Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessment of flexural analysis applied to the Sumatra-Java subduction zone

  • Published:
Journal of Earth System Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Indian Ocean subduction zone is one of the most active plate margins of the globe as evident from its vast record of great magnitude earthquake and tsunami events. We use Bouguer admittance (Morlet isostatic response function) in Sumatra-Java subduction zones comprising both the subduction and over-riding plates to determine the lithospheric mechanical strength variations. We determine effective elastic thickness (T e ) for five oceanic windows (size 990 × 990 km2) by analyzing the admittance using Bouguer gravity and bathymetry data. The results show bimodal T e values < 20 km for Sumatra and 20−40 km for Java. The lower bimodal values obtained for Sumatra appears to correlate well with the zones of historical seismicity. This is in sharp contrast with Java subduction zone, which shows higher T e values (20–40 km) and apparently associated with low magnitude earthquakes. We suggest a strong and wide interseismic coupling for Sumatra between the subducting and over-riding plates, and deeper mantle contributing to low strength, shallow focus — high magnitude seismicity and vice versa for Java, leading to their seismogenic zonation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen O B, Knudsen P, Berry P, Freeman J, Pavlis N and Kenyon S 2008 The DNSC07 ocean wide altimetry derived gravity field; Presented EGU, session G1, General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, April 14–18.

  • Anderson M L, Alvarado P, Beck S and Zandt G 2007 Geometry and brittle deformation of the subducting Nazca plate, central Chile and Argentina; Geophys. J. Int. 171(1) 419–434, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2007.03483.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andres Tassara 2005 Interaction between the Nazca and South American plates and formation of the Altiplano-Puna plateau: Review of a flexural analysis along the Andean margin (15°–34°S); Tectonophys. 399 39–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Audet P and Mareschal J C 2004 Variation in elastic thickness in the Canadian Shield; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 226 17–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banks R J, Francis S and Hipkin R 2001 Effects of loads in the upper crust on estimates of the elastic thickness of the lithosphere; Geophys. J. Int. 145 291–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banks R J, Parker R L and Huestis S P 1977 Isostatic compensation on a continental scale: Local versus regional mechanism; Geophysic. J. R. Astron. Soc. 51 431–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bassin C, Laske G and Masters G 2000 The current limits of resolution for surface wave tomography in North America; EOS Trans AGU 81 F897.

