Abstract
A new high density geophysical data set in the Parece Vela Basin north of 15°N has been obtained through surveys conducted by the Hydrographic Department of Japan. The combined analyses of the swath bathymetry, magnetic and gravity anomalies from these surveys reveal a new scenario for the genesis of this basin. The evolutionary process is as follows: rifting and crust thinning (29–26 Ma), northward propagation of east-west opening (26-23 Ma) , east-west opening together with the Shikoku Basin (23–21 Ma), and the northeast-southwest opening (20/19–15 Ma). The western part of the basin is complicated, displaying some traces of northward propagation of the spreading center. The change between early east-west opening and the final stage of northeast-southwest spreading is marked by a distinct north-south boundary in both structural and magnetic patterns. Deep and rough topography of the extinct Parece Vela Rift is due to magma starvation in the terminal phase of the spreading.
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Okino, K., Kasuga, S. & Ohara, Y. A New Scenario of the Parece Vela Basin Genesis. Marine Geophysical Researches 20, 21–40 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004377422118
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004377422118