Can microplate rotation drive subduction inversion?

We propose a model for the exhumation of Late Miocene coesite-eclogite in the Woodlark Rift of Papua New Guinea. Reorganization within the obliquely convergent Australian-Pacific plate boundary zone led to formation of the Woodlark microplate. Counterclockwise rotation of the microplate relative to the Australian plate resulted in extensional reactivation of a subduction thrust (subduction inversion) and the exhumation of high- and ultrahigh-pressure (HP-UHP) rocks within the Australian-Woodlark plate boundary zone. The model invokes plate tectonic processes to drive rapid exhumation and predicts spatial and temporal patterns of exhumation to assess its applicability to HP-UHP terranes worldwide.