Forearc structures and tectonics in the southern Peru—northern Chile Continental Margin

SeaMARC II side-scan images, bathymetry, and single-channel seismic reflection data along the southern Peru—northern Chile forearc area between 16° and 23° S reveal a complex region of morpho-structural, submarine drainage and depression patterns. In the subducting plate area, the NW—SE trending primary normal fault system represented by trench-paralleled scarps was incipiently formed as the Nazca Plate was bent in the outer edge and further intensified as the plate approached the trench. The NE—SW trending secondary normal fault system that consists of discontinuous and smaller faults, usually intersect the primary trench-paralleled fault system. Similar to the Nazca Plate, the overriding continental plate also shows two major NW—SE and NE—SW trending fault systems represented by fault scarps or narrow elongated depressions.The submarine drainage systems represented by a series of canyon and channel courses appear to be partly controlled by the faults and exhibit a pattern similar to the onshore drainage which flows into the central region of the coastal area. Two large depressions occurring along the middle—upper slope areas of the continental margin are recognized as collapse and slump that perhaps are a major result of increased slope gradient. The subsidence of the forearc area in the southern Peru—northern Chile Continental Margin is indicated by: a) drainage systems flowing into the central region, b) the slope collapse and slumps heading to the central region, c) the deepening of the trench and inclining of the lower slope terrace to the central region, and d) submerging of the upper-slope ridge and the Peru—Chile Coast Range off the Arica Bight area.The subsidence of the forearc area in the southern Perunorthern Chile margin is probably attributed to a subduction erosion which causes wearing away and removal of the rock and sedimentary masses of the overriding plate as the Nazca Plate subducts under the South American Plate.     

Submarine canyon development in the Izu-Bonin forearc: A SeaMARC II and seismic survey of Aoga Shima Canyon

SeaMARC II sidescan (imagery and bathymetry) and seismic data reveal the morphology, sedimentary processes, and structural controls on submarine canyon development in the central Izu-Bonin forearc, south of Japan. Canyons extend up to 150 km across the forearc from the trench-slope break to the active volcanic arc. The canyons are most deeply incised (1200–1700 m) into the gentle gradients (1–2°) upslope on the outer arc high (OAH) and lose bathymetric expression on the steep (6–18°) inner trench-slope. The drainage patterns indicate that canyons are formed by both headward erosion and downcutting. Headward erosion proceeds on two scales. Initially, pervasive small-scale mass wasting creates curvilinear channels and pinnate drainage patterns. Large-scale slumping, evidenced by abundant crescent-shaped scarps along the walls and tributaries of Aoga Shima Canyon, occurs only after a channel is present, and provides a mechanism for canyon branching. The largest slump has removed >16 km³ of sediment from an 85 km² area of seafloor bounded by scarps more than 200 m high and may be in the initial stages of forming a new canyon branch. The northern branch of Aoga Shima Canyon has eroded upslope to the flanks of the arc volcanoes allowing direct tapping of this volcaniclastic sediment source. Headward erosion of the southern branch is not as advanced but the canyon may capture sediments supplied by unconfined (non-channelized) mass flows.Oligocene forearc sedimentary processes were dominated by unconfined mass flows that created sub-parallel and continuous sedimentary sequences. Pervasive channel cut-and-fill is limited to the Neogene forearc sedimentary sequences which are characterized by migrating and unconformable seismic sequences. Extensive canyon formation permitting sediment bypassing of the forearc by canyon-confined mass flows began in the early Miocene after the basin was filled to the spill points of the OAH. Structural lows in the OAH determined the initial locus of canyon formation, and outcropping basement rocks have prevented canyon incision on the lower slope. A major jog in the canyon axis, linear tributaries, and a prominent sidescan lineament all trend NW-NNW, reflecting OAH basement influence on canyon morphology. This erosional fabric may reflect joint/fracture patterns in the sedimentary strata that follow the basement trends. Once the canyons have eroded down to more erosion-resistant levels, channel downcutting slows relative to lateral erosion of the canyon walls. This accounts for the change from a narrow canyon axis in the thickly sedimented forearc basin to a wider, more rugged canyon morphology near the OAH. About 9500 km³ of sediment has been eroded from the central, 200 km long, segment of the Izu-Bonin forearc by the formation of Aoga Shima, Myojin Sho and Sumisu Jima canyons. The volume of sediment presently residing in the adjacent trench, accretionary wedge, and lower slope terrace basin accounts for <25% of that eroded from the canyons alone. This implies that a large volume (>3500 km³ per 100 km of trench, ignoring sediments input via forearc bypassing) has been subducted beneath the toe of the trench slope and the small accretionary prism. Unless this sediment has been underplated beneath the forearc, it has recycled arc material into the mantle, possibly influencing the composition of arc volcanism.     

