俯冲带部分熔融

俯冲带是地幔对流环的下沉翼,是地球内部的重要物理与化学系统。俯冲带具有比周围地幔更低的温度,因此,一般认为俯冲板片并不会发生部分熔融,而是脱水导致上覆地幔楔发生部分熔融。但是,也有研究认为,在水化的洋壳俯冲过程中可以发生部分熔融。特别是在下列情况下,俯冲洋壳的部分熔融是俯冲带岩浆作用的重要方式。年轻的大洋岩石圈发生低角度缓慢俯冲时,洋壳物质可以发生饱和水或脱水熔融,基性岩部分熔融形成埃达克岩。太古代的俯冲带很可能具有与年轻大洋岩石圈俯冲带类似的热结构,俯冲的洋壳板片部分熔融可以形成英云闪长岩-奥长花岗岩-花岗闪长岩。平俯冲大洋高原中的基性岩可以发生部分熔融产生埃达克岩。扩张洋中脊俯冲可以导致板片窗边缘的洋壳部分熔融形成埃达克岩。与俯冲洋壳相比,俯冲的大陆地壳具有很低的水含量,较难发生部分熔融,但在超高压变质陆壳岩石的折返过程中可以经历广泛的脱水熔融。超高压变质岩在地幔深部熔融形成的熔体与地幔相互作用是碰撞造山带富钾岩浆岩的可能成因机制。碰撞造山带的加厚下地壳可经历长期的高温与高压变质和脱水熔融,形成S型花岗岩和埃达克质岩石。     

岛弧火山岩成因和地球化学特征

岛弧火山岩主要为俯冲带的俯冲板片脱水形成的富大离子亲石元素流体交代地幔楔,并使其发生部分熔融,产生岛弧岩浆作用而形成的,岩石组合通常为玄武岩—安山岩—英安岩—流纹岩及相应侵入岩组合。它以Al2O3、K2O高,低Ti O2,且K2ONa2O为特征,相对富集LILE,亏损HFSE,特别是Ti、Nb、Ta等。本文主要从岛弧岩浆作用的起因着手,分析流体和熔体对地幔楔的交代作用,以及岛弧岩浆作用过程,进而分析岛弧火山岩的地球化学特征。     

高压超高压变质作用中流体—熔体—岩石相互作用

在高压超高压变质作用过程中所释放的流体对俯冲板块的演化起着重要作用,与岛弧岩浆活动有着直接联系,随着温度和压力的增加,俯冲板片将发生高压到超高榴辉岩相转变,大量的水将通过含水矿物的消失反应释放出来,这些流体可引起上覆岩圈大规模水化,并促进地幔楔状体的部分熔融,同时,通过流体的向上迁移可将某些组分带入上覆岩石圈板块,并改变其总体组成,许多含水矿物,同变质脉体,高压自形晶体组成的布丁,原生液态包裹体和     

岛弧环境中不同成因的火成岩组合及其地质意义

岛弧环境的形成是与大洋板块俯冲作用有关,由俯冲流体作用于地幔楔部分熔融形成的钙碱性火成岩组合是岛弧环境中物质组成的主体。此外,目前还识别出与俯冲作用有关的其它的岩石类型:埃达克岩、富铌玄武岩、TTG、赞岐岩、玻安岩等,它们指示着不同的地球动力学背景、壳—幔相互作用过程以及源岩发生部分熔融的物理化学条件。本文主要对形成于岛弧环境中不同成因的火成岩组合的特征、形成机制、成矿作用及动力学意义进行了综述。     

柴达木北缘超高压变质带中的岛弧火山岩

青藏高原北部柴北缘发育一套与超高压变质带并行的早古生代岛弧火山岩带,岛弧火山岩以玄武岩类为主,包括一些中酸性岩类,岩石以普遍遭受绿片岩相蚀变为特征,区别于该地区普遍遭受角闪岩相区域变质的元古代的基性火山岩。该早古生代的岛孤火山岩显示三组地球化学特征:①VTG-Ⅰ,岛弧拉斑玄武岩(IAT);②VTG-Ⅱ,高Al次钙碱性-碱性过渡型玄武岩;③VTG-Ⅲ,较N-MORB更亏损的拉斑玄武岩(异常MORB)。研究认为前两组火山岩是成熟岛弧两个发育阶段的特征性产物:洋壳俯冲到陆壳的初用,由俯冲洋壳和地幔楔的部分熔融形成岛弧拉斑玄武岩(IAT),随着俯冲板块的速度加快和岛弧周围地壳的加厚,则形成钙碱性玄武岩(CA)、高Al玄武岩。第三组火山岩形成于弧间盆地,由亏损的地幔楔高度部分熔融形成比N-MORB亏损的的火山岩(异常MORB)。岛弧火山岩的锆石LA-ICP-MS法U-Pb年龄为514.2±8.5 Ma,说明柴北缘在早古生代发生过洋壳向陆壳的俯冲作用。鉴于该地区代表陆-陆俯冲作用的柴北缘超高压变质岩石也是形成于早古生代(494Ma),认为陆-陆俯冲作用发生在洋-陆俯冲作用之后,二者时间和空间相伴随。     

