Internal structure of the Dead Sea leaky transform (rift) in relation to plate kinematics

The structures along the Dead Sea transform (rift) are related to the motions of the Sinai and Arabia plates which border it, and to the irregularities of their boundaries. The total slip was 105 km left-lateral, but the present structures were formed mainly during the last 40 km of slip, which probably occurred in the Plio-Pleistocene. Along the southern half of the transform the strike-slip motion takes place on en-echelon faults. This produces rhomb-shaped grabens or pull-aparts, which are sometimes composite, and in which there is local crustal separation. Thus, much of the transform is “leaky”. These structures occur in a morpho-tectonic “rift-valley” delimited by normal faults, which express a small component of transverse extension. Along a few segments the shape of the transform is such that lateral motion produces local transverse compression. The geometric relations of the structures along the transform define an Eulerian pole of relative plate motions at 32.8° N 22.6° E ± 0.5°. The older motion was somewhat different and is described by a pole located about 5° west of the above. Then the component of transverse extension and crustal separation was much smaller than now, while local transverse compression was more important. The northern half of the Dead Sea transform has an irregular shape, and the bordering plates did not remain rigid as lateral motion continued. Here transverse compression is often important.     

Isotopic composition of hydration water in gypsum

The isotopic composition of the hydration water of gypsum is a sensitive diagnostic tool for specifying the mechanisms of its formation, either from an evaporating brine, by hydration of anhydriate or in situ formation in surface or groundwaters through oxidation of sulfides. Primarily, gypsum is formed in isotopic equilibrium with the mother brine; later, exchange of water occurs rapidly under humid conditions by means of a mechanism of recrystallization of gypsum or through diffusion of water into the intact crystal. Under arid conditions, however, the primary isotopic record has been preserved, in some instances, since the Pleistocene.     

The evolution of marginal basins and adjacent shelves in east and southeast Asia

The structural elements on the shallow (Sunda Shelf) and deep seas of east and south—east Asia are interpreted as the result of past interaction between lithospheric plates. During the Mesozoic the western Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean were parts of the Tethys Sea and were moving to the north relative to Antarctica. A Mesozoic ridge system trending east—west produced east—west trending magnetic anomalies throughout the entire area. The ridge system was bisected by large north—south transform faults which divided the eastern Indian Ocean—western Pacific Ocean into sub-plates traveling at different speeds. The Mesozoic evolution of the Sunda Shelf and the deep seas resulted from such horizontal differential movement in a north—south direction. During Late Cretaceous—Eocene the various segments of the spreading ridge gradually submerged beneath the deep sea trenches to the north, causing a gradual change in the direction of motion of the Pacific plate. The change in motion of the Pacific plate resulted in the separation between the Pacific and the eastern Indian Ocean plates, the formation of large northeast—southwest tectonic elements on the Sunda Shelf and elsewhere in south—east Asia, the formation of the western Philippine Basin and the rapid northward motion of Australia. The only remnant of the Mesozoic ridge system exists today at the western Philippine Basin.     

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.     

Structure of the Transkei Basin and Natal Valley, Southwest Indian Ocean, from seismic reflection and potential field data

Marine geophysical data from the southern Natal Valley and northern Transkei Basin, offshore southeast Africa, were used to study the structure of the crust and sedimentary cover in the area. The data includes seismic reflection, gravity and magnetics and provides information on the acoustic basement geometry (where available), features of the sedimentary cover and the basin's development. Previously mapped Mesozoic magnetic anomalies over a part of the basin are now recognized over wider areas of the basin. The ability to extend the correlation to the southeast within the Natal Valley further confirms an oceanic origin for this region and provides an opportunity to amplify the existing plate boundary reconstructions.The stratigraphic structure of the southern Natal Valley and the northern Transkei Basin reflects processes of the ocean crust formation and subsequent evolution. The highly variable relief of the acoustic basement may relate to the crust formation in the immediate vicinity of the continental transform margin. Renewed submarine seismicity and neotectonic activity in the area is probably related to the diffuse boundary between the Nubia and Somalia plates.2.5-D crustal models show that a 1.7–3.2-km-thick sediment sequence overlies a 6.3±1.2-km-thick normal oceanic crust in the deep southern Natal Valley and Transkei Basin. The oceanic crust in the study area is heterogeneous, made up of blocks of laterally varying remanent magnetization (0.5–3.5 A/m) and density (2850–2900 kg/m³). Strong modifications of accretionary processes near ridge/fracture zone intersections may be a reason of such heterogeneity.