Ryukyu Arc: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 03:35, 29 May 2023

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{{Short description|Island arc between Kyushu and Taiwan}}

[[File:The Ryukyu Arc Map.png|thumb|upright=1.9|Map of the Ryukyu Arc. Red triangles represent volcanoes based on Aster Volcano Archive (NASA-METI) data. Contours in 1 km intervals. Figure made with GeoMapApp (www.geomapapp.org) / CC BY / CC BY (Ryan et al., 2009).<ref name="fig">{{Cite journal|last1=Ryan|first1=William B. F.|last2=Carbotte|first2=Suzanne M.|author-link2=Suzanne Carbotte|last3=Coplan|first3=Justin O.|last4=O'Hara|first4=Suzanne|last5=Melkonian|first5=Andrew|last6=Arko|first6=Robert|last7=Weissel|first7=Rose Anne|last8=Ferrini|first8=Vicki|last9=Goodwillie|first9=Andrew|last10=Nitsche|first10=Frank|last11=Bonczkowski|first11=Juliet|date=March 2009|title=Global Multi-Resolution Topography synthesis|journal=Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems|volume=10|issue=3|pages=n/a|doi=10.1029/2008gc002332|bibcode=2009GGG....10.3014R|issn=1525-2027|doi-access=free}}</ref>]]

The '''Ryukyu Arc''' is an [[island arc]] which extends from the south of [[Kyushu]] along the [[Ryukyu Islands]] to the northeast of [[Taiwan]], spanning about {{convert|1200|km|mi}}.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Kizaki |first1=K. |title=Tectonics of the Ryukyu Island Arc |journal=Journal of Physics of the Earth |date=1978 |volume=26 |issue=Supplement |pages=S301–S307 |doi=10.4294/jpe1952.26.Supplement_S301|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Shinjo |first1=R. |last2=Kato |first2=Y. |title=Geochemical constraints on the origin of bimodal magmatism at the Okinawa Trough, an incipient back-arc basin |journal=Lithos |date=2000 |volume=54 |issue=3–4 |pages=117–137 |doi=10.1016/S0024-4937(00)00034-7|bibcode=2000Litho..54..117S }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Park |first1=J.-O. |last2=Tokuyama |first2=H. |last3=Shinohara |first3=M. |last4=Suyehiro |first4=K. |last5=Taira |first5=A. |title=Seismic record of tectonic evolution and backarc rifting in the southern Ryukyu island arc system |journal=Tectonophysics |date=1998 |volume=294 |issue=1–2 |pages=21–42 |doi=10.1016/S0040-1951(98)00150-4|bibcode=1998Tectp.294...21P }}</ref> It is located along a section of the [[Convergent boundary|convergent plate boundary]] where the [[Philippine Sea Plate]] is subducting northwestward beneath the [[Eurasian Plate]] along the [[Ryukyu Trench]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Shinjo |first1=R. |last2=Chung |first2=S.-L. |last3=Kato |first3=Y. |last4=Kimura |first4=M. |title=Geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic characteristics of volcanic rocks from the Okinawa Trough and Ryukyu Arc: Implications for the evolution of a young, intracontinental back arc basin |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth |date=1999 |volume=104 |issue=B5 |pages=10591–10608 |doi=10.1029/1999JB900040|bibcode=1999JGR...10410591S |doi-access=free }}</ref> The arc has an overall northeast to southwest trend and is located northwest of the [[Pacific Ocean]] and southeast of the [[East China Sea]].<ref name=":6">{{cite journal |last1=Nakae |first1=S. |title=The radiolarian evidence for the accretion of the Fu-saki Formation with the inferred oceanic plate stratigraphy: A case of weakly-metamorphosed accretionary complex in Ishigaki Jima, southern Ryukyu Arc, Japan |journal=Journal of Asian Earth Sciences |date=2013 |volume=73 |pages=21–30 |doi=10.1016/j.jseaes.2013.04.022|bibcode=2013JAESc..73...21N }}</ref> It runs parallel to the [[Okinawa Trough]], an active volcanic arc, and the Ryukyu Trench.<ref name=":5">{{cite journal |last1=Kizaki |first1=K. |title=Geology and tectonics of the Ryukyu Islands |journal=Tectonophysics |date=1986 |volume=125 |issue=1–3 |pages=193–207 |doi=10.1016/0040-1951(86)90014-4|bibcode=1986Tectp.125..193K }}</ref> The Ryukyu Arc, based on its geomorphology, can be segmented from north to south into Northern Ryukyu, Central Ryukyu, and Southern Ryukyu; the Tokara Strait separates Northern Ryukyu and Central Ryukyu at about 130˚E while the [[Miyako Strait|Kerama Gap]] separates Central Ryukyu and Southern Ryukyu at about 127 ˚E.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> The geological units of the arc include [[Igneous rock|igneous]], [[Sedimentary rock|sedimentary]], and [[metamorphic rock]]s, ranging from the [[Paleozoic]] to [[Cenozoic]] in age.

