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1.
The Japan Trench is a plate convergent zone where the Pacific Plate is subducting below the Japanese islands. Many earthquakes occur associated with plate convergence, and the hypocenter distribution is variable along the Japan Trench. In order to investigate the detailed structure in the southern Japan Trench and to understand the variation of seismicity around the Japan Trench, a wide-angle seismic survey was conducted in the southern Japan Trench fore-arc region in 1998. Ocean bottom seismometers (15) were deployed on two seismic lines: one parallel to the trench axis and one perpendicular. Velocity structures along two seismic lines were determined by velocity modeling of travel time ray-tracing method. Results from the experiment show that the island arc Moho is 18–20 km in depth and consists of four layers: Tertiary and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, island arc upper and lower crust. The uppermost mantle of the island arc (mantle wedge) extends to 110 km landward of the trench axis. The P-wave velocity of the mantle wedge is laterally heterogeneous: 7.4 km/s at the tip of the mantle wedge and 7.9 km/s below the coastline. An interplate layer is constrained in the subducting oceanic crust. The thickness of the interplate layer is about 1 km for a velocity of 4 km/s. Interplate layer at the plate boundary may cause weak interplate coupling and low seismicity near the trench axis. Low P-wave velocity mantle wedge is also consistent with weak interplate coupling. Thick interplate layer and heterogeneous P-wave velocity of mantle wedge may be associated with the variation of seismic activity.  相似文献   

2.
Structure and seismicity of the Aegean subduction zone   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
Tomographic results show the presence of a high-velocity anomaly dipping north beneath the Aegean Sea (Hellenic arc), down to a depth of at least 600 km. This anomaly is interpreted as the image of the subducting lithosphere of the African plate. No deep seismicity, however, is associated with this downgoing slab, although this would be expected on the basis of the age of the downbending lithosphere (approximately 100 Myr) and the inferred duration of the present ongoing episode of subduction. Using a thermo-mechanical model for the subduction zone we find that the non-stationary input of the subduction zone-both in convergence rate and in thermal structure of the downgoing lithosphere - adequately accounts for both the presence of a velocity anomaly associated with a slab and the absence of deep seismicity. The non-stationarity follows from the large-scale tectonic setting of the Eastern Mediterranean basin.  相似文献   

3.
A 3-D density model for the Cretan and Libyan Seas and Crete was developed by gravity modelling constrained by five 2-D seismic lines. Velocity values of these cross-sections were used to obtain the initial densities using the Nafe–Drake and Birch empirical functions for the sediments, the crust and the upper mantle. The crust outside the Cretan Arc is 18 to 24 km thick, including 10 to 14 km thick sediments. The crust below central Crete at its thickest section, has values between 32 and 34 km, consisting of continental crust of the Aegean microplate, which is thickened by the subducted oceanic plate below the Cretan Arc. The oceanic lithosphere is decoupled from the continental along a NW–SE striking front between eastern Crete and the Island of Kythera south of Peloponnese. It plunges steeply below the southern Aegean Sea and is probably associated with the present volcanic activity of the southern Aegean Sea in agreement with published seismological observations of intermediate seismicity. Low density and velocity upper mantle below the Cretan Sea with ρ  3.25 × 103 kg/m3 and Vp velocity of compressional waves around 7.7 km/s, which are also in agreement with observed high heat flow density values, point out at the mobilization of the upper mantle material here. Outside the Hellenic Arc the upper mantle density and velocity are ρ ≥ 3.32 × 103 kg/m3 and Vp = 8.0 km/s, respectively. The crust below the Cretan Sea is thin continental of 15 to 20 km thickness, including 3 to 4 km of sediments. Thick accumulations of sediments, located to the SSW and SSE of Crete, are separated by a block of continental crust extended for more than 100 km south of Central Crete. These deep sedimentary basins are located on the oceanic crust backstopped by the continental crust of the Aegean microplate. The stretched continental margin of Africa, north of Cyrenaica, and the abruptly terminated continental Aegean microplate south of Crete are separated by oceanic lithosphere of only 60 to 80 km width at their closest proximity. To the east and west, the areas are floored by oceanic lithosphere, which rapidly widens towards the Herodotus Abyssal plain and the deep Ionian Basin of the central Mediterranean Sea. Crustal shortening between the continental margins of the Aegean microplate and Cyrenaica of North Africa influence the deformation of the sediments of the Mediterranean Ridge that has been divided in an internal and external zone. The continental margin of Cyrenaica extends for more than 80 km to the north of the African coast in form of a huge ramp, while that of the Aegean microplate is abruptly truncated by very steep fractures towards the Mediterranean Ridge. Changes in the deformation style of the sediments express differences of the tectonic processes that control them. That is, subduction to the northeast and crustal subsidence to the south of Crete. Strike-slip movement between Crete and Libya is required by seismological observations.  相似文献   

