you collide or grind them roughly into each other. So speculate all you want on the maths, if two plates slide smoothly over one another, this has less effect than if two plates collide, and the effect is as yet unquantified. Guesswork.Moore Foundation grant funds study of Tohoku earthquake fault
Brodsky, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences, helped organize the Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project (JFAST), which successfully drilled across the Tohoku earthquake fault earlier this year and installed a temperature observatory on the fault. The observatory allows scientists for the first time to measure the frictional heat produced by the fault slip of a great subduction-zone earthquake.Earthquakes occur as giant plates in the Earth's crust grind past each other. Tectonic forces push the plates forward, while friction on the faults between plates holds them back. According to Brodsky, the lack of measurements of the frictional force during the sliding motion of an earthquake is one of the major impediments to progress in earthquake science."Observing and analyzing the temperature on the fault following the recent magnitude 9 Tohoku earthquake provides a unique and probably never-again achievable window into this critical value," Brodsky said. "What we learn will inform and prepare us for the next earthquakes, including the one predicted for the Cascadian subduction zone that lies along the coast of Oregon and Washington."

Thanks for explaining that. I believe the slowdown is more related to less mantle instability than kinetic forces (and friction) in the crust itself. But whether the heat under discussion relates to the original kinetic forces and friction, or the friction related to the slowdown of the tectonic activity, the same logic applies, they are still trying to measure tectonic related temperature changes.Edited by mindspawn, : No reason given.

Makes sense, I have to admit there would be significant friction for the slowdown. Let's see what the Japan studies reveal.