Ocean trench blocked and obliterated by Banda forearc collision with Australian proximal continental slope

The bathymetry and abrupt changes in earthquake seismicity around the eastern end of the Java Trench suggest it is now blocked south–east of Sumba by the Australian, Jurassic-rifted, continental margin forming the largely submarine Roti–Savu Ridge. Plate reconstructions have demonstrated that from at least 45 Ma the Java Trench continued far to the east of Sumba. From about 12 Ma the eastern part of the Java Trench (called Banda Trench) continued as the active plate boundary, located between what was to become Timor Island, then part of the Australian proximal continental slope, and the Banda Volcanic Arc. This Banda Trench began to be obliterated by continental margin-arc collision between about 3.5 and 2 Ma.The present position of the defunct Banda Trench can be located by use of plate reconstructions, earthquake seismology, deep reflection seismology, DSDP 262 results and geological mapping as being buried under the para-autochthon below the foothills of southern Timor. Locating the former trench guides the location of the apparently missing large southern part of the Banda forearc that was carried over the Australian continental margin during the final stage of the period of subduction of that continental margin that lasted from about 12 Ma to about 3.5 Ma.Tectonic collision is defined and distinguished from subduction and rollback. Collision in the southern part of the Banda Arc was initiated when the overriding forearc basement of the upper plate reached the proximal part of the Australian continental slope of the lower plate, and subduction stopped. Collision is characterised by fold and thrust deformation associated with the development of structurally high decollements. This collision deformed the basement and cover of the forearc accretionary prism of the upper plate with part of the unsubducted Australian cover rock sequences from the lower plate. Together with parts of the forearc basement they now form the exposed Banda orogen. The conversion of the northern flank of the Timor Trough from being the distal part of the Banda forearc accretionary prism, carried over the Australian continental margin, into a foreland basin was initiated by the cessation of subduction and simultaneous onset of collisional tectonics.This reinterpretation of the locked eastern end of the Java Trench proposes that, from its termination south of Sumba to at least as far east as Timor, and probably far beyond, the Java-Banda Trench and forearc overrode the subducting Australian proximal continental slope, locally to within 60 km of the shelf break. Part of the proximal forearc's accretionary prism together with part of the proximal continental slope cover sequence were detached and thrust northwards over the Java-Banda Trench and forearc by up to 80 km along the southwards dipping Savu Thrust and Wetar Suture. These reinterpretations explain the present absence of any discernible subduction ocean trench in the southern Banda Arc and the narrowness of the forearc, reduced to 30 km at Atauro, north of East Timor.     

西藏南羌塘晚三叠世陆缘俯冲增生造山带的褶皱-冲断与增生杂岩双层结构厘定

增生型造山带形成于活动大陆边缘,以宽阔且延伸稳定的增生杂岩为代表,在大洋板块向大陆板块发生缓慢而复杂的俯冲、碰撞过程中,大洋板块、火山岛弧、海山、大陆碎块等沿逐渐后退的海沟拼贴,仰冲板块前端发生刮削作用、底垫作用和构造剥蚀等作用,使得洋壳物质在海沟内壁增生,具体表现为增生杂岩的形成、垂向和侧向的生长,最终实现陆壳的横向生长。陆陆碰撞期间,加入俯冲通道的被动陆缘也将遭受类似的构造作用,从而形成规模较大的陆缘增生杂岩。因此,造山带增生杂岩的物质组成与结构、形成机制和演化过程对解剖洋陆转换过程中的复杂地球动力学过程具有极为关键的作用。西藏南羌塘增生杂岩是近年来通过走廊性地质填图以及多学科交叉工作得到的研究认识。然而,该增生杂岩的物质组成和结构等关键内容还未得到系统的研究,严重阻碍了对其形成机制和演化过程的理解。因此,本文以时空演化为主线,解剖杂岩物质组成和结构,结合俯冲期和同碰撞期大地构造单元,洞察南羌塘增生杂岩的形成演化过程。本次研究显示:(1)南羌塘增生杂岩具有俯冲杂岩在下、褶皱-冲断带在上的双层结构,二者间为大规模的拆离断层系统;(2)俯冲杂岩内不只含有洋板块地层单元,还含有大量的南羌塘被动陆缘物质;(3)褶皱-冲断带虽主要由被动陆缘物质变形改造而来,也含有属于洋板块地层系统的海山和洋内岛弧等物质。结合同俯冲期弧前盆地和楔顶盆地、同碰撞期晚三叠世岩浆的时空分布,高压变质岩的形成与折返时限,南羌塘增生杂岩内的双层结构应主要是陆陆碰撞过程中被动陆缘俯冲的结果,少量形成于大洋俯冲期间的俯冲反向过程中。本文提出的陆缘俯冲导致南羌塘增生杂岩双层结构的研究认识,对理解南羌塘地壳结构、中生代盆地基底形成演化具有较为重要的意义。     

