Tectonic evolution of the Archaean high-grade terrain of South India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramakrishnan, M.

1988-01-01

The southern Indian shield consists of three major tectonic provinces viz., (1) Dharwar Craton, (2) Eastern Ghat Mobile Belt, and (3) Pandyan Mobile Belt. An understanding of their mutual relations is crucial for formulating crustal evolution models. The tectonic evolution of these provinces is summarized.

Crustal Movement: A Major Force in Evolution. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

The eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt: formation and evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Bei; Xu, Wenliang

2017-08-01

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) extends from the northern Eurasian continent in the west via Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and northeast part of China to the Russia Far East in the east. It is characterized by complex trench-arc-basin subduction system, exotic terrane (microcontinents) accretion, massive generation of juvenile crust during the Neoproterozoic-Phanerozoic (e.g., Jahn et al., 2000, 2004; Sengör et al., 1993). A lot of papers about formation and evolution of the CAOB have been published and new field observations and geochemical data for key areas of the CAOB challenge to previous assessments. Several areas previously defined as juvenile are now shown to have mixed crustal compositions. For example, Kröner et al. (2014, in press) estimated that the distribution of various crustal provinces is truly juvenile crustal material ca. 20%, mixed crust ca. 30%, old crust ca. 50%，respectively, in the CAOB, similar to those in other accretionary orogens through Earth history. A two-stage model for the evolution of the CAOB has been suggested based on recent data from the Eastern Tianshan and Beishan (Gao et al., 2011; Su et al., 2011; Chen et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2017), which suggests the process of the formation and evolution of the CAOB includes closure of the Paleo Asian ocean (PAO), formation of orogenic belt before the late Paleozoic and crustal extension and magmatism resulted from plume upon the young orogenic belt after the late Paleozoic. This new model changes previous concept that the CAOB developed through the Paleozoic and is supported by recent researches on the eastern CAOB.

Relaxation of the Martian Crustal Dichotomy Boundary in the Ismenius Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guest, A.; Smrekar, S. E.

2004-01-01

The origin of the Martian crustal dichotomy remains a puzzle that when solved can provide an insight to the geological and geophysical evolution of Mars. In this study we model crustal relaxation in order to better constrain the original topographic shape, rheology, and temperature of the Martian crust. Our approach is to model the detailed geologic history of the Ismenius region of Mars, including slope, strain, and timing of faulting [1]. This region may contain the best preserved section of the dichotomy boundary as it is relatively unaffected by large impacts and erosion. So far the only study Martian crustal relaxation [2] suggests that the original topographic shape of the dichotomy is preserved. However, in this area strain from faulting implies at least some relaxation [1].

Tectonic evolution and extension at the Møre Margin - Offshore mid-Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theissen-Krah, S.; Zastrozhnov, D.; Abdelmalak, M. M.; Schmid, D. W.; Faleide, J. I.; Gernigon, L.

2017-11-01

Lithospheric stretching is the key process in forming extensional sedimentary basins at passive rifted margins. This study explores the stretching factors, resulting extension, and structural evolution of the Møre segment on the Mid-Norwegian continental margin. Based on the interpretation of new and reprocessed high-quality seismic, we present updated structural maps of the Møre margin that show very thick post-rift sediments in the central Møre Basin and extensive sill intrusion into the Cretaceous sediments. A major shift in subsidence and deposition occurred during mid-Cretaceous. One transect across the Møre continental margin from the Slørebotn Subbasin to the continent-ocean boundary is reconstructed using the basin modelling software TecMod. We test different initial crustal configurations and rifting events and compare our structural reconstruction results to stretching factors derived both from crustal thinning and the classical backstripping/decompaction approach. Seismic interpretation in combination with structural reconstruction modelling does not support the lower crustal bodies as exhumed and serpentinised mantle. Our extension estimate along this transect is 188 ± 28 km for initial crustal thickness varying between 30 and 40 km.

A new model of lunar crust: asymmetry in crustal composition and evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arai, Tomoko; Takeda, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Akira; Ohtake, Makiko

2008-04-01

Earlier models of lunar crustal formation as a simple flotation of ferroan anorthosites (FAN) do not account for the diverse crustal composition revealed by feldspathic lunar meteorites and granulites in the Apollo samples. Based on the integrated results of recent studies of lunar meteorites and global chemical and mineralogical maps, we propose a novel asymmetric crust model with a ferroan, noritic, nearside crust and a magnesian, troctolitic farside crust. Asymmetric crystallization of a primordial magma ocean can be one possibility to produce a crust with an asymmetric composition. A post-magma-ocean origin for a portion of the lunar crust is also possible and would account for the positive eNd value for FAN and phase equilibria. The formation of giant basins, such as the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin may have significant effects on resurfacing of the early lunar crust. Thus, the observed surface composition of the feldspathic highland terrane (FHT) represents the combined results of magma ocean crystallization, post-magma-ocean magmatism and resurfacing by basin formation. The Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratios, rock types, and mineral compositions of the FHT and the South Pole-Aitken basin Terrane (SPAT) obtained from the KAGUYA mission, coupled with further mineralogical and isotopic studies of lunar meteorites, will facilitate an assessment of the feasibility of the proposed crust model and improve understanding of lunar crustal genesis and evolution.

Crustal-scale magmatism and its control on the longevity of magmatic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karakas, Ozge; Degruyter, Wim; Bachmann, Olivier; Dufek, Josef

2017-04-01

Constraining the duration and evolution of crustal magma reservoirs is crucial to our understanding of the eruptive potential of magmatic systems, as well as the volcanic:plutonic ratios in the crust, but estimates of such parameters vary widely in the current literature. Although no consensus has been reached on the lifetime of magma reservoirs, recent studies have revealed about the presence, location, and melt fraction of multi-level (polybaric) storage zones in the crust. If magma accumulates at different crustal levels, it must redistribute significant enthalpy within the crustal column and therefore must influence the lifetime of magma plumbing systems. However, an evaluation of the mass and heat budget of the entire crustal column is lacking. Here, we use a two-dimensional thermal model to determine the thermal conditions under which both lower and upper crustal magma bodies form. We find that large lower crustal mush zones supply heat to the upper crust and reduce the amount of thermal energy necessary to form subvolcanic reservoirs. This indicates that the crust is thermally viable to sustain partially molten magma reservoirs over long timescales (>10^5-106 yr) for a range of magma fluxes (10^-4 to 10^-2 km^3/yr). Our results reconcile physical models of crustal magma evolution and field-based estimates of intrusion rates in numerous magmatic provinces (which include both volcanic and plutonic lithologies). We also show that young magmatic provinces (< 105 yr old) are unlikely to support large upper crustal reservoirs, whereas longer-lived systems (> 106 yr) can accumulate magma and build reservoirs capable of triggering supereruptions, even with intrusion rates as low as ≤10^-2 km^3/yr. Hence, the total duration of magmatism is critical in determining the size of the magma reservoirs, and should be combined with the magma intrusions rates to assess the capability of volcanic systems to form the largest eruptions on Earth.

Evolution of deep crustal magma structures beneath Mount Baekdu volcano (MBV) intraplate volcano in northeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhie, J.; Kim, S.; Tkalcic, H.; Baag, S. Y.

2017-12-01

Heterogeneous features of magmatic structures beneath intraplate volcanoes are attributed to interactions between the ascending magma and lithospheric structures. Here, we investigate the evolution of crustal magmatic stuructures beneath Mount Baekdu volcano (MBV), which is one of the largest continental intraplate volcanoes in northeast Asia. The result of our seismic imaging shows that the deeper Moho depth ( 40 km) and relatively higher shear wave velocities (>3.8 km/s) at middle-to-lower crustal depths beneath the volcano. In addition, the pattern at the bottom of our model shows that the lithosphere beneath the MBV is shallower (< 100 km) compared to surrounding regions. Togather with previous P-wave velocity models, we interpret the observations as a compositional double layering of mafic underplating and a overlying cooled felsic structure due to fractional crystallization of asthenosphere origin magma. To achieve enhanced vertical and horizontal model coverage, we apply two approaches in this work, including (1) a grid-search based phase velocity measurement using real-coherency of ambient noise data and (2) a transdimensional Bayesian joint inversion using multiple ambient noise dispersion data.

An assessment of the crustal remelting hypothesis for volcanism in the Freyja Montes deformation zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Namiki, Noriyuki; Solomon, Sean C.

1991-06-01

The linear mountain belts of Ishtar Terra on Venus are notable for their topographic relief and slope and for the intensity of surface deformation. The mountains surround the highland plain Lakshmi Planum, the site of two major paterae and numerous other volcanic features and deposits, and evidence is widespread for volcanism within the mountains and in terrain immediately outward of the mountain belt units. While two hypotheses for magmatism can be distinguished on the basis of the chemistry of the melts, chemical data are presently lacking for the Ishtar region. The competing hypotheses for magmatism in Western Ishtar Terra can also be tested with thermal models, given a kinematic or dynamic model for the evolution of the region. The crustal remelting hypothesis is assessed, using the kinematic scenario of Head for the evolution of Freyja Montes. In that scenario, Freyja Montes formed by a sequence of large scale underthrusts of the lithosphere of the North Polar Plains beneath Ishtar Terra, with successive blocks of underthrust crust sutured in imbricate fashion onto the thickened crust of Lakshmi Planum and the mantle portion of underthrusting lithosphere episodically detached. The numerical experiments thus show that volcanic activity associated with the formation of the Frejya Montes deformation zone can be explained by crustal melting, due either to direct contact of crustal material with the hot asthenosphere or to heat generation in a thickened crustal layer.

A fully coupled petrological geodynamical model to investigate the evolution of crustal magma chambers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rummel, Lisa; Kaus, Boris J. P.; White, Richard W.

2017-04-01

The evolution of crustal magma chambers can be considered from a range of different physical and chemical perspectives. Most previous studies focus either on the petrological side (assuming only thermal effects and ignoring mechanics), or on the mechanical evolution (assuming a fixed melt chemistry). Here, we develop a method that fully couples petrological with geodynamic modelling, by combining a finite element code, MVEP2, with a thermodynamic modelling approach (Perple_X) that takes the evolving chemistry into account. The evolution of melt chemistry in a crustal magma chamber is analyzed by focusing on the effects of depth and temperature as well as size and shape of the magma chamber(s). The models show that each of these factors influences the melting behavior of rocks, the magma composition and their effects on the mechanics in the upper lithosphere. Interactions with country rocks (assimilation), ongoing rock depletion (fractional melting) and a possible open system behavior (fractional crystallization) and their effects on magma chemistry are taken into account. The chemical and mineralogical evolution of the melt source, composition (10 oxide component system) of intrusive and extrusive rocks as well as melt fraction and density are tracked on particles using a marker-in-cell-method in the geodynamic code. After each melt extraction event, the employed phase diagram is updated or recalculated based on the residuum chemistry that shifts the solidus to higher temperatures with sequential melt extraction. The resulting wide range in chemical compositions and the volume of intrusive and extrusive rocks are tracked in time and space over the melting region. The newly generated crust employs phase diagrams which are directly computed from the chemistry of extracted melts. Plutons are able to melt again as long as the local temperature is higher in the model than the solidus temperature in the employed phase diagram. As a result, our models make testable predictions on types of erupted lavas. We show an application to the plume-related intracontinental West Eifel volcanism (Germany), where our models explain a sudden change in K2O/Na2O-ratios in the volcanic rocks by a transition between melting a metasomatized and a pyrolitic mantle. We also show initial results from crustal melt extraction in an arc system.

