Heterogeneous Crustal Structure of the Hikurangi Plateau Revealed by SHIRE Seismic Data: Origin and Implications for Plate Boundary Tectonics

Marine multichannel and wide-angle seismic data constrain the distribution of seamounts, sediment cover sequence and crustal structure along a 460 km margin-parallel transect of the Hikurangi Plateau. Seismic reflection data reveals five seamount up-to 4.5 km high and 35–75 km wide, with heterogeneous internal velocity structure. Sediment cover decreases south-to-north from ∼4.5 km to ∼1–2 km. The Hikurangi Plateau crust (V_P 5.5–7.5 km/s) is 11 ± 1 km thick in the south, but thins by 3–4 km further north (∼7–8 km). Gravity models constructed along two seismic lines show the reduction in crustal thickness persists further east, coinciding with a bathymetric scarp. Gravity data suggest the transition in crustal thickness may reflect spatial variability in deformation and lithospheric extension associated with plateau breakup. Variability in the thickness of subducting crust may contribute to differences in megathrust geometry, upper-plate stress state and high-rates of contraction and uplift along the southern Hikurangi margin.