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.     

Role of unbalanced slab resistive force in the 2004 off Sumatra mega-earthquake (<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>w</Subscript> > 9.0) event

Present study addresses the role of major plate-driving forces, particularly the slab pull and slab resistive forces, for the generation of 26 December 2004 M _w > 9.0 off Sumatra megathrust earthquake. Major controls on the plate-driving forces are normally visualized through age, speed, and average dip of the slab during subduction. Wide variation in age, plate obliquity, stress obliquity, subduction rate, dip angle, and flexing depth of the subducting oceanic lithosphere between Andaman and Sumatra thus allowed us for quantitative evaluation of the slab pull (F _SP) and slab resistive (F _SR) forces in three well-defined sectors (I, II and III). Computed values of these forces in the three sectors: (1) F _SP = 1.29 × 10¹³ N/m, F _SR = 1.41 × 10¹³ N/m; sector I, (2) F _SP = 2.10 × 10¹³ N/m, F _SR = 1.13 × 10¹³ N/m; sector II, and (3) F _SP = 2.08 × 10¹³ N/m, F _SR = 2.72 × 10¹³ N/m; sector III clearly suggest a spatial variation of stress regime in the subducting oceanic lithosphere. Excess F _SR in sectors I and III are interpreted as the causative forces behind the triggering of major seismic energy bursts near Sumatra and Andaman on 26 December 2004. A gap of minimum seismic energy burst near Great Nicobar possibly was controlled by the excess of F _SP in sector II. This study further advocates that the cyclic stress, resulted from unbalanced component of slab resistive force, had a definite control on the occurrence of 2004 off Sumatra megathrust earthquake around the flexing zone of the subducting lithosphere.     

Intraslab seismicity and thermal stress in the subducted Cocos plate beneath central Mexico

We present a model of the subducting Cocos slab beneath Central Mexico, that provides an explanation for stresses causing the occurrence of the majority of the intraslab earthquakes which are concentrated in a long flat segment. Based on the recently developed thermal models for the Central Mexico subduction zone, the thermal stresses due to non-uniform temperature contrast in the subducting slab are calculated using a finite element approach. The slab is considered purely elastic but due to high temperature at its bottom the behavior is considered as ductile creep. The calculation results show a  20 km slab core characterized by a tensional state of stress with stresses up to 70 MPa. On the other hand, the top of the slab experiences high compressive thermal stresses up to 110 MPa, depending on the elastic constants used and location along the flat part of the subducting plate. These compressive stresses at the top of the slab are not consistent with the exclusive normal fault intraslab earthquakes, and two different sources of stress are proposed.

The trenchward migration of the Mexican volcanic arc for the last 7 Ma indicates an increase of the slab dip through time. This observation suggests that the gravity torque might exceed the suction torque. Considering the flat slab as an embedded plate subject to an applied clockwise net torque of 0.5 × 10¹⁶–1.5 × 10¹⁶ N m, the upper half would exhibit tensional stresses of 40–110 MPa that can actually balance the compressive thermally induced stresses.

An alternative stress source might come from the slab pull force caused by the slab positive density anomaly. Based on our density anomaly estimations (75 ± 20 kg/m³), a 350 km slab length, dipping at 20° into the asthenosphere, induces a slab pull force of 1.7 × 10¹²–4.6 × 10¹² N m. This force produces a tensional stress of 41–114 MPa, sufficient to balance the compressive thermal stresses at the top of the flat slab.

The linear superposition of the thermally and torque or slab pull induced stresses shows tensile stresses up to 60–180 MPa inside the flat slab core. Also, our results suggest that the majority of the intraslab earthquakes inside the flat slab are situated where the resultant stresses are larger than 40–80 MPa.

