Bending-related Topographic Structures of the Incoming Oceanic Plate at the Northwestern Pacific Ocean Trench

Abstract

 A newly compiled bathymetric map including parts of the Kuril, Japan, and northern Izu–Ogasawara trenches in the northwestern Pacific Ocean demonstrates that most bending-related topographic structures are limited to less than 80 km from the trench axis. This observation contrasts with one that bending-related structures of eastern Pacific trenches are limited to less than 50 km from the trench axis. The discrepancy may be due to differences in the ages of subducting oceanic plates. Bending-related topographic structures of the western Kuril and southern Japan trenches are not parallel to the trench axis, but instead are parallel to magnetic anomaly lineations. Those of the northern Izu–Ogasawara Trench are parallel to fracture zones. These observations indicate the rule that the inherited seafloor spreading fabric is reactivated instead of forming new faults when the degree of obliquity between inherited seafloor spreading fabric and trench axis reaches about 30°. This rule is applicable to most trenches around the Pacific Ocean, except for some parts of curved trenches and trenches near seamounts or other volcanic edifices constructed by off-ridge volcanism. Most bending-related topographic structures near off-ridge volcanic edifices are parallel to the trench axis. This observation suggests that inherited seafloor spreading fabric around the volcanic edifies was disrupted by volcanism.