4.
Spatio-temporal clustering of microseismicity in the central forearc of the Hellenic Subduction Zone in the area of Crete is investigated. Data for this study were gathered by temporary short period networks which were installed on the islands of Crete and Gavdos between 1996 and 2004. The similarity of waveforms is quantified systematically to identify clusters of microseismicity. Waveform similarities are calculated using an adaptive time window containing both the P- and S-wave onsets. The cluster detection is performed by applying a single linkage approach. Clusters are found in the interplate seismicity as well as in the intraplate seismicity of the continental crust in the region of the transtensional Ptolemy structure. The majority of the clusters are off the southern coast of Crete, in a region of elevated intraplate microseismic activity within the Aegean plate. Clusters in the Gavdos region are located at depths compatible with the plate interface while cluster activity in the region of the Ptolemy trench is distributed along a nearly vertical structure throughout the crust extending down to the plate interface. Most clusters show swarm-like behaviour with seismic activity confined to only a few hours or days, without a dominant earthquake and with a power law distribution of the interevent times.For the largest cluster, precise relocations of the events using travel time differences of P- and S-waves derived from waveform cross correlations reveal migration of the hypocenters. This cluster is located in the region of the Ptolemy trench and migration occurs along the strike of the trench at  500 m/day.Relocated hypocenters as well as subtle differences in the waveforms suggest an offset between the hypocenters and thus the activation of distinct patches on the rupture surface. The observed microseismicity patterns may be related to fluids being transported along the plate interface and escaping towards the surface in zones of crustal weakness (Ptolemy structure), triggering swarm-like cluster activity along its way.  相似文献   

5.
Ten new focal mechanisms are derived for earthquakes in southern Central America and its adjacent regions. These are combined with a study of seismicity and data of previous workers to delineate the position and nature of the plate boundaries in this complex region.The Middle America subduction zone may be divided into four or five distinct seismic segments. The plate boundary between North America and the Caribbean near the trench might be located more towards the south than previously suspected. Subduction has basically stopped south of the underthrusting Cocos Ridge. There is not much evidence for a seismically active strike-slip fault south of Panama, but its existence cannot be ruled out. More activity reveals the zone north of Panama which is identified as a subduction zone with normal fault events. Shallow seismicity induced by the interaction of the Nazca plate extends from the Colombia-Panama border south along the Pacific coast to meet a high-angle continental thrust fault system. Subduction with a pronounced slab starts only south of that point near a hot region which offsets the seismic trend at the trench. The Carnegie Ridge and/or the change of direction of subduction in Ecuador produce a highly active zone of seismicity mainly at the depth of 200 km. The area in the Pacific displays a termination of activity at a propagating rift west of the Galapagos Islands. The main eastern boundary of the Cocos plate, the Panama Fracture Zone, is offset towards the west at the southern end of the Malpelo Ridge. Its northern end consists of two active branches as defined by large earthquakes. A strike-slip mechanism near the southeastern flank of the Cocos Ridge was previously believed to be the site of an extended fracture zone. This paper proposes submarine volcanic activity as an alternative explanation.  相似文献   

