The steeply subducting edge of the Cocos Ridge: Evidence from receiver functions beneath the northern Talamanca Range, south‐central Costa Rica

A steeply dipping subducting slab, reaching depths of at least 70–100 km with an 80° angle, has been identified beneath the northern Talamanca Range in south-central Costa Rica. This finding, derived from receiver function analysis using broadband seismometers, challenges previous assumptions about the subduction zone's structure and suggests a possible transition to shallow-angle underthrusting. The study, which integrates data from local seismicity, tomography, and active seismic studies, reveals that the Cocos Plate slab maintains its steep dip even near the trench, indicating an ongoing reconfiguration of subduction dynamics in this region.

Dzierma, Y., Rabbel, W., Thorwart, M. M., Flueh, E. R., Mora, M. M., & Alvarado, G. E. (2011). The steeply subducting edge of the Cocos Ridge: Evidence from receiver functions beneath the northern Talamanca Range, south‐central Costa Rica. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 12(4). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010gc003477