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Collision orogeny at arc‐arc junctions in the Japanese Islands
Author(s) -
Kimura Gaku
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
island arc
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.554
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1440-1738
pISSN - 1038-4871
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1738.1996.tb00031.x
Subject(s) - geology , arc (geometry) , crust , island arc , subduction , seismology , collision , tectonics , collision zone , orogeny , paleontology , geometry , mathematics , computer security , computer science
In the Japanese Islands, collision tectonics are operating at arc‐arc junctions in three regions: Hokkaido, Central Japan and Kyushu. Hokkaido is situated at the junction of the Kuril and Northeast Japan Arcs. The Kuril fore arc sliver collides with the Northeast Japan Arc, and the lower crust of the Kuril Arc thrusts upon the fore arc of the Northeast Japan Arc in Hokkaido. Outcrops of the lower crust are observed in the Hidaka Mountains in the fore arc of the junction area. Central Japan is in the juncture area among the Northeast Japan, Izu‐Bonin, and Southwest Japan Arcs. The Izu‐Bonin arc is colliding against the Honshu mainland, which has been bent by the collision. Kyushu is a juvenile collision area between the Southwest Japan and Ryukyu Arcs. The fore arc of the Southwest Japan Arc is starting to underthrust beneath the Kyushu islands along the Bungo Strait, where shallow seismicity within the crust is active in terms of the collision. Collision tectonics are observed at most of the arc‐arc junctions in the circum‐Pacific orogenic belts and may be an important process contributing to the relatively rapid growth of new continental crust in subduction zones.