Two-layer Crustal Structure of the Contiguous United States from Joint Inversion of USArray Receiver Functions and Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, X.; Lowry, A. R.

2015-12-01

The composition and thickness of crustal layering is fundamental to understanding the evolution and dynamics of continental lithosphere. Lowry and Pérez-Gussinyé (2011) found that the western Cordillera of the United States, characterized by active deformation and high heat flow, is strongly correlated with low bulk crustal seismic velocity ratio. They interpreted this observation as evidence that quartz controls continental tectonism and deformation. We will present new imaging of two-layer crustal composition and structure from cross-correlation of observed receiver functions and model synthetics. The cross-correlation coefficient of the two-layer model increases significantly relative to an assumed one-layer model, and the lower crustal thickness map from raw two-layer modeling (prior to Bayesian filtering with gravity models and Optimal Interpolation) clearly shows Colorado plateau and Appalachian boundaries, which are not apparent in upper crustal models, and also the high vP/vS fill the most of middle continental region while low vP/vS are on the west and east continental edge. In the presentation, we will show results of a new algorithm for joint Bayesian inversion of thickness and vP/vS of two-layer continental crustal structure. Recent thermodynamical modeling of geophysical models based on lab experiment data (Guerri et al., 2015) found that a large impedance contrast can be expected in the midcrust due to a phase transition that decreases plagioclase and increases clinopyroxene, without invoking any change in crustal chemistry. The depth of the transition depends on pressure, temperature and hydration, and in this presentation we will compare predictions of layer thicknesses and vP/vS predicted by mineral thermodynamics to those we observe in the USArray footprint.

The Crustal Structure of the North-South Earthquake Belt in China Revealed from Deep Seismic Soundings and Gravity Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yang; Guo, Lianghui; Shi, Lei; Li, Yonghua

2018-01-01

The North-South earthquake belt (NSEB) is one of the major earthquake regions in China. The studies of crustal structure play a great role in understanding tectonic evolution and in evaluating earthquake hazards in this region. However, some fundamental crustal parameters, especially crustal interface structure, are not clear in this region. In this paper, we reconstructed the crustal interface structure around the NSEB based on both the deep seismic sounding (DSS) data and the gravity data. We firstly reconstructed the crustal structure of crystalline basement (interface G), interface between upper and lower crusts (interface C) and Moho in the study area by compiling the results of 38 DSS profiles published previously. Then, we forwardly calculated the gravity anomalies caused by the interfaces G and C, and then subtracted them from the complete Bouguer gravity anomalies, yielding the regional gravity anomalies mainly due to the Moho interface. We then utilized a lateral-variable density interface inversion technique with constraints of the DSS data to invert the regional anomalies for the Moho depth model in the study area. The reliability of our Moho depth model was evaluated by comparing with other Moho depth models derived from other gravity inversion technique and receiver function analysis. Based on our Moho depth model, we mapped the crustal apparent density distribution in the study area for better understanding the geodynamics around the NSEB.

Crustal growth and episodic reworking over one billion years in the Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia: evidence from Lu-Hf and O isotope data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jahn, Inalee; Clark, Chris; Reddy, Steve; Taylor, Rich

2017-04-01

Fundamental to understanding the generation and evolution of a crustal block is knowledge of the relationship between additions of new material from the mantle, and the extent of crustal recycling [1]. Hafnium isotope ratios can be used to characterise relative contributions from mantle, crustal and recycled reservoirs within magmas. Oxygen isotopes can be used to constrain the extent of crustal interaction during magma emplacement. When used in conjunction, they can help unravel multiple crystallisation histories of a crustal block, and follow the source composition through magma evolution. The Capricorn Orogen records the Paleoproterozoic collision of the Yilgarn and Pilbara Cratons to form the West Australian Craton, and over one billion years of subsequent intracontinental crustal reworking. U-Pb zircon geochronology records three discrete tectono-magmatic events which resulted in voluminous granitic magmatism: the 2005-1975 Ma Glenburgh Orogeny, the 1820-1770 Ma Capricorn Orogeny, and the 1680-1620 Ma Durlacher Orogeny [2]. We present U-Pb, Lu-Hf and δ18O isotopic data from zircon from 50 samples of granites and granitoids from the Capricorn Orogen to provide constraints on the crustal evolution of the Paleoproterozoic crust. Our results confirm crustal growth by juvenile mantle input was limited to the Glenburgh Orogeny associated with the amalgamation of the West Australian Craton, while all subsequent Paleoproterozoic magmatism was primarily derived from significant reworking of the pre-existing crustal components. Time-sliced maps showing the variation in Hf and O isotopes can be used to image crustal evolution in space and time, and are particularly useful in constraining the spatial and temporal extent of juvenile magmatic additions to the crust. These maps suggest that crustal growth was concentrated along, or in the terranes adjacent to, the Yilgarn Craton margin. Our results are in agreement with previous isotopic studies [3], and provide additional constraints for the evolution of the Paleoproterozoic crust within the Capricorn Orogen. [1] Cawood et al. 2013. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 125(1-2), 14-32 [2] Sheppard et al. 2010. Geological Survey of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, 336 [3] Johnson et al. 2017. Lithos, 268, 76-86

Modeling crust-mantle evolution using radiogenic Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope systematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumari, Seema; Paul, Debajyoti

2015-04-01

The present-day elemental and isotopic composition of Earth's terrestrial reservoirs can be used as geochemical constraints to study evolution of the crust-mantle system. A flexible open system evolutionary model of the Earth, comprising continental crust (CC), upper depleted mantle (UM) -source of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB), and lower mantle (LM) reservoir with a D" layer -source of ocean island basalts (OIB), and incorporating key radioactive isotope systematics (Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and U-Th-Pb), is solved numerically at 1 Ma time step for 4.55 Ga, the age of the Earth. The best possible solution is the one that produces the present-day concentrations as well as isotopic ratios in terrestrial reservoirs, compiled from published data. Different crustal growth scenarios (exponential, episodic, early and late growth), proposed in earlier studies, and its effect on the evolution of isotope systematics of terrestrial reservoirs is studied. Model simulations strongly favor a layered mantle structure satisfying majority of the isotopic constraints. In the successful model, which is similar to that proposed by Kellogg et al. (1999), the present-day UM comprises of 60% of mantle mass and extends to a depth 1600 km, whereas the LM becomes non-primitive and more enriched than the bulk silicate Earth, mainly due to addition of recycled crustal material. Modeling suggest that isotopic evolution of reservoirs is affected by the mode of crustal growth. Only two scenarios satisfied majority of the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic constraints but failed to reproduce the present-day Pb-isotope systematics; exponential growth of crust (mean age, tc=2.3 Ga) and delayed and episodic growth (no growth for initial 900 Ma, tc=2.05 Ga) proposed by Patchett and Arndt (1986). However, assuming a slightly young Earth (4.45 Ga) better satisfies the Pb-isotope systematics. Although, the delayed crustal growth model satisfied Sr-Nd isotopic constraints, presence of early Hadean crust (4.03 and 4.4 Ga detrital zircon in Acasta gneiss and Yilgarn block, respectively), argues against it. One notable feature of successful models is an early depletion of incompatible elements (as well as Th/U ratio in the UM) by the initial 500 Ma, as a result of early formation of continental crust. Our results strongly favor exponential crustal growth and layered mantle structure. Patchett, P.J., Arndt, N.T. (1986), Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 78, 329-338. Kellogg, L.H., Hager, B.H., van der Hilst, R.D (1999), Science, 283, 1881-1884.

Geologic evolution of the Akna Montes-Atropos Tessera region, Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marinangeli, Lucia; Gilmore, Martha S.

2000-05-01

The investigated area comprises an arcuate mountain belt, Akna Montes, in Western Ishtar Terra, associated with an outboard plateau, Atropos Tessera, to the west and a volcanic plateau, Lakshmi Planum, to the east. Eight geologic units have been recognized on the basis of their geomorphic and structural characteristics as they appear on Magellan radar images. Our stratigraphic analysis shows that the geological evolution of the study area can be explained by four main steps: (1) formation of the older substrata of Atropos Tessera and Lakshmi, (2) extensive plains emplacement, (3) an orogenic phase including the formation of Akna Montes, and (4) local emplacement of younger plains. The tectonic evolution shows a deformational sequence characterized by contraction, shear, and topographic relaxation. This sequence is interpreted to be a consequence of the variation of crustal stresses and crustal thickening during orogenic events as observed for terrestrial high plateaus associated with a mountain belt (i.e., Himalaya and Tibet, Andes and Altiplano). In order to estimate the amount of crustal shortening associated with the Akna Montes, we considered two end-members for structural style of the mountain belt: a symmetric fold model and fault-bend fold model. The models are theoretical because terrestrial orogenic belts are often formed by a combination of different compressional structures. However, symmetric and fault-bend faults represent the minimum and maximum crustal shortening, respectively, and thus they do place bounds on the amount of strain recorded by Akna Montes. The first model yields a shortening value less than 1%, whereas a range of 17-34% is derived for the second model. The large difference between these values underscores the importance of fold geometries for estimating strain and to place constraints on geodynamic models for mountain belt formation. On the basis of our study we think that a combination of mantle downwelling and horizontal convergence may provide a good explanation of the geology and tectonics we observed in the Akna Montes-Atropos Tessera region.

Crustal evolution of the early earth: The role of major impacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, H.

1979-01-01

The role of major impact basins (such as those which formed on the moon before 4 billion years ago) is examined to determine the effects of such impacts on the early crustal evolution of the earth. Specifically addressed is the fundamental problem of what is the origin of the earth's fundamental crustal dichotomy of low density continental and high density oceanic crust and its relationship to the superficially similar highlands/maria crustal dichotomies of the moon, Mercury and Mars.

Late-time flux evolution of magnetars SGR 1627-41 and Swift J1822.3-1606

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, Hongjun

2013-10-01

The flux relaxations of magnetars post-outburst are of great interest as they permit detailed studies of magnetars and their environments. One model that can explain the flux relaxation is crustal cooling. In the model, heat is deposited after an energetic event in the crust and emitted at the surface. A significant amount of heat can propagate deeper inside, heating the core/crust boundary and changing the shape of the light curve at late times. Therefore, studying the flux relaxation at late times may provides a new opportunity to study the extreme environment near the core. We propose XMM-Newton observations to study the late-time flux evolution of two magnetars, SGR 1627-41 and Swift J1822.3- 1606 to test the crustal cooling model and infer physical properties of the magnetars.

