Far-Field Deformation Resulting from Rheologic Differences Interacting with Tectonic Stresses: An Example from the Pacific/Australian Plate Boundary in Southern New Zealand
The Miocene in Southern New Zealand was dominated by strike-slip tectonics. Stratigraphic evidence from this time attests to two zones of subsidence in the south: (a) a middle Cenozoic pull-apart basin and (b) a regionally extensive subsiding lake complex, which developed east and distal to the deve...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2014-07-01
|
| Series: | Geosciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/4/3/93 |
| _version_ | 1818488663981424640 |
|---|---|
| author | Phaedra Upton Dave Craw Rachel Walcott |
| author_facet | Phaedra Upton Dave Craw Rachel Walcott |
| author_sort | Phaedra Upton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Miocene in Southern New Zealand was dominated by strike-slip tectonics. Stratigraphic evidence from this time attests to two zones of subsidence in the south: (a) a middle Cenozoic pull-apart basin and (b) a regionally extensive subsiding lake complex, which developed east and distal to the developing plate boundary structure. The lake overlay a block of crust with a significantly weak mid-crustal section and we pose the question: can rheological transitions at an angle to a plate boundary produce distal subsidence and/or uplift? We use stratigraphic, structural and geophysical observations from Southern New Zealand to constrain three-dimensional numerical models for a variety of boundary conditions and rheological scenarios. We show that coincident subsidence and uplift can result from purely strike-slip boundary conditions interacting with a transition from strong to weak to strong mid-crustal rheology. The resulting pattern of vertical displacement is a function of the symmetry or asymmetry of the boundary conditions and the extent and orientation of the rheological transitions. For the Southern New Zealand case study, subsidence rates of ~0.1 mm/yr are predicted for a relative plate motion of 25 mm/yr, leading to ~500 m of subsidence over a 5 Ma time period, comparable to the thickness of preserved lacustrine sediments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:54:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d0f7286e3b449fcaaf2a6ea2bdb098b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:54:08Z |
| publishDate | 2014-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d0f7286e3b449fcaaf2a6ea2bdb098b2022-12-22T01:40:47ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632014-07-01439311310.3390/geosciences4030093geosciences4030093Far-Field Deformation Resulting from Rheologic Differences Interacting with Tectonic Stresses: An Example from the Pacific/Australian Plate Boundary in Southern New ZealandPhaedra Upton0Dave Craw1Rachel Walcott2GNS Science, PO Box 30368, Lower Hutt 5040, New ZealandGeology Department, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandNational Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UKThe Miocene in Southern New Zealand was dominated by strike-slip tectonics. Stratigraphic evidence from this time attests to two zones of subsidence in the south: (a) a middle Cenozoic pull-apart basin and (b) a regionally extensive subsiding lake complex, which developed east and distal to the developing plate boundary structure. The lake overlay a block of crust with a significantly weak mid-crustal section and we pose the question: can rheological transitions at an angle to a plate boundary produce distal subsidence and/or uplift? We use stratigraphic, structural and geophysical observations from Southern New Zealand to constrain three-dimensional numerical models for a variety of boundary conditions and rheological scenarios. We show that coincident subsidence and uplift can result from purely strike-slip boundary conditions interacting with a transition from strong to weak to strong mid-crustal rheology. The resulting pattern of vertical displacement is a function of the symmetry or asymmetry of the boundary conditions and the extent and orientation of the rheological transitions. For the Southern New Zealand case study, subsidence rates of ~0.1 mm/yr are predicted for a relative plate motion of 25 mm/yr, leading to ~500 m of subsidence over a 5 Ma time period, comparable to the thickness of preserved lacustrine sediments.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/4/3/93paleogeographycrustal rheologytectonic subsidenceNew ZealandOtago SchistLake Manuherikia |
| spellingShingle | Phaedra Upton Dave Craw Rachel Walcott Far-Field Deformation Resulting from Rheologic Differences Interacting with Tectonic Stresses: An Example from the Pacific/Australian Plate Boundary in Southern New Zealand Geosciences paleogeography crustal rheology tectonic subsidence New Zealand Otago Schist Lake Manuherikia |
| title | Far-Field Deformation Resulting from Rheologic Differences Interacting with Tectonic Stresses: An Example from the Pacific/Australian Plate Boundary in Southern New Zealand |
| title_full | Far-Field Deformation Resulting from Rheologic Differences Interacting with Tectonic Stresses: An Example from the Pacific/Australian Plate Boundary in Southern New Zealand |
| title_fullStr | Far-Field Deformation Resulting from Rheologic Differences Interacting with Tectonic Stresses: An Example from the Pacific/Australian Plate Boundary in Southern New Zealand |
| title_full_unstemmed | Far-Field Deformation Resulting from Rheologic Differences Interacting with Tectonic Stresses: An Example from the Pacific/Australian Plate Boundary in Southern New Zealand |
| title_short | Far-Field Deformation Resulting from Rheologic Differences Interacting with Tectonic Stresses: An Example from the Pacific/Australian Plate Boundary in Southern New Zealand |
| title_sort | far field deformation resulting from rheologic differences interacting with tectonic stresses an example from the pacific australian plate boundary in southern new zealand |
| topic | paleogeography crustal rheology tectonic subsidence New Zealand Otago Schist Lake Manuherikia |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/4/3/93 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT phaedraupton farfielddeformationresultingfromrheologicdifferencesinteractingwithtectonicstressesanexamplefromthepacificaustralianplateboundaryinsouthernnewzealand AT davecraw farfielddeformationresultingfromrheologicdifferencesinteractingwithtectonicstressesanexamplefromthepacificaustralianplateboundaryinsouthernnewzealand AT rachelwalcott farfielddeformationresultingfromrheologicdifferencesinteractingwithtectonicstressesanexamplefromthepacificaustralianplateboundaryinsouthernnewzealand |