| Abstract: | Widespread NW–SE‐trending faults and Cenozoic basins in the coastal area of Fujian Province demonstrate unique tectonic deformations from the influence of the modern arc‐trench system on the adjacent continent. Field‐based structural analyses in the Zhangzhou region identify two‐stage deformation in the Cenozoic. The early stage was dominated by normal faulting and mafic intrusions. The structural configuration was differentiated as a graben in the estuary area and linear ridges in the western mountains, representing outer arc extension caused by orthogonal flexure of the coast. Late‐stage deformation turned early stage normal faults into sinistral strike‐slip faults and induced a transtensional setting that greatly facilitated the evolution of the basin as well as a small rotation of the segmented structures. The tectonic dynamics are attributed to far‐field effects of the west Pacific subduction zones. Additionally, a strike‐slip fault‐controlled scissor‐like structure is proposed to demonstrate the mechanism of the redefined, fan‐shaped basin. |
