Geology Reports⌕ Search

SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Island Arc”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
USGS1979

Preliminary report on the petrography and geochemistry of basalt from the Pribilof Islands and vicinity, southern Bering Sea

Alkali basalt from the Pribilof Islands has been described by several workers (Washington and Keyes, 1930; Barth, 1956; Cox and others, 1966; and Kay, 1977). This report complements the previous reports by providing new petrographic and geochemical data for samples from St. Paul and St. George Islands and from two dredge hauls near St. George Island (Fig. 1). The geologic setting of the Pribilof Islands region is given by Barth (1956), Hopkins and Einarsson (1965), Cox and others (1966), Hopkins and others (1969), Marlow and others (1976), and Hopkins and Silberman (1978). Quaternary basalt (Table 1) (Cox and others, 1966; Hopkins, 1976; Simpson and others, 1979) is extruded onto the structurally high Pribilof Ridge (Marlow and others, 1976) which consists of rocks as old as late Jurassic (Vallier and others, 1979). Barth (1956) recognized the structural implication of alkalic volcanism in back-arc environments. We plan to interpret alkalic volcanism in the Pribilof Islands within the context of recent tectonic and petrologic findings in the southern Bering Sea. Funds for this project were provided jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Land Management. Funds from the Bureau of Land Management were managed by the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP) office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Alaska↗
USGS2011

The Cannery Formation: Devonian to Early Permian arc-marginal deposits within the Alexander Terrane, southeastern Alaska

The Cannery Formation consists of green, red, and gray ribbon chert, siliceous siltstone, graywacke-chert turbidites, and volcaniclastic sandstone. Because it contains early Permian fossils at and near its type area in Cannery Cove, on Admiralty Island in southeastern Alaska, the formation was originally defined as a Permian stratigraphic unit. Similar rocks exposed in Windfall Harbor on Admiralty Island contain early Permian bryozoans and brachiopods, as well as Mississippian through Permian radiolarians. Black and green bedded chert with subordinate lenses of limestone, basalt, and graywacke near Kake on Kupreanof Island was initially correlated with the Cannery Formation on the basis of similar lithology but was later determined to contain Late Devonian conodonts. Permian conglomerate in Keku Strait contains chert cobbles inferred to be derived from the Cannery Formation that yielded Devonian and Mississippian radiolarians. On the basis of fossils recovered from a limestone lens near Kake and chert cobbles in the Keku Strait area, the age of the Cannery Formation was revised to Devonian and Mississippian, but this revision excludes rocks in the type locality, in addition to excluding bedded chert on Kupreanof Island east of Kake that contains radiolarians of Late Pennsylvanian and early Permian age. The black chert near Kake that yielded Late Devonian conodonts is nearly contemporaneous with black chert interbedded with limestone that also contains Late Devonian conodonts in the Saginaw Bay Formation on Kuiu Island. The chert cobbles in the conglomerate in Keku Strait may be derived from either the Cannery Formation or the Saginaw Bay Formation and need not restrict the age of the Cannery Formation, regardless of their source. The minimum age of the Cannery Formation on both Admiralty Island and Kupreanof Island is constrained by the stratigraphically overlying fossiliferous Pybus Formation, of late early and early late Permian age. Because bedded radiolarian cherts on both Admiralty and Kupreanof Islands contain radiolarians as young as Permian, the age of the Cannery Formation is herein extended to Late Devonian through early Permian, to include the early Permian rocks exposed in its type locality. The Cannery Formation is folded and faulted, and its stratigraphic thickness is unknown but inferred to be several hundred meters. The Cannery Formation represents an extended period of marine deposition in moderately deep water, with slow rates of deposition and limited clastic input during Devonian through Pennsylvanian time and increasing argillaceous, volcaniclastic, and bioclastic input during the Permian. The Cannery Formation comprises upper Paleozoic rocks in the Alexander terrane of southeastern Alaska. In the pre-Permian upper Paleozoic, the tectonic setting of the Alexander terrane consisted of two or more evolved oceanic arcs. The lower Permian section is represented by a distinctive suite of rocks in the Alexander terrane, which includes sedimentary and volcanic rocks containing early Permian fossils, metamorphosed rocks with early Permian cooling ages, and intrusive rocks with early Permian cooling ages, that form discrete northwest-trending belts. After restoration of 180 km of dextral displacement of the Chilkat-Chichagof block on the Chatham Strait Fault, these belts consist, from northeast to southwest, of (1) bedded chert, siliceous argillite, volcaniclastic turbidites, pillow basalt, and limestone of the Cannery Formation and the Porcupine Slate of Gilbert and others (1987); (2) greenschist-facies Paleozoic metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks that have Permian cooling ages; (3) silty limestone and calcareous argillite interbedded with pillow basalt and volcaniclastic rocks of the Halleck Formation and the William Henry Bay area; and (4) intermediate-composition and syenitic plutons. These belts correspond to components of an accretionary complex, contemporary metamorphic rocks, forearc-basin deposits, and the roots of a volcanic arc, respectively. The similar early Permian sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous ages are inferred to represent an arc complex that resulted from juxtaposition of a structural lower plate consisting of metamorphosed Paleozoic arc rocks of the Alexander terrane exposed on Admiralty Island, and a structural upper plate consisting of stratigraphically distinct, unmetamorphosed Paleozoic arc rocks representing another component of the Alexander terrane exposed on Chichagof, Kuiu, and Prince of Wales Islands. The Cannery Formation is associated with the lower-plate package. A volcanic arc with magmatic ages ranging from 293 to 278 Ma formed during subduction of the basin between these two (or more) components of the Alexander terrane in southeastern Alaska. Metamorphic-mineral-cooling ages ranging from 273 to 260 Ma are interpreted to date an early Permian orogenic event. Both the early Permian lower- and upper-plate rocks are unconformably overlain by late early and early late Permian limestone, dolostone, and conglomerate of the Pybus Formation that provide a minimum age for this collision.