Bela oceanic lithosphere assemblage and its relation to the Réunion hotspot

The Bela ophiolite of Pakistan contains a complete ophiolite-accretionary wedge-trench sequence emplaced onto the Indian continental margin during the northward drift of India-Seychelles over the active Réunion hotspot. A structurally higher ophiolite overlies an accretionary prism, which is thrust over a foreland basin. Shear-sense determinations in peridotite mylonites in the ophiolite footwall and imbrication structures in the underlying accretionary wedge indicate an ESE emplacement. Sedimentary rocks in the accretionary wedge indicate Aptian-Albian pillow lavas, initially deep water conditions, and increasing influence from the continent until the Maastrichtian. The ophiolite emplacement was predated and accompanied by Fe-tholeiitic and alkaline magmatism related to the Réunion hotspot and continuous incorporation of trench sediments into the accretionary wedge. ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar dating shows that the ophiolite formed around 70 Ma. Intraoceanic subduction initiated between 70 and 65 Ma, obduction onto the Indian passive margin occurred during the formation of the Deccan traps at ≈ 66 Ma, and final thrusting onto the continental margin ended in the early Eocene (≈ 50 Ma). The ophiolite emplacement occurred during the counterclockwise separation of Madagascar and India-Seychelles which caused shortening and consumption of oceanic lithosphere between the African-Arabian and the Indian-Seychelles plates.     

Reloca Slide: an ~24 km3 submarine mass‐wasting event in response to over‐steepening and failure of the central Chilean continental slope

Reloca Slide is the relict of an ~24‐km³ submarine slope collapse at the base of the convergent continental margin of central Chile. Bathymetric and seismic data show that directly to the north and south of the slide the lower continental slope is steep (~10°), the deformation front is shifted landwards by 10–15 km, and the frontal accretionary prism is uplifted. In contrast, ~80 km to the north the lower continental margin presents a lower slope angle of about 4° and a wide frontal accretionary prism. We propose that high effective basal friction conditions at the base of the accretionary prism favoured basal accretion of sediment and over‐steepening of the continental slope, producing massive submarine mass wasting in the Reloca region. This area also spatially correlates with a zone of low coseismic slip of the 2010 Maule megathrust earthquake, which is consistent with high basal frictional coefficients.     

Tectonic,diapiric and sedimentary chaotic rocks of the Rakhine coast,western Myanmar

The western margin of Myanmar is the northern extension the active Sunda (India-Eurasia) subduction zone. Coastal regions and offshore islands have remarkable exposures of chaotic rock terranes along wave-cut terraces that allow characteristics of tectonic, sedimentary and diapiric mélanges to be recognized. Tectonic shear zones (tectonic mélanges) contain fragments of Cretaceous ophiolites (chrome-spinel-bearing peridotites and radiolarian cherts) that are in contact with thrust packets of Eocene turbidite units (broken formations). The turbidites contain shale-rich beds that have been sheared during soft-sediment deformation (sedimentary broken formations) and are sandwiched between undeformed thick sandy beds. These are mass transport deposits (MTDs) that most likely formed during deposition of the initial detritus of the Himalayan orogenic zone, probably trench slope basins on the accretionary prism. The ophiolitic and turbiditic thrust slices have been exhumed and are currently being intruded by active mud volcanoes that bring fragments of units up from depth to the surface, forming diapiric mélanges. These diapiric mélange bodies contain only small fragments (<50 cm) that are randomly oriented and do not exhibit shear fabrics. Because the region lacks superimposed deformation characteristic of most orogenic belts, the origins of all three rock bodies can easily be distinguished.     