This study provides a reasonable explanation for the existence of exclusively normal fault intraslab earthquakes in the flat slab beneath Central Mexico, and also it shows that thermal stresses due to non-uniform reheating of subducting slabs play a considerable role in the total stress field.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111001289

The disastrous M_w 9.3(seismic moment 1.0×10³⁰ dyn/cm) earthquake that struck northwest Sumatra on 26 December 2004 and triggered～30 m high tsunami has rejuvenated the quest for identifying the forcing behind subduction related earthquakes around the world.Studies reveal that the strongest part（elastic core） of the oceanic lithosphere lie between 20 and 60 km depth beneath the upper （～7 km thick） crustal layer,and compressive stress of GPa order is required to fail the rock-layers within the core zone.Here we present evidences in favor of an intraplate origin of mega-earthquakes right within the strong core part（at the interface of semi-brittle and brittle zone）,and propose an alternate model exploring the flexing zone of the descending lithosphere as the nodal area for major stress accumulation. We believe that at high confining pressure and elevated temperature,unidirectional cyclic compressive stress loading in the flexing zone results in an increase of material yield strength through strain hardening, which transforms the rheology of the layer from semi-brittle to near-brittle state.The increased compressive stress field coupled with upward migration of the neutral surface（of zero stress fields） under noncoaxial deformation triggers shear crack.The growth of the shear crack is initially confined in the near-brittle domain,and propagates later through the more brittle crustal part of the descending oceanic lithosphere in the form of cataclastic failure.     

Characteristics of Intraslab Stress Field and Tectonic Implication in the Nankai Trough, Japan

1. IntroductionThe Nankai Trough region (Fig. 1.1) of southwest Japan is one of the most tectonically complex subduction zones in the world. The subduction of the Philippine Sea plate (PH) beneath the Eurasian plate (EU) has caused a series of large and great interplate earthquakes. It is generally accepted that great earthquakes have occurred at intervals of 100-150 years along the Nankai subduction zone since the 684 Hakuho earthquake (Fig. 1.2). However, a large earthquake (M>7.5) has…     

2012年苏门答腊Mw8.6地震成因及与周边大震关系

巽他海沟西侧地壳北向运动的差异性是2012年苏门答腊地震发生的动力学成因.库仑应力计算表明,2004年和2005年苏门答腊2次特大逆冲型地震对本次地震具有显著的触发作用.有记录以来至2011年,本次地震的发震断裂带没有发生过7级以上地震,震源区附近存在5级地震空区,2004年大震后该空区被打破.震前6年、4.5年和3个月发生了3组前震活动,其中最显著的是震前3个月发生的7.2级直接前震.      

Modeling the 2004 Sumatra tsunami at Seychelles Islands: site-effect analysis and comparison with observations

The M _w = 9.1 mega-thrust Sumatra–Andaman earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004, was followed by a devastating tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people and caused catastrophic effects on human settlements and environments along many coasts of the Indian Ocean, where even countries very far from the source were affected. One of these cases is represented by the Republic of Seychelles, where the tsunami reached the region about 7 h after the earthquake and produced relevant damages, despite the country was more than 4,500 km far from the seismic source. In the present work, we present and discuss a study of the 2004 Sumatra tsunami by means of numerical simulations with the attention focused on the effects observed at the Seychelles Archipelago, a region never previously investigated with this approach. The case is interesting since these islands lay on a very shallow oceanic platform with steep slopes so as the ocean depth changes from thousands to few tens of meters over short distances, with significant effects on the tsunami propagation features: the waves are strongly refracted by the oceanic platform and the tsunami signal is modified by the introduction of additional frequencies. The study is used also to validate the UBO-TSUFD numerical code on a real tsunami event in the far field, and the results are compared with the available observations, i.e., the sea level time series recorded at the Pointe La Rue station, Mahé Island, and run-up measurements and inundation lines surveyed few weeks after the tsunami at Praslin Island, where the tsunami hit during low tide. Synthetic results are found in good agreement with observations, even though some of the observations remain not fully solved. Moreover, simulations have been run in high-tide condition since the 2004 Sumatra tsunami hitting at high tide can be taken as the worst-case scenario for the Seychelles islands and used for tsunami hazard and risk assessments.     

Stress State, Seismicity and Subduction Geometries of the Descending Lithosphere Below the Hindukush and Pamir

The paper presents an analysis of spatial distribution of 6600 earthquake events which occurred during the period 1964 to 1999 between latitude 34 to 40°N and longitude 68 to 76°E. This large volume event is reported in the International Seismological Centre (ISC) catalog. In addition to this a total of 248 focal mechanism solutions are considered to derive a generalised predominant stress prevailing in the descending lithosphere below the Hindukush and Pamir regions.

