The tectonic fabric of the ocean basins

We present a global community data set of fracture zones (FZs), discordant zones, propagating ridges, V‐shaped structures and extinct ridges, digitized from vertical gravity gradient (VGG) maps. We use a new semi‐automatic FZ tracking program to test the precision of our hand‐digitized traces and fi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research 2011-12, Vol.116 (B12), p.n/a, Article B12109
Main Authors: Matthews, Kara J., Müller, R. Dietmar, Wessel, Paul, Whittaker, Joanne M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abyssal hills
discordant zones
Fabrics
fracture zones
Geophysics
Marine
Marine geology
Ocean basins
Ocean floor
plate reorganizations
Plate tectonics
Ridges
seafloor fabric
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We present a global community data set of fracture zones (FZs), discordant zones, propagating ridges, V‐shaped structures and extinct ridges, digitized from vertical gravity gradient (VGG) maps. We use a new semi‐automatic FZ tracking program to test the precision of our hand‐digitized traces and find a Mean Absolute Deviation of less than 3.4 km from the raw VGG minima that most clearly delineate each feature, and less than 5.4 km from the FZ location predicted by fitting model profiles to the VGG data that represent the morphology of the individual FZs. These offsets are small considering gravity data only provide an approximation for the underlying basement morphology. We further investigate the origin of non‐FZ seafloor fabric by combining published abyssal hill heights computed from gravity anomalies with global half‐spreading rates. A residual abyssal hill height grid, with spreading rate effects removed, combined with our interpreted tectonic fabric reveals several types of seafloor fabric distinct from typical abyssal hills. Where discordant zones do not overprint abyssal hill signals, residual abyssal hill height anomalies correspond to seafloor that accreted near mantle thermal anomalies or zones of melt‐depletion. Our analysis reveals several areas where residual abyssal hill height anomalies reflect pseudo‐faults and extinct ridges associated with ridge propagation and/or microplate formation in the southern Pacific Ocean. Key Points A seafloor lineations data set is digitized from vertical gravity gradient maps Fracture zone trace precision is tested using semi‐automatic tracking software Ridge propagation and microplate formation have produced rough Pacific seafloor
ISSN:0148-0227
2169-9313
2156-2202
2169-9356
DOI:10.1029/2011JB008413