Assessment of flexural analysis applied to the Sumatra-Java subduction zone

Indian Ocean subduction zone is one of the most active plate margins of the globe as evident from its vast record of great magnitude earthquake and tsunami events. We use Bouguer admittance (Morlet isostatic response function) in Sumatra-Java subduction zones comprising both the subduction and over-riding plates to determine the lithospheric mechanical strength variations. We determine effective elastic thickness (T _e ) for five oceanic windows (size 990 × 990 km²) by analyzing the admittance using Bouguer gravity and bathymetry data. The results show bimodal T _e values < 20 km for Sumatra and 20−40 km for Java. The lower bimodal values obtained for Sumatra appears to correlate well with the zones of historical seismicity. This is in sharp contrast with Java subduction zone, which shows higher T _e values (20–40 km) and apparently associated with low magnitude earthquakes. We suggest a strong and wide interseismic coupling for Sumatra between the subducting and over-riding plates, and deeper mantle contributing to low strength, shallow focus — high magnitude seismicity and vice versa for Java, leading to their seismogenic zonation.     

Spatial variations in the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere in Southeast Asia

As a proxy for long-term lithospheric strength, detailed information on lateral effective elastic thickness (T_e) variations can aid in understanding the distribution pattern of surface deformation and its response to long-term forces. Here we present high-resolution maps of spatial variations of T_e for the complex SE Asian region by analyzing the coherence of topography and Bouguer gravity anomaly data. We find that after considering the gravity deficit of less dense sediment, the recovered T_e maps are more representative of the geology, particularly in elongated rift basins. The results show that the T_e variation pattern in SE Asia, in general, agrees well with its tectonic provinces and major tectonic boundaries. The oceanic basins, the Indosinian suture zones between the Indochina and Sibumasu blocks, and the Makassar Strait are characterized by low T_e, while moderate and high T_e values are recovered in the Khorat plateau, West Burma, the Singapore Ridge, the Con Song Swell, Borneo, the northern Australian margin and the Molucca Sea. The T_e pattern in the south Indonesian margin is complicated by the approach and collision of oceanic plateaus and seamounts with the fore-arc region. The heterogeneous strength features are consistent with the complex assemblage of different tectonic units, and significant deformation during Cenozoic tectonic events. In the Indochina Peninsula, the extruded displacement during the India-Eurasia collision might have been partitioned and absorbed by the combined mechanism of the extrusion and viscous tectonic models. As a result, the offshore displacements of the major strike-slip faults in the South China Sea are much smaller than originally assumed, thus having less effect on the development of the South China Sea than other mechanisms such as the slab pull of the proto-South China Sea. Since the displacement driven by the boundary tectonic forces has been greatly absorbed and decreased by subduction and deformation in the active margins and adjacent weak regions, the motion velocity of the interior regions is greatly lower than the boundary active margins, and they are largely free of seismicity and volcanism. Our results suggest that East Borneo might share a similar crustal basement, and represent a broad tectonic zone of the destroyed Meso-Tethys Ocean extending from West-Middle Java, through East Borneo to northern Borneo of the Sarawak and Sabah. The Indosinian zones between the Indochina and Sibumasu blocks might extend further southeastward across Billiton Island to offshore of southern Borneo, and the Singapore platform and SW Borneo might belong to the same block. The results also show that the internal load fraction F is high in the coastal area of South China, the northern margin of the South China Sea, and the coastal area of Indochina, which, in general, agrees with the distribution of a high-velocity lower crustal layer and Late Cenozoic basaltic rocks.     

Forces acting on a subducting oceanic plate

Free conductive flows in the asthenosphere, layer C, and subduction zone are considered on the basis of experimental and theoretical simulation. The main forces acting on the oceanic lithospheric plate in the subduction zone are described. The horizontally directed forces arising due to free convection in the asthenosphere and transferring the oceanic lithospheric plate toward subduction zone have been estimated. These are friction force F_a and force of gravitational sliding F _rd. Thermogravitational force F _tg, which is created because the subducting lithospheric plate has a lower average temperature than the ambient mantle, is estimated. The force created owing to phase transitions in the subducted plate has been estimated as well. The tangential stress at the contact of the subducting plate with the continental lithosphere and underlying upper mantle has been determined. The horizontal force arising due to different lateral temperature gradients in the upper mantle on the left and on the right of the subducting plate has been estimated. The results of experimental modeling of the effect exerted upon subduction by counter free convective flows developing in the asthenosphere are considered. The experiments show that the position of the descending free convective flow and thus of the subduction zone depends on the ratio of the thermal power of astehnospheric countercurrents. The pressure arising near the 670 km boundary gives rise to spreading of the subducting plate over this boundary.     

