The Thinning of the lithosphere before Magmatic Spreading is Established at the Western End of the Cocos-Nazca Rift

Abstract:

The transition from rifting of oceanic lithosphere to full magmatic spreading is examined at the Galapagos triple junction (GTJ) where the tip of the Cocos-Nazca spreading center (called C-N Rift) is propagating westward and breaking apart 0.5 Ma lithosphere formed at the East Pacific Rise near 2 15’N. Bathymetric mapping of the western section of the C-N Rift is limited, but sufficient to obtain a first-order understanding of how seafloor spreading is established. An initial rifting stage is followed by rifting with magma supply and lastly, full magmatic spreading is established. The flexural rotation of normal faults that border the rift basins is used to document thinning of the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere before magmatic spreading begins. The earliest faults show small outward rotation (1-5 degrees) for their offset suggesting that they cut thick lithosphere. Subsequent faults closer to the axis have larger outward rotations (up to 35-40 degrees) with larger offset indicating that the lithosphere was much thinner at the time of faulting and that low-angle detachment faults are forming. It is during late stage rifting and prior to full magmatic spreading that detachment faults such as the Intrarift ridge along Hess Deep rift are observed. Studies of low-angle detachment faulting during continental breakup at the Woodlark Basin suggest that their formation signals the input of magma beneath the rift. If this also is the case at the C-N Rift then magma is being supplied beneath Hess Deep rift. The axis of the segment immediately east of Hess Deep rift is characterized by a shallow graben with small seamounts scattered along it, typical of segments farther to the east, and we infer that full magmatic seafloor spreading has been established here. Our results provide new information on the formation of divergent boundaries in oceanic lithosphere, and place constraints on the supply of magma to a newly developing plate boundary.