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New Zealand's Hikurangi margin is known for recurring shallow slow slip, numerous forearc seeps, and a productive volcanic arc. Fluids derived from the subducting slab are implicated in these processes. However, prior studies lacked evidence of basic crustal structure of the slab, or of its water content that would allow an assessment of fluid budgets. We review several recent studies that place bounds on the fluid reservoirs within the subducting Hikurangi Plateau that could be released between the forearc and backarc regions. Subducting sediments are thickest (> 1 km) in the southern Hikurangi margin, where there is a unit of turbidites beneath the regional proto decollement. These subducting sediments begin draining near the deformation front, resulting in a 20-30 % loss of volumetric fluid content. In contrast, the central and northern Hikurangi margins lack a continuous unit of subducting sediment. Here, lenses of poorly drained sediment underthrust the forearc in the wakes of seamount collisions. The Hikurangi Plateau's crustal structure resembles normal oceanic crust with a doubled upper crust of basalt and diabase. Above this upper crust is a ~1.5 km thick unit of hydrated volcaniclastic conglomerates. Seamounts can locally increase the upper crust's thickness by an extra ~1-3 km, raising the amount of porous, altered volcanic material. Finally, P-wave velocity models of the slab's upper mantle show velocity changes that could indicate moderate differences in serpentinization. Active bend-faults that could circulate fluids to the upper mantle are sparse prior to subduction. However, upon subduction the upper mantle seismic velocities of the Hikurangi Plateau are significantly less in the north compared to the south, possibly due to enhanced slab faulting beneath the forearc. Separate thermo-petrologic models for the shallow forearc and deeper subduction system suggests that fluid release from volcaniclastic units and the thickened Hikurangi Plateau upper crust is expected to occur over a range of depths extending from ~12 km to ~130 km, providing fluids for onshore seep systems and hydrous melting of the mantle wedge, whereas dehydration of serpentinite is greatest beyond the arc front. Subducting sediments and volcaniclastic units are the most readily available source of fluids for shallow slow slip.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available December 7, 2025
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We present seismic two-way traveltime depth relationships for all sites drilled by the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 398, Hellenic Arc Volcanic Field, using high-resolution multichannel seismic and core data. First, we filter and interpolate P-wave velocity and density data taken from (1) whole-round cores and (2) discrete measurements on half-round cores. We establish the reliability of shipboard density measurements by comparing them with in situ logging data. Using these validated measurements, we estimate acoustic impedance and synthetic seismograms. By correlating synthetic seismograms with those extracted from multichannel seismic profiles at each site, we establish time-depth relationships. We assess the quality of these relationships by examining the alignment of major lithologic boundaries with prominent unconformities or correlated conformities in the reflection seismic data. The results of this report facilitate the mapping of core data onto the multichannel seismic profiles at each site, allowing for spatial tracing of core data across the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo volcanic field.more » « lessFree, publicly-accessible full text available June 13, 2026
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Abstract The southern Hikurangi subduction zone exhibits significant along‐strike variation in convergence rate and obliquity, sediment thickness and, uniquely, the increasing proximity of southern Hikurangi to, and impingement on, the incoming continental Chatham Rise, an ancient Gondwana accretionary complex. There are corresponding changes in the morphology and structure of the Hikurangi accretionary prism. We combine widely spaced multichannel seismic reflection profiles with high resolution bathymetry and previous interpretations to characterize the structure and the history of the accretionary prism since 2 Ma. The southern Hikurangi margin can be divided into three segments. A northeastern segment (A) characterized by a moderately wide (∼70 km), low taper (∼5°) prism recording uninhibited outward growth in the last ∼1 Myr. Deformation resolvable in seismic reflection data accounts for ∼20 % of plate convergence, comparable with the central Hikurangi margin further North. A central segment (B) characterized by a narrow (∼30 km), moderate taper (∼8°) prism, with earlier (∼2‐∼1 Ma) shortening than segment A. Outward prism growth ceased coincidentally with development of major strike‐slip faults in the prism interior, reduced margin‐normal convergence rate, and the onset of impingement on the incoming Chatham Rise to the south. A southwestern segment (C) marks the approximate southern termination of subduction but widens to ∼50 km due to rapid outward migration of the deformation front via fault reactivation within the now‐underthrusting corner of the Chatham Rise. Segment C exhibits minimal shortening as margin‐normal subduction velocity decreases and plate motion is increasingly taken up by interior thrusts and strike‐slip faults.more » « less
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