Mechanical controls on collision-related compressional intraplate deformation

Intraplate compressional features, such as inverted extensional basins, upthrust basement blocks and whole lithospheric folds, play an important role in the structural framework of many cratons. Although compressional intraplate deformation can occur in a number of dynamic settings, stresses related to collisional plate coupling appear to be responsible for the development of the most important compressional intraplate structures. These can occur at distances of up to ±1600 km from a collision front, both in the fore-arc (foreland) and back-arc (hinterland) positions with respect to the subduction system controlling the evolution of the corresponding orogen. Back-arc compression associated with island arcs and Andean-type orogens occurs during periods of increased convergence rates between the subducting and overriding plates. For the build-up of intraplate compressional stresses in fore-arc and foreland domains, four collision-related scenarios are envisaged: (1) during the initiation of a subduction zone along a passive margin or within an oceanic basin; (2) during subduction impediment caused by the arrival of more buoyant crust, such as an oceanic plateau or a microcontinent at a subduction zone; (3) during the initial collision of an orogenic wedge with a passive margin, depending on the lithospheric and crustal configuration of the latter, the presence or absence of a thick passive margin sedimentary prism, and convergence rates and directions; (4) during post-collisional over-thickening and uplift of an orogenic wedge. The build-up of collision-related compressional intraplate stresses is indicative for mechanical coupling between an orogenic wedge and its fore- and/or hinterland. Crustal-scale intraplate deformation reflects mechanical coupling at crustal levels whereas lithosphere-scale deformation indicates mechanical coupling at the level of the mantle-lithosphere, probably in response to collisional lithospheric over-thickening of the orogen, slab detachment and the development of a mantle back-stop. The intensity of collisional coupling between an orogen and its fore- and hinterland is temporally and spatially variable. This can be a function of oblique collision. However, the build-up of high pore fluid pressures in subducted sediments may also account for mechanical decoupling of an orogen and its fore- and/or hinterland. Processes governing mechanical coupling/decoupling of orogens and fore- and hinterlands are still poorly understood and require further research. Localization of collision-related compressional intraplate deformations is controlled by spatial and temporal strength variations of the lithosphere in which the thermal regime, the crustal thickness, the pattern of pre-existing crustal and mantle discontinuities, as well as sedimentary loads and their thermal blanketing effect play an important role. The stratigraphic record of collision-related intraplate compressional deformation can contribute to dating of orogenic activity affecting the respective plate margin.     

Structural evolution of the Bayanhongor region, west-central Mongolia

Most of previous models suggest that the Central Asia Orogenic Belt grew southward in the Phanerozoic. However, in the Bayanhongor region in west-central Mongolia, volcanic arc, accretionary prism, ophiolite, and passive margin complexes accreted northeastward away from the Baydrag micro-continent, and hence the region constitutes the southwestern part of a crustal-scale syntaxis close to the west. The syntaxis should be original, because presumably reorientation due to strike-slip faulting can be ignored. It is reconfirmed that the Baydrag eventually collided with another micro-continent (the Hangai) to the northeast. A thick sedimentary basin developed along the southern passive margin of the Hangai micro-continent. This region is also characterized by an exhumed metamorphosed accretionary complex and a passive margin complex, which are both bounded by detachment faults as well as basal reverse faults which formed simultaneously as extrusion wedges. This part of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt lacks exhumed crystalline rocks as observed in the Himalayas and other major collisional orogenic belts. In addition, we identified two phases of deformation, which occurred at each phase of zonal accretion as D1 through Cambrian and Devonian, and a synchronous phase of final micro-continental collision of Devonian as D2. The pre-collisional ocean was wide enough to be characterized by a mid-ocean ridge and ocean islands. Two different structural trends of D1 and D2 are observed in accretionary complexes formed to the southwest of the late Cambrian mid-ocean ridge. That is, the relative plate motions on both sides of the mid-ocean ridge were different. Accretionary complexes and passive margin sediments to the northeast of the mid-ocean ridge also experienced two periods of deformation but show the same structural trend. Unmetamorphosed cover sediments on the accretionary prism and on the Hangai micro-continent experienced only the D2 event due to micro-continental collision. These unmetamorphosed sediments form the hanging walls of the detachment faults. Moreover, they were at least partly derived from an active volcanic arc formed at the margin of the Baydrag micro-continent.     

Diapir structure and its constraint on gas hydrate accumulation in the Makran accretionary prism,offshore Pakistan

The Makran accretionary prism is located at the junction of the Eurasian Plate, Arabian Plate and Indian Plate and is rich in natural gas hydrate (NGH) resources. It consists of a narrow continental shelf, a broad continental slope, and a deformation front. The continental slope can be further divided into the upper slope, middle slope, and lower slope. There are three types of diapir structure in the accretionary prism, namely mud diapir, mud volcano, and gas chimney. (1) The mud diapirs can be grouped into two types, namely the ones with low arching amplitude and weak-medium activity energy and the ones with high arching amplitude and medium-strong activity energy. The mud diapirs increase from offshore areas towards onshore areas in general, while the ones favorable for the formation of NGH are mainly distributed on the middle slope in the central and western parts of the accretionary prism. (2) The mud volcanoes are mainly concentrated along the anticline ridges in the southern part of the lower slope and the deformation front. (3) The gas chimneys can be grouped into three types, which are located in piggyback basins, active anticline ridges, and inactive anticline ridges, respectively. They are mainly distributed on the middle slope in the central and western parts of the accretionary prism and most of them are accompanied with thrust faults. The gas chimneys located at different tectonic locations started to be active at different time and pierced different horizons. The mud diapirs, mud volcanoes, and gas chimneys and thrust faults serve as the main pathways of gas migration, and thus are the important factors that control the formation, accumulation, and distribution of NGH in the Makran accretionary prism. Mud diapir/gas chimney type hydrate develop in the middle slope, mud volcano type hydrate develop in the southern lower slope and the deformation front, and stepped accretionary prism type hydrate develop on the central and northern lower slope. The middle slope, lower slope and deformation front in the central and western parts of the Makran accretionary prism jointly constitute the NGH prospect area.     

