Alaska Subduction Zone

I conduct research in the forearc of the Alaska subduction zone to investigate the behaviors of the subduction interface and upper-plate structures.

I combine low-temperature thermochronology, thermal-history modeling, and active fault mapping to investigate forearc exhumation histories over geological timescales and their relationship with active structures. I find that the active forearc upper-plate fault, Kodiak Shelf Fault, may have been active for 6-7 Ma. The new data record a transition from previously recognized underplating to newly recognized out-of-sequence thrusting in the thickening mechanisms of the Kodiak Islands. The work also predicts the deep geometry of the Kodiak Shelf Fault and discusses how upper-plate architecture may control splay fault development and long-term activity.

The work is published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters (Fan et al., 2025) and presented at the AGU Fall Meeting 2023 (Abstract link and Poster PDF).