    Google Scholar 

  • Billen M I and Gurnis M 2005 Constraints on subducting plate strength within the Kermadec Trench; J. Geophys. Res. 110 B05407, doi: 10.1029/2004JB003308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Billen M I, Gurnis M and Simons M 2003 Multiscale dynamics of the Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone; Geophys. J. Int. 153 359–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bostock M G, Hyndman R D, Rondenay S and Pecock S M 2002 An inverted continental Moho and the serpentinization of the forearc mantle; Nature 417 536–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burov E B and Diament M 1995 The effective elastic thickness (T e) of continental lithosphere: What does it really mean?; J. Geophys. Res. 100 3905–3927.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chlieh M, Avouac J P, Sieh K, Natawidjaja D H and John Galetzka 2008 Heterogeneous coupling of the Sumatran megathrust constrained by geodetic and paleogeodetic measurements; J. Geophys. Res. 113 B05305, doi: 10.1029/2007JB004981.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curray J R 2005 Tectonics and history of the Andaman Sea region; J. Asian Earth Sci. 25 187–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curray J R, Moore D G, Lawver L A, Emmel F J, Raitt R W, Henry M and Kieckhefer R 1979 Tectonics of the Andaman Sea and Burma; Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Mem. 29 189–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly E, Brown C, Stark C and Ebinger C 2004 Wavelet and multitaper coherence methods for assessing the elastic thickness of the Irish Atlantic margin; Geophys. J. Int. 159 445–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng M, Van der Lee S and Assumpcao M 2007 Upper mantle structure of South America from joint inversion of waveforms and fundamental mode group velocities of Rayleigh waves; J. Geophys. Res. 112 B04312, doi: 10.1029/2006JB004449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gopala Rao D, Krishna K S and Sar D 1997 Crustal evolution and sedimentation history of the Bay of Bengal since the Cretaceous; J. Geophys. Res. 102 17,747–17,768.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grevemeyer I and Tiwari V M 2006 Overriding plate controls spatial distribution of megathrust earthquakes in the Sunda-Andaman subduction zone; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 251 199–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamza V, Silva Dias F J S, Gomes A J L, and Delgadilho Terceros Z G 2005 Numerical and functional representations of regional heat flow in South America; Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 152 223–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyndman R D and Peacock S M 2003 Serpentinization of the forearc mantle; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 212 417–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Irsyam M, Dangkua D T, Hendriyawan, Hoedajanto D, Hutapea B M, Kertapati E K, Boen T and Petersen M D 2008 Proposed seismic hazard maps of Sumatra and Java islands and microzonation study of Jakarta city, Indonesia; J. Earth Syst. Sci. 117(S2) 865–878.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kamesh Raju K A, Murty G P S, Dileep Amarnath and Mohan Kumar M L 2007 The west Andaman fault and its influence on the aftershock pattern of the recent megathrust earthquakes in the Andaman-Sumatra region; Geophys. Res. Lett. 34 L03305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirby J F and Swain C J 2004 Global and local isostatic coherence from the wavelet transform; Geophys. Res. Lett. 31 124,608, doi: 10.1029/2004gl021569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirby J F and Swain C J 2006 Mapping the mechanical anisotropy of the lithosphere using a 2D wavelet coherence and its application to Australia; Phys. Earth. Planet. Interiors 158 122–138, doi: 10.1016/j.pepi.2006.03.022, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pepi.2006.03.022.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirby J F and C J Swain 2007 An accuracy assessment of the fan wavelet coherence method for elastic thickness estimation; Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 9 Q03022, doi: 10.1029/2007GC001773.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konca A O et al 2008 Partial rupture of a locked patch of the Sumatra megathrust during the 2007 earthquake sequence; Nature 456 631–635.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishna K S, Gopala Rao D, Subba Raju L V, Chaubey A K, Shcherbakov V S, Pilipenko A I and Radhakrishna Murthy I V 1999 Paleocene on-spreadingaxis hotspot volcanism along the Ninetyeast Ridge: An interaction between the Kerguelen hotspot and the Wharton spreading center; Earth Planet. Sci. 108(4) 255–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krishna K S, Neprochnov Y P, Gopala Rao D and Grinko B N 2001 Crustal structure and tectonics of the Ninetyeast Ridge from seismic and gravity studies; Tectonics 20(3) 416–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishna K S, Rao D G, Ramana M V, Subrahmanyam V, Sarma K V L N S, Pilipenko A I, Shcherbakov V S and Murthy I V R 1995 Tectonic model for the evolution of oceanic crust in the northeastern Indian Ocean from the Late Cretaceous to the Early Tertiary; J. Geophys. Res. 100(B10) 20,011–20,024.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasitha S, Radhakrishna M and Sanu T D 2006 Seismically active deformation in the Sumatra-Java trencharc region: Geodynamic implications; Curr. Sci. 90(5) 690–696.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lay T, Kanamori H, Ammon C J, Nettles M, Ward S N, Aster R C, Beck S L, Bilek S L, Brudzinski M R, Butler R, De Shon H R, Ekstrom G, Satake K and Sipkin S 2005 The great Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake of 26 December 2004; Science 308 1127–1133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Llenos A L and McGuire J J 2007 Inflence of fore-arc structure on the extent of great subduction zone earthquakes; J. Geophys. Res. 112 B09301, doi: 10.1029/2007JB004944.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luis J F and Neves M C 2006 The isostatic compensation of the Azores Plateau: A 3D admittance and coherence analysis; J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 156 10–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malod J A, Karta K, Beslier M O and Zen M T 1995 From normal to oblique subduction: Tectonic relationships between Java and Sumatra; J. Southeast Asian Earth Sci. 12 85–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCaffrey R, Zwick P C, Bock Y, Prawirodirdjo L, Genrich J G, Stevens CW, Puntodewo S S O and Subarya C 2000 Strain partitioning during oblique plate convergence in northern Sumatra: Geodetic and seismologic constraints and numerical modeling; J. Geophys. Res. 105(B12) 28,363–38,376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore C and Saffer D 2001 Updip limit of the seismogenic zone beneath the accretionary prism of southwest Japan: An effect of diagenetic to low-grade metamorphic processes and increasing effective stress; Geology 29 183–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadege H and Bruno R 2009 Stability and dynamics of serpentinite layer in subduction zone; Tectonophys. 465 24–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Earthquake information centre, USGS, http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/neic.