Mechanisms of continental subduction and exhumation of HP and UHP rocks

We discuss possible scenarios of continental collision, and their relation to mechanisms of exhumation of HP and UHP rocks, inferred from thermo-mechanical numerical models accounting for thermo-rheological complexity of the continental lithosphere. Due to this complexity, mechanisms of continental convergence are versatile and different, in many aspects from those that control oceanic subduction. Elucidating these mechanisms from conventional observations is difficult, and requires additional constraints such as those derived from petrological data. Indeed, exhumation of HP/UHP rocks is an integral part of convergent processes, and burial/exhumation dynamics inferred from metamorphic P–T–t paths provides strong constraints on the collision scenarios. Metamorphic rocks also play an active role due to their contrasting physical properties (rheology, density, fluid transport capacity). Numerical thermo-mechanical experiments suggest that HP/UHP exhumation can only be produced in subduction contexts, as well as that long-lasting (> 10 Myr) continental subduction can only occur in case of cold strong lithospheres (T_Moho < 550 °C, the equivalent elastic thickness T_e > 50 km) and of relatively high convergence rates (> 3–5 cm yr^− 1 ). In this case, high density UHP material in the crustal part of subduction interface provides additional pull on the slab and is not always exhumed to the surface. In case of slower convergence and/or weaker lithosphere (T_e < 40 km), continental subduction is a transient process that takes a limited time span in the evolution of collision zone. Under these conditions, hot mechanically weak UHP rocks enhance decoupling between the upper and lower plate while their exhumation may be rapid (faster than convergence rate) and abundant. Therefore, the UHP exhumation paths can be regarded as sensitive indicators of subduction. Rheological changes and fluid exchanges associated with low-to-middle pressure phase transitions along the subduction interface, such as serpentinization during the oceanic phase and schisting, play a major role producing necessarily mechanical softening of the subduction interface and of the hydrated mantle wedge. The oceanic UHP rocks are exhumed thanks to mixing with low-density continental crustal units during transition from oceanic to continental subduction. At the continental phase, the UHP exhumation occurs as a result of a multi-stage process: at the deep stage (< 40 km depth) the exhumation is rapid and is driven by buoyancy of partly metamorphosed (or partly molten) UHP material often mixed with non-metamorphosed crustal volumes. At final stages, exhumation takes common slow path through the accretion prism mechanism and the erosional denudation. The experiments suggest that formation of UHP rocks requires that continental subduction starts at higher oceanic subduction rate. It then may progressively slow down until the lockup of the subduction interface and/or slab-break-off. A rate of ~ 1–2 cm yr^− 1 is generally sufficient to drive continental subduction during the first several Myr of convergence, but pertinent subduction requires faster convergence rates (> 3–5 cm yr^− 1). We suggest that most continental orogenic belts could have started their formation from continental subduction but this process has been generally limited in time.     

Amount of Asian lithospheric mantle subducted during the India/Asia collision

Body wave seismic tomography is a successful technique for mapping lithospheric material sinking into the mantle. Focusing on the India/Asia collision zone, we postulate the existence of several Asian continental slabs, based on seismic global tomography. We observe a lower mantle positive anomaly between 1100 and 900 km depths, that we interpret as the signature of a past subduction process of Asian lithosphere, based on the anomaly position relative to positive anomalies related to Indian continental slab. We propose that this anomaly provides evidence for south dipping subduction of North Tibet lithospheric mantle, occurring along 3000 km parallel to the Southern Asian margin, and beginning soon after the 45 Ma break-off that detached the Tethys oceanic slab from the Indian continent. We estimate the maximum length of the slab related to the anomaly to be 400 km. Adding 200 km of presently Asian subducting slab beneath Central Tibet, the amount of Asian lithospheric mantle absorbed by continental subduction during the collision is at most 600 km. Using global seismic tomography to resolve the geometry of Asian continent at the onset of collision, we estimate that the convergence absorbed by Asia during the indentation process is ~ 1300 km. We conclude that Asian continental subduction could accommodate at most 45% of the Asian convergence. The rest of the convergence could have been accommodated by a combination of extrusion and shallow subduction/underthrusting processes. Continental subduction is therefore a major lithospheric process involved in intraplate tectonics of a supercontinent like Eurasia.     

