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Turbidite facies in an ancient subduction complex: Torlesse terrane, New Zealand

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Abstract

The Torlesse terrane of New Zealand is an ancient subduction complex consisting of deformed turbidite-facies rocks. These are mainly thick-bedded sandstone (facies B and C) with subordinate mudstone (facies D and E), comparable to inner- and middle-fan deposits of a submarine fan. Strata were deposited in trench-floor and trench-slope settings that received sandy sediment from slope-cutting submarine canyons. The dominance of sandstone suggests that some mudstone may have been selectively subducted. Construction of a detailed sediment dispersal model is not possible because tectonic deformation has largely destroyed original facies relationships and paleocurrent patterns.

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Author notes

  1. T. C. MacKinnon

    Present address: University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chevron Oil Field Research Company, P. O. Box 446, 90631, La Habra, CA

    T. C. MacKinnon

  2. U. S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, 94025, Menlo Park, CA

    D. G. Howell

Authors
  1. T. C. MacKinnon
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  2. D. G. Howell
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Additional information

D. G. Howell’s research in New Zealand was in conjunction with a USGS/DSIR cooperative program.

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MacKinnon, T.C., Howell, D.G. Turbidite facies in an ancient subduction complex: Torlesse terrane, New Zealand. Geo-Marine Letters 3, 211–216 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462470

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02462470

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