Plate collision and paleostress trajectories in a fold-thrust belt: The foothills of Taiwan

Field analyses of compressional faulting and folding in the Foothills of western Taiwan enable us to reconstruct paleostress trajectories over a large area and to establish the relative chronology of tectonic events. Two main compressional events have contributed to the present structure of the fold-thrust belt. Stratigraphic data show that these events are Plio-Pliocene in age. Older normal faulting indicates NNW-SSE extension across the Chinesse passive continental margin during the Neogene. The two main compressional events of the Taiwan collision correspond to similar fan-shaped distributions of maximum compressive stress trajectories, with a counterclockwise shift of 30°–50° between the two events. Using the relationship between recent stress trajectories and the direction of recent plate motion as a guide, we reconstruct the direction of plate convergence for the older event. We suspect that the relative motion Philippine Sea plate-Eurasia has rotated counterclockwise of at least 35°–45° in Taiwan during collision. This conclusion is in agreement with independent plate tectonic reconstructions. Several problems provide objectives to further tectonic and paleomagnetic studies, including the duration and diachronism of compressional events as well as possible clockwise rotation of northernmost Taiwan.     

The two stage collision of Taiwan: An active orogen

The active Taiwan orogen is the product of a two stage collision, that included first the collision of the Hengchun ridge, an accretionary wedge, with the Chinese continental margin, and second the collision of the Luzon trough and volcanic arc, from the Philippine Sea plate, with the Central Range of Taiwan. During the first stage, the strength of the continental margin induced a decrease of the convergence rate that controlled the final Central Range orientation and induced the second stage of the collision. Taking into account the kinematics of the plate interaction, a reconstruction of the Taiwan collision during the last 4 Ma is proposed.     

A synthesis of the geologic evolution of Taiwan

The island arc of Taiwan is composed of Cenozoic geosynclinal sediments more than 10,000 m thick, lying on a pre-Tertiary metamorphic basement. Pleistocene to Miocene andesitic islands surround the main island and are related mostly to arc magmatism. The Penghu Island Group in the Taiwan Strait is covered with Pleistocene flood basalt. Neogene shallow marine clastic sediments are exposed mainly in the western foothills with Pleistocene andesitic extrusives at the northern tip and the northeastern offshore islands. A thick sequence of Paleogene to Miocene argillitic to slaty metaclastic rocks underlies the western Central Range and forms the immediate sedimentary cover on the pre-Tertiary metamorphic complex to the east, which represents an older Mesozoic arc-trench system. The Coastal Range in eastern Taiwan is a Neogene andesitic magmatic arc, including also a large variety of volcaniclastic and turbiditic sediments. Cenozoic Taiwan is the site of arc-continent collision where the Luzon arc on the Philippine Sea plate overrides the Chinese continental margin on the Eurasian plate. East and northeast of Taiwan, the polarity of subduction changes whereby the oceanic Philippine Sea plate is subducting beneath the Ryukyu arc system on the Eurasian plate. Continent-arc collision in Taiwan island is anomalous and may occur in a broad belt of deformation rather than along a well-defined plate boundary or subduction zone.     

Kinematics of Convergence and Deformation in Luzon Island and Adjacent Sea Areas:2-D Finite-Element Simulation