Flexural modeling of the neoproterozoic Araguaia belt,central Brazil

Flexural modeling of bending of the southern and southeastern borders of the Amazon lithospheric plate under the western border of the Goiás Massif and western Parnaı́ba basin was constrained by 1070 gravity stations between 5°–14°S and 46°–52.5°W. Topography and aeromagnetic data were also used to estimate the loads of the Araguaia thrust belt. A sequence of Bouguer gravity anomaly lows (−80 to −40 mGal) is located over the Araguaia thrust belt and Cenozoic sediments of the Ilha do Bananal basin. Bouguer anomalies over the Amazon craton, to the west of the thrust belt, are higher than −20 mGal. Towards the east, over the Goiás Massif, the São Francisco craton and the Paleozoic to Mesozoic Parnaı́ba basin, anomalies range from −70 to −20 mGal. Comparison between topography and gravity along profiles perpendicular to the cratonic borders and across the Araguaia thrust belt shows that the long-wavelength gravity anomalies are best explained by bending of the Amazon plate caused by loads such as the observed topography, the thrust-sheets of the Araguaia belt and the remnants of ancient island-arc system in the Goiás massif. The thickness of the Araguaia thrust belt together with the Cenozoic sediments was estimated using aeromagnetic data and it ranges from 6 to 8 km. This load was used to calculate the minimum effective elastic thickness T_e for the Amazon plate. T_e=80 km was estimated by comparing the observed Bouguer anomalies with the gravity anomalies caused by bending of the crust-mantle interface of a broken elastic plate model. These results support the proposition that the Araguaia belt formed during the collision and suture of the Amazon and the São Francisco lithospheric plates, in late Proterozoic times.     

Experimental and theoretical simulation of the thermal and hydrodynamic structure of a subducting plate

The presented scenario of free convection flows in a subduction zone is based on experimental and theoretical simulation. The experimental simulation of free convection flows is carried out under various conditions of heat transfer that occurs between the oceanic and continental limbs of the subduction zone. The experiments show that to provide insights into subduction zones, it is necessary to estimate the horizontal forces acting on the left and right sides of the plunging plate, as well as the resulting horizontal force and its direction. The vector sum of horizontal and gravity forces of the subducting plate determines the slope angle of this plate at different depths. Heat transfer in the subducting plate has been considered. The y _min coordinate of the temperature minimum in a plate and the value of minimum temperature have been estimated. The forces that arise due to phase transition and owing to the horizontal temperature gradient along the thickness of the descending lithosphere in the transitional mantle layer C are estimated as well. These forces are directed in opposite direction from the y _min coordinate and induce spreading of the subducting lithosphere along the boundary between the upper and lower mantle. Theoretical simulation of the hydrodynamics and heat transfer in combination with experimental simulation of convection flows in a subduction zone indicates that a significant part of the upper mantle material of the plunging plate circulates in the oceanic limb of the subduction zone owing to spreading from the region of minimum temperature along a 670 km boundary.     

Transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision recorded in the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone: Insights from Early Cretaceous magmatic rocks in the north-central Tibet

The transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision is a key stage in the evolution of ancient orogens. We present new data for Early Cretaceous diorite and granite porphyry from north–central Tibet to constrain the evolution of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean (BNTO). The diorites have moderate SiO₂ and high MgO contents, similar to high-Mg andesites. Zircon grains yield U–Pb ages of 128–124 Ma and positive ε_Hf(t) values between +13.2 and + 16.3, corresponding to Hf depleted-mantle model ages (T_DM) of 281–131 Ma. The high-Mg diorite was probably formed by partial melting of hydrous mantle wedge fluxed by slab-derived fluids in an oceanic subduction setting. The granite porphyries yield zircon U–Pb ages of 117–115 Ma and zircon ε_Hf(t) values ranging from +0.1 to +4.5. Most samples have high SiO₂ and Fe₂O₃^T contents, variable FeO^T/MgO and Ga/Al ratios, and are depleted in Ba, Sr, P, and Ti, similar to I- and A-type granites. The granite porphyries were most likely derived from partial melting of juvenile dioritic or granodioritic crust due to break-off of the BNTO lithosphere following collision between the Lhasa and Qiangtang blocks. The Early Cretaceous high-Mg diorite and A-type granite porphyry thus record the Early Cretaceous transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision along the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone (BNSZ).     

