R. Vonhuene et al., DEVELOPMENT OF THE ACCRETIONARY PRISM ALONG PERU AND MATERIAL FLUX AFTER SUBDUCTION OF NAZCA RIDGE, Tectonics, 15(1), 1996, pp. 19-33
Results from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 112 indicated tectonic erosion
of the Peruvian convergent margin during subduction of the Nazca Ridg
e followed by renewed accretion against the erosional scar. Seismic im
ages and swath mapping morphology show a regional geology shaped as su
bduction of Nazca Ridge migrated 800 km along the Peru Trench. The acc
retionary prism is imaged at two stages of development since upper Mio
cene time with depth-migrated seismic records in which the ''back stop
'' is well defined. From these data, material flux can be quantified.
After the ridge crest subducted and accretion dominated over erosion,
the prism grew rapidly to 10- to 15-km width. During rapid growth, the
margin taper was large and about 60 percent of the sediment supply ac
creted. As the prism growth slowed, only 30 percent accreted despite a
n increased trench sediment supply. Since the convergence rate changed
little, the inverse relation between sediment supply and prism growth
rate suggests that other processes allow most of the sediment input t
o be subducted. The decreased prism growth may be partially controlled
by varying the structure of the back stop. The force required to acti
vate faults cutting across the back stop is probably greater than the
force allowed by basal friction across the plate boundary. Thus the sh
ear stress transmitted across the plate boundary is insufficient to dr
ive ''out-of-sequence'' thrust faults that would thicken the back stop
or raise it beyond a limited height. A constant back stop height limi
ts accretion, and the subduction window appears to open and accommodat
e increased trench sediment beneath the back stop rather than inducing
a transport of sediment over the top of the back stop. Nazca Ridge su
bduction affected the convergent margin mass flux for about 8 Ma. Mass
balancing indicates an order of magnitude increase in the current sed
iment volume subducted in the north compared to that near the ridge cr
est. When growth of the accretionary prism slowed, a greater terrigeno
us input through the trench was accommodated by sediment subduction. T
he resulting range of material flux is estimated to increase the sedim
ent interlayer between the plates about 500 m which may affect couplin
g.