Integrated 2D Geophysical Modeling Over the Juan De Fuca Plate Asif

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Integrated 2D Geophysical Modeling Over the Juan De Fuca Plate Asif Integrated 2D geophysical modeling over the Juan de Fuca plate Asif Ashraf*, Irina Filina University of Nebraska-Lincoln Out of three oceanic plates subducting beneath North America along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the Juan de Fuca (JdF) plate is the most intriguing one as it has an unusual seismicity pattern. The two other plates – the Explorer to the north and the Gorda to the south – are associated with a large number of earthquakes along the subduction zone. In contrast, JdF is seismically quiescent, so the inevitable and potentially devastating megathrust earthquake is expected in that region. To understand the tectonic complexity of the JdF subduction, it is important to understand the overall crustal architecture of the margin as well as to know physical properties (densities and magnetic susceptibilities) of the rocks of both oceanic and continental domains. Hence, we performed 2D integrated geophysical modeling along a published seismic reflection profile spanning from the Juan de Fuca spreading ridge to the High Cascades onshore. In our analysis, we have integrated multiple geophysical data from public sources, namely gravity and magnetic fields with seismic reflections and refractions. Our constructed 2D geophysical model starts from the Axial segment of the JdF spreading ridge. On the western side of the profile, gravity model requires lower densities of the mantle rocks associated with the Cobb hotspot. There are also two bathymetric seamounts near the oceanic ridge that have both gravity and magnetic signatures. Our profile crosses the pseudofault zones that require lower crustal densities with respect to adjacent oceanic crusts. We interpret this as evidence of extensive faulting in that region making the pseudofaults zones of weakness within the JdF plate. Our modeling also suggests the presence of a buried seamount beneath the accretionary prism that appears to be in contact with the Siletz terrane of the continental domain. This buried seamount may potentially influence the overall subduction process and may be related to the lack of earthquakes in this region. .
Recommended publications
  • Cenozoic Changes in Pacific Absolute Plate Motion A
    CENOZOIC CHANGES IN PACIFIC ABSOLUTE PLATE MOTION A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS DECEMBER 2003 By Nile Akel Kevis Sterling Thesis Committee: Paul Wessel, Chairperson Loren Kroenke Fred Duennebier We certify that we have read this thesis and that, in our opinion, it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science in Geology and Geophysics. THESIS COMMITTEE Chairperson ii Abstract Using the polygonal finite rotation method (PFRM) in conjunction with the hotspot- ting technique, a model of Pacific absolute plate motion (APM) from 65 Ma to the present has been created. This model is based primarily on the Hawaiian-Emperor and Louisville hotspot trails but also incorporates the Cobb, Bowie, Kodiak, Foundation, Caroline, Mar- quesas and Pitcairn hotspot trails. Using this model, distinct changes in Pacific APM have been identified at 48, 27, 23, 18, 12 and 6 Ma. These changes are reflected as kinks in the linear trends of Pacific hotspot trails. The sense of motion and timing of a number of circum-Pacific tectonic events appear to be correlated with these changes in Pacific APM. With the model and discussion presented here it is suggested that Pacific hotpots are fixed with respect to one another and with respect to the mantle. If they are moving as some paleomagnetic results suggest, they must be moving coherently in response to large-scale mantle flow. iii List of Tables 4.1 Initial hotspot locations .