Regimes of subduction and lithospheric dynamics in the Precambrian: 3D thermomechanical modelling

Comparing the early Earth to the present day, geological–geochemical evidence points towards higher mantle potential temperature and a different type of tectonics. In order to investigate possible changes in Precambrian tectonic styles, we conduct 3D high-resolution petrological–thermomechanical numerical modelling experiments for oceanic plate subduction under an active continental margin at a wide range of mantle potential temperature T_P (∆ T_P = 0 − 250 K, compared to present day conditions). At present day mantle temperatures (∆ T_P = 0 K), results of numerical experiments correspond to modern-style subduction, whereas at higher temperature conditions important systematic changes in the styles of both lithospheric deformation and mantle convection occur. For ∆ T_P = 50 − 100 K a regime of dripping subduction emerges which is still very similar to present day subduction but is characterised by frequent dripping from the slab tip and a loss of coherence of the slab, which suggests a close relationship between dripping subduction and episodic subduction. At further increasing ∆ T_P = 150 − 200 K dripping subduction is observed together with unstable dripping lithosphere, which corresponds to a transitional regime. For ∆ T_P = 250 K, presumably equivalent to early Archean, the dominating tectonic style is characterised by small-scale mantle convection, unstable dripping lithosphere, thick basaltic crust and small plates. Even though the initial setup is still defined by present day subduction, this final regime shows many characteristics of plume-lid tectonics. Transition between the two end-members, plume-lid tectonics and plate tectonics, happens gradually and at intermediate temperatures elements of both tectonic regimes are present. We conclude, therefore, that most likely no abrupt geodynamic regime transition point can be specified in the Earth's history and its global geodynamic regime gradually evolved over time from plume-lid tectonics into modern style plate tectonics.     

The lithospheric geodynamics of plate boundary transpression in New Zealand: Initiating and emplacing subduction along the Hikurangi margin, and the tectonic evolution of the Alpine Fault system

In contrast to the normal ‘Wilson cycle’ sequence of subduction leading to continental collision and associated mountain building, the evolution of the New Zealand plate boundary in the Neogene reflects the converse—initially a period of continental convergence that is followed by the emplacement of subduction. Plate reconstructions allow us to place limits on the location and timing of the continental convergence and subduction zones and the migration of the transition between the two plate boundary regimes. Relative plate motions and reconstructions since the Early to Mid-Miocene require significant continental convergence in advance of the emplacement of the southward migrating Hikurangi subduction—a sequence of tectonism seen in the present plate boundary geography of Hikurangi subduction beneath North Island and convergence in the Southern Alps along the Alpine Fault. In contrast to a transition from subduction to continental convergence where the leading edge of the upper plate is relatively thin and deformable, the transition from a continental convergent regime, with its associated crustal and lithospheric thickening, to subduction of oceanic lithosphere requires substantial thinning (removal) of upper plate continental lithosphere to make room for the slab. The simple structure of the Wadati–Benioff zone seen in the present-day geometry of the subducting Pacific plate beneath North Island indicates that this lithospheric adjustment occurs quickly. Associated with this rapid lithospheric thinning is the development of a series of ephemeral basins, younging to the south, that straddle the migrating slab edge. Based on this association between localized vertical tectonics and slab emplacement, the tectonic history of these basins records the effects of lithospheric delamination driven by the southward migrating leading edge of the subducting Pacific slab. Although the New Zealand plate boundary is often described as simply two subduction zones linked by the transpressive Alpine Fault, in actuality the present is merely a snapshot view of an ongoing and complex evolution from convergence to subduction.     

