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The northern Bay of Bengal velocity-depth profiles do not follow the velocity-depth curve for the North Atlantic volcanic margins, and only partially the Kerguelen plume velocity-depth curves. Compared with the South China Sea northern margin proxy, we still suggest that the Bay of Bengal crust is thinned continental crust intruded by post-rifting volcanics, as also shown by the interpretation of the numerous high-quality deep multichannel seismic profiles we collected there. What was supposed to be underplating might be sills intruded through the lower thinned continental crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: During a passive seismic experiment in the Okinawa Trough the shots of two reflection profiles were recorded by ocean bottom seismometers (OBS). Both profiles include 3 ocean-bottom instruments, are about 65 km in length and located in the axial portion of the southwestern Okinawa Trough. Processing of the reflection seismic data images recent deformation of the sedimentary units. Forward modelling of the wide-angle data on both profiles reveals a 1–2 km thick sedimentary infill overlying an acoustic basement characterised by seismic velocities between 3.2 and 3.5 km/s. Crustal thickness could only be modelled on one profile and was determined to be around 10 km, thickening towards the Ryukyu Arc in the south. Gravity modelling was used to additionally constrain both profiles especially the deep structure of Profile 1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An increasing number of research studies have found that S-waves have significant attenuation and travel time delays as they pass through geothermal reservoirs and magma chambers. For this study, we used a micro-seismic dense array of recording stations to model the underground structure of a geothermal volume and analyzed recorded seismic waves. We analyze waveform data from twenty-five stations and identify whether P - and S -waves have been attenuated. We utilize tomographic solutions of P - and S -wave velocities and derived rock physics parameters, including Bulk, Shear, Lambda, Young's Moduli, and Poisson's ratio, to identify underground geological structures. We speculate the cause of S-wave attenuation and travel time delays. From the rock physics interpretations, the subterranean geothermal reservoir may be further explored to identify fractures, porosity, saturation, and permeability properties. We found that unusually high S-wave attenuation is usually related to a geothermal reservoir zone or magma, and few, if any, earthquakes occur within these zones. We test a rapid, simple, and inexpensive means to provide an early preliminary analysis of geothermal potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginning of seafloor spreading in the South China Sea (SCS) is now established from IODP drilling Leg 349 at 33 Ma. Chron 12 (32 Ma) is the oldest chron identified in the SCS. The nature of the crust of the northeastern part of the SCS located north of chron C12, where chrons 15 to 17 were previously identified, is not oceanic but thinned continental crust intruded by volcanic elongated features emplaced 17–22 Ma ago. Based on magnetic anomaly identifications, the end of the SCS spreading could be either 15.5, 20.5 Ma (Briais et al., 1993; Barckhausen et al., 2014) or something else. However, as post-spreading magmatic activity (~ 13–3.5 Ma) largely masks the spreading fabric in particular near the axis of the east sub-basin, published locations of the axial magnetic anomaly (extinct spreading axis) and spreading rates are not reliable. A contoured map of the extremely dense set of magnetic data shows that a few magnetic lineations belonging to the magnetic seafloor spreading fabric are still preserved and parallel to the N055° bathymetric seafloor spreading trends identified on swath-bathymetric maps in the central part of the SCS, suggesting that the extinct ridge axis is N055° trending with potential N145° transform faults. Based on published swath-bathymetric data, oceanic domains with different seafloor spreading lineaments have been delimited (N055°, N075° and N085°) and provide important constraints used to propose a kinematic sketch of the SCS opening. As a consequence, the Zhongnan faults zone, located between the east and southeast sub-basins, acted as a major fracture zone system during the SCS opening, with horizontal offsets varying from ~ 50 km to ~ 140 km. The flow-line pattern defined from the seafloor spreading lineaments and the few identified FZs