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Acta Oceanologica Sinica

, Volume 37, Issue 11, pp 53–60 | Cite as

Modeling of normal faulting in the subducting plates of the Tonga, Japan, Izu-Bonin and Mariana Trenches: implications for near-trench plate weakening

  • Zhiyuan Zhou
  • Jian LinEmail author
  • Fan Zhang
Article
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Abstract

The plate flexure and normal faulting characteristics along the Tonga, Japan, Izu-Bonin and Mariana Trenches are investigated by combining observations and modeling of elastoplastic deformation of the subducting plate. The observed average trench relief is found to be the smallest at the Japan Trench (3 km) and the largest at the Mariana Trench (4.9 km), and the average fault throw is the smallest at the Japan Trench (113 m) and the largest at the Tonga Trench (284 m). A subducting plate is modeled to bend and generate normal faults subjected to three types of tectonic loading at the trench axis: vertical loading, bending moment, and horizontal tensional force. It is inverted for the solutions of tectonic loading that best fit the observed plate flexure and normal faulting characteristics of the four trenches. The results reveal that a horizontal tensional force (HTF) for the Japan Trench is 33%, 50% and 60% smaller than those of the Mariana, Tonga and Izu-Bonin Trenches, respectively. The normal faults are modeled to penetrate to a maximum depth of 29, 23, 32 and 32 km below the sea floor for the Tonga, Japan, Izu-Bonin and Mariana Trenches, respectively, which is consistent with the depths of relocated normal faulting earthquakes in the Japan and Izu-Bonin Trenches. Moreover, it is argued that the calculated horizontal tensional force is generally positively correlated with the observed mean fault throw, while the integrated area of the reduction in the effective elastic thickness is correlated with the trench relief. These results imply that the HTF plays a key role in controlling the normal faulting pattern and that plate weakening can lead to significant increase in the trench relief.

Key words

normal fault geodynamic model plate weakening flexural bending elasto-plastic deformation 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the staff and students of the deep sea geodynamics group of the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences for constructive discussion and suggestions.

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Copyright information

© The Chinese Society of Oceanography and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of OceanologyChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
  2. 2.Department of Geology and GeophysicsWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods HoleUSA
  3. 3.Department of Ocean Science and EngineeringSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina

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