    [Show full text]
  • High-Resolution Surveys Along the Hot Spot–Affected Galapagos Spreading Center: 1
    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Faculty Publications Earth, Ocean and Environment, School of the 9-27-2008 High-Resolution Surveys Along the Hot Spot–Affected Galapagos Spreading Center: 1. Distribution of Hydrothermal Activity Edward T. Baker Rachel M. Haymon University of California - Santa Barbara Joseph A. Resing Scott M. White University of South Carolina - Columbia, [email protected] Sharon L. Walker See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/geol_facpub Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Publication Info Published in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Volume 9, Issue 9, 2008, pages 1-16. Baker, E. T., Haymon, R. M., Resing, J. A., White, S. M., Walker, S. L., Macdonald, K. C., Nakamura, K. (2008). High-resolution surveys along the hot spot–affected Galapagos Spreading Center: 1. Distribution of hydrothermal activity. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 9 (9), 1-16. © Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 2008, American Geophysical Union This Article is brought to you by the Earth, Ocean and Environment, School of the at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Author(s) Edward T. Baker, Rachel M. Haymon, Joseph A. Resing, Scott M. White, Sharon L. Walker, Ken C. Macdonald, and Ko-ichi Nakamura This article is available at Scholar Commons: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/geol_facpub/67 Article Geochemistry 3 Volume 9, Number 9 Geophysics 27 September 2008 Q09003, doi:10.1029/2008GC002028 GeosystemsG G ISSN: 1525-2027 AN ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF THE EARTH SCIENCES Published by AGU and the Geochemical Society High-resolution surveys along the hot spot–affected Gala´pagos Spreading Center: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Anatomy of an Active Submarine Volcano
    Downloaded from geology.gsapubs.org on July 28, 2014 Anatomy of an active submarine volcano A.F. Arnulf1, A.J. Harding1, G.M. Kent2, S.M. Carbotte3, J.P. Canales4, and M.R. Nedimović3,5 1Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA 2Nevada Seismological Laboratory, 0174, University of Nevada–Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA 3Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA 4Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02540, USA 5Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H4J1, Canada ABSTRACT To date, seismic experiments have been one Most of the magma erupted at mid-ocean ridges is stored in a mid-crustal melt lens that lies of the keys in our understanding of the inter- at the boundary between sheeted dikes and gabbros. Nevertheless, images of the magma path- nal structure of volcanic systems (Okubo et al., ways linking this melt lens to the overlying eruption site have remained elusive. Here, we have 1997; Kent et al., 2000; Zandomeneghi et al., used seismic methods to image the thickest magma reservoir observed beneath any spreading 2009; Paulatto et al., 2012). However, most ex- center to date, which is principally attributed to the juxtaposition of the Juan de Fuca Ridge periments, especially subaerial-based ones, are with the Cobb hotspot (northwestern USA). Our results reveal a complex melt body, which restricted to refraction geometries with limited is ~14 km long, 3 km wide, and up to 1 km thick, beneath the summit caldera.
    [Show full text]
  • Aula 4 – Tipos Crustais Tipos Crustais Continentais E Oceânicos
    14/09/2020 Aula 4 – Tipos Crustais Introdução Crosta e Litosfera, Astenosfera Crosta Oceânica e Tipos crustais oceânicos Crosta Continental e Tipos crustais continentais Tipos crustais Continentais e Oceânicos A interação divergente é o berço fundamental da litosfera oceânica: não forma cadeias de montanhas, mas forma a cadeia desenhada pela crista meso- oceânica por mais de 60.000km lineares do interior dos oceanos. A interação convergente leva inicialmente à formação dos arcos vulcânicos e magmáticos (que é praticamente o berço da litosfera continental) e posteriormente à colisão (que é praticamente o fechamento do Ciclo de Wilson, o desparecimento da litosfera oceânica). 1 14/09/2020 Curva hipsométrica da terra A área de superfície total da terra (A) é de 510 × 106 km2. Mostra a elevação em função da área cumulativa: 29% da superfície terrestre encontra-se acima do nível do mar; os mais profundos oceanos e montanhas mais altas uma pequena fração da A. A > parte das regiões de plataforma continental coincide com margens passivas, constituídas por crosta continental estirada. Brito Neves, 1995. Tipos crustais circunstâncias geométrico-estruturais da face da Terra (continentais ou oceânicos); Característica: transitoriedade passar do Tempo Geológico e como forma de dissipar o calor do interior da Terra. Todo tipo crustal adveio de um outro ou de dois outros, e será transformado em outro ou outros com o tempo, toda esta dança expressando a perda de calor do interior para o exterior da Terra. Nenhum tipo crustal é eterno; mais "duráveis" (e.g. velhos Crátons de de "ultra-longa duração"); tipos de curta duração, muitas modificações e rápida evolução potencial (como as bacias de antearco).
