Fluid-rich subducting topography generates anomalous forearc porosity.

The role of subducting topography on the mode of fault slip-particularly whether it hinders or facilitates large megathrust earthquakes-remains a controversial topic in subduction dynamics1-5. Models have illustrated the potential for subducting topography to severely alter the structure, stress state and mechanics of subduction zones4,6; however, direct geophysical imaging of the complex fracture networks proposed and the hydrology of both the subducting topography and the associated upper plate damage zones remains elusive. Here we use passive and controlled-source seafloor electromagnetic data collected at the northern Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand, to constrain electrical resistivity in a region of active seamount subduction. We show that a seamount on the incoming plate contains a thin, low-porosity basaltic cap that traps a conductive matrix of porous volcaniclastics and altered material over a resistive core, which allows 3.2 to 4.7 times more water to subduct, compared with normal, unfaulted oceanic lithosphere. In the forearc, we image a sediment-starved plate interface above a subducting seamount with similar electrical structure to the incoming plate seamount. A sharp resistive peak within the subducting seamount lies directly beneath a prominent upper plate conductive anomaly. The coincidence of this upper plate anomaly with the location of burst-type repeating earthquakes and seismicity associated with a recent slow slip event7 directly links subducting topography to the creation of fluid-rich damage zones in the forearc that alter the effective normal stress at the plate interface by modulating the fluid overpressure. In addition to severely modifying the structure and physical conditions of the upper plate, subducting seamounts represent an underappreciated mechanism for transporting a considerable flux of water to the forearc and deeper mantle.

Characterizing the porosity structure and gas hydrate distribution at the southern Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand from offshore electromagnetic data.

The dynamics of accretionary prisms and the processes that take place along subduction interfaces are controlled, in part, by the porosity and fluid overpressure of both the forearc wedge and the sediments transported to the system by the subducting plate. The Hikurangi Margin, located offshore the North Island of New Zealand, is a particularly relevant area to investigate the interplay between the consolidation state of incoming plate sediments, dewatering and fluid flow in the accretionary wedge and observed geodetic coupling and megathrust slip behaviour along the plate interface. In its short geographic extent, the margin hosts a diversity of properties that impact subduction processes and that transition from north to south. Its southernmost limit is characterized by frontal accretion, thick sediment subduction, the absence of seafloor roughness, strong interseismic coupling and deep slow slip events. Here we use seafloor magnetotelluric (MT) and controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) data collected along a profile through the southern Hikurangi Margin to image the electrical resistivity of the forearc and incoming plate. Resistive anomalies in the shallow forearc likely indicate the presence of gas hydrates, and we relate deeper forerarc resistors to thrust faulting imaged in colocated seismic reflection data. Because MT and CSEM data are highly sensitive to fluid phases in the pore spaces of seafloor sediments and oceanic crust, we convert resistivity to porosity to obtain a representation of fluid distribution along the profile. We show that porosity predicted by the resistivity data can be well fit by an exponential sediment compaction model. By removing this compaction trend from the porosity model, we are able to evaluate the second-order, lateral changes in porosity, an approach that can be applied to EM data sets from other sedimentary basins. Using this porosity anomaly model, we examine the consolidation state of the incoming plate and accretionary wedge sediments. A decrease in porosity observed in the sediments approaching the trench suggests that a protothrust zone is developing ∼25 km seaward of the frontal thrust. Our data also imply that sediments deeper in the accretionary wedge are slightly underconsolidated, which may indicate incomplete drainage and elevated fluid overpressures of the deep wedge.