Basalts erupted along the Tongan fore-arc during subduction initiation: evidence from geochronology of dredged rocks from the Tonga fore-arc and trench

A wide variety of different rock types were dredged from the Tonga fore arc and trench between 8000 and 3000 m water depths by the 1996 Boomerang voyage. 40Ar-39Ar whole rock and U-Pb zircon dating suggest that these fore arc rocks were erupted episodically from the Cretaceous to the Pliocene (102 to 2 Ma). The geochemistry suggests that MOR-type basalts and dolerites were erupted in the Cretaceous, that island arc tholeiites were erupted in the Eocene and that back arc basin and island arc tholeiite and boninite were erupted episodically after this time. The ages generally become younger northward suggesting that fore arc crust was created in the south at around 48–52 Ma and was extended northward between 35 and 28 Ma, between 9 and 15 Ma and continuing to the present-day. The episodic formation of the fore arc crust suggested by this data is very different to existing models for fore arc formation based on the Bonin-Marianas arc. The Bonin-Marianas based models postulate that the basaltic fore arc rocks were created between 52 and 49 Ma at the beginning of subduction above a rapidly foundering west-dipping slab. Instead a model where the 52 Ma basalts that are presently in a fore arc position were created in the arc-back arc transition behind the 57–35 Ma Loyalty-Three Kings arc and placed into a fore arc setting after arc reversal following the start of collision with New Caledonia is proposed for the oldest rocks in Tonga. This is followed by growth of the fore arc northward with continued eruption of back arc and boninitic magmas after that time

Cretaceous fore-arc basalts from the Tonga arc: Geochemistry and implications for the tectonic history of the SW Pacific

Highlights: • The geochemistry of a Cretaceous Tongan fore-arc basalt (FAB) suite is reported. • The Tonga FAB suite is very similar to the Poya Terrane basalts of New Caledonia. • Similar geochemistry to IBM FAB but not associated with subduction initiation • Possibly a remnant of the hypothesized back-arc East New Caledonia Basin Abstract: The Tonga fore-arc preserves a complex history of subduction initiation, back-arc basin formation and arc volcanism which has extended from the Cretaceous to the present. In this paper, we discuss the geochemistry of a Cretaceous basalt/dolerite/gabbro suite recovered in two dredges from the Tonga fore-arc at ~ 19°S. The geochemistry of the Tonga fore-arc suite is unlike that of the uniformly depleted MORB basalts of the subducting Pacific Plate and therefore is unlikely to be accreted from Pacific Cretaceous crust. The ~ 102 Ma age obtained for one Tongan fore-arc dolerite is contemporaneous with a major phase of Cretaceous subduction-related volcanism, recorded both in detrital zircon age populations and associated volcanics from New Caledonia and New Zealand. We believe that the Tonga fore-arc basalts are a remnant of a hypothesized, once extensive Cretaceous back-arc basin, called the East New Caledonia Basin, which we propose to have existed from ~ 102 to 50 Ma. The allochthonous Poya Terrane of New Caledonia is geochemically very similar to the Tonga fore-arc basalts and represents a younger (~ 84–55 Ma) remnant of the same basin. Subduction-related Cretaceous volcanics from the SW Pacific, representing both arc and back-arc settings, all appear to have similar Zr/Nb values, suggesting a common mantle component in their petrogenesis. The Tonga fore-arc basalts are also similar to fore-arc basalts recovered from the Izu-Bonin-Mariana fore-arc, but unlike these basalts they are not associated with subduction initiation

Ediacaran Obduction of a Fore-Arc Ophiolite in SW Iberia: A Turning Point in the Evolving Geodynamic Setting of Peri- Gondwana

The Calzadilla Ophiolite is an ensemble of mafic and ultramafic rocks that represents the transition between lower crust and upper mantle of a Cadomian (peri-Gondwanan) fore arc. Mapping and structural analysis of the ophiolite demonstrates that it was obducted in latest Ediacaran times, because the Ediacaran-Early Cambrian sedimentary series (Malcocinado Formation) discordantly covers it. The ophiolite and emplacement-related structures are affected by Variscan deformation (Devonian-Carboniferous), which includes SW verging overturned folds (D1) and thrusts (D2), upright folds (D3), extensional faults (D4), and later faults (D5). These phases of deformation are explained in the context of Variscan tectonics as the result of the progressive collision between Gondwana and Laurussia. Qualitative unstraining of Variscan deformation reveals the primary geometry of Ediacaran-Cambrian structures and uncovers the generation of east verging thrusts as responsible for the primary obduction of the Calzadilla Ophiolite. Restoration of planar and linear structures associated with this event indicates an Ediacaran, east directed obduction of the ophiolite, that is, emplacement of the Cadomian fore arc onto inner sections of the northern margin of Gondwana. According to regional data, the obduction separates two extension-dominated stages in the tectonic evolution of the African margin of northern Gondwana preserved in southern Europe. Preobduction extension brought about the onset and widening of fore-arc and back-arc basins in the external part of the continent, while postobduction extension facilitated the formation of extensional migmatitic domes, an oceanward migration of back-arc spreading centers across peri-Gondwana, and the eventual opening of a major basin such as the Rheic Ocean

