Tectonics of the Easter plate

We present a new model for the Easter plate in which rift propagation has resulted in the formation of a rigid plate between the propagating and dying ridges. We use the distribution of earthquakes, eleven new focal mechanisms, and existing bathymetric and magnetic data to describe the tectonics of this area. Both the Easter-Nazca and Easter-Pacific Euler poles are sufficiently close to the Easter plate to cause rapid changes in rates and directions of motion along the boundaries. The east and west boundaries are propagating and dying ridges; the southwest boundary is a slow-spreading ridge and the northern boundary is a complex zone of convergent and transform motion.The Easter plate may reflect the tectonics of rift propagation on a large scale, where rigid plate tectonics requires boundary reorientation. We use simple schematic models to illustrate the general features and processes which occur at plates resulting from large-scale rift propagation.     

High-velocity migration of large earthquakes along the Azores-Iran plate boundary segment

Between 1 January 1980 and 28 July 1981, a series of large earthquakes with body-wave magnitudes around 7, took place along the western segment of the Alpide belt. The sequence started in the Azores and migrated eastward along the belt at a rate of about 4400 km/yr with consecutive large events in northern Algeria, southern Italy, southern Greece and Iran. Two different methods are employed to identify similar series and corresponding migration velocities during earlier time periods of this century. The data set used contains all earthquakes with body-wave magnitudes larger than 6.3 and covers the time interval 1901–81. The concept of linear migration is tested for eastward and/or westward propagation, considering high migration velocities from 1600 to 11 000 km/yr. Results obtained are not homogeneous with respect to the two opposite migration directions, west-east and east-west, and we interpret this as a net drift of earthquake activity from the west to the east. Our efforts here are concentrated on analysis of observational data and on estabilishing the uniqueness of migration patterns. Because of the complexity of the tectonic system in question, we did not attempt to establish a mechanism explaining the migration of the observed earthquake sequences.     

Tectonics of the lower mantle

The Bullerwell Lecture is an annual award given by the British Geophysical Association. Michael Kendall here presents the 2003 lecture.     

The memory of the accreting plate boundary and the continuity of fracture zones

A detailed aeromagnetic anomaly map of the Mesozoic seafloor-spreading lineations southwest of Bermuda reveals the dominant magnetic grain of the oceanic crust and the character of the accreting boundary at the time of crustal formation. The magnetic anomaly pattern is that of a series of elongate lobes perpendicular to the fracture zone (flowline) trends. The linear sets of magnetic anomaly peaks and troughs have narrow regions of reduced amplitude anomalies associated with the fracture zones. During the period of Mesozoic geomagnetic polarity reversals (when 1200 km of central North Atlantic seafloor formed), the Atlantic accreting boundary consisted of stationary, elongate, spreading center cells that maintained their independence even though sometimes only minor spatial offsets existed between cells. Normal oceanic crustal structure was formed in the spreading center cells, but structural anomalies and discontinuities characteristic of fracture zones were formed at their boundaries, which parallel flowlines of Mesozoic relative plate motion in the central North Atlantic. We suggest that the memory for a stationary pattern of independent spreading center cells resides in the young brittle lithosphere at the accreting boundary where the lithosphere is weakest; here, each spreading center cell independently goes through its cylce of stress buildup, stress release, and crustal accretion, after which its memory is refreshed. The temporal offset between the peaks of the accretionary activity that takes place within each cell may provide the mechanism for maintaining the independence of adjacent spreading center cells through times when no spatial offset between the cells exists.     

America-Eurasia plate boundary in eastern Asia and the opening of marginal basins

The opening of the Arctic Ocean during the past 55 Ma resulted in relative rotation of America with respect to Eurasia about a pole located in eastern Siberia, near the plate boundary. The extensional plate boundary enters deep inside the Eurasian continent up to the rotation pole. On the opposite side of the pole, on the Pacific side of the plate boundary, compressive tectonics are recorded along Sakhalin and Hokkaido. From the Oligocene to Middle Miocene, the relative movement was accommodated by strike-slip motion along Sakhalin and Hokkaido although the rotation pole was not located at a significatively different position from now. In this paper we explain this by independent motion of the southernmost tip of the American plate towards the Pacific margin which behaves as a free boundary. This oceanward motion resulted in an extension of the American plate giving rise to the wedge structure of the Okhotsk Sea. The Japan Sea opened as a pull-apart basin along the strike-slip boundary; finally the increasing extension in the Okhotsk Sea led to the opening of the oceanic Kuril Basin.     

