Origin of the Mineoka Ophiolite.

Abstract

Geological, petrological, and biostratigraphical studies of Mineoka ophiolite and related rocks, Hayama and Mineoka Belts, central Japan, were reviewed, and the origin of ophiolite is summarized as follows. 1) Pelagic to hemipelagic sedimentary rocks occur from late Paleocene to middle Miocene. 2) Basaltic rocks in the Hayama Belt are mostly alkali basalts of hotspot origin, whereas those in the Mineoka Belt are mostly tholeiite of mid-ocean ridge origin. 3) Chemical composition of gabbros and diorites indicate island arc origin. 4) Peridotites are residues after a medium degree of partial melting. These facts are not consistent with previous ideas that the ophiolite is island arc or back arc origin only. It is concluded that ophiolite is part of the Mineoka plate in the Pacific Ocean side, not in the Philippine Sea as previously proposed. Reconstruction of plate motions of the Mineoka plate is proposed, as it was formed at mid-ocean ridge, was subducted by the Pacific plate, and obducted to the Honshu arc during Miocene age after the eastward motion of the triple junction.