Reactivation of tectonics, crustal underplating, and uplift after 60 Myr of passive subsidence, Raukumara Basin, Hikurangi-Kermadec fore arc, New Zealand: implications for global growth and recycling of continents

We use seismic reflection and refraction data to determine crustal structure, to map a fore-arc basin containing 12 km of sediment, and to image the subduction thrust at 35 km depth. Seismic reflection megasequences within the basin are correlated with onshore geology: megasequence X, Late Cretaceous and Paleogene marine passive margin sediments; megasequence Y, a similar to 10,000 km(3) submarine landslide emplaced during subduction initiation at 22 Ma; and megasequence Z, a Neogene subduction margin megasequence. The Moho lies at 17 km beneath the basin center and at 35 km at the southern margin. Beneath the western basin margin, we interpret reflective units as deformed Gondwana fore-arc sediment that was thrust in Cretaceous time over oceanic crust 7 km thick. Raukumara Basin has normal faults at its western margin and is uplifted along its eastern and southern margins. Raukumara Basin represents a rigid fore-arc block > 150 km long, which contrasts with widespread faulting and large Neogene vertical axis rotations farther south. Taper of the western edge of allochthonous unit Y and westward thickening and downlap of immediately overlying strata suggest westward or northwestward paleoslope and emplacement direction rather than southwestward, as proposed for the correlative onshore allochthon. Spatial correlation between rock uplift of the eastern and southern basin margins with the intersection between Moho and subduction thrust leads us to suggest that crustal underplating is modulated by fore-arc crustal thickness. The trench slope has many small extensional faults and lacks coherent internal reflections, suggesting collapse of indurated rock, rather than accretion of > 1 km of sediment from the downgoing plate. The lack of volcanic intrusion east of the active arc, and stratigraphic evidence for the broadening of East Cape Ridge with time, suggests net fore-arc accretion since 22 Ma. We propose a cyclical fore-arc kinematic: rock moves down a subduction channel to near the base of the crust, where underplating drives rock uplift, oversteepens the trench slope, and causes collapse toward the trench and subduction channel. Cyclical rock particle paths led to persistent trench slope subsidence during net accretion. Existing global estimates of fore-arc loss are systematically too high because they assume vertical particle paths. Citation: Sutherland, R., et al. (2009), Reactivation of tectonics, crustal underplating, and uplift after 60 Myr of passive subsidence, Raukumara Basin, Hikurangi-Kermadec fore arc, New Zealand: Implications for global growth and recycling of continents, Tectonics, 28, TC5017, doi: 10.1029/2008TC002356

Fore-arc deformation and underplating at the northern Hikurangi margin, New Zealand

Geophysical investigations of the northern Hikurangi subduction zone northeast of New Zealand, image fore‐arc and surrounding upper lithospheric structures. A seismic velocity (Vp) field is determined from seismic wide‐angle data, and our structural interpretation is supported by multichannel seismic reflection stratigraphy and gravity and magnetic modeling. We found that the subducting Hikurangi Plateau carries about 2 km of sediments above a 2 km mixed layer of volcaniclastics, limestone, and chert. The upper plateau crust is characterized by Vp = 4.9–6.7 km/s overlying the lower crust with Vp > 7.1 km/s. Gravity modeling yields a plateau thickness around 10 km. The reactivated Raukumara fore‐arc basin is >10 km deep, deposited on 5–10 km thick Australian crust. The fore‐arc mantle of Vp > 8 km/s appears unaffected by subduction hydration processes. The East Cape Ridge fore‐arc high is underlain by a 3.5 km deep strongly magnetic (3.3 A/m) high‐velocity zone, interpreted as part of the onshore Matakaoa volcanic allochthon and/or uplifted Raukumara Basin basement of probable oceanic crustal origin. Beneath the trench slope, we interpret low‐seismic‐velocity, high‐attenuation, low‐density fore‐arc material as accreted and recycled, suggesting that underplating and uplift destabilizes East Cape Ridge, triggering two‐sided mass wasting. Mass balance calculations indicate that the proposed accreted and recycled material represents 25–100% of all incoming sediment, and any remainder could be accounted for through erosion of older accreted material into surrounding basins. We suggest that continental mass flux into the mantle at subduction zones may be significantly overestimated because crustal underplating beneath fore‐arc highs have not properly been accounted for