The Luzon Island is a volcanic arc sandwiched by the eastward subducting South China Sea and the northwestward subducting Philippine Sea plate.Through experiments of plane-stress,elastic,and 2-dimensional finite-element modeling,we evaluated the relationship between plate kinematics and present-day deformation of Luzon Island and adjacent sea areas.The concept of coupling rate was applied to define the boundary velocities along the subduction zones.The distribution of velocity fields calculated in our models was compared with the velocity field revealed by recent geodetic (GPS) observations.The best model was obtained that accounts for the observed velocity field within the limits of acceptable mechanical parameters and reasonable boundary conditions.Sensitivity of the selection of parameters and boundary conditions were evaluated.The model is sensitive to the direction of convergence between the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea plates,and to different coupling rates in the Manila trench,Philippine trench and eastern Luzon trough.We suggest that a change of±15° of the di rection of motion of the Philippine Sea plate can induce important changes in the distribution of the computed displacement trajectories,and the movement of the Philippine Sea plate toward azimuth330° best explains the velocity pattern observed in Luzon Island.In addition,through sensitivity analysis we conclude that the coupling rate in the Manila trench is much smaller compared with the rates in the eastern Luzon trough and the Philippine trench.This indicates that a significant part of momentum of the Philippine Sea plate motion has been absorbed by the Manila trench;whereas,a part of the momentum has been transmitted into Luzon Island through the eastern Luzon trough and the Philippine trench.     

How was Taiwan created?

Since the beginning of formation of proto-Taiwan during late Miocene (9 Ma), the subducting Philippine (PH) Sea plate moved continuously through time in the N307° direction at a 5.6 cm/year velocity with respect to Eurasia (EU), tearing the Eurasian plate. Strain states within the EU crust are different on each side of the western PH Sea plate boundary (extensional in the Okinawa Trough and northeastern Taiwan versus contractional for the rest of Taiwan Island). The B feature corresponds to the boundary between the continental and oceanic parts of the subducting Eurasian plate and lies in the prolongation of the ocean–continent boundary of the northern South China Sea. Strain rates in the Philippines to northern Taiwan accretionary prism are similar on each side of B (contractional), though with different strain directions, perhaps in relation with the change of nature of the EU slab across B. Consequently, in the process of Taiwan mountain building, the deformation style was probably not changing continuously from the Manila to the Ryukyu subduction zones. The Luzon intra-oceanic arc only formed south of B, above the subducting Eurasian oceanic lithosphere. North of B, the Luzon arc collided with EU simultaneously with the eastward subduction of a portion of EU continental lithosphere beneath the Luzon arc. In its northern portion, the lower part of the Luzon arc was subducting beneath Eurasia while the upper part accreted against the Ryukyu forearc. Among the consequences of such a simple geodynamic model: (i) The notion of continuum from subduction to collision might be questioned. (ii) Traces of the Miocene volcanic arc were never found in the southwestern Ryukyu arc. We suggest that the portion of EU continental lithosphere, which has subducted beneath the Coastal Range, might include the Miocene Ryukyu arc volcanoes formed west of 126°E longitude and which are missing today. (iii) The 150-km-wide oceanic domain located south of B between the Luzon arc and the Manila trench, above the subducting oceanic EU plate (South China Sea) was progressively incorporated into the EU plate north of B.     

