The Lichi Mélange in Coastal Range, eastern Taiwan: its origin, mechanism and evolution

Marine surveys show that the submarine Huatung Ridge extends northward to the Lichi Mélange in the southwestern Coastal Range, suggesting that formation of the Lichi Mélange is related to the arcward thrusting of the forearc strata in the western part of the North Luzon Trough during the active arc-continent collision off southern Taiwan. New seismic survey along 21oN transact across over the North Luzon Trough in the in-cipient arc-continent collision zone further reveals that the deformation of the Huatung Ridge occurs soon after the sedimentation in the western forearc basin, while the sedimentation is continuous in the eastern part of the remnant North Luzon Trough until the complete closure of the forearc basin approaching to SE Taiwan. This suggests that the sequence in the Huatung Ridge can just be coeval to the lower sequence of the remnant forearc basin strata. Multiple lines of new evidence, including micropaleontology, clay mineralogy and fis-sion track analyses along the Mukeng River and its tributary key sections, are used to test this thrusting forearc origin hypothesis of the Lichi Mélange.