Abstract
The authors applied the complex function method for two dimensional, viscous flow to the wedge-shaped region called as subduction zone formed by the continental plate and the oceanic plate.
The assumption that the mantle under the plate is a highly viscous and Newtonian fluid makes it possible to theoretically calculate both stream and pressure fields in mantles. It is also found that the pressure at the point of the wedge is low if there is no source at the point, and that the pressure becomes very high if a source is formed at the point of the wedge. This hydrodynamical effect is similar to the phenomena associated with the conventional elastic plate model.