6.
The western Hellenic subduction zone is characterized by a trenchward velocity of the upper plate. In the Ionian islands segment, complete seismic coupling is achieved, as is predicted by standard plate-tectonic models in which there is no slab pull force because the slab has broken off. The moderate local seismic moment rate relates to a shallow downdip limit for the seismogenic interface. This characteristic may be attributed to the ductility of the lower crust of the upper plate, which allows a décollement between the upper crust of the overriding plate and the subducting plate. Farther south, a deeper downdip limit of the seismogenic interface is indicated by thrust-faulting earthquakes, which persist much deeper in western Crete. A correspondingly larger downdip width of this seismogenic zone is consistent with the suggested larger maximum magnitude of earthquakes here. However, since the seismic moment release rate seems to be moderate in the Peloponnese and western Crete, like in in the Ionian islands, this seismically active interface cannot maintain complete seismic coupling across its larger downdip width. A cause may be the lateral addition of overweight to the part of the slab still attached in Crete, by the free fall of its part that has broken off from the surface further north. This increased slab pull reduces the compressive normal stress across the seismogenic interface and thus causes partial seismic coupling in its shallower part. However, the width of this part may provide an additional area contributing to slip in large earthquakes, which may nucleate deeper on stick-slip parts of the interface. Hints at anomalies in structure and seismicity, which need to be resolved, may relate to the present location of the edge of the tear in the slab.  相似文献   

7.
The Japan Trench subduction zone, located east of NE Japan, has regional variation in seismicity. Many large earthquakes occurred in the northern part of Japan Trench, but few in the southern part. Off Miyagi region is in the middle of the Japan Trench, where the large earthquakes (M > 7) with thrust mechanisms have occurred at an interval of about 40 years in two parts: inner trench slope and near land. A seismic experiment using 36 ocean bottom seismographs (OBS) and a 12,000 cu. in. airgun array was conducted to determine a detailed, 2D velocity structure in the forearc region off Miyagi. The depth to the Moho is 21 km, at 115 km from the trench axis, and becomes progressively deeper landward. The P-wave velocity of the mantle wedge is 7.9–8.1 km/s, which is typical velocity for uppermost mantle without large serpentinization. The dip angle of oceanic crust is increased from 5–6° near the trench axis to 23° 150 km landward from the trench axis. The P-wave velocity of the oceanic uppermost mantle is as small as 7.7 km/s. This low-velocity oceanic mantle seems to be caused by not a lateral anisotropy but some subduction process. By comparison with the seismicity off Miyagi, the subduction zone can be divided into four parts: 1) Seaward of the trench axis, the seismicity is low and normal fault-type earthquakes occur associated with the destruction of oceanic lithosphere. 2) Beneath the deformed zone landward of the trench axis, the plate boundary is characterized as a stable sliding fault plain. In case of earthquakes, this zone may be tsunamigenic. 3) Below forearc crust where P-wave velocity is almost 6 km/s and larger: this zone is the seismogenic zone below inner trench slope, which is a plate boundary between the forearc and oceanic crusts. 4) Below mantle wedge: the rupture zones of thrust large earthquakes near land (e.g. 1978 off Miyagi earthquake) are located beneath the mantle wedge. The depth of the rupture zones is 30–50 km below sea level. From the comparison, the rupture zones of large earthquakes off Miyagi are limited in two parts: plate boundary between the forearc and oceanic crusts and below mantle wedge. This limitation is a rare case for subduction zone. Although the seismogenic process beneath the mantle wedge is not fully clarified, our observation suggests the two possibilities: earthquake generation at the plate boundary overridden by the mantle wedge without serpentinization or that in the subducting slab.  相似文献   

8.
Upper Pleistocene and Holocene tectonic movements in the Aegean region are analyzed by geological means (deformation of shorelines, faults in Quaternary deposits, historical seismicity). Examples from Crete, Karpathos, Milos, Chios and Samos are presented. While subduction, indicated by geophysical data, occurs beneath the Hellenic Arc, extensional tectonics (i.e., normal faulting) takes place within and behind the arc, resulting in a slight expansion of the Aegean region towards the Eastern Mediterranean.  相似文献   

