Early sedimentation and deformation in the Kumano forearc basin linked with Nankai accretionary prism evolution, southwest Japan

Abstract

AbstractEarly forearc basin sedimentation and subsidence appear to be linked with convergent margin evolution, yet they do not follow predictable spatiotemporal patterns. In the Kumano basin of southwest Japan, 3‐D seismic mapping of major unconformities, combined with biostratigraphic age constraints from two Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) drill sites illustrates the development of several tectonostratigraphic packages during early evolution and initial creation of accommodation space in the forearc basin. Between ∼3.8 Ma and ∼2.06 Ma, a series of slope basins developed between thrust‐anticlines oriented along a plate convergence‐perpendicular axis. A thin and sheet‐like interval, likely slope‐cover, unconformably overlies the slope basin sediments. Deposition of this interval at IODP Site C0009 lasted from ∼2.06 Ma until between ∼1.24 Ma and ∼1.34 Ma and was partly coeval with the early upper Kumano basin sedimentary packages. Landward, postdating the slope‐cover sediments, a third sedimentary package was deposited before ∼0.9 Ma. This section correlates with an interval rich in terrigenous material (e.g., woody debris), indicating a possible distinct source or sediment routing system. Our work supports the idea that early forearc basin sediments may be deposited in an actively deforming outer wedge environment and that the outer‐to‐inner wedge transition of the lower forearc basin is likely a multistage process. The unsteady spatiotemporal nature of inner‐outer wedge coupling may lead to erratic stratigraphic patterns, such as have been observed in forearc basins worldwide.