Advanced Multivariate Inversion Techniques for High Resolution 3D Geophysical Modeling

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

crustal structures. But short periods are difficult to measure, especially in tectonically and geologically complex areas. On the other hand, gravity...East Africa Rift System Knowledge of crustal and upper mantle structure is of importance for understanding East Africa’s geodynamic evolution and for...area with less lateral heterogeneity but great tectonic complexity. To increase the effectiveness of the technique in this region, we explore gravity

The origin and nature of thermal evolution during Granite emplacement and differentiation and its influence on upper crustal dynamics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchwaldt, R.; Toulkeridis, T.; Todt, W.

2014-12-01

Structural geological, geochemical and geochronological data were compiled with the purpose to exercise models for the construction of upper crustal batholith. Models for pulsed intrusion of small magma batches over long timescales versus transfer of larger magma bodies on a shorter time scales are able to predict a different thermal, metamorphic, and rheological state of the crust. For this purpose we have applied the chronostratigraphic framework for magma differentiation on three granite complexes namely the St. Francois Mountain granite pluton (Precambrian), the Galway granite (Cambrian), and the Sithonia Plutonic Complex (Eocene). These plutons have similar sizes and range in composition from quartz diorites through granodiorites and granites to alkali granites, indicating multiple intrusive episodes. Thermobarometric calculations imply an upper crustal emplacement. Geochemical, isotopic and petrological data indicate a variety of pulses from each pluton allowing to be related through their liquid line of decent, which is supported by fractional crystallization of predominantly plagioclase, K-feldspar, biotite, hornblende and some minor accessory mineral phases, magma mingling and mixing as well as crustal contamination. To obtain the temporal relationship we carried out high-precision CA-TIMS zircon geochronology on selected samples along the liquid line of decent. The obtained data indicate a wide range of rates: such as different pulses evolved on timescales of about only 10-30ka, although, the construction time of the different complexes ranges from millions of years with prolonged tectonically inactive phases to relatively short lived time ranges of about ~300 ka. For a better understanding how these new data were used and evaluated in order to reconstruct constraints on the dynamics of the magmatic plumbing system, we integrated the short-lived, elevated heat production, due to latent heat of crystallization, into a 2D numerical model of the thermal evolution of segments of continental crust. Our model indicates that during the stage of enhanced fractional crystallization, the crustal viscosity decreases by several orders of magnitude, playing hereby a fundamental role in the thermal, magmatic, and tectonic evolution of the studied areas and most probably in similar regions too.

The search for crustal resources - MAGSAT and beyond

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, P. T.; Hinze, W. J.; Ravat, D. N.

1992-01-01

In the decade since global satellite magnetic field data have been available from MAGSAT, notable progress has been made in processing these data for purposes of mapping crustal anomalies. Several regional magnetic anomaly maps compiled using these new techniques (e.g. Kursk region, U.S.S.R.; central Africa; Kiruna, Sweden; and the U.S.A. midcontinent) provide insight into the nature and tectonic evolution of the crust that contribute to conceptual crustal models useful in regional resource exploration. A recent mail survey of geopotential-field specialists involved in resource exploration indicates interest in MAGSAT data and future satellite missions with improved resolution. It is apparent that magnetic anomalies derived from satellite observations can aid in the search for crustal resources.

MEVTV study: Early tectonic evolution of Mars: Crustal dichotomy to Valles Marineris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, Herbert V.; Schultz, Richard A.

1990-01-01

Several fundamental problems were addressed in the early impact, tectonic, and volcanic evolution of the martian lithosphere: (1) origin and evolution of the fundamental crustal dichotomy, including development of the highland/lowland transition zone; (2) growth and evolution of the Valles Marineris; and (3) nature and role of major resurfacing events in early martian history. The results in these areas are briefly summarized.

Late Cretaceous - recent lithosphere scale evolution of Turkey: linking the crustal surface evolution to the structure of the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartol, J.; Govers, R. M. A.; Wortel, M. J. R.

2015-12-01

Central Anatolia (Central Turkey) possesses all the characteristics of a plateau. It experienced a period of rapid and substantial uplift (late Miocene, ˜8 Ma) while significant crustal shortening did not occur. Similar to other plateaus, the presence of volcanic ash and tuff within the sediments suggest that uplift was preceded by widespread volcanism (˜14-9Ma). The lithospheric context of these events is, however, unknown. For the Eastern Anatolian plateau, similar events have been attributed to southward retread followed by slab break-off of the northern Neotethys slab. Recent tomographic results indicate that this northern Neotethys slab extended beneath both the Eastern and Central Anatolian plateau prior to late Miocene delamination and possibly even beneath western Anatolia prior to the Eocene (?). We propose a new lithospheric scenario for the regional evolution for the Aegean-Anatolia-Near East region that combines a recent compilation of surface geology data with the structure of the upper mantle imaged with tomography. In our new scenario for the evolution of the Aegean-Anatolia-Near East region, a single continuous subduction zone south of the Pontides (Izmir - Ankara - Erzincan crustal suture zone) accommodated the Africa - Eurasia convergence until the end of the late Cretaceous. In the Late Cretaceous - Eocene the northern Neotethys Ocean closed followed by Anatolide - Taurides (south) and Pontides (north) continental collision along the Izmir - Ankara - Erzincan crustal suture zone. While the trench jumped to the south of Anatolide - Taurides terrane, subduction continued beneath the Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture where the northern Neotethys slab continued to sink into the deeper mantle. In the early Miocene (˜20-15Ma), the northern Neotethys slab started to retreat southward towards the trench, resulting in delamination of the lithospheric mantle. The last part of (early Miocene - recent) our scenario is testable. We use a coupled thermal-flexural model of the lithosphere. Model results show that delamination can explain the average present-day long-wavelength topography of the Central Anatolian plateau. For the Eastern Anatolian plateau, delamination explains half the present-day elevation: the other half resulted from crustal thickening.

The Role of Crustal Strength in Controlling Magmatism and Melt Chemistry During Rifting and Breakup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armitage, John J.; Petersen, Kenni D.; Pérez-Gussinyé, Marta

2018-02-01

The strength of the crust has a strong impact on the evolution of continental extension and breakup. Strong crust may promote focused narrow rifting, while wide rifting might be due to a weaker crustal architecture. The strength of the crust also influences deeper processes within the asthenosphere. To quantitatively test the implications of crustal strength on the evolution of continental rift zones, we developed a 2-D numerical model of lithosphere extension that can predict the rare Earth element (REE) chemistry of erupted lava. We find that a difference in crustal strength leads to a different rate of depletion in light elements relative to heavy elements. By comparing the model predictions to rock samples from the Basin and Range, USA, we can demonstrate that slow extension of a weak continental crust can explain the observed depletion in melt chemistry. The same comparison for the Main Ethiopian Rift suggests that magmatism within this narrow rift zone can be explained by the localization of strain caused by a strong lower crust. We demonstrate that the slow extension of a strong lower crust above a mantle of potential temperature of 1,350 °C can fit the observed REE trends and the upper mantle seismic velocity for the Main Ethiopian Rift. The thermo-mechanical model implies that melt composition could provide quantitative information on the style of breakup and the initial strength of the continental crust.

Geodynamic models for the post-orogenic exhumation of the lower crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodur, O. F.; Gogus, O.; Karabulut, H.; Pysklywec, R. N.; Okay, A. I.

2015-12-01

Recent geodynamic modeling studies suggest that the exhumation of the high pressure and the very/ultra high-pressure crustal rocks may occur due to the slab detachment (break-off), slab roll-back (retreat) and the buoyancy-flow controlled subduction channel. We use convective removal (Rayleigh-Taylor, 'dripping' instability) mechanism to quantitatively investigate the burial and the exhumation pattern of the lower/middle crustal rocks from ocean subduction to post-collisional geodynamic configuration. In order to address the model evolution and track crustal particles for deciphering P-T-t variation, we conduct a series of thermo-mechanical numerical experiments with arbitrary Eularian-Lagrangian finite element code (SOPALE). We show how additional model parameters (e.g moho temperature, upper-middle crustal activation energy, density contrast between the lithosphere and the underlying mantle) can effectively influence the burial and exhumation depths, rate and the styles (e.g clockwise or counterclockwise). First series of experiments are designed to investigate the exhumation of crustal rocks at 32 km depth for only post-collisional tectonic setting -where pre-existing ocean subduction has not been implemented-. Model predictions show that a max. 8 km lower crustal burial occurs concurrent with the lower crustal convergence as a response to the mantle lithosphere dripping instability. The subsequent exhumation of these rocks up to -25 km- is predicted at an exhumation rate of 1.24 cm/year controlled by the removal of the underlying mantle lithosphere instability with crustal extension. At the second series of experiments, we tracked the burial and exhumation history of crustal particles at 22 and 31 km depths while pre-existing ocean subduction has been included before the continental collision. Model results show that burial depths down to 62 km occurs and nearly the 32 km of exhumation is predicted again by the removal of the mantle lithosphere after the dripping instability but the crustal rocks are buried deeper because of the downward forcing of the sinking ocean plate. We suggest that the first set of model results are comparable to the peak pressure calculations from the high pressure rocks of the Afyon Zone in western Turkey with a significant offset (175°C) in temperature values.

A multi-frequency receiver function inversion approach for crustal velocity structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xuelei; Li, Zhiwei; Hao, Tianyao; Wang, Sheng; Xing, Jian

2017-05-01

In order to constrain the crustal velocity structures better, we developed a new nonlinear inversion approach based on multi-frequency receiver function waveforms. With the global optimizing algorithm of Differential Evolution (DE), low-frequency receiver function waveforms can primarily constrain large-scale velocity structures, while high-frequency receiver function waveforms show the advantages in recovering small-scale velocity structures. Based on the synthetic tests with multi-frequency receiver function waveforms, the proposed approach can constrain both long- and short-wavelength characteristics of the crustal velocity structures simultaneously. Inversions with real data are also conducted for the seismic stations of KMNB in southeast China and HYB in Indian continent, where crustal structures have been well studied by former researchers. Comparisons of inverted velocity models from previous and our studies suggest good consistency, but better waveform fitness with fewer model parameters are achieved by our proposed approach. Comprehensive tests with synthetic and real data suggest that the proposed inversion approach with multi-frequency receiver function is effective and robust in inverting the crustal velocity structures.

Statistical geochemistry reveals disruption in secular lithospheric evolution about 2.5 Gyr ago.

