Lateral variation in slab orientation beneath Toba Caldera, northern Sumatra

Abstract

The Investigator Fracture Zone (IFZ) subducts beneath Toba Caldera, the Earth's largest Quaternary caldera, in northern Sumatra, suggesting a possible relationship between them. Locations of sub‐crustal earthquakes based on arrival times of P and S waves at a seismograph network surrounding Toba reveal the geometry of the subducted slab and the IFZ beneath Toba. A vertical tear of less than 20 km in the slab across the IFZ, as previously suggested, cannot be ruled out but the large‐scale geometry of the slab is dominated by a broad bend of slab contours parallel to the concaveseaward indentation of the trench. The slab shape is probably a response to the trench curvature, can explain the change in trend of the volcanic arc near Toba, and may cause shallowing of the forearc basin near Nias Island. The decrease in radius of curvature of the slab contours is not accompanied by an observable decrease in dip angle, possibly resulting in lateral compressive stress in the slab. The high rate of seismicity along the subducted Investigator Fracture Zone, that intersects the slab obliquely to its plunge direction, is uncommon at subducted fracture zones and is likely caused by such lateral stress in the slab.