Alaska↗
USGS1977

Surface sedimentary units of the Gulf of Alaska continental shelf: Montague Island to Yakutat Bay

Four major sedimentary units occur on the sea floor of the continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska. These units, defined on the basis of seismic and sedimentologic data, are: (1) Holocene sediments, (2) Holocene mind moraines, C3) Quaternary glacial marine sediments, and (4) Tertiary and Pleistocene lithified deposits. A wedge of Holocene fine sand to clayey silt covers most of the inner shelf, reaching maximum thicknesses of about 350 m seaward of the Copper River and about 200 m seaward of Icy Bay. Holocene end moraines are found at the mouth of Icy Bay, south of Bering Glacier, and at the mouth of Yakutat Bay. Quaternary glacial marine sediments are found in a narrow arc that borders, on the north and west side of Tart Bank and in a large arc 20 km or more offshore that parallels the shoreline between Kayak Island and Yakutat Bay. Tertiary or Pleistocene stratified sedimentary rocks, which in profile commonly are folded, faulted, and truncated, crop out on Tarr Bank, offshore of Montague Island, and in several localities southeast and southwest of Cape Yakataga. The lack of Holocene cover on Tarr Bank and Middleton, Kayak and Montague Island platforms may be due to the scouring action of swift bottom currents and large storm waves. West of Kayak Island the Copper River is the primary source of Holocene sediment. East of Kayak Island the major sediment sources are streams draining the larger ice fields, notably, the Malaspina and Bering Glaciers. Transport of bottom and suspended sediment is predominantly to the west. If deglaciation of the shelf was completed by 10,000 years B.P., maximum rates of accumulation of Holocene sediment on the inner shelf may be as high as 10-35 m per 1,000 years.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Long-term eruptive activity at a submarine arc volcano