Slip inversion along inner fore-arc faults, eastern Tohoku, Japan

The kinematics of deformation in the overriding plate of convergent margins may vary across timescales ranging from a single seismic cycle to many millions of years. In Northeast Japan, a network of active faults has accommodated contraction across the arc since the Pliocene, but several faults located along the inner fore arc experienced extensional aftershocks following the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake, opposite that predicted from the geologic record. This observation suggests that fore-arc faults may be favorable for stress triggering and slip inversion, but the geometry and deformation history of these fault systems are poorly constrained. Here we document the Neogene kinematics and subsurface geometry of three prominent fore-arc faults in Tohoku, Japan. Geologic mapping and dating of growth strata provide evidence for a 5.6–2.2 Ma initiation of Plio-Quaternary contraction along the Oritsume, Noheji, and Futaba Faults and an earlier phase of Miocene extension from 25 to 15 Ma along the Oritsume and Futaba Faults associated with the opening of the Sea of Japan. Kinematic modeling indicates that these faults have listric geometries, with ramps that dip ~40–65°W and sole into subhorizontal detachments at 6–10 km depth. These fault systems can experience both normal and thrust sense slip if they are mechanically weak relative to the surrounding crust. We suggest that the inversion history of Northeast Japan primed the fore arc with a network of weak faults mechanically and geometrically favorable for slip inversion over geologic timescales and in response to secular variations in stress state associated with the megathrust seismic cycle.Funding was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Tectonics Program grant EAR-0809939 to D.M.F. and E.K., Geologic Society of America Graduate Research Grants, and the P.D. Krynine Memorial Fund. The authors thank Gaku Kimura, Kyoko Tonegawa, Hiroko Watanabe, Jun Kameda, and Asuka Yamaguchi for scientific and logistical support, and Kristin Morell for comments on early versions of the manuscript. We also thank Yuzuru Yamamoto and Kohtaro Ujiie for their detailed reviews and suggestions for improvement to the manuscript. The authors acknowledge the use of the Move Software Suite granted by Midland Valley's Academic Software Initiative. Geologic, structural, stratigraphic, and chronologic data used herein are accessible in manuscript figures, and in the citations therein. Input geologic data for trishear kinematic modeling can be accessed in Table 1 and in the supporting information. (EAR-0809939 - National Science Foundation Tectonics Program grant; Geologic Society of America Graduate Research Grants; P.D. Krynine Memorial Fund

Persistent elastic behavior above a megathrust rupture patch: Nias island, West Sumatra

We quantify fore-arc deformation using fossil reefs to test the assumption commonly made in seismic cycle models that anelastic deformation of the fore arc is negligible. Elevated coral microatolls, paleoreef flats, and chenier plains show that the Sumatran outer arc island of Nias has experienced a complex pattern of relatively slow long-term uplift and subsidence during the Holocene epoch. This same island rose up to 2.9 m during the Mw 8.7 Sunda megathrust rupture in 2005. The mismatch between the 2005 and Holocene uplift patterns, along with the overall low rates of Holocene deformation, reflects the dominance of elastic strain accumulation and release along this section of the Sunda outer arc high and the relatively subordinate role of upper plate deformation in accommodating long-term plate convergence. The fraction of 2005 uplift that will be retained permanently is generally <4% for sites that experienced more than 0.25 m of coseismic uplift. Average uplift rates since the mid-Holocene range from 1.5 to −0.2 mm/a and are highest on the eastern coast of Nias, where coseismic uplift was nearly zero in 2005. The pattern of long-term uplift and subsidence is consistent with slow deformation of Nias along closely spaced folds in the north and trenchward dipping back thrusts in the southeast. Low Holocene tectonic uplift rates provide for excellent geomorphic and stratigraphic preservation of the mid-Holocene relative sea level high, which was under way by ∼7.3 ka and persisted until ∼2 ka

