The existence of historical flat slabs remains debated. We evaluate past subduction since 200 Ma using global models with data assimilation. By reproducing major Mesozoic slabs whose dip angles satisfy geological constraints, the model suggests a previously unrecognized continental-scale flat slab during the Late Cretaceous beneath East Asia, a result independent of plate reconstructions, continental lithospheric thickness, convergence rate, and seafloor age. Tests show that the pre-Cretaceous subduction history, both along the western Pacific and Tethyan trenches, is the most important reason for the formation of this prominent flat Izanagi slab. Physically, continuing subduction increases the gravitational torque, which, through balancing the suction torque, progressively reduces dynamic pressure above the slab and decreases the slab dip angle. The flat Izanagi slab explains the observed East Asian lithospheric thinning that led to the formation of the North-South Gravity Lineament, tectonic inversion of sedimentary basins, uplift of the Greater Xing'an-Taihang-Xuefeng mountains and the abrupt termination of intraplate volcanism during the Late Cretaceous.

In this study, we for the first time applied a joint geodynamic-geophysical inversion (JGGI) approach to oceanic plateau subduction models, and compared the subduction style and corresponding topography and Bouguer gravity of two representative subduction scenarios with passive or active collision. We showed that the case of passive collision of the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) crust better explains the topography, gravity, and seismic data than the active collision scenario. This implies that the OJP did not control the regional dynamics during the collisional process. We conclude that previous studies may have overestimated the role of the OJP in triggering subduction initiation, subduction polarity reversal, and even Pacific Plate rotation.