Dynamic uplift during slab flattening

Subduction exerts a strong control on surface topography and is the main cause of large vertical motions in continents, including past events of large-scale marine flooding and tilting. The mechanism is dynamic deflection: the sinking of dense subducted lithosphere gives rise to stresses that directly pull down the surface. Here we show that subduction does not always lead to downward deflections of the Earth's surface. Subduction of young...