The Ryukyu subduction zone is typical of the subduction of an oceanic ridge (seamount or plateau) and back-arc rifting. How the upper plate responds to the combined effect of subduction of a bathymetric high and back-arc spreading is not fully understood. We investigate the combined effect by calculating the T-axis from regional focal mechanisms. Three patterns are observed from the outer rise to the back arc, showing a coherent trench-normal T-axis along the strike. They can be readily explained by outer-rise plate bending, forearc upper-plate bending induced by seamount subduction, and back-arc spreading associated with slab rollback. A distinct pattern of trench-parallel T-axes along the strike is also observed in the arc. This can be attributed to the difference in the extension rate between forearc extension and back-arc rifting of the upper plate, where the rate of back-arc extension driven by slab rollback is faster than that of forearc trench-normal extension attributed to seamount subduction. We also examine the T-axis patterns in other systems with seamount subduction, including the southern Manila subduction zone and the southern Central to northern South American subduction zones, displaying similar trench-normal T-axes in the forearc. Therefore, our observations have a broader implication in upper-plate deformation in response to seamount subduction.
 

Seamount subduction,Ryukyu subdction zone,Upper plate def