北秦岭南缘弧前盆地沉积作用及盆地发展

秦岭被商丹缝合带分为北秦岭和南秦岭两个部分,在北秦岭南缘残留着与俯冲作用相关的岛弧火山岩以及弧前沉积体。对沿海丹带两个地区(黑河地区和黑山地区)弧前沉积体岩相组合和相序的研究显示,它们主要由深水浊积岩系。火山碎屑岩,扇三角洲沉积以及局限性台地碳酸盐岩和陆棚碎屑岩组成。总的沉积序列显示向上变浅趋势,但在弧前内侧边缘则表现为向上变深趋势。两个不同地区岩相和相序的差异明显受物源、海平面变化以及特别是构造作用的挫制。深水浊积岩系所反映的线状物源供给形式、扇三角洲体系的发育和其内部不同沉积段反复重叠的特征指示一种活动构造环境。弧前区构造发展一方面与其前部加积或下部垫底作用有关,另一方面则在很大程度上受由斜向俯冲而导致的伸展作用的影响。     

俯冲带库仑楔形体力学

楔形体理论研究楔形体在底部摩擦力、重力和边界外力共同作用下内部的应力状态,有助于我们定量分析断层强度和岩石性质与楔形体稳定状态之间的关系.本文首先简要介绍基于不同楔形体材料而得出的应力解析解.然后介绍基于理想弹塑性材料的俯冲带库仑楔应力解析解.最后介绍基于该解析解而提出的动态库仑楔形体理论.俯冲带地震反射剖面数据表明,...     

Influence of the precollisional stage on subduction dynamics and the buried crust thermal state: Insights from numerical simulations

At continental subduction initiation, the continental crust buoyancy may induce, first, a convergence slowdown, and second, a compressive stress increase that could lead to the forearc lithosphere rupture. Both processes could influence the slab surface P–T conditions, favoring on one side crust partial melting or on the opposite the formation of ultra-high pressure/low temperature (UHP-LT) mineral. We quantify these two effects by performing numerical simulations of subduction. Water transfers are computed as a function of slab dehydration/overlying mantle hydration reactions, and a strength decrease is imposed for hydrated mantle rocks. The model starts with an old oceanic plate ( 100 Ma) subducting for 145.5 Myr with a 5 cm/yr convergence rate. The arc lithosphere is thermally thinned between 100 km and 310 km away from the trench, due to small-scale convection occuring in the water-saturated mantle wedge. We test the influence of convergence slowdown by carrying on subduction with a decreased convergence rate (≤ 2 cm/yr). Surprisingly, the subduction slowdown yields not only a strong slab warming at great depth (> 80 km), but also a significant cooling of the forearc lithosphere at shallower depth. The convergence slowdown increases the subducted crust temperature at 90 km depth to 705 ± 62 °C, depending on the convergence rate reduction, and might thus favor the oceanic crust partial melting in presence of water. For subduction velocities ≤ 1 cm/yr, slab breakoff is triggered 20–32 Myr after slowdown onset, due to a drastic slab thermal weakening in the vicinity of the interplate plane base. At last, the rupture of the weakened forearc is simulated by imposing in the thinnest part of the overlying lithosphere a dipping weakness plane. For convergence with rates ≥ 1 cm/yr, the thinned forearc first shortens, then starts subducting along the slab surface. The forearc lithosphere subduction stops the slab surface warming by hot asthenosphere corner flow, and decreases in a first stage the slab surface temperature to 630 ± 20 °C at 80 km depth, in agreement with P–T range inferred from natural records of UHP-LT metamorphism. The subducted crust temperature is further reduced to 405 ± 10 °C for the crust directly buried below the subducting forearc. Such a cold thermal state at great depth has never been sampled in collision zones, suggesting that forearc subduction might not be always required to explain UHP-LT metamorphsim.     

雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩的形成与日喀则弧前盆地沉积演化

雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩被时代连续的日喀则群沉积覆盖及其形成时代(120-110Ma)与冈底斯弧开始发育的时代(115-100Ma)十分相近的事实使人们有理由提出:雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩是否代表着印度板块与拉萨地块间的特提斯-喜玛拉雅洋残迹的疑问。根据近期的研究,笔者认为雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩不是形成于三叠纪的特提斯-喜玛拉雅洋的残迹,而是特提斯-喜玛拉雅洋向拉萨地块俯冲的初期(阿普第-阿尔必期),由俯冲作用在冈底斯弧前地区引发的海底扩张作用形成的一种俯冲带上叠型蛇绿岩(supra-subduction zone ophiolites).至森诺曼期,弧前海底扩张作用停止,雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩开始向南仰冲,在其南侧形成增生杂岩楔。仰起的蛇绿岩开始向日喀则弧前盆地提供蛇绿质碎屑,如冲堆组。森诺曼期-土仑期,盆地接受了一套深水复理石沉积,沉积物源部分来自南部边缘脊的蛇绿质碎屑,而大部分则来自北侧的弧火山岩和岩浆岩碎屑。森诺期-路坦丁期,盆地逐渐变浅,接受了浅海-滨海沉积,物源均来自北部的岩浆弧。至始新世末期,发育在盆地南侧的增生杂岩楔与印度板块发生碰撞,日喀则弧前盆地闭合。     

柴北缘托莫尔日特滩间山群碎屑岩组的沉积环境与构造背景分析SCIEI北大核心CSCD

柴北缘构造带断续出露的寒武-奥陶纪滩间山群火山-沉积岩系是早古生代时期原特提斯洋俯冲造山作用的产物,也是中国西部块状硫化物和造山型金矿床的重要含矿岩系。前人已对滩间山群火山岩组开展了大量的地球化学和同位素年代学研究,而碎屑岩组的沉积序列和沉积相研究相对薄弱。我们在柴北缘托莫尔日特地区地质填图过程中,对该地区的滩间山群碎屑岩组开展了系统的沉积组合序列和沉积相研究。托莫尔日特地区滩间山群碎屑岩组是由富含火山碎屑物质的含砾砂岩、砂岩、粉砂岩、泥岩、沉凝灰岩、硅质凝灰岩、硅质岩及少量砾岩共同组成。可分为下岩性段和上岩性段,其中下岩性段为一套形成于海底扇外扇环境以沉凝灰岩为主的沉积组合;上岩性段包含海底扇内扇、中扇和外扇沉积,且以中扇环境的沉积为主。垂向上,它们呈现出粒度向上逐渐变细特征;空间上,具有向北西方向火山物质成分逐渐增多、砾岩和砂岩厚度变薄且砾岩消失的变化特征。砂岩主要为岩屑长石杂砂岩,其中岩屑主要是安山岩和少量玄武岩、英安岩、凝灰岩;长石主要为斜长石;石英碎屑相对缺失。砾岩中砾石以安山岩和硅质岩为主,并含有少量灰岩和凝灰岩砾石。底冲刷面、正粒序、平行层理和波纹层理等沉积构造普遍发育,呈现出典型的浊流沉积特征;同时在局部露头见有滑塌构造和波痕。区域上,这套沉积组合序列位于寒武-奥陶纪岛弧火山岩的南侧;古水流分析显示,它们的碎屑物质主要来自于其北东方向。这些结果表明,柴北缘构造带东段的滩间山群碎屑岩组是一套成熟度极低且与寒武-奥陶纪岛弧火山活动密切相关的沉积组合。     

Burial and exhumation history of the Xigaze forearc basin,Yarlung suture zone. Tibet