Dynamics of the mid-ocean ridge plate boundary: Recent observations and theory

The global mid-ocean ridge system is one of the most active plate boundaries on the earth and understanding the dynamic processes at this plate boundary is one of the most important problems in geodynamics. In this paper I present recent results of several aspects of mid-ocean ridge studies concerning the dynamics of oceanic lithosphere at these diverging plate boundaries. I show that the observed rift valley to no-rift valley transition (globally due to the increase of spreading rate or locally due to the crustal thickness variations and/or thermal anomalies) can be explained by the strong temperature dependence of the power law rheology of the oceanic lithosphere, and most importantly, by the difference in the rheological behavior of the oceanic crust from the underlying mantle. The effect of this weaker lower crust on ridge dynamics is mainly influenced by spreading rate and crustal thickness variations. The accumulated strain pattern from a recently developed lens model, based on recent seismic observations, was proposed as an appealing mechanism for the observed gabbro layering sequence in the Oman Ophiolite. It is now known that the mid-ocean ridges at all spreading rates are offset into individual spreading segments by both transform and nontransform discontinuities. The tectonics of ridge segmentation are also spreading-rate dependent: the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge is characterized by distinct bulls-eye shaped gravity lows, suggesting large along-axis variations in melt production and crustal thickness, whereas the fast-spreading East-Pacific Rise is associated with much smaller along-axis variations. These spreading-rate dependent changes have been attributed to a fundamental differences in ridge segmentation mechanisms and mantle upwelling at mid-ocean ridges: the mantle upwelling may be intrinsically plume-like (3-D) beneath a slow-spreading ridge but more sheet-like (2-D) beneath a fast-spreading ridge.     

Waves in an elastic plate with an irregular boundary

Summary Green's function corresponding to the displacements for anSH-line source inside a wedge shaped medium finite or infinite in which the density and the elastic parameter are not constant throughout but some class of function ofr, the radial distance (i.e. and satisfy some differential equation) has been obtained. The paths of propagation of the cylindrical waves, their reflections on different boundaries and their continuous refractions within the medium has been clearly established. The scattered field from the different parts of the body have been pointed out with prescribed distribution of and in this inhomogeneous wedge. It is shown that for some distribution of and the rays are curved and the reflections at the two plane boundaries occur in such a way that no ray will go to infinity by reflection, rather they are coming back towards the apex after suitable number of reflections with variable intensity. Also there are some distributions of and in the same class as mentioned earlier, such that the behaviour of the waves is similar to that in a homogeneous wedge, i.e. these waves will go to infinity by a suitable number of reflections and ultimately die out. The first case is quite unlike the usual homogeneous medium with non parallel boundaries and so care must be taken in computing the field within the nonhomogeneous medium within the non-parallel boundaries.     

Unsteady boundary layer flows induced by a wavy plate

Summary Unsteady boundary layer flows generated in an incompressible, homogeneous, nonrotating viscous fluid bounded by a rigid wavy plate are studied theoretically. The Laplace transform method is employed to obtain exact solutions of the unsteady boundary layer equations in a wavy plate configuration. The structures of the unsteady velocity distribution and the associated boundary layers are determined explicitly and several particular solutions are recovered as special cases of this analysis. The physical interpretation of the mathematical results are examined.     

Morphology and magnetic survey of the Rivera-Cocos plate boundary of Colima,Mexico

The propagation of the Pacific-Cocos Segment of the East Pacific Rise (EPR-PCS) has significantly altered the plate configuration at the north end of the Middle America Trench. This ridge propagation, the collision of the EPR-PCS with the Middle America Trench, the separation of the Rivera and Cocos plates and the formation of the Rivera Transform have produced a complex arrangement of morphotectonic elements in the area of Rivera-Cocos plate boundary, atypical of an oceanic transform boundary. Existing marine magnetic and bathymetric data has proved inadequate to unravel this complexity, thus, a dense grid of total field magnetic data were collected during campaigns MARTIC-04 and MARTIC-05 of the B/O EL PUMA in 2004 and 2006. These data have greatly clarified the magnetic lineation pattern adjacent to the Middle America trench, and have revealed an interesting en echelon, NE-SW oriented magnetic high offshore of the Manzanillo Graben. We interpret these new data to indicate that the EPR-PCS ridge segment reached the latitude (~18.3°N) of the present day Rivera Transform at about Chron 2A₃ (~3.5Ma) and propagated further northward, intersecting the Middle America Trench at about 1.7 Ma (Chron 2). At 1.5 Ma spreading ceased along the EPR north of 18.3°N and the EPR-PCS has since retreated southward in association with a southward propagation of the Moctezuma Spreading Segment. North of 18.3°N the seafloor near the trench has been broken into small, uplifted blocks, perhaps due to the subduction of the young lithosphere generated by the EPR-PCS.     