    [Show full text]
  • Effect of Subduction Zones on the Structure of the Small-Scale Currents at Core-Mantle Boundary
    Effect of Subduction Zones on the Structure of the Small-Scale Currents at Core-Mantle Boundary. Sergey Ivanov1, Irina Demina1, Sergey Merkuryev1,2 1St-Petersburg Filial of Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio wave Propagation (SPbF IZMIRAN) 2Saint Petersburg State University, Institute of Earth Sciences Universitetskaya nab., 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia [email protected] Abstract. The purpose of this work is to compare kinematics of small-scale current vortices located near the core-mantle boundary with high-speed anomalies of seismic wave velocity in the lowest mantle asso- ciated with the subduction zones. The small-scale vortex paths were early obtained by the authors in the frame of the macro model of the main geomagnetic field sources. Two sources were chosen whose kine- matics are characterized by the complete absence of the western drift and whose paths have a very com- plex shape. Both sources are located in the vicinity of the subduction zones characterized by the extensive coherent regions with increased speed of seismic waves in the lowest mantle. One of them is geograph- ically located near the western coast of Canada and the second one is located in the vicinity of Sumatra. For this study we used the global models of the heterogeneities of seismic wave velocity. It was obtained that the complex trajectories of the vortices is fully consistent with the high-speed anomalies of seismic wave velocity in the lowest mantle. It can be assumed that mixing up with the matter of the lowest man- tle, the substance of the liquid core rises along the lowest mantle channel and promotes its further in- crease.
    [Show full text]
  • Sr Isotopic Variations Along the Juan De Fuca Ridge
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Marine Science Faculty Publications College of Marine Science 9-1984 Sr Isotopic Variations along the Juan de Fuca Ridge Jacqueline Eaby U.S. Geological Survey, [email protected] David A. Clague U.S. Geological Survey John R. Delaney University of Washington Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub Part of the Life Sciences Commons Scholar Commons Citation Eaby, Jacqueline; Clague, David A.; and Delaney, John R., "Sr Isotopic Variations along the Juan de Fuca Ridge" (1984). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 1321. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1321 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Marine Science at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Marine Science Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 89, NO. B9, PAGES 7883-7890, SEPTEMBER 10, 1984 Sr IsotopicVariations Along the Juande Fuca Ridge JACQUELINEEABY AND DAVID A. CLAGUE U.S. GeologicalSurvey, Menlo Park, California JOHN R. DELANEY OceanographyDepartment, University of Washington,Seattle Srisotopic ratios of 39glass and microcrystalline basalt samples along the Juan de Fuca Ridge and 1 glasssample from BrownBear Seamount are at the lowerend of the rangefor normalmid-oceanic ridge basalt(MORB)' the average87Sr/S6Sr ratio is 0.70249+ 0.00014(2-a). Althoughsubtle variations exist alongstrike of the ridge,the Sr isotopedata do not showsystematic variation relative to the proposed CobbHotspot. The isotopicdata are inconsistentwith an enrichedmantle-plume origin for the Cobb- EickelbergSeamount chain, as has beenproposed for Iceland,the Azores,and the Galapagosspreading center.Sr isotopicratios of samplescollected north and southof the Cobb offsetare identical,although minor elementratios indicate that theseregions have chemicallydistinct mantle sources.
    [Show full text]
  • A 65 K.Y. Time Series from Sediment-Hosted Glasses Reveals Rapid Transitions in Ocean Ridge Magmas
    A 65 k.y. time series from sediment-hosted glasses reveals rapid transitions in ocean ridge magmas David J. Ferguson1,2*, Yinqi Li1,3, Charles H. Langmuir1, Kassandra M. Costa4,5, Jerry F. McManus4,5, Peter Huybers1, and Suzanne M. Carbotte4 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA 2School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK 3School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China 4Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA 5Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA ABSTRACT 2013; Portner et al., 2015). The extent to which Studies of ocean ridge magmatism have been hampered by the difficulty in construct- such glasses might be preserved in older sedi- ing time-series data over more than a few thousand years. Sediment rapidly covers newly ments and over longer time periods, however, formed ocean crust, and older rocks, even when recovered from fault scarps, cannot be dated has not previously been demonstrated. Here we accurately. Ridge eruptions, however, disperse pyroclastic glass over distances as far as 5 show using a piston core that reached 600 ka km, and these glasses have been shown to persist for thousands of years in on-ridge sediment basement that ancient glasses are indeed pre- push cores. Here we present data on such glasses from a piston core that impacted basement served and permit high-resolution observations in much older (600 ka) sediment. The age of deposition was determined using established over tens of thousands of years.