9.
The major earthquake-induced tsunamis reliable known to have occurred in and near Greece since antiquity are considered in the light of the recently obtained reliable data on the mechanisms and focal depths of the earthquakes occurring here. (The earthquake data concern the major shocks of the period 1962–1986.) First, concise information is given on the most devastating tsunamis. Then the relation between the (estimated) maximum tsunami intensity and the earthquake parameters (mechanism and focal depth) is examined. It is revealed that the most devastating tsunamis took place in areas (such as the western part of the Corinthiakos Gulf, the Maliakos Gulf, and the southern Aegean Sea) where earthquakes are due to shallow normal faulting. Other major tsunamis were nucleated along the convex side of the Hellenic arc, characterized by shallow thrust earthquakes. It is probably somewhere there (most likely south of Crete) that the region's largest known tsunami occurred in AD 365, claiming many lives and causing extensive devastation in the entire eastern Mediterranean. Such big tsunamis seem to have a return period of well over 1000 years and can be generated by large shallow earthquakes associated with thrust faulting beneath the Hellenic trench, where the African plate subduces under the Euroasian plate. Lesser tsunamis are known in the northernmost part of the Aegean Sea and in the Sea of Marmara, where strike-slip faulting is observed. Finally, an attempt is made to combine the tsunami and earthquake data into a map of the region's main tsunamigenic zones (areas of the sea bed believed responsible for past tsunamis and expected to nucleate tsunamis in the future).  相似文献   

10.
A two-dimensional model of the crust and uppermost mantle for the western Siberian craton and the adjoining areas of the Pur-Gedan basin to the north and Baikal Rift zone to the south is determined from travel time data from recordings of 30 chemical explosions and three nuclear explosions along the RIFT deep seismic sounding profile. This velocity model shows strong lateral variations in the crust and sub-Moho structure both within the craton and between the craton and the surrounding region. The Pur-Gedan basin has a 15-km thick, low-velocity sediment layer overlying a 25-km thick, high-velocity crystalline crustal layer. A paleo-rift zone with a graben-like structure in the basement and a high-velocity crustal intrusion or mantle upward exists beneath the southern part of the Pur-Gedan basin. The sedimentary layer is thin or non-existent and there is a velocity reversal in the upper crust beneath the Yenisey Zone. The Siberian craton has nearly uniform crustal thickness of 40–43 km but the average velocity in the lower crust in the north is higher (6.8–6.9 km/s) than in the south (6.6 km/s). The crust beneath the Baikal Rift zone is 35 km thick and has an average crustal velocity similar to that observed beneath the southern part of craton. The uppermost mantle velocity varies from 8.0 to 8.1 km/s beneath the young West Siberian platform and Baikal Rift zone to 8.1–8.5 km/s beneath the Siberian craton. Anomalous high Pn velocities (8.4–8.5 km/s) are observed beneath the western Tunguss basin in the northern part of the craton and beneath the southern part of the Siberian craton, but lower Pn velocities (8.1 km/s) are observed beneath the Low Angara basin in the central part of the craton. At about 100 km depth beneath the craton, there is a velocity inversion with a strong reflecting interface at its base. Some reflectors are also distinguished within the upper mantle at depth between 230 and 350 km.  相似文献   