Small-volume melts of lithospheric mantle during continental collision: Late Cenozoic lavas of Mahabad,NW Iran

Basanites and alkali basalts from Mahabad in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran are part of a widespread series of Late Miocene–Quaternary mantle-derived magmas erupted within the Turkish–Iranian orogenic plateau, itself part of the active Arabia–Eurasia collision zone. New elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic results are combined with geophysical and geological constraints to suggest that these lavas formed predominantly by small degrees of partial melting of the thick (≫100 km) Eurasian lithospheric mantle within the garnet facies. Samples are highly enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and the light rare earth elements (LREE), up to 600 times chondritic values. They mostly possess negative primitive mantle-normalised Rb, K, Nb–Ta, Zr–Hf and Ti anomalies, with an overall signature that indicates a mantle source metasomatised by fluids or melts derived from crust during continental collision or the Tethyan oceanic subduction that preceded it. Sr–Nd isotopic values are similar to other Quaternary centres in NW Iran; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr is slightly depleted with respect to Bulk Silicate Earth, at ∼0.7045, and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd is slightly enriched, at ∼0.5127. Crustal contamination does not appear to be an important process in the chemistry of these samples. Possible triggers for melting may include: breakdown of hydrous phases during lithospheric thickening; hydration of the mantle lithosphere by underthrusting of the Arabian passive margin; small-scale sub-lithospheric convection due to a significant thickness gradient in the Zagros lithosphere. Such processes may account for small-volume syn-collisional mantle-derived magmatism elsewhere in regions of thick lithosphere where recent slab break-off or lithospheric delamination cannot be proven.     

Intraplate deformation adjacent to the Macquarie Ridge south of New Zealand—The tectonic evolution of a complex plate boundary

The distribution of relocated seismicity and the evolving shape of fracture zones through time in the oceanic crust of the Australian Plate adjacent to the Australia:Pacific plate boundary south of New Zealand are used to constrain the deformation of this region of the Australian Plate, here called the Puysegur Block. Relocated seismicity reveals a broad distribution of earthquakes in the Puysegur Block on both inter- and intraplate structures, including two great (M8+) earthquakes in the region over the past twenty years, one of which occurred over 130 km from the plate boundary. Plate reconstructions from the Late Oligocene through Early–Mid Miocene allow us to determine the undeformed shape of fracture zones in the Puysegur Block, formed during the Paleogene when the plate boundary was dominantly a divergent mid-ocean ridge system. Comparing these reconstructions to the present-day shape of the fracture zones allows us to map the deformation that has occurred within the Puysegur Block since the fracture zones formed. These two sets of independent observations delineate a broad zone of deformation extending ~ 150 km into the plate interior from the Macquarie Ridge Complex, the modern plate boundary structure through the region. The persistence of this deformation through time indicates a link with the evolution of the plate boundary over the past ~ 25 Ma from divergence to translation and subduction of the Australian Plate further north at the Puysegur Trench. We infer that this deformation may be a result of stresses in the Puysegur Block resulting from the impingement of the subducting plate on the thickened lithosphere of southern New Zealand. Such a collision may resist subduction, and if resistance remains substantial, further deformation internal to the Puysegur Block may lead to a southward migration of the Australia:Pacific subduction interface and the capturing of this section of lithosphere onto the Pacific Plate.     

Seamounts off the West Antarctic margin: A case for non-hotspot driven intraplate volcanism

New radiometric age and geochemical data of volcanic rocks from the guyot-type Marie Byrd Seamounts (MBS) and the De Gerlache Seamounts and Peter I Island (Amundsen Sea) are presented. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the shield phase of three MBS are Early Cenozoic (65 to 56 Ma) and indicate formation well after creation of the Pacific–Antarctic Ridge. A Pliocene age (3.0 Ma) documents a younger phase of volcanism at one MBS and a Pleistocene age (1.8 Ma) for the submarine base of Peter I Island. Together with published data, the new age data imply that Cenozoic intraplate magmatism occurred at distinct time intervals in spatially confined areas of the Amundsen Sea, excluding an origin through a fixed mantle plume. Peter I Island appears strongly influenced by an EMII type mantle component that may reflect shallow mantle recycling of a continental raft during the final breakup of Gondwana. By contrast the Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopic compositions of the MBS display a strong affinity to a HIMU-type mantle source. On a regional scale the isotopic signatures overlap with those from volcanics related to the West Antarctic Rift System, and Cretaceous intraplate volcanics in and off New Zealand. We propose reactivation of the HIMU material, initially accreted to the base of continental lithosphere during the pre-rifting stage of Marie Byrd Land/Zealandia to explain intraplate volcanism in the Amundsen Sea in the absence of a long-lived hotspot. We propose continental insulation flow as the most plausible mechanism to transfer the sub-continental accreted plume material into the shallow oceanic mantle. Crustal extension at the southern boundary of the Bellingshausen Plate from about 74 to 62 Ma may have triggered adiabatic rise of the HIMU material from the base of Marie Byrd Land to form the MBS. The De Gerlache Seamounts are most likely related to a preserved zone of lithospheric weakness underneath the De Gerlache Gravity Anomaly.     