    [Show full text]
  • Hotspots and Mantle Plumes Pdf
    Hotspots and mantle plumes pdf Continue The mantle feathers area is hot, upwelling the mantle. A hot spot develops above the train. Magma, generated by a hot spot, rises through rigid slabs of the lithosphere and produces active volcanoes on the Earth's surface. As ocean volcanoes move away from the hotspot, they cool and subside, producing old islands, atolls and seamounts. As continental volcanoes move away from the hotspot, they cool, subside and die out. Hot spots are places inside the mantle where stones melt to generate magma. The presence of a hot spot stems from abnormal volcanism (i.e. not on the plate boundary) such as Hawaiian volcanoes within the Pacific Plate. The Hawaiian hotspot has been active for at least 70 million years, producing a volcanic chain that stretches for 3,750 miles (6,000 km) across the Pacific Northwest. Hot spots also develop under continents. Yellowstone hot spot has been active for at least 15 million years, producing a chain of caldera and volcanic features along the plains of the Snake River, which stretches 400 miles (650 km) west from northwest Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. Keep in mind, however, that these are just theories. No one knows the answer. The honest answer is that many people are working on it but have not yet come up with an answer. Graphics After Morgan, J., 1971, Convection feathers in the lower mantle: Nature, art 230, p. 42-43. Volcanic regions, which are thought to feed on the underlying mantle, are abnormally hot compared to the surrounding mantle Diagram, showing a cross-section across the Earth's lithosphere (yellow) with magma rising from the mantle (red).
    [Show full text]
  • Sources Used in Compilation of the Geologic Map of North America
    GSA Data Repository #2005019 Sources Used in Compilation of the Geologic Map of North America This document lists the sources used in the compilation of the Decade of North American Geology Geologic map of North America. Sources used by Reed and Wheeler in the compilation of the on-land geology are listed together and are arranged by political entities or geographic regions, generally from north to south and from west to east. In Canada references are listed by type (general references, regional references, and provincial maps). In the conterminous United States references are listed by regions (Eastern States, Central States, Rocky Mountain states, and Great Basin and Pacific Coast states) and then by groups of states within each region. Sources used by Tucholke in compilation of the seafloor geology are listed separately , and are arranged by map quarter, beginning in the southerastern quarter and proceeding counterclockwise to the southwestern quarter. In each quarter the published sources and the sunpublished sources are listed separately. References that apply to more than one quarter are duplicated in the lists for all of the quarters to which they apply. ON-LAND GEOLOGY General References Fullerton, D. J., Bush, C. A., and Pennell, J. N., Map of surficial deposits and materials in the eastern and central United States: U. S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Map I-2789, scale 1:2,500,000 Global volcanism program, Smithsonian Institution, 1998, List of Holocene volcanoes; available at www.volcano.si.edu. King, P.B. and Edmonston, G.J., 1972, Generallized tectonic map of North America: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Geologic Investigations Map I-688, scale 1:5,000,000.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigation of Submarine Landslides Along the New England Margin with Implications to Tsunami Hazards
    Investigation of Submarine Landslides along the New England Margin with Implications to Tsunami Hazards Principal Investigator (PI) Christopher D.P. Baxter Departments of Ocean/Civil and Environmental Engineering Narragansett Bay Campus, Unversity of Rhode Island 401-874-6575 [email protected] Co-PIs Stephan Grilli, Department of Ocean Engineering, University of Rhode Island Jason Chaytor, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Field Center Uri S. ten Brink, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Field Center Project Description Tsunami hazard assessment is critical for coastal communities, emergency services, and industry for a regional risk assessment and response management of catastrophic events, such as those that occurred in 1998 in Papua New Guinea and 2004 in the Indian Ocean. Along the northeastern United States coastline, tsunami hazard assessment is in its infancy due to the lack of historical tsunami record and the uncertainty regarding the return periods of potential large- scale events, such as a large transoceanic tsunami caused by a collapse of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands, or a large co-seismic tsunami initiated in the Puerto Rican subduction zone. Moreover, considerable geologic and some historical (e.g., the 1929 Grand Bank landslide tsunami) evidence suggests that the most significant tsunami hazard in this region may arise from submarine mass movements triggered on the continental slope by moderate seismic activity; such tsunamigenic landslides can potentially cause concentrated coastal damage affecting specific communities. A probabilistic geotechnical and tsunami impact analysis that estimates coastal hazard on the upper northeast coast of the United States was recently completed by PIs Baxter and Grilli (Grilli et al.