PubMed

Keller, C Brenhin; Schoene, Blair

2012-05-23

The Earth has cooled over the past 4.5 billion years (Gyr) as a result of surface heat loss and declining radiogenic heat production. Igneous geochemistry has been used to understand how changing heat flux influenced Archaean geodynamics, but records of systematic geochemical evolution are complicated by heterogeneity of the rock record and uncertainties regarding selection and preservation bias. Here we apply statistical sampling techniques to a geochemical database of about 70,000 samples from the continental igneous rock record to produce a comprehensive record of secular geochemical evolution throughout Earth history. Consistent with secular mantle cooling, compatible and incompatible elements in basalts record gradually decreasing mantle melt fraction through time. Superimposed on this gradual evolution is a pervasive geochemical discontinuity occurring about 2.5 Gyr ago, involving substantial decreases in mantle melt fraction in basalts, and in indicators of deep crustal melting and fractionation, such as Na/K, Eu/Eu* (europium anomaly) and La/Yb ratios in felsic rocks. Along with an increase in preserved crustal thickness across the Archaean/Proterozoic boundary, these data are consistent with a model in which high-degree Archaean mantle melting produced a thick, mafic lower crust and consequent deep crustal delamination and melting--leading to abundant tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite magmatism and a thin preserved Archaean crust. The coincidence of the observed changes in geochemistry and crustal thickness with stepwise atmospheric oxidation at the end of the Archaean eon provides a significant temporal link between deep Earth geochemical processes and the rise of atmospheric oxygen on the Earth.

3D Thermal/Mechanical Evolution Of The Plate Boundary Corner In SE Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, A.; Koons, P.; Upton, P.; Pavlis, T.; Chapman, J.

2007-12-01

The St Elias orogen of southeast Alaska forms part of an actively deforming plate boundary corner. The corner accommodates the transition from a strike-slip lateral boundary to a convergent normal boundary. Oblique convergence of the Yakutat microplate into the corner generates early stage tectonic characteristics associated with other corner systems (e.g. Himalayan Eastern Syntaxis). In combination with the high relief, the extreme erosive processes of the region redistribute crustal material, partition tectonic strain, and influence the advection of deep crustal material. The evolution of the convergent corner is investigated using 3D numerical models and sandbox analog models. Preliminary model results indicate the deformation partitions into a narrow two-sided orogen along the lateral boundary. The pattern transitions into a wider zone of shortening bounded by inboard and outboard directed thrusts along the frontal boundary. The inclusion of erosion boundary conditions leads to nascent tectonic aneurysm behavior, involving increased strain localization and focused vertical advection of deep crustal material. Thermal models, using the 3D velocity field from these mechanical solutions, show a vertical deflection (towards the surface) of isotherms beneath the eroding region. Sensitivity of the aneurysm behavior is related to the efficiency of the imposed erosion rate (i.e. greater erosion rates led to greater bedrock uplift rates). Higher erosion rates are localized within zones containing major glacier systems in SE Alaska: Bering Glacier, Bagley Icefield, Malaspina Glacier, and Seward Glacier. Combined thermal/mechanical solutions identify the glacier valleys as rheological weakspots, defined by localized strain and differential advection of deep crustal material.

Accessory Mineral Depth-Profiling Applied to the Corsican Lower Crust: A Continuous Thermal History of Mesozoic Continental Rifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seymour, N. M.; Stockli, D. F.; Beltrando, M.; Smye, A.

2015-12-01

Despite advances in understanding the structural development of hyperextended magma-poor rift margins, the temporal and thermal evolution of lithospheric hyperextension during rifting remains only poorly understood. In contrast to classic pure-shear models, multi-stage rift models that include depth-dependent thinning predict significant lower-crustal reheating during the necking phase due to buoyant rise of the asthenosphere. The Santa Lucia nappe of NE Corsica is an ideal laboratory to test for lower-crustal reheating as it preserves Permian lower crust exhumed from granulitic conditions during Mesozoic Tethyan rifting. This study presents the first use of apatite U-Pb depth-profile thermochronology in conjunction with novel rutile U-Pb and zircon U-Pb thermo- and geochronology to reconstruct a continuous t-T path to constrain the syn-rift thermal evolution of this exposed lower-crustal section. LASS-ICP-MS depth-profile analyses of zircon reveal thin (<10 μm) ~210-180 Ma overgrowths on 300-270 Ma cores in lower-crustal lithologies, indicative of renewed thermal activity during Mesozoic rifting. Cooling due to rapid rift margin exhumation is recorded by the topology of rutile and apatite depth profiles caused by thermally-activated volume diffusion at T >400°C. Lower-crustal rutile reveal a rounded progression from core plateaus at ~170 Ma to 150-145 Ma at the outer 8-10 μm of grains while middle-crustal apatite records 170 Ma cores grading to 140-135 Ma rims. Inverse modeling of rutile profiles suggests the lower crust cooled from 700°C at 200 Ma to 425°C at 140 Ma. Middle-crustal apatite yield a two-stage history, with rapid cooling from 500°C at 200 Ma to 420°C at ~180 Ma followed by slow cooling to 400°C by 160 Ma. Combined with zircon overgrowth ages, these data indicate the Santa Lucia nappe underwent a thermal pulse in the late Triassic-early Jurassic associated with depth-dependent thinning and hyperextension of the Corsican margin.

A tectonic model for the Tertiary evolution of strike slip faults and rift basins in SE Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morley, C. K.

2002-04-01

Models for the Tertiary evolution of SE Asia fall into two main types: a pure escape tectonics model with no proto-South China Sea, and subduction of proto-South China Sea oceanic crust beneath Borneo. A related problem is which, if any, of the main strike-slip faults (Mae Ping, Three Pagodas and Aliao Shan-Red River (ASRR)) cross Sundaland to the NW Borneo margin to facilitate continental extrusion? Recent results investigating strike-slip faults, rift basins, and metamorphic core complexes are reviewed and a revised tectonic model for SE Asia proposed. Key points of the new model include: (1) The ASRR shear zone was mainly active in the Eocene-Oligocene in order to link with extension in the South China Sea. The ASRR was less active during the Miocene (tens of kilometres of sinistral displacement), with minor amounts of South China Sea spreading centre extension transferred to the ASRR shear zone. (2) At least three important regions of metamorphic core complex development affected Indochina from the Oligocene-Miocene (Mogok gneiss belt; Doi Inthanon and Doi Suthep; around the ASRR shear zone). Hence, Paleogene crustal thickening, buoyancy-driven crustal collapse, and lower crustal flow are important elements of the Tertiary evolution of Indochina. (3) Subduction of a proto-South China Sea oceanic crust during the Eocene-Early Miocene is necessary to explain the geological evolution of NW Borneo and must be built into any model for the region. (4) The Eocene-Oligocene collision of NE India with Burma activated extrusion tectonics along the Three Pagodas, Mae Ping, Ranong and Klong Marui faults and right lateral motion along the Sumatran subduction zone. (5) The only strike-slip fault link to the NW Borneo margin occurred along the trend of the ASRR fault system, which passes along strike into a right lateral transform system including the Baram line.

Dynamic computer model for the metallogenesis and tectonics of the Circum-North Pacific

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scotese, Christopher R.; Nokleberg, Warren J.; Monger, James W.H.; Norton, Ian O.; Parfenov, Leonid M.; Khanchuk, Alexander I.; Bundtzen, Thomas K.; Dawson, Kenneth M.; Eremin, Roman A.; Frolov, Yuri F.; Fujita, Kazuya; Goryachev, Nikolai A.; Pozdeev, Anany I.; Ratkin, Vladimir V.; Rodinov, Sergey M.; Rozenblum, Ilya S.; Scholl, David W.; Shpikerman, Vladimir I.; Sidorov, Anatoly A.; Stone, David B.

2001-01-01

The digital files on this report consist of a dynamic computer model of the metallogenesis and tectonics of the Circum-North Pacific, and background articles, figures, and maps. The tectonic part of the dynamic computer model is derived from a major analysis of the tectonic evolution of the Circum-North Pacific which is also contained in directory tectevol. The dynamic computer model and associated materials on this CD-ROM are part of a project on the major mineral deposits, metallogenesis, and tectonics of the Russian Far East, Alaska, and the Canadian Cordillera. The project provides critical information on bedrock geology and geophysics, tectonics, major metalliferous mineral resources, metallogenic patterns, and crustal origin and evolution of mineralizing systems for this region. The major scientific goals and benefits of the project are to: (1) provide a comprehensive international data base on the mineral resources of the region that is the first, extensive knowledge available in English; (2) provide major new interpretations of the origin and crustal evolution of mineralizing systems and their host rocks, thereby enabling enhanced, broad-scale tectonic reconstructions and interpretations; and (3) promote trade and scientific and technical exchanges between North America and Eastern Asia.

Crustal-Scale Fault Interaction at Rifted Margins and the Formation of Domain-Bounding Breakaway Complexes: Insights From Offshore Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osmundsen, P. T.; Péron-Pinvidic, G.

2018-03-01

The large-magnitude faults that control crustal thinning and excision at rifted margins combine into laterally persistent structural boundaries that separate margin domains of contrasting morphology and structure. We term them breakaway complexes. At the Mid-Norwegian margin, we identify five principal breakaway complexes that separate the proximal, necking, distal, and outer margin domains. Downdip and lateral interactions between the faults that constitute breakaway complexes became fundamental to the evolution of the 3-D margin architecture. Different types of fault interaction are observed along and between these faults, but simple models for fault growth will not fully describe their evolution. These structures operate on the crustal scale, cut large thicknesses of heterogeneously layered lithosphere, and facilitate fundamental margin processes such as deformation coupling and exhumation. Variations in large-magnitude fault geometry, erosional footwall incision, and subsequent differential subsidence along the main breakaway complexes likely record the variable efficiency of these processes.

Ca Isotopes Fingerprinting the Earliest Crustal Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreissig, K.; Elliott, T. R.

2001-12-01

The mechanisms of continent formation remain unclear and can be explained in two contrasting ways, using either a steady state crustal growth model involving massive crustal recycling or continuous crustal growth models. Recent developments in mass spectrometry manifest in the new Finnigan-Triton allow Ca isotopic measurements precise enough to use the K-Ca isotope system to address the problem of early Archaean crustal evolution. Due to a strong fractionation of 40K and 40Ca during continent formation and a non-linear growth of 40Ca, Archaean continental crust should show radiogenic initial Ca isotopic composition if large volumes of it have already been existed 3.6 Ga ago. Simple 15-step calculations predict a difference in 40Ca /44Ca of 9 epsilon units at 3.6 Ga between the two crustal growth models. To test this, as well as to study the earliest crust formation processes, plagioclase separates from Archaean provinces reflecting the initial Ca isotopic composition and a range of different whole rock samples have been analysed. Preliminary data for ~ 3.6 Ga old TTGs from Zimbabwe show 40Ca /44Ca indistinguishable from the mantle. This is in agreement with rather chondritic initial Sr and Nd data and might reflect a short residence time of the juvenile mafic oceanic crust before partial melting forming the first continental crust. In contrast, the first results for 3.65 Ga old samples from the Itsaq Gneiss Complex of southern West Greenland yield a more evolved radiogenic Ca signature. This can be interpreted in two different ways. Either as partial melting of juvenile mafic crust shortly after its formation but incorporating already existing crust as also suggested by the existence of older inherited zircons in these rocks and negative ɛ Hf values. Partial melting of mafic oceanic crust long after its formation so that 40K and 40Ca had time to evolve would be an alternative explanation. Importantly, there is no evidence so far for high growth and recycling rates prior to 3.6 Ga as required by the most extreme 'big bang' model.

