A SIMPLE 2-D MODEL FOR THE EVOLUTION OF AN ISLAND-ARC SYSTEM

Abstract

Slow seismotectonic movements along inclined deep fault planes under compressive horizontal stresses are supposed to be the principal mechanism controlling the structure and processes in island-arc systems. In order to treat the stress variations caused by this mechanism, a simple geomechanical model is investigated. We consider a shearing surface crack embedded in a homogeneous elastic half-space. The key element of the model is viscous interaction between the sides of the crack, the viscosity varying with depth. The model differs from the classical steady-state mode of subduction by nonstationary creep processes on deep faults and possibly by cyclical evolution of island-arc systems.The results of our numerical analysis are in good agreement with geological, geophysical and seismological data. (i) Vertical displacements of the free surface in the model fit well with the typical topography of a trench—arc-basement rise—back-arc basin system. (ii) The Benioff seismic zone is supposed to be formed due to the concentration of shear stresses near the fault plane. The characteristic patterns of seismicity, the fine geometry of Benioff zones, and their double-planed structure can be explained in terms of our model. (iii) A zone of considerable heat generation caused by viscous dissipation along the fault plane is found within a narrow area in the depth range 100–200 km. Moreover, the island-arc basement rise is characterized in the model by a relative tension of a few tens or even hundreds of bars, while at depths of 100–150 km below the surface, additional compression of the same order of magnitude acts. The magmatic plumbing system may be visualised as a “toothpaste tube” or a sponge filled with magma which is squeezed from the depths to the surface due to the redistribution of the tectonic stresses only. This can explain the physical origin of island-arc magmatism and the typical position of volcanic belts.