Skip to main content
  • Article
  • Published:

Crust and upper mantle resistivity structure in the southwestern end of the Kuril Arc as revealed by the joint analysis of conventional MT and network MT data

Abstract

A joint analysis of data obtained by conventional magnetotellurics and network magnetotellurics (band-width, 0.003–7,680 sec) revealed detailed resistivity structure from the shallow crust to the upper mantle in the eastern part of Hokkaido, Japan, situated in the southwestern end of the Kuril Arc. The results are summarized as follows: (1) A conductive layer (a few to 10 Ωm), having a basin structure, is distributed widely to a maximum depth of about 6 km in the upper crust. Considering other independent studies, such as seismic reflection, gravity and drill core analyses, the bottom of this layer coincides with the boundary between the Tertiary and the Cretaceous formations. (2) A conductive layer (10–40 Ωm) situated in the lower crust extends from the volcanic front toward the backarc side, and is similar to feature with the Northeastern Japan Arc. (3) A highly resistive layer (5,000–10,000 Ωm) is analyzed in the upper to middle crust of the forearc side. Since the distribution of this layer is consistent with the high positive gravity anomaly region (227 mgal in maximum), the causative material may be common. A collisional tectonic event between the Eurasia plate and the Okhotsk Paleoland in the Cretaceous period may possibly be related with the existence of the layer, although the detailed tectonic implications are left to be solved. (4) The resistivity of the upper mantle is 40–100 Ωm. (5) The resistivity of the Pacific plate is estimated as 700–1,000 Ωm, which is almost consistent with that of the Northeastern Japan Arc (500 Ωm).

References

  • Arita, K., T. Iwasaki, T. Ito, A. Yamamoto, M. Saito, Y. Nishida, H. Satoh, G. Kimura, T. Watanabe, T. Ikawa, and T. Kuroda, Crustal structure and tectonics of the Hidaka collision zone, Hokkaido (Japan), revealed by vibroseis seismic reflection and gravity surveys, Tectonophys., 290, 197–210, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuji-ta, K., Y. Ogawa, S. Yamaguchi, and K. Yasukawa, Magnetotelluric imaging of the SW Japan forearc—a lost paleoland revealed?, Phys. Earth Planet. Inter., 102, 231–238, 1997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gamble, T. D., W. M. Goubau, and J. Clarke, Magnetotellurics with remote magnetic reference, Geophysics, 44, 53–68, 1979.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geological Survey of Japan, 1:1,000,000 Geological map of Japan, third ed., 1992.

  • Groom, R. W. and R. C. Bailey, Decomposition of magnetotelluric impedance tensors in the presence of local three dimensional galvanic distortions, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 1913–1925, 1989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hokkaido Mining Promotion Committee, Konsen region. in: Petroleum and Natural Gas Resources—Their Exploration and Development (1977–1988)—*, 131–135, 1990 (in Japanese).

  • Honkura, Y., Electrical conductivity anomalies beneath the Japan Arc, J. Geomag. Geoelectr., 26, 147–171, 1974.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyndman, R. D., Dipping seismic reflections, electrical conductive zones, and trapped water in the crust over a subducting plate, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 13391–13405, 1988.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A. G., Electrical conductivity of the continental lower crust, in Continental Lower Crust, pp. 81–143, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1992.

  • Kametani, T. and Y. Yoshimura, Geophysical history of Nemuro-Kushiro region, Butsuri-Tanko (Geophys. Exploration), 17, 82–91, 1964 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato, Y., M. Daguchi, M. Seto, and T. Ariga, Northeastern Japan anomaly of the upper mantle, Sci. Rep. Tohoku Univ., Ser. V, 21, 19–35, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiminami, K., Sedimentary history of the late Cretaceous-Paleocene Nemuro Group, Hokkaido, Japan: A forearc basin of the Paleo-Kuril arc-trench system, J. Geol. Soc. Japan, 89, 607–624, 1983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiminami, K., M. Komatsu, K. Niida, and N. Kito, Tectonic divisions and stratigraphy of the Mesozoic rocks of Hokkaido, Japan, Monograph As-soc. Geol. Collab., 31, 1–15, 1986 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimura, G., Tectonic evolution and stress field in the southwestern margin of the Kurile arc, J. Geol. Soc. Japan, 87, 757–768, 1981 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimura, G., Oblique subduction and collision: Forearc tectonics of the Kuril arc, Geology, 14, 404–407, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marquis, G., A. G. Jones, and R. D. Hyndman, Coincident conductive and reflective middle to lower crust in southern British Columbia, Geophys. J. Int., 120, 111–131, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsunami, T. and F. Akita, Deep geothermal water resource and reservoir assessment of Konsen district, in eastern Hokkaido, Report of the geological survey of Hokkaido, 60, 119–156, 1989 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyakoshi, J., Electrical conductivity structure beneath the Japan Island Arc by geomagnetic induction study, J. Phys. Earth, 27, Suppl., S153–S161, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mori, T., Conductivity anomalies in the eastern part of Hokkaido, Japan, Mem. Kakioka Mag. Obs., 16, 79–93, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moriya, T., Seismo-tectonics of Hokkaido based on seismicity and focal mechanism studies, Monograph Assoc. Geol. Collab., 31, 475–485, 1986 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Moriziri, R., T. Hiroshima, Y. Murata, M. Makino, and M. Komazawa, Bouguer gravity anomalies in the eastern part of Hokkaido, Japan, Bull. Geol. Surv. Japan, 51, 537–558, 2000 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Niida, K. and N. Kito, Cretaceous arc-trench systems in Hokkaido, Monograph Assoc. Geol. Collab., 31, 379–402, 1986 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishida, Y., Conductivity structure in and around Hokkaido, Japan as revealed by the period dependence of the CA transfer functions, J. Geomag. Geoelectr., 34, 453–465, 1982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogawa, Y., Two-dimensional resistivity modeling based on regional magnetotelluric survey in the Northern Tohoku district, Northeastern Japan, J. Geomag. Geoelectr., 39, 349–366, 1987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogawa, Y. and T. Uchida, Two dimensional magnetotelluric inversion assuming Gaussian static shift, Geophys. J. Int., 126, 69–76, 1996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okubo, Y., Temperature analysis in the Earth’s crust, in Handbook of Geophysical Exploration, Soc. Exploration Geophys. Jpn., 586–588, 1999 (in Japanese).