大陆俯冲隧道板片-地幔楔界面反向流体交代作用:西阿尔卑斯造山带超高压变质白片岩的地球化学证据

前人对深俯冲板片释放熔/流体交代地幔楔形成弧岩浆源区的过程和机制已得到充分认识,然而对地幔楔岩石能否脱水交代深俯冲地壳并不清楚.在对欧洲西阿尔卑斯造山带Dora-Maira地体白片岩的地球化学研究中,首次发现地幔楔交代岩能够脱水反向交代深俯冲地壳岩石,从而极大影响俯冲地壳的地球化学组成.结合白片岩和围岩的全岩地球化学特征以及锆石学结果,查明了白片岩的原岩为S型花岗岩,澄清了关于Dora-Maira白片岩原岩属性的长期争议.在此基础上,发现白片岩中变质锆石相对残留岩浆锆石δ18O值显著降低,指示原岩形成后受到低δ18O变质流体的交代作用.白片岩具有高温岩石中最高的δ26Mg值达0.75‰,显著高于围岩变花岗岩,指示交代流体具有重Mg同位素组成.基于地球主要岩石储库的Mg同位素组成,推测交代流体来自俯冲隧道中富滑石地幔楔蛇纹岩在弧下深度的脱水分解,而这些地幔楔蛇纹岩是新特提斯洋壳在弧前深度变质脱水产生的流体与地幔楔浅部橄榄岩反应形成.这些结果不仅提供了利用Mg-O同位素示踪俯冲隧道中流体来源的新思路,也提供了地幔楔蛇纹岩来源流体反向交代深俯冲地壳岩石的首个典型实例.这种反向交代不仅极大改变了深俯冲地壳的地球化学组成,而且对弧岩浆岩重Mg同位素成因具有重要意义.      

俯冲隧道内不同深度的壳幔相互作用:地幔楔超镁铁质岩的镁同位素记录

在不同的俯冲深度,俯冲板片会释放出不同来源和组成的熔/流体进入俯冲隧道中,并进而影响上覆地幔楔及衍生岛弧岩浆的地球化学组成.然而,如何识别俯冲隧道中不同深度熔/流体组分的来源一直是俯冲带研究中的难点.对不同深度来源的地幔楔超基性岩进行了Mg同位素研究,发现了Mg同位素具有示踪俯冲板块熔/流体来源的能力.首先,研究了美国加州Franciscan杂岩中一套经历了多期次流体交代作用的浅部来源（< ~60 km）的变质超基性岩.这些部分蛇纹石化的地幔楔超基性岩在蛇纹石脱水形成滑石的过程中会释放轻Mg同位素进入流体,而重Mg同位素更多地残留在滑石相中;随后进一步受俯冲板块来源流体的交代形成具有高CaO和轻Mg同位素组成的透闪石化变橄榄岩,暗示流体中含有源自俯冲板片的、富集轻Mg同位素的碳酸盐,说明在弧前~60 km深度,部分含Mg碳酸盐（方解石）可以在俯冲隧道中发生溶解并迁移交代上覆地幔楔橄榄岩.对深部地幔楔来源（~160 km）的大别造山带毛屋地区超镁铁质岩体岩相学和元素地球化学研究结果证实了其交代成因.结合多相包裹体、元素地球化学以及前人估计的温-压条件,推测交代介质更接近超临界流体.锆石U-Pb年代学研究揭示,交代作用主要发生在古生代洋壳俯冲阶段（454±58 Ma）,超高压变质作用则发生在三叠纪陆壳俯冲阶段（232.8±7.9 Ma）.古生代锆石中大量的碳酸盐矿物包裹体和重O同位素特征说明古生代洋壳俯冲交代过程中有沉积碳酸盐组分加入.全岩和单矿物的Mg同位素组成均显著低于地幔值以及大别新元古代榴辉岩,说明交代的碳酸盐组分来源应为循环的沉积富Mg碳酸盐,暗示了在俯冲带深部富Mg沉积碳酸盐在超临界流体中会发生溶解迁移.由于沉积碳酸盐具有独特的、显著富集轻Mg同位素组成的特征,这种交代作用会造成地幔楔局部具有异常的Mg同位素组成,从而解释目前观察到的岛弧火山岩的Mg同位素特征.因此,Mg同位素是示踪俯冲碳酸盐与上覆地幔楔相互作用的有效工具.      