The analysis of spatial distribution shows that the epicentres of the events at shallow level (depth<70 km) are sparsely distributed throughout except for a cluster at the northern end of both the Hindukush and Pamir. The concentration of epicentres at intermediate-depth level between 71 and 170 km below the Hindukush takes a strip-like pattern. It trends along SW-NE, and narrows at the northeastern end of the Hindukush. At deeper level (depth>170 km) the epicentres below the Hindukush are mainly concentrated in a triangular-shaped zone, and the mean points of concentration of the epicentres appear to be shifted towards southwest at increasing depth. The distribution of epicentres at the intermediate and deeper layers of the Pamir is observed to be diffused except a cluster of few events in each layer appears to be shifted towards south-southeast at increasing depth. The distribution of hypocentres changes its concentration from lesser to considerably higher at about 70 km depth, and further takes a minimum at about 170 km depth below the Hindukush and Pamir.

The present study further involves in analysing the composite/group effect of stresses associated with the descending lithosphere below the Hindukush and Pamir after deriving the best-fit generalized predominant directions of stresses. It shows that the intermediate-depth seismic zone below the Hindukush is acted upon by maximum compressive stresses (P axes) from two directions while the deeper-depth zone from three directions, and may convincingly be correlated with the changing shape of the respective seismic zones. Another interesting phenomenon observed here is the change in direction of maximum compressive stresses in clockwise fashion from intermediate to deep seismic zones below the Hindukush. At shallow depths below the Pamir the maximum and minimum (T axes) compressive stresses are acting almost along NNW-SSE and ENE-WSW and are oriented horizontally. T-axes for few events at these depths show almost vertical orientation. The observed down-dip extension is predominantly parallel with the descending lithosphere below the Hindukush. The entire analysis along with the observed scattering of P- and T-axes of some events at intermediate-depths might be indicating a slight contortion of the middle layer below the Hindukush. The spatial distribution of seismicity and the generalised stress pattern of both the regions infer the existence of two-isolated subducting lithosphere. It perhaps has created the eastward expulsion or lateral extrusion of Tibet along the major strike-slip faults like Karakorum, Altyn-Tagh, Kunlun and Red River. Finally, the whole analysis confirms the existence of shield-like continental rigid slab at depths greater than 170 km below the Hindukush.     

Repeating aftershocks of the great 2004 Sumatra and 2005 Nias earthquakes

We investigate repeating aftershocks associated with the great 2004 Sumatra–Andaman (Mw 9.2) and 2005 Nias–Simeulue (Mw 8.6) earthquakes by cross-correlating waveforms recorded by the regional seismographic station PSI and teleseismic stations. We identify 10 and 18 correlated aftershock sequences associated with the great 2004 Sumatra and 2005 Nias earthquakes, respectively. The majority of the correlated aftershock sequences are located near the down-dip end of a large afterslip patch. We determine the precise relative locations of event pairs among these sequences and estimate the source rupture areas. The correlated event pairs identified are appropriately referred to as repeating aftershocks, in that the source rupture areas are comparable and significantly overlap within a sequence. We use the repeating aftershocks to estimate afterslip based on the slip-seismic moment scaling relationship and to infer the temporal decay rate of the recurrence interval. The estimated afterslip resembles that measured from the near-field geodetic data to the first order. The decay rate of repeating aftershocks as a function of lapse time t follows a power-law decay 1/t^p with the exponent p in the range 0.8–1.1. Both types of observations indicate that repeating aftershocks are governed by post-seismic afterslip.     

Linking the Sulu UHP belt to the Korean Peninsula: Evidence from eclogite, Precambrian basement, and Paleozoic sedimentary basins

