Heat flow in southern Mexico and the thermal effects of subduction

Ziagos, J.P.; Blackwell, David; Mooser, Federico

doi:10.1029/jb090ib07p05410

Cited by 103 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…This result is consistent with observations further south on the Mexican margin, where values de-crease rapidly landward [31,32]. Conversely, the application of critical taper theory [33] would suggest high basal friction since the wedge angle is large.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Low heat flow from young oceanic lithosphere at the Middle America Trench off Mexico

Minshull

Bartolomé

Byrne

et al. 2005

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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Seismic reflection profiles across the Middle America Trench at 208N show a high amplitude bottom simulating reflector interpreted as marking a phase transition between methane hydrate and free gas in the pore space of both accreted and trench sediments. We determine the depth of the hydrate-gas phase boundary in order to estimate the geothermal gradient and hence the heat flow beneath the trench and the frontal part of the accretionary wedge which overlies the downgoing plate. After correction for sedimentation, heat flow values in the trench and through the accretionary wedge are only about half of the values predicted by plate cooling models for the 10 Ma subducting lithosphere. There is no systematic correlation between heat flow in the accretionary wedge and distance from the trench. A comparison with heat flow predicted by a simple analytical model suggests that there is little shear heating from within or beneath the wedge, despite the high basal friction suggested by the large taper angle of the wedge. The geothermal gradient varies systematically along the margin and is negatively correlated with the frontal slope of the wedge. Some local peaks may be attributed to channelised fluid expulsion. D

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Low heat flow from young oceanic lithosphere at the Middle America Trench off Mexico

Minshull

Bartolomé

Byrne

et al. 2005

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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“…Because the outer arc block is cold, it is internally coherent and heat transfer is dominated by conductive boundary processes. Many heat flow studies indicate that across magmatic arcs the transition from very low to very high heat flow occurs in short distances (<20 km) implying a sharp thermal transition within the crust [e.g., Blackwell et al, 1990aBlackwell et al, , 1990bZiagos et al, 1985;Honda, 1985]. With the cessation of subduction, this dynamically driven thermal equilibrium can no longer be supported and the now extinct outer arc block can potentially be heated up both from the bottom and from the back-arc side.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, west of this wide high heat flow region, unusually low heat flow values are observed along the Pacific margin where subduction of the remnants of the Farallon plate is still occurring or has recently occurred [Roy et al, 1972;Blackwell et al, 1991]. These low heat flow regions comprise the outer arc blocks of the active Cascade subduction zone in the north [Blackwell et al, 1990a[Blackwell et al, , 1990bHyndman and Wang, 1993] and Cocos subduction zone in the south [Ziagos et al, 1985;McKenna, 2002]. Interestingly, remnant bands of low heat are also present in the extinct SN and PB outer arcs where subduction of the Farallon plate has recently ceased [Atwater, 1970] (Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[4] Convergent plate margins are characterized by low heat flow in their outer arc and high heat flow in their back-arc regions (see, e.g., Honda [1985] for Japan; Lewis et al [1988] for northern Cascadia; Blackwell [1971] and Blackwell et al [1990aBlackwell et al [ , 1990b for southern Cascadia; Ziagos et al [1985] for northern Cocos arcs; and Currie and Hyndman [2006], in general). The cold outer arc block of a subduction zone is surrounded by two dynamically sustained thermal-mechanical boundaries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transient thermal regimes in the Sierra Nevada and Baja California extinct outer arcs following the cessation of Farallon subduction

