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Geodetic observations of very rapid convergence and back-arc extension at the Tonga arc

Nature volume 374, pages 249–251 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

THE Earth's most active zone of mantle seismicity arises from the subduction of the Pacific plate at the Tonga trench1. It is not known why this slab generates so many more earthquakes than other subducting slabs worldwide. Above the subduction zone the active Tofua (Tonga) volcanic arc is separated by the V-shaped Lau basin from a remnant arc, the Lau ridge, located at the eastern edge of the Australian plate2. The irregular and discontinuous magnetic lineations within the basin have proven difficult to interpret3,4, and so the regional kinematic framework has been obscure. We report geodetic measurements of crustal motion within the Tonga-Lau system, which reveal the fastest crustal motions yet observed. The Lau basin is opening at a rate which increases northwards to a maximum of ∼160 mm yr−1 No straining is observed within the northern Tonga ridge, suggesting that it comprises part of a rigid microplate. Convergence rates across the Tonga trench increase northwards to a maximum of ∼240 mm yr−1. The extraordinary seismic activity of the subducting slab is probably related to this unusually rapid subduction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, 2525 Correa Rd, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA

    Michael Bevis & Brian Taylor

  2. Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78759, USA

    F. W. Taylor

  3. Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA

    B. E. Schutz

  4. Institut Fran¸ais de Recherche Scientifique Pour le Developpement en Cooperation (ORSTOM), Villefranche sur Mer, France

    Jacques Recy

  5. Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA

    B. L. Isacks

  6. Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources, Nuku'alofa, Tonga

    Saimone Helu

  7. Fiji Mineral Resources Department, Suva, Fiji

    Rajendra Singh

  8. Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695, USA

    Eric Kendrick

  9. Universities Navstar Consortium, PO Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, USA

    James Stowell

  10. Institut Français de Recherche Scientifique Pour le Developpement en Cooperation (ORSTOM), Noumea, New Caledonia

    Stephane Calmantli

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  1. Michael Bevis
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  10. Brian Taylor
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Bevis, M., Taylor, F., Schutz, B. et al. Geodetic observations of very rapid convergence and back-arc extension at the Tonga arc. Nature 374, 249–251 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/374249a0

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