Three-quarters of the Earth's volcanic activity is submarine, located mostly along the mid-ocean ridges, with the remainder along intraoceanic arcs and hotspots at depths varying from greater than 4,000 m to near the sea surface. Most observations and sampling of submarine eruptions have been indirect, made from surface vessels or made after the fact. We describe here direct observations and sampling of an eruption at a submarine arc volcano named NW Rota-1, located 60 km northwest of the island of Rota (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). We observed a pulsating plume permeated with droplets of molten sulphur disgorging volcanic ash and lapilli from a 15-m diameter pit in March 2004 and again in October 2005 near the summit of the volcano at a water depth of 555 m (depth in 2004). A turbid layer found on the flanks of the volcano (in 2004) at depths from 700 m to more than 1,400 m was probably formed by mass-wasting events related to the eruption. Long-term eruptive activity has produced an unusual chemical environment and a very unstable benthic habitat exploited by only a few mobile decapod species. Such conditions are perhaps distinctive of active arc and hotspot volcanoes. ?? 2006 Nature Publishing Group.

Nature↗
USGS1991

Subalkaline andesite from Valu Fa Ridge, a back-arc spreading center in southern Lau Basin: petrogenesis, comparative chemistry, and tectonic implications

Tholeiitic andesite was dredged from two sites on Valu Fa Ridge (VFR), a back-arc spreading center in Lau Basin. Valu Fa Ridge, at least 200 km long, is located 40-50 km west of the active Tofua Volcanic Arc (TVA) axis and lies about 150 km above the subducted oceanic plate. One or more magma chambers, traced discontinuously for about 100 km along the ridge axis, lie 3-4 km beneath the ridge. The mostly aphyric and glassy lavas had high volatile contents, as shown by the abundance and large sizes of vesicles. An extensive fractionation history is inferred from the high SiO2 contents and FeO* MgO ratios. Chemical data show that the VFR lavas have both volcanic arc and back-arc basin affinities. The volcanic arc characteristics are: (1) relatively high abundances of most alkali and alkaline earth elements; (2) low abundances of high field strength elements Nb and Ta; (3) high U/Th ratios; (4) similar radiogenic isotope ratios in VFR and TVA lavas, in particular the enrichment of 87Sr 86Sr relative to 206Pb 204Pb; (5) high 238U 230Th, 230Th 232Th, and 226Ra 230Th activity ratios; and (6) high ratios of Rb/Cs, Ba/Nb, and Ba/La. Other chemical characteristics suggest that the VFR lavas are related to MORB-type back-arc basin lavas. For example, VFR lavas have (1) lower 87Sr 86Sr ratios and higher 143Nd 144Nd ratios than most lavas from the TVA, except samples from Ata Island, and are similar to many Lau Basin lavas; (2) lower Sr/REE, Rb/Zr, and Ba/Zr ratios than in arc lavas; and (3) higher Ti, Fe, and V, and higher Ti/V ratios than arc lavas generally and TVA lavas specifically. Most characteristics of VFR lavas can be explained by mixing depleted mantle with either small amounts of sediment and fluids from the subducting slab and/or an older fragment of volcanic arc lithosphere. The eruption of subalkaline andesite with some arc affinities along a back-arc spreading ridge is not unique. Collision of the Louisville and Tonga ridges probably activated back-arc extension that ultimately led to the creation and growth of Valu Fa Ridge. Some ophiolitic fragments in circum-Pacific and circum-Tethyan allochthonous terranes, presently interpreted to have originated in volcanic arcs, may instead be fragments of lithosphere that formed during early stages of seafloor spreading in a back-arc basin. ?? 1991.

Chemical Geology↗
USGS2015

Post-eruptive inflation of Okmok Volcano, Alaska, from InSAR, 2008–2014

Okmok, a ~10-km wide caldera that occupies most of the northeastern end of Umnak Island, is one of the most active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc. The most recent eruption at Okmok during July-August 2008 was by far its largest and most explosive since at least the early 19th century. We investigate post-eruptive magma supply and storage at the volcano during 2008–2014 by analyzing all available synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of Okmok acquired during that time period using the multi-temporal InSAR technique. Data from the C-band Envisat and X-band TerraSAR-X satellites indicate that Okmok started inflating very soon after the end of 2008 eruption at a time-variable rate of 48-130 mm/y, consistent with GPS measurements. The “model-assisted” phase unwrapping method is applied to improve the phase unwrapping operation for long temporal baseline pairs. The InSAR time-series is used as input for deformation source modeling, which suggests magma accumulating at variable rates in a shallow storage zone at ~3.9 km below sea level beneath the summit caldera, consistent with previous studies. The modeled volume accumulation in the 6 years following the 2008 eruption is ~75% of the 1997 eruption volume and ~25% of the 2008 eruption volume.