再论台湾造山带构造格架与演化过程SCIEI北大核心CSCD

台湾造山带是中新世晚期以来相邻菲律宾海板块往北西方向移动,导致北吕宋岛弧系统及弧前增生楔与欧亚大陆边缘斜碰撞形成的。目前该造山带仍在活动,虽然规模很小,但形成了多数大型碰撞造山带中的所有构造单元,是研究年轻造山系统的理想野外实验室,为理解西太平洋弧-陆碰撞过程和边缘海演化提供了一个独特的窗口。本文总结了二十一世纪以来对台湾造山带的诸多研究进展,讨论了其构造单元划分及演化过程。我们将台湾造山带重新划分为6个构造单元,由西至东分依次为:(1)西部前陆盆地;(2)中央山脉褶皱逆冲带;(3)太鲁阁带;(4)玉里-利吉蛇绿混杂岩带;(5)纵谷磨拉石盆地;(6)海岸山脉岛弧系统。其中,西部前陆盆地为6.5Ma以来伴随台湾造山带的隆升剥蚀形成沉积盆地。中央山脉褶皱逆冲带为新生代(57~5.3Ma)欧亚大陆东缘伸展盆地沉积物由于弧-陆碰撞受褶皱、逆冲及变质作用改造形成的。太鲁阁带是造山带中的古老陆块,主要记录中生代古太平洋俯冲在欧亚大陆活动边缘形成的岩浆、沉积和变质岩作用。玉里-利吉蛇绿混杂岩带和海岸山脉岛弧系统分别为中新世中期(~18Ma)以来南中国海板块向菲律宾海板块之下俯冲形成的岛弧和弧前增生楔,其中玉里混杂岩中有典型低温高压变质作用记录,变质年龄为11~9Ma;岛弧火山作用的主要时限为9.2~4.2Ma。纵谷磨拉石盆地记录1.1Ma以来的山间盆地沉积。台湾造山带的构造演化可划分为4个阶段:(a)古太平洋板块俯冲与欧亚大陆边缘增生阶段(200~60Ma);(b)欧亚大陆东缘伸展和南中国海扩张阶段(60~18Ma);(c)南中国海俯冲阶段(18~4Ma);(d)弧-陆碰撞阶段(<6Ma)。台湾弧-陆碰撞造山带是一个特殊案例,其弧-陆碰撞并不伴随着弧-陆之间的洋盆消亡,而是由于北吕宋岛弧及弧前增生楔伴随菲律宾海板块运动向西北方走滑,仰冲到欧亚大陆边缘,形成现今的台湾造山带。     

西太平洋边缘构造特征及其演化

西太平洋边缘构造带是地球上规模最大最复杂的板块边界,以台湾和马鲁古海为界,自北往南大致可以分为3段。北段是典型的沟-弧-盆体系,千岛海盆、日本海盆及冲绳海槽均为典型的弧后扩张盆地。中段菲律宾岛弧构造带为双向俯冲带,构造复杂,新生代经历大的位移和重组,使得欧亚大陆边缘的南海、苏禄海和苏拉威西海成因存在很大的争议。南段新几内亚—所罗门构造带是太平洋板块、印度—澳大利亚及欧亚板块共同作用的结果,既有不同阶段的俯冲、碰撞,也有大规模的走滑与弧后的扩张,其间既有新扩张的海盆,又有正在俯冲消亡的海盆。台湾岛处于枢纽部位,欧亚板块在此被撕裂,南部欧亚大陆边缘南海洋壳沿马尼拉海沟俯冲于菲律宾岛弧之下,而北部菲律宾海洋壳沿琉球海沟俯冲欧亚大陆之下。马鲁古海是西太平洋板块边界又一转折点,马鲁古海板块往东下插于哈马黑拉之下,往西下插于桑义赫弧,形成反U形双向俯冲汇聚带,其洋壳板块已基本全部消失,致使哈马黑拉弧与桑义赫弧形成弧-弧碰撞。     

East Asia plate tectonics since 15 Ma: constraints from the Taiwan region

15 Ma ago, a major plate reorganization occurred in East Asia. Seafloor spreading ceased in the South China Sea, Japan Sea, Taiwan Sea, Sulu Sea, and Shikoku and Parece Vela basins. Simultaneously, shear motions also ceased along the Taiwan–Sinzi zone, the Gagua ridge and the Luzon–Ryukyu transform plate boundary. The complex system of thirteen plates suddenly evolved in a simple three-plate system (EU, PH and PA). Beneath the Manila accretionary prism and in the Huatung basin, we have determined magnetic lineation patterns as well as spreading rates deduced from the identification of magnetic lineations. These two patterns are rotated by 15°. They were formed by seafloor spreading before 15 Ma and belonged to the same ocean named the Taiwan Sea. Half-spreading rate in the Taiwan Sea was 2 cm/year from chron 23 to 20 (51 to 43 Ma) and 1 cm/year from chron 20 (43 Ma) to 5b (15 Ma). Five-plate kinematic reconstructions spanning from 15 Ma to Present show implications concerning the geodynamic evolution of East Asia. Amongst them, the 1000-km-long linear Gagua ridge was a major plate boundary which accommodated the northwestward shear motion of the PH Sea plate; the formation of Taiwan was driven by two simple lithospheric motions: (i) the subduction of the PH Sea plate beneath Eurasia with a relative westward motion of the western end (A) of the Ryukyu subduction zone; (ii) the subduction of Eurasia beneath the Philippine Sea plate with a relative southwestward motion of the northern end (B) of the Manila subduction zone. The Luzon arc only formed south of B. The collision of the Luzon arc with Eurasia occurred between A and B. East of A, the Luzon arc probably accreted against the Ryukyu forearc.     