Considerable debate on whether and how the Sulu Orogenic Belt extends eastward to the Korean Peninsula has remained over the past decade. New results reported here include the following: (1) an eclogite and retrograded eclogite-bearing complex (Hongseong Complex) is discovered in South Korea, in which the eclogite occurs as lenses in circa  810–820 Ma granitic gneiss. SHRIMP zircon dating of the eclogite yields  230 Ma for the metamorphic age and  880 Ma for the protolith age; (2) The basement of the Rangnim, Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs have affinities to the basement of the North China Block (NCB). However the Gyeonggi Massif encloses a minor amount of large or small slabs of the Hongseong Complex that are similar to the rocks of the Sulu Belt. (3) Two main Paleozoic basins within the Rangnim and Gyeonggi massifs have a similar Paleozoic tectono-stratigraphy to the NCB. (4) The Imjingang and Ogcheon belts do not exhibit any metamorphic characteristics of collisional orogenic belts. Based on these facts, we propose a crustal-detachment and thrust model and suggest that the collision belt between the Yangtze Block (YB) and NCB (Sino–Korea Craton) is preserved along the western margin of the Korean Peninsula. The lower part of the UHP metamorphosed lithosphere of the YB was subducted under the Korean Peninsula and not uplifted to the surface. The lower crust of the YB (the Hongseong Complex) was detached from the subducted lithosphere and thrust over the Korean Peninsula, and inserted into the basement rocks of the Gyeonggi Massif. The upper crust of the YB possibly was detached from the lower crust and overthrusted along the Honam and Chugaryong shear zones. The Imjingang and Ogcheon belts possibly represent the detached upper crust of YB and their present occurrences are controlled by a Mesozoic strike–slip shear structure. All these detached lower and upper crustal slabs were strongly deformed during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous tectonic event leading to their present geological distribution and characteristics.     

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.     

The Southern Urals. Decoupled evolution of the thrust belt and its foreland: a consequence of metamorphism and lithospheric weakening

An analysis is presented of the mechanisms of tectonic evolution of the southern part of the Urals between 48N and 60N in the Carboniferous–Triassic. A low tectonic activity was typical of the area in the Early Carboniferous — after closure of the Uralian ocean in the Late Devonian. A nappe, ≥10–15 km thick, overrode a shallow-water shelf on the margin of the East European platform in the early Late Carboniferous. It is commonly supposed that strong shortening and thickening of continental crust result in mountain building. However, no high mountains were formed, and the nappe surface reached the altitude of only ≤0.5 km. No high topography was formed after another collisional events at the end of the Late Carboniferous, in the second half of the Early Permian, and at the start of the Middle Triassic. A low magnitude of the crustal uplift in the regions of collision indicates a synchronous density increase from rapid metamorphism in mafic rocks in the lower crust. This required infiltration of volatiles from the asthenosphere as a catalyst. A layer of dense mafic rocks, 20 km thick, still exists at the base of the Uralian crust. It maintains the crust, up to 60 km thick, at a mean altitude 0.5 km. The mountains, 1.5 km high, were formed in the Late Permian and Early Triassic when there was no collision. Their moderate height precluded asthenospheric upwelling to the base of the crust, which at that time was 65–70 km thick. The mountains could be formed due to delamination of the lower part of mantle root with blocks of dense eclogite and/or retrogression in a presence of fluids of eclogites in the lower crust into less dense facies.

The formation of foreland basins is commonly attributed to deflection of the elastic lithosphere under surface and subsurface loads in thrust belts. Most of tectonic subsidence on the Uralian foreland occurred in a form of short impulses, a few million years long each. They took place at the beginning and at the end of the Late Carboniferous, and in the Late Permian. Rapid crustal subsidence occurred when there was no collision in the Urals. Furthermore, the basin deepened away from thrust belt. These features preclude deflection of the elastic lithosphere as a subsidence mechanism. To ensure the subsidence, a rapid density increase was necessary. It took place due to metamorphism in the lower crust under infiltration of volatiles.

The absence of flexural reaction on the Uralian foreland on collision in thrust belt together with narrow-wavelength basement deformations under the nappe indicate a high degree of weakening of the lithosphere. Such deformations took also place on the Uralian foreland at the epochs of rapid subsidences when there was no collision in thrust belt. Weakening of the lithosphere can be explained by infiltration of volatiles into this layer from the asthenosphere and rapid metamorphism in the mafic lower crust. Lithospheric weakening allowed the formation of the Uralian thrust belt under convergent motions of the plates which were separated by weak areas.     

