Cenozoic Tectoncis and Volcanism in Northern Kyushu: Significance for Studies on Tectonic Magma Provinces

Cenozoic western Pacific is characterized by numerous subduction volcanisms, opening of back arc basins, and within-plate volcanisms in backarc regions. These phenomena suggest that thermal disturbances induced by mantle flow caused mantle melting and eruption of magmas in back-arc regions, although diverse modes have been proposed for the mantle condition. To constrain the origin of the magmatism, it is important to clarify both the geodynamics and physicochemical conditions of the mantle in the arc-back arc system. Cenozoic back-arc volcanisms and tectonics in northern Kyushu are key objectives. This paper focuses on the dynamics of the upper mantle in relation to the tectonics of the area. Cenozoic volcanism of the northern Kyushu district is characterized by eruptions of a number of alkaline volcanisms. This volcanic province extends some one hundred kilometers along the Japan Sea coast and includes the Chugoku area. Although the volcanism has been regarded as a large single volcanic province, the northern Kyushu activity is distinguishable from that in Chugoku by geochemical characteristics. Cenozoic basalt volcanism in northern Kyushu occurred mainly in the Tertiary sedimentary basins, which is common to Cenozoic volcanism in the Japan Sea Basin. The sedimentary basin deposits underwent intensive folding with extensive inversion tectonics occurring mainly around the end of Miocene. Studies on dykes and thrust faults also indicate a compressional stress field dominated in northwestern Kyushu during the late Miocene. Initiation of the basaltic activity took place in Kita-Matsuura area and expanded outwards. Basaltic rocks from the Kita-Matsuura are mostly hypersthene-normative and sub-alkalic, whereas rocks from peripheries, such as North Kyushu and Goto Islands, are predominantly less normative-hypersthene and thus are alkalic. From spatial and temporal variations and genetic conditions of basalt magmas, a most plausible source was a small-scale mantle diapir with a potential temperature of more than 1400 degrees C. Combined with an inversion tectonic background after the Japan Sea opening event, the origin of the back-arc magmatism was unrelated to large-scale mantle upwelling. Fluid-fluxed melting of the mantle is not supported by the chemistry. My proposal is active upwelling of a small-scale mantle diapir, probably from the depth of stagnant slab or mantle transition zone.