11.
Lithospheric gravitational instability beneath the Southeast Carpathians   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  
The Southeast corner of the Carpathians, known as the Vrancea region, is characterised by a cluster of strong seismicity to depths of about 200 km. The peculiar features of this seismicity make it a region of high geophysical interest. In this study we calculate the seismic strain-rate tensors for the period 1967–2007, and describe the variation of strain-rate with depth. The observed results are compared with strain-rates predicted by numerical experiments. We explore a new dynamical model for this region based on the idea of viscous flow of the lithospheric mantle permitting the development of local continental mantle downwelling beneath Vrancea, due to a Rayleigh–Taylor instability that has developed since the cessation of subduction at 11 Ma. The model simulations use a Lagrangean frame 3D finite-element algorithm solving the equations of conservation of mass and momentum for a spatially varying viscous creeping flow. The finite deformation calculations of the gravitational instability of the continental lithosphere demonstrate that the Rayleigh–Taylor mechanism can explain the present distribution of deformation within the downwelling lithosphere, both in terms of stress localisation and amplitude of strain-rates. The spatial extent of the high stress zone that corresponds to the seismically active zone is realistically represented when we assume that viscosity decreases by at least an order of magnitude across the lithosphere. The mantle downwelling is balanced by lithospheric thinning in an adjacent area which would correspond to the Transylvanian Basin. Crustal thickening is predicted above the downwelling structure and thinning beneath the basin.  相似文献   

12.
We present the P-wave seismic tomography image of the mantle to a depth of 1200 km beneath the Indonesian region. The inversion method is applied to a dataset of 118,203 P-wave travel times of local and teleseismic events taken from ISC bulletins. Although the resolution is sufficient for detailed discussion in only a limited part of the study region, the results clarify the general tectonic framework in this region and indicate a possible remnant seismic slab in the lower mantle.

Structures beneath the Philippine Islands and the Molucca Sea region are well resolved and high-velocity zones corresponding to the slabs of the Molucca Sea and Philippine Sea plates are well delineated. Seismic zones beneath the Manila, Negros and Cotabato trenches are characterized by high-velocity anomalies, although shallow structures were not resolved. The Molucca Sea collision zone and volcanic zones of the Sangihe and Philippine arcs are dominated by low-velocity anomalies. The Philippine Sea slab subducts beneath the Philippine Islands at least to a depth of 200 km and may reach depths of 450 km. The southern end of the slab extends at least to about 6°N near southern Mindanao. In the south, the two opposing subducting slabs of the Molucca Sea plate are clearly defined by the two opposing high-velocity zones. The eastward dipping slab can be traced about 400 km beneath the Halmahera arc and may extend as far north as about 5°N. Unfortunately, resolution is not sufficient to reveal detailed structures at the boundary region between the Halmahera and Philippine Sea slabs. The westward dipping slab may subduct to the lower mantle although its extent at depth is not well resolved. This slab trends N-S from about 10°N in the Philippine Islands to northern Sulawesi. A NE-SW-trending high-velocity zone is found in the lower mantle beneath the Molucca Sea region. This high-velocity zone may represent a remnant of the former subduction zone which formed the Sulawesi arc during the Miocene.

The blocks along the Sunda and Banda arcs are less well resolved than those in the Philippine Islands and the Molucca Sea region. Nevertheless, overall structures can be inferred. The bowl-shaped distribution of the seismicity of the Banda arc is clearly defined by a horseshoe-shaped high-velocity zone. The tomographic image shows that the Indian oceanic slab subducts to a depth deeper than 300 km i.e., deeper than its seismicity, beneath Andaman Islands and Sumatra and may be discontinuous in northern Sumatra. Along southern Sumatra, Java and the islands to the east, the slab appears to be continuous and can be traced down to at least a depth of the deepest seismicity, where it appears to penetrate into the lower mantle.  相似文献   