中国东部大陆边缘晚新生代构造演化及板块相互作用过程重建

晚新生代中国东部大陆边缘的构造活动主要集中于东海东缘。中新世以来菲律宾海板块俯冲、冲绳海槽弧后张裂、台湾弧-陆碰撞等一系列重大构造过程,塑造了现今琉球沟-弧-盆体系、台湾碰撞造山带和南海东北部的构造-地貌格局。本文基于对重磁和多道地震资料的解译,并结合前人研究成果,恢复了冲绳海槽构造演化史,阐明了冲绳海槽弧后张裂和台湾弧-陆碰撞之间的关系。在此基础上,重建了中新世以来欧亚板块、菲律宾海板块、南海板块之间的相互作用过程模型。本研究有助于进一步理解板块汇聚背景下东亚大陆边缘深部动力-热力过程对浅部构造格局变迁的制约和影响。     

中国岩石圈应力场与构造运动区域特征

笔者系统分析了1918—2005年间中国大陆及其周缘发生的3130个中、强地震的震源机制解,根据其特征进行了岩石圈应力场构造分区,首次得到区域应力场的压应力轴和张应力轴空间分布的统计数字结果。在此基础上研究了应力场的区域特征、探讨了其动力学来源以及构造运动特征。总体结果表明,中国大陆及其周缘岩石圈应力场和构造运动可以归结为印度洋板块、太平洋板块、菲律宾海板块与欧亚板块之间相对运动,以及大陆板内区域块体之间的相互作用的结果。印度洋板块向欧亚板块的碰撞挤压运动所产生的强烈的挤压应力,控制了喜马拉雅、青藏高原、中国西部乃至延伸到天山及其以北的广大地区。在青藏高原周缘地区和中国西部的大范围内,压应力P轴水平分量方位位于20～40°,形成了近NE方向的挤压应力场。大量逆断层型强震集中发生在青藏高原的南、北和西部周缘地区,以及天山等地区。而多数正断层型地震集中发生在青藏高原中部高海拔的地区,断层位错的水平分量位于近东西方向。表明青藏高原周缘区域发生南北向强烈挤压短缩的同时,中部高海拔地区存在着明显的近东西向的扩张运动。中国东部的华北地区受到太平洋板块向欧亚板块俯冲挤压的同时,又受到从贝加尔湖经过大华北直到琉球海沟的广阔地域里存在着的统一的、方位为170°的引张应力场的控制。华北地区大地震的震源机制解均反映出该区地震的发生大体为NEE向挤压应力和NNW向张应力的共同作用结果。台湾纵谷断层是菲律宾海板块与欧亚板块之间碰撞挤压边界。来自北西向运动的菲律宾海板块构造应力控制了从台湾纵谷、华南块体,直到中国南北地震带南段东部地域的应力场。地震的震源机制结果还表明,将中国大陆分成东、西两部分的中国南北地震带是印度洋板块、菲律宾海板块与太平洋板块在中国大陆内部影响控制范围的分界线。     

