Thermal Structure of the Costa Rica – Nicaragua Subduction Zone
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Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 149 (2005) 187–200 Thermal structure of the Costa Rica – Nicaragua subduction zone Simon M. Peacocka,∗, Peter E. van Kekenb, Stephen D. Hollowayc, Bradley R. Hackerd, Geoffrey A. Aberse, Robin L. Fergasona a Department of Geological Sciences, Box 871404, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ85287-1404, USA b Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA c Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA d Department of Geological Sciences, University Calif. Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA e Department of Earth Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA Received 5 March 2004; received in revised form 2 July 2004; accepted 26 August 2004 Abstract We constructed four high-resolution, finite-element thermal models across the Nicaragua – Costa Rica subduction zone to predict the (i) thermal structure, (ii) metamorphic pressure (P)–temperature (T) paths followed by subducting lithosphere, and (iii) loci and types of slab dehydration reactions. These new models incorporate a temperature- and stress-dependent olivine rheology for the mantle–wedge that focuses hot asthenosphere into the tip of the mantle–wedge. At P = 3 GPa (100 km depth), predicted slab interface temperatures are ∼800 ◦C, about 170 ◦C warmer than temperatures predicted using an isoviscous mantle–wedge rheology. At the same pressure, predicted temperatures at the base of 7 km thick subducting oceanic crust range from 500 ◦C beneath SE Costa Rica to 400–440 ◦C beneath Nicaragua and NW Costa Rica. The high thermal gradients perpendicular to the slab interface permit partial melting of subducting sediments while the underlying oceanic crust dehydrates, consistent with recent geochemical studies of arc basalts. Hydrous eclogite is predicted to persist to ∼120 km depth beneath Nicaragua. This is slightly less than the ∼150 km depth extent of a dipping low-seismic-velocity wave guide which may reflect deeper persistence of metastable gabbro. Along-strike variations in the calculated thermal structure are relatively minor compared to variations in the distribution of Wadati-Benioff earthquakes and arc geochemistry, suggesting that regional variations in slab stresses, crustal thickness, incoming sediment load, and the distribution of hydrous minerals in the incoming lithosphere play important roles. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Subduction; Thermal modelling; Metamorphism; Arc magmatism; Lithosphere 1. Introduction ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 480 965 3391; fax: +1 480 965 1093. Earthquakes and arc magmatism in subduction E-mail address: [email protected] (S.M. Peacock). zones are intimately related to the thermal structure 0031-9201/$ – see front matter © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.pepi.2004.08.030 188 S.M. Peacock et al. / Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 149 (2005) 187–200 of the subducting plate and overlying mantle–wedge. tured the Cocos – Caribbean plate interface. Deeper Rates of subduction are more rapid than rates of thermal earthquakes define a Wadati-Benioff zone that marks diffusion such that the cold core of subducting plates the subducting Cocos plate and extends to 250 km may be up to 1000 ◦C cooler than the surrounding man- depth beneath Nicaragua (Protti et al., 1995; Husen et tle. Variations in the subduction rate and the age of in- al., 2003). A 1500 km-long volcanic arc extends from coming oceanic lithosphere lead to considerable vari- southern Mexico to central Costa Rica, but there is no ations in the thermal structure of different subduction Holocene volcanism in southern Costa Rica (e.g., Carr zones. Rapid subduction of mature oceanic lithosphere et al., 1990; Leeman et al., 1994). (e.g., NE Japan, Izu-Bonin) results in subducting plates The Cocos plate formed at two different spreading that are ∼300 ◦C cooler than subduction zones charac- centers – the Cocos–Pacific spreading center (i.e., the terized by modest convergence and young incoming east pacific rise, EPR) and the Cocos–Nazca spreading lithosphere (e.g., SW Japan, Cascadia) (Peacock and center (CNS) (von Huene et al., 1995; Barckhausen Wang, 1999). Cooler subducting plates correlate with et al., 2001). Northwest of the Nicoya peninsula in deeper Wadati-Benioff seismicity and more vigorous NE Costa Rica, relatively smooth Cocos crust, created arc magmatism (e.g., Kirby et al., 1996; Peacock and at the rapid-spreading EPR, is being subducted. That Wang, 1999; Hacker et al., 2003b). sea floor is characterized by extensive trench-parallel The Central American subduction zone is character- grabens forming just seaward of the trench (Ranero et ized by rapid (70–90 mm/year) convergence of young al., 2003). Southeast of the Nicoya peninsula, relatively (15–25 