Coseismic reactivation of the Samambaia fault, Brazil

Northeastern Brazil is, within the present knowledge of historical and instrumental seismicity, one the most seismic active areas in intraplate South America. Seismic activity in the region has occurred mainly around the Potiguar basin. This seismicity includes earthquake swarms characterized by instrumentally-recorded events ≤ 5.2 m_b and paleoseismic events ≥ 7.0. Our study concentrates in the João Câmara (JC) epicentral area, where an earthquake swarm composed of more than 40,000 aftershocks occurred mainly from 1986 to 1990 along the Samambaia fault; 14 of which had m_b > 4.0 and two of which had 5.1 and 5.0 m_b. We describe and compare this aftershock sequence with the present-day stress field and the tectonic fabric in an attempt to understand fault geometry and local control of seismogenic faulting. Earthquake data indicate that seismicity decreased steadily from 1986 to 1998. We selected 2,746 epicenters, which provided a high-quality and precise dataset. It indicates that the fault trends 37° azimuth, dips 76°–80° to NW, and forms an alignment  27 km long that cuts across the NNE–SSW-trending ductile Precambrian fabric. The depth of these events ranged from  1 km to  9 km. The fault forms an echelon array of three main left-bend segments: one in the northern and two in the southern part of the fault. A low-seismicity zone, which marks a contractional bend, occurs between the northern and southern segments. Focal mechanisms indicate that the area is under an E–W-oriented compression, which led to strike–slip shear along the Samambaia fault with a small normal component. The fault is at 53° to the maximum compression and is severely misoriented for reactivation under the present-day stress field. The seismicity, however, spatially coincides with a brittle fabric composed of quartz veins and silicified-fault zones. We conclude that the Samambaia fault is a discontinuous and reactivated structure marked at the surface by a well-defined brittle fabric, which is associated with silica-rich fluids.     

Structural development of the Tso Morari ultra-high pressure nappe of the Ladakh Himalaya

A continental subduction-related and multistage exhumation process for the Tso Morari ultra-high pressure nappe is proposed. The model is constrained by published thermo-barometry and age data, combined with new geological and tectonic maps. Additionally, observations on the structural and metamorphic evolution of the Tso Morari area and the North Himalayan nappes are presented. The northern margin of the Indian continental crust was subducted to a depth of > 90 km below Asia after continental collision some 55 Ma ago. The underthrusting was accompanied by the detachment and accretion of Late Proterozoic to Early Eocene sediments, creating the North Himalayan accretionary wedge, in front of the active Asian margin and the 103–50 Ma Ladakh arc batholith. The basic dikes in the Ordovician Tso Morari granite were transformed to eclogites with crystallization of coesite, some 53 Ma ago at a depth of > 90 km (> 27 kbar) and temperatures of 500 to 600 °C. The detachment and extrusion of the low density Tso Morari nappe, composed of 70% of the Tso Morari granite and 30% of graywackes with some eclogitic dikes, occurred by ductile pure and simple shear deformation. It was pushed by buoyancy forces and by squeezing between the underthrusted Indian lithosphere and the Asian mantle wedge. The extruding Tso Morari nappe reached a depth of 35 km at the base of the North Himalayan accretionary wedge some 48 Ma ago. There the whole nappe stack recrystallized under amphibolite facies conditions of a Barrovian regional metamorphism with a metamorphic field gradient of 20 °C/km. An intense schistosity with a W–E oriented stretching lineation L₁ and top-to-the E shear criteria and crystallization of oriented sillimanite needles after kyanite, testify to the Tso Morari nappe extrusion and pressure drop. The whole nappe stack, comprising from the base to top the Tso Morari, Tetraogal, Karzok and Mata–Nyimaling-Tsarap nappes, was overprinted by new schistosities with a first N-directed and a second NE-directed stretching lineation L₂ and L₃ reaching the base of the North Himalayan accretionary wedge. They are characterized by top-to-the S and SW shear criteria. This structural overprint was related to an early N- and a younger NE-directed underthrusting of the Indian plate below Asia that was accompanied by anticlockwise rotation of India. The warping of the Tso Morari dome started already some 48 Ma ago with the formation of an extruding nappe at depth. The Tso Morari dome reached a depth of 15 km about 40 Ma ago in the eastern Kiagar La region and 30 Ma ago in the western Nuruchan region. The extrusion rate was of about 3 cm/yr between 53 and 48 Ma, followed by an uplift rate of 1.2 mm/yr between 48 and 30 Ma and of only 0.5 mm/yr after 30 Ma. Geomorphology observations show that the Tso Morari dome is still affected by faults, open regional dome, and basin and pull-apart structures, in a zone of active dextral transpression parallel to the Indus Suture zone.     