    [Show full text]
  • EGU2013-6301, 2013 EGU General Assembly 2013 © Author(S) 2013
    Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 15, EGU2013-6301, 2013 EGU General Assembly 2013 © Author(s) 2013. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Crustal structure of Axial Volcano on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, from seafloor depths to the bottom of the magma chamber, using Elastic Full Waveform Inversion. Adrien Arnulf (1), Alistair Harding (1), and Graham Kent (2) (1) Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, Ja Jolla, United States ([email protected]), (2) Nevada Seismological Laboratory, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, United States Axial volcano is located at 46˚N, 130˚W at the intersection of the Juan de Fuca Ridge and the Cobb-Eickelberg seamount chain. It is the most recent eruptive center of the Cobb hotspot, which last erupted in 2011. The volcano rises ∼700 m above the adjacent ridge axis and its summit features a 8-km-long, U-shaped caldera with an opening to the southeast where there is an active hydrothermal field and very young lava flows. Located at the junction of a mid-ocean ridge and a volcanic hotspot, Axial volcano is atypical and its internal structure remains poorly understood. Here, we present results from an elastic full waveform inversion (FWI) along multiple seismic lines that span the whole volcano. We have used a multi-stage FWI, inverting successively wide-angle reflections and refractions arrivals from downward extrapolated streamer data, then windowed short offset reflections from the underlying magma chamber. Our final models show fine scale velocity structures with spatial resolutions of tens of meters. Our results indicate that Layer 2A thickness is extremely heterogeneous (350-900 m) within the volcano with abrupt vertical offsets of >300 m at the caldera walls, consistent with faulting of a geologically defined Layer 2A.
    [Show full text]
  • Dana L. Desonie for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography Presented on September 11
    AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Dana L. Desonie for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography presented on September 11. 1990 Title: Geochemical Expression of Volcanism in an On-Axis and Intraplate Hotspot: Cobb and Marguesas Redacted for Privacy Abstract approved: Robert A. Duncan The Pacific Ocean basin is home to a set of hotspots diverse in their eruption rate, duration of volcanism, and basalt chemistry. Pacific hotspots are found in a spectrum of distinct plate tectonic settings, from near a spreading ridge to intraplate. Cobb hotspot, which resulted in formation of the Cobb-Eickelberg seamount (CES) chain, is currently located beneath Axial seamount, on the Juan de Fuca ridge. The Marquesas hotspot, which formed the Marquesas archipelago and, perhaps, older seamounts to the west, is a member of the cluster of hotspots found within French Polynesia, located well away from the nearest spreading ridge. Geochemical and geochronological studies of volcanism at these two hotspots contribute to an understanding of the effect of plate tectonic environment on hotspot volcanism. Cobb hotspot has the temporal but not the isotopic characteristics usually attributed to a mantle plume. The earlier volcanic products of the hotspot show a westward age progression away from the hotspot and a westward increase in the age difference between the seamounts and the crust on which they formed. These resultsare consistent with movement of the Pacific plate over a fixed Cobb hotspot and encroachment by the westwardly migrating Juan de Fuca ridge. CES lavas are slightly enriched in alkali and incompatible elements relative to those of the Juan de Fuca ridge but they have Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions virtually identical to those found along the ridge.
    [Show full text]