Ma) oceanic lithosphere (Barckhausen et al., rough Cocos crust created at the slow-spreading CNS, 2001; DeMets, 2001). Temperatures within the sub- is being subducted. Abundant seamounts roughen the ducting Cocos plate should therefore lie between the crust here, and deform the forearc wedge where they cool (NE Japan) and warm (SW Japan) end-member collide (von Huene et al., 2000). The age of the Cocos subduction zones. In the Central American subduction plate at the Middle America trench decreases towards zone both the convergence rate and the age of the in- the southeast, from 24 Ma off Nicaragua to 15 Ma off coming lithosphere vary only slightly along-strike, but SE Costa Rica. there are dramatic along-strike changes in the depth of Offshore of southern Costa Rica, the NE-trending Wadati-Benioff seismicity (Protti et al., 1995), position Cocos Ridge represents the trace of the Galapagos hot of the volcanic front, and arc geochemistry (Carr et al., spot. The thickness of the Cocos crust increases to- 1990; Leeman et al., 1994; Herrstrom et al., 1995). The wards the southeast, from 5 to 7 km off Nicaragua to Costa Rica – Nicaragua segment of the Central Ameri- 12 km off SE Costa Rica on the flank of the Cocos Ridge can subduction zone is as a focus site for two National (von Huene et al., 2000) to 21 km along the thickest Science Foundation Margins initiatives: the Seismo- part of the Cocos Ridge off SE Costa Rica (Walther et genic Zone Experiment (SEIZE) and the Subduction al., 2000). Subduction of this aseismic ridge coincides Factory. with the abrupt shallowing of slab seismicity and SE cessation of volcanism. Conductive cooling calculations predict that the heat 2. Geotectonic setting flow through the surface of 15–25 Ma oceanic litho- sphere should be 100–130 mW/m2. The sea floor gen- The Cocos plate subducts northeastward beneath erated at the EPR shows anomalously low values of the Caribbean plate along the Middle America trench 20–40 mW/m2, while that generated at the CNS gen- (Fig. 1). The convergence rate between the Cocos erates 105–115 mW/m2 (Fisher et al., 2003). Off the and Caribbean plates increases to the southeast, from Nicoya peninsula, Langseth and Silver (1996) mea- ∼60 mm/year off southern Guatamala to ∼90 mm/year sured heat flow values of 12 mW/m2 outboard of the off southern Costa Rica (DeMets, 2001). Convergence trench and 17 mW/m2 on the trench floor. These ex- is oblique, partitioned such that the forearc translates to ceptionally low heat flow values are best explained the northwest at 10–15 mm/year (DeMets, 2001; Nor- by vigorous hydrothermal circulation in the upper- abuena et al., submitted for publication). Along this most crust (Langseth and Silver, 1996; Fisher et al., margin, large subduction-thrust earthquakes have rup- 2003). S.M. Peacock et al. / Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 149 (2005) 187–200 189 Fig. 1. Geotectonic map of Central America showing location of four transects for which thermal models were constructed. A–A, Nicaragua transect; B–B, NW Costa Rica transect; C–C, Central Costa Rica transect; D–D, SE Costa Rica transect. Solid triangles: Holocene volcanoes; thin lines: depth to Wadati-Benioff seismicity (Protti et al., 1995); QSC, Quesada sharp contortion (Protti et al., 1995). ODP 170, Oceanic Drilling Program Leg 170 drill sites 1039–1043. The Costa Rica – Nicaragua subduction zone is a cate that no frontal accretion has occurred for at least non-accreting margin characterized by a very small the past 3–4 million years (Morris et al., 2002). frontal prism and subduction erosion (von Huene and Wadati-Benioff zone seismicity defines a complex Scholl, 1991; Ranero and von Huene, 2000; von Huene geometry for the subducting Cocos plate. Fig. 2 shows et al., 2000). Off the Nicoya peninsula, analysis of seismicity from within 25 km on either side of the pro- ODP sites 1040 and 1043 reveals that all 400 m of ma- files A–A through D–D from Fig. 1. The seismicity rine sediments on the incoming Cocos plate are being is based on regional observations from deployments in subducted beneath the toe of the frontal prism (Silver, Costa Rica (Protti et al., 1995; Newman et al., 2002; 2000; Kimura et al., 1997). Uniformly low 10Be con- DeShon et al., 2003) and the EHB teleseismic cata- centrations in prism sediments at ODP site 1040 indi- logue (Engdahl et al., 1998). The solid lines indicate 190 S.M. Peacock et al. / Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors 149 (2005) 187–200 Fig. 2. Seismicity (symbols) and inferred slab surface geometry (solid lines). We plot events larger than magnitude 2.5 from up to 25 km away from the each profile. Seismicity is based on the EHB teleseismic catalogue (blue circles) and three regional experiments (Protti et al., 1995; Newman et al., 2002; DeShon et al., 2003). Geometry of the slab surface at depths less than 50 km is also based on reflection/refraction studies (e.g., Salleres´ et al., 2001).