Development of New Zealand according to the fore-arc model of crustal evolution

Analysis of New Zealand geology using a fore-arc model (Crook, 1980a) leads to the recognition of four arc terrains. The west facing Tuhua volcanic arc was active from the Late Proterozoic until the Middle or Late Cambrian. Post-subduction sediments, neritic in the east and flysch in the west, accumulated on the Tuhua accretionary prism from the Late Cambrian until the Early Devonian. Thermal equilibration, metamorphism, granitoid plutonism and penetrative deformation occurred in the Middle to Late Devonian. A small area of Permian platform cover has escaped later erosion. The east-facing Rangitata Terrain records subduction from Early Permian to late Early Cretaceous. Much of its accretionary prism consists of a submarine fan complex derived from Western Antarctica and carried sideways into the trench. The accretionary prism is thick and completely kratonized in southern New Zealand, but the thickness is more variable northwards. There the overlying Upper Cretaceous to Upper Oligocene post-subduction sequence comprises shelf sediments (implying an intermediate-thickness prism) or flysch followed by shelf sediments (implying a thin prism). During the accumulation of this sequence the Rangitata Terrain was a passive continental margin. The south-facing Jurassic-late Oligocene Northland Terrain collided with this passive margin in northern New Zealand at the end of the Oligocene, forming the Northland Allochthon. Subduction then flipped and the oldest part of the Kaikoura Terrain volcanic arc formed on the outer part of the Northland Terrain. Originally this terrain faced northeast and consumed the southwestern part of the South Fiji Basin crust, but during the Miocene the arc migrated clockwise to assume its present northeastern orientation. The fore-arc model employed here satisfactorily explains most first-order and many second-order features of New Zealand geology without requiring modification, thus attesting to the model's versatility and robustness. New Zealand provides a basis for elaborating some aspects of the model, particularly the transition from the syn- to post-subduction phases of fore-arc evolution. Combination of this study with a similar study of the southeastern Australian Paleozoic yields insights into the Phanerozoic evolution of the Australian: Pacific Plates' active margin.     

Provenance and Evolution of the Guarguariiz Complex, Cordillera Frontal, Argentina

The Guarguardz Complex, basement of the Cordillera Frontal, included in the proposed Chilenia Terrane, consists of metasedimentary rocks deposited in clastic and carbonatic platforms. Turbiditic sequences point out to slope or external platform environments. According to geochemical data, the sedimentary protoliths derived through erosion of a mature cratonic continental basement. Volcanic and subvolcanic rocks with N and E-MORB signature were interbeded in the metasedimentary rocks during basin development. A compressional stage, starting with progressive deformation and metamorphism, followed this extensional stage. Continuing deformation led to the emplacement of slices of oceanic crust, conforming an accretionary prism during Late Devonian. The Guarguardz Complex and equivalent units in western Precordillera and also in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera share common evolutional stages, widely represented along the western Gondwana margin. These evidences imply that Chilenia is not an allochthonous terrane to Gondwana, but a portion of its Early Paleozoic margin. Regional configuration indicates that the Guarguardz Complex and equivalent units represent the accretionary prism of the Famatinian arc (Middle Ordovician-Late Devonian).     

Sequence stratigraphy, structural style, and age of deformation of the Malaita accretionary prism (Solomon arc–Ontong Java Plateau convergent zone)