have been used to highlight conjugate segments of continental margins. During the first phases of opening of the SCS, from the fit of continents to chron C10 (30 Ma), the N175° extension observed in the Xisha trough and eventually south of the Macclesfield Bank extends to the Qui Nhon ridge, located along the eastern margin of Vietnam, in the southward prolongation of the Red River fault system. Normal faults curve toward the south with a horsetail geometry interpreted as evidence for a few tens of kilometers of dextral motion along the Qui Nhon ridge. Since chron 10 and until the end of SCS opening, the plate boundary located between the southern South China Sea (SSCS) and EU plates jumped westward several times from the location of the Ulugan fault near Palawan to the western limit of the southwest basin, explaining the progressive formation of the SCS from east to west and giving the characteristic V-shape of the SCS. The opening of the whole SCS is linked and occurred simultaneously with the northward subduction of the proto-SCS whose suture is located south of Palawan and extends westwards in north Borneo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: On 26 April 2010, a strike-slip earthquake (Mw 6.5) occurred in the Western Philippine Sea Plate. We deployed 14 ocean-bottom seismometers to record the corresponding aftershocks to acquire information regarding these intraplate events. Our results show that the aftershocks were located along two linear features that intersect with an angle of approximately 120° and are considered a conjugate fault set. The P axis of the mainshock focal mechanism is consistent with the compressive stress direction induced by the arc–continent collision occurring in eastern Taiwan. The pre-existing oceanic fracture zones and tectonic fabrics do not appear to be reactivated based on the distinct rupture directions determined from the relocated aftershocks. However, the abrupt halt of the aftershocks at the border of the fracture zone suggests that pre-existing weak zones could act as a barrier to rupture propagation. Moreover, most large earthquakes have occurred near fracture zones, indicating that the pre-existing weakness may favor the generation of earthquakes compared to the other portion of the oceanic plate due to the relatively low rock strength of this zone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Penghu archipelago comprises 64 basaltic volcanic isles lying on the Taiwan Strait between mainland China and Taiwan. The water around and within these isles is shallow and poses considerable difficulty in echo sounding detection for bathymetry. Most existing bathymetry data around such areas are in water depths of greater than 5 m. Therefore, when the water depth is less than 5 m the data tend to be over-extrapolated. In this study, a remote sensing method provides a more effective approach to recording shallow water depths compared to traditional soundings using multitemporal images collected by optical/near-infrared sensors from SPOT satellites. This method employs optical energy reflections to obtain the water depth. In this study, we made several improvements wherein a relative atmosphere correction technique was used to calibrate two images within a similar atmospheric condition. We then compared the satellite images acquired from different dates to obtain the local water attenuation coefficient of sunlight. Finally, we developed a means to estimate the water attenuation coefficient and bottom reflectance which will satisfy the two parameters across the study area. Our results show a high-resolution map of shallow bathymetry for the Penghu archipelago and revealed a maximum depth of about 20 m. This study provides an efficient approach for shallow bathymetry retrieval. Many detailed features revealed by this approach may contribute to further geological research and developments in harbour and coastal engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In November 2003, 15 ocean bottom seismometers were deployed in the southwestern Okinawa Trough. More than 3300 microearthquakes were located during the 10-days passive seismic experiment. The earthquake activity is characterized by the ceaseless occurrence of small earthquakes in the vicinity of all the instruments. The seismicity is essentially restricted to the central part of the Southwestern Okinawa Trough, except for one cluster of events situated in the southern part of it (cluster 2). The seismic activity terminates abruptly against the NE–SW trending prolongation of the Lishan fault. Most of the