Seafloor spreading in the North Fiji Basin (Southwest Pacific)

Auzende, Jean-Marie; Rissen, J.P.; Lafoy, Y.; Gente, Pascal; Charlou, Jean-Luc

doi:10.1016/0040-1951(88)90098-4

Cited by 81 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The SW Pacific basin and ridge system is the result of the fragmentation of the Gondwana eastern margin mainly through a trench rollback/back‐arc extension process [ Cluzel et al , 2001; Crawford et al , 2003; Schellart et al , 2006; Symonds et al , 1996] resulting in the formation of successive back‐arc basins, continental fragments and remnant volcanic arcs. In this system, the age of most basins are reasonably well constrained thanks to magnetic anomalies and/or dredge samples [ Auzende , 1988; Cande and Stock , 2004; Gaina et al , 1998, 1999; Mortimer , 1998; Mortimer et al , 2007; Sdrolias et al , 2003]. This is not the case for the Fairway and New Caledonia basins (see Figure 1 for location).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Mesozoic history of the Fairway‐Aotea Basin: Implications for the early stages of Gondwana fragmentation

Collot

Herzer

Lafoy³

et al. 2009

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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The Fairway Ridge is a buried continental structure that separates the Fairway Basin from the New Caledonia Basin. The proposed Cretaceous age of the Fairway Basin has remained highly hypothetical to date. Deep offshore petroleum exploration wells revealed well‐dated Mesozoic carbonaceous sedimentary rocks in the Taranaki Basin at the southern end of the Aotea Basin. In this paper we use geophysical data to confirm the continuity of the 2000 km long Fairway‐Aotea Basin connecting New Caledonia to New Zealand and prove its early Late Cretaceous age. Analysis of seismic reflection profiles together with newly compiled gravity and magnetic maps reveals Late Cretaceous NE–SW trending lineaments projecting northeastward from major Tasman Sea fracture zones and the Bellona Trough, which demonstrate that the opening of the Fairway‐Aotea Basin predates the opening of the Tasman Sea. This result combined with observations of the Mesozoic regional geology suggests that the Lord Howe, Fairway, and Norfolk ridges are part of a remnant late Early Cretaceous continental arc, which was fragmented into three pieces by the late Early to early Late Cretaceous. This event might be contemporaneous with a plate motion change between the Gondwana and Pacific plates and/or the arrival of the Hikurangi plateau in the subduction zone around 105 Ma, which caused the cessation of subduction along this plate boundary. We interpret either of those two events as being possible trigger events for the post–Early Cretaceous fragmentation of the eastern Gondwana margin in a slab retreat process.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Mesozoic history of the Fairway‐Aotea Basin: Implications for the early stages of Gondwana fragmentation

Collot

Herzer

Lafoy³

et al. 2009

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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“…The structure of the Vanuatu Island arc has been significantly modified by the collision with several major submarine ridges (West Torres Massif, d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, the Loyalty Island Ridge), and by the spreading of the North Fiji Basin (Hanusˇand Vaneˇk, 1983;Auzende et al, 1988;Louat et al, 1988;Maillet et al, 1989;Pelletier et al, 1998;Meffre and Crawford, 2001). Recently, based on results from GPS surveys, new bathymetry maps of the New archipelago, and analysis of previous studies, Callmant et al (2003) proposed a new tectonic model for the study area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress field in the Vanuatu (New Hebrides) Wadati–Benioff zone inferred by inversion of earthquake focal mechanisms

Christova

Scholz

Kao

2004

Journal of Geodynamics

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“…The present day activity of both ridges is confirmed by the fresh glassy basalts dredged on them and by the large methane and manganese anomalies found in the bottom waters (Auzende et al, 1988a;MacMurthry et al, in prep).…”

Section: Discussion On the Functioning Of The 16~ Triple Junctionmentioning

confidence: 78%

The 16°40′ S triple junction in the North Fiji Basin (SW Pacific)

et al. 1990

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Abstract. During the last three years, the North Fiji Basin (SW Pacific) has been intensively studied on three oceanographic cruises carried out by French, American and Japanese ships. One of the main goals of these cruises was to study by means of precise SeaBeam, SEAMARC II, seismic and magnetic surveys, the active spreading system and its associated hydrothermal processes. The North Fiji basin, bounded by the major Pacific and IndoAustralian plates, shows a complex polyphased tectonic evolution. One of the last phases of this evolution is the functioning since 3 Ma of a NS spreading center in the axial part of the basin. The tectonic instability of the area resulted in a permanent rearrangement of the ridge axis. Among others, the 16~ triple junction is one of the major manifestations of such an instability. Sinistral strike-slip motion 1 Ma ago, along the North Fiji Fracture Zone induced the change in direction of two segments of the axis from NS to N15 and N160. The first segment is characterized by a typical spreading ridge similar to various parts of the EPR, while the second shows an atypical 'en echelon' fan-shape opening. The N15 and N160 ridges converging with the North Fiji Fracture Zone constitute the 16~ Ridge-Ridge-Fracture Zone triple junction. The detailed morphologic and kinematic study of this junction allows us to understand one of the mechanisms of the deformation in the North Fiji basin.

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Seafloor spreading in the North Fiji Basin (Southwest Pacific)

Cited by 81 publications

References 29 publications

Mesozoic history of the Fairway‐Aotea Basin: Implications for the early stages of Gondwana fragmentation

Mesozoic history of the Fairway‐Aotea Basin: Implications for the early stages of Gondwana fragmentation

Stress field in the Vanuatu (New Hebrides) Wadati–Benioff zone inferred by inversion of earthquake focal mechanisms

The 16°40′ S triple junction in the North Fiji Basin (SW Pacific)

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