Tomographic evidence for a subducted seamount beneath the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica: The cause of the 1990 Mw = 7.0 Gulf of Nicoya earthquake

Husen, Stephan; Kissling, Eduard; Quintero, Ronnie

doi:10.1029/2001gl014045

Cited by 106 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…[59] Several authors have been discussed the mechanisms of seamount accretion and subduction with conclusions suggesting complete transfer of the intact mass to the upper plate [Cloos, 1992;Park et al, 1999], complete subduction [Yamazaki and Okamura, 1989;Kodaira et al, 2000;Husen et al, 2002;Soh and Tokuyama, 2002] or a combination of the two through the nucleation of thin-skinned duplexes [Ueda, 2005] or flank fracturing [Cloos and Shreve, 1996;Baba et al, 2001]. These different results have been explained by the varying amount of lubrication at the subduction thrust interface [Seno, 2006].…”

Section: From Tectonic Accretion To Tectonic Erosion: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

From seamount accretion to tectonic erosion: Formation of Osa Mélange and the effects of Cocos Ridge subduction in southern Costa Rica

Vannucchi¹,

et al. 2006

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The Costa Rica portion of the Middle America Trench (MAT) is characterized by active tectonic erosion, a process that causes the removal of material from the base of the upper plate as the plate boundary migrates upward. Offshore studies demonstrate accelerated subduction erosion starting at the Miocene‐Pliocene boundary, as the result of subduction of thickened Galapagos related crust, as presently represented by the Cocos Ridge. The subduction of the Cocos Ridge also caused uplift and exposure of the outer forearc on the Osa Peninsula, which offers a window to explore the tectonic evolution of the area. The rocks outcropping on Osa Peninsula are a middle Eocene–middle Miocene mélange dominated by basalt, chert, and limestone resulting from accretion of seamounts. The accretion‐dominated period of the MAT evolution ended at the Miocene‐Pliocene boundary, when thickened crust, a paleo‐Cocos Ridge, produced at the Galapagos hot spot arrived at the trench. The thick crust caused uplift and severe tectonic erosion of the accretionary edifice allowing exhumation of the Osa Mélange. The change from accretion to erosion caused the outer forearc to be offset along subvertical faults that define small (kilometer to tens of kilometers size) blocks that are going through differential vertical movements in response to the morphology of the subducting ridge. Subduction accretion and erosion are two processes that can alternate in time and space or coexist along the same margin, so that mass removal can develop on a previously growing margin and completely remove an accretionary prism.

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Section: From Tectonic Accretion To Tectonic Erosion: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

From seamount accretion to tectonic erosion: Formation of Osa Mélange and the effects of Cocos Ridge subduction in southern Costa Rica

Vannucchi¹,

et al. 2006

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“…These observations led Bilek et al (2003) to suggest that this event represented rupture of topographic highs that act as asperities (Lay and Kanamori, 1980;Lay et al, 1982). Offshore the Osa Peninsula, earthquake hypocenters and aftershock clustering are located in regions of seismically imaged lower plate relief Husen et al, 2002;Protti et al, 1995).…”

Section: Seismogenic Zone and Earthquakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expedition 344 summary