A Kinematic Thermal Model for Descending Slabs with Velocity Boundary Layers: A Case Study for the Tonga Subducting Slab

For the purpose of investigating the influence of metastable olivine (MO) phase transformations on both deep seismicity and stagnation of slabs, we constructed a 2-dimensional finite element thermal model for a 120 Ma-old 50o dipping oceanic lithosphere descending at 10 cm/yr with velocity boundary layers, which would mitigate the interference of constant velocity field for the slab. The resulting temperatures show that most of intermediate and deep earthquakes occurring within the Tonga slab are occurring inside the 800oC and 1200oC isotherm, respectively. The elevation of olivine transformation near ~410 km and respective persistence of metastable olivine and spinel within the transition zone and beneath 660 km would thus result in bimodal positive, zonal, negative density anomalies, respectively. These results together with the resulting pressure anomalies may reflect the stress pattern of the Tonga slab: (i) slab pull force exerts above a depth of ~230 km; (ii) MO existence changes the buoyancy force within the transition zone and facilitates slab stagnation at a depth of 660 km; (iii) as the subducting materials accumulated over 660 km, deepest earthquakes occur due to MO transformation; (iv) a flattened ‘slab’ may penetrate into the lower mantle due to the density increment of Sp transformation.     

Coulomb stress triggering of earthquakes along the Atalanti Fault, central Greece: Two April 1894 M6+ events and stress change patterns

Two M6+ events occurred 15–20 km apart in central Greece on April 20 and April 27, 1894. We identify the April 27, 1894 rupture (2nd in the sequence) with the Atalanti segment of the Atalanti Fault Zone because of unequivocal surface rupturing evidence reported by Skouphos [Skouphos, T., 1894. Die swei grossen Erdbeben in Lokris am 8/20 und 15/27 April 1894. Zeitschrift Ges. Erdkunde zu Berlin, vol. 24, pp. 409–474]. Coulomb stress transfer analysis and macroseismic evidence suggest that the April 20, 1894 event (1st in the sequence) may be associated with the Martinon segment of the same fault zone. Our stress modelling suggests that this segment may have ruptured in an M = 6.4 event producing a 15-km long rupture which transferred 1.14 bar in the epicentral area of the April 27th, 1894 event, thus triggering the second M = 6.6 earthquake along the Atalanti segment and producing a 19-km long rupture. We also examined three alternative fault sources for the first event; however, all these produce smaller stress stresses for triggering the second event. The proposed slip model for the second earthquake is capable of producing coastal subsidence of the order of centimetres to decimetres, which fits the geological data. The 1894 earthquake sequence was followed by a difference in the timing of subsequent M > 5 events in each of the “relaxed” areas (stress shadows; a negative change in Coulomb failure stress > − 0.6 bar), which terminated between 22–37 years (north) and 80 years (south).     

Age and emplacement of late-Variscan granites of the western Bohemian Massif with main focus on the Hauzenberg granitoids (European Variscides, Germany)

The Variscan Hauzenberg pluton consists of granite and granodiorite that intruded late- to postkinematically into HT-metamorphic rocks of the Moldanubian unit at the southwestern margin of the Bohemian Massif (Passauer Wald). U–Pb dating of zircon single-grains and monazite fractions, separated from medium- to coarse-grained biotite-muscovite granite (Hauzenberg granite II), yielded concordant ages of 320 ± 3 and 329 ± 7 Ma, interpreted as emplacement age. Zircons extracted from the younger Hauzenberg granodiorite yielded a ²⁰⁷Pb–²⁰⁶Pb mean age of 318.6 ± 4.1 Ma. The Hauzenberg granite I has not been dated. The pressure during solidification of the Hauzenberg granite II was estimated at 4.6 ± 0.6 kbar using phengite barometry on magmatic muscovite, corresponding to an emplacement depth of 16-18 km. The new data are compatible with pre-existing cooling ages of biotite and muscovite which indicate the Hauzenberg pluton to have cooled below T = 250–400 °C in Upper Carboniferous times. A compilation of age data from magmatic and metamorphic rocks of the western margin of the Bohemian Massif suggests a west- to northwestward shift of magmatism and HT/LP metamorphism with time. Both processes started at > 325 Ma within the South Bohemian Pluton and magmatism ceased at ca. 310 Ma in the Bavarian Oberpfalz. The slight different timing of HT metamorphism in northern Austria and the Bavarian Forest is interpreted as being the result of partial delamination of mantle lithosphere or removal of the thermal boundary layer.     

