Long-term subduction-erosion along the Guatemalan margin of the Middle America Trench
Open accessAbstract
A new analysis of Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 84 data demonstrates that the dominant process controlling the Guatemala margin tectonic evolution since ca. 25 Ma is subduction-erosion. Data from benthic foraminifera, assemblages from upper-slope DSDP Sites 568, 569, and 570 indicate long-term, progressive subsidence from upper to middle bathyal depths (600-1000 m) ca. 19 Ma to modern abyssal depths (>2000 m). Rapid subsidence migrated landward starting at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary time under the current middle slope, where it increased sharply ca. 19 Ma, reached the current upper slope by ca. 15 Ma, and arrived at the uppermost slope ca. 2 Ma. Subsidence indicates crustal thinning by basal tectonic erosion of mass from the underside of the upper plate. Under the assumption that, in the Miocene, the morphology of the forcare was similar to that of today, landward migration of the trench was at a rate of 0.8-0.9 km/m.y. This linear rate corresponds to a tectonic erosion rate of the submerged forearc of 11.3-13.1 km3.m.y.-1.km-1. The evolution of arc magmatism and superfast spreading at the East Pacific Rise since early Miocene time may have caused slab shallowing and tectonic erosion that readjusted the forearc geometry. © 2004 Geological Society of America.
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Trench retreat was estimated at only 0.9 km m.y.-1 in Guatemala, based on the modern slope geometry and the rates of subsidence since the Oligocene (25 Ma).
“Trench retreat was estimated at only 0.9 km m.y. 1 in Guatemala, based on the modern slope geometry and the rates of subsidence since the Oligocene (25 Ma [ Vannucchi et al. , 2004]).”
From Controls on tectonic accretion versus erosion in subduction zones: Implications for the origin and recycling of the continental crust (2004) · cites this paper as Vannucchi et al., 2004
The Discussion and Conclusions (page not available) estimates trench retreat from modern forearc slope geometry and subsidence, but calculates about 0.8 km/m.y. from erosion since 19 Ma—not from subsidence since 25 Ma. The paper separately places subduction erosion at about 25 Ma; its Abstract gives a broader retreat-rate range of 0.8–0.9 km/m.y. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe Guatemala forearc is an area of long-term subsidence.
“a reevaluation of the vertical tectonics offshore Guatemala based on DSDP coring data now shows that these regions are also areas of long-term subsidence (Figure 2) [ Vannucchi et al. , 2004].”
From Controls on tectonic accretion versus erosion in subduction zones: Implications for the origin and recycling of the continental crust (2004) · cites this paper as Vannucchi et al., 2004
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Research works printed but not linked: 12
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- Barckhausen, U., Ranero, C.R., von Huene, R., Cande, S.C., and Roeser, H.A., 2001, Revised tectonic boundaries in the Cocos plate off Costa Rica: Im- plications for the segmentation of the convergent margin and for plate tectonic models: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 106, p. 19,207-19,220.
- Clift, P.D., and Vannucchi, P., 2004, Controls on tec- tonic accretion versus erosion in subduction zones: Implications for the origin and recycling of the continental crust: Reviews of Geophysics (in press).
- Reynolds, J.H., 1980, Late Tertiary volcanic stratigra- phy of northern Central America: Bulletin of Vol- canology, v. 43, p. 601-607.
- Reynolds, J.H., 1987, Timing and sources of Neogene and Quaternary volcanism in south-central Gua- temala: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 33, p. 9-22.
- Sclater, J.G., and Christie, P.A.F., 1980, Continental stretching: An explanation of the post-mid- Cretaceous subsidence of the central North Sea basin: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 85, p. 3711-3739.
- Seely, D.R., Vail, P.R., and Walton, G.G., 1974, Trench slope model, in Burk, C.A., and Drake, C.L., eds., The geology of continental margins: New York, Springer Verlag, p. 249-260.
- Sigurdsson, H., Kelley, S., Leckie, R., Carey, S., Bra- lower, T., and King, J., 2000, History of circum- Caribbean explosive volcanism: 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating of tephra layers, in Leckie, R., and Sigurdsson, H., eds., Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Pro- gram, Scientific results, Volume 165: College Sta- tion, Texas, Ocean Drilling Program, p. 299-314.
- Van Morkhoven, F.P.C.M., Berggren, W.A., and Ed- wards, A.S., 1986, Cenozoic cosmopolitan deep- water benthic foraminifera: Bulletin des Centres de Recherches Exploration-Production Elf- Aquitaine, v. 11, p. 421.
- Vannucchi, P., Ranero, C.R., Galeotti, S., Straub, S.M., Scholl, D.W., and McDougall-Ried, K., 2003, Fast rates of subduction erosion along the Costa Rica Pacific margin: Implications for nonsteady rates of crustal recycling at subduction zones: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 108, 2511, doi: 10. 1029/2002JB002207. · DOI · Paper page
- von Huene, R., and Lallemand, S., 1990, Tectonic ero- sion along the Japan and Peru convergent mar- gins: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 102, p. 704-720.
- Wilson, D.S., 1996, Fastest known spreading on the Miocene Cocos-Pacific plate boundary: Geophys- ical Research Letters, v. 23, p. 3003-3006. Manuscript received 24 December 2003 Revised manuscript received 6 March 2004 Manuscript accepted 11 March 2004 Printed in USA
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Clift, P., & Vannucchi, P. (2004) · Reviews of Geophysics · doi:10.1029/2003rg000127 · Cited by 906 · see citing works
Self-citationScholl, D. W., & von Huene, R. (2010) · Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences · doi:10.1139/e09-061 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
- Authors
- Vannucchi, P., Galeotti, S., Clift, P. D., Ranero, C. R., & von Huene, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Florence (IT)
- University of Urbino (IT)
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (DE)
- Venue
- Geology
- Publisher
- Geological Society of America
- Published
- 2004
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 617
- ISSN
- 0091-7613 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2010146361
- Cited by
- 83
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 4.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Geology (publishedVersion)
- Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) (acceptedVersion)
- Florence Research (University of Florence) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Civil War Book Review (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geology › Geological and Geophysical Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geological and Geophysical Studies Worldwide
- Keywords
- subduction erosion, Middle America Trench, forearc subsidence, benthic foraminifera, trench migration, arc magmatism, East Pacific Rise, Miocene
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