Seismological structure and implications of collision between the Ontong Java Plateau and Solomon Island Arc from ocean bottom seismometer–airgun data

A seismic refraction–reflection experiment using ocean bottom seismometers and a tuned airgun array was conducted around the Solomon Island Arc to investigate the fate of an oceanic plateau adjacent to a subduction zone. Here, the Ontong Java Plateau is converging from north with the Solomon Island Arc as part of the Pacific Plate. According to our two-dimensional P-wave velocity structure modeling, the thickness of the Ontong Java Plateau is about 33 km including a thick (15 km) high-velocity layer (7.2 km/s). The thick crust of the Ontong Java Plateau still persists below the Malaita Accreted Province. We interpreted that the shallow part of the Ontong Java Plateau is accreted in front of the Solomon Island Arc as the Malaita Accreted Province and the North Solomon Trench are not a subduction zone but a deformation front of accreted materials. The subduction of the India–Australia Plate from the south at the San Cristobal Trench is confirmed to a depth of about 20 km below sea level. Seismicity around our survey area shows shallow (about 50 km) hypocenters from the San Cristobal Trench and deep (about 200 km) hypocenters from the other side of the Solomon Island Arc. No earthquakes occurred around the North Solomon Trench. The deep seismicity and our velocity model suggest that the lower part of the Ontong Java Plateau is subducting. After the oceanic plateau closes in on the arc, the upper part of the oceanic plateau is accreted with the arc and the lower part is subducted below the arc. The estimation of crustal bulk composition from the velocity model indicates that the upper portion and the total of the Solomon Island Arc are SiO₂ 58% and 53%, respectively, which is almost same as that of the Izu–Bonin Arc. This means that the Solomon Island Arc can be a contributor to growing continental crust. The bulk composition of the Ontong Java Plateau is SiO₂ 49–50%, which is meaningfully lower than those of continents. The accreted province in front of the arc is growing with the convergence of the two plates, and this accretion of the upper part of the oceanic plateau may be another process of crustal growth, although the proportion of such contribution is not clear.     

Fission track and fault kinematics analyses for new insight into the Late Cenozoic tectonic regime changes in West-Central Sulawesi (Indonesia)

A 3-D density model for the Cretan and Libyan Seas and Crete was developed by gravity modelling constrained by five 2-D seismic lines. Velocity values of these cross-sections were used to obtain the initial densities using the Nafe–Drake and Birch empirical functions for the sediments, the crust and the upper mantle. The crust outside the Cretan Arc is 18 to 24 km thick, including 10 to 14 km thick sediments. The crust below central Crete at its thickest section, has values between 32 and 34 km, consisting of continental crust of the Aegean microplate, which is thickened by the subducted oceanic plate below the Cretan Arc. The oceanic lithosphere is decoupled from the continental along a NW–SE striking front between eastern Crete and the Island of Kythera south of Peloponnese. It plunges steeply below the southern Aegean Sea and is probably associated with the present volcanic activity of the southern Aegean Sea in agreement with published seismological observations of intermediate seismicity. Low density and velocity upper mantle below the Cretan Sea with ρ  3.25 × 10³ kg/m³ and V_p velocity of compressional waves around 7.7 km/s, which are also in agreement with observed high heat flow density values, point out at the mobilization of the upper mantle material here. Outside the Hellenic Arc the upper mantle density and velocity are ρ ≥ 3.32 × 10³ kg/m³ and V_p = 8.0 km/s, respectively. The crust below the Cretan Sea is thin continental of 15 to 20 km thickness, including 3 to 4 km of sediments. Thick accumulations of sediments, located to the SSW and SSE of Crete, are separated by a block of continental crust extended for more than 100 km south of Central Crete. These deep sedimentary basins are located on the oceanic crust backstopped by the continental crust of the Aegean microplate. The stretched continental margin of Africa, north of Cyrenaica, and the abruptly terminated continental Aegean microplate south of Crete are separated by oceanic lithosphere of only 60 to 80 km width at their closest proximity. To the east and west, the areas are floored by oceanic lithosphere, which rapidly widens towards the Herodotus Abyssal plain and the deep Ionian Basin of the central Mediterranean Sea. Crustal shortening between the continental margins of the Aegean microplate and Cyrenaica of North Africa influence the deformation of the sediments of the Mediterranean Ridge that has been divided in an internal and external zone. The continental margin of Cyrenaica extends for more than 80 km to the north of the African coast in form of a huge ramp, while that of the Aegean microplate is abruptly truncated by very steep fractures towards the Mediterranean Ridge. Changes in the deformation style of the sediments express differences of the tectonic processes that control them. That is, subduction to the northeast and crustal subsidence to the south of Crete. Strike-slip movement between Crete and Libya is required by seismological observations.     