== Geological setting ==

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=== Seismicity ===

The Ryukyu Arc is a site of active [[seismicity]] characterised by shallow earthquakes, given the ongoing convergence between the Philippine Sea Plate and Eurasian Plate.<ref name=":9" /> Seismic data of earthquakes have been used to detect seismic structures below the Ryukyu Arc.<ref name="a">{{cite journal |last1=Roecker |first1=S. W. |last2=Yeh |first2=Y. H. |last3=Tsai |first3=Y. B. |title=Three-dimensional P and S wave velocity structures beneath Taiwan: Deep structure beneath an arc-continent collision |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth |date=1987 |volume=92 |issue=B10 |pages=10547–10570 |doi=10.1029/JB092iB10p10547|bibcode=1987JGR....9210547R }}</ref> [[Low-velocity zone|Low seismic velocity zones]], which are possibly associated with the upwelling of magma, have been discovered beneath active volcanoes and the Okinawa Trough.<ref name="a" />

[[File:M≥6.0 (1960-2022) Earthquakes in the Ryukyu Arc.png|thumb|upright=2.2|M≥6.0 (1960-2022) Earthquakes in the Ryukyu Arc. Earthquake data from USGS-ANSS Catalog. Contours in 1 km interval. Figure made with GeoMapApp (www.geomapapp.org) / CC BY / CC BY (Ryan et al., 2009).<ref name="fig" />]]

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===Tomuru Formation===

The Tomuru Formation is distributed in the [[Iriomote Island|Iriomote]] and [[Ishigaki Island|Ishigaki]] Islands of the Yaeyama Islands, Southern Ryukyu.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":14">{{cite journal |last1=Nishimura |first1=Y. |title=Geotectonic subdivision and areal extent of the Sangun belt, Inner Zone of Southwest Japan |journal=Journal of Metamorphic Geology |date=1998 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=129–140 |doi=10.1111/j.1525-1314.1998.00059.x|bibcode=1998JMetG..16..129N |s2cid=128766454 }}</ref><ref name=":15">{{cite journal|last1=Nakagawa|first1= H.|last2= Doi|first2= N.|last3= Shirao|first3= M.|last4= Araki|first4=Y.|date=1982|title= Geology of Ishigaki-jima and Iriomote-jima Yaeyama Gunto, Ryukyu Islands|journal= Contributions from the Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Tohoku University|volume= 84|pages=1–22}}</ref> The formation has an age of 220–190 [[megaannum|Ma]] (million years ago) (Late [[Triassic]]-Early [[Jurassic]]) and comprises [[ultramafic rock]]s and high pressure/temperature (P/T) metamorphic rocks, i.e., metagabbro and [[mafic]], [[Siliceous rock|siliceous]], and pelitic [[schist]]s.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":16">{{cite book|last1=Miyazaki|first1= K.|last2= Ozaki|first2= M.|last3= Saito|first3= M.|last4= Toshimitsu|first4= S.|date=2016|chapter=The Kyushu-Ryukyu Arc |title=The geology of Japan|pages=139–174|doi=10.1144/GOJ.6|editor-first1=T.|editor-last1= Moreno|editor-first2= S. |editor-last2=Wallis|editor-first3= T. |editor-last3=Kojima|editor-first4=W. |editor-last4=Gibbons|isbn=9781862397064|publisher=The Geological Society}}</ref>