microearthquakes are aligned along the E–W trending normal faults, showing where the present-day active normal faulting occurs and how it accounts for the N–S extension in the Okinawa Trough. According to the P-wave velocity spectra estimated from some deep earthquakes located beneath the cross backarc volcanic trail area, the existence of a lower crustal/upper mantle magma chamber is confirmed by the presence of low frequency earthquakes in the 3–10 Hz bandwidth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Crustal structure across the passive continental margin of the northeastern South China Sea (SCS) is presented based on a deep seismic survey cooperated between Taiwan and China in August 2001. Reflection data collected from a 48-hydrophone streamer and the vertical component of refraction/reflection data recorded at 11 ocean-bottom seismometers along a NW–SE profile are integrated to image the upper (1.6–2.4 km/s), lower (2.5–2.9 km/s), and compacted (3–4.5 km/s) sediment, the upper (4.5–5.5 km/s), middle (5.5–6.5 km/s) and lower (6.5–7.5 km/s) crystalline crust successively. The velocity model shows that the thickness (0.5–3 km) and the basement of the compacted sediment are strongly varied due to intrusion of the magma and igneous rocks after seafloor spreading of the SCS. Furthermore, several volcanoes and igneous rocks in the upper/middle crust (7–10 km thick) and a high velocity layer (0–5 km thick) in the lower crust of the model are identified as the ocean–continent transition (OCT) below the lower slope in the northeastern margin of the SCS. A thin continent NW of the OCT and a thick oceanic crust SE of the OCT in the continental margin of the northeastern SCS are also imaged, but these transitional crusts cannot be classified as the OCT due to their crustal thickness and the limited amount of the volcano, the magma and the high velocity layer. The extended continent, next to the gravity low and a sag zone extended from the SW Taiwan Basin, may have resulted from subduction of the Eurasian Plate beneath the Manila Trench whereas the thick oceanic crust may have been due to the excess volcanism and the late magmatic underplating in the oceanic crust after seafloor spreading of the SCS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including seismic processing, magnetic data analysis and variations in geothermal gradient patterns on basis of reflection data from Taiwan.

Since the early Cretaceous, the Bay of Bengal was formed during rifting between India and Antarctica and then by subsequent seafloor spreading. The nature of the crust underlying the Bay of Bengal is oceanic south of 15°N, but remains unknown (thinned continental crust, serpentinized mantle or oceanic crust) north of this limit. In order to better define the nature of the crust in the northern Bay of Bengal, three wide-angle reflection seismic and refraction profiles were acquired during the multichannel seismic reflection Bengal cruise. Nine ocean-bottom seismometers were deployed alternatively on three profiles. A seismic source consisting of 64 air guns with a volume of 6180 in 3 was used simultaneously with a 10.05-km long streamer to acquire both seismic reflection and refraction data. Tomographic and forward modelings of the three refraction profiles reveal a 20-km thick crust north of the Bengal delta front beneath a minimum of 13 km thick sedimentary cover. The crust thins to about 10 km immediately south of the EW trending delta front and the thickness of sediments reaches a minimum of 7 km. Crustal velocities and velocity gradients are consistent with a continental origin of the crust in this area. At the base of the crust, high seismic velocities (>7.2 km/s) are interpreted as magmatic underplating. Wide-angle seismic reflection and refraction data cannot resolve the nature of the upper 4–5 km of crust (oceanic crust, exhumed mantle or thinned continental crust). But coincident seismic reflection profiles show the emplacement of a volcanic intrusion, sills and some seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs) located close to the northern prolongation of the Ninety East ridge before 70 Ma (Maastrichtian). However, most of the fan-shaped reflectors identified in the northern Bay of Bengal are synrift features. We conclude that the crust in the northern Bay of Bengal is thinned continental crust intruded by volcanic products with the presence of a minor amount of underplating material at its base. Such a crustal structure probably extends from the northern Bay of Bengal (19°N) to the Shillong Plateau (25°N). These