Search Results (7)

Seafloor morphology forms regional sea level rise (SLR), affecting ocean circulation. Although many studies have examined global sea level rise, there remains a lack of analyses that show how seafloor morphology modifies the rate and character of regional SLR. Previous studies have rarely investigated the geophysical interactions between seafloor morphology and sea level modulation, leaving a gap in explaining the spatial variability of sea level trends and accelerations. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of seafloor morphology on the regional rate and character of Sea Level Rise (SLR) in the western Pacific, in the Japan Trench region. Seafloor morphology, through its interactions with gravity and circulation processes, is a major factor in how SLR trends and accelerations are determined across different locations. The analysis is based on hybrid datasets: numerical models, bathymetric data, and altimetric time series of sea level anomalies (SLA) from 1993 to 2023. SLR trends, seasonal and nodal cycles were determined at 78 virtual stations. Regional rates of sea level changes were estimated using linear regression, harmonic analysis, Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT), and Kalman filtering. Future SLR was simulated using a modified Monte Carlo method with an AR(1) autoregressive model and a block bootstrap technique. The results indicated that SLR trends are positively correlated (r ≈ 0.9) with mean dynamic topography (MDT) and negatively correlated with depth (r ≈ –0.4), confirming the impact of ocean circulation and seafloor morphology on regional SLR. The strong, positive correlation of trends with the amplitude of the 18.61-year nodal cycle (r > 0.8) indicates the important role of long-term tidal components. The highest SLR accelerations (up to 1.7 mm/yr²) were observed in locations of seamounts and subduction zones, while in the ocean trench, the rate of change stabilized or inversed locally. The results confirm the research hypothesis—the regional rate of sea level rise depends on the morphology of the seafloor and the associated geophysical and dynamic processes. The results have wide global application, supporting the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the development of marine protection and management policies, infrastructure planning and coastal safety. Full article

The Miné-Akiyoshidai Karst Plateau aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark (aUGGp) in western Japan hosts several geologically significant heritage sites, including the Late Paleozoic Akiyoshi Limestone, the Late Triassic Mine Group, the Late Cretaceous Naganobori copper deposits, and the Akiyoshido Cave and karst plateau. The Akiyoshi Limestone at the Kaerimizu site originated as an atoll reef atop a seamount on an oceanic plate. It preserves approximately 80 million years of ancient marine environments and subduction-related tectonic histories. The Mine Group at the Momonoki site, with its coal-bearing strata, contains fossils of the earliest members of Diptera and Hymenoptera. The Naganobori copper mine at the Naganobori site played a vital role in Japanese society from the 8th to the 20th centuries. Meanwhile, the Akiyoshido site, renowned for its scenic beauty, is one of Japan’s most iconic tourist destinations. Using the IUGS guidelines and geoheritage assessment methodology, we reassessed the value and utilization of these geological heritage sites. The Kaerimizu and Momonoki sites were identified as internationally significant and ideal for scientific research. The Naganobori site was determined to be well-suited for educational purposes with national significance, while the Akiyoshido site was deemed optimal for geotourism with national significance. Full article

The assemblage of oceanic islands and seamounts, arising from the widespread presence of mature oceans, plays a crucial role in reconstructing the evolutionary history of the paleoocean. Oceanic islands or seamounts within the Longmuco-Shuanghu metamorphic complex, a remnant of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the central Tibetan Plateau, have seldom been reported due to their remoteness. This study has identified an oceanic island-seamount in the Maoershan area, situated to the west of the Longmuco-Shuanghu metamorphic complex, composed of basalt, diabase, limestone, and siliceous rocks. Based on field observations, petrology, zircon U-Pb dating, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr-Nd isotopes analyses, we have identified a suite of mafic rocks with OIB affinity. The youngest zircon U-Pb age cluster was concentrated at ~243–241 Ma. The geochemical characteristics of the siliceous rocks indicate a mixture of terrigenous material, suggesting that they formed in a continental margin. In combination with regional geological data, we conclude that the Longmuco-Shuanghu Paleo-Tethys Ocean remained open during the Middle Triassic. Furthermore, a fraction of the oceanic island-seamounts underwent scraping and transformed into a metamorphic complex, while other segments experienced deep subduction, resulting in the formation of high-pressure metamorphic rocks. Collectively, these processes gave rise to the distinctive high-pressure metamorphic complex within the central Qiangtang terrane. Full article

In the Solomon Islands, arc magmas are erupting on the subducting Australia Plate. These island (Simbo) and submarine arc volcanoes (Kana Keoki, Coleman and Pavuvu) are about to be recycled by rapid subduction. We identify eight of their former equivalents beneath the forearc by the morphologies and deformation structures that are characteristic of seamount subduction. Tsunamigenic earthquakes recently nucleated just ahead of two of the subducting seamounts. A third (Pavuvu), that has indented the subduction front and uplifted the lower forearc, is associated with a historic earthquake gap. It is positioned such that a rupture there has the potential for tsunami waves to impact the capital, Honiara. Full article

