FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCES EDITORS Onno Oncken Guillermo Chong CerSaittce Ba e-vie4 lca (ot Hans-Jiirgen Gétze Victor A. Ramos Manfred R. Strecker iotom Mita The Andes CGMS De tte el Clete va SatitodOnno Oncken Guillermo Chong Gerhard Franz Peter Giese Hans-Jiirgen Gétze Victor A. Ramos Manfred R. Strecker Peter Wigger (Editors) The Andes Active Subduction Orogeny With 287 Figures, 159 in color D SpringerEditors ‘Onno Oncken Department 3 Geodynamix GeoForschungsZentrum Powidam “elegraenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany conckengfe potidam de Guillermo Chong Departamento de Geoiagia ‘Universidad Catoia del Norte Avenida Angamos 610, Antofagasta, Chile chongeuena Gerhard Franz Petrologie, Inst fr Angewandte Geowissenschaften Technische Universitit erin mst Reuter Plt? 1, 10587 Bern, Gerany gerhardtrarastuberlinde Peter Giese Cover igure: Hans-Jirgen Gétze Abteilung Geophys Institut fr Geowissenschaten Christian Albveen- Universitit Kel Otto-Hahn Plats 1,24118 Kel Germany hajosgeophysikunekielde Victor A. Ramos Departamento Ceneias Geol6gices LUniversidod de Buenos Aires ‘Gudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Ares, Aigentina andes@glfeenuba.ar Manfred R. Strecker Institut fr Geawrssensehaten Universit Porscamn KarhLieblnecht Strasse 24, 14476 Potsdam, Germany streckerogeounipotsdamde Peter Wigger Fachrichtung Geophys Institut fr Geologicche Wissenschaften Freie Universtat Bern Malesessrase 74-100, 12249 Bet, Germany wrgger@geophystsu-berinde Bathymetry data: Smith WHF, Sandwell 7 (1997) Global seafloor topography from stellt altime- tay and ship depth soundings Science 2771957-1962 Topography dat: SRTMSO NASA. Induction arrows from the South Chilean margin se Fig fof this volume) Selsmogram fim a North Chi- {an subduction zone earthquake (recorded 2005 by P Wig) bray of Congress Control Number; 2006533828 Issn 1863-4621 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York 'SON10_ 3+540-28320-1 Springer Bern Heidelberg NewYork |S8N13_ 978-3-540:24329-8 Springer Bern Heidelberg New York This work's subject to copyright Allughts ae reserve, whether the whole or pat ofthe materia 's concerned specifically the rights of tansation, printing reuse of ikstrationsrecations bros. “asting reproduction on micrfim orn ay other way and storage in data Banks. Duplication of {this publication or parts thereof s permitted only under the provisions ofthe German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, nits current version, and permission for use must always be obtained ‘rom Springer. Violations are Hable fo prosecution under the German Copyright Lave Springer i a part of Springer Science+Business Media springeronine com © Springer-Verlag Bertin Heidelberg 2006 Printed in Germany The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, et. inthis publication does not imply, even inthe absence ofa specific statement that such names ae exempt from the ek ‘evan protective laws and regulations and therefre fee or general use Cover design ich Kirchner, Heidelberg Typesetting aus Hacinger Stasch- Bayreuth (stschOstasch com) Production: Aimas Schimmel Printing and binding Stutz GmbH, Wirzburg Printed on aciéfree paper 30/3141/as 543210In Memoriam Peier Giese Prof. (em) Dr. rena. 1931-2005, (0n 25 May 2005, aged 73, the tcless and respected Peter Giese, Professor of Geophysics atthe Free University of Berlin, pase away. This exceptional scientist initiated the Ca Inboratve Research Centre (SHB) 267, “Deformation Proceses inthe Andes”, and served as Speaker forthe SFB from 1993 until his retirement in 1998. The peoject was success- fully completed in 2005 and ranks among Pro. Gese's many outstanding achievements. Peter Giese was born on 6 August 1931 in Berin-Kreueberg. He came to geophysics, ina roundabout way, which proved to have considerable significance for his entice scientific life. He began his studies in geology and attained his first degree in 1954, Subsequently, he changed tothe field of geophysics and in Munich wrote his Doctoral thesis on Rayleigh waves in the Winter semester of 1956/1957. This was followed by two yeas inthe ol industry, which included work in Turkey. In April 1959, Prof. Giese began work as an academic assistant at the Insitute of Geophysics at the University of Munich His preferred research area was the study of seismic refraction with emphasis on the European Alps He held lading positions in several national and international research projects and set new standards in the evalu ation and interpretation of measured data. His workin seismic refraction culminated in 1968 with his Habilitation thesis where he presented a mode fr the Earths crust under the Alps. This model maintains its validity today. Peter Giese was appointed fll Professor inthe Department of Geophysics of the Free University of Berlin in the Summer semester of 1970. Owing to his comprehen sive geoscientfi background, Prof. Giese was almost predestined