Tectonic structure and petrology of the Antarctic plate boundary near the Bouvet triple junction

An en echelon suite of four fracture zones, trending approximately N40°E, has been discovered during a survey of the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge between Bouvet Island and 14°E. The largest of these fracture zones, the Islas Orcadas and Shaka, are less than 30 km wide, have more than 3 km of vertical relief, and are respectively 100 and 200 km in length. The morphology of these and the Bouvet and Prince Edward fracture zones have been used to compute a pole for the relative motion between Africa and Antarctica. This pole, at 4°S and 32°W, is within the range of previously computed pole positions.Ridge basalts were dredged at three separate locations: at the Conrad fracture zone near 55°40′S and 3°51′W, at the Islas Orcadas fracture zone near 54°5′S and 6°4′E, and at the ridge crest near 11°E. In addition, samples from a probable upper mantle intrusion were recovered from one wall of the Islas Orcadas fracture zone. The opposite wall was very different consisting entirely of normal mid-ocean ridge basalt.     

琉球海沟的构造和运动特征

琉球海沟是欧亚板块与菲律宾海板块之间的边界，海沟西坡是大陆性质的琉球岛弧，东坡是大洋性质的菲律宾海地壳．海底地震反射探测和地震震源定位表明，菲律宾海板块沿海沟向琉球岛弧下俯冲，俯冲角度与深度沿海沟走向变化．有证据显示，由于俯冲板前缘的横向移动，海沟和岛弧正朝大洋方向后退，弧后盆地-冲绳海槽发生拉张变形．最近一次的海沟后退与冲绳海槽扩张可能是从上新世末(2Ma前)开始的，岛弧的后退移动和弧后拉张在南部与海沟走向垂直，在中部和北部与海沟走向斜交，总体上向南的运动分量占优势、与海沟后退相关的弧后拉张集中在冲绳海槽，没有证据表明对其西侧的中国东海陆架盆地产生影响、海沟后退的原因可能与俯冲板的动力不平衡以及它与周围地幔的相互作用有关．     

Mantle transition zone beneath the Caribbean-South American plate boundary and its tectonic implications

We analyzed receiver-function data recorded by a temporary broadband array deployed as part of the BOLIVAR project and the permanent seismic network of Venezuela to study the mantle transition zone structure beneath the Caribbean-South American plate boundary and Venezuela. Significant topography on both the 410-km and the 660-km discontinuities was clearly imaged in the CCP (common-conversion-point) stacked images. Beneath the southeastern Caribbean, the 410-km is featured by a narrow (～ 200 km EW) ～ 25-km uplift extending in the NS direction around 63° west, while the 660-km is depressed by ～ 20 km in a narrow region slightly west to the uplift, a scenario that is more consistent with westward descent of the oceanic South American plate rather than a break-off of NNW dipping proto-Caribbean oceanic lithosphere along the El Pilar Fault. We also found a thick transition zone beneath the Falcon region in northwestern Venezuela, possibly associated with the subducted Nazca plate. A flat 410-km was observed beneath the Guayana shield, suggesting that the shield has a stable and moderately deep keel, which has little effect on the underlying transition zone structure.     

西藏中部的发震构造

西藏中部的发震构造是晚第四纪以来强烈活动的北东、北西和近南北向的活动断层及受其控制的地堑半地堑型盆地和拉分盆地，东西向缝合线和断层晚第四纪以来的运动性不明显，对地震活动没有明显的控制作用，活动断层的规模和晚第四纪以来的运动性质对地震的震级和数量有明显的的控制作用。８级地震的发生与拉分盆地内部张剪切断层与盆地一侧新活动幅度大的次级走滑断层的相互作用密切相关。     

Evolution of the Upper Cenozoic Magmatic Arc and plate boundary in northern New Zealand