Possibilities for the fate of oceanic plateaus at subduction zones range from complete subduction of the plateau beneath the arc to complete plateau–arc accretion and resulting collisional orogenesis. Deep penetration, multi-channel seismic reflection (MCS) data from the northern flank of the Solomon Islands reveal the sequence stratigraphy, structural style, and age of deformation of an accretionary prism formed during late Neogene (5–0 Ma) convergence between the 33-km-thick crust of the Ontong Java oceanic plateau and the 15-km-thick Solomon island arc. Correlation of MCS data with the satellite-derived, free-air gravity field defines the tectonic boundaries and internal structure of the 800-km-long, 140-km-wide accretionary prism. We name this prism the “Malaita accretionary prism” or “MAP” after Malaita, the largest and best-studied island exposure of the accretionary prism in the Solomon Islands. MCS data, gravity data, and stratigraphic correlations to islands and ODP sites on the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) reveal that the offshore MAP is composed of folded and thrust faulted sedimentary rocks and upper crystalline crust offscraped from the Solomon the subducting Ontong Java Plateau (Pacific plate) and transferred to the Solomon arc. With the exception of an upper, sequence of Quaternary? island-derived terrigenous sediments, the deformed stratigraphy of the MAP is identical to that of the incoming Ontong Java Plateau in the North Solomon trench.We divide the MAP into four distinct, folded and thrust fault-bounded structural domains interpreted to have formed by diachronous, southeast-to-northwest, and highly oblique entry of the Ontong Java Plateau into a former trench now marked by the Kia–Kaipito–Korigole (KKK) left-lateral strike-slip fault zone along the suture between the Solomon arc and the MAP. The structural style within each of the four structural domains consists of a parallel series of three to four fault propagation folds formed by the seaward propagation of thrust faults roughly parallel to sub-horizontal layering in the upper crystalline part of the OJP. Thrust fault offsets, spacing between thrusts, and the amplitude of related fault propagation folds progressively decrease to the west in the youngest zone of active MAP accretion (Choiseul structural domain). Surficial faulting and folding in the most recently deformed, northwestern domain show active accretion of greater than 1 km of sedimentary rock and 6 km, or about 20%, of the upper crystalline part of the OJP. The eastern MAP (Malaita and Ulawa domains) underwent an earlier, similar style of partial plateau accretion. A pre-late Pliocene age of accretion (3.4 Ma) is constrained by an onshore and offshore major angular unconformity separating Pliocene reefal limestone and conglomerate from folded and faulted pelagic limestone of Cretaceous to Miocene age. The lower 80% of the Ontong Java Plateau crust beneath the MAP thrust decollement appears unfaulted and unfolded and is continuous with a southwestward-dipping subducted slab of presumably denser plateau material beneath most of the MAP, and is traceable to depths >200 km in the mantle beneath the Solomon Islands.     

Evidence for fluid circulation, overpressure and tectonic style along the Southern Chilean margin

The southern Chilean convergent margin, between 50° and 57° S, is shaped by the interaction of the three main plates: Antarctic, South America and Scotia. North of 53° S, the convergence between Antarctic and South America plates is close to orthogonal to the continental margin strike. Here, the deformational style of the accretionary prism is mainly characterized by seaward-verging thrusts and locally by normal faults and fractures, a very limited lateral extension of prism, a very shallow dip ( 6°) décollement, and subduction of a thick and relatively undeformed trench sedimentary sequence. South of 53° S, convergence is oblique to the margin, locally, the trench sediments are proto-deformed by double vergence thrusting and the front of the prism grows through landward-verging thrusting. The décollement is sub-horizontal and deep, involving most of the sediment over the oceanic crust in the accretionary process, building a comparatively wide and thicker prism. A Bottom Simulating Reflector is present across the whole prism to the abyssal plan, suggesting the presence of gas in the sediments.The analysis of P- and S-wave velocity reflectivity sections, derived by amplitude versus offset technique (AVO), detailed velocity information and the velocity-derived sediment porosity have been integrated with the structural analysis of the accretionary prism of two selected pre-stack depth migrated seismic lines, aiming to explain the relation between fluid circulation and tectonics.Accretion along double vergence thrust faults may be associated with the presence of overpressured fluid, which decreases the effective shear stress coefficient along the main décollement and within the sediments, and modify the rheolgical properties of rocks. The presence of an adequate drainage network, represented by interconnected faults and fractures affecting the entire sedimentary sequence, can favour the escape of pore fluid toward the sea bottom, while, less permeable and not faulted sediments can favour fluid accumulations. Gravitational and tectonic dewatering, and stratigraphy could control the consolidation and the pore overpressure of sediments involved in subduction along the trench. The results of our analysis suggest the existence of a feedback between tectonic style and fluid circulation.     

The sedimentological evolution of a Lower Palaeozoic accretionary fore-arc in the Southern Uplands of Scotland

