Characteristics of the outer rise seaward of the Manila Trench and implications in Taiwan-Luzon convergent belt, South China Sea

Abstract

The outer rise on the distal periphery of a subduction system is caused by emplacement of an accreted load onto the flexed oceanic lithosphere. By examining the bathymetry and free-air gravity anomaly data collected by satellite observations and marine reflection seismic data collected during the TAIGER project, we demonstrate the characteristics of the flexural outer rise seaward of the Manila Trench. The region of the outer rise on the westernmost periphery of the Manila subduction system is characterized by the positive free-air gravity anomaly seaward parallel to the Manila Trench and the morphological rise at the south of the Manila subduction system. A flexure simulation is performed based on the flexural profiles along the southern Manila Trench-outer system and the resulting effective elastic thickness values may provide an alternative aspect for the spreading rates of the South China Sea basin. Since both the western periphery of the Taiwan collision belt and Manila subduction belt are dominated by the strain regime of extension of flexural origin, it appears that the strain regime of flexural extension associated with the flexural forebulge of the Western Taiwan Foreland Basin to the north, and the strain regime of flexural extension associated with the outer rise seaward of the Manila Trench to the south are meridionally interconnected. This revised understanding of the strain regime of flexural extension origin west of the Taiwan-Luzon convergent belt provides an alternative point of view on the strain regime offshore SW Taiwan. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.