Erkan

Blackwell

2009

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] We examine the thermal relaxation of the Sierra Nevada and Baja California extinct outer arc blocks following the progressive cessation of Farallon subduction under western North America beginning at $30 Ma. Being parts of the same outer arc until the inland jump of the San Andreas transform fault at $5 Ma, these two regions show many similarities in their geology, geomorphology, rigid body behavior, and their relatively low seismicity. In the thermal model, we combine results of different geophysical and geophysical studies to constrain the thermal state and geometry of the outer arcs before the cessation of subduction and then model the postsubduction temperature responses in these regions using the results of the tectonic reconstructions. A well-constrained regional thermal model of these blocks using the results of many earlier studies in these regions confirms that the present low heat flow values in these regions are the remnants of the very cold outer arc thermal regime of the subduction zone even as long as 30 Ma after cessation of subduction. Thus the entire Pacific boundary of the North American plate is still in a transient thermal state. The calculated low lithospheric temperatures in the Sierra Nevada and Peninsular blocks correlate very well with their rigid body behavior obtained from geodetic studies, and seismogenic layer thicknesses obtained from seismological studies. This is in contrast with the fact that both regions are surrounded by intense deformation associated with the western North America intraplate and extraplate motions. These low-temperature islands play important roles in the present interaction of the North American and Pacific plates and contribute to the broad deformation of the transform boundary. The thermal relaxation of the extinct outer arcs includes both vertical heating from the underlying asthenosphere and the lateral heating from the extinct back arc (Basin and Range), which has remained as a high heat flow region after the cessation of the subduction. We suggest that the significant lateral heat transfer from the Basin and Range in the Sierra Nevada (and from the Gulf of California spreading center in the Peninsular block since $5 Ma) may be the main driving mechanism of the postsubduction volcanism/magmatism along the extinct volcanic arc and the recent tilted uplift of the Sierra Nevada block. The low lithospheric temperatures in Sierra Nevada region may also explain the observation of the high seismic velocities in the mantle beneath the southern Sierra Nevada where the downwelling of the mantle lithosphere proposed.

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“…El fl ujo térmico medido en el sur y centro de México muestra a grandes rasgos las características típicas de una zona de subducción (Smith et al, 1979;Polak et al, 1985;Prol-Ledezma y Juárez, 1985;Ziagos et al, 1985): los valores más bajos se encuentran en la zona del antearco (13-22 mWm -2 ), y se incrementan de forma signifi cativa hacia el arco magmático (~100 mWm -2 ). No obstante, los valores de fl ujo térmico registrados tienen aún demasiadas incertidumbres.…”

Section: Estructura Térmica De La Zona De Subducción Mexicanaunclassified

Petrogénesis ígnea de la Faja Volcánica Transmexicana

Gómez-Tuena¹,

Orozco-Esquivel²,

Ferrari³

2005

BSGM

113

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C i e n A ñ o s ResumenLa extraordinaria diversidad magmática de la Faja Volcánica Transmexicana está controlada (directa o indirectamente) por dos placas oceánicas independientes cuyos parámetros geofísicos y composicionales se modifi can constantemente a lo largo de la trinchera, por un régimen tectónico esencialmente distensivo que opera con distinta intensidad sobre la placa continental, por un basamento cortical con diferentes edades, espesores y composiciones, y por una fuente mantélica primaria de composición extremadamente variable que ha sido infl uenciada, en mayor o menor medida, por los agentes químicos derivados de la subducción. El régimen tectónico convergente y, en consecuencia, el arco magmático, tampoco han evolucionado de forma homogénea a lo largo su historia, sino que han mostrado transformaciones notables en su posición, geometría y composición. Por estos motivos, la Faja Volcánica Transmexicana es el resultado de uno de los sistemas tectónicos convergentes más complejos del planeta, el objeto de más de un siglo de investigaciones científi cas, y también el centro de las controversias más notables sobre la geología mexicana.Palabras clave: Faja Volcánica Transmexicana, México, subducción, arco magmático, petrología ígnea, manto, corteza. Abstract The magmatic diversity of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt is directly or indirectly controlled by two independent oce-

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Heat flow in southern Mexico and the thermal effects of subduction

Cited by 103 publications

References 44 publications

Low heat flow from young oceanic lithosphere at the Middle America Trench off Mexico

Low heat flow from young oceanic lithosphere at the Middle America Trench off Mexico

Transient thermal regimes in the Sierra Nevada and Baja California extinct outer arcs following the cessation of Farallon subduction

Petrogénesis ígnea de la Faja Volcánica Transmexicana

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