Impact of bending related faulting on the seismic properties of the incoming oceanic plate offshore of Nicaragua

Monika Ivandic; Ingo Grevemeyer; Arnim Berhorst; Ernst R. Flueh; Kirk McIntosh

doi:10.1029/2007jb005291

journal article May 01, 2008

Impact of bending related faulting on the seismic properties of the incoming oceanic plate offshore of Nicaragua

Monika Ivandic Ingo Grevemeyer Arnim Berhorst Ernst R. Flueh Kirk McIntosh

Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans Vol. 113 No. B5 · American Geophysical Union (AGU)

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Abstract

A seismic wide‐angle and refraction experiment was conducted offshore of Nicaragua in the Middle American Trench to investigate the impact of bending‐related normal faulting on the seismic properties of the oceanic lithosphere prior to subduction. On the basis of the reflectivity pattern of multichannel seismic reflection (MCS) data it has been suggested that bending‐related faulting facilitates hydration and serpentinization of the incoming oceanic lithosphere. Seismic wide‐angle and refraction data were collected along a transect which extends from the outer rise region not yet affected by subduction into the trench northwest of the Nicoya Peninsula, where multibeam bathymetric data show prominent normal faults on the seaward trench slope. A tomographic joint inversion of seismic refraction and wide‐angle reflection data yield anomalously low seismic P wave velocities in the crust and uppermost mantle seaward of the trench axis. Crustal velocities are reduced by 0.2–0.5 km s−1 compared to normal mature oceanic crust. Seismic velocities of the uppermost mantle are 7.6–7.8 km s−1 and hence 5–7% lower than the typical velocity of mantle peridotite. These systematic changes in P wave velocity from the outer rise toward the trench axis indicate an evolutionary process in the subducting slab consistent with percolation of seawater through the faulted and fractured lithosphere and serpentinization of mantle peridotites. If hydration is indeed affecting the seismic properties of the mantle, serpentinization might be reaching 12–17% in the uppermost 3–4 km of the mantle, depending on the unknown degree of fracturing and its impact on the elastic properties of the subducting lithosphere.

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Details

Published: May 01, 2008
Vol/Issue: 113(B5)
License: View

Authors

M

Monika Ivandic

Sonderforschungsbereicht 574 Kiel Germany

I

Ingo Grevemeyer

Leibniz Institut fuer Meereswissenschaften IFM‐GEOMAR Kiel Germany

A

Arnim Berhorst

Leibniz Institut fuer Meereswissenschaften IFM‐GEOMAR Kiel Germany

E

Ernst R. Flueh

Leibniz Institut fuer Meereswissenschaften IFM‐GEOMAR Kiel Germany

K

Kirk McIntosh

Institute for Geophysics University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas USA

Cite This Article

Monika Ivandic, Ingo Grevemeyer, Arnim Berhorst, et al. (2008). Impact of bending related faulting on the seismic properties of the incoming oceanic plate offshore of Nicaragua. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 113(B5). https://doi.org/10.1029/2007jb005291

Impact of bending related faulting on the seismic properties of the incoming oceanic plate offshore of Nicaragua

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