to further the rin. tegration of the individual geoscietifc fields, in bath research and teaching, with a conprehensive curiculum reform. Teaching and the advancement ofthe next genera tion of scientists were always one of his primary concerns, and his lectures and classes were coreespondingly highly valued, Prof. Giese was also strongly active in the reunification of geoscience between East and West Germany through his work as Chairman of the founding committee for the GeoForschungsZentrum (German Research Centre for Earth Sciences) based in Possdam. In addition, he was substantially involved in two of the largest and most significant geoscientiic research programs in Germany: DEKORP (German Cont nental Reflection Seismology Program) and KT (Continental Deep Drilling Program). ‘As a.mark of appreciation by the whole geoscientfic community, Prof. Giese was awarded the Gustav Steinmann Medal in 1997 by the Geological Association of Ger. ‘many. In 2004, the German Geophysical Society named him an Honorable Member ducing theie annual conference in Berk, ‘After his retirement, Prof. Giese continued to participate in academic life andthe work ofthe institute as one ofthe last fll professors (“Ordinarius"). Only afew weeks before his death in April 205, the SFB 267 hel its International Final Spmposium in Potsdam and, despite hisilnes, rot Giese attend the closure event of the SFB 26? fora shor time. With the death of Prof. Peter Giese, we have lst an active, exceptional scientist, a committed academic teacher.a remarkable personality anda great person whom many of us lovingly and respectfully called “Master” ‘We will always remember him with honor.Preface Convergent plate margins and subduction zones are firstorder features shaping the Earth, Convergent continental margins combine the majority of processes that affect the internal architecture thermal and geochemical character of continental lithos phere. In addition, the close relationships between active deformation and uplift, mag. ‘matism and associated crustal growth, ore formation, the release of more than 90% of global seismic energy at convergent margins, make these plate boundaries impor- tant natural laboratories where mass and energy flux rates can be studied at various scales. Since the advent of plate tectonic theory, it has been recognized that all of these phenomena are intimately related and often governed by feedback mechanisms. ‘Accordingly, subduction orogeny has become an international, high-priority theme in process-oriented, earth-system analysis. In this context, Dewey and Bird (1970) have defined the Andes as the type representative for orogeny and associated pro- cesses at convergent margins in their benchmark paper. The Andes, therefore, pro- vide an excellent natural laboratory for studying the above processes. ‘This rationale has guided the Earth Science departmentsat the Free University ofBerlin, the Technical University Berlin, Potsdam University and the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ; the German Research Centre for Earth Sciences) in shaping the 12 collaborative research program (SEB 267) ~‘Deformation processes in the Andes. 1993, members of the SFB 267, under the leadership of the late Pro, Peter Giese until 1998, have been actively working on establishing a broad scientific bass for covering a variety of features in the central Andes. The research has encompassed all earth sci- ence methodologies, from geophysical imaging to space geodetic monitoring, and from geochemical analysis to geological observations. ‘Our goal was to develop a quantitative understanding of the mutual relationship between internal and external mechanisms in Cenozoic deformation and plateau- building at the Andean convergent margin. To this end, we analyzed two key areas: the central Andes, which is governed by plateau-style deformation, and the North Patagonian Andes, which is of an entirely different style despite the same plate kinematic conditions. Owing to the differences in architecture and evolution, we consider both areas an ideal setting for testing models and assumptions on subduc- tion orogeny. ‘The results of this research program have been published (and submitted) in over 200 papers to peer review journals. The present volume summarizes these results land adds more recent insights aimed at contributing to the international discussion ‘on Andean dynamics. There are four main sections, complemented by a collection ‘of materials on DVD. According to the rationale of the program, these sections include: several papers that deliver various large-picture aspects of the Andes; pa- pers on the elements ofa subduction system: a series of papers that analyze in more ‘detail the contribution of various agents of change’ that control subduction orogeny: and, lastly, several papers that provide images of the deep subsurface and numerical models aimed at unraveling the role of various key mechanisms contributing to ‘Andean orogeny.