07.12.2012 Views

50thKaikoura05 -1- Kaikoura 2005 CHARACTERISATION OF NEW ...

50thKaikoura05 -1- Kaikoura 2005 CHARACTERISATION OF NEW ...

50thKaikoura05 -1- Kaikoura 2005 CHARACTERISATION OF NEW ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

the top of the group, which was probably thin and<br />

eroded during the inversion phase prior to<br />

accumulation of younger units. The Taumatamaire<br />

Formation comprises mainly massive mudstone.<br />

Along the western margin (Herangi High) the<br />

mudstone is interspersed with several limestone<br />

members (Awakino Limestone; Black Creek<br />

Limestone); the carbonate sediments were sourced<br />

along the contemporary rocky shoreline of the<br />

Herangi High underlain by Murihiku basement, and<br />

dispersed across a very narrow east-facing shelf and<br />

down the slope into the basin.<br />

Paleocurrent measurements derived from flute casts<br />

and tool marks indicate that the flysch facies were<br />

sourced from the south, and the depositional system<br />

probably prograded to the north. Muddy sediment<br />

and carbonate were locally derived from basement<br />

exposed along the Herangi High, but this was<br />

probably a minor source. The sandstone beds are<br />

cemented with calcite, and glauconite comprises a<br />

surprisingly high proportion of their content (10%).<br />

Mica is an accessory mineral, suggesting that<br />

schistose or gneissic terrane (in South Island)<br />

contributed sediments to the basin.<br />

POSTER<br />

MANTLE OR CRUST? FIRST RESULTS<br />

FROM A DETAILED ACTIVE-SOURCE<br />

SEISMIC EXPERIMENT ACROSS THE<br />

TAUPO VOLCANIC ZONE<br />

Adrian Benson 1 , Tim Stern 1 &Stephen<br />

Bannister 2<br />

1 School of Earth Sciences, Victoria University of<br />

Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington.<br />

2 Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, PO<br />

Box 30-368, Lower Hutt.<br />

(adrian.benson*vuw.ac.nz)<br />

Seismic studies of the central North Island have<br />

consistently shown the Taupo Volcanic Zone to be<br />

a region of attenuated continental crust underlain by<br />

mantle of anomalously low seismic velocity (~7.4<br />

km.s -1 ). However, the nature of the crust-mantle<br />

boundary beneath the rift and, in particular, the<br />

position of the Moho remain contentious. Active<br />

source data acquired during the 2001 NIGhT<br />

experiment detected two prominent reflectors at<br />

depth: a ~ 15 km deep horizon (PmP1) and an<br />

unusually strong set of reflections from an interface<br />

at ~30 km (PmP2). These NIGhT data have given<br />

rise to divergent models of the lower-crust and<br />

upper-mantle. Harrison & White (2004) place the<br />

base of the crust at 30 km (= PmP2) and infer that<br />

the 15 km interval between PmP1 and PmP2 is<br />

under-plated and/or intruded lower crust. Stratford<br />

& Stern (2004) suggest that the Moho lies between<br />

15 and 20 km depth and interpret the PmP2<br />

reflections as being from the top of an intra-mantle<br />

fluid/melt body of unknown thickness but limited<br />

lateral extent. We present preliminary results from<br />

a recently completed active source seismic<br />

experiment (MORC) that seeks to address the issue<br />

of what constitutes Mantle OR Crust beneath the<br />

TVZ.<br />

Building upon the results of NIGhT, the MORC<br />

experiment was designed to provide a enhanced<br />

data set to examine the character of the 30 km deep<br />

PmP2 reflector. Nine dynamite shots of between<br />

500 and 1300 kg were detonated into a 120 km long<br />

array across the northern end of Lake Taupo. The<br />

shot geometry and the deployment of 714 receivers<br />

(600 IRIS Texans, 96 geophones on multi-channel<br />

systems, and 18 3-component seismometers) with<br />

an average spacing of ~200 m provides a ten-fold<br />

increase in spatial resolution relative to the NIGhT<br />

data. Reflections from the 15 km deep PmP1<br />

horizon are present in the MORC data, however the<br />

dominant features are arrivals from PmP2 at a<br />

depth of ~ 30 km. The occurrence and amplitude of<br />

the PmP2 reflections are strongly dependent on<br />

both the shot position and receiver offset. Initial<br />

ray-tracing of the PmP2 reflections suggests the<br />

interface is of limited lateral extent and located<br />

directly below the active (eastern) part of the main<br />

TVZ rift. For stations with both PmP1 and PmP2<br />

arrivals it is possible to directly compare the<br />

relative amplitude of these two phases. At large<br />

offsets the amplitude of PmP2 reflections are at<br />

least 5 times those of PmP1 phases, which are<br />

modelled as being from a < 6.0 km.s -1 to 6.8 km.s -1<br />

velocity boundary (Stratford & Stern, 2004). These<br />

results indicate the PmP2 reflections must be due to<br />

a large change in the velocity and/or physical<br />

properties of rocks at 30 km depth.<br />

Further work to characterise the crust-mantle<br />

structure beneath the TVZ will include ray-trace<br />

and tomographic modelling of the combined<br />

MORC and NIGhT datasets, the production of a<br />

stacked low-fold seismic section, and detailed<br />

analysis of the AVO properties of the PmP2 and<br />

other reflectors.<br />

ORAL<br />

SEAFLOOR STRUCTURAL GEOMORPHIC<br />

EVOLUTION IN RESPONSE TO<br />

SUBDUCTION PROCESSES, POVERTY BAY<br />

INDENTATION, <strong>NEW</strong> ZEALAND<br />

K. L. Bodger 1 ,J.R.Pettinga 1 andP.M.Barnes 2<br />

1 Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of<br />

Canterbury, Christchurch<br />

2 National Institute of Water and Atmospheric<br />

Research (NIWA), Greta Point, Wellington<br />

(k.bodger*geol.canterbury.ac.nz)<br />

The >4000 km 2 Poverty Bay Indentation, in the<br />

northern sector of the Hikurangi subduction margin,<br />

50 th <strong>Kaikoura</strong>05 -8- <strong>Kaikoura</strong> <strong>2005</strong>

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!