===Fusaki Formation===

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===Shimanto Group===

The Shimanto Group is a set of metamorphic rocks dated from Early Cretaceous to earliest Miocene which are associated with the Shimanto belt.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":24">{{cite journal |last1=Ujiie |first1=K. |title=Off-scraping accretionary process under the subduction of young oceanic crust: The Shimanto Belt of Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Arc |journal=Tectonics |date=1997 |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=305–322 |doi=10.1029/96TC03367|bibcode=1997Tecto..16..305U |s2cid=129383358 }}</ref> The Shimanto belt is an accretionary complex in the Outer Zone of Southwest Japan which extends from [[Honshu]], [[Shikoku]], and Kyushu to Northern and Central Ryukyu.<ref name=":1" /> The group comprises sedimentary and [[metasedimentary rock]]s metamorphosed up to [[greenschist]] [[metamorphic facies|facies]], including [[flysch]]-type sandstone and slate with mafic greenstones.<ref name=":5" />

Deformations such as northwest-dipping, isoclinal, overturned [[Fold (geology)|folds]] and SE-verging thrust faults can be found in the Shimanto Group of Central and Northern Ryukyu.<ref name=":5" />

In Okinawa Island, Central Ryukyu, the Shimanto Group is separated into the Nago Formation and the Kayo Formation.<ref name=":27">{{cite journal |last1=Ujiie |first1=K. |title=Evolution and kinematics of an ancient décollement zone, mélange in the Shimanto accretionary complex of Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Arc |journal=Journal of Structural Geology |date=2002 |volume=24 |issue=5 |pages=937–952 |doi=10.1016/S0191-8141(01)00103-1|bibcode=2002JSG....24..937U }}</ref> The Nago Formation comprises pelitic and mafic schist, phyllite, and slate, with minor chert and limestone,<ref name=":27" /> and crops out most of northern Okinawa Island.<ref name=":11" /> Though only [[trace fossil]]s have been found in the formation, it is thought to be Cretaceous to early Eocene in age by correlations with other formations in the island.<ref name=":27" /> The Kayo Formation features beds of turbidite containing mudstone, sandstone, and [[nummulite]] fossils that indicate middle Eocene age.<ref name=":21" /> ] It underlies the Nago Formation along a northwest-dipping thrust fault.<ref name=":27" /> Thrust-folding and metamorphism of the formation suggest a trench origin.<ref name=":21" /><ref name=":24" />

===Miyara and Nosoko Formations===

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The Miyara Formation is a south-southwest-dipping succession of [[Conglomerate (geology)|conglomerate]], sandstone, [[shale]], and limestone deposited along the coast of Ishigaki Island.<ref name=":9" /> A large variety of marine fossils—e.g., calcareous algae, foraminifera, corals, [[echinoderm]]s, [[bryozoa]]ns, and [[Gastropoda|gastropods]]— have been preserved in the limestones, and [[Mollusca|molluscs]] were also found in the conglomerate.<ref name=":9" /> Foraminifera and calcareous algae in the limestones suggest a late Eocene age.<ref name=":9" />

The Nosoko Formation is a 300m thick sequence of [[tuff]], volcanic sandstone and [[breccia]], and lavas with [[Dike (geology)|dykes]], [[Sill (geology)|sills]], and other small [[Igneous intrusion|intrusions]].<ref name=":9" /> This formation is widely exposed at the Nosoko peninsula in northern Ishigaki Island.<ref name=":9" /> It also lies conformably above the Miyara Formation.<ref name=":21" /> [[Paleomagnetism|Paleomagnetic]] data of the Nosoko Formation indicate a mean deflection of the magnetic direction at about 30˚ clockwise away from the expected pole.<ref name=":17">{{cite journal |last1=Miki |first1=M. |title=Two-phase opening model for the Okinawa Trough inferred from paleomagnetic study of the Ryukyu arc |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth |date=1995 |volume=100 |issue=B5 |pages=8169–8184 |doi=10.1029/95JB00034|bibcode=1995JGR...100.8169M }}</ref> This data, coupled with [[Radiometric dating|radiometric]] ages, suggest that Southern Ryukyu might have rotated about 25˚ with respect to the Asian continent in the Miocene at 6–10 Ma.<ref name=":17" />

===Yaeyama Group===

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== Tectonics ==

[[File:Evolution of the Ryukyu Arc.png|thumb|upright=1.8|right|Evolution of the Ryukyu Arc. Modified from Ujiie (1994).<ref name=":21" />]]

