Tomographic search for missing link between the ancient Farallon subduction and the present Cocos subduction

SUMMARY A striking feature of the tomographic images of the Earth's mid‐mantle is the long, high‐velocity belt extending in a north–south direction under the North and South American continents, which is believed to be the remnant subduction of the Farallon Plate. In the Oligocene epoch the North Farallon Plate subduction terminated off Baja California and the South Farallon Plate broke into the Cocos and Nazca plates. This important period of the Farallon subduction history is not clearly understood, due in part to the lack of high‐resolution tomographic images. Our P ‐wave tomographic image of the mantle below Mexico indicates that the currently subducting slab of the Cocos Plate is torn apart from the already subducted slab of the ancient Farallon Plate in a region behind the slab window or slab gap off Baja California. We suggest that the southeastward advance of this slab tearing was synchronous with the counter‐clockwise rotation of the Cocos Plate against the eastward to northeastward subduction of the ancient Farallon Plate. The Cocos slab torn apart from the deeper Farallon slab dips to the north to northeast with its strike oblique to the trench axis. This slab configuration delineates well with the intermediate‐depth earthquake activity and the volcanic activity known as the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt. Further to the south of the slab tearing of the subducted slab continues from the deeper Farallon part to the shallower Cocos part but with considerable distortion in the shallower part.