Thick turbidites accumulated along the northern margin of the Iapetus Ocean in Britain from mid-Ordovician to late Silurian times. Recent plate tectonic reconstructions hold that, during subduction, packets of these sediments, together with the underlying pelagic facies and thin portions of the uppermost ocean crust, were stripped from the descending plate and accreted to the inner trench wall on the Laurentian (North American) continental margin. The resulting accretionary prism is represented today by the Ordovician and Silurian rocks of the Southern Uplands of Scotland and the Longford-Down massif of Ireland. In these areas major reverse faults separate tracts of steeply dipping greywackes and mudstones with minor amounts of cherts and basalts. These tracts are up to several kilometres wide; their constituent beds face predominantly to the northwest, away from the site of the ancient ocean, while becoming progressively younger in each major fault slice towards the Iapetus suture in the southeast. From the stratigraphic sequences in these fault slices the sedimentary history of a portion of the Iapetus Ocean, and the British sector of its northern margin, can be reconstructed. In the Southern Uplands the earliest turbidites (mid- and late-Ordovician) are preserved in the northernmost fault slices. Regional facies trends, and vertical facies analysis, suggest that they accumulated in a trench dominated by a series of relatively small lower trench slope-derived fans. Pelagic sediments of the same age are found in the fault slices to the south, suggesting that the Ordovician turbidites were confined to the trench. During the lower and middle Llandovery, volcaniclastic trench turbidites were separated from quartz-rich ocean-floor turbidites (represented in the southern fault slices) by an elongate rise, on which pelagic deposits accumulated. This is interpreted as the outer trench high. In late Llandovery times the rise was overwhelmed, and thick laterally derived quartzose turbidites blanketed both the trench and the ocean floor. Sedimentation was strongly influenced by the evolution of the accretionary prism. By Llandovery times a trench slope break had emerged, supplying sediment both south to the trench and north to an upper slope basin in the Midland Valley of Scotland. In this basin early Silurian turbidites were followed by shallow-water and terrestrial sediments. Most of the sediment was derived from the emergent trench slope break: the volcanic arc and the Grampian orogenic belt to the north provided little or no detritus. Throughout the Ordovician and Silurian, sediment in the trench and on the ocean floor was derived from the volcanic arc, from the lower trench slope/trench slope break, from a degrading plutonic/metamorphic terrain (the Grampian Orogen), and locally by a minor amount of submarine sliding from carbonate-capped volcanic seamounts. Progressive elevation of the trench slope break in Silurian (and perhaps late Ordovician) times indicates that sediment from the arc-orogen hinterland must have bypassed the upper slope in the unexposed section of the margin to the northeast of the Southern Uplands, and travelled into the area axially along the trench floor.     

Tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Upper Prealpine nappe (Switzerland and France): nappe formation by Late Cretaceous-Paleogene accretion

Abstract

The Upper Prealpine nappe of the Swiss and French Prealps consists of a composite stack of various tectonic slivers (Gets, Simme, Dranse and Sarine sub-nappes, from top to bottom). The structural superposition and stratigraphic content of the individual sub-nappes suggests a successive stacking at the South Penninic/Adriatic transition zone during the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene. The present paper deals with two aspects. (1) new data obtained from the Complexe de base Series of the Dranse sub-nappe which underlies the Helminthoid Sandstone Formation, and (2) the development of a geodynamic accretionary model for the Upper Prealpine nappe stacking.

The Complexe de base Series reveals a succession of black shales at the base, grading upward into variegated red/green and red shales which were deposited in an abyssal plain environment starved of clastic input. It is overlain by the Helminthoid Sandstone Formation. The combined analysis of planktic and agglutinated benthic foraminifera and comparisons with other Tethyan series suggest an Albian to Campanian age of the Complexe de base succession. Tectonic transport of the abyssal plain segment into a trench environment allowed for the stratigraphic superposition by the Helminthoid sandstone sequence. The present findings combine well with the general scheme of the Upper Prealpine nappe stack and several single results on parts of the nappe stack. We take that opportunity to present a comprehensive model for the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Upper Prealpine nappe.

We suggest that Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous asymmetric (?) extension at the South Penninic-Adriatic margin created an extensional alloehthon. Later during the mid-Cretaceous, the start of convergence drove the obduction of oceanic crust on the northern margin of the extensional allochthon. The resulting ophiolitic/continental source supplied clasts to the trench basin in front (Manche turbidite series), and the backarc basin (Mocausa Formation) and abyssal plain (Perrières turbidite series) to the South. During Middle to Late Coniacian the main Adriatic margin was thrusted over the obductionrelated mixed belt and established an incipient accretionary prism containing the former trench, backarc and abyssal plain basin fill series. During this stage the Gueyraz (melange) Complex formed, which separates the trench series from the retroarc and abyssal plain formations. On top of the incipient accretionary prism a forearc basin developed hosting the Hundsrück Formation. The frontal abyssal plain formation (Complexe de base) still received few turbiditic intercalations. From Campanian time on, the forearc basin was bypassed and deposition of the Helminthoid Sandstone Formation occurred on the Complexe de base succession. During the Maastrichtian the abyssal plain and trench fill succession (Dranse nappe) was accreted to the incipient wedge, and in front of a newly active buttress, the Gurnigel trench basin was established. Another accretionary event during latest Paleocene/earliest Eocene added parts of that trench series to the base of the wedge (Sarine nappe). During the Late Eocene the accretionary wedge and remaining trench fill series (Gurnigel nappe) were thrusted en-bloc over the Middle Penninic limestone nappes and partly overtook the latter. Continued shortening of the resulting nappe pile and out-of-sequence thrusting accomplished the overriding of the Middle Penninic units over the former South Penninic Gurnigel trench series (inversion of palaeogeographic domains).     