Structure and Evolution of the Forearc-Arc Crust Along the Tonga-Kermadec Subduction System from Integrated Geophysical Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funnell, M.; Peirce, C.; Robinson, A. H.; Watts, A. B.; Grevemeyer, I.

2016-12-01

Variations in tectonic forces and inputs to subduction systems generate, alter, and deform overriding crustal material. Although these processes are recorded in the crustal structure of volcanic arcs and their backarcs, the continuous nature of plate convergence superimposes subsequent episodes of crustal evolution on older features. Seismic imaging at modern subduction zones enhances our understanding of forearc development and variations in present-day deformation caused by inherited structures. In 2011 a set of multichannel and wide-angle seismic profiles imaged the forearc-arc crust and upper mantle structure along the 2700 km-long NNE-SSW trending Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone. The Tonga forearc region exhibits an 100 km-wide, 2 km high bathymetric elevation, with a 3 km-thick upper and mid-crust (Vp <6 km s-1), and a lower-crustal ridge 30 km wide comprising velocities up to 7.4 km s-1 that characterize an extinct Eocene ( 50 Ma) arc. By contrast, the active arc is <10 km wide and exhibits lower-crustal velocities below 7.0 km s-1, most likely representing intermediate compositions. This structural change suggests significant evolution, alteration, and modification of the overriding crust since the onset of subduction at this margin. Gravity anomaly modelling suggests that the extinct arc within the Tonga forearc region comprises relatively dense mafic-ultrabasic material that extends south beneath the Kermadec forearc and terminates at 32°S. The apparent southern termination of the extinct arc coincides with the partitioning of morphological features at 32°S, including a 10-km westward-step of the active arc and a 1.5 km deeper backarc to the south. We propose that tectonic partitioning about the 32°S boundary is the result of variations in the inherited crustal structure, which is divided by the presence and absence, to the north and south respectively, of the extinct volcanic arc.

Present-Day Mars' Seismicity Predicted From 3-D Thermal Evolution Models of Interior Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plesa, A.-C.; Knapmeyer, M.; Golombek, M. P.; Breuer, D.; Grott, M.; Kawamura, T.; Lognonné, P.; Tosi, N.; Weber, R. C.

2018-03-01

The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport mission, to be launched in 2018, will perform a comprehensive geophysical investigation of Mars in situ. The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure package aims to detect global and regional seismic events and in turn offer constraints on core size, crustal thickness, and core, mantle, and crustal composition. In this study, we estimate the present-day amount and distribution of seismicity using 3-D numerical thermal evolution models of Mars, taking into account contributions from convective stresses as well as from stresses associated with cooling and planetary contraction. Defining the seismogenic lithosphere by an isotherm and assuming two end-member cases of 573 K and the 1073 K, we determine the seismogenic lithosphere thickness. Assuming a seismic efficiency between 0.025 and 1, this thickness is used to estimate the total annual seismic moment budget, and our models show values between 5.7 × 1016 and 3.9 × 1019 Nm.

New Crustal Field Models of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mittelholz, A.; Morschhauser, A.; Johnson, C.

2017-12-01

The crustal magnetic field on Mars has been subject of extensive analysis, as it provides us with information about the history of the dynamo, the iron mineralogy of the crust, and the processes that have affected the acquisition and any subsequent modification of crustal magnetization. Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) measured strong, localized crustal magnetic fields, mostly occurring in the southern hemisphere. MGS data were taken mostly at altitudes of 360 - 440 km, with limited (geographically and in local time) observations obtained at lower altitudes. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft has been in orbit since 2014. MAVEN magnetic field data complement those from MGS by globally expanding the spatial data distribution down to altitudes of 130 km, thus constraining shorter-wavelength structure in the field. Morschhauser et al. (2014) used the full MGS data set to build a spherical harmonic model for the crustal magnetic field up to spherical harmonic degree (l) and order (m) 110 ( λ≈195 km), while accounting for large-scale fields of non-crustal origin. We adopt a similar modeling approach, incorporating MAVEN data and inverting to higher l,m (e.g., λ≈130 km corresponds to l≈165). In order to avoid leakage of external field signals into the crustal field model, we select only nighttime data, use a modified Huber-Norm to treat data outliers and co-estimate a time-variable external field. We have also used another technique to model the field regionally. In this Equivalent Source Dipole (ESD) approach we solve for the magnetization of an assumed uniformly-magnetized layer, represented by equidistant dipoles placed at a single source depth. The ESD inversions indicate that shorter wavelength, weak signals are indeed resolvable in the MAVEN data. A comparison of the field models resulting from the two inversion techniques allows us to confidently identify new lithospheric field information available from the MAVEN observations.

Crustal structure of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica: Implications for its tectonic evolution from a geophysical dataset.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalberg, Thomas; Gohl, Karsten

2013-04-01

The Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica is a centrepiece in understanding the history of the New Zealand - Antarctica breakup. This region plays a key role in plate kinematic reconstruction of the southern Pacific from the collision of the Hikurangi Plateau with the Gondwana subduction margin to the evolution of the West Antarctic Rift System. During two RV Polarstern cruises in 2006 and 2010, a large geophysical dataset was collected consisting of seismic refraction and reflection profiles, shipborne gravity and helicopter magnetic measurements. The data provide constraints on the crustal architecture, the structural evolution and the tectonic block formation during and after the Cretaceous continental breakup. We present two continental rise-to-shelf P-wave velocity models which were derived from forward travel-time modelling of ocean bottom hydrophone recordings which provide an insight into the crustal and upper mantle architecture beneath the Amundsen Sea Embayment for the first time. The sedimentary sequences and the basement were constrained by seismic reflection data. A 2-D density-depth model supports and complements the P-wave modelling. Observed P-wave velocities show 10 to 14 km thick crust of the continental rise and up to 28 km thick crust beneath the middle and inner shelf. The crust of the continental rise is characterized by a small gradient in thickness. Including horst and graben structures this can be associated with wide-mode rifting. A high velocity zone with velocities ranging between 7.1 and 7.6 km/s indicate magmatic underplating of variable thickness along the entire transect. We classify this margin as one of volcanic type rather than magma poor because of the high-velocity zone and seaward dipping reflectors observed from the seismic reflection data. We discuss the possibility of a serpentinized upper mantle caused by seawater penetration at the Marie Byrd Seamounts. The crustal structure, distinct zones in potential field anomalies indicate several phases of fully developed and failed rift systems and a possible branch of the West Antarctic Rift System in the Amundsen Sea Embayment.

Crustal strength anisotropy influences landscape form and longevity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, S. G.; Koons, P. O.; Upton, P.; Tucker, G. E.

2013-12-01

Lithospheric deformation is increasingly recognized as integral to landscape evolution. Here we employ a coupled orogenic and landscape model to test the hypothesis that strain-induced crustal failure exerts the dominant control on rates and patterns of orogenic landscape evolution. We assume that erodibility is inversely proportional to cohesion for bedrock rivers host to bedload abrasion. Crustal failure can potentially reduce cohesion by several orders of magnitude along meter scale planar fault zones. The strain-induced cohesion field is generated by use of a strain softening upper crustal rheology in our orogenic model. Based on the results of our coupled model, we predict that topographic anisotropy found in natural orogens is largely a consequence of strain-induced anisotropy in the near surface strength field. The lifespan and geometry of mountain ranges are strongly sensitive to 1) the acute division in erodibility values between the damaged fault zones and the surrounding intact rock and 2) the fault zone orientations for a given tectonic regime. The large division in erodibility between damaged and intact rock combined with the dependence on fault zone orientation provides a spectrum of rates at which a landscape will respond to tectonic or climatic perturbations. Knickpoint migration is about an order of magnitude faster along the exposed cores of fault zones when compared to rates in intact rock, and migration rate increases with fault dip. The contrast in relative erosion rate confines much of the early stage fluvial erosion and establishes a major drainage network that reflects the orientations of exposed fault zones. Slower erosion into the surrounding intact rock typically creates small tributaries that link orthogonally to the structurally confined channels. The large divide in fluvial erosion rate permits the long term persistence of the tectonic signal in the landscape and partly contributes to orogen longevity. Landscape morphology and channel tortuosity together provide critical information on the orientation and spatial distribution of fault damage and the relevant tectonic regime. Our landscape evolution models express similar mechanisms and produce drainage network patterns analogous to those seen in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and the Himalayan Eastern Syntaxis, both centers of active lithospheric deformation.

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Mars Geophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

The titles in this section include: 1) An Extraordinary Magnetic Field Map of Mars; 2) Mapping Weak Crustal Magnetic Fields on Mars with Electron Reflectometry; 3) Analytic Signal in the Interpretation of Mars Southern Highlands Magnetic Field; 4) Modeling of Major Martian Magnetic Anomalies: Further Evidence for Polar Reorientations During the Noachian; 5) An Improved Model of the Crustal Structure of Mars; 6) Geologic Evolution of the Martian Dichotomy and Plains Magnetization in the Ismenius Area of Mars; 7) Relaxation of the Martian Crustal Dichotomy Boundary in the Ismenius Region; 8) Localized Tharsis Loading on Mars: Testing the Membrane Surface Hypothesis; 9) Thermal Stresses and Tharsis Loading: Implications for Wrinkle Ridge Formation on Mars; 10) What Can be Learned about the Martian Lithosphere from Gravity and Topography Data? 11) A Gravity Analysis of the Subsurface Structure of the Utopia Impact Basin; 12) Mechanics of Utopia Basin on Mars; 13) Burying the 'Buried Channels' on Mars: An Alternative Explanation.

