Regional structure and kinematic history of a large subduction back thrust: Taranaki Fault, New Zealand

Abstract

The Taranaki Fault is a back thrust antithetic to the Hikurangi margin subduction thrust. Subduction back thrusts, like the Taranaki Fault, accrue displacement transferred from the subducting plate, and growth analyses of these structures contribute to an improved understanding of subduction processes. The Taranaki Fault forms the eastern margin of the Taranaki Basin and is part of a system that extends for at least 600 km in continental crust of western New Zealand. The fault is preserved beneath young sedimentary cover and provides a rare opportunity to investigate the geometry and kinematic history of a large subduction back thrust. Two‐dimensional seismic reflection lines (2–5 km spacing), tied to recently drilled wells and outcrop, together with magnetotelluric and gravity models are used to examine the fault. These data indicate that the fault is thick skinned with dips of 25–45° to depths of at least 12 km. The fault accommodated at least 12–15 km of dip‐slip displacement since the middle Eocene (circa 40–43 Ma). The northern tip of the active section of the fault stepped southward at least three times between the middle Eocene and early Pliocene, producing a total tip retreat of 400–450 km. The history of displacements on the Taranaki Fault is consistent with initiation of Hikurangi margin subduction during the middle Eocene, up to 20 Ma earlier than some previous estimates. Fault tip retreat may have been generated by clockwise rotation of the subduction margin and associated progressive isolation of the fault from the driving downgoing Pacific Plate.