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2003 General Bathymetric Chart of Oceans, http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/gebco/grid/development.pdf.

  • Newcomb K R and McCann W R 1987 Seismic history and seismotectonics of the Sunda Arc; J. Geophys. Res. 92(B1) 421–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker R L 1972 The rapid calculation of potential anomalies; Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc. 31 447–455.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Gussinyé M, Lowry A R, Phipps Morgan J and Tassara A 2008 Effective elastic thickness variations along the Andean margin and their relationship to subduction geometry; Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 9(2) Q02003, doi: 10.1029/2007GC001786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polet J, Silver P G, Beck S, Wallace T, Zandt G, Ruppert S, Kind R and Rudloff A 2000 Shear wave anisotropy beneath the Andes from the BANJO, SEDA, and PISCO experiments; J. Geophys. Res. 105(B3) 6287–6304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samuel M A, Harbury N A, Bakri A, Banner F T and Hartono L 1997 A new stratigraphy for the islands of the Sumatran Forearc, Indonesia; J. Asian Earth Sci. 15(4–5) 339–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schluter H U, Gaedicke C, Roeser H A, Schreckenberger B, Meyer H, Reichert C, Djajadihardja Y and Prexl A 2002 Tectonic features of the southern Sumatra-western Java fore-arc of Indonesia. Tectonics 21(5) 1047, doi:10.1029/2001TC901048.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scotese C R, Gahagan L M and Larson R L 1988 Plate tectonic reconstruction of the Cretaceous and Cenozoic ocean basins; Tectonophys. 155 27–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seno T 2005 Variation of the downdip limit of the seismogenic zone near the Japanese Islands: Implications for the serpentinization mechanism of the forearc mantle wedge; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 231 249–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simoes M, Avouac J P, Cattin R and Henry P 2004 The Sumatra subduction zone: A case for a locked fault zone extending into the mantle; J. Geophys. Res. 109 B10402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh S C et al 2005 Sumatra earthquake research indicates why rupture propagated northward; EOS Trans. AGU 86(48) 497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song T A and Simons M 2003 Large trench parallel gravity variations predict seismogenic behavior in subduction zones; Science 301 630–633.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Subrahmanyam C, Gireesh R, Shyam Chand, Kamesh Raju K A and Gopala Rao D 2008 Geophysical characteristics of the Ninetyeast Ridge-Andaman Island arc/trench convergent zone; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 266(1–2) 29–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swain C J and Kirby J F 2006 An effective elastic thickness map of Australia from wavelet transforms of gravity and topography using Forsyth’s method; Geophys. Res. Lett. 23 L02314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tassara A, Swain C, Hackney R and Kirby J 2007 Elastic thickness structure of South America estimated using wavelets and satellite-derived gravity data; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 253 17–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari V M, Diament M and Singh S C 2003 Analysis of satellite gravity and bathymetry data over Ninety-East Ridge: Variation in the compensation mechanism and implication for emplacement process; J. Geophys. Res. 108 2109, 10.1029/2000JB000047.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watts A B 2001 Isostasy and Flexure of the Lithosphere, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watts A B and Burov E B 2003 Lithospheric strength and its relationship to the elastic and seismogenic layer thickness; Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 213 113–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. R. T. Ratheesh Kumar

    Present address: Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT, Madras, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, 721 302, India

    R. T. Ratheesh Kumar & Tanmay K. Maji

  2. Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai, 600 036, India

    Rajesh R. Nair

Authors
  1. R. T. Ratheesh Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tanmay K. Maji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rajesh R. Nair
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ratheesh Kumar, R.T., Maji, T.K. & Nair, R.R. Assessment of flexural analysis applied to the Sumatra-Java subduction zone. J Earth Syst Sci 119, 717–730 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-010-0046-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-010-0046-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation