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New seismic reflection data collected and processed as part of early career scientist training at sea and in classroom projects fill gaps in seismic coverage of the Cascadia subduction zone and provide new insights into anomalous subduction behavior and mass wasting along the south‐central Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) between 42°20'N and 44°15'N. The data reveal at least six distinct buried horizons of folded and faulted sediments similar to strata recently interpreted to result from in situ deformation induced by the load imposed by a large blocky mass transport deposit known as the 44°N slide. Although our results support prior studies indicating that the south‐central CSZ has experienced large slope instabilities, they indicate that the slides were more frequent but volumetrically smaller than previously thought. Similar strata have not been observed elsewhere beneath the abyssal plain adjacent to the Cascadia subduction zone. The structure of the deformation front along this segment is also indistinct, in contrast to the clear frontal faults outboard of folded trench strata observed immediately to the north and south (and generally throughout the rest of Cascadia). We attribute the anomalous nature of this segment of the margin to past subduction of shallow and rough seafloor, which resulted in greater uplift of the forearc than elsewhere along the margin. A consequence of this postulated history would be the shedding of older, more consolidated blocks onto the Juan de Fuca plate, resulting in the observed distinctive stratigraphy offshore southern Oregon. Key Points: The number of large blocky slides on the south‐central Cascadia margin has been underestimated, while their volume has been overestimatedBlocky slides of similar scale have not occurred along other segments of the Cascadia subduction zoneThe history of large landslides on the south‐central Cascadia margin is more complex than previously suggested and may be a response to past subduction of high topography [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aftershock distribution of the 2014 Mw 8.1 Iquique earthquake offshore northern Chile, identified from a long‐term deployment of ocean bottom seismometers installed eight months after the mainshock, in conjunction with seismic reflection imaging, provides insights into the processes regulating the updip limit of coseismic rupture propagation. Aftershocks updip of the mainshock hypocenter frequently occur in the upper plate and are associated with normal faults identified from seismic reflection data. We propose that aftershock seismicity near the plate boundary documents subduction erosion that removes mass from the base of the wedge and results in normal faulting in the upper plate. The combination of very little or no sediment accretion and subduction erosion over millions of years has resulted in a very weak and aseismic frontal wedge. Our observations thus link the shallow subduction zone seismicity to subduction erosion processes that control the evolution of the overriding plate. Plain Language Summary: To better understand the controls on shallow seismicity and subduction erosion following large subduction earthquakes, we use marine recordings of the Mw 8.1 2014 Iquique earthquake aftershocks and long‐offset multi‐channel seismic data. By comparing the aftershock locations and seismic imaging, we observe that most aftershocks occurred in the upper continental plate and abruptly stopped in the frontal forearc. The amplitude characteristics of upper‐crust reflections indicate a fractured and fluid‐filled outer forearc, which is associated with the absence of aftershocks. Large‐scale faulting, as evidenced by disrupted reflections in the seismic image, can be correlated to upper plate seismicity. We propose that the aftershocks updip of the main earthquake area reflect active subduction erosion processes. Key Points: We investigate structure and seismicity at the updip end of the 2014 Iquique earthquake rupture using amphibious seismic dataSeismicity updip of the 2014 Iquique earthquake occurs over a broad range likely interpreted to be related to the basal erosion processesCoseismic stress changes and aftershocks activate extensional faulting of the upper plate and subduction erosion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the largest documented earthquake, the Mw 9.5 Valdivia earthquake of 1960, the Chilean subduction zone has experienced three great (>Mw 8) earthquakes since 2010 for which detailed models of deformation prior to, during and after the earthquake are available. The 1960 and 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake affected the south-central Chilean margin, where the trench is sediment filled, whereas the 2014 Mw 8.2 Iquique and 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel earthquakes occurred farther north where there is little sediment in the trench. We summarize recent results from three marine seismological projects designed to elucidate the impact that geologic structure may have had on slip during these events. Because analysis of these datasets is ongoing, this report should be considered as an interim summary rather than a comprehensive synthesis. None-the-less, some patterns can be discerned. That we can resolve 5 m of margin uplift by differencing swath bathymetric data highlights the value of obtaining ground truth marine geophysical data from potential seismic gaps. Controlled source seismic imaging indicates that subduction of nearly all incoming sediment in the sediment-filled section of the trench is a widespread characteristic of the subduction zone segment that ruptured in the two largest events and is likely a generalizable characteristic that can be used to anticipate whether a subduction zone is likely to rupture in great tsunamigenic earthquakes. While this is not a new idea, our data provide additional insights into plate boundary evolution at depth in this scenario. We also find that subduction of anomalously rough basement topography ∼2 million years ago may have led to indentation, large scale internal deformation, and erosion of the overlying wedge north of the 2010 rupture zone and that the process of wedge recovery may have resulted in an abrupt offset along strike of the plate boundary that served as a barrier to slip propagation in 2010. In general, structures generating wedge disruption may no longer be detectable following their subduction deep beneath the forearc wedge, but their passage can be inferred from residual structures mapped within the wedge, and their impact on slip during large earthquakes may be long lasting. We anticipate that further analysis of the data from these experiments, and from future experiments that build on these results, will further elucidate the relationship between geologic structure and slip such that images of subsurface structure become an additional tool in the toolbox of observations used to evaluate future hazard. • Imaging of crustal structure in the source zone of 4 great subduction zone earthquakes. • Overview of results from 3 recent marine geophysical projects on the Chilean margin. • Widespread subduction of sediment at the deformation front associated with source region of 1960 and 2010 earthquakes. • Detection of seafloor uplift by differencing of swath bathymetry before and after the 2010 earthquake. • Anticorrelation between slip in the 2014 earthquake and plate boundary reflectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bathymetry and magnetic anomalies indicate that a seamount on the Juan de Fuca plate has been subducted beneath the central Cascadia accretionary complex and is now located 45 km landward of the deformation front. Passage of this seamount through the accretionary complex has resulted in a pattern of uplift followed by subsidence that has had a profound influence on slope morphology, gas hydrate stability, and sedimentation. Based on potential-field data and a new three-dimensional seismic velocity model, we infer that this is the most recent of several seamounts subducted over the past several million years beneath this segment of Cascadia. More deeply subducted seamounts may be responsible for recent earthquake activity on the plate boundary in this region and for along-strike variations in the thickness of the subduction channel, which may affect coupling across the plate boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New seismic images off south-central Chile acquired with a 15-km-long receiver array. • The decollement is unusually shallow at the deformation front along S. central Chile. • Shallow sediment subduction along south-central Chile is among the world's thickest. • P-wave velocities imply S. central Chile trench sediments are well-drained and strong. • Thick, strong sediment subduction may enhance interplate coupling and earthquake size. The south-central Chile margin experienced the largest and sixth largest earthquakes ever recorded - the 1960 Mw 9.5 Valdivia and 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule megathrust earthquakes, respectively. In early 2017, we conducted a seismic survey along 1,000 km of south-central Chile to image these rupture zones using a 15.15-km-long multi-channel seismic streamer. We processed these data using pre-stack depth migration, which provides the best look at the shallow part of the south-central Chile margin to date. Relative to other sediment-dominated subduction zones, where sediment is typically accreted at the toe, an unusually large percentage of the thick trench sediments are consistently subducted beneath the slope with little thrust faulting or deformation. Analysis of the sediment P-wave velocities and structure in the trench and outer wedge leads us to conclude that most of south-central Chile contains well-drained, strong sediments. An exception in the vicinity of the subducting Mocha Fracture Zone (MFZ) has trench sediments that appear to experience localized delayed compaction, thus lowering their strength and allowing the development of protothrusts, similar to what is seen in other accretionary subduction zones. The very shallow décollement along the south-central Chile allows more sediment to pass beneath the lower slope than almost all other subduction zone, many of which have much thicker trench sections. We conclude that subduction of the strong, well-drained, thick sediment layer beneath the lower slope is typical for nearly all of the south-central Chile. Comparison to other thick-sedimented subduction zones worldwide reveals that the subduction of such a large fraction of the trench sediment is particularly unusual. This strong, thick, subducting sediment is likely a determining factor for developing a smooth plate interface located well above the subducted crust topography that ultimately becomes a broad megathrust with high, homogeneous frictional properties, and generates particularly large earthquakes along the south central Chile margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subduction of seamounts and basement ridges affects the structure, morphology, and physical state of a convergent margin. To evaluate their impact on the seismo-tectonic setting of the subduction zone and the tectonic development of the lower subducting and upper overriding plate, it is essential to know the precise location of subducted topographic features under the marine forearc. Offshore Northern Chile, the Iquique Ridge represents a broad zone of complex and heterogeneous structure of variable width on the oceanic Nazca Plate, which complicates attempts to project it beneath the forearc of the Chilean subduction zone. Here we use a state-of-the-art seismic reflection data processing approach to map structures related to ridge subduction under the marine forearc with unprecedented accuracy and resolution and evaluate their impact on the deformation of both the plate boundary and the upper plate. We show that significant ridge-related topography is currently subducting south of 20.5 °S and that the combined effect of horst and graben subduction with subduction of Iquique ridge-related thickened and elevated crust causes an upward bulging of the entire upper plate from the plate interface up to the seafloor as well as the presence of kilometer-scale anticlinal structures observed in multibeam bathymetric data that are approximately aligned with horsts seaward of the trench. In the area affected by the subducting ridge, a frontal prism is absent, which may relate to frontal subduction erosion caused by the excess lower plate topography. In contrast farther towards the north, where only isolated seamounts subduct, a small frontal prism and a slope/apron sediment cover down to 3000 m water depth are found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcareous rocks are commonly found in subduction zones, but few studies have investigated the consolidation and compactive deformation of these rocks prior to subduction, and their potential effects on subduction and accretionary processes are thus poorly understood. Using drilling data obtained during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expeditions 372 and 375 combined with 2D and 3D seismic reflection data, the structure, growth history, and slip rates of normal faults identified in the incoming pelagic sedimentary sequences of the Hikurangi Margin were investigated. A seismic coherence depth slice and vertical profiles show that these faults exhibit polygonal structure that has rarely been documented at subduction margins. The polygonal faults are closely spaced and layer-bound within sequences dominated by pelagic carbonate and calcareous mudstone of Paleocene-Pliocene age. Kinematic modeling and 2D displacement analysis reveal that fault throws decrease toward the upper and lower tipline. In detail, two groups of throw profiles are defined by locations of displacement maxima, possibly reflecting lateral variations in physical properties. The polygonal fault system (PFS) likely formed by syneresis processes that involve diagenetically induced shear failure and volumetric contraction of the pelagic unit associated with fluid escape. Fault growth sequences reveal multiple, weakly correlated intervals of contemporaneous seafloor deformation and sedimentation and allow estimates of fault slip rates. We find evidence for a significant increase in typical slip rates from 0.5-3 m/Ma during pelagic sedimentation to >20 m/Ma following the onset of terrigenous sedimentation. These observations suggest that rapid loading of the pelagic sediments by the trench-wedge facies was associated with renewed and faster growth of the PFS. The PFS will eventually be transported into the base of the accretionary wedge, enhancing geometric roughness and heterogeneity of materials along the megathrust, and providing inherited zones of weakness. Selective fault reactivation may facilitate deformation and episodic vertical fluid migration in the lower wedge associated with microearthquakes, tremor, and slow slip events. • Polygonal fault systems (PFS) are found in the incoming plate of the Hikurangi subduction margin. • These polygonal faults are densely spaced and layer-bound within pelagic carbonate and calcareous mudstone sequences. • The PFS formed at very slow rates in multiple stages and are likely associated with consolidation and dewatering. • The PFS will be transported into the lower accretionary wedge and interplate fault zone. • The PFS will provide inherited zones of weakness and potential fracture permeability pathways for fluid migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 1, 2014, a large earthquake (Mw = 8.1) ruptured the central part of a historic seismic gap in northern Chile. In order to study the relationship between the co-seismic rupture characteristics and the crustal structure of the subduction zone, we processed a trench-perpendicular seismic reflection profile acquired across the zone of maximum slip and generated a P-wave velocity model. The results show a frontal prism in the continental wedge characterized by low velocities that increase rapidly towards the shore and acted as a barrier for trench-ward propagation of aftershocks. Landward, a transition zone with increasing upper crust velocity (4–5 km/s) concentrates most of the aftershocks. In addition, a trench-ward dipping set of fault zones is observed along the continental wedge associated to the Iquique forearc basin formation (1.5 km thick at the depocenter on this profile). We identify three stratigraphic units within the basin. A landward tilt and thickness increase is detected in each stratigraphic unit, along with growth strata and domino structures, suggesting landward migration of syn -extensional deformation in response to basal subduction erosion. By extrapolating our results to the plate boundary and based on published focal mechanisms of intra-crustal seismicity, we find a strong spatial correlation between the Iquique basin and the highest slip area for the 2014 earthquake, suggesting long-term extensional deformation due to coseismic tensional stresses. • We present a seismic image for the epicentral region of the Iquique 2014 earthquake • Fault zones are spatially correlated with the highly fractured continental crust • long term deformation plays a role in the earthquake slip and aftershock distribution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]