Tectonic Evolution of a Sedimented Oceanic Transform Fault: The Owen Transform Fault, Indian Ocean

Janin, Alexandre; Chamot‐Rooke, Nicolas; Delescluse, Matthias; Fournier, Marc; Olive, Jean‐Arthur; Rabaute, Alain; Huchon, Philippe; Dyment, J.; Vigny, Christophe; Rodriguez, Mathieu

doi:10.1029/2023tc007747

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 146 publications

(288 reference statements)

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“…In other words, our S-wave velocity model demonstrates that enhanced damage results in increased hydrothermal circulation, which has cooled our region more efficiently and to deeper depths beneath the flower structures. This also likely occurs elsewhere, particularly in transpressional environments, for example, St. Paul and Owen Transform Faults 42 , 43 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broad fault zones enable deep fluid transport and limit earthquake magnitudes

Leptokaropoulos,

Rychert,

Harmon

et al. 2023

Nat Commun

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Constraining the controlling factors of fault rupture is fundamentally important. Fluids influence earthquake locations and magnitudes, although the exact pathways through the lithosphere are not well-known. Ocean transform faults are ideal for studying faults and fluid pathways given their relative simplicity. We analyse seismicity recorded by the Passive Imaging of the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary (PI-LAB) experiment, centred around the Chain Fracture Zone. We find earthquakes beneath morphological transpressional features occur deeper than the brittle-ductile transition predicted by simple thermal models, but elsewhere occur shallower. These features are characterised by multiple parallel fault segments and step overs, higher proportions of smaller events, gaps in large historical earthquakes, and seismic velocity structures consistent with hydrothermal alteration. Therefore, broader fault damage zones preferentially facilitate fluid transport. This cools the mantle and reduces the potential for large earthquakes at localized barriers that divide the transform into shorter asperity regions, limiting earthquake magnitudes on the transform.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broad fault zones enable deep fluid transport and limit earthquake magnitudes

Leptokaropoulos,

Rychert,

Harmon

et al. 2023

Nat Commun

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“…In addition to these first-order variations in transform topography associated with magmatism, variations in local (e.g., mantle temperature, composition 38 ) and/or far-field (e.g., kinematic plate motion 9,10,39 ) factors have been proposed to influence transform fault tectonics and generate prominent features such as the median or transverse ridges seen at many oceanic transform faults and fracture zones (ref. 2 for a comprehensive review).…”

Section: Mechanisms That Build Transform Topographymentioning

confidence: 99%

Magmatism controls global oceanic transform fault topography

Tian,

Behn,

Ito

et al. 2024

Nat Commun

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Oceanic transform faults play an essential role in plate tectonics. Yet to date, there is no unifying explanation for the global trend in broad-scale transform fault topography, ranging from deep valleys to shallow topographic highs. Using three-dimensional numerical models, we find that spreading-rate dependent magmatism within the transform domain exerts a first-order control on the observed spectrum of transform fault depths. Low-rate magmatism results in deep transform valleys caused by transform-parallel tectonic stretching; intermediate-rate magmatism fully accommodates far-field stretching, but strike-slip motion induces across-transform tension, producing transform strength dependent shallow valleys; high-rate magmatism produces elevated transform zones due to local compression. Our models also address the observation that fracture zones are consistently shallower than their adjacent transform fault zones. These results suggest that plate motion change is not a necessary condition for reproducing oceanic transform topography and that oceanic transform faults are not simple conservative strike-slip plate boundaries.

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