Li¹,

Malinverno²,

Torres³

et al. 2013

Proceedings of the IODP

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Expedition 344 summaryProc. IODP | Volume 344 2 from velocity-strengthening to velocity-weakening friction, and shear becomes localized. The onset of seismogenic behavior is correlated with the intersection of the 100°-150°C isotherm and the subduction thrust (Hyndman et al., 1997;Oleskevich et al., 1999). With increasing depth down the subduction thrust, the frictional characteristics undergo a second transition either due to the juxtaposition with the forearc mantle or because the rocks are heated to 350°-450°C and can no longer store elastic stresses needed for rupture. Transitional regions between the three zones have conditional stability and can host rupture but are generally not thought to be regions where large earthquakes initiate.Although this three-zone two-dimensional view of the subduction thrust provides a reasonable framework, it is simplistic. Rupture models for large subduction earthquakes suggest significant fault plane heterogeneity in slip and moment release that in three dimensions is characterized as patchiness (Bilek and Lay, 2002). Additionally, we now know the transition zone from stable to unstable sliding is not simple but hosts a range of fault behaviors that includes creep events, strain transients, slow and silent earthquakes, and low-frequency earthquakes (Peng and Gomberg, 2010;Beroza and Ide, 2011;Ide, 2012).Fundamentally unknown are the processes that change fault behavior from stable sliding to stick-slip behavior. Understanding these processes is important for understanding earthquakes, the mechanics of slip, and rupture dynamics. For a fault to undergo unstable slip, fault rocks must have the ability to store elastic strain, be velocity weakening, and have sufficient stiffness. Hypotheses for mechanisms leading to the transition between stable and unstable slip invoke temperature, pressure, and strain-activated processes that lead to downdip changes in the mechanical properties of rocks. These transitions are also sensitive to fault zone composition, lithology, fabric, and fluid pressures.The composition of the material in the fault zone and its contrast with the surrounding wall rock play a key role in rock frictional behavior. The frictional state of the incoming sediment changes progressively with increasing temperature and pressure as it travels downdip. Important lithologic factors influencing friction are composition, fabric, texture, and cementation of rocks, as well as fluid pore pressure (Bernabé et al., 1992;Moore and Saffer, 2001;Beeler, 2007;Marone and Saffer, 2007;Collettini et al., 2009). For example, fault rocks with high phyllosilicate content are generally weaker than rocks with low phyllosilicate content (Ikari et al., 2011). Sediment properties including porosity, permeability, consolidation state, and alteration history also exert a strong influence on fault zone behavior. At erosive margins, where the plate boundary cuts into the overriding plate, the composition and strength of the upper plate is also important (McCaffrey, 1993).Field observations and la...

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“…9, Cuadro 1). Estos cuatro eventos ocurrieron en la zona sismogénica y se conocen como los terremotos de Golfito del 2 de abril de 1983 (M w 7,3, Bilek et la., 2003), de Cóbano del 25 de marzo de 1990 (M w 7,0 y 7,1 Husen et al, 2002, Bilek et la., 2003 y Sámara del 5 de septiembre del 2012 (M w 7,6, Protti et al, 2014). Otros tres eventos significativos por su magnitud son el terremoto de Quepos del 20 de agosto de 1999 (M w 6,9, Rojas & Redondo, 2002;Bilek et la., 2003) y los dos terremotos de Sámara del 22 de agosto de 1978 (M w 6,8).…”

Section: Distribución Espacial Y Por Origenunclassified

Distribución espacio-temporal de la sismicidad sentida en Costa Rica (1976-2013) en el marco histórico del 30 aniversario (1982-2012) de la Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN: UCR-ICE)

Linkimer

Alvarado

2014

Rev. Geol. Amér. Central

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ABSTRACT:The National Seismological Network of Costa Rica (RSN) was created in 1982 through an agreement between the Central American School of Geology of the University of Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity. In this paper, we present a short review of the RSN contributions in Seismology to the Journal of Geology of Central America (RGAC) that is expressed in 63 publications. We also analyze the geographic and temporal distribution of 3363 earthquakes reported by the RSN through media reports and RGAC publications during 1976-2013. During the analyzed period the annual average of felt earthquakes in Costa Rica was 90, five 5.0-5.9-magnitude earthquakes were felt on average every year, and one 6.0-6.9-magnitude earthquake were felt every two years. Five earthquakes had a magnitude greater than 7.0 including the 1991 Limón (7.7 M w ) and 2012 Samara (7.6 M w ) earthquakes. The majority of felt earthquakes (83,7%) had depths of less than 30 km. The seismogenic sources with the greatest energy release were the shallow processes related to the subduction of the Cocos Plate (54.5%) and the North Panama Deformed Belt (38,7%).

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Tomographic evidence for a subducted seamount beneath the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica: The cause of the 1990 Mw = 7.0 Gulf of Nicoya earthquake

Cited by 106 publications

References 28 publications

From seamount accretion to tectonic erosion: Formation of Osa Mélange and the effects of Cocos Ridge subduction in southern Costa Rica

From seamount accretion to tectonic erosion: Formation of Osa Mélange and the effects of Cocos Ridge subduction in southern Costa Rica

Expedition 344 summary

Distribución espacio-temporal de la sismicidad sentida en Costa Rica (1976-2013) en el marco histórico del 30 aniversario (1982-2012) de la Red Sismológica Nacional (RSN: UCR-ICE)

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