Evolution of the Taupo-Hikurangi subduction system

The present day Taupo-Hikurangi subduction system is a southward extension of the Tonga-Kermadec Arc system into a sediment-rich continental margin environment. It consists of a shallow structural trench (the Hikurangi Trough), a 150 km wide, imbricate thrust controlled accretionary borderland (the continental slope, shelf, and coastal hills of eastern North Island), a frontal ridge (the main “greywacke” ranges of North Island), and a volcanic arc and marginal basin (the Taupo Volcanic Zone).Structural elements become progressively more elevated and subduction more oblique towards the south. The whole NNE-trending system is truncated at a largely strike-slip, transform boundary that extends along the southwestern part of the Hikurangi Trough and the Hope fault of South Island to the main Alpine Fault.The volcanic arc is 200–270 km from the structural trench and comprises a NNE trending chain of andesite-dacite volcanoes extending along the eastern side of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Most of the andesites are olivine-bearing and have been erupted within the last 50,000 years.It is suggested the Taupo-Hikurangi margin has evolved by rotation of accretionary elements, from an original NW-trending subduction system north of New Zealand. The older elements of the prism were associated with subduction of a re-entrant of the Pacific Plate (and perhaps the South Fiji Basin) in Mid Tertiary times. They subsequently became separated from their NW-trending volcanic arc by dextral strike-slip movement along curved faults east of the main “greywacke” ranges. During the Plio-Pleistocene, oblique subduction and accretion intensified as the Taupo-Hikurangi margin rotated into line with the NNE-trending Kermadec system and a marginal basin was developed along a similar trend to form the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Within the last 50,000 years olivine-bearing andesite volcanism has commenced along the eastern side of the Taupo Volcanic Zone.     

构造控制型天然气水合物矿藏及其特征

构造环境是天然气水合物富集成藏的重要控制因素,增生楔、断裂体系、褶皱、(泥)底辟、滑塌等特殊构造体是影响天然气水合物成藏的主要地质载体。通过对这些特殊构造体与天然气水合物成藏关系的研究,结合流体活动对水合物形成的影响,总结出陆缘地区有增生楔型、盆缘斜坡型、埋藏背斜型、断褶型、滑塌型及底辟型等六类构造控制型水合物矿藏。南海位于欧亚板块、太平洋板块及印澳板块的交汇处,早期为活动陆缘,晚期演化为被动陆缘,其构造活动具有早期张裂、后期挤压的特点,这既不同于被动陆缘,也有别于活动陆缘,可视为“复合型”大陆边缘,兼具了“被动陆缘沉积速率高、活动陆缘构造活跃”的优点,从而形成了“增生楔型、断褶型、底辟型、滑塌型、盆缘斜坡型”等多种构造控制型水合物矿藏,是“复合型”大陆边缘水合物成藏地质模式的典型代表。     

Fluid venting along Japanese trenches: tectonic context and thermal modeling

Large benthic chemosynthetic communities have been observed at four main locations during the Kaiko submersible dives in the Japanese trenches. They appear to be associated with venting along fractures. The first site for our observation was along the Japan and Kuril trenches where the continental margin is eroded by the subducting plate and collapses into the trench. The benthic communities there seem to be related to tension gashes parallel to the subduction vector. The other communities were found on the toe of the Nankai accretionary prism, along the frontal thrust and tension gashes. The temperature anomaly associated with one of the communities is modeled to constrain the upward flow of interstitial water. As the anomaly has a small spatial extent and as the peak thermal gradient is high, the best fitting model is to be found in a vertical upward flow at a velocity of 100 m/yr in a cylindrical conduit leading out of an underlying shallow thrust.     

Ancient synsedimentary structural control on thrust ramp development: an example from the Northern Apennines, Italy

The Umbria-Marche-Sabina foreland fold and thrust belt (Northern Apennines, Italy) provides excellent test-cases for the hypothesis of ancient syndepositional structural features controlling thrust ramp development. The sedimentary cover, Late Triassic to Miocene in age, is made of platform and pelagic carbonates, whose deposition was controlled by significant synsedimentary extension. Normal faulting, mainly during the Jurassic and the Late Cretaceous-Palaeogene, determined sensible lateral thickness variations within the relative sequences. By late Miocene the sedimentary cover was detached from its basement along a mainly evaporitic horizon, and was deformed by means of eastward-verging folds and thrusts.
In order to locate the points where thrust ramps branch-off the basal detachment, both line-length and equal-area techniques were used in the construction of a balanced cross-section through three major fault-related folds in southeastern Umbria. The nucleation of thrust ramps was controlled by the occurrence of Jurassic and Cretaceous-Palaeogene synsedimentary normal faults. These interrupted the lateral continuity of the evaporitic unit (the Late Triassic Anidriti di Burano Fm.) at the base of the sedimentary cover, and acted as obstacles to the eastward propagation of the thrust system, giving rise to major folds which originated from tip-line folding processes.
Therefore, the inferred relationships between ancient normal faults and late thrusts indicate that synsedimentary tectonic structures and the related lateral stratigraphic variations can be envisaged as mechanically important perturbations, which effectively control the nucleation and development of thrust ramps.     