How to build stable geochemical reservoirs on Mars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plesa, Ana-Catalina; Tosi, Nicola; Breuer, Doris

2014-05-01

To explain the complex thermo-chemical processes needed for the formation of distinct and stable geochemical reservoirs early in the thermo-chemical evolution of Mars, most geochemical studies argue that fractional crystallization of a global magma ocean may reproduce the isotopic characteristic of the SNCs [1, 2]. However, geodynamical models show that such scenario is difficult to reconcile with other observations like late volcanic activity and crustal density values as obtained from gravity and topography modelling [3, 4]. The stable density gradient, which establishes after the mantle overturn has completed, inhibits thermal convection. Albeit capable to provide stable reservoirs, this scenario suggests a conductive mantle after the overturn which on the one hand fails to sample deep regions of the mantle and on the other hand is clearly at odds with the volcanic history of Mars. This is best explained by assuming a convective mantle and partial melting as the principal agents responsible for the generation and evolution of Martian volcanism. Therefore, in this work an alternative scenario for the formation of early stable geochemical reservoirs is presented similar to the model of [5]. We investigate the influence of partial melting on mantle dynamics, crustal formation, and volcanic outgassing of a one-plate planet using a 2D mantle convection code. When melt is extracted to form crust, the mantle material left behind is more buoyant than its parent material and depleted in radioactive heat sources. The extracted heat-producing elements are then enriched in the crust, which also has an insulating effect due to its lower thermal conductivity compared to the mantle. In addition, partial melting can influence the mantle rheology through the dehydration (water depletion) of the mantle material by volcanic outgassing. As a consequence, the viscosity of water-depleted regions increases more than two orders of magnitude compared to water-saturated rocks resulting in slower cooling rates. The most important parameter influencing the thermo-chemical evolution is the assumed density difference between the primitive and the depleted mantle material (i.e., between peridotite and harzburgite). With small or negligible values of compositional buoyancy, crustal formation including crustal delamination is very efficient, also resulting in efficient processing and degassing of the mantle. The entire convecting mantle below the stagnant lid depletes continuously with time. In contrast, with increasing compositional buoyancy, crustal formation and mantle degassing are strongly suppressed although partial melting is substantially prolonged in the thermal evolution. The crust shows strong lateral variations in thickness, and crustal delamination is reduced and occurs only locally. Furthermore, two to four different mantle reservoirs can form depending on the initial temperature distribution [6]. Some of these reservoirs can be sustained during the entire evolution whereas others change with time - a scenario possibly valid for Mars as it may explain the isotope characteristic of the Martian meteorites. References: [1] Elkins-Tanton et al., 2005, EPSL; [2] Debaille et al., 2009, Nature; [3] Tosi et al., 2013, JGR; [4] Plesa et al., submitted to EPSL; [5] Ogawa and Yanagisawa 2011, JGR; [6] Plesa and Breuer, 2013, PSS.

West-directed thrusting south of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis indicates clockwise crustal flow at the indenter corner during the India-Asia collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haproff, Peter J.; Zuza, Andrew V.; Yin, An

2018-01-01

Whether continental deformation is accommodated by microplate motion or continuum flow is a central issue regarding the nature of Cenozoic deformation surrounding the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. The microplate model predicts southeastward extrusion of rigid blocks along widely-spaced strike-slip faults, whereas the crustal-flow model requires clockwise crustal rotation along closely-spaced, semi-circular right-slip faults around the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. Although global positioning system (GPS) data support the crustal-flow model, the surface velocity field provides no information on the evolution of the India-Asia orogenic system at million-year scales. In this work, we present the results of systematic geologic mapping across the northernmost segment of the Indo-Burma Ranges, located directly southeast of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. Early research inferred the area to have experienced either right-slip faulting accommodating northward indentation of India or thrusting due to the eastward continuation of the Himalayan orogen in the Cenozoic. Our mapping supports the presence of dip-slip thrust faults, rather than strike-slip faults. Specifically, the northern Indo-Burma Ranges exposes south- to west-directed ductile thrust shear zones in the hinterland and brittle fault zones in the foreland. The trends of ductile stretching lineations within thrust shear zones and thrust sheets rotate clockwise from the northeast direction in the northern part of the study area to the east direction in the southern part of the study area. This clockwise deflection pattern of lineations around the eastern Himalayan syntaxis mirrors the clockwise crustal-rotation pattern as suggested by the crustal-flow model and contemporary GPS velocity field. However, our finding is inconsistent with discrete strike-slip deformation in the area and the microplate model.

Ductile crustal flow in Europe's lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesauro, Magdala; Burov, Evgene B.; Kaban, Mikhail K.; Cloetingh, Sierd A. P. L.

2011-12-01

Potential gravity theory (PGT) predicts the presence of significant gravity-induced horizontal stresses in the lithosphere associated with lateral variations in plate thickness and composition. New high resolution crustal thickness and density data provided by the EuCRUST-07 model are used to compute the associated lateral pressure gradients (LPG), which can drive horizontal ductile flow in the crust. Incorporation of these data in channel flow models allows us to use potential gravity theory to assess horizontal mass transfer and stress transmission within the European crust. We explore implications of the channel flow concept for a possible range of crustal strength, using end-member 'hard' and 'soft' crustal rheologies to estimate strain rates at the bottom of the ductile crustal layers. The models show that the effects of channel flow superimposed on the direct effects of plate tectonic forces might result in additional significant horizontal and vertical movements associated with zones of compression or extension. To investigate relationships between crustal and mantle lithospheric movements, we compare these results with the observed directions of mantle lithospheric anisotropy and GPS velocity vectors. We identify areas whose evolution could have been significantly affected by gravity-driven ductile crustal flow. Large values of the LPG are predicted perpendicular to the axes of European mountain belts, such as the Alps, Pyrenees-Cantabrian Mountains, Dinarides-Hellenic arc and Carpathians. In general, the crustal flow is directed away from orogens towards adjacent weaker areas. Gravitational forces directed from areas of high gravitational potential energy to subsiding basin areas can strongly reduce lithospheric extension in the latter, leading to a gradual late stage inversion of the entire system. Predicted pressure and strain rate gradients suggest that gravity driven flow may play an essential role in European intraplate tectonics. In particular, in a number of regions the predicted strain rates are comparable to tectonically induced strain rates. These results are also important for quantifying the thickness of the low viscosity zones in the lowermost part of the crustal layers.

Topographic evolution of orogens: The long term perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robl, Jörg; Hergarten, Stefan; Prasicek, Günther

2017-04-01

The landscape of mountain ranges reflects the competition of tectonics and climate, that build up and destroy topography, respectively. While there is a broad consensus on the acting processes, there is a vital debate whether the topography of individual orogens reflects stages of growth, steady-state or decay. This debate is fuelled by the million-year time scales hampering direct observations on landscape evolution in mountain ranges, the superposition of various process patterns and the complex interactions among different processes. In this presentation we focus on orogen-scale landscape evolution based on time-dependent numerical models and explore model time series to constrain the development of mountain range topography during an orogenic cycle. The erosional long term response of rivers and hillslopes to uplift can be mathematically formalised by the stream power and mass diffusion equations, respectively, which enables us to describe the time-dependent evolution of topography in orogens. Based on a simple one-dimensional model consisting of two rivers separated by a watershed we explain the influence of uplift rate and rock erodibility on steady-state channel profiles and show the time-dependent development of the channel - drainage divide system. The effect of dynamic drainage network reorganization adds additional complexity and its effect on topography is explored on the basis of two-dimensional models. Further complexity is introduced by coupling a mechanical model (thin viscous sheet approach) describing continental collision, crustal thickening and topography formation with a stream power-based landscape evolution model. Model time series show the impact of crustal deformation on drainage networks and consequently on the evolution of mountain range topography (Robl et al., in review). All model outcomes, from simple one-dimensional to coupled two dimensional models are presented as movies featuring a high spatial and temporal resolution. Robl, J., S. Hergarten, and G. Prasicek (in review), The topographic state of mountain ranges, Earth Science Reviews.

Concept for a research project in early crustal genesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, R. J. (Compiler); Ashwal, L. (Compiler)

1983-01-01

Planetary volatiles, physical and chemical planetary evolution, surface processes, planetary formation, metallogenesis, crustal features and their development, tectonics, and paleobiology are discussed.

Petrographic, geochemical and isotopic evidence of crustal assimilation processes in the Ponte Nova alkaline mafic-ultramafic massif, SE Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azzone, Rogério Guitarrari; Montecinos Munoz, Patricio; Enrich, Gaston Eduardo Rojas; Alves, Adriana; Ruberti, Excelso; Gomes, Celsode Barros

2016-09-01

Crustal assimilation plus crystal fractionation processes of different basanite magma batches control the evolution of the Ponte Nova cretaceous alkaline mafic-ultramafic massif in SE Brazil. This massif is composed of several intrusions, the main ones with a cumulate character. Disequilibrium features in the early-crystallized phases (e.g., corrosion and sieve textures in cores of clinopyroxene crystals, spongy-cellular-textured plagioclase crystals, gulf corrosion texture in olivine crystals) and classical hybridization textures (e.g., blade biotite and acicular apatite crystals) provide strong evidence of open-system behavior. All samples are olivine- and nepheline-normative rocks with basic-ultrabasic and potassic characters and variable incompatible element enrichments. The wide ranges of whole-rock 87Sr/86Sri and 143Nd/144Ndi ratios (0.70432-0.70641 and 0.512216-0.512555, respectively) are indicative of crustal contribution from the Precambrian basement host rocks. Plagioclase and apatite 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70422-0.70927) obtained for the most primitive samples of each intrusion indicate disequilibrium conditions from early- to principal-crystallization stages. Isotope mixing-model curves between the least contaminated alkaline basic magma and heterogeneous local crustal components indicate that each intrusion of the massif is differentiated from the others by varied degrees of crustal contribution. The primary mechanisms of crustal contribution to the Ponte Nova massif involve the assimilation of host rock xenoliths during the development of the chamber environment and the assimilation of partial melts from the surrounding host rocks. Thermodynamic models using the melts algorithm indicate that parental alkaline basic magmas can be strongly affected by contamination processes subsequently to their initial stages of crystallization when there is sufficient energy to assimilate partial melts of crustal host rocks. The assimilation processes are considered to be responsible for the increse in the K2O/Na2O, Ba/Sr and Rb/Sr ratios. This enrichment was associated with the relevant role of biotite breakdown in the assimilated host rock partial melts. The petrological model for the Ponte Nova massif is explained as repeated influxes of antecryst-laden basanite magmas that deposited most of their suspended crystals on the floor of the upper-crust magma chamber. Each intrusion is representative of relatively primitive olivine- and clinopyroxene-phyric basanites that had assimilated different degrees of partial melts of heterogeneous host rocks. This study reveals the relevant role of crustal assimilation processes in the magmatic evolution of nepheline-normative rocks, especially in upper-crust chamber environments.

Rift migration explains continental margin asymmetry and crustal hyper-extension

PubMed Central

Brune, Sascha; Heine, Christian; Pérez-Gussinyé, Marta; Sobolev, Stephan V.

2014-01-01

When continents break apart, continental crust and lithosphere are thinned until break-up is achieved and an oceanic basin is formed. The most remarkable and least understood structures associated with this process are up to 200 km wide areas of hyper-extended continental crust, which are partitioned between conjugate margins with pronounced asymmetry. Here we show, using high-resolution thermo-mechanical modelling, that hyper-extended crust and margin asymmetry are produced by steady state rift migration. We demonstrate that rift migration is accomplished by sequential, oceanward-younging, upper crustal faults, and is balanced through lower crustal flow. Constraining our model with a new South Atlantic plate reconstruction, we demonstrate that larger extension velocities may account for southward increasing width and asymmetry of these conjugate magma-poor margins. Our model challenges conventional ideas of rifted margin evolution, as it implies that during rift migration large amounts of material are transferred from one side of the rift zone to the other. PMID:24905463

Volcanoes: Where and Why? Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Which Way is North? Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Quake Estate (board game). Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Stretching of Hot Lithosphe: A Significant Mode of Crustal Stretching in Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Montserrat Navarro, A.; Morgan, J. P.; Hall, R.; White, L. T.

