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Relationship Between the High-Amplitude Magnetic Anomalies and Serpentinized Fore-Arc Mantle in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

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Abstract

A zone of significant high-amplitude magnetic anomalies is observed without a comparable gravity high along the Cascadia margin and is spatially correlated with the low-velocity fore-arc mantle wedge. This wedge is interpreted to be serpentinized fore-arc mantle and is further considered to be the main source of the high-amplitude magnetic anomalies. To test this hypothesis, the magnetization-density ratio (MDR) is estimated along the Cascadia margin to highlight the physical characteristics of serpentinization (reduced density and increased magnetization). Interestingly, high MDR values are found only in central Oregon, where slab dehydration and fore-arc mantle serpentinization (50–60% serpentinization) are inferred in conjunction with sparse seismicity. This result may indicate either poorly serpentinized fore-arc mantle (low degree of serpentinization) or that the fore-arc mantle is deeper than the Curie temperature isotherm for magnetite in northern and southern Cascadia. This finding means that magnetic anomaly highs and serpentinized fore-arc mantle may not always be correlated in subduction zones. On the other hand, the MDR pattern suggests segmentation of the Cascadia subduction zone, which is consistent with several previous geological and geophysical observations.

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The datasets implemented in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Editor-in-Chief Prof. Carla F. Braitenberg and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and supportive suggestions and comments. I also thank Benjamin Fong Chao for helpful discussions and comments. This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (grant no.: MOST 110-2116-M-008-014). Most of the figures are generated using the GMT software.

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Funding was provided by Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MOST 110-2116-M-008-014).

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    Wen-Bin Doo

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Doo, WB. Relationship Between the High-Amplitude Magnetic Anomalies and Serpentinized Fore-Arc Mantle in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Pure Appl. Geophys. 180, 3545–3558 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-023-03337-4

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