The origin of summit basins of the Aleutian Ridge: Implications for block rotation of an arc massif

Abstract

It is proposed that many summit basins along the Aleutian Arc form from the clockwise rotation of blocks of the arc massif. Summit basins are arc‐parallel grabens or half‐grabens formed within the arc massif and are commonly located near or along the axis of late Cenozoic volcanism. Geomorphically, the Aleutian Arc appears to consist of contiguous rhombic blocks of varying size, tens to hundreds of kilometers in length. The boundaries between adjacent blocks are delineated by fault‐controlled canyons that cut the southern slope of the arc transverse to its regional trend. Evidence that these blocks have rotated clockwise is provided by the triangular‐shaped summit basins bordering the blocks to the north, oblique physiographic trends, offsets in the summit platform, and broad deflections in the southern slope of the arc. We present a model for block rotation that involves translation of blocks parallel to an arc. It is suggested that block rotation, which appears to have accelerated in late Cenozoic time, is linked to (1) a shift in the Euler pole for the Pacific plate, (2) the consequential start‐up of late Cenozoic volcanism, (3) improved interplate coupling instigated by sediment flooding of the Aleutian Trench, and (4) westward subduction of northeast striking segments of the inactive Kula‐Pacific Ridge.