Alaska↗
USGS2002

Boninites: Characteristics and tectonic constraints, northeastern Appalachians

Boninites are high Mg andesites that are thought to form in suprasubduction zone tectonic environments as primary melts from refractory mantle. Boninites provide a potential constraint on tectonic models for ancient terranes that contain boninites because the only unequivocal tectonic setting in which "modern" boninites have been recognized is a fore-arc setting. Tectonic models for "modern" boninite genesis include subduction initiation ("infant arc"), fore-arc spreading, and the forearc side of intra-arc rifting (spreading). These models can be differentiated by the relative age of the boninites and to a lesser degree, geochemistry. The distinctive geochemistry of boninites promotes their recognition in ancient terranes. As detailed in this report, several mafic terranes in the northeastern Appalachians contain boninites; these terranes were situated on both sides of Iapetus. The characteristics of these boninites can be used to constrain tectonic models of the evolution of the northeastern Appalachians. On the Laurentian side of Iapetus, "infant arc" boninites were not produced ubiquitously during the Cambrian subduction initiation, unless sampling problems or minimum age dates obscure a more widespread boninite "infant arc". The Cambrian subduction initiation on the Laurentian side was probably characterized by both "infant arc" boninitic arc construction (perhaps the >496 Ma Hawley Formation and the >488 Ma Betts Cove Ophiolite) and "normal" arc construction (Mt. Orford). This duality is consistent with the suggestion that the pre-collisional geometry of the Laurentian margin was complex. The Bay of Islands Complex and Thetford Mines ophiolite boninites are likely associated with forearc/intra-arc spreading during the protracted evolution of the Cambrian arc system. The relatively young boninites in the Bronson Hill Arc suggest that the Taconic continuous eastward subduction tectonic model is less tenable than other models. On the Gondwana side of Iapetus, the Tea Arm boninites of the Exploits Group stratigraphically rest on arc and MORB volcanics. This stratigraphy, and the relatively young age of the boninites (486 Ma), compared to assumed subduction initiation age (>513 Ma), suggest that the boninites may be more consistent with fore-arc spreading/intra-arc spreading. However, an "infant arc" model cannot be dismissed, and is commonly proposed for the nearby boninites in the Wild Bight Group. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physics and Chemistry of the Earth↗
USGS2011

Historical perspective on seismic hazard to Hispaniola and the northeast Caribbean region

We evaluate the long-term seismic activity of the North-American/Caribbean plate boundary from 500 years of historical earthquake damage reports. The 2010 Haiti earthquakes and other earthquakes were used to derive regional attenuation relationships between earthquake intensity, magnitude, and distance from the reported damage to the epicenter, for Hispaniola and for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The attenuation relationship for Hispaniola earthquakes and northern Lesser Antilles earthquakes is similar to that for California earthquakes, indicating a relatively rapid attenuation of damage intensity with distance. Intensities in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands decrease less rapidly with distance. We use the intensity-magnitude relationships to systematically search for the location and intensity magnitude MI which best fit all the reported damage for historical earthquakes. Many events occurred in the 20th-century along the plate-boundary segment from central Hispaniola to the NW tip of Puerto Rico, but earlier events from this segment were not identified. The remaining plate boundary to the east to Guadeloupe is probably not associated with M > 8 historical subduction-zone earthquakes. The May 2, 1787 earthquake, previously assigned an M 8–8.25, is probably only M I 6.9 and could be located north, west or SW of Puerto Rico. An M I 6.9 earthquake on July 11, 1785 was probably located north or east of the Virgin Islands. We located M I < 8 historical earthquakes on April 5, 1690, February 8, 1843, and October 8, 1974 in the northern Lesser Antilles within the arc. We speculate that the December 2, 1562 (M I 7.7) and May 7, 1842 (M I 7.6) earthquakes ruptured the Septentrional Fault in northern Hispaniola. If so, the recurrence interval on the central Septentrional Fault is ~300 years, and only 170 years has elapsed since the last event. The recurrence interval of large earthquakes along the Hispaniola subduction segment is likely longer than the historical record. Intra-arc M ≥ 7.0 earthquakes may occur every 75–100 years in the 410-km-long segment between the Virgin Islands and Guadeloupe.