Along the Ryukyu Trench, the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting northwestward under the Eurasian Plate at an estimated velocity of 5–7&nbsp;cm/year.<ref name=":7" /> The subduction angles become increasingly oblique to the arc toward south.<ref name=":7">{{cite journal |last1=Seno |first1=T. |last2=Stein |first2=S. |last3=Gripp |first3=A. E. |title=A model for the motion of the Philippine Sea Plate consistent with NUVEL-1 and geological data |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth |date=1993 |volume=98 |issue=B10 |pages=17941–17948 |doi=10.1029/93JB00782|bibcode=1993JGR....9817941S }}</ref> Global Positioning System data show that southern Kyushu and the Ryukyu Arc migrate southeastward (toward the Ryukyu Trench) relative to Eurasia, as compared to the westward-northwestward migration of other arcs of Japan.<ref name=":8">{{cite journal |last1=Sagiya |first1=T. |last2=Miyazaki |first2=S. |last3=Tada |first3=T. |title=Continuous GPS Array and Present-day Crustal Deformation of Japan |journal=Pure and Applied Geophysics |date=2000 |volume=157 |issue=11 |pages=2303–2322 |doi=10.1007/PL00022507}}</ref>

=== Permian-Paleogene ===

Permian-Jurassic accretionary prisms accumulated along the eastern side of [[Pangaea|Pangea]], where the [[Panthalassa|ancient Pacific]] Plate subducted under the ancient Asian continental block.<ref name=":23">{{cite journal |last1=Taira |first1=A. |title=Tectonic Evolution of the Japanese Island Arc System |journal=Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences |date=2001 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=109–134 |doi=10.1146/annurev.earth.29.1.109|bibcode=2001AREPS..29..109T }}</ref> Vast regions of the Japan Island Arc, including the Ryukyu Arc, developed from accretions pertinent to the subduction during the Jurassic.<ref name=":23" /> Fossil and paleomagnetic evidence from the Shimanto Group suggests that subduction of a young oceanic plate occurred in the Late Cretaceous (about 70 Ma) to the Paleogene.<ref name=":23" /> Subduction and accretion may have stopped in late Eocene prior to the deposition of the Neogene-Quaternary Shimajiri Group.<ref name=":21" />

=== Neogene-Quaternary ===

Deposition of continental shelf sediments (the Yaeyama Group) took place in Southern Ryukyu, which at the time was stable and had no crustal movement, during early Miocene.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":21">{{cite journal |last1=Ujiié |first1=H. |title=Early Pleistocene birth of the Okinawa Trough and Ryukyu Island Arc at the northwestern margin of the Pacific: evidence from Late Cenozoic planktonic foraminiferal zonation |journal=Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |date=1994 |volume=108 |issue=3–4 |pages=457–474 |doi=10.1016/0031-0182(94)90246-1|bibcode=1994PPP...108..457U }}</ref> After a cessation of subduction around 10–6 Ma, the Philippine Sea Plate resumed subducting since the late Miocene (about 6 Ma), leading to back-arc spreading of the Okinawa Trough.<ref name=":22">{{cite journal |last1=Kamata |first1=H. |last2=Kodama |first2=K. |title=Tectonics of an arc-arc junction: an example from Kyushu Island at the junction of the Southwest Japan Arc and the Ryukyu Arc |journal=Tectonophysics |date=1994 |volume=233 |issue=1–2 |pages=69–81 |doi=10.1016/0040-1951(94)90220-8|bibcode=1994Tectp.233...69K }}</ref> Initial rifting of the northern Okinawa Trough may have caused a counterclockwise rotation in Northern Ryukyu and southern Kyushu after 6 Ma.<ref name=":22" /> Meanwhile, paleomagnetic data record a clockwise rotation of Southern Ryukyu after 10 Ma.<ref name=":17" /> [[Reflection seismology|Seismic reflection]] surveys indicate initial rifting of the southern part of the Okinawa Trough in the early Pleistocene, which gave rise to distinct tectonic processes, i.e., [[sedimentation]], crustal doming, [[erosion]], and [[Tectonic subsidence|subsidence]].<ref name=":3" /> The emergence of the Ryukyu Arc, together with the subsidence of the Okinawa Trough, may have occurred in the late Pleistocene (1.7–0.5 Ma) after the development of the Shimajiri Group and before that of the Ryukyu Group.<ref name=":21" /> The back-arc rifting and associated sedimentation in the southern Okinawa Trough have continued since 2 Ma.<ref name=":3" />

==See also==