Origin and model of transform faults in the Okinawa Trough

Transform faults in back-arc basins are the key to revealing the opening and development of marginal seas. The Okinawa Trough (OT) represents an incipient and active back-arc or marginal sea basin oriented in a general NE-SW direction. To determine the strikes and spatial distribution of transform faults in the OT, this paper dissects the NW- and NNE-SN-trending fault patterns on the basis of seismic profiles, gravity anomalies and region geological data. There are three main NW-trending transpressional faults in the OT, which are the seaward propagation of NW-trending faults in the East China Continent. The NNE-SN-trending faults with right-stepping distribution behave as right-lateral shearing. The strike-slip pull-apart process or transtensional faulting triggered the back-arc rifting or extension, and these faults evolved into transform faults with the emergence of oceanic crust. Thus, the transform fault patterns are inherited from pre-existing oblique transtensional faults at the offsets between rifting segments. Therefore, the OT performs the oblique spreading mechanism similar to nascent oceans such as the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.