Caribbean Sea↗
USGS1988

Geology and mineral resources of the Port Moller region, western Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian arc: A section in USGS research on mineral resources - 1989: Program and abstracts

Geologic mapping of the Port Moller, Stepovak Bay, and Simeonof Island quadrangles was begun under the auspices of the Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program (AMRAP) in 1983 . Two important mineral deposits are located in the Port Moller quadrangle; the Pyramid prospect is the largest copper porphyry system in the Aleutian Arc, and the Apollo Mine is the only gold mine to reach production status in the Aleutian Arc.

Alaska↗
USGS1982

Progress report on lithium-related geologic investigations in Bolivia

The September 1, 1981, Samoa Islands Region earthquake occurred at the extreme northern end of the Tonga arc in a region where the Pacific plate may be disjointed along a hinge fault. In the last 50 years, magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes have occurred in this region on the average of once every six years, but four 7+ events have now occurred within the last six years. The mainshock was preceded about two hours earlier by a foreshock that was used as a calibration event for the Joint Epicenter Determination relocation of the mainshock and nearby seismicity occurring within a period seven months prior to and one week after the mainshock. The foreshock, better-located events of the prior seismicity, and most aftershocks are concentrated in a group near the mainshock epicenter, but several more distant aftershocks suggest that the aftershock zone may have been as large as 125 km in length and trended about S35?E. Identification of depth phases from a full suite of broadband records gives source depths of 25-3km for the mainshock and 29.5?3 km for the foreshock using a JB earth model. Source parameters were determined for the mainshock utilizing WWSSN analog and GDSN digital data. The preferred fault plane solution based on P-wave first motion data is a south by southwesterly steeply dipping normal fault, remarkably similar to the mechanism reported by Johnson and Molnar (1972) for the nearby earthquake of April 20, 196B. A waveform inversion technique described by Sipkin (1982), when applied to long-period P waveforms, gives an 'average' point source solution for a purely deviatoric moment rate tensor at a preferred source depth of 22 km. Very similar results were obtained from long-period GDSN body-wave and mantle-wave data using a centroid-moment tensor inversion technique described in Dziewonski, and others (1981). Both techniques provide solutions very close to a double couple source with a south by southwesterly shallow-dipping normal fault mechanism. To obtain the scalar mantle wave moment, GDSN vertical and transverse records 20,000 see in length were processed as described by Buland and Taggart (1981). Averaging all the data from Rayleigh and Love waves yields an estimate of 3.8 x 10^27 dyne-cm (as compared to about 1.9 x 10^27 from body-wave moment tensor inversions) or a moment magnitude (Mr) of 7.6. For the portion of the waveform analysed (50-5B sec), the body-wave inversion performed by Sipkin gives a source time function of duration approximately 28 sec with two peaks in activity. Simultaneous analysis of short-period records, and broadband ground displacements and velocities, a method described by Harvey and Choy (1982) and Choy and Boatwright (1981) revealed a complex rupture consisting of two subevents, of about the same moment, separated in time by about 25 sec, and with durations of about 25 sec each. The two peaks in activity resolved by the body-wave moment tensor inversion correspond to the first of these subevents.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Volcanoes of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands, Alaska: selected photographs

This CD-ROM contains 97 digital images of volcanoes along the Aleutian volcanic arc in Alaska. Perspectives include distant aerial shots, ground views of volcanic products and processes, and dramatic views of eruptions in progress. Each image is stored as a .PCD file in five resolutions. Brief captions, a location map, and glossary are included.

