Kuril-Kamchatka Trench
Encyclopedia
The Kuril–Kamchatka Trench or Kuril Trench is an oceanic trench
in the northwest Pacific Ocean
. It lies off the southeast coast of Kamchatka and parallels the Kuril Island
chain to meet the Japan Trench
east of Hokkaido
. It extends from a triple junction
with the Ulakhan Fault
and the Aleutian Trench
near the Commander Islands, Russia, in the northeast, to the intersection with the Japan Trench in the southwest.
The trench formed as a result of the subduction zone, which formed in the late Cretaceous
, that created the Kuril island arc
as well as the Kamchatka volcanic arc. The Pacific Plate
is being subducted beneath the Okhotsk Plate
along the trench, resulting in intense volcanism
.
Major earthquakes associated with the subduction zone:
Oceanic trench
The oceanic trenches are hemispheric-scale long but narrow topographic depressions of the sea floor. They are also the deepest parts of the ocean floor....
in the northwest Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It lies off the southeast coast of Kamchatka and parallels the Kuril Island
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
chain to meet the Japan Trench
Japan Trench
__notoc__The Japan Trench is an oceanic trench, a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, in the floor of the northern Pacific Ocean off northeast Japan. It extends from the Kuril Islands to the Bonin Islands and is at its deepest. It is an extension of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench to the north and the...
east of Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
. It extends from a triple junction
Triple junction
A triple junction is the point where the boundaries of three tectonic plates meet. At the triple junction a boundary will be one of 3 types - a ridge, trench or transform fault - and triple junctions can be described according to the types of plate margin that meet at them...
with the Ulakhan Fault
Ulakhan Fault
The Ulakhan Fault is a left-lateral moving transform fault which runs along the boundary between two tectonic plates in northeast Asia, the North American Plate, and the Okhotsk Plate. It runs from a triple junction in the Chersky Range in the west, to another triple junction with the Aleutian...
and the Aleutian Trench
Aleutian Trench
The Aleutian Trench is a subduction zone and oceanic trench which runs along the southern coastline of Alaska and the adjacent waters of northeastern Siberia off the coast of Kamchatka Peninsula. It is classified as a "marginal trench" in the east as it runs along the margin of the continent, and...
near the Commander Islands, Russia, in the northeast, to the intersection with the Japan Trench in the southwest.
The trench formed as a result of the subduction zone, which formed in the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
, that created the Kuril island arc
Island arc
An island arc is a type of archipelago composed of a chain of volcanoes which alignment is arc-shaped, and which are situated parallel and close to a boundary between two converging tectonic plates....
as well as the Kamchatka volcanic arc. The Pacific Plate
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million square kilometres, it is the largest tectonic plate....
is being subducted beneath the Okhotsk Plate
Okhotsk Plate
The Okhotsk Plate is a tectonic plate covering the Sea of Okhotsk, the Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin Island and Tōhoku and Hokkaidō in Japan. It was formerly considered a part of the North American Plate, but recent studies indicate that it is an independent plate, bounded on the north by the...
along the trench, resulting in intense volcanism
Volcanism
Volcanism is the phenomenon connected with volcanoes and volcanic activity. It includes all phenomena resulting from and causing magma within the crust or mantle of a planet to rise through the crust and form volcanic rocks on the surface....
.
Major earthquakes associated with the subduction zone:
| Date | Location | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| 03 February 1923 | Kamchatka, Russia | |
| 02 March 1933 | Sanriku-oki, Japan | |
| 04 November 1952 | Kamchatka, Russia | |
| 06 November 1958 | Kuril Islands, Russia | |
| 13 October 1963 | Kuril Islands, Russia | |
| 04 October 1994 | Kuril Islands, Russia | |
| 25 September 2003 | Hokkaido, Japan | |
| 15 November 2006 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake The 2006 Kuril Islands earthquake was an 8.3 magnitude earthquake that hit the Kuril Islands at 11:14 UTC on November 15, 2006. A small tsunami hit the Japanese northern coast, with a larger wave following earlier small ones, due to reflection. The tsunami crossed the Pacific and did damage in... |
Kuril Islands, Russia |
External links
- http://www.skimountaineer.com/ROF/Region.php?region=Kamchatka