To determine the metamorphic ages of the accretionary complexes in the Northern Chichibu Belt in SW Japan, K–Ar dating was conducted using weakly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks collected from the Kanto Mountains, Central Japan. Whole-rock ages were obtained for chert and red shale samples, and the mineral ages of fine-grained illite with a grain size of less than 4 $\mathsf{\mu }$m were obtained for chert, red shale, mudstone, acidic tuff, and basic tuff. The K–Ar ages of chert and red shale presented large variations, with systematically older ages compared to those of mudstone and tuff in the same strata. The influence of submarine hydrothermal activities on chert and red shale before subduction is a possible cause of this deviation. The illite samples, which were fractionated into four grain-size classes using a suspension method, yielded older ages and higher illite crystallinity (i.e., smaller values of Kübler’s crystallinity index) for larger grain-size classes. The peak metamorphic ages were determined from the K–Ar ages of the 3–4 $\mathsf{\mu }$m class illite in mudstone and tuff. The Late Jurassic to the Earliest Cretaceous accretionary complex of the lowest structural unit (Kashiwagi Unit) was dated within a small range between 117–110 Ma, which is distinctly older than the K–Ar ages of white mica reported from the Sanbagawa Belt. The peak metamorphic age of acidic tuff (113 Ma) at the type locality of the Mikabu Greenstones indicates that the subducted Mikabu seamount is a constituent of the Kashiwagi Unit. The peak metamorphic ages of the Manba and Kamiyoshida Units were obtained as 132–107 Ma and 163–144 Ma, respectively. Major structural discontinuity is suggested within the Middle Jurassic accretionary complexes. Full article

Volcanism is the most widespread expression of cyclic processes of formation and/or destruction that shape the Earth’s surface. Calderas are morphological depressions resulting from the collapse of a magma chamber following large eruptions and are commonly found in subduction-related tectono-magmatic regimes, such as arc and back-arc settings. Some of the most impressive examples of seafloor hydrothermal venting occur within submarine calderas. Here, we show the results of magnetic investigations at two hydrothermally active submarine calderas, i.e., Palinuro Seamount in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy, and Brothers volcano of the Kermadec arc, New Zealand. These volcanoes occur in different geodynamic settings but show similarities in the development of their hydrothermal systems, both of which are hosted within calderas. We present a new integrated model based on morphological, geological and magnetic data for the Palinuro caldera, and we compare this with the well-established model of Brothers caldera, highlighting the differences and common features in the geophysical expressions of both hydrothermal systems. For consistency with the results at Brothers volcano, we build a model of demagnetised areas associated with hydrothermal alteration derived from 3D inversion of magnetic data. Both these models for Brothers and Palinuro show that hydrothermal up-flow zones are strongly controlled by caldera structures which provide large-scale permeability pathways, favouring circulation of the hydrothermal fluids at depth. Full article

During the Mesozoic, Southeast (SE) Asia (including South China and the South China Sea (SCS)) was located in a transitional area between the Tethyan and Pacific geotectonic regimes. However, it is unclear whether geodynamic processes in the SE Asian continental margin were controlled by Tethyan or paleo-Pacific Ocean subduction. Herein, we report ~124 Ma adakitic granodiorites and Nb-enriched basalts from the Xiaozhenzhu Seamount of the SCS. Granodiorites have relatively high Sr/Y (34.7–37.0) and (La/Yb)_N (13.8–15.7) ratios, as well as low Y (9.67–9.90 μg/g) and Yb (0.93–0.94 μg/g) concentrations, typical of adakites. Their Sr/Y and (La/Yb)_N values coupled with their relatively low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.70541–0.70551), relatively high K₂O contents (3.31–3.38 wt%), high Th/La ratios (0.33–0.40), negative ε_Nd(t) values (−3.62 to −3.52), and their variable zircon ε_Hf(t) values (−3.8 to +5.2) indicate that these rocks were formed by melting of subducted oceanic crust and sediments. The Nb-enriched basalts show enrichment in high field strength elements (HFSE) and have ε_Nd(t) values of +2.90 to +2.93, as well as relatively low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.70341–0.70343, demonstrating that they were derived from a depleted-mantle (DM) source metasomatized by silicate magmas originating from melting of a subducted oceanic lithospheric slab. By combining our findings with data from other Late Mesozoic arc-related magmatic rocks and adakites from the broader study area, we propose a geotectonic model involving subduction of young oceanic lithosphere during the Late Jurassic and northward subduction of the proto-South China Sea (PSCS) along the SE Asian continental margin during the Early Cretaceous. This conceptual model better explains the two-period Mesozoic magmatism, commonly reported for the SE Asian continental margin. Full article