Temporal and spatial records of active arc-continent collision in Taiwan: A synthesis

Research Article| March 01, 2006 Temporal and spatial records of active arc-continent collision in Taiwan: A synthesis Chi-Yue Huang; Chi-Yue Huang 1Department of Earth Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter B. Yuan; Peter B. Yuan 2Institute of Marine Geology and Chemistry, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Shuh-Jung Tsao Shuh-Jung Tsao 3Central Geological Survey, MOEA, Taipei, Taiwan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (2006) 118 (3-4): 274–288. https://doi.org/10.1130/B25527.1 Article history received: 17 Nov 2003 rev-recd: 06 Jan 2005 accepted: 02 Feb 2005 first online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Chi-Yue Huang, Peter B. Yuan, Shuh-Jung Tsao; Temporal and spatial records of active arc-continent collision in Taiwan: A synthesis. GSA Bulletin 2006;; 118 (3-4): 274–288. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B25527.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Well-documented stratigraphy and clearly defined geodynamics in Taiwan, where some of the best records on arc-continent collision have been preserved, offer a unique example for the study of collision belts worldwide. The oblique arc-continent collision in Taiwan caused a simultaneous and sequential migration of four tectonic processes. Beginning from 16 to 15 Ma, subduction of the South China Sea oceanic crust beneath the Philippine Sea plate resulted in volcanism in the Coastal Range and formation of an accretionary prism in the Central Range. Beginning in the latest Miocene–earliest Pliocene, the subduction was followed by initial arc-continent collision, as supported by the following: unroofing and erosion of the deformed accretionary prism, and deposition of sediments thus derived in the adjacent accretionary forearc (5 Ma) and slope basins (4 Ma); waning of volcanism (north, 6–5 Ma; south, 3.3 Ma); buildup of fringing reefs on the gradually quiescent volcanoes (north, 5.2 Ma; south, 2.9 Ma); arc subsidence by strike-slip faulting and the development of pull-apart intra-arc basins (north, 5.2–3.5 Ma; south, 2.9–1.8 Ma); thrusting of forearc sequences to generate a collision complex starting from 3 Ma; and clockwise rotation of the arc-forearc sequences (north, 2.1–1.7 Ma; south, 1.4 Ma). The collision propagated southward and reached southern Taiwan by 5 Ma, as evidenced by the successive deformation of the associated accretionary wedge en route. Afterward, the advanced arc-continent collision stage appeared in the earliest Pleistocene, as marked by the westward thrusting and accretion of the Luzon arc-forearc against the accretionary wedge (north, 1.5 Ma; south, 1.1 Ma) and exhumation of the underthrust Eurasian continent rocks (north, 2.0–1.0 Ma; south, 1.0–0.5 Ma). The final stage of the tectonic process, arc collapse-subduction, began by 1 Ma off the northern Coastal Range.The geologic records compiled and presented in this study strongly support the scenario of a continuous southward migration of tectonic processes and a change in sediment source and structural style. Most importantly, the model has a broad potential for reconstructing and predicting the evolution of arc-continent collision through space and time. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.