大陆的起源

太阳系固体星球都有类似的核-幔-壳结构,但唯独人类居住的地球具有长英质组成的大陆壳。太古宙大陆克拉通主要由英云闪长岩(Tonalite)-奥长花岗岩(Trondhjemite)-花岗闪长岩(Granodiorite)为主的TTG深成侵入体变质而成的正片麻岩和由基性-超基性酸性火山岩及少量沉积岩变质的表壳岩(绿岩)组成。已有的资料显示这些太古宙大陆岩石组合起源于大洋壳的部分熔融。大洋壳分为大洋盆地、洋中脊、岛弧和洋底高原(大洋岛)。前两者地壳的平均厚度只有5～10km,不可能成为形成太古宙TTG深成侵入体的场所。因此,长英质大陆或起源于板块构造体制下的岛弧,或起源于地幔柱体制下的洋底高原。板块构造体制下的岛弧模式能够很好地解释太古宙克拉通TTG深成岩的成因,即俯冲大洋板片部分熔融所形成的埃达克岩相当于太古宙高压(高Al₂O₂)型TTG,而俯冲板片脱水导致地幔楔部分熔融形成的玄武质地壳再次熔融所形成的钙碱性花岗质岩石相当于太古宙低压(低Al₂O₂)型TTG。然而,板块构造体制下的岛弧模式不能令人满意地解...     

泥质岩脱水作用的高压差热实验研究

俯冲带变质脱水作用对俯冲带的流体形成、岩浆起源和演化起着重要的控制作用。泥质岩是俯冲板块表层沉积物的典型代表,本文以天然泥质岩为对象,成功运用高压差热分析(HP-DTA)方法对其在1．5-4．0GPa下的脱水温度进行了实验研究。结果表明,泥质岩的脱水温度与压力呈很好的负相关关系。通过与冷、热俯冲带地热梯度线比较,确定了泥质岩在俯冲带深部发生变质脱水作用的深度范围(75-145 km),为岛弧岩浆源区位置的解释提供了实验证据。     

大陆板片-地幔相互作用:来自大别造山带碰撞后安山质火山岩的地球化学证据

俯冲到地幔深度的地壳物质不可避免地在板片-地幔界面与地幔楔发生相互作用,由此形成的超镁铁质交代岩就是造山带镁铁质火成岩的地幔源区.因此,造山带镁铁质火成岩为研究俯冲地壳物质再循环和壳-幔相互作用提供了重要研究对象.为了揭示俯冲陆壳物质再循环的机制和过程,对大别造山带碰撞后安山质火山岩开展了元素和同位素地球化学研究.这些安山质火山岩的SIMS锆石U-Pb年龄为124±3~130±2 Ma,表明其形成于早白垩世.此外,残留锆石的U-Pb年龄为中新元古代和三叠纪,分别对应于大别-苏鲁造山带超高压变火成岩的原岩年龄和变质年龄.它们具有岛弧型微量元素特征、富集的Sr-Nd-Hf同位素组成,以及变化的且大多不同于正常地幔的锆石δ18O值.这些元素和同位素特征指示,这些安山质火山岩是交代富集的造山带岩石圈地幔部分熔融的产物.在三叠纪华南陆块俯冲于华北陆块之下的过程中,俯冲华南陆壳来源的长英质熔体交代了上覆华北岩石圈地幔楔橄榄岩,大陆俯冲隧道内的熔体-橄榄岩反应产生了富沃、富集的镁铁质地幔交代岩.这种地幔交代岩在早白垩世发生部分熔融,就形成了所观察到的安山质火山岩.因此,碰撞造山带镁铁质岩浆岩的地幔源区是通过大陆俯冲隧道内板片-地幔相互作用形成的,而加入地幔楔中长英质熔体的比例决定了这些镁铁质岩浆岩的岩石化学和地球化学成分.      