13.
The strongest evidence up to date for a subduction zone in the Hellenic region is a clearly identified Wadati-Benioff zone below the central Aegean Sea, to a maximum depth of 180 km. Alternative seismic tomography models suggest that subduction process continues deeper than the Wadati-Benioff zone to a maximum depth of at least 600 km. So far the lack of deep electrical studies in the region impeded scientists from imposing other control factors than seismic to the proposed models for the Hellenic Subduction Zone (HSZ). A Long Period Magnetotelluric (LMT) study was carried out in the southern part of the Greek mainland to study the deep electrical characteristics of the HSZ and examine whether prominent modelled features correlate with structures identified by the seismic methods. The study comprised collection, processing and modelling of magnetotelluric (MT) data in the period range 100–10000 s from ten sites located along a 250 km NE–SW trending profile. The dimensionality of the data was examined at a pre-modelling stage and it was found that they do not exhibit three-dimensional (3-D) features. The latter enabled to construct both one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) models. The proposed geoelectric model for HSZ was based on 2-D modelling, since it had better maximum depth resolution of about 400 km, and revealed structures not detected by 1-D modelling attempts. The model structure which was related to the African and Euro-Asian lithosphere is relatively resistive (> 800 Ω-m) and has an average thickness of 150–170 km. Although the bottom of the lithosphere is adequately resolved, the Wadati-Benioff zone that delineates the top of the subducting lithospheric slab is not identified by any electrical feature. The modelled structure associated with the subducting part of the African lithosphere penetrates a relatively conductive (< 200 Ω-m) asthenosphere with a dip angle of 42°. Intermediate electrical resistivities (200–800 Ω-m) are attributed to the ascending melting part of the lithosphere below the region of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc (HVA) and to a dipping zone below the south-western part of the profile, at 170–220 km depths.  相似文献   

14.
We summarize seismogenic structures in four regions of active convergence, each at a different stage of the collision process, with particular emphases on unusual, deep-seated seismogenic zones that were recently discovered. Along the eastern Hellenic arc near Crete, an additional seismogenic zone seems to occur below the seismogenic portion of the interplate thrust zone—a configuration found in several other oblique subduction zones that terminate laterally against collision belts. The unusual earthquakes show lateral compression, probably reflecting convergence between the subducting lithosphere's flank and the collision zone nearby. Along oblique zones of recent collision, the equivalence between space and time reveals the transition from subduction to full collision. In particular, intense seismicity beneath western Taiwan indicates that along the incipient zone of arc–continent collision, major earthquakes occur along high-angle reverse faults that reach deep into the crust or even the uppermost mantle. The seismogenic structures are likely to be reactivated normal faults on the passive continental margin of southeastern China. Since high-angle faults are ineffective in accommodating horizontal motion, it is not surprising that in the developed portion of the central Taiwan orogen (<5 Ma), seismogenic faulting occurs mainly along moderate-dipping (20–30°) thrusts. This is probably the only well-documented case of concurrent earthquake faulting on two major thrust faults, with the second seismogenic zone reaching down to depths of 30 km. Furthermore, the dual thrusts are out-of-sequence, being active in the hinterland of the deformation front. Along the mature Himalayan collision zone, where collision initiated about 50 Ma ago, current data are insufficient to distinguish whether most earthquakes occurred along multiple, out-of-sequence thrusts or along a major ramp thrust. Intriguingly, a very active seismic zone, including a large (Mw=6.7) earthquake in 1988, occurs at depths near 50 km beneath the foreland. Such a configuration may indicate the onset of a crustal nappe, involving the entire cratonic crust. In all cases of collision discussed here, the basal decollement, a key feature in the critical taper model of mountain building, appears to be aseismic. It seems that right at the onset of collision, earthquakes reflect reactivation of high-angle faults. For mature collision belts, earthquake faulting on moderate-dipping thrust accommodates a significant portion of convergence—a process involving the bulk of crust and possibly the uppermost mantle.  相似文献   

15.
To better understand the lithosphere mantle collision tectonics between the India plate and Asia plate, we determine three dimensional P wave velocity structure beneath western Tibet using 27,439 arrival times from 2,174 teleseismic events recorded by 182 stations of Hi-CLIMB Project and 16 stations in the north of Hi-CLMB. Our tomographic images show the velocity structure significantly difference beneath northern and southern Qiangtang, which can further prove that the Longmu Co-Shuanghu ophiolitic belt is a significant tectonic boundary fault zone. There are two prominent high velocity anomalies and two prominent low velocity anomalies in our images. One obvious high velocity anomalies subduct beneath the Tibet at the long distance near 34°N, whereas it is broke off by an obvious low velocity anomaly under the IYS. We interpret them as northward subducting Indian lithosphere mantle and the low velocity anomanly under IYS likely reflects mantle material upwelling triggered by tearing of the northward subduction Indian lithosphere. The other prominent high velocity anomaly was imaged at a depth from 50 km to 200 km horizontal and up to the northern Qiangtang with its southern edge extending to about 34°N through Hoh Xil block. We infer it as the southward subducting Asia lithosphere mantle. The other widely low velocity anomaly beneath the Qiangtang block lies in the gap between the frontier of India plate and Asia plate, where is the channel of mantle material upwelling.  相似文献   

