Forearc crustal structure of Ecuador revealed by gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies and their geodynamic implications

Abstract

Along the Western Cordillera of Ecuador, fault-bounded ophiolites derived from the Late Cretaceous Caribbean Large Igneous Province (CLIP) have provided key petrotectonic indicators that outline the nature and the mechanism of continental growth in this region. However, most of the forearc basement across Western Ecuador is buried under sediments impairing its crustal structure understanding. Here, we propose a first crustal model throughout the spectral analysis of gravity and aeromagnetic data, constrained by observations made both at the surface and at the subsurface. Three main geophysical domains, within the North Andean Sliver in Western Ecuador, have been defined based on spectral analysis and augmented by 2D forward models. An outer domain, characterized by magnetic anomalies associated with mafic rocks, coincides with evidence of a split intraoceanic arc system. An inner domain is governed by long-wavelength mid to deep crust-sourced gravity and magnetic anomalies possibly evidencing the root of a paleoisland arc and the residuum of a partial melting event with subsequent associated serpentinization, the latest possibly associated with an obduction process during the middle Eocene-Oligocene. In addition, our model supports the presence of a lithospheric vertical tear fault, herein the southern suture domain, inherited from an oblique arc-continent interaction. Our interpretation also brings new insights and constraints on the early geodynamic evolution of the Ecuadorian forearc and provides evidence on the structural style and preservation potential of the forearc basement, most likely the roots of a mature island arc built within an oceanic plateau.