冈底斯弧的岩浆作用：从新特提斯俯冲到印度亚洲碰撞

位于青藏高原南部的冈底斯岩浆弧形成于中生代新特提斯大洋岩石圈的长期俯冲过程中,而且在印度与亚洲大陆碰撞过程中叠加了强烈的新生代岩浆作用,是世界上典型的复合型大陆岩浆弧,已经成为研究汇聚板块边缘岩浆作用和大陆地壳生长与再造的天然实验室。基于对现有研究成果的总结,我们将冈底斯岩浆弧的岩浆构造演化划分为5个阶段：第1阶段发生在晚白垩世之前,以新特提斯洋岩石圈长期正常俯冲和钙碱性弧岩浆岩的发育为特征;第2阶段发生在晚白垩世时期,以活动的新特提斯洋中脊发生俯冲和强烈的岩浆作用与显著的新生地壳生长为特征;第3阶段发生在晚白垩世晚期,以残余的新特提斯大洋岩石圈俯冲和正常弧型岩浆作用为特征;第4阶段发生在古新世至中始新世,以印度与亚洲大陆碰撞、俯冲的新特提斯洋岩石圈回转和断离,及其诱发的幔源岩浆作用、新生和古老地壳的强烈再造为特征;第5阶段为发生在晚渐新世到中中新世的后碰撞阶段,深俯冲印度岩石圈的回转和断离,或加厚岩石圈地幔的对流移去导致了加厚下地壳的部分熔融和埃达克质岩石的广泛发育,同时伴随幔源钾质超钾质岩浆作用。冈底斯弧岩浆作用与岩浆成分的系统时空变化很好地记录了从新特提斯洋俯冲到印度亚洲大陆碰撞的完整构造演化过程。     

On melting of the subducted oceanic crust: Effects of subduction induced mantle flow

Based on petrological and geochemical arguments, it is possible that arc magma is derived from subducted oceanic crust. In this paper, regional thermal models have been constructed to study the feasibility of melting cold subducted oceanic crusts at shallow depth (i.e. at depths of about 100 km) by a dynamic mantle. Calculated results suggest that plate subduction will generate an induced flow in the wedge above the subducting slab. This current continuously feeds hot mantle material into the corner and onto the slab surface. A high temperature thermal environment can be maintained in the vicinity of the wedge corner, immediately beneath the over-riding plate. Our regional models further demonstrate quantitatively that production of local melting is possible just about 30 km down dip from the asthenosphere wedge corner. Additional geological processes such as reasonable amounts of shear heating and minor dehydration (which will lower the local melting temperature) will further increase the probability of melting a cold subducted oceanic crust at shallow depth.     

Spatial gaps in arc volcanism: The effect of collision or subduction of oceanic plateaus

One of the major processes in the formation and deformation of continental lithosphere is the process of arc volcanism. The plate-tectonic theory predicts that a continuous chain of arc volcanoes lies parallel to any continuous subduction zone. However, the map pattern of active volcanoes shows at least 24 areas where there are major spatial gaps in the volcanic chains (> 200 km). A significant proportion (~ 30%) of oceanic crust is subducted at these gaps. All but three of these gaps coincide with the collision or subduction of a large aseismic plateau or ridge.The idea that the collision of such features may have a major tectonic impact on the arc lithosphere, including cessation of volcanism, is not new. However, it is not clear how the collision or subduction of an oceanic plateau perturbs the system to the extent of inhibiting arc volcanism. Three main factors necessary for arc volcanism are (1) source materials for the volcanics—either volatiles or melt from the subducting slab and/or melt from the overlying asthenospheric wedge, (2) a heat source, either for the dehydration or the melting of the slab, or the melting within the asthenosphere and (3) a favorable state of stress in the overlying lithosphere. The absence of any one of these features may cause a volcanic gap to form.There are several ways in which the collision or subduction of an oceanic plateau may affect arc volcanism. The clearest and most common cases considered are those where the feature completely resists subduction, causing local plate boundaries to reorganize. This includes the formation of new plate-bounding transform faults or a flip in subduction polarity. In these cases, subduction has slowed down or stopped and the lack of source material has created a volcanic gap.There are a few cases, most notably in Peru, Chile, and the Nankai trough, where the dip of subduction is so shallow that effectively no asthenospheric wedge exists to produce source material for volcanism. The shallow dip of the slab may be a buoyant effect of the plateau imbedded in the oceanic lithosphere.The cases which are the most enigmatic are those where subduction is continuous, the oceanic plateau is subducted along with the slab, and the dip of the slab is clearly steep enough to allow arc volcanism; yet a volcanic gap exists. In these areas, the subducted plateau may have a fundamental effect on the physical process of arc volcanism itself. The presence of a large topographic feature on the subducting plate may affect the stress state in the are by increasing the amount of decoupling between the two plates. Alternatively, the subduction of the plateau may change the chemical processes at depth if either the water-rich top of the plateau with accompanying sediments are scraped off during subduction or if the ridge is compositionally different.     