16.
A new tectonic model for the Aegean block is outlined in an effort to explain the widespread extension observed in this region. A key element in this model is the concept of “side arc collision” This term is used to describe the interaction of subducted oceanic lithosphere with continental lithosphere in a subduction arc in which oblique subduction occurs. In the Hellenic arc side arc collision is proposed for the northeast corner near Rhodes. The collision involves subducted African lithosphere, moving to the northeast almost parallel to the arc, with the continental mass of southwest Turkey. It affects the motion of the Anatolian-Aegean plate complex, but is not similar to continental collision since it occurs mostly at depth and involves only little, if any, of the shallow and rigid part of the continental lithosphere. The model assumes that Anatolia and the Aegean are part of one plate complex which undergoes counterclockwise rotation; if it were not for the side arc collision near Rhodes, the two blocks would exhibit similar deformation and might, in effect, be indistinguishable. At present, however, free and undisturbed rotation is possible only for the Anatolian block (excluding western Anatolia) where the motion is accommodated by subduction along the Cyprean arc. Further west the side arc collision inhibits this rotation along the subduction front. Still further west, undisturbed subduction along the central and western parts of the Hellenic arc is again possible and is well documented. On the other side of the Anatolian-Aegean plate complex, relatively free motion occurs along the North Anatolian fault zone including in the Aegean Sea. The combination of this motion in the north with the local obstruction of the rotation near Rhodes, must create a torque and a new pattern of rotation for the western part of the plate complex, thus creating a separate Aegean block. Since, however, the two blocks are not separated by a plate boundary, the Aegean block cannot move freely according to the new torque. Effective motion of the Aegean block relative to Europe and Anatolia, particularly in the north, is achieved through extension of the crust (lithosphere?). Thus the greatest amount of deformation (extension) is observed along the suture zone between the two blocks and, in particular, in the northeastern part of the Aegean block where motion relative to Anatolia must be greatest.  相似文献   

17.
The validity of existing tectonic models for the area of Greece is examined in the light of the new recalculated parameters for earthquakes of the region (Makropoulos and Burton, 1981). Relocated hypocentral positions are extracted from the catalogue to form radial and vertical distance-depth cross-sections centred on a reference point near the mid-point of the Aegean Volcanic arc, and these are used to form a three dimensional topography of the base of earthquake occurrence below 60 km. Isodepth maps are extracted from this topography as both three and two dimensional map presentations. These maps reveal several significant features of deep-seated tectonic processes in the region. Isodepths exceeding 150 km are seen in the northwest Aegean, and these are more closely linked to the Sporadhes and Gulf of Thermaicos, rather than the North Aegean trough. The 150 km isodepths are also seen in the northeast Aegean straddling the Dardanelles; in the northeastern part of the Peloponnesus, Gulf of Saronikos and eastern Gulf of Corinth in the southern Peloponnesus towards Crete; and extending from north of Kos to south of Rodos. The largest extent of deepest activity is seen south of Rodos and this continues towards southwest of Turkey. The subduction zone of the Hellenic arc is clear, but smooth Benioff zones are not the norm, and these data show that structural complexity is more readily observed. It is concluded that none of the proposed tectonic models completely explain the observed activity over the whole area, and rather than propose yet another model places where further work is still particularly necessary are identified.  相似文献   

