Subduction zones are the most seismically active tectonic environment on Earth. Here we report fault‐rock evidence of palaeoearthquakes from a subduction complex. Pseudotachylyte veins formed by shear heating on faults at seismic strain rates contain dendrites, spherulites and acicular minerals characteristic of blueschist facies conditions. The veins have been found in both mantle peridotite and gabbro. Our discovery from Corsica opens a new avenue of research towards understanding mechanisms related to subduction zone earthquakes and the conditions at which these are released.
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Austrheim et al. (2004) studied this question.
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