Isostatic anomaly characteristics and tectonism of the New Britain Trench and neighboring Papua New Guinea

In this paper, we calculated Bouguer gravity anomalies and Airy-Heiskanen isostatic anomalies in the New Britain Trench and surrounding areas of Papua New Guinea. The calculations are based on a topographic model and a gravity anomaly model from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Characteristics of the isostatic anomaly and the earthquake dynamic environment of this region are analyzed,and the results show that there are obvious differences in the isostatic state between each block in the region. Tectonic movements are very intense in regions with high positive or negative isostatic gravity anomalies, and a number of sub-plates in this area are driven by external tectonic action, such as plate subduction and thrusting, of the Pacific, Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates. From the distribution of the isostatic gravity anomaly, the tectonic action of anti-isostatic movement obviously is the main source of power. Based on isostatic gravity and spatial distribution of earthquakes in the region, it is obvious that further contraction of the Indo-Australian Plate will result in the southwestern part of the Solomon Plate becoming part of the Owen Stanley thrust belt, and the northern part will enter the lower part of the Bismarck Plate. The eastern part of the Solomon Plate will enter the front of the Pacific Plate, resulting in northward and eastward migration of significant earthquakes along the Solomon Plate.

The Subduction Structure Beneath the New Britain Island Arc and the Adjacent Region from Double-Difference Tomography

We applied double-difference tomography to relocate seismic events and determine the lithospheric velocity structure beneath the New Britain Island arc and the South Bismarck Sea Basin,based on the local P wave arrival time dataset collected by the International Seismological Centre.Results of the seismic relocation and velocity inversion show that the subduction of Solomon Sea Plate along the New Britain Trench is spatially different above 150 km,and the subduction angle of the slab on the west side is higher than that on the east side.The relocated earthquakes also show that there are double seismic zones at the depths of about 30–90km beneath the New Britain Island Arc.The velocity structure shows that the dehydration of the subducting slab caused the low-velocity anomalies in mantle wedge above the slab,which are associated with the magmatic activities around the New Guinea-New Britain Island arc.Moreover,it shows that there is another low-velocity anomaly zone beneath the Bismarck mid-oceanic ridge with spatial variation.Beneath the west of the Bismarck mid-oceanic ridge,the low-velocity anomaly is weakly connected to the subducted Solomon Sea slab.Conversely,the low-velocity anomaly beneath the Manus Sea Basin is highly intertwined to the subducting slab and its mantle wedge,indicating that the subduction of the Solomon Sea Plate might be a key deep dynamic factor that drives the spreading of the Manus Sea Basin and the separation of the Bismarck Plate.

新不列颠海沟碳酸钙沉积物溶解有机质光学属性和分子特征

水深超过6000 m的深渊海沟是海洋中的极端环境,频发的事件沉积使海沟成为深海有机质埋藏的热点区域。为深入认识深渊有机质的降解机制,本研究以有机质降解的中间产物——溶解有机质(DOM)为研究对象,利用光谱(EEMs)和傅里叶变换回旋共振质谱(FT-ICR MS)分析了新不列颠海沟轴部正常泥质沉积和碳酸钙异常沉积层中DOM的性质。结果表明,无论是正常沉积还是异常沉积层,DOM均以类腐殖质为主,其分子构成主要为C、H、O三种元素。此外,对化合物组成、木质素指数等的分析发现,异常沉积层中不仅包含较多陆源植物降解产物,而且还包含有丰富的多肽等生物活性物质,指示事件沉积不仅埋藏了惰性的陆源有机物,而且还带来了活性的海源有机质,从而促进了碳酸钙沉积层中的生命活动。本研究揭示了深渊事件沉积对DOM性质的影响,也为理解深渊生命过程提供了新思路。

2015年3月新不列颠M_s7.4地震震源及邻区构造应力场特征

2015年3月30日至5月15日,巴布亚新几内亚—新不列颠地区发生了一系列地震.为研究该地区的构造应力环境及孕震背景,本文基于Global CMT目录,对新不列颠区域浅部进行构造应力场反演,拟得到高精度的应力图像.反演结果显示:(1)沿着南、北俾斯麦块体边界的区域构造应力场呈走滑体系,最大主压应力轴方位呈SWW—NEE向.(2)所罗门海的NW和NE走向的海沟处于压缩状态,所罗门海块体向新不列颠和所罗门群岛俯冲的板块弯曲部分是局部拉张.(3)受俯冲带的北向推挤,南俾斯麦板块顺时针旋转的挤压,太平洋板块向西部运动汇聚作用,新不列颠岛东北部与新爱尔兰岛南部交汇区域呈现明显非均匀应力状态.(4)此次地震序列的大多数走滑型和逆冲型地震,可能是所罗门海块体俯冲运动,和南俾斯麦块体与太平洋板块的近EW向挤压作用共同引发.

Tectonics of the Solomon Sea Basin from Vertical Gravity Gradient and Seismic Data

The Solomon Sea Basin is a Cenozoic back-arc spreading basin within the convergence system of the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates.Against the background of subduction polarity reversal,the current Solomon Sea Basin gradually formed a rhombic morphology with the subduction of the basin along the New Britain Trench and the Trobriand Trough.By analyzing the vertical gravity gradient,natural earthquake and seismic reflection data,this study determines the structural characteristics of the Solomon Sea Basin.It was found that the tectonics of the basin are characterized by the original expansion structure within the central part in addition to the structure induced by the latest subduction along the basin margin.The original spreading structure of the basin presented an east–west linear graben and horst controlled by normal faults during the basin expansion period.As a result of the subduction and slab-pull of the Solomon Sea Basin,extensional structure belts parallel to the New Britain Trench formed along the basin margin.

西太平洋新不列颠海沟表层沉积物的地球化学特征及其物源指示

海沟通常拥有全球最深的区域--深渊,由于地理位置、地形地貌和气候等差异,海沟沉积物可能有不同的物质来源。因此,为进一步了解海沟深渊区的物质组成与来源,选取近陆的新不列颠海沟作为研究对象,通过分析其海底表层沉积物的地球化学特征,追踪新不列颠海沟不同水深与区域的沉积物来源。研究发现不论位于半深海、深海,乃至深渊区域,新不列颠"八字型"海沟的表层沉积物主要来自于周边岛屿的火山物质,但"八字型"海沟的西支和东支有差异,西支主要为新不列颠岛东部Rabaul火山和北部火山群及所罗门群岛的火山物质,其中在西支的最北站位新不列颠岛北部火山物质的比例最高。与西支相比,东支还受到了更多来源于TLTF(Tabar、Lihir、Tanga和Feni火山)火山链物质的影响,海沟东西支物源的差异与该地区复杂的洋流密切相关。此外,西支海沟轴部(最底端)站位更多来源于岛屿河流沉积物,受火山物质影响相对较小。