18.
Arrival-times of local events recorded in northern Chile and southern Bolivia were used to determine the P velocity structure above the subducted Nazca plate. The data were recorded between June and November 1994 by the French “Lithoscope” network: 41 vertical and 14 three-component short-period seismic stations were installed along a 700 km long profile crossing the main structures of the Andean chain, from the Coastal Cordillera to the Subandean Zone. The inversion method used is a modified version of Thurber’s 3D iterative simultaneous inversion code. The results were compared with a model obtained from previous German nearby refraction seismic studies and supplemented by field geological observations.The relocated seismicity is consistent with an ∼30° dipping slab between 0 and 170 km depth. We found a variation of about 30 km of the Moho depth along the profile. The crustal thickness is about 47 km under the Coastal Cordillera, 70 km under the Western Cordillera and the western part of the Eastern Cordillera, and 60–65 km beneath the Altiplano. Close to the surface, a good agreement between the velocity model and the geological structures is observed. Generally, in the upper crust, high velocities coincide with zones where basement is present near the surface. Low velocities are well correlated with the presence of very thick sedimentary basins or volcanic material. At greater depth, the trend of the velocity model is consistent with the existence of asymmetrical west-dipping imbricated blocks, overthrusting toward the east, which explain the asymmetrical pattern of the sedimentary basins. Beneath the Western Cordillera, the active volcanic arc, a large zone of low velocity is observed and interpreted to be due to partially molten material. A clear velocity contrast appears between the western and eastern parts of the upper mantle beneath the Andes; this geometry suggests the existence of a low velocity wedge in the mantle above the slab and the presence of a thick old lithosphere in the eastern part of the Andes.  相似文献   

19.
The Woodlark Basin, located south of the Solomon Islands arc region, is a young (5 Ma) oceanic basin that subducts beneath the New Britain Trench. This region is one of only a few subduction zones in the world where it is possible to study a young plate subduction of several Ma. To obtain the image of the subducting slab at the western side of the Woodlark Basin, a 40-day Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) survey was conducted in 1998 to detect the micro-seismic activity. It was the first time such a survey had been performed in this location and over 600 hypocenters were located. The seismic activity is concentrated at the 10–60 km depth range along the plate boundary. The upper limit just about coincides with the leading edge of the accretionary wedge. The upper limit boundary was identified as the up-dip limit of the seismogenic zone, whereas the down-dip limit of the seismogenic zone was difficult to define. The dip angle of the plate at the high seismicity zone was found to average about 30°. Using the Cascadia subduction zone for comparison, which is a typical example of a young plate subduction, suggests that the subduction of the Woodlark Basin was differentiated by a high dip angle and rather landward location of the seismic front from the trench axis (30 km landward from the trench axis). Furthermore, as pointed out by previous researchers, the convergent margin of the Solomon Islands region is imposed with a high stress state, probably due to the collision of the Ontong Java Plateau and a rather rapid convergence rate (10 cm/year). The results of the high angle plate subduction and inner crust earthquakes beneath the Shortland Basin strongly support the high stress state. The collision of the Ontong Java Plateau, the relatively rapid convergence rate, and moderately cold slab as evidenced by low heat flow, rather than the plate age, may be dominantly responsible for the geometry of the seismogenic zone in the western part of the Woodlark Basin subduction zone.  相似文献   

20.
Earthquake hypocenters and travel time residuals have been analysed to constrain the geometry and physical state of the subducted Indian plate in the Indo-Burmese convergence zone. A critical analysis of earthquake hypocenters reveals the existence of a non-uniform Benioff zone, progressively shortening from north to south. The deepest level of seismicity is observed beneath the Naga hills (160 km) followed by that under the Chin hills (120 km) and Arakan-Yoma ranges (80 km). The region seems to be devoid of moderate sized shallow (< 40 km) earthquakes. Differential travel time residuals from pairs of shallow and intermediate depth earthquakes recorded at teleseismic distances show significantly faster travel time (up to l.2s) in the north-northeast and south-southwest azimuths, whilst slower arrivals (1.2 to 1.5 s) are recorded in the transverse direction. This observation points to the presence of a high velocity slab possibly linked to the subduction of the Indian oceanic lithosphere.  相似文献   

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