new findings are critical for the oil and gas exploration presently very active in the northern Bay of Bengal area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of seismic velocities in the seismogenic part of subduction zones can reveal how material properties may influence large ruptures. Observations of aftershocks that followed the 2010 M w 8.8 Maule, Chile earthquake provide an exceptional dataset to examine the physical properties of a megathrust rupture zone. We manually analysed aftershocks from onshore seismic stations and ocean bottom seismometers to derive a 3-D velocity model of the rupture zone using local earthquake tomography. From the trench to the magmatic arc, our velocity model illuminates the main features within the subduction zone. We interpret an east-dipping high P-wave velocity anomaly (>6.9 km/s) as the subducting oceanic crust and a low P-wave velocity (<6.25 km/s) in the marine forearc as the accretionary complex. We find two large P-wave velocity anomalies (∼7.8 km/s) beneath the coastline. These velocities indicate an ultramafic composition, possibly related to extension and a mantle upwelling during the Triassic. We assess the role played by physical heterogeneity in governing megathrust behaviour. Greatest slip during the Maule earthquake occurred in areas of moderate P-wave velocity (6.5–7.5 km/s), where the interface is structurally more uniform. At shallow depths, high fluid pressure likely influenced the up-dip limit of seismic activity. The high velocity bodies lie above portions of the plate interface where there was reduced coseismic slip and minimal postseismic activity. The northern velocity anomaly may have acted as a structural discontinuity within the forearc, influencing the pronounced crustal seismicity in the Pichilemu region. Our work provides evidence for how the ancient geological structure of the forearc may influence the seismic behaviour of subduction megathrusts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Philippine Sea Plate (PHS) simultaneously subducts northwestward and collides eastward with the Eurasian Plate (EU) in northeast Taiwan. These two tectonic events induce high seismic activity, which makes northeastern Taiwan one of the most seismically active zones in the world. To understand the mechanical processes at work, we used existing geophysical data and the aftershocks recorded following a recent large strike-slip event occurring within the PHS oceanic crust. During this event, a NW–SE trending left-lateral sub-parallel to the PHS/EU convergence vector was active. As a consequence of the collision/subduction plate geometry, we show that the lithosphere of the northwestern corner of the PHS has been torn in a NW–SE orientation. This tectonic feature is associated with an abrupt tectonic stress boundary and could generate large intra-plate earthquakes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We analyze in this study a new set of marine data including 3D local tomography, 1992–2008 relocated earthquakes and two recent multichannel seismic lines to characterize the deformation style in the collision area offshore east Taiwan. We have mapped in detail the Mohos of the converging plates as well as the subduction interface with a resolution never reached before. We show that the sharp continental subduction of the Eurasia plate, beneath the middle part of the Central Range, indents the Philippine Sea plate (PSP) as attested by intra-oceanic slicing and incipient subduction of the PSP beneath the east coast of Taiwan. The westernmost part of the PSP slab is probably experiencing a beginning of break-off as attested by NW-trending en-échelon shear zones beneath the southern slope of the southern Ryukyu arc (SRA). These en-échelon shear zones have a sinistral component favored by the “collision-free” subduction of the PSP north of 24°30′N. The down-faulting of the subduction interface forms ramps along which earthquakes clusterize. Three M7 subduction earthquakes occurred offshore Suao city along these ramps with a recurrence interval of about 40years: 1920 Mw7.7, 1963 Mw7.2 and 2002 Mw7.1 events. The 1966 Mw6.0–7.5 earthquakes sequence likely outlines a WNW-ESE left-lateral intra-slab shear zone. The SRA upper plate accommodates the complex geometry and deformation of the subducting PSP through seismic deformation. Shallow high velocities fringing the Luzon volcanic arc (LVA) beneath the Longitudinal Valley and north of the southernmost Ryukyu forearc basins are interpreted as relics of the LVA forearc basement squeezed in the collision