  • Research Group for Crustal Resistivity Structure, Resistivity distribution derived from ELF and VLF-MT measurements in the eastern part of Hokkaido, Japan*, Proc. 1984 Conductivity Anomaly Symp., 57–61, 1984 (in Japanese).

  • Rikitake, T. and Y. Honkura, Recent Japanese studies on conductivity anomalies, Phys. Earth Planet. Inter., 7, 203–212, 1973.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saito, M., Automatic design of recursive digital filters, Buturi-Tansa (Geophys. Exploration), 31, 240–263, 1978 (in Japanese with Einglish abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakakibara, S., K. Niida, H. Toda, N. Kito, G. Kimura, J. Tajika, T. Katoh, and Research Group of the Tokoro Belt, Nature and tectonic history of the Tokoro belt, Monograph Assoc. Geol. Collab., 31, 173–187, 1986 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sasai, Y., Spatial dependence of short-period geomagnetic fluctuations on Oshima Island (1), Bull. Earthq. Res. Inst., 45, 137–157, 1967.

    Google Scholar 

  • Satoh, H. and S. Yamaguchi, 1:200,000 Geological map, Kushiro, Geological Survey of Japan, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, P. N., P. A. Goode, and A. Sibbit, Electrical conduction in clay bearing sandstone at low and high salinities, J. Appl. Phys., 63, 4832–4840, 1988.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiozaki, I., Two-dimensional resistivity structure beneath Chugoku and Shikoku districts in Southwestern Honshu, Japan, Ph.D. Thesis, Kobe University, 276 pp., 1993 (in Japanese).

  • Shirozu, H., Introduction to clay mineralogy, Asakura-shoten, Tokyo, 185 pp., 1988 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki, S., T. Sasatani, and Y. Motoya, Double seismic zone beneath the middle of Hokkaido, Japan, in the southwestern side of the Kurile arc, Tectonophys., 96, 59–76, 1983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swift, C. M., A magnetotelluric investigation of an electrical conductivity anomaly in the southwestern United States, Ph.D. Thesis., M.I.T., 211 pp., 1967.

  • Takakura, S., Resistivity of Neogene rocks in the Niigata and Akita oil fields, Japan, Buturi-Tansa (Geophys. Exploration), 48, 161–175, 1995 (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Talwani, M., J. L. Worzel, and M. Landisman, Rapid gravity computation for two-dimensional bodies with application to the Mendocino submarine fracture zone, J. Geophys. Res., 64, 49–59, 1959.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Utada, H., Y. Hamano, and J. Segawa, Conductivity anomaly around the Japanese Islands, in Geology and Geophysics of the Japan Sea (Japan-USSR Monograph Series, Vol. 1), edited by N. Isezaki, I. I. Bersenev, K. Tamaki, B. Ya. Karp, and E. P. Lelikov, pp. 103–149, Terrapub, Tokyo, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uyeshima, M., Application of network MT method to the study of electrical conductivity structure in the eastern part of Hokkaido, Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. of Tokyo, 235 pp., 1990.

  • Uyeshima, M., H. Utada, and Y. Nishida, Network-MT method and its first results in central and eastern Hokkaido, NE Japan, Geophys. J. Int., 146, 1–19, 2001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wyllie, P. J., The Dynamic Earth, John Wiley, New York, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamaguchi, S., Y. Kobayashi, N. Oshiman, K. Tanimoto, H. Murakami, I. Shiozaki, M. Uyeshima, H. Utada, and N. Sumitomo, Preliminary report on regional resistivity variation inferred from the Network MT investigation in the Shikoku district, southwestern Japan, Earth Planets Space, 51, 193–203, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto, A. and T. Moriya, Gravity anomalies and structure of Hokkaido*, Chikyu Monthly, 11, 377–385, 1989 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hideyuki Satoh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Satoh, H., Nishida, Y., Ogawa, Y. et al. Crust and upper mantle resistivity structure in the southwestern end of the Kuril Arc as revealed by the joint analysis of conventional MT and network MT data. Earth Planet Sp 53, 829–842 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351680

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351680

Keywords