Turbidite system architecture and sedimentary processes along topographically complex slopes: the Makran convergent margin

This study investigates the morphology and Late Quaternary sediment distribution of the Makran turbidite system (Makran subduction zone, north‐west Indian Ocean) from a nearly complete subsurface mapping of the Oman basin, two‐dimensional seismic and a large set of coring data in order to characterize turbidite system architecture across an active (fold and thrust belt) margin. The Makran turbidite system is composed of a dense network of canyons, which cut into high relief accreted ridges and intra‐slope piggyback basins, forming at some locations connected and variably tortuous paths down complex slopes. Turbidite activity and trench filling rates are high even during the Holocene sea‐level highstand conditions. In particular, basin‐wide, sheet‐like thick mud turbidites, probably related to major mass wasting events of low recurrence time, drape the flat and unchannellized Oman abyssal plain. Longitudinal depth profiles show that the Makran canyons are highly disrupted by numerous thrust‐related large‐scale knickpoints (with gradients up to 20° and walls up to 500 m high). At the deformation front, the strong break of slope can lead to the formation of canyon‐mouth ‘plunge pools’ of variable shapes and sizes. The plunge pools observed in the western Makran are considerably larger than those previously described in sub‐surface successions; the first insights into their internal architecture and sedimentary processes are presented here. Large plunge pools in the western Makran are associated with large scoured areas at the slope break and enhanced sediment deposition downstream: high‐amplitude reflectors are observed inside the plunge pools, while their flanks are composed of thin‐bedded, fine‐grained turbidites deposited by the uppermost part of the turbidity flows. Thus, these architectural elements are associated with strong sediment segregation leading to specific trench‐fill mechanisms, as only the finer‐grained component of the flows is transferred to the abyssal plain. However, the Makran accretionary prism is characterized by strong along‐strike variability in tectonics and fluvial input distribution that might directly influence the turbidite system architecture (i.e. canyon entrenchment, plunge pool formation or channel development at canyon mouths), the sedimentary dynamics and the resulting sediment distribution. Channel formation in the abyssal plain and trench‐fill characteristics depend on the theoretical ‘equilibrium’ conditions of the feeder system, which is related closely to the balance between erosion rates and tectonic regime. Thus, the Makran turbidite system constitutes an excellent modern analogue for deep‐water sedimentary systems with structurally complex depocentres, in convergent margin settings.     

Incipient subduction of the Ontong Java Plateau along the North Solomon trench

The Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) in the western central Pacific is the largest and thickest oceanic plateau and one of a few oceanic plateaus converging on an island arc (Solomon island arc—SIA). To better understand the evolution of the North Solomon trench (NST), active oblique convergence between the OJP and SIA, and late Neogene development of Malaita accretionary prism (MAP), we present 850 km of multichannel seismic reflection data integrated with 7832 km² of IZANAGI side-scan sonar coverage. We have focussed the study at the transition area between the well-defined northwestern end of the North Solomon trench and a diffusely deformed area where the trench is actively propagating in a northwestward direction. The deeper structure beneath the survey area is discussed by Phinney et al. [Oceanic plateau accretion in the Malaita accretionary prism inferred from multi-channel seismic reflection data, this issue] using deeper penetration, multichannel seismic reflection lines. The serial cross sections provided by multichannel seismic profiling combined with the IZANAGI backscattering imagery provides a time series evolution for the development of the North Solomon trench. The main evolutionary stages include (1) the incipient trench in the northern area marked by a diffuse zone of deformation above a broad arch in the crust. Deeper penetration profiles by Phinney et al. show the bulge is related to a deeper decollement fault that is propagating upward and seaward through the crust. (2) The formation of a continuous thrust front in the central area. Deeper penetration profiles by Phinney et al. show this thrust front is surface expression of the same decollement present at depth to the north. The boundary between the surface trace of the thrust and the diffuse area of deformation in the northern area is inferred as a vertical, high-angle tear fault with left-lateral offset. (3) The formation of a deep, elongate trench which controls gravitationally related slumping and sedimentation around the steep edges of the trench fill basin. The areas to the southeast are those that have undergone convergence for the longest period of time and therefore show better developed trench structures and a reduced width of the MAP. Areas to the northwest have undergone convergence for a shorter period of time and show less developed trench structures and a wide area of the MAP.