Geochemical evolution of lithospheric mantle beneath S.E. South Australia

The record of mafic magmatism from the Proterozoic to the Holocene in southern Australia reflects episodic incompatible element enrichment of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) recording periodic interaction of asthenosphere and lithosphere. The composition of Jurassic and Cainozoic mantle derived magmas is strongly influenced by the geochemical impact on the SCLM of events which took place during the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian. These events include rifting, passive margin development and orogenesis.Neoproterozoic to Cambrian basalts are widespread in western New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania and reflect mantle decompression during extension and rifting of the Australian–East Antarctic Craton during the development of the proto-Pacific passive margin. These basalts fall into two regionally extensive and very different suites: (i) a voluminous suite of tholeiites and (ii) a highly undersaturated alkaline (nephelinite–basanite) series.Both Jurassic kimberlite magmas from the Adelaide Fold Belt and highly undersaturated Quaternary analcimites and basanites from the Mt. Gambier district of S.E. South Australia, have geochemical characteristics like those of the Precambrian–Cambrian alkaline suites. They have high concentrations of large ion lithophile (LIL), rare earth (RE) and high field strength (HFS) elements, and high HFSE/LILE and LREE/HREE ratios with T_DM^Nd values of 0.5–0.8 Ga. The Jurassic kimberlites appear to sample lithospheric mantle enrichment zones of Late Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian age. The Quaternary suites result from mixing of contemporary mantle plume components with this old lithospheric enrichment, which is also identified with the occurrence of metasomatic phlogopite, amphibole and apatite in lherzolite mantle xenoliths from a number of Cainozoic volcanoes in Western Victoria.A very different type of lithospheric mantle enrichment took place during the late stages of the Ross–Delamerian Orogeny. This yielded a crustally contaminated mantle zone that mirrors the Cambro-Ordovician position of that orogen. This zone of contaminated lithospheric mantle interacted with a large plume in the Jurassic to yield the highly anomalous Ferrar–Tasmanian–Kangaroo Island basalts and dolerites.     

Lithospheric structure of the North China Craton: Integrated gravity,geoid and topography data

The lithospheric structure of ancient cratons provides important constraints on models relating to tectonic evolution and mantle dynamics. Here we present the 3D lithospheric structure of the North China Craton (NCC) from a joint inversion of gravity, geoid and topography data. The NCC records a prolonged history of Archean and Paleoproterozoic accretion of crustal blocks through subduction and collision building the cratonic architecture, which was subsequently differentially destroyed during Mesozoic through extensive magmatism. The thermal structure obtained in our study is considered to define the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) of the NCC, and reflects the density variations within the mantle lithosphere. Employing the Moho depths from deep seismic sounding profiles for the inversion, and based on repeated computations using different parameters, we estimate the Moho depth, LAB depth and average crustal density of the craton. The Moho depth varies from 28 to 50 km and the LAB depth varies from 105 to 205 km. The LAB and Moho show concordant thinning from West to East of the NCC. The average crustal density is 2870 kg m^− 3 in the western part of the NCC, higher than that in the eastern part (2750 kg m^− 3). The results of joint inversion in our study yielded LAB depth and lithospheric thinning features similar to those estimated from thermal and seismic studies, although our results show different depth and variations in the thickness. The lithosphere gently thins from 145 to 105 km in the eastern NCC, where as the thinning is much less pronounced in the western NCC with average depth of about 175 km. The joint inversion results in this study provide another perspective on the lithospheric structure from the density properties and corresponding geophysical responses in an ancient craton.     