The Upper Cenozoic Magmatic Arc in northern New Zealand was initiated when the Indian-Pacific plate boundary first spread through the North Island approximately 20 m.y. ago. Six geographically separated magmatic arcs are recognized in succession. The first (20-15 m.y.) was sited over a basement depression; lavas were basic to intermediate and largely submarine; mineralization was minor. Subsequent arcs were sited over basement horst and characterized by sub-aerial intermediate to acid magmas. After prolonged andesitic/dacitic activity (18-6 m.y.) with minor mineralization, prolific rhyolite/ignimbrite eruption began at about 6 m.y., with abundant mineralization. Behind-arc activity produced localized basalt fields in the north, and geographically restricted high-potash andesites in the south.The first four arcs in the series are aligned at about 70° to the active Tonga-Kermadec-Taupo arc. The migration and rotation of the older New Zealand arcs are ascribed to four processes taking place at the plate boundary. These are: (1) anti-clockwise bending of the crust of western North Island, obliquely to the movement of the underlying lithosphere of the Indian plate, beginning at about 3 m.y., accompanying (2) dextral transcurrent displacement of 230 km with respect to eastern North Island; taking place mostly from 3 to 0 m.y.; (3) steepening of the Benioff zone from an initial 18° dip at 20 m.y. to the present 55° to 60°; and (4) fracturing of the west-dipping lithospheric slab to give two parallel, low-potash andesitic arcs between 18 and 15 m.y.Eastern North Island is deduced to have been “floating” while Pacific plate lithosphere passed beneath it throughout the Upper Cenozoic; accordingly it is designated the Hawkes Bay Crustal Microplate.There is good agreement between major tectonic events in the South Pacific deduced by Molnar et al. from magnetic anomaly studies and major tectonic events on land. A tentative history of the Southwest Pacific is proposed for the last 40 m.y.     

Regional stresses along the Eurasia-Africa plate boundary derived from focal mechanisms of large earthquakes

The focal mechanism solutions of 83 European earthquakes withM>6, selected from a total of 140, have been used to derive the directions of the principal axes of stress along the plate boundary between Eurasia and Africa from the Azores islands to the Caucasus mountains. Along most of the region, the horizontalP-axes are at an angle of 45° to 90° with the trend of the plate boundary. HorizontalT-axes are concentrated in central Italy and northern Greece in association with normal faulting. Large strike-slip motion of right-lateral character takes place at the center of the Azores-Gibraltar fault and the North Anatolian fault. From Gibraltar to the Caucasus the boundary is complicated by the presence of secondary blocks and zones of extended deformations with earthquakes spread over wide areas. Intermediate and deep earthquakes are present at four areas with arc-like structure, namely, Gibraltar, Sicily-Calabria, Hellenic arc and Carpathians.     

The fissure swarm of the Askja volcanic system along the divergent plate boundary of N Iceland

Divergent plate boundaries, such as the one crossing Iceland, are characterized by a high density of subparallel volcanic fissures and tectonic fractures, collectively termed rift zones, or fissure swarms when extending from a specific volcano. Volcanic fissures and tectonic fractures in the fissure swarms are formed during rifting events, when magma intrudes fractures to form dikes and even feeds fissure eruptions. We mapped volcanic fissures and tectonic fractures in a part of the divergent plate boundary in northern Iceland. The study area is ~1,800 km², located within and north of the Askja central volcano. The style of fractures changes with distance from Askja. Close to Askja the swarm is dominated by eruptive fissures. The proportion of tectonic fractures gets larger with distance from Askja. This may indicate that magma pressure is generally higher in dikes close to Askja than farther away from it. Volcanic fissures and tectonic fractures are either oriented away from or concentric with the 3–4 identified calderas in Askja. The average azimuth of fissures and fractures in the area deviates significantly from the azimuth perpendicular to the direction of plate velocity. As this deviation decreases gradually northward, we suggest that the effect of the triple junction of the North American, Eurasian and the Hreppar microplate is a likely cause for this deviation. Shallow, tectonic earthquakes in the vicinity of Askja are often located in a relatively unfractured area between the fissure swarms of Askja and Kverkfjöll. These earthquakes are associated with strike-slip faulting according to fault plane solutions. We suggest that the latest magma intrusions into either the Askja or the Kverkfjöll fissure swarms rotated the maximum stress axis from being vertical to horizontal, causing the formation of strike-slip faults instead of the dilatational fractures related to the fissure swarms. The activity in different parts of the Askja fissure swarm is uneven in time and switches between subswarms, as shown by a fissure swarm that is exposed in an early Holocene lava NW of Herðubreið but disappears under a younger (3500–4500 BP) lava flow. We suggest that the location of inflation centres in Askja central volcano controls into which part of the Askja fissure swarm a dike propagates. The size and amount of fractures in the Kollóttadyngja lava shield decrease with increasing elevation. We suggest that this occurred as the depth to the propagating dike(s) was greater under central Kollóttadyngja than under its flanks, due to topography.     

构造地质学:发现地表破裂

一般认为,喜马拉雅大地震很少造成地表破裂.然而,在尼泊尔的野外分析发现,至少1255年和1934年两次历史地震沿印度和亚洲边界的主断裂产生了大规模地表位移.