Triple junctions form at the intersection of three tectonic plates and are a necessary consequence of new microplate formation. The splitting of a plate into two smaller plates always results in the formation of two triple junctions. As a result, they are fundamental structural elements of ocean floor geodynamics. Their evolution is influenced by the complex interplay of near- and far-field plate dynamics, crustal types, and mantle processes, and they include a wide range of boundary types. The long-term stability and evolution of triple junctions are influenced by continuous plate reorganization, such as in the complex microplate mosaics of the Western Pacific margin.
To better understand how triple junctions form and respond to near- and far-field stresses, this study presents a detailed examination of the North Fiji Basin Triple Junction (NFBTJ), which is located within one of the largest and most mature back-arc basins of the Pacific margin. A new geological map of the NFBTJ at a 1:500,000 scale is presented. The mapping provides insight into the factors controlling plate fragmentation and crustal growth during triple junction formation. The map is based on a compilation of more than 50 years of ship-based bathymetry, backscatter data, gravity and magnetics used to reconstruct the spreading history, magmatic productivity, tectonic fabric and origin of geological formations of the basin. These aspects also have important implications for understanding the origins and evolution of large-scale back-arc basin hydrothermal systems.
Crustal growth in the NFB is recorded by the area-age relationships of different geological formations identified in the new geological map. The triple junction is the site of volume addition related to enhanced magmatic productivity, with a large Central Volcanic Complex (CVC) (shield volcano and inflated ridge) at its centre and a well-developed spreading ridge along the SW limb. Extensive lava flows emanating from the CVC covers early spreading-related fabric in the NE and NW limbs. The large shield volcano, which is 0.5 km high and occupies an area of at least 62.3 km², has a distinctive 2.5-km diameter summit caldera with extensive hydrothermal activity in the south. The CVC and surrounding lava flows are estimated to have grown in place at a rate of 3,000 m²/yr, thus dominating the recent history of the NFBTJ. By contrast, earlier crustal growth along the SW and NW spreading segments, prior to the emergence of CVC, is estimated to have been ~1,650 m²/yr and 200 m²/yr respectively. The quantitative analysis of rifting and the eruptive history highlight previously unrecognized near and far-field geodynamic influences on the triple junction formation. In particular, the pulse of crustal growth at the NFB beginning at 3 Ma was related to rift propagation from the south in response to rotation of the NFB that produced some of the fastest growing crust in the oceans.
Comparisons with a global database of triple junctions show that the evolution of the NFBTJ shares many features with other microplate mosaics and that processes related to triple junction formation is associated with crustal growth wherever triple junctions occur. The high heat flow and voluminous mafic magmatism has been compared to rapid crustal growth in some ancient greenstone belts, such as the Archean Abitibi Greenstone Belt in the Superior Province of Canada. In particular, the NFBTJ is a possible modern analog of large central volcanic complexes that characterize ancient greenstone-belt development.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uottawa.ca/oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/44322 |
| Date | 30 November 2022 |
| Creators | Besaw, Mary |
| Contributors | Hannington, Mark |
| Publisher | Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa |
| Source Sets | Université d’Ottawa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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