Dehydration and earthquakes in the subducting slab: empirical link in intermediate and deep seismic zones

In this study, a close link between the depth-distribution of subduction-zone earthquakes and dehydration events in the hydrated slab-peridotite is established. A phase diagram up to 27 GPa in the MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O (MASH) system was constructed using a combination of thermodynamic calculation and Schreinemakers analysis on previous experimental data. At intermediate-depths (