Coupled stratigraphic and structural evolution of a glaciated orogenic wedge, offshore St. Elias orogen, Alaska

Abstract

The St. Elias orogen is the result of ∼10 Myr of oblique convergence and flat-slab subduction in the Gulf of Alaska between North America and the Yakutat microplate. Extensive glaciation and a complex tectonic environment make this region a unique case study in which to examine the details of terrane accretion and the possible coupled influence of climate and tectonic drivers on the structural and topographic evolution of an orogenic wedge. Reflection seismic profiles across the offshore Pamplona zone fold-thrust belt, the frontal St. Elias orogenic wedge, provide constraints for quantifying Pleistocene deformation recorded in the glaciomarine Yakataga formation. The total amount of Pleistocene shortening observed varies from ∼3 to 5 mm/yr, compared to the current GPS-derived Yakutat-North America convergence rate across the St. Elias orogen of ∼45 mm/yr. Growth strata and kinematic fold analysis allow comparison of relative timing of fault activity, which reveals temporal and spatial shifting of active deformation during the glacial period: faulting localized adjacent to the coastline and at the current submarine deformation front. The abandoned, currently inactive region is colocated with the major glacial depocenter in the region, the Bering Trough. These observations imply that glacial processes such as sediment loading and focused erosion during advance-retreat cycles has a direct effect on the evolution of individual faults within the Pamplona zone and the overall deformation pattern in the offshore St. Elias margin. This information provides key constraints for understanding how climatic shifts may have affected the evolution of margin architecture during Pleistocene glacial-interglacial periods. Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.