Balance of tectonically accreted and subducted sediment at the Chile Triple Junction

An active oceanic spreading ridge is being subducted beneath the South American continent at the Chile Triple Junction. Mass balance estimations to characterize temporal and spatial variations in the frontal accretion, or underplating and subduction of sediments since the Late Miocene, were made using seismic and drill-hole data. At 200 km north of the triple junction, almost 80% of the sediment on the downgoing Nazca plate are subducted. Sediment subduction rate decreases towards the triple junction because of a low in sedimentation rates as the flank of the spreading ridge approaches the trench. At the triple junction, the forearc is almost completely destroyed by spreading ridge collision and subduction erosion. Less than 12% of the available sedimentary input is accreted. South of the triple junction, where the spreading ridge passed 6 Ma ago, a large fraction (>60%) of the sediment on the incoming Antarctic plate has been scraped off and was frontally accreted to the Chile forearc. Spreading ridge subduction leaves a distinctive geological fingerprint, and has a large impact on the mass balance of the subduction zone. However, the high rates of change in the process may make this fingerprint hard to detect in fossil convergent orogens. In the ridge collision zone the sediment supplied to the trench, and the amount of sediment subducted, show strong and distinctive variations on a 1- to 5-million-year time scale. On a 10-million-year time scale, sediment subduction to the Earth's mantle is reduced by spreading ridge collision, caused by the need of the overriding forearc to regain a low angle of taper by frontal accretion.     

Geodynamic regimes of intra-oceanic subduction: Implications for arc extension vs. shortening processes

40% of the subduction margins of the Earth are intra-oceanic. They show significant variability in terms of extension and shortening. We investigated numerically the physical controls of these processes using a 2D petrological-thermo-mechanical intra-oceanic subduction model with spontaneous volcanic arc growth and deformation. We varied the fluid- and melt-related weakening, the ages of both the subduction slab and the overriding plate, the subducting plate velocities, and the cohesive strength of rocks. Three main geodynamic regimes were identified: retreating subduction with opening of a backarc basin, stable subduction, and advancing, compressive subduction. The main difference between these regimes is the degree of rheological coupling between plates, which is governed by the intensity of rheological weakening induced by fluids and melts. Retreating subduction regimes require plate decoupling, which results from strong weakening due to both fluids and melts. Spreading centers nucleate either in forearc or in intraarc regions. Episodic trench migration is often due to variations of plate coupling with time, which is caused by (fore) arc deformation. Stable subduction regime with little variation in the trench position forms at an intermediate plate coupling and shows a transient behavior from the retreating to advancing modes. The advancing subduction regime results from strong plate coupling. At the mature stage, this subduction mode is associated with both partial fragmentation and subduction of the previously serpentinized forearc region. Forearc subduction is typically associated with a magmatic pulse, which is caused by dehydration of subducted serpentinized forearc fragments. Our models demonstrate distinct differences in thermal and lithological structure of subduction zones formed in these different geodynamic regimes. Results compare well with variations observed in natural intra-oceanic arcs.     

