Continental extension of the Pacific Plate at the southern termination of the Hikurangi subduction zone: The North Mernoo Fault Zone, offshore New Zealand

Tectonics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 735-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip M. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Subduction Zone ◽  
Fault Zone ◽  
Pacific Plate ◽  
Continental Extension ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific

Geodetic strain and the deformational history of the North Island of New Zealand during the late Cainozoic

1987 ◽  
Vol 321 (1557) ◽  
pp. 163-181 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Subduction Zone ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Boundary Zone ◽  
Metamorphic Belt ◽  
Volcanic Region ◽  
The North ◽  
Plate Boundary Zone

The subduction zone under the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand comprises, from east to west, a frontal wedge, a fore-arc basin, uplifted basement forming the arc and the Central Volcanic Region. Reconstructions of the plate boundary zone for the Cainozoic from seafloor spreading data require the fore-arc basin to have rotated through 60° in the last 20 Ma which is confirmed by palaeomagnetic declination studies. Estimates of shear strain from geodetic data show that the fore-arc basin is rotating today and that it is under extension in the direction normal to the trend of the plate boundary zone. The extension is apparently achieved by normal faulting. Estimates of the amount of sediments accreted to the subduction zone exceed the volume of the frontal wedge: underplating by the excess sediments is suggested to be the cause of late Quaternary uplift of the fore-arc basin. Low-temperature—high-pressure metamorphism may therefore be occurring at depth on the east coast and high-temperature—low-pressure metamorphism is probable in the Central Volcanic Region. The North Island of New Zealand is therefore a likely setting for a paired metamorphic belt in the making.

Structural Characteristics and Mechanism of the Horsetail Structure in China Offshore Basins: Case Studies from Liaodong Bay Area, Bohai Bay Basin and Weixinan Area, Beibuwan Basin

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Zhiping Wu ◽  
Yanjun Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Strike Slip ◽  
Pacific Plate ◽  
Strike Slip Fault ◽  
Bohai Bay ◽  
Liaodong Bay ◽  
Clockwise Rotation ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific

<p>The horsetail structure, also named brush structure, generally refers to a sets of secondary faults converged to the primary fault on the plane. Based on 2-D and 3-D seismic data, the structural characteristics, evolution and mechanism of the horsetail structure of Liaodong Bay area in Bohai Bay Basin and Weixinan area in Beibuwan Basin are analyzed. In the Liaodong Bay area, the primary fault of the horsetail structure is the NNE-striking branch fault of Tan-Lu strike-slip fault zone. The NE-striking secondary extensional faults converged to the primary strike-slip fault. Fault activity analysis shows that both the primary and secondary faults intensively activated during the third Member of the Shahejie Formation (42~38 Ma). In the Weixinan area, the NE-striking Weixinan fault is the primary fault of the horsetail structure, which is an extensional fault. A large amount of EW-striking secondary extensional faults converged to the primary NE-striking Weixinan fault. Fault activity analysis shows that NE-striking primary fault intensively activated during the second Member of the Liushagang Formation (48.6~40.4 Ma), whereas the EW-striking secondary faults intensively activated during the Weizhou Formation (33.9~23 Ma). The different structure and evolution of the horsetail structure in the Liaodong Bay area and Weixinan area are mainly resulted from the regional tectonic settings. About 42 Ma, the change of subduction direction of the Pacific plate and the India-Eurasian collision resulted in the right-lateral strike-slip movement of NNE-striking Tan-Lu fault and the formation of NE-striking extensional faults along the bend of the strike-slip fault, therefore, the horsetail structure of Liaodong Bay area formed. However, the formation of the horsetail structure of Weixinan area is related to the clockwise rotation of extension stress in the South China Sea (SCS): 1) During Paleocene to M. Eocene (65~37.8 Ma), the retreat of Pacific plate subduction zone resulted in the formation of NW-SE extensional stress field in the north margin of the SCS, NE-striking primary fault of horsetail structure formed; 2) During L. Eocene to E. Oligocene (37.8~28.4 Ma), the change of subduction direction of the Pacific plate and the India-Eurasian collision resulted in the clockwise rotation of extension direction from NW-SE to N-S in the north margin of the SCS, a large amount of EW-striking secondary faults of horsetail structure formed, and the horsetail structure was totally formed in the Weixinan area until this stage.</p>

scholarly journals Possibility of recovery of slip deficit rate between the North American plate and the Pacific plate off Sanriku, northeast Japan

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinzaburo Ozawa ◽  
Hisashi Suito ◽  
Takuya Nishimura ◽  
Mikio Tobita ◽  
Hiroshi Munekane
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Pacific Plate ◽  
North American Plate ◽  
The North ◽  
Slip Deficit ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Off Sanriku

scholarly journals A Microearthquake Study of the Plate Boundary, North Island, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Martin Everardus Reyners
Keyword(s):  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Pacific Plate ◽  
Focal Mechanisms ◽  
Phase Changes ◽  
Indian Plate ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Deep Activity ◽  
Set Up