zone. Based on the accommodation of a large part of the convergence through shortening within the PSP and the subsequent segmentation of the shallow subduction interface, we consider that the nucleation of a Mw ≥8 earthquake along the southernmost Ryukyu megathrust is unlikely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During TAiwan Integrated GEodynamics Research of 2009, we investigated data from thirty-seven ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) and three multi-channel seismic (MCS) profiles across the deformation front in the northernmost South China Sea (SCS) off SW Taiwan. Initial velocity-interface models were built from horizon velocity analysis and pre-stack depth migration of MCS data. Subsequently, we used refracted, head-wave and reflected arrivals from OBS data to forward model and then invert the velocity-interface structures layer-by-layer. Based on OBS velocity models west of the deformation front, possible Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, revealed by large variation of the lateral velocity (3.1-4.8 km/s) and the thickness (5.0-10.0 km), below the rift-onset unconformity and above the continental crust extended southward to the NW limit of the continent-ocean boundary (COB). The interpreted Mesozoic sedimentary rocks NW of the COB and the oceanic layer 2 SE of the COB imaged from OBS and gravity data were incorporated into the overriding wedge below the deformation front because the transitional crust subducted beneath the overriding wedge of the southern Taiwan. East of the deformation front, the thickness of the overriding wedge (1.7-5.0 km/s) from the sea floor to the décollement decreases toward the WSW direction from 20.0 km off SW Taiwan to 8.0 km at the deformation front. In particular, near a turn in the orientation of the deformation front, the crustal thickness (7.0-12.0 km) is abruptly thinner and the free-air (−20 to 10 mGal) and Bouguer (30-50 mGal) gravity anomalies are relatively low due to plate warping from an ongoing transition from subduction to collision. West of the deformation front, intra-crustal interfaces dipping landward were observed owing to subduction of the extended continent toward the deformation front. However, the intra-crustal interface near the turn in the orientation of the deformation front dipping seaward caused by the transition from subduction to collision. SE of the COB, the oceanic crust, with a crustal thickness of about 10.0-17.0 km, was thickened due to late magmatic underplating or partially serpentinized mantle after SCS seafloor spreading. The thick oceanic crust may have subducted beneath the overriding wedge observed from the low anomalies of the free-air (−50 to −20 mGal) and Bouguer (40-80 mGal) gravities across the deformation front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We interpret seven two-dimensional deep-penetration and long-offset multi-channel seismic profiles in the northernmost South China Sea area, which were collected by R/V Marcus G. Langseth during the TAIwan GEodynamics Research (TAIGER) project in 2009. To constrain the crustal characteristics, magnetic inversion and forward magnetic modeling were also performed. The seismic results clearly show tilted faulting blocks in the upper crust and most of the fault plane connects downward to a quasi-horizontal detachment as its bottom in the south of the Luzon-Ryukyu transform plate boundary. North of the plate boundary, a small-scale failed rifted basin (minimum 5 km in crustal thickness) with negative magnetization probably indicates an extended continental origin. Significant lower crustal material (LCM) was imaged under a crustal fracture area which indicated a continent and ocean transition origin. The thickest LCM (up to 6.5 km) is located at magnetic isochron C15 that is probably caused by the magma supply composite of a Miocene syn-rift volcanic event and Pliocene Dongsha volcanic activity for submarine volcanoes and sills in the surrounding area. The LCM also caused Miocene crustal blocks to be uplifted reversely as 17 km crustal thickness especially in the area of magnetic isochron C15 and C16. In addition, the wide fault blocks and LCM co-existed on the magnetic striped area (i.e. C15-C17) in the south of the Luzon-Ryukyu transform plate boundary. Magnetic forward modeling suggests that the whole thick crustal thickness (>12 km thick) needs to be magnetized in striped way as oceanic crust. However, the result also shows that the misfit between observed and synthetic magnetic anomaly is about 40 nT, north of isochron C16. The