Rheological structure and dynamical response of the DSS profile BALTIC in the SE Fennoscandian Shield

Numerical modelling was applied to study the present-day state of stress and deformation under different tectonic loading conditions at the seismic BALTIC–SKJ profile in south-eastern Finland and in Estonia. The finite element method was used to solve the numerical problem. The two-dimensional model was constructed using the results from both seismic and thermal studies along the profile. The model is 700 km long and 200 km deep, and is roughly divided into an inhomogeneous, laterally layered crust and a homogeneous mantle lithosphere. Both the linear elastic and non-linear elasto-plastic rheologies were used. Elasto-plasticity was achieved by calculating a rheological strength as a function of depth along the profile. Different tectonic load cases were analysed with displacement, force and pressure type boundary conditions. Also, the effect of different strain rates was investigated. The results suggest that even with relatively low compressive stress levels the lower crust deforms in a plastic manner for a wet crustal rheology. When applying a dry crustal rheology, plastic yielding is attained only with much higher stress fields.     

Ocean, continents and orogens

In this paper, the processes related to subduction and mountain building are discussed, and some new models and notions are proposed.At all known epochs, the Earth's surface comprised essentially migrating plates and large belts (of the order of 10,000 × 2000 km) where the lithosphere is mobilised, so that subductions and crustal resorption occur in complex structural patterns. Through time, these orogens start as island arcs and evolve into folded ranges.The formation and location of island-arc belts is shown to be related to the obliquity between rifts and continental margins i.e. to lateral relative movements of plates: torsion couples are developed bringing arcs to bulge through the inducted arc mechanism. This accounts for tensions prevailing in the back-arc basin while compressive stresses accumulate as vertical deformations in the arc-trench or uplift—subsidence couple. When the rupture limit is reached, a tangential tectonic phase occurs.It is suggested that the energy output (heat flow) varies with the pressure exerted by the top (elastic) lithosphere upon the underlying mantle. A compensation tends to be established between the inner flow and tectonic stress, as the latter brings about pressure variations through uplift-subsidence couples. These may therefore be related to the generation of paired metamorphic belts.The evolution from island arcs to completed folded ranges is briefly described, with special attention being paid to ophiolitic and crystalline basement nappes, as well as to strike-slip faults, which are the final expression of lateral relative movements.     

The Zermatt‐Saas ophiolite: the largest (60‐km wide) and deepest (c. 70–80 km) continuous slice of oceanic lithosphere detached from a subduction zone?

The Western Alps are a classic subduction-related collisional orogen with well-preserved, deeply subducted ophiolitic remnants of oceanic lithosphere. Some (e.g. Monviso, Voltri) were recognized as a palaeo-subduction channel, with tectonic blocks showing a wide range of pressure–temperature conditions. We herein evaluate for the first time the metamorphic homogeneity of the extensive Zermatt-Saas ophiolite. Zermatt-Saas peak eclogitic assemblages are represented by omphacite–garnet ± phengite ± epidote ± lawsonite ± glaucophane in MORB-derived metabasalts and garnet–chloritoid–talc ± lawsonite ± phengite in hydrothermalized metabasalts. Thermobarometric estimates with thermocalc and Raman Spectroscopy of carbonaceous material reveal homogeneous peak burial conditions at around 540 ± 20 °C and 23 ± 1 kbar. P – T paths indicate that the whole of the ophiolite, at least 60 km across, strikingly underwent similar burial and exhumation patterns and detached from the slab at depths around 80 km. The Zermatt-Saas ophiolite thus appears to be the world's largest oceanic lithosphere fragment exhumed from such depths, which provides important constraints on interplate coupling mechanisms.