Bearing of plate geometry and rheology on shallow-focus mega-thrust seismicity with special reference to 26 December 2004 Sumatra event

We propose a model pertaining to the generation of 26th December 2004 off Sumatra mega-event in the backdrop of other similar type earthquakes along subduction zones around the world. Reconstructions of Benioff trajectories through the hypocenters of historical earthquakes including six mega-earthquakes indicate (i) confinement of hypocenters right within the descending lithosphere, and (ii) natural coincidence of foci of the mega-events around the zones of plate flexing. These observations are discussed in detail with special emphasis on the Sumatra margin considering the role of rheological anomaly across the cross-section of the descending lithosphere; yield strength envelope and residual stress accumulation through time. The intraplate origin of shallow mega-thrust earthquakes allowed us to advocate the ‘zone of flexing’ along the profiles of the subducting plates as nodal area for stress concentration. We propose here that at elevated confining pressure and temperature, loading of unidirectional cyclic stress on time-average bending stress enhanced the material yield strength (i.e., strain-hardening), and leads the semi-brittle portion of the lithosphere into near-brittle condition through rheological transformation. Under subsequent rise in neutral surface and increase in compressive stress field, non-coaxial deformation triggered shear failure on 26th December 2004 preferably at the rheological interface between strain-hardened near-brittle layer and deformed ductile layer within the sub-oceanic mantle.A two-stage fracture mechanism viz. a slow (～1.1 km/s) bilateral initiation in an essentially strain-hardened near-brittle domain and a follow-up very rapid progression (3.3 km/s) in the brittle, crustal domain was mainly involved in the generation of 2004 off Sumatra mega-event. Estimation shows an amount of 3.38 × 10²² to 4.50 × 10²² N m seismic moment (M_o) and 8.95–9.03 moment magnitude (M_w) for the southern part of the 1300 km extended rupture i.e. between the North Andaman to the north and the Sumatra at its south. The study necessitates the reassessment of other shallow-focus mega-thrust earthquakes along the subduction margins around the globe.     

Comment on “The potential influence of subduction zone polarity on overriding plate deformation,trench migration and slab dip angle” by W.P. Schellart

The Schellart's [Schellart, W.P., 2007, The potential influence of subduction zone polarity on overriding plate deformation, trench migration and slab dip angle. Tectonophysics, 445, 363–372.] paper uses slab dip and upper plate extension for testing the westward drift. His analysis and discussion are misleading for the study of the net rotation of the lithosphere since the first 125 km of subduction zones are sensitive also to other parameters such upper plate thickness, geometry and obliquity of the subduction zone with respect to the convergence direction. The deeper (> 125 km) part cannot easily be compared as well because E- or NE-directed subduction zones have seismic gaps between 270–630 km. Moreover the velocity of subduction hinge cannot be precisely estimated and it does not equal to backarc spreading due to accretionary prism growth and asthenospheric intrusion at the subduction hinge. It is shown here that hinge migration in the upper plate or lower plate reference frames supports a general global polarization of the lithosphere in agreement with the westward drift of the lithosphere. The W-directed subduction zones appear controlled by the slab–mantle interaction with slab retreat imposed by the eastward mantle flow. The opposite E-NE-directed subduction zones seem rather mainly controlled by the convergence rate, plus density, thickness and viscosity of the upper and lower plates. Finally, the geological and geophysical asymmetries recorded along subduction and rift zones as a function of their polarity with respect to the tectonic mainstream are not questioned in the Schellart's paper, but they rather represent the basic evidence for the westward drift of the lithosphere.     

Lamproites as indicators of accretion and/or shallow subduction in the assembly of south‐western Anatolia,Turkey

The geochemistry and mineralogy of lamproites from south‐western Anatolia can be used as a snapshot of the lithospheric composition beneath the Menderes Massif. High and near‐constant K₂O contents, the presence of mantle xenocrystic phlogopite and olivine, highly magnesian olivine phenocrysts and Cr‐rich spinel inclusions all indicate that the lithospheric mantle was phlogopite‐bearing ultradepleted harzburgite at the time of lamproite eruption (20–4 Ma). This mantle assemblage most probably originated in a complex multistage process, including (intra‐oceanic) supra‐subduction zone depletion during the final stages of southern Neotethyan ocean closure, and accretion of the forearc oceanic lithosphere as shallowly subducted material to the already assembled Anatolia. The data presented here support shallow subduction of the oceanic lithosphere as a cause of the uplift of the Menderes Massif, in contrast to the traditional core‐complex model. Terra Nova, 00, 000–000, 2010