2017-12-01

SE Asia roughly covers roughly 15% of the Earth's surface and represents one of the most tectonically active regions in the world, yet its tectonic evolution remains relatively poorly studied and constrained in comparison with other regions. Recent episodes of extension have been associated with sedimentary basin growth and phases of crustal melting, uplift and extremely rapid exhumation of young (<7Ma) metamorphic core complexes. This is recorded by seismic imagery of basins offshore Sulawesi and New Guinea as well as through new field studies of the onshore geology in these regions. A growing body of new geochronological and biostratigraphic data provides some control on the rates of processes. We use two-dimensional numerical models to investigate the evolution of the distinctive extensional basins in SE Asia. Our models suggest that, at the onset of stretching, the lithosphere was considerably hotter than in more typically studied rift settings (e.g. Atlantic opening, East African Rift, Australia-Antarctica opening). High Moho temperatures are key in shaping the architecture of the stretched lithosphere: A) hot and week lower crust fails to transmit the stress and brittle deformation, thus resulting in a strong decoupling between crust and lithospheric mantle; B) the mode of deformation is dominated by the ductile flow and boudinage of lower crust, yielding the exhumation of one-to-several partially molten lower crustal bodies, including metamorphic core complexes; C) continental break-up is often inhibited by the ductile behaviour of the crust, and it is only achieved after considerable cooling of the lithosphere. To better constrain the extension rates in which these basins formed, we compare P-T and cooling paths of lower crustal material in a suite of models with newly available data from the Palu and Malino metamorphic core complexes in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The Variscan evolution in the External massifs of the Alps and place in their Variscan framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Raumer, Jürgen F.; Bussy, François; Stampfli, Gérard M.

2009-02-01

In the general discussion on the Variscan evolution of central Europe the pre-Mesozoic basement of the Alps is, in many cases, only included with hesitation. Relatively well-preserved from Alpine metamorphism, the Alpine External massifs can serve as an excellent example of evolution of the Variscan basement, including the earliest Gondwana-derived microcontinents with Cadomian relics. Testifying to the evolution at the Gondwana margin, at least since the Cambrian, such pieces took part in the birth of the Rheic Ocean. After the separation of Avalonia, the remaining Gondwana border was continuously transformed through crustal extension with contemporaneous separation of continental blocks composing future Pangea, but the opening of Palaeotethys had only a reduced significance since the Devonian. The Variscan evolution in the External domain is characterised by an early HP-evolution with subsequent granulitic decompression melts. During Visean crustal shortening, the areas of future formation of migmatites and intrusion of monzodioritic magmas in a general strike-slip regime, were probably in a lower plate situation, whereas the so called monometamorphic areas may have been in an upper plate position of the nappe pile. During the Latest Carboniferous, the emplacement of the youngest granites was associated with the strike-slip faulting and crustal extension at lower crustal levels, whereas, at the surface, detrital sediments accumulated in intramontaneous transtensional basins on a strongly eroded surface.

Extensional fault geometry and its flexural isostatic response during the formation of the Iberia - Newfoundland conjugate rifted margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez-Romeu, Júlia; Kusznir, Nick; Manatschal, Gianreto; Roberts, Alan

2017-04-01

Despite magma-poor rifted margins having been extensively studied for the last 20 years, the evolution of extensional fault geometry and the flexural isostatic response to faulting remain still debated topics. We investigate how the flexural isostatic response to faulting controls the structural development of the distal part of rifted margins in the hyper-extended domain and the resulting sedimentary record. In particular we address an important question concerning the geometry and evolution of extensional faults within distal hyper-extended continental crust; are the seismically observed extensional fault blocks in this region allochthons from the upper plate or are they autochthons of the lower plate? In order to achieve our aim we focus on the west Iberian rifted continental margin along the TGS and LG12 seismic profiles. Our strategy is to use a kinematic forward model (RIFTER) to model the tectonic and stratigraphic development of the west Iberia margin along TGS-LG12 and quantitatively test and calibrate the model against breakup paleo-bathymetry, crustal basement thickness and well data. RIFTER incorporates the flexural isostatic response to extensional faulting, crustal thinning, lithosphere thermal loads, sedimentation and erosion. The model predicts the structural and stratigraphic consequences of recursive sequential faulting and sedimentation. The target data used to constrain model predictions consists of two components: (i) gravity anomaly inversion is used to determine Moho depth, crustal basement thickness and continental lithosphere thinning and (ii) reverse post-rift subsidence modelling consisting of flexural backstripping, decompaction and reverse post-rift thermal subsidence modelling is used to give paleo-bathymetry at breakup time. We show that successful modelling of the structural and stratigraphic development of the TGS-LG12 Iberian margin transect also requires the simultaneous modelling of the Newfoundland conjugate margin, which we constrain using target data from the SCREECH 2 seismic profile. We also show that for the successful modelling and quantitative validation of the lithosphere hyper-extension stage it is necessary to first have a good calibrated model of the necking phase. Not surprisingly the evolution of a rifted continental margin cannot be modelled without modelling and calibration of its conjugate margin.

An Integrated Geophysical and Tectonic Study of the Structure and Evolution of the Crust in the Snake River Plain Region, Pacific Northwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, G. R.; Khatiwada, M.

2016-12-01

The Snake River Plain region in the Pacific Northwest of North America has been the target of a number of recent studies that have revealed further complexities in its structure and tectonic evolution. Based on surface morphology and Late Cenozoic volcanic activity, the Snake River Plain consists of an eastern and western arm (ESRP and WSRP) that are similar in many respects but also quite different in other respects. Thus, its origin, evolution, structural complexities, the role of extension and magmatism in its formation, and the tectonic drivers are still subjects of debate. Numerous seismic studies have specifically focused on the structure of the ESRP and Yellowstone area. However, crustal-scale studies of the WSRP are limited. We added new gravity data to the existing coverage in the WSRP region and undertook a regional, integrated analysis approach that included magnetic, seismic reflection and refraction profiling, receiver function results, geological and geospatial data, and interpreted well logs. Our integrated geophysical modeling focused on the structure of the WSRP. We generated two crustal models across it at locations where the most existing geophysical and geological constraints were available. We observed both differences and similarities in the structure of the WSRP and ESRP. Although, the shallow crustal structures are different, a mid-crustal mafic intrusion is a major source of the high gravity anomaly values. Within the context of recent studies in the surrounding region, the intersection of the two arms of the Snake River Plain emerges as a major element of a complex tectonic intersection that includes the High Lava Plains of eastern Oregon, the Northern Nevada Rift, a southwestern extension of the ESRP into northern Nevada, as well as, faulting and volcanism extending northwestward to connect with the Columbia River Basalts region.

Continents and Ocean Basins: Floaters and Sinkers. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Deep Sea Trenches and Radioactive Water. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

When a Piece of a Continent Breaks Off. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Measuring Continental Drift: The Laser Ranging Experiment. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Drifting Continents and Wandering Poles. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

A Sea-Floor Mystery: Mapping Polarity Reversals. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Movement of the Pacific Ocean Floor. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Hot Spots in the Earth's Crust. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Iceland: The Case of the Splitting Personality. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Plate Boundaries and Earthquake Prediction. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Plotting the Shape of the Ocean Floor. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Drifting Continents and Magnetic Fields. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Why Does Sea Level Change? Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Interaction between mantle and crustal detachments: a non-linear system controlling lithospheric extension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenbaum, G.; Regenauer-Lieb, K.; Weinberg, R. F.

2009-12-01

We use numerical modelling to investigate the development of crustal and mantle detachment faults during lithospheric extension. Our models simulate a wide range of rift systems with varying values of crustal thickness and heat flow, showing how strain localization in the mantle interacts with localization in the upper crust and controls the evolution of extensional systems. Model results reveal a richness of structures and deformation styles, which grow in response to a self-organized mechanism that minimizes the internal stored energy of the system by localizing deformation at different levels of the lithosphere. Crustal detachment faults are well developed during extension of overthickened (60 km) continental crust, even when the initial heat flow is relatively low (50 mW/m2). In contrast, localized mantle deformation is most pronounced when the extended lithosphere has a normal crustal thickness (30-40 km) and an intermediate (60-70 mW/m2) heat flow. Results show a non-linear response to subtle changes in crustal thickness or heat flow, characterized by abrupt and sometime unexpected switches in extension modes (e.g. from diffuse rifting to effective lithospheric-scale rupturing) or from mantle- to crust-dominated strain localization. We interpret this non-linearity to result from the interference of doming wavelengths. Disharmony of crust and mantle doming wavelengths results in efficient communication between shear zones at different lithospheric levels, leading to rupturing of the whole lithosphere. In contrast, harmonious crust and mantle doming inhibits interaction of shear zones across the lithosphere and results in a prolonged rifting history prior to continental breakup.

Interaction between mantle and crustal detachments: A nonlinear system controlling lithospheric extension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenbaum, Gideon; Regenauer-Lieb, Klaus; Weinberg, Roberto F.

2010-11-01

We use numerical modeling to investigate the development of crustal and mantle detachments during lithospheric extension. Our models simulate a wide range of extensional systems with varying values of crustal thickness and heat flow, showing how strain localization in the mantle interacts with localization in the upper crust and controls the evolution of extensional systems. Model results reveal a richness of structures and deformation styles as a response to a self-organized mechanism that minimizes the internal stored energy of the system by localizing deformation. Crustal detachments, here referred as low-angle normal decoupling horizons, are well developed during extension of overthickened (60 km) continental crust, even when the initial heat flow is relatively low (50 mW m-2). In contrast, localized mantle deformation is most pronounced when the extended lithosphere has a normal crustal thickness (30-40 km) and an intermediate heat flow (60-70 mW m-2). Results show a nonlinear response to subtle changes in crustal thickness or heat flow, characterized by abrupt and sometimes unexpected switches in extension modes (e.g., from diffuse extensional deformation to effective lithospheric-scale rupturing) or from mantle- to crust-dominated strain localization. We interpret this nonlinearity to result from the interference of doming wavelengths in the presence of multiple necking instabilities. Disharmonic crust and mantle doming wavelengths results in efficient communication between shear zones at different lithospheric levels, leading to rupturing of the whole lithosphere. In contrast, harmonic crust and mantle doming inhibits interaction of shear zones across the lithosphere and results in a prolonged history of extension prior to continental breakup.

Crustal contamination and crystal entrapment during polybaric magma evolution at Mt. Somma-Vesuvius volcano, Italy: Geochemical and Sr isotope evidence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Piochi, M.; Ayuso, R.A.; de Vivo, B.; Somma, R.

