Subduction is not just about mountain building, volcanoes and driving the plate tectonics systems, its also about biology. Check out this video following an expedition of young geo-biologist, geo-chemist, and geologists exploring how and where biology thrives in the Costa Rica Subduction Zone.

Dr. Billen will be giving a research presentation, “Spontaneous Arc Rifting” on Monday, November 13th at 4 pm in the Geophysics Department at the University of Muenster.  The talk will present background on how rifting of arcs evolves to form back arc spreading centers, previous models for how this occurs, numerical models of subduction with a new mode of arc rifting and the implications for thermal structure and melting during rifting, and changes in plate motions. This talk is based on a paper that is in press at Geophysical Research Letters.