<p>The seismicity, structure and tectonics of the North Island plate boundary have been studied by means of a microearthquake traverse oriented in the direction of dip of the subducted Pacific plate and stretching from southern Hawke's Bay to northern Taranaki. The geometry of the top of the Pacific plate is inferred from a band of concentrated microearthquake activity which can be identified with the crust of the plate. The Pacific plate appears to have two knee-like bends, one between the east coast and the Ruahine Range, where the top of the plate is about 25 km deep, the other below the volcanic front, where it is about 70 km deep. The shallower bend and subsequent restraightening of the plate can be related to phase changes in the plate, while the deeper bend can be related to volcanism. Composite focal mechanisms indicate that seaward of its shallower bend the Pacific plate is being loaded by the Indian plate, whereas landward of this bend the Pacific plate is sinking under its own weight. Both composite focal mechanisms and the distribution of microseismicity in the Pacific plate suggest the existence of a major discontinuity striking down the dip of the plate and passing beneath the Tongariro volcanic centre. A conspicuous lack of microseismicity in the Indian plate in the eastern North Island revealed in this study can be related to the plates being unlocked in this region. A feature of the seismicity of the Indian plate in the region of the Wanganui Basin is the concentration of activity in the 25-42 km depth range, shallower activity being largely confined to the northeast edge of the basin, near Mt Ruapehu and Waiouru. Composite focal mechanisms suggest the 25-42 km deep activity reflects stresses set up by locking and unlocking of the plates, while the shallower activity reflects local stresses related to volcanic phenomena.</p>

scholarly journals Adjoint tomography of the Hikurangi subduction zone and the North Island of New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryant Chow
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Subduction Zone ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Plate Boundary ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
The North ◽  
Adjoint Tomography

<p><b>Seismic tomography is a powerful tool for understanding Earth structure. In New Zealand, velocity models derived using ray-based tomography have been used extensively to characterize the complex plate boundary between the Australian and Pacific plates. Advances in computational capabilities now allow us to improve these velocity models using adjoint tomography, an imaging method which minimizes differences between observed and simulated seismic waveforms. We undertake the first application of adjoint tomography in New Zealand to improve a ray-based New Zealand velocity model containing the Hikurangi subduction zone and the North Island of New Zealand.</b></p> <p>In support of this work we deployed the Broadband East Coast Network (BEACON), a temporary seismic network aimed at improving coverage of the New Zealand permanent network, along the east coast of the North Island. We concurrently develop an automated, open-source workflow for full-waveform inversion using spectral element and adjoint methods. We employ this tool to assess a candidate velocity model’s suitability for adjoint tomography. Using a 3D ray-based traveltime tomography model of New Zealand, we generate synthetic seismic waveforms for more than 10 000 source–receiver pairs and evaluate waveform misfits. We subsequently perform synthetic checkerboard inversions with a realistic New Zealand source–receiver distribution. Reasonable systematic time shifts and satisfactory checkerboard resolution in synthetic inversions indicate that the candidate model is appropriate as an initial model for adjoint tomography. This assessment also demonstrates the relative ease of use and reliability of the automated tools.</p> <p>We then undertake a large-scale adjoint tomography inversion for the North Island of New Zealand using up to 1 800 unique source–receiver pairs to fit waveforms with periods 4–30 s, relating to minimum waveform sensitivities on the order of 5 km. Overall, 60 geographically well-distributed earthquakes and as many as 88 broadband station locations are included. Using a nonlinear optimization algorithm, we undertake 28 model updates of Vp and Vs over six distinct inversion legs which progressively increase resolution. The total inversion incurred a computational cost of approximately 500 000 CPU-hours. The overall time shift between observed and synthetic seismograms is reduced, and updated velocities show as much as ±30% change with respect to initial values. A formal resolution analysis using point spread tests highlights that velocity changes are strongly resolved onland and directly offshore, at depths above 30 km, with low-amplitude changes (> 1%) observed down to 100 km depth. The most striking velocity changes coincide with areas related to the active Hikurangi subduction zone.</p> <p>We interpret the updated velocity model in terms of New Zealand tectonics and geology, and observe good agreement with known basement terranes, and major structural elements such as faults, sedimentary basins, broad-scale subduction related features. We recover increased spatial heterogeneity in seismic velocities along the strike of the Hikurangi subduction zone with respect to the initial model. Below the East Coast, we interpret two localized high-velocity anomalies as previously unidentified subducted seamounts. We corroborate this interpretation with other work, and discuss the implications of deeply subducted seamounts on slip behavior along the Hikurangi margin. In the Cook Strait we observe a low-velocity zone that we interpret as a deep sedimentary basin. Strong velocity gradients bounding this low-velocity zone support hypotheses of a structural boundary here separating the North and South Islands of New Zealand. In the central North Island, low-velocity anomalies are linked to surface geology, and we relate seismic velocities at depth to crustal magmatic activity below the Taupo Volcanic Zone.</p> <p>This new velocity model provides more accurate synthetic seismograms and additional constraints on enigmatic tectonic processes related to the North Island of New Zealand. Both the velocity model itself, and the underpinning methodological contributions, improve our ever-expanding understanding of the North Island of New Zealand, the Hikurangi subduction zone, and the broader Australian-Pacific plate boundary.</p>

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