interval velocity derived from pre-stack time migration suggests that the crust is composed of basaltic intrusive upper crust and lower crustal material. The crustal nature should refer to a transition between continent and ocean. Thus, the magnetic reversals may be produced in two possible ways: basaltic magma injected along the crustal weak zone across magnetic reversal epoch and because some undiscovered ancient piece of oceanic crust existed. The crustal structure discrimination still needs to be confirmed by future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The southernmost part of the Ryukyu subduction, where the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting under the Eurasian Plate, is known to be a very seismically active region of transition from a north-dipping subduction along the Ryukyu subduction to an ~SE–NW collision along the Taiwanese orogenic wedge. In this paper, we will focus on the Ryukyu forearc area close to Taiwan where the deformation is paroxysmal. In order to decipher the nature of the seismic deformation in this region, a three month passive experiment, combining 22 Ocean Bottom Seismometers and 51 onland stations, has been led. Starting from an a-priori heterogeneous model, we have obtained 801 well-located earthquake hypocenters, a precise P-wave tomography model and 14 focal mechanisms. The seismicity along the Ryukyu forearc is mainly located not only in the vicinity of the Interplate Seismogenic Zone (ISZ) but also within both the subducting PSP and the overriding plate. Seismicity within the upper-plate is essentially localized east of Nanao basin where NW–SE extension occurs, and northwest of the Hoping basin where strike-slip dominates. As revealed by both the P-wave velocity structure and the newly derived seismicity, we argue that a sub-vertical step offsetting the subducting PSP around 10km may support the presence of a trench-parallel tear. The PSP also undergoes extension in its upper part that is probably caused by buckling and slab pull. The P-wave velocity structure reveals three other major features: (1) a continuity between the Central Range and the Ryukyu Arc with a shallower Moho (~30km depth) between ~122.3°N and ~122.5°N along the Ryukyu Arc, (2) high P-wave velocities along the eastern side of the Central Range and, (3) two bodies with similar high crustal velocities (6.5–7.0km/s) at 12–18km depths, embedded within the Ryukyu arc basement, just north of Hoping Basin and north of the Nanao Basin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Horizon velocity analysis and pre-stack depth migration of seismic profiles collected by R/V Maurice Ewing in 1995 across the accretionary prism off SW Taiwan and along the continental slope of the northernmost South China Sea were implemented for identifying gas hydrates. Similarly, a survey of 32 ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS), with a spacing of about 500 m, was conducted for exploring gas hydrates on the accretionary prism off SW Taiwan in April 2006. Travel times of head wave, refraction, reflection and converted shear wave identified from the hydrophone, vertical and horizontal components of these OBS data were applied for imaging P-wave velocity and Poisson's ratio of hydrate-bearing sediments. In the accretionary prism off SW Taiwan, we found hydrate-bearing sediment, with a thickness of about 100-200 m, a relatively high P-wave velocity of 1.87-2.04 km/s and a relatively low Poisson's ratio of 0.445-0.455, below anticlinal ridges near imbricate emergent thrusts in the drainage system of the Penghu and Kaoping Canyons. Free-gas layer, with a thickness of about 30-120 m, a relatively low P-wave velocity of 1.4-1.8 km/s and a relatively high Poisson's ratio (0.47-0.48), was also observed below most of the bottom-simulating reflectors (BSR). Subsequently, based on rock physics of the three-phase effective medium, we evaluated the hydrate saturation of about 12-30% and the free-gas saturation of about 1-4%. The highest saturation (30% and 4%) of gas hydrates is found below anticlines due to N-S trending thrust-bounded folds and NE-SW thrusting and strike-slip ramps in the lower slope of the accretionary prism. We suggest that fluid may have migrated through the relay-fault array due to decollement folding and gas hydrates have been trapped in anticlines formed by the basement rises along the thrust faults. In contrast, in the rifted continental margin of the northernmost South China Sea, P-wave velocities of 1.9-2.2 km/s and 1.3-1.6 km/s, and thicknesses of about 50-200 m and 100-200 