Crustal-scale seismic profiles across Taiwan and the western Philippine Sea

We have used combined onshore and offshore wide-angle seismic data sets to model the velocity structure of the Taiwan arc–continent collision along three cross-island transects. Although Taiwan is well known as a collisional orogen, relatively few data have been collected that reveal the deeper structure resulting from this lithospheric-scale process. Our southern transect crosses the Hengchun Peninsula of southernmost Taiwan and demonstrates characteristics of incipient collision. Here, 11-km-thick, transitional crust of the Eurasian plate (EUP) subducts beneath a large, rapidly growing accretionary prism. This prism also overrides the N. Luzon forearc to the east as it grows. Just west of the arc axis there is an abrupt discontinuity in the forearc velocity structure. Because this break is accompanied by intense seismicity, we interpret that the forearc block is being detached from the N. Luzon arc and Philippine Sea plate (PSP) at this point. Our middle transect illustrates the structure of the developing collision. Steep and overturned velocity contours indicate probable large-scale thrust boundaries across the orogen. The leading edge of the coherent PSP appears to extend to beneath the east coast of Taiwan. Deformation of the PSP is largely limited to the remnant N. Luzon arc with no evidence of crustal thickening to the east in the Huatung basin. Our northern transect illustrates slab–continent collision—the continuing collision of the PSP and EUP as the PSP subducts. The collisional contact is below 20 km depths along this transect NE of Hualien. This transect shows elements of the transition from arc–continent collision to Ryukyu arc subduction. Both of our models across the Central Range suggest that the Paleozoic to Mesozoic basement rocks there may have been emplaced as thick, coherent thrust sheets. This suggests a process of partial continental subduction followed by intra-crustal detachment and buoyancy-aided exhumation. Although our models provide previously unknown structural information about the Taiwan orogen, our data do not define the deepest orogenic structure nor the structure of western Taiwan. Additional seismic (active and passive), geologic, and geodynamic modeling work must be done to fully define the structure, the active deformation zones, and the key geodynamic process of the Taiwan arc–continent collision.     

南海后扩张期大陆边缘闭合过程及成因机制

南海是西太平洋海域最大的边缘海,然而南海扩张终结后动力学过程研究仍较为薄弱.通过构造变革界面识别、褶皱冲断带沉积记录等方面的系统研究,揭示南海南部和东部陆缘在南海后扩张期的演化历程.研究表明南海南部和东部边缘经历了多个微板块从俯冲到碰撞的演变历程,形成了陆-陆碰撞、弧-陆碰撞、洋-弧俯冲等多个特征迥异的板块边界.南海南部陆缘属于古南海俯冲拖曳构造区,婆罗洲西北沙捞越-曾母地块率先碰撞,随后经历了婆罗洲东北沙巴-南沙地块碰撞、西南巴拉望-卡加延岛弧碰撞.南部多个微板块碰撞导致古南海呈剪刀式从西向东逐渐关闭和消亡,总体形成了以微地块碰撞、深海槽发育和造山带前缘巨厚沉积充填为特色的碰撞陆缘.东部陆缘属于菲律宾海俯冲-碰撞构造区,南海东部洋壳自中新世开始向菲律宾海板块俯冲,弧-陆碰撞仅局限于东部陆缘南北两端.澳洲-印度板块、菲律宾海板块与欧亚板块相互作用控制了南海边缘海闭合过程,南海正在进行的关闭过程主要集中在东缘和南缘,东缘呈现了以南海洋壳消亡为特征的闭合过程,而南缘则呈现以微陆块碰撞为特征的古南海闭合过程.显然,南部后扩张期陆缘演变可为边缘海闭合过程研究提供极佳的范例,同时对我国海洋权益保护和南海大陆边缘动力学研究具有重要意义.      