The Cretaceous-Eocene Xigaze forearc basin is a crucial data archive for understanding the tectonic history of the Asian continental margin prior to and following collision with India during the early Cenozoic Era. This study reports apatite and zircon(U-Th)/He thermochronologic data from fourteen samples from Albian-Ypresian Xigaze forearc strata to determine the degree and timing of heating(burial) and subsequent cooling(exhumation) of two localities along the Yarlung suture zone(YSZ) near the towns of Saga and Lazi. Thirty-seven individual zircon He ages range from 31.5 ± 0.8 Ma to6.06 ± 0.18 Ma,with the majority of grains yielding ages between 30 Ma and 10 Ma. Twenty apatite He ages range from 12.7 ± 0.5 Ma to 3.9 ± 0.3 Ma,with the majority of grains yielding ages between 9 Ma and 4 Ma. These ages suggest that the Xigaze forearc basin was heated to 140-200 ℃ prior to cooling in Oligocene-Miocene time. Thermal modeling supports this interpretation and shows that the samples were buried to maximum temperatures of ～140-200 0 C by 35-21 Ma, immediately followed by the onset of exhumation. The zircon He and apatite He dataset and thermal modeling results indicate rapid exhumation from ～21 Ma to 15 Ma, and at ～4 Ma. The 21-15 Ma thermochronometric signal appears to be regionally extensive, affecting all the lithotectonic units of the YSZ, and coincides with movement along the north-vergent Great Counter Thrust system. Thrusting, coupled with enhanced erosion possibly related to the paleo-Yarlung River, likely drove Early Miocene cooling of the Xigaze forearc basin.In contrast, the younger phase of rapid exhumation at ～4 Ma was likely driven by enhanced rock uplift in the footwall of north-striking rifts that cross-cut the YSZ.     

Deformation within the Pisco Basin sedimentary record (southern Peru): Stratabound orthogonal vein sets and their impact on fault development

This outcrop-based study reports diffuse joints and veins, normal to strike-slip fault zones and minor folds that developed, from Miocene to Quaternary, within the clastic to siliceous sedimentary record of the forearc Pisco Basin of southern Peru. Patterns, orientations, dimensional parameters and other outcrop-scale characteristics of the various deformation features are illustrated and their genetic mechanisms and timing of development are inferred. These new structural data and interpretations allow a better constraint of the structural style and evolution of the Pisco Basin, and can represent useful guidelines for characterizing the outcrop-scale deformation affecting similar forearc basins along the Peruvian coast.Major results of this study are that the development of the documented deformation features, their patterns, dimensional parameters and kinematics seem influenced by local perturbations of the paleostress field by mechanic processes partly independent of plate tectonics forces. These processes include strain localization on both pre-existing and progressively forming new structural discontinuities, and cyclic switches of the horizontal, principal stress axes σ2 and σ3. In particular, we discuss how different normal fault patterns, from sub-parallel to multidirectional/polygonal, could form in a same deformation phase in response of the local σ2/σ3 magnitude ratio, as an evolution of stratabound, mutually orthogonal vein sets.     

Ancient depletion signals in lherzolites from forearc region: Constraints from Lu-Hf isotope compositions

The sub-arc mantle that experienced hydrous melting is commonly characterized by refractory geochemical compositions. Nevertheless, minor lherzolites with fertile compositions have also been reported for mantle peridotites from subduction zone. The petrogenesis and mantle source of the lherzolites are still controversial. The New Caledonia ophiolite(Peridotite Nappe) has been regarded as an allochthonous body of forearc lithosphere. This is supported by refractory compositions of its dominant mantle rocks.A few isolated lherzolitic massifs have also been observed in the northern part of New Caledonia.Those lherzolites are compositionally similar to abyssal peridotites, with negligible subduction-related modification. Here, we present new comprehensive geochemical compositions, in particular highprecision Sr-Nd-Hf isotope data, for the lherzolites. The initial¹⁷⁶ Hf/¹⁷⁷ Hf ratios display moderate correlations with sensitive indicators for the extent of melting(i.e., olivine Fo, whole-rock Mg# and Yb contents in clinopyroxene) and whole-rock initial¹⁸⁷ Os/¹⁸⁸ Os ratios. Some samples have ancient radiogenic Hf isotopes and unradiogenic Os isotope compositions, implying the preservation of ancient depletion signals in the lherzolites. The Nd isotope compositions, together with trace elements and mineral micro-textures, suggest that the lherzolites have been overprinted by a recent melt-rock interaction event. The high equilibrium temperatures of the studied samples have been estimated by the twopyroxene REE thermometer, yielding temperatures of 1066–1315 ℃. The lherzolites have more depleted Nd-Hf isotope compositions and higher equilibrium temperatures than the New Caledonia harzburgites.This indicates that the lherzolites may represent the residues of asthenosphere mantle trapped within the forearc region. Our studies on the New Caledonia lherzolites with ancient depletion signals suggest that ancient mantle domains in the convective mantle can be emplaced in forearc region by the upwelling of asthenosphere during the early stage of subduction initiation.