Illustrates the geologic processes commonly found at ocean-continent subduction zones.

This movie was created to show the formation of Cretaceous rocks in California, including the Sierra Nevada granite batholiths, Great Valley sediments, and the Franciscan Formation accretionary wedge, but it applies in a general way to many ocean-continent subduction zones past and present.

To view this movie, click on the images.

Download: subduction movie (2.5 MB)

Drawn and animated by Tanya Atwater and John Iwerks using Photoshop, Morph and Final Cut.

Comments on this and all of the materials offered on this site are welcomed: atwater@geol.ucsb.edu