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Spatial and temporal evolution of the subducting Pacific plate structure along the western Pacific margin

Miller, Meghan; Kennett, Brian; Toy, Virginia

Description

Tomographic images of the subducting Pacific plate beneath the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc illustrate a progression of geometries from shallow dipping to vertical from north to south along the arc. Recent advances in technology and inversion techniques have improved resolution of slab structure beneath the western Pacific island arcs, but reasons for the variation in geometry and morphology are still poorly understood. By comparing high-resolution tomographic images of the western Pacific and updated...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorMiller, Meghan
dc.contributor.authorKennett, Brian
dc.contributor.authorToy, Virginia
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-07T22:16:30Z
dc.identifier.issn0148-0227
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/18059
dc.description.abstractTomographic images of the subducting Pacific plate beneath the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc illustrate a progression of geometries from shallow dipping to vertical from north to south along the arc. Recent advances in technology and inversion techniques have improved resolution of slab structure beneath the western Pacific island arcs, but reasons for the variation in geometry and morphology are still poorly understood. By comparing high-resolution tomographic images of the western Pacific and updated paleogeographic reconstructions, we are able to link the spatiotemporal evolution of the subducting Pacific plate back to the mid-Miocene. We have reconstructed tectonic motions along the Kurile-Japan-Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc system and the Ryukyu arc to provide an independent, additional interpretation of the subducting Pacific plate using the most current plate motion data. We then investigate the plausibility of our model and three other proposed models based on the interpreted slab structure from tomographic images. The new reconstruction agrees with the basic characteristics of former trench retreat models but illustrates the importance of the collision of the Ogasawara Plateau with the trench in the mid-Miocene and its subsequent effect on the slab structure at depth and the impact of other aseismic ridge collisions along the plate boundary. The combination of evidence in changed physical properties imaged with tomography and the current interpreted slab morphology can be analyzed with the past plate motions to understand subduction zone processes.
dc.publisherAmerican Geophysical Union
dc.sourceJournal of Geophysical Research
dc.subjectKeywords: Pacific plate; seismic tomography; spatiotemporal analysis; subduction zone; Izu-Bonin Arc; Pacific Ocean
dc.titleSpatial and temporal evolution of the subducting Pacific plate structure along the western Pacific margin
dc.typeJournal article
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.citationvolume111
dc.date.issued2006
local.identifier.absfor040313 - Tectonics
local.identifier.absfor040407 - Seismology and Seismic Exploration
local.identifier.ariespublicationu4353633xPUB3
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationMiller, Meghan, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationKennett, Brian, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationToy, Virginia, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, ANU
local.description.embargo2037-12-31
local.bibliographicCitation.issueB02401
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage1
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage14
local.identifier.doi10.1029/2005JB003705
dc.date.updated2015-12-07T07:53:01Z
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-33644910729
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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