Abstract
We quantified the systematic variations in global transform fault morphology, revealing a first-order dependence on the spreading rate. (1) The average age offset of both the full transform and transform sub-segments decrease with increasing spreading rate. (2) The average depth of both the transform valley and adjacent ridges are smaller in the fast compared to the slow systems, reflecting possibly density anomalies associated with warmer mantle at the fast systems and rifting at the slow ridges. However, the average depth difference between the transform valley and adjacent ridges is relatively constant from the fast to slow systems. (3) The nodal basin at a ridge-transform intersection is deeper and dominant at the ultraslow and slow systems, possibly reflecting a lower magma supply and stronger viscous resistance to mantle upwelling near a colder transform wall. In contrast, the nodal high, is most prominent in the fast, intermediate, and hotspot-influenced systems, where robust axial volcanic ridges extend toward the ridge-transform intersection. (4) Statistically, the average transform valley is wider at a transform system of larger age offset, reflecting thicker deforming plates flanking the transform fault. (5) The maximum magnitude of the transform earthquakes increases with age offset owing to an increase in the seismogenic area. Individual transform faults also exhibit significant anomalies owing to the complex local tectonic and magmatic processes.
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This work benefited from constructive discussion with Jason Phipps Morgan, Marcia Maia, Hongfeng Yang, Zhiyuan Zhou, and the Deep Ocean Geodynamics Group of the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology.
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Foundation item: The foundation of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) under contract No. GML2019ZD0205; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41976064, 41890813, 41976066, 91958211, and 41706056; the scholarship of China Scholarship Council; the foundations of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under contract Nos Y4SL021001, QYZDY-SSW-DQC005, 133244KYSB20180029, and 131551KYSB20200021; the National Key Research and Development Program of China under contract Nos 2018YFC0309800 and 2018YFC0310105; the Foundation of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association under contract No. DY135-S2-1-04; the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation under contract No. 2021A1515012227.
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Luo, Y., Lin, J., Zhang, F. et al. Spreading rate dependence of morphological characteristics in global oceanic transform faults. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 40, 39–64 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1722-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1722-5