The Chemical Composition of Global Subducting Sediments and Its Geological Significance

Subducted sediments play an important role in crust-mantle interaction and deep mantle processes, especially for subduction zone magmatism and mantle geochemistry. The current rate of Global Subducting Sediments (GLOSS) is 0.5~0.7 km³/a. The GLOSS are composed of terrigenous material(76 wt.%), calcium carbonate(7 wt.%), opal(10 wt.%) and mineral-bound H₂O⁺(7 wt.%). The chemical compositions of GLOSS are similar to those of upper continental crust which is mainly controlled by the terrigenous materials, and yet the materials formed by marine processes will dilute the terrigenous materials. The components of subducted sediments are different among trenches. In the accretionary margin, the components of subducted sediments are similar to those of the upper crust, while in the non-accretionary margin the components are terrigenous materials plus those produced by marine processes. During subduction, subducted sediments will released fluids, melt or supercritical fluid to affect island arc/back-arc basin magmatism by means of aqueous fluid or sediment melt. In addition, a part of subducted sediments, together with underlying altered oceanic crust/lithosphere, recycle into the mantle and contribute to the mantle heterogeneity. Geochemical tracers indicate that subducted sediments play variable contributions to the magmatic processes in different tectonic setting. Thus, subducted sediments play an important role in two relatively independent dynamics systems (plate tectonics and mantle plume), as well as related mantle evolution models. As a result, by accurately calculating the compositions of subduction sediments and using various geochemical indicators, we can further limit the input and output fluxes of various elements or isotopes, and then obtain more accurately residual subducted components, which can provide us some important clues for geodynamic process.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112001533

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

Seismic anisotropy in the region of the Chile margin triple junction

We have measured shear wave splitting at three temporary three-component short period stations that were deployed in southern Chile above the subducted Chile Rise spreading centre (Taitao Peninsula and environs). Subduction of the Chile Rise has been occurring beneath South America for at least the past 14 m.y. Previously published models of the ridge subduction posit the existence of ‘slab windows’, asthenosphere-filled gaps between subducted lithosphere segments of the spreading ridge, through which mantle might flow. Our preliminary results include two consistent fast polarization directions of splitting in the study region. Delay times between fast and slow split shear waves average around 1.0 s for all phases (ScS, PcS, SKS, and SKKS) that we measured. Fast-axis azimuths vary systematically among the three stations: near the coast, fast axes are parallel to the spreading ridge segments of the Chile Rise (approximately N-trending). This splitting fast-axis direction probably reflects either along-axis asthenospheric flow or results from the preferential attenuation effects of aligned pockets of melt at the subducted ridge segment. At one inland station above the slab window, we find two splitting fast-axis directions, one parallel to the subducted Chile Rise ridge segments, and a second trending NW–SE. We infer that upper mantle deformation in the vicinity of a well developed slab window is complicated and probably involves two superposed directions of upper mantle deformation. One of these directions (NW–SE) may indicate anomalous flow of asthenospheric mantle in the vicinity of the slab window gap.     

Tectonics and geology of spreading ridge subduction at the Chile Triple Junction: a synthesis of results from Leg 141 of the Ocean Drilling Program

An active oceanic spreading ridge is being subducted beneath the South American continent at the Chile Triple Junction. This process has played a major part in the evolution of most of the continental margins that border the Pacific Ocean basin. A combination of high resolution swath bathymetric maps, seismic reflection profiles and drillhole and core data from five sites drilled during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 141 provide important data that define the tectonic, structural and stratigraphic effects of this modern example of spreading ridge subduction.A change from subduction accretion to subduction erosion occurs along-strike of the South American forearc. This change is prominently expressed by normal faulting, forearc subsidence, oversteepening of topographic slopes and intensive sedimentary mass wasting, overprinted on older signatures of sediment accretion, overthrusting and uplift processes in the forearc. Data from drill sites north of the triple junction (Sites 859–861) show that after an important phase of forearc building in the early to late Pliocene, subduction accretion had ceased in the late Pliocene. Since that time sediment on the downgoing oceanic Nazca plate has been subducted. Site 863 was drilled into the forearc in the immediate vicinity of the triple junction above the subducted spreading ridge axis. Here, thick and intensely folded and faulted trench slope sediments of Pleistocene age are currently involved in the frontal deformation of the forearc. Early faults with thrust and reverse kinematics are overprinted by later normal faults.The Chile Triple Junction is also the site of apparent ophiolite emplacement into the South American forearc. Drilling at Site 862 on the Taitao Ridge revealed an offshore volcanic sequence of Plio-Pleistocene age associated with the Taitao Fracture Zone, adjacent to exposures of the Pliocene-aged Taitao ophiolite onshore. Despite the large-scale loss of material from the forearc at the triple junction, ophiolite emplacement produces a large topographic promontory in the forearc immediately after ridge subduction, and represents the first stage of forearc rebuilding.