The Farallon-Aluk ridge collision with South America: Implications for the geochemical changes of slab window magmas from fore- to back-arc

The collision of a divergent ocean ridge may evolve into two end cases: in the continuity of ocean-floor subduction, or in the detachment of the subducted plate. The northern Patagonia active plate margin has the unique situation that in Cenozoic time it has been subjected to two divergent ridge collisions, each one representing one of the end members. The Neogene Antarctica-Nazca divergent ridge collision evolved as a continuous ocean-floor subduction system, promoting a magmatic hiatus at the arc axis, the obduction of part of the ridge ocean-floor in the fore-arc, and basaltic volcanism in the back-arc. In contrast, the Paleogene Farallon-Aluk divergent ridge collision evolved into a transform margin, with the detachment and sinking of the Aluk plate and the development of a large slab window. As in the previous case, this collision promoted a magmatic hiatus at the arc axis, but the tectono-magmatic scenario changed to postorogenic synextensional volcanism that spread to the former fore-arc (basalt, andesite, rhyolite) and former back-arc (bimodal ignimbrite flare-up, basalt). Geochemistry of this slab window synextensional volcanism shows more MORB-like basalts towards the former fore-arc, and MORB-OIB-like basalts towards the former back-arc. Instead, an isolated undeformable crustal block in the former back-arc, with an "epeirogenic" response to the slab window and extensional regime, was covered by OIB-type basalts after uplift. Major elements show that slab window basalts reach TiO2 values up to 3 wt%, as compared with the top value of 1.5 wt% of arc magmas. Besides, the MgO with respect to (FeOt + Al2O3) ratio helps to distinguish slab window magma changes from the former fore-arc to the former back-arc and also with respect to the "epeirogenic" block. Higher contents of HFS elements such as Nb and Ta also help to distinguish this slab window from arc magmas and also, to distinguish slab window magma changes from the former fore-arc to the former back-arc and "epeirogenic" block settings. The isotope compositions of slab window magmatism show a disparate coeval array from MORB to crustal sources, interpreted as a consequence of the lack of protracted storage and homogenization due to the extensional setting.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Seismic structure of the north-central Chilean convergent margin: Subduction erosion of a paleomagmatic arc

We study the erosive convergent margin of north-central Chile (at similar to 31 degrees S) by using high-resolution bathymetric, wide-angle refraction, and multichannel seismic reflection data to derive a detailed tomographic 2-D velocity-depth model. In the overriding plate, our velocity model shows that the lowermost crustal velocities beneath the upper continental slope are 6.0-6.5km/s, which are interpreted as the continental basement composed by characteristic metamorphic and igneous rocks of the Coastal Cordillera. Beneath the lower and middle continental slope, however, the presence of a zone of reduced velocities (3.5-5.0km/s) is interpreted as the outermost fore arc composed of volcanic rocks hydrofractured as a result of frontal and basal erosion. At the landward edge of the outermost fore arc, the bathymetric and seismic data provide evidence for the presence of a prominent trenchward dipping normal scarp (similar to 1km offset), which overlies a strong lateral velocity contrast from similar to 5.0 to similar to 6.0km/s. This pronounced velocity contrast propagates deep into the continental crust, and it resembles a major normal listric fault. We interpret this seismic discontinuity as the volcanic-continental basement contact of the submerged Coastal Cordillera characterized by a gravitational collapse of the outermost fore arc. Subduction erosion has, most likely, caused large-scale crustal thinning and long-term subsidence of the outermost fore arc

S wave velocity structure below central Mexico using high-resolution surface wave tomography

Shear wave velocity of the crust below central Mexico is estimated using surface wave dispersion measurements from regional earthquakes recorded on a dense, 500 km long linear seismic network. Vertical components of regional records from 90 well-located earthquakes were used to compute Rayleigh-wave group-velocity dispersion curves. A tomographic inversion, with high resolution in a zone close to the array, obtained for periods between 5 and 50 s reveals significant differences relative to a reference model, especially at larger periods (>30 s). A 2-D S wave velocity model is obtained from the inversion of local dispersion curves that were reconstructed from the tomographic solutions. The results show large differences, especially in the lower crust, among back-arc, volcanic arc, and fore-arc regions; they also show a well-resolved low-velocity zone just below the active part of the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) suggesting the presence of a mantle wedge. Low densities in the back arc, inferred from the low shear wave velocities, can provide isostatic support for the TMVB