Tertiary evolution of the Eastern Indonesia Collision Complex

Eastern Indonesia is the zone of interaction between three converging megaplates: Eurasia, the Pacific and Indo-Australia. The geological basis for interpretations of the Tertiary tectonic evolution of Eastern Indonesia is reviewed, and a series of plate tectonic reconstructions for this region at 5 million year intervals covering the last 35 million years is presented.The oldest reconstruction predates the onset of regional collisional deformation. At this time a simple plate configuration is interpreted, consisting of the northward-moving Australian continent approaching an approximately E–W oriented, southward-facing subduction zone extending from the southern margin of the Eurasian continent eastwards into the Pacific oceanic domain. Beginning at about 30 Ma the Australian continental margin commenced collision with the subduction zone along its entire palinspastically-restored northern margin, from Sulawesi in the west to Papua New Guinea in the east. From this time until ca 24 Ma, the Australian continent indented the former arc trend, with the northward convergence of Australia absorbed at the palaeo-northern boundary of the Philippine Sea Plate (the present-day Palau-Kyushu Ridge).At ca 24 Ma the present-day pattern of oblique convergence between the northern margin of Australia and the Philippine Sea Plate began to develop. At about this time a large portion of the Palaeogene colliding volcanic arc (the future eastern Philippines) began to detach from the northern continental margin by left-lateral strike slip. From ca 18 Ma oblique southward-directed subduction commenced at the Maramuni Arc in northern New Guinea. At ca 12 Ma the Sorong Fault Zone strike-slip system developed, effectively separating the Philippines from the Indonesian tectonic domain. The Sorong Fault Zone became inactive at ca 6 Ma, since which time the tectonics of eastern Indonesia has been dominated by the anticlockwise rotation of the Bird’s Head structural block by some 30–40°.Contemporaneously with post-18 Ma tectonism, the Banda Arc subduction–collision system developed off the northwestern margin of the Australian continent. Convergence between Indo-Australia and Eurasia was accommodated initially by northward subduction of the Indian Ocean, and subsequently, since ca 8 Ma, by the development of a second phase of arc-continent collision around the former passive continental margin of NW Australia.     

Origin of the serpentinites in the Lichi mélange,eastern Taiwan,China: implication from petrology and geochronology

Lichi mélange, located in the southern coastal range, eastern Taiwan, China, is a typical tectonic mélange of the plate’s boundary zone between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. It formed during the collision of the Luzon arc with the Eurasian Continent (arc-continent collision). It is composed of sandstone and/or mudstone matrix and many kinds and sizes of rock fragments, including some sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks and a few metamorphic rocks. The serpentinite is one of the common fragments in the Lichi mélange. By the petrographic characteristics and the zircon U-Pb chronology analyses, protolith of the serpentinite is peridotite, the age is 17.7 ± 0.5 Ma. Taking the tectonic background into account, it is inferred that the serpentinite (serpentinised peridotite) come from the forearc basin (the North Luzon Trough) and was taken into the mélange by a second thrust westwards. The origin of the serpentinite in Lichi mélange is helpful to understand the formation of the Lichi mélange and can provide reliable detailed information for the study of the arc-continent collision orogenic activity in and offshore Taiwan.     

The volcanoes of an oceanic arc from origin to destruction: A case from the northern Luzon Arc

Volcanoes were created, grew, uplifted, became dormant or extinct, and were accreted as part of continents during continuous arc–continent collision. Volcanic rocks in Eastern Taiwan’s Coastal Range (CR) are part of the northern Luzon Arc, an oceanic island arc produced by the subduction of the South China Sea Plate beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. Igneous rocks are characterized by intrusive bodies, lava and pyroclastic flows, and volcaniclastic rocks with minor tephra deposits. Based on volcanic facies associations, Sr–Nd isotopic geochemistry, and the geography of the region, four volcanoes were identified in the CR: Yuemei, Chimei, Chengkuangao, and Tuluanshan. Near-vent facies associations show different degrees of erosion in the volcanic edifices for Chimei, Chengkuangao, and Tuluanshan. Yuemei lacks near-vent rocks, implying that Yuemei’s main volcanic body may have been subducted at the Ryukyu Trench with the northward motion of the Philippine Sea Plate. These data suggest a hypothesis for the evolution of volcanism and geomorphology during arc growth and ensuing arc–continent collision in the northern Luzon Arc, which suggests that these volcanoes were formed from the seafloor, emerging as islands during arc volcanism. They then became dormant or extinct during collision, and finally, were uplifted and accreted by additional collision. The oldest volcano, Yuemei, may have already been subducted into the Ryukyu Trench.     