m, respectively, for a hydrate layer and a free-gas layer were imaged below the remnant and erosional ridges in the upper continental slope. High P-wave velocity of hydrate-bearing sediment below erosional ridges may also indicate high saturation of hydrates there. Normal faults due to rifting in the South China continental crust may have provided conduits for gas migration below the erosional ridges where P-wave velocity of hydrate-bearing sediment in the passive continental margin of the northernmost South China Sea is greater than that in the active accretionary prism off SW Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A nearly 500-km-long seismic profile with reflective and refractive wide-angle Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) data and Multi-Channel Seismic (MCS) data was acquired across the northeastern continental margin of the South China Sea (SCS). The S-wave crustal structure and Vp/Vs ratios have been obtained based on a previously published P-wave model using the software RayInvr. Modeling of vertical- and horizontal-component OBS data yields information on the seismic crustal velocities, lithology, and geophysical properties along the OBS-2001 seismic profile. S-wave velocities in the model increase generally with depth but exhibit high spatial variability, particularly from the shelf to the upper slope of the northeastern SCS margin. Vp/Vs ratios also reveal significant lithological heterogeneity. Dongsha–Penghu Uplift (DPU) is a tectonic zone with a thicker crust than adjacent areas and a high magnetic anomaly. With a Vp/Vs of 1.74 and a P-wave velocity of 5.0–5.5km/s, the DPU primarily consists of felsic volcanic rocks in the upper crust and is similar to the petrology of Zhejiang–Fujian volcanic provinces, which perhaps is associated with a Mesozoic volcanic arc. The ocean–continent transition (OCT) in the northeastern SCS is characterized by a thinning continental crust, volcanoes in the upper crust, and a high velocity layer (HVL) in the lower crust. The S-wave velocity and Vp/Vs ratio suggest that the HVL has a mafic composition that may originate from underplating of the igneous rocks beneath the passive rifted crust after the cessation of seafloor spreading. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The geodynamics and plate tectonics of the South China Sea (SCS)-Taiwan region since Miocene times are uncertain because the former extent and tectonic configuration of the subducted easternmost SCS along the Manila trench is uncertain. Here we unravel the regional kinematic context from main offshore constraints including published unfolding of the Manila slab from seismic tomography, which provides insight on restoring the subducted part of the SCS. We reconstruct a bayonet-shaped, stepped northern SCS continent-ocean boundary (COB) that consists of a northeastern SCS COB segment we call 'S3', trending N070° that roughly parallels the present SCS shelf; a 350-km long ~N-S trending segment S2 that steps north to Hualien; and, a third segment S1 that extends from east of Hualien beneath the Ryukyu subduction zone trending N085° that ends near Miyako Island in the Ryukyus. The distance between present COB and S1 gives extension through time in the Okinawa trough, with a maximum of ~100 ± 20 km extension since late Miocene (10 Ma). We interpret S1 as a zone of weakness since ~18 Ma that ruptured from Miyako Island to east of Hualien as a tear fault, with the Huatung basin-Philippine Sea plate (HB-PSP) subducting northwestward between the two sides of the tear fault. The Manila transcurrent fault initiated ~18 Ma ago at the onset of the tear and progressively moved eastward, creating the intra-oceanic Luzon arc, which began collision ~7 Ma ago along the EU margin. From ~7 to 6.5 Ma Taiwan was uplifted west of the Longitudinal valley. The Luzon arc and forearc basins were shortened within the Coastal range. Plate kinematic reconstructions from ~18 Ma to Present are synthesized in terms of continental or oceanic nature of the main PSP-HB and EU entities before their subduction that provide new understanding on Taiwan, PSP-SCS kinematics, and regional histories. • 350-km N-S bayonet-shaped Eurasia (EU) continent-ocean boundary (COB) west of Taiwan. • EU COBs before and after Okinawa trough opening constrain South China Sea subduction. • Clockwise Luzon arc rotated blocks collide EU margin before incorporation in Coastal range. • Kinematic reconstructions synthesize main stages of South China Sea subduction and Taiwan uplif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]