The gravity fields of Palawan and New Caledonia: insights into the subsurface geometries of ophiolites

Abstract

New gravity data from Palawan, in the western Philippines, emphasize resemblances to New Caledonia. On both islands, ophiolites derived from root zones just offshore rest on basal surfaces that change abruptly in depth by as much as 5 km. The subsurface geometries of these thrust sheets are as important to an understanding of their emplacement histories as are their exposure patterns