Data Series↗
USGS2010

Extension in Mona Passage, Northeast Caribbean

As shown by the recent Mw 7.0 Haiti earthquake, intra-arc deformation, which accompanies the subduction process, can present seismic and tsunami hazards to nearby islands. Spatially-limited diffuse tectonic deformation within the Northeast Caribbean Plate Boundary Zone likely led to the development of the submerged Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. GPS geodetic data and a moderate to high level of seismicity indicate that extension within the region is ongoing. Newly-collected high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and multi-channel seismic reflection profiles and previously-collected samples are used here to determine the tectonic evolution of the Mona Passage intra-arc region. The passage is floored almost completely by Oligocene-Pliocene carbonate platform strata, which have undergone submarine and subaerial erosion. Structurally, the passage is characterized by W- to NNW-trending normal faults that offset the entire thickness of the Oligo-Pliocene carbonate platform rocks. The orientation of these faults is compatible with the NE-oriented extension vector observed in GPS data. Fault geometry best fits an oblique extension model rather than previously proposed single-phase, poly-phase, bending-moment, or rotation extension models. The intersection of these generally NW-trending faults in Mona Passage with the N-S oriented faults of Mona Canyon may reflect differing responses of the brittle upper-crust, along an arc-forearc rheological boundary, to oblique subduction along the Puerto Rico trench. Several faults within the passage, if ruptured completely, are long enough to generate earthquakes with magnitudes on the order of Mw 6.5-7. ?? 2010.

Tectonophysics↗
USGS2007

High-resolution airborne gravity imaging over James Ross Island (West Antarctica)

James Ross Island (JRI) exposes a Miocene-Recent alkaline basaltic volcanic complex that developed in a back-arc, east of the northern Antarctic Peninsula. JRI has been the focus of several geological studies because it provides a window on Neogene magmatic processes and paleoenvironments. However, little is known about its internal structure. New airborne gravity data were collected as part of the first high-resolution aerogeophysical survey flown over the island and reveal a prominent negative Bouguer gravity anomaly over Mt Haddington. This is intriguing as basaltic volcanoes are typically associated with positive Bouguer anomalies, linked to underlying mafic intrusions. The negative Bouguer anomaly may be associated with a hitherto unrecognised low-density sub-surface body, such as a breccia-filled caldera, or a partially molten magma chamber.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

Petrogenesis of basaltic volcanic rocks from the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, by melting of metasomatically enriched depleted lithosphere, crystallization differentiation, and magma mixing

The Pribilof Islands, Alaska, are located in the Bering Sea in a continental intraplate setting. In this study we examine the petrology and geochemistry of volcanic rocks from St. Paul (0??54-0??003 Ma) and St. George (2??8-1??4 Ma) Islands, the two largest Pribilof Islands. Rocks from St. George can be divided into three groups: group 1 is a high-MgO, low-SiO. 2 suite composed primarily of basanites; group 2 is a high-MgO, high-SiO 2 suite consisting predominantly of alkali basalts; group 3 is an intermediate- to low-MgO suite that includes plagioclase-phyric subalkali basalts and hawaiites. Major and trace element geochemistry suggests that groups 1 and 2 formed by small-degree partial melting of amphibole-bearing to amphibole-free garnet peridotite. Group 1 rocks were the earliest melts produced from the most hydrous parts of the mantle, as they show the strongest geochemical signature of amphibole in their source. The suite of rocks from St. Paul ranges from 14??4 to 4??2 wt % MgO at relatively constant SiO 2 contents (43??1-47??3 wt %). The most primitive St. Paul rocks are modeled as mixtures between magmas with compositions similar to groups 1 and 2 from St. George Island, which subsequently fractionated olivine, clinopyroxene, and spinel to form more evolved rocks. Plagioclase-phyric group 3 rocks from St. George are modeled as mixtures between an evolved melt similar to the evolved magmas on St. Paul and a fractionated group 2 end-member from St. George. Mantle potential temperatures estimated for primitive basanites and alkali basalts are ???1400??C and are similar to those of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). Similarly, 87 Sr/. 86 Sr and 143 Nd/. 144 Nd values for all rocks are MORB-like, in the range of 0??702704-0??703035 and 0??513026-0??513109, respectively. 208 Pb/. 204 Pb vs 206 Pb/. 204 Pb values lie near the MORB end-member but show a linear trend towards HIMU (high time-integrated 238 U/. 204 Pb). Despite isotopic similarities to MORB, many of the major and trace element characteristics are similar to those of ocean island basalts (OIB), including enrichment in alkalis and incompatible trace elements. These characteristics are interpreted to indicate that their mantle source experienced an ancient melt-removal event that is reflected in depleted radiogenic isotopic compositions and was then re-enriched by metasomatism that elevated incompatible trace element contents, but was too young to produce a time-integrated change in radiogenic isotopic ratios. Evidence suggests that the Pribilof Island basalts did not form in either a plume or a back-arc basin tectonic setting. Rather, they were produced by melting of metasomatically hydrated upper mantle peridotite at relatively low temperatures and were able to erupt at the surface through extensional or transtensional faults that served as conduits for the magmas. ?? The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press.