2006-01-01

New major and trace element analyses and Sr-isotope determinations of rocks from Mt. Somma-Vesuvius volcano produced from 25 ky BP to 1944 AD are part of an extensive database documenting the geochemical evolution of this classic region. Volcanic rocks include silica undersaturated, potassic and ultrapotassic lavas and tephras characterized by variable mineralogy and different crystal abundance, as well as by wide ranges of trace element contents and a wide span of initial Sr-isotopic compositions. Both the degree of undersaturation in silica and the crystal content increase through time, being higher in rocks produced after the eruption at 472 AD (Pollena eruption). Compositional variations have been generally thought to reflect contributions from diverse types of mantle and crust. Magma mixing is commonly invoked as a fundamental process affecting the magmas, in addition to crystal fractionation. Our assessment of geochemical and Sr-isotopic data indicates that compositional variability also reflects the influence of crustal contamination during magma evolution during upward migration to shallow crustal levels and/or by entrapment of crystal mush generated during previous magma storage in the crust. Using a variant of the assimilation fractional crystallization model (Energy Conservation-Assimilation Fractional Crystallization; [Spera and Bohrson, 2001. Energy-constrained open-system magmatic processes I: General model and energy-constrained assimilation and fractional crystallization (EC-AFC) formulation. J. Petrol. 999-1018]; [Bohrson, W.A. and Spera, F.J., 2001. Energy-constrained open-system magmatic process II: application of energy-constrained assimilation-fractional crystallization (EC-AFC) model to magmatic systems. J. Petrol. 1019-1041]) we estimated the contributions from the crust and suggest that contamination by carbonate rocks that underlie the volcano (2 km down to 9-10 km) is a fundamental process controlling magma compositions at Mt. Somma-Vesuvius in the last 8 ky BP. Contamination in the mid- to upper crust occurred repeatedly, after the magma chamber waxed with influx of new mantle- and crustal-derived magmas and fluids, and waned as a result of magma withdrawal and production of large and energetic plinian and subplinian eruptions. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Progress Towards a Thermo-Mechanical Magma Chamber Forward Model for Eruption Cycles, Applied to the Columbia River Flood Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlstrom, L.; Ozimek, C.

2016-12-01

Magma chamber modeling has advanced to the stage where it is now possible to develop self-consistent, predictive models that consider mechanical, thermal, and compositional magma time evolution through multiple eruptive cycles. We have developed such a thermo-mechanical-chemical model for a laterally extensive sill-like chamber beneath free surface, to understand physical controls on eruptive products through time at long-lived magmatic centers. This model predicts the relative importance of recharge, eruption, assimilation and fractional crystallization (REAFC, Lee et al., 2013) on evolving chemical composition as a function of mechanical magma chamber stability regimes. We solve for the time evolution of chamber pressure, temperature, gas volume fraction, volume, elemental concentration in the melt and crustal temperature field that accounts for moving boundary conditions associated with chamber inflation (and the possibility of coupled chambers at different depths). The density, volume fractions of melt and crystals, crustal assimilation and the changing viscosity and crustal properties of the wall rock are also tracked, along with joint solubility of water and CO2. The eventual goal is to develop an efficient forward model to invert for eruptive records at long-lived eruptive centers, where multiple types of data for eruptions are available. As a first step, we apply this model to a new compilation of eruptive data from the Columbia River Flood Basalts (CRFB), which erupted 210,000 km3 from feeder dikes in Washington, Oregon and Idaho between 16.9-6Ma. Data include volumes, timing and geochemical composition of eruptive units, along with seismic surveys and clinopyroxene geobarometry that constrain depth of storage through time. We are in the process of performing a suite of simulations varying model input parameters such as mantle melt rate, emplacement depth, wall rock compositions and rheology, and volatile content to explain volume, eruption timescales, and chemical trace aspects of CRFB eruptions. We are particularly interested in whether the large volume eruptions of the main phase Grande Ronde basalts were made possible due to the development of shallow crustal storage.

The Rise and Fall of the Bering Land Bridge. Crustal Evolution Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Temperature-dependent thermal diffusivity of the Earth's crust and implications for magmatism.

PubMed

Whittington, Alan G; Hofmeister, Anne M; Nabelek, Peter I

2009-03-19

The thermal evolution of planetary crust and lithosphere is largely governed by the rate of heat transfer by conduction. The governing physical properties are thermal diffusivity (kappa) and conductivity (k = kapparhoC(P)), where rho denotes density and C(P) denotes specific heat capacity at constant pressure. Although for crustal rocks both kappa and k decrease above ambient temperature, most thermal models of the Earth's lithosphere assume constant values for kappa ( approximately 1 mm(2) s(-1)) and/or k ( approximately 3 to 5 W m(-1) K(-1)) owing to the large experimental uncertainties associated with conventional contact methods at high temperatures. Recent advances in laser-flash analysis permit accurate (+/-2 per cent) measurements on minerals and rocks to geologically relevant temperatures. Here we provide data from laser-flash analysis for three different crustal rock types, showing that kappa strongly decreases from 1.5-2.5 mm(2) s(-1) at ambient conditions, approaching 0.5 mm(2) s(-1) at mid-crustal temperatures. The latter value is approximately half that commonly assumed, and hot middle to lower crust is therefore a much more effective thermal insulator than previously thought. Above the quartz alpha-beta phase transition, crustal kappa is nearly independent of temperature, and similar to that of mantle materials. Calculated values of k indicate that its negative dependence on temperature is smaller than that of kappa, owing to the increase of C(P) with increasing temperature, but k also diminishes by 50 per cent from the surface to the quartz alpha-beta transition. We present models of lithospheric thermal evolution during continental collision and demonstrate that the temperature dependence of kappa and C(P) leads to positive feedback between strain heating in shear zones and more efficient thermal insulation, removing the requirement for unusually high radiogenic heat production to achieve crustal melting temperatures. Positive feedback between heating, increased thermal insulation and partial melting is predicted to occur in many tectonic settings, and in both the crust and the mantle, facilitating crustal reworking and planetary differentiation.

Collision in the Central Alps: 1. Thermal Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engi, M.; Roselle, G. T.; Brouwer, F. M.; Berger, A.

2003-04-01

Recent tectonic reconstructions for the Central Alps, based in part on seismic profiles across of the orogen, have produced fairly robust kinematic scenarios for the Tertiary evolution. We have used these to set up 2D finite element models [1] to simulate the thermal evolution at orogenic scales. Results are helpful to understand the metamorphic and geochronological record in the Central Alps. Several features recognized as crucial in collisional orogens have been incorporated in our models: Adaptive grids are used to accommodate tectonic mass flow; properties of a tectonic accretion channel (TAC), situated near the footwall of the upper (Apulian) plate, are incorporated (TAC: 5-10 km wide [2]); a mobile fragment (pit: 5-10 km thick, 25-50 km long) at the plate interface is allowed to first be subducted, then to be extruded along the subduction channel to mid-crustal levels during the nappe stacking phase, and finally to be exhumed by backthrusting and erosion; partial melting and its thermal effects are computed. The thermal evolution in crucial parts of the model orogen is depicted in P-T and T-t trajectories, and in time slices showing the evolution of metamorphic facies and degrees of late partial melting. Comparison of simulation results with the regional distribution of (Eocene) high pressure fragments in the Lepontine Alps and of their (Oligo/Miocene) Barrovian overprint indicate that (a) decompression is near-isothermal along a very imited part of the path only; (b) the highest temperatures attained following collision do not reach the observed ˜700^oC unless the TAC is fairly radiogenic (heat production ge˜2 μW/m^3) or there is substantial heat advected by asthenospheric melts migrating up the subduction channel; (c) moderate amounts of partial melting occurred within the the TAC during decompression, following the assembly (at mid-crustal levels) of various crustal and mantle fragments with very diverse P-T-t histories. [1] Roselle et al. (2002) Amer. J. Sci. 302: 381-409 [2] Engi et al. (2001) Geology 29: 1143-1146

Sink to survive: The persistence of ancient mountain belts through crustal density changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackburn, T. J.; Ferrier, K.; Perron, J.

2012-12-01

Mountain belts form when collisions between continents thicken the Earth's crust, which buoyantly rises to remain in isostatic equilibrium with the underlying asthenosphere. Just as isostasy leads to the birth of mountain belts, it contributes to their destruction by responding to erosion with rock uplift, which in turn promotes further erosion. If the continental crust consisted of a single layer of constant density, erosion and isostatic rebound would continue thinning the crust until it was completely eroded. Such total destruction evidently does not happen, however, as the roots of Earth's oldest mountains have persisted for billions of years. One explanation for this preservation is that an orogen's isostatic response to erosion decreases over time as the crust increases in density as the lower crust undergoes metamorphic phase changes that accompany lithosphere cooling. The implication of this hypothesis is that erosion rates in mountain belts are linked to the thermal and density evolution of the lithosphere. We test this hypothesis with a global compilation of exhumation rates and erosion rates determined from published apatite fission track and cosmogenic 10Be measurements in collisional orogens ranging in formation age from 0 to 2 billion years. We compare these data to a numerical model of the thermal, density and erosional evolution of a decaying mountain belt. Measured and modeled data indicate that erosion is fastest in young, hot, low-density, and topographically high mountain belts, and that erosion rates decrease dramatically after 200-300 million years (My). This 200-300 My timescale is consistent with titanite U-Pb thermochronologic data from lower crustal xenoliths, which record cooling to temperatures consistent with garnet growth and crustal densification (~650 °C) within 200-300 My after orogenesis. For the same orogens, Sm-Nd and/or Lu-Hf garnet-whole rock isochron dates constrains lower crustal garnet growth and a corresponding crustal density increase to 200-450 My following orogenesis. Thus, geochronologic data at various timescales, from ancient thermal histories to geologically recent erosion rates, are consistent with an isostatic model that links the erosional decay of a collisional orogens to its thermal and density evolution. Given the geologic and climatic diversity of mountain ranges around the world, it is striking that their erosional histories are generally consistent with a single simple model. The scenario described here, in which young, hot, low-density orogens erode quickly for a few hundred My while older, colder, denser orogens erode much more slowly for billions of years provides an explanation for the persistence of some of Earth's oldest mountain belts. The importance of this erosional succession is underscored by the fact that continental landmasses are constructed through mountain building processes: like jigsaw puzzles with many pieces, continents are amalgamations of ancient mountain belts assembled over geologic time. Temperature-dependent densities appear to play a global role in the long-term evolution of mountain belts and continents, influencing the preservation of continental lithosphere over billions of years.

Cubic zirconia in >2370 °C impact melt records Earth's hottest crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timms, Nicholas E.; Erickson, Timmons M.; Zanetti, Michael R.; Pearce, Mark A.; Cayron, Cyril; Cavosie, Aaron J.; Reddy, Steven M.; Wittmann, Axel; Carpenter, Paul K.

2017-11-01

Bolide impacts influence primordial evolution of planetary bodies because they can cause instantaneous melting and vaporization of both crust and impactors. Temperatures reached by impact-generated silicate melts are unknown because meteorite impacts are ephemeral, and established mineral and rock thermometers have limited temperature ranges. Consequently, impact melt temperatures in global bombardment models of the early Earth and Moon are poorly constrained, and may not accurately predict the survival, stabilization, geochemical evolution and cooling of early crustal materials. Here we show geological evidence for the transformation of zircon to cubic zirconia plus silica in impact melt from the