Subduction with arrested volcanism: Compressional regime in volcanic arc gap formation along east Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract

The eastern portion of the Philippine island arc system, from the Bicol Peninsula through Leyte island to the Pacific Cordillera of east Mindanao, is the overriding plate underneath which the West Philippine Basin (part of the Philippine Sea Plate) and Palau Basin oceanic plates subduct along the Miocene-Pliocene to present-day Philippine Trench. Southward younging of the trench, coupled with the presence of the left-lateral Philippine Fault Zone parallel to it, is recognized. Young volcanic centers (<7Ma to present) are well-developed in the Bicol Peninsula and in Leyte island but not in the Pacific Cordillera. There are only two volcanic centers that are exposed in the Pacific Cordillera, the Paco volcanic center in the north and the Leonard Kniassef in the south. There is a 250 km volcanic arc gap distance between the two volcanic centers. Reported inland and offshore geologic structures, from onramp structures to thrust faults, and strain rate computations suggest a predominantly compressional regime in the Pacific Cordillera from the Miocene to the present. This is consistent with the hinge advance character of the Philippine Trench and the recognized E-W directed σ1 in this part of the island arc system. It is forwarded that the prevailing compressional regime inhibited the extrusion of lavas leading to the non-formation of surficial volcanic centers between the Paco and Leonard Kniassef volcanic centers. Furthermore, the compression can also partly account for the presence of porphyry copper deposits in this part of Mindanao.

Keywords

• Subduction
• Volcanic arc gap
• Compressional regime
• Island arc
• Mindanao
• Philippines