南海东北部及其邻近地区地壳上地幔P波速度结构

利用中国地震台网和ISC台站记录的P波到时数据,采用球坐标系有限差分地震层析成像方法反演了南海东北部及其邻近地区壳幔三维P波速度结构,并分析了不同地质单元的构造差异及其深部特征。结果表明:南海东北部表现出陆架地区的岩石层特性,属于华南大陆向海区的延伸,岩石层厚度较大,现今不存在大规模的地幔热流活动,推测大陆边缘张裂作用仅限于地壳内部而没有延伸进入上地幔,具有非火山型大陆边缘的深部特点。中央海盆附近上地幔P波速度明显降低,与海盆下方地幔热流活动密切相关。不同的速度异常特征表明:华南大陆暨台湾地区属于欧亚大陆的正常地壳或是与菲律宾海板块相互作用产生的增厚型地壳,冲绳海槽则是弧后扩张产生的减薄型地壳。滨海断裂带作为华南大陆高速异常和南海北部高速异常的分界,代表了一定地质时期华南地块和南海地块的拼合边界。断裂附近的上地幔低速异常揭示了闽粤沿海岩浆作用的深层动力机制。吕宋岛弧、马尼拉海沟、东吕宋海槽的速度异常与其所处的特殊构造位置有密切的关系,清晰地反映出岛弧俯冲带的地壳结构差异;台湾南部至吕宋岛弧的上地幔低速异常揭示了两个重要火山链的深部构造特征,北吕宋海脊下方100 km深度的条带状高速异常有可能代表了俯冲下沉的岩石层板片。     

Dating thin zircon rims by NanoSIMS: the Fengtien nephrite (Taiwan) is the youngest jade on Earth

Nephrite in the Fengtien area of the eastern part of the Central Mountain Range, Taiwan, is associated with antigorite-serpentinite within the Yuli belt, a late Cenozoic subduction–accretionary complex related to the eastward subduction of the South China Sea plate forming the Luzon arc. Diopsidite and clinozoisite rock are two other metasomatic components accompanying nephrite between serpentinites and the greenschist-facies country rock (carbonaceous material-)quartz-mica schist. Detrital zircons were separated from one clinozoisite rock sample, formed through metasomatic replacement after mica-quartz schist at temperatures of 320–420°C or slightly lower, which is lower than the metamorphic temperature conditions of the Yuli belt. Most of the detrital zircons have thin zircon rims less than 15–20 μm wide. These zircon rims, considered as newly formed during metasomatism leading to nephrite/diopsidite/clinozoisite rock formation, were dated by a high lateral resolution secondary ion mass spectrometer (CAMECA NanoSIMS NS50). The resulting ²³⁸U/²⁰⁶Pb-²⁰⁴Pb/²⁰⁶Pb inverse isochron gave an age of 3.3 ± 1.7 Ma. The collision of the Eurasian continental margin with the Luzon arc has been suggested to have begun at ca. 6.5 Ma in the Taiwan area. The nephrite formation processes therefore clearly post-dated South China Sea plate subduction. The present date, substantiated by the metamorphic and metasomatic temperature information, demonstrates that the fluid–rock interaction forming Fengtien nephrite would have taken place during a Barrovian-type metamorphic overprint resulting from arc-continent collision, leading to the exhumation of the Yuli belt. This conclusion on nephrite formation with regard to regional tectonics can serve as a working model for future studies on other nephrite deposits with similar occurrences, mostly embedded within Mesozoic or older subduction-accretionary complexes. The Fengtien nephrite deposit is therefore the youngest one of its kind exposed on Earth’s surface.     

