Crustal thickness variation from a continental to an island arc terrane: Clues from the gravity signatures of the Central Philippines

• We utilized gravity data to model crustal thickness across Central Philippines.
• Islands of continental affinity registered lower Bouguer anomalies.
• The crustal thickness across the Central Philippines varies from 21 km to 32 km.
• Crustal thickening is attributed to ophiolite emplacement and to magmatism.
• Crustal thinning is due to rifting of the PCB from mainland Asia and to intra-arc rifting.

Offshore and ground gravity data were utilized to estimate crustal thickness across the Central Philippines where a transition from continental to island arc terrane occurs. Significant differences in gravity anomalies were observed between the Palawan Microcontinental Block (PCB) and the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB), two major terranes that came together through arc-continent collision. Islands of the PCB (Mindoro, Tablas, Romblon, Sibuyan and western Panay), made up of an assortment of continent-derived sedimentary and igneous rocks and slivers of ophiolitic bodies, register lower Bouguer anomalies compared to that displayed by Masbate Island in the PMB. The calculated crustal thickness of this region exhibits a complex Moho topography of non-uniform depth across the collision zone with the thickest parts (∼32 km) corresponding with ophiolitic units emplaced consequent to arc-continent collision. On the other hand, relatively thinner crust (∼21 km) within the collision zone coincides with areas surmised to have undergone attenuation following intra-arc rifting. The same characteristics are observed offshore of western Mindoro and within the Marinduque Basin, areas known to have experienced crustal thinning following regional tectonic rearrangements that triggered riftings and intra-basin openings.