Journal of Petrology↗
USGS2014

Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2012 Java and vicinity

The Sunda convergent margin extends for 5,600 km from the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, both located northwest of the map area, towards the island of Sumba in the southeast, and then continues eastward as the Banda arc system. This tectonically active margin is a result of the India and Australia plates converging with and subducting beneath the Sunda plate at a rate of approximately 50 to 70 mm/yr. The main physiographic feature associated with this convergent margin is the Sunda-Java Trench, which stretches for 3,000 km parallel to the Java and Sumatra land masses and terminates at 120° E. The convergence of the Indo-Australia and Sunda plates produces two active volcanic arcs: Sunda, which extends from 105 to 122° E and Banda, which extends from 122 to 128° E. The Sunda arc results solely from relatively simple oceanic plate subduction, while the Banda arc represents the transition from oceanic subduction to continental collision, where a complex, broad deforming zone is found. Based on modern activity, the Banda arc can be divided into three distinct zones: an inactive section, the Wetar Zone, bound by two active segments, the Flores Zone in the west and the Damar Zone in the east. The lack of volcanism in the Wetar Zone is attributed to the collision of Australia with the Sunda plate. The absence of gap in volcanic activity is underlain by a gap in intermediate depth seismicity, which is in contrast to nearly continuous, deep seismicity below all three sections of the arc. The Flores Zone is characterized by down-dip compression in the subducted slab at intermediate depths and late Quaternary uplift of the forearc. These unusual features, along with GPS data interpretations indicate that the Flores Zone marks the transition between subduction of oceanic crust in the west and the collision of continental crust in the east. The Java section of the Sunda arc is considered relatively aseismic historically when compared to the highly seismically active Sumatra section, despite both areas being located along the same active subduction margin. Shallow (0–20 km) events have occurred historically in the overlying Sunda plate, causing damage to local and regional communities. A recent example was the May 26, 2006 M6.3 left-lateral strike-slip event that occurred at a depth of 10 km in central Java, and caused over 5,700 fatalities. Intermediate depth (70–300 km) earthquakes frequently occur beneath Java as a result of intraplate faulting within the Australia slab. Deep (300–650 km) earthquakes occur beneath the Java Sea and the back-arc region to the north of Java. Similar to other intermediate depth events, these earthquakes are also associated with intraslab faulting. However, this subduction zone exhibits a gap in seismicity from 250 to 400 km, interpreted as the transition between extensional and compressional slab stresses. Historical examples of large intraplate events include: the 1903 M8.1 event, 1921 M7.5 event, 1977 M8.3 event, and August 2007 M7.5 event. Large thrust earthquakes close to the Java trench are typically interplate faulting events along the slab interface between the Australia and Sunda plates. These earthquakes also generally have high tsunamigenic potential due to their shallow hypocentral depths. In some cases, these events have demonstrated slow moment-release and have been defined as ‘tsunami’ earthquakes, where rupture is large in the weak crustal layers very close to the seafloor. These events are categorized by tsunamis that are significantly larger than predicted by the earthquake’s magnitude. The most notable tsunami earthquakes in the Java region occurred on June 2, 1994 (M7.8) and July 17, 2006 (M7.7). The 1994 event produced a tsunami with wave runup heights of 13 m, killing over 200 people. The 2006 event produced a tsunami of up to 15 m, and killed 730 people. Although both of these tsunami earthquakes were characterized by rupture along thrust faults, they were followed by an abundance of normal faulting aftershocks. These aftershocks are interpreted to result from extension within the subducting Australia plate, whereas the mainshocks represented interplate faulting between the Australia and Sunda plates.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1955

