Gently north-dipping Median Tectonic Line (MTL) revealed by recent seismic reflection studies, southwest Japan

Abstract

The Median Tectonic Line (MTL), with a length of more 1000 km, is the most significant fault in Japan. It juxtaposes the high-P/T Sambagawa metamorphic rocks against the low-P/T metamorphic rocks of the Ryoke belt. The MTL was probably formed in the Cretaceous with many subsequent reactivations. The western segment of the MTL is still active with an almost pure right-lateral sense of motion. Although a great amount of geological information on the MTL has been accumulated, information about the subsurface, especially the deep-seated structure of the MTL, is still insufficient. It has been generally assumed that the MTL is vertical or steeply dipping at depth because of its straight surface trace and its recent lateral motion. Recently, new geophysical data have suggested that the MTL dips gently northward at depth. We have acquired a complementary set of geophysical profiles (seismic reflection and refraction, gravity and MT) across the MTL in east Shikoku. Our results confirm that the MTL dips northward at about 30 to 40 degrees from the surface to about 5 km depth, where it becomes listric. This fault geometry more reasonably explains the reactivation history of the MTL: the motion has occurred on a listric-type fault in so-called oblique or lateral ramp manner.