Seismotectonics of Taiwan

High-quality seismicity data and focal mechanism solutions obtained during 1973–1983 by the permanent Taiwan Telemetered Seismographic Network and several temporary local seismographic networks are used for a detailed study of the seismotectonics of the Taiwan area. Seismicity distribution in southern Taiwan clearly reveals an east-dipping Benioff zone which has a thickness of about 30 km and begins to deepen along 121°E at a dip angle of 55°–60°. The leading edge of this Benioff zone reaches a depth of about 180 km between 21°N and 22°N, but tapers off to a shallower depth of about 100 km from 22°N to 23°N. The presence of this seismic zone implies that subduction of the South China Sea plate under the Philippine Sea plate extends from Luzon northward to about 23°N. The position of the northern boundary of the South China Sea plate, as tentatively defined according to the seismicity distribution, passes through southern Taiwan from the offshore area in the Taiwan Strait west of Kaohsiung in an east-northeast direction to the Taitung area where a triple junction probably lies. Seismicity is found to disappear abruptly below a certain depth in many parts of Taiwan. This phenomenon may be attributed to the frictional to quasiplastic transition in the crust or upper mantle. Comparison of shallow seismicity with surface faults and fractures shows that all areas of active shallow seismicity are marked by densely-developed faults and fractures. However, the converse is not necessarily true. This may be partly due to the relatively short duration of seismicity data and partly due to excessive weakening of some of the severely faulted and fractured areas. Finally, focal mechanism solutions for west central Taiwan and the Kuangfu-Fuli area in eastern Taiwan predominantly show a maximum horizontal compression in the SE-NW direction which can be related to collision between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. However, focal mechanism solutions for both the Hualien area in eastern Taiwan and the Tainan area in southwestern Taiwan show remarkable irregularities which may result from local tectonic complexities.     

台湾-吕宋岛双火山弧的构造意义

扼要评介了国内外关于台湾-吕宋岛双火山弧在南海沿马尼拉海沟俯冲的动力学过程和俯冲板块深部形态等方面研究的成果;认为目前的动力学模式还不够完善,没有能够对台湾-吕宋岛双火山弧中存在的第四纪火山间断做出合理的解释,为此引入“板片窗”概念,对已经提出的动力学模式进行了修改;并统计1964~2006年发生于菲律宾地区的地震震中位置,认为存在于菲律宾群岛17°~19°N之间的深源地震稀疏带和存在于14°~15°N之间的喇叭状地震稀疏带是地震作用对于南海板片窗构造存在的反映;结合研究区域已有应力场研究资料,认为俯冲的南海亚板块中板片窗两侧俯冲倾角的差异,应该是造成俯冲带内应力分布出现分带现象的原因之一。     

Significant crustal structural variation across the Chaochou Fault, southern Taiwan: New tectonic implications for convergent plate boundary

The Chaochou Fault, a major geological boundary in southern Taiwan is considered to be a part of the convergent plate boundary between the Eurasia Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. We applied the Common Conversion Point stacking technique to teleseismic radial receiver functions and obtained Moho variation and crustal structure across the Chaochou Fault. In the Eurasia Plate to its west, the Moho depth is about 37 km and the crust is subducting to the east beneath the Philippine Sea Plate with a dip angle of about 30° between the Backbone Belt and the Tananao Schist. In the Philippine Sea Plate, the Moho depth is about 17 km. The Longitudinal Valley marks the collision boundary between the Eurasia Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. The results suggest that the depth extent of the Chaochou Fault is about 30–35 km and the fault becomes a “shallow-angle” thrust fault at depth. The Common Conversion Point image also shows several bending interfaces of velocity contrast in the crust. We proposed a simple model to explain the Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasia Plate collision process and the observed crustal deformations.