Salt-water encroachment as induced by sea-level excavation on Angaur Island

Angaur, southwesternmost of the Palau Islands, 800 miles southwest of Guam, has an area of 3.2 square miles and consists of reef limestone of Pliocene through Recent age. In the northwestern part of the island a basin is formed by a ringlike ridge that has a maximum altitude of 150 feet. To the east and south a series of arc-shaped lower ridges and intervening depressions are concentric with the ring ridge. Beyond these, a low plain with shallow swales composes the remaining two-thirds of the island. The ridges are composed of indurated limestone, whereas the plain is underlain chiefly by unconsolidated coralline fragments. Phosphate has been mined from the three types of topographic depressions since 1908. When power equipment was introduced, excavations were extended below sea level. Lakes formed in these excavations and, despite an annual rainfall of 110 inches, contamination of fresh-water supplies and of agricultural land by salt water resulted from tidal pulsations through the fissured rock. As a result, stoppage of mining was imminent unless remedial measures could be devised. Angaur provides a model of the operations of a Ghyben-Herzberg fresh-water lens on an oceanic island. At numerous lakes, wells, and test holes, continuing observations were made on water levels; amplitude and lag of tidal fluctuations; and mineral content, pH, and temperature of the lens. These observations guided the selection of constantly adjusted remedial measures, which included partitioning of lakes, and bottom filling or back filling of compartments that failed to freshen because of fissures connecting them with the sea. © 1955 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.

Angaur↗
USGS2013

Seismic evidence for a slab tear at the Puerto Rico Trench

The fore-arc region of the northeast Caribbean plate north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands has been the site of numerous seismic swarms since at least 1976. A 6 month deployment of five ocean bottom seismographs recorded two such tightly clustered swarms, along with additional events. Joint analyses of the ocean bottom seismographs and land-based seismic data reveal that the swarms are located at depths of 50–150 km. Focal mechanism solutions, found by jointly fitting P wave first-motion polarities and S/P amplitude ratios, indicate that the broadly distributed events outside the swarm generally have strike- and dip-slip mechanisms at depths of 50–100 km, while events at depths of 100–150 km have oblique mechanisms. A stress inversion reveals two distinct stress regimes: The slab segment east of 65°W longitude is dominated by trench-normal tensile stresses at shallower depths (50–100 km) and by trench-parallel tensile stresses at deeper depths (100–150 km), whereas the slab segment west of 65°W longitude has tensile stresses that are consistently trench normal throughout the depth range at which events were observed (50–100 km). The simple stress pattern in the western segment implies relatively straightforward subduction of an unimpeded slab, while the stress pattern observed in the eastern segment, shallow trench-normal tension and deeper trench-normal compression, is consistent with flexure of the slab due to rollback. These results support the hypothesis that the subducting North American plate is tearing at or near these swarms. The 35 year record of seismic swarms at this location and the recent increase in seismicity suggest that the tear is still propagating.

Puerto Rico↗
USGS1994

Crustal architecture of the Cascadia Forearc

Seismic profiling data indicate that the thickness of an accreted oceanic terrane of Paleocene and early Eocene age, which forms the basement of much of the forearc beneath western Oregon and Washington, varies by approximately a factor of 4 along the strike of the Cascadia subduction zone. Beneath the Oregon Coast Range, the accreted terrane is 25 to 35 kilometers thick, whereas offshore Vancouver Island it is about 6 kilometers thick. These variations are correlated with variations in arc magmatism, forearc seismicity, and long-term forearc deformation. It is suggested that the strength of the forearc crust increases as the thickness of the accreted terrane increases and that the geometry of the seaward edge of this terrane influences deformation within the subduction complex and controls the amount of sediment that is deeply subducted.

Science↗