Subduction consequences along the Andean margin: thermal and topographic signature of an ancient ridge subduction in the Marañón Basin of Perú
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1344/GeologicaActa2014.12.4.2Keywords:
Andes, Marañon Basin, Neogene, Subduction, Oceanic Ridge, Maturity AnomalyAbstract
All along the eastern border of the Andes lie foreland basins that are among the most prolific hydrocarbon provinces of the world. Their Cenozoic evolution was controlled by the Andean uplift and its consequences on deformation and sedimentation. In turn, the Andean uplift results from the interplay between the subducting Nazca oceanic plate and the South American continental plate. Although the process exists all along the margin, the subducting plate is not regular including bathymetric anomalies and segments that result in different response in the deformation and active volcanism of the overriding plate. In the Marañón Basin of Peru, evidences allow documenting the consequences of a topographic anomaly subduction on the thermal regime and deformation of the Andean foreland during the Neogene. In this basin, a maturity anomaly is difficult to explain by considering only the present day thermal regime. However, it spatially coincides with the trace of a lost subducting ridge, the Inca Plateau. Other features like differential uplift and erosion can be related to the same event in the area. We review the consequences of oceanic ridge subduction along the Andean margin. Their effects on the deformation and volcanism of the forearc and arc regions have been extensively described. Their influence on the present day foreland topography is testified by the existence of giant alluvial fans and displaced terraces. Their effect on magmatism and ore deposits formation has also been demonstrated. The example illustrated here shows that their influence on thermal regime, deformation, erosion and ultimately on petroleum systems must also be taken into account in the search for hydrocarbons in subduction related basins.
All along the eastern border of the Andes lie foreland basins that are among the most prolific hydrocarbon provinces of the world. Their Cenozoic evolution was controlled by the Andean uplift and its consequences on deformation and sedimentation. In turn, the Andean uplift results from the interplay between the subducting Nazca oceanic plate and the South American continental plate. Although the process exists all along the margin, the subducting plate is not regular including bathymetric anomalies and segments that result in different response in the deformation and active volcanism of the overriding plate.
In the Marañon Basin of Peru, evidences allow documenting the consequences of a topographic anomaly subduction on the thermal regime and deformation of the Andean foreland during the Neogene. In this basin, a maturity anomaly is difficult to explain by considering only the present day thermal regime. However, it spatially coincides with the trace of a lost subducting ridge, the Inca Plateau. Other features like differential uplift and erosion can be related to the same event in the area.
We review the consequences of oceanic ridge subduction along the Andean margin. Their effects on the deformation and volcanism of the forearc and arc regions have been extensively described. Their influence on the present day foreland topography is testified by the existence of giant alluvial fans and displaced terraces. Their effect on magmatism and ore deposits formation has also been demonstrated.
This example illustrated here shows that their influence on thermal regime, deformation, erosion and ultimately on petroleum systems, must also be taken into account in the search for hydrocarbons in subduction related basins.
References
Barazangi, M., Isacks, B.L., 1976. Spatial distribution of earthquakes and subduction of the Nazca plate beneath South America. Geology, 4, 686-692.
Baudino, R., 1995. Evolution des Andes d`Equateur au Neogene: les enseignements de l’étude des bassins intramontagneux, Doctoral Thesis. France, Pau University, 431pp.
Baudino, R., Hermoza, W., 2011. Effect of oceanic ridge subduction on Andean foreland basins: implications for thermal regime. Extended Abstracts of the 7th INGEPET, Lima, Perú, 7-11th November 2011.
Bés de Berc, S., Baby, P., Soula, J.-C., Rasero, J., Souris, M., Christophoul, F., Vega J., 2004. La superficie mera-upano: marcador geomorfológico de la incisión fluviatil y del levantamiento tectónico de la zona subandina ecuatoriana. In: Baby, P., Barragan, R., Rivadeneira, M., (eds.). La cuenca Oriente: geologia y petróleo, Travaux de l’Institut Français d’Études Andines, 144, 153-168.
Bevis, M., 1986. The curvature of Wadati-Benioff zones and the torsional rigidity of subducting plates. Nature, 323, 52-53.
Bird, P., 1988. Formation of the Rocky Mountains, western United States: a continuum computer model. Science, 239, 1601-1507.
Cahill, T., Isacks, B.L., 1992. Seismicity and shape of the subducted Nazca Plate. Journal of Geophysical Research, 97, 17503-17529.
Chung, W.Y., Kanamori, H., 1978. A mechanical model for plate deformation associated with aseismic ridge subduction in the New Hebrides Arc. Tectonophysics, 50, 29-40.
Clift, P.D., Pecher, I., Kukowski, N., Hampel, A., 2003. Tectonic erosion of the Peruvian forearc, Lima Basin, by subduction and Nazca Ridge collision. Tectonics, 22, 1023-1042.
Cloos, M., 1993. Lithospheric buoyancy and collisional orogenesis: subduction of oceanic plateaus, continental margins, island arcs, spreading ridges, and seamounts. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 105, 715-737.
Cox, S.F., Braun, J., Knackstedt, M.A., 2001. Principles of structural control on permeability and fluid flow in hydrothermal systems. Reviews in Economic Geology, 14, 1-24.
Cross, T.A., Pilger Jr., R.H., 1982. Controls of subduction geometry, location of magmatic arcs, and tectonics of arc and back-arc regions. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 93, 545-562.
Dickinson, W.R., Snyder, W.S., 1979. Geometry of subducted slabs related to the San Andreas transform. Journal of Geology, 87, 609-627.
Domínguez, S., Malavielle, J., Lallemand, S.E., 2000. Deformation of accretionary wedges in response to seamount subduction: insights from sandbox experiments. Tectonics, 19, 182-196.
English, J., Johnston, S.T., Wang, K., 2003. Thermal modeling of the Laramide orogeny: Testing the flat slab subduction hypothesis. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 214, 619-632.
Espurt, N., Baby, P., Brusset, S., Roddaz, M., Hermoza, W., Regard, V., Antoine, P.-O., Salas-Gismondi, R., Bolaños, R., 2007. How does the Nazca Ridge subduction influence the modern Amazonian foreland basin? Geology, 35, 515-518.
Fernández, J., Martinez, E., Calderon, Y., Galdos, C., 2002. The Pucara Petroleum System and the pre-Cretaceous sabkha regional seal, a new hydrocarbon play in the Peruvian fold thrust belt. Proceedings from the 2002 Ingepet.
Gephart, J.W., 1994. Topography and subduction geometry in the central Andes: clues to the mechanics of a monocollisional orogen. Journal of Geophysical Research, 99, 279-288.
Groome, W.G., Thorkelson, D.J., 2009. The three-dimensional thermo-mechanical signature of ridge subduction and slab window migration. Tectonophysics, 464, 70-83.
Gutscher, M.A., 2002. Andean subduction styles and their effect on thermal structure and interplate coupling. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 15, 3-10.
Gutscher, M.A., Malavieille J., Lallemand S., Collot J.-Y., 1999a. Tectonic segmentation of the North Andean margin: Impact of the Carnegie Ridge collision. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 168, 255-270.
Gutscher, M.A., Olivet J.L., Aslanian D., Eissen J.P., Maury R., 1999b. The lost Inca Plateau: cause of flat subduction beneath Perú? Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 171, 335-341.
Gutscher, M.A., Spakman, W., Bijwaard, H., Engdahl, E.R., 2000a. Geodynamics of flat subduction: seismicity and tomographic constraints from the Andean margin. Tectonics, 19, 814-833.
Gutscher, M.-A., Maury, R., Eissen, J.-P., Bourdon, E., 2000b. Can slab melting be caused by flat subduction? Geology, 28, 535-538.
Hampel, A., 2002. The migration history of the Nazca Ridge along the Peruvian active margin: a re-evaluation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 203, 665-679.
Hampel, A., Kukowski, N., Bialas, J., Huebscher, C., Heinbockel, R., 2004. Ridge subduction at an erosive margin: the collision zone of the Nazca Ridge in southern Perú. Journal of Geophysical Research, 109, 1-19.
Henry, S.G., Pollack H.N., 1988. Terrestrial heat flow above the Andean subduction zone in Bolivia and Perú. Journal of Geophysical Research, 93, 153-162.
Hildreth, W., Moorbath, S., 1988. Crustal contributions to arc magmatism in the Andes of Central Chile. Contributions to Mineral Petrology, 98, 455-489.
Irifune, T., Ringwood, A.E., 1993. Phase transformations in subducted oceanic crust and buoyancy relations at depths of 600–800km in the mantle. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 117, 101-110.
Isacks, B.L., Barazangi, M., 1977. Geometry ofBenioff zones: Lateral segmentationand downwards bending of the subducted lithosphere. In: Pitman, W., Talwani, M. (eds.). Island Arcs, Deep sea trenches and Back Arc Basins, American Geophysical Union, Ewing Series, 1, 99-114.
Jischke, M.C., 1975. On the dynamics of descending lithospheric plates and slip zones. Journal of Geophysical Research, 80, 4809-4813.
Jordan, T.E., Isacks, B.L., Allmendinger, R.W., Brewer, J.A., Ramos, V.A., Ando, C.J., 1983a. Andean tectonics related to geometry of subducted Nazca plate. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 94, 341-361.
Jordan, T.E., Isacks, B.L., Ramos, V.A., Allmendinger, R.W., 1983b. Mountain building in the Central Andes. Episodes, 97, 20-26
Kay, S.M., Mpodozis, C., Ramos, V.A., Munizaga, F., 1991. Magma source variations for mid-late Tertiary magmatic rocks associated with a shallowing subduction zone and thickening crust in the central Andes (28-33ºS). In: Harmon, R.S., Rapela, C.W. (eds.). Andean Magmatism and its
Tectonic Setting. Geological Society of America, Special paper, 26, 113-137.
Kay, S.M., Abbruzzi, J.M., 1996. Magmatic evidence for Neogene lithospheric evolution of the central Andean “flatslab” between 30°S and 32°S. Tectonophysics, 259, 15-28.
Kellogg, J., Vega, V., 1995. Tectonic development of Panama, Costa Rica, and the Colombian Andes: constraints from global positioning system geodetic studies and gravity. In: Mann, P.
(ed.), Geologic and Tectonic Development of the Caribbean plate Boundary in Southern Central America. Geological Society of America Bulletin, Special Paper, 295, 75-89.
Kirby, S., Engdahl, R., Denlinger, R., 1996a. Intermediatedepth intraslab earthquakes and arc volcanism as physical expressions of crustal and uppermost mantle metamorphism in subducting slabs. Subduction: Top to Bottom. American Geophysical Union, 96, 195-214.
Lonsdale, P., 1978. Ecuadorian subduction system. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 62, 2454-2477.
Marocco, R., Lavenu, A., Baudino, R., 1995. Intermontane Late Paleogene-Neogene Basins of the Andes of Ecuador and Perú: Sedimentologic and Tectonic Characteristics. In: Suarez Soruco, R., Tankard, A.J., Welsink, H.J. (eds.), Petroleum Basins of South America. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Memoir 62, 597-614.
McGeary, S., Nur, A., Ben-Avraham, Z., 1985. Spatial gaps in arc volcanism: the effect of collision or subduction of oceanic plateaus. Tectonophysics, 119, 195-221.
McNulty, B., Farber, D., Patriat, P., Torres, V., Sempere, T., 2003. Paleomagnetic tracking of mountain building in the Peruvian Andes since 10Ma. Tectonics, 22, 1048-1062.
Murphy, J.B., 2007. Igneous Rock Associations 7: Arc Magmatism I: Relationship Between Subduction and Magma Genesis. Geoscience Canada, 33(4).
Nur, A., Ben-Avraham, Z., 1981. Volcanic gaps and the consumption of aseismic ridges in South America, In: Dasch, E.J., Dymond, J., Hussong, D.M., Kulm, L.D., Roderick, R. (eds.), Nazca Plate: Crustal Formation and Andean Convergence. Geological Society of America, Memoir 154, 729-740.
Pardo, M., Comte, D., Monfret, T., 2002. Seismotectonic and stress distribution in the central Chile distribution zone. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 15, 11-22.
Pilger, R.H., 1981. Plate reconstructions, aseismic ridges, and low angle subduction beneath the Andes. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 92, 448-456.
Ramos, V.A., 1999. Plate tectonic setting of the Andean Cordillera. Episodes, 22(3), 183-190.
Ramos, V.A., Munizaga, F., Kay, S.M., 1991. El magmatismo cenozoico a los 33ºS de latitud: Geocronología y relaciones tectónicas. VI Congreso Geológico Chileno (Viña del Mar), Actas 1, 892-896.
Ramos, V.A., Cristallini, E.O., Perez, D.J., 2002. The Pampean Flat Slab of the Central Andes. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 15, 59-78.
Ramos, V.A., Zapata, T., Cristallini, E., Introcaso, A., 2004. The Andean thrust system— Latitudinal variations in structural styles and orogenic shortening. In: Mc Clay, K.R. (ed.), Thrust
tectonics and hydrocarbon systems. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Memoir 82, 30-50.
Ramos, V.A., Folguera, A., 2009. Andean flat slab subduction through time. In: Murphy, B. (ed.), Ancient Orogens and Modern Analogues. London , The Geological Society, Special Publication, 327, 31-54.
Ranero, C.R., von Huene, R., 2000. Subduction erosion along the Middle America convergent margin. Nature, 404, 748-752.
Richards, J.P., 2003. Tectono-magmatic precursors for porphyry Cu-(Mo–Au) deposit formation. Economic Geology, 98, 1515-1533.
Rosas, S., Fontbote, L., Tankard, A., 2007. Tectonic evolution and paleogeography of the Mesozoic Pucara Basin, central Perú. Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 24, 1-24.
Rosenbaum, G., Giles, D., Saxon, M., Betts, P.G., Weinberg, R.F., Duboz, C., 2005. Subduction of the Nazca Ridge and the Inca Plateau: Insights into the formation of ore deposits in Perú. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 239, 18-32.
Sacks, I.S., 1983. The subduction of young lithosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research, 88 (B4), 3355-3366.
Schneider, J.F., Sacks, I.S., 1987. Stress in the contorted Nazca Plate beneath Southern Perú from local earthquakes. Journal of Geophysical Research, 92, 13887-13902.
Smalley, R., Pujol, J., Regnier, M., Chiu, J.-M., Chatelain, J.L., Isacks, B.L., Araujo, M., Puebla, N., 1993. Basement seismicity beneath the Andean Precordillera thin skinned thrust belt and implications for crustal and lithospheric behavior. Tectonics, 12, 63-76.
Smith, W.H.F., Sandwell, D.T., 1997. Global seafloor topography from satellite altimetry and ship depth soundings. Science, 277, 1957-1962.
Stern, C.R., 2004. Active Andean volcanism: its geologic and tectonic setting. Revista Geológica de Chile, 31(2), 161-206.
Stevenson, D.J., Turner, S.J., 1977. Angle of subduction. Nature, 270, 334-336.
Suarez, G., Molnar, P., Burchfiel, B.C., 1983. Seismicity, fault plane solutions, depth of faulting, and active tectonics of the Andes of Perú, Ecuador and S. Colombia. Journal of Geophysical Research, 88, 10403-10428.
Tamura, Y., Tatsumi, Y., Zhao, D.P., Kido, Y, Shukuno, H., 2002. Hot fingers in the mantle wedge: new insights into magma génesis in subduction zones. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 197, 105-116.
Thorpe, R.S., 1984. The tectonic setting of active Andean volcanism. In: Barreiro, B.A., Harmon, R.S., (eds). Andean magmatism: Chemical and Isotopic Constraints. Nantwich, U.K., Shiva Geological Series, Shiva Publications, 4-8.
Tovish, A., Schubert, G., Luyendyk, B.P., 1978. Mantle flow pressure and the angle of subduction: non-Newtonian corner flows. Journal of Geophysical Research, 83(B12), 5892-5898.
Van Hunen, J., van der Berg, A.P., Vlaar, N.J., 2002. On the role of subducting oceanic plateaus in the development of shallow flat subduction. Tectonophysics, 352, 317-333.
Vlaar, N.J., 1983. Thermal anomalies and magmatism due to lithospheric doubling and shifting. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 65, 322-330.
Van Keken, P.E., Kiefer, B., Peacock, S.M., 2002. High-resolution models of subduction zones: Implications for mineral dehydration reactions and the transport of water into the deep mantle. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 3(10), 1056.
Von Huene, R., Corvalan, J., Flueh, E.R., Hinz, K., Korstgard, J., Ranero, C.R., Weinrebe, W., the Condor Scientists, 1997. Tectonic control on the subducting Juan Fernandez Ridge on the Andean margin near Valparaiso, Chile. Tectonics, 16, 474-488.
Von Huene, R., Lallemand S., 1990. Tectonic erosion along the Japan and Perú convergent margins. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 102, 704-720.
Von Huene, R., Pecher, I.A., Gutscher, M.-A., 1996. Development of the accretionary prism along Perú and material flux after subduction of Nazca Ridge. Tectonics, 15, 19-33.
Von Huene, R., Suess E., 1988. Leg 112 Shipboard Scientific Party, Ocean Drilling Program Leg 112, Perú continental margin: Part 1: Tectonic history. Geology, 16, 934-938.
Waples, D., 2002. Oil Families in the Marañón Basin. Internal Report of Apex Petroleum Inc., a subsidiary of RepsolYPF.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2014 R. BAUDINO, W. HERMOZA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright
Geologica Acta is the property of the UB, GEO3BCN, IDAEA and UAB. Geologica Acta must be cited for any partial or full reproduction. Papers are distributed under the Attribution-Share Alike Creative Commons License. This license allows anyone to reproduce and disseminate the content of the journal and even make derivative works crediting authorship and provenance and distributing possible derivative works under the same or an equivalent license.
Author Rights
Authors retain the copyright on their papers and are authorized to post them on their own web pages or institutional repositories. The copyright was retained by the journal from the year 2003 until 2009. In all cases, the complete citation and a link to the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) of the article must be included.
The authors can use excerpts or reproduce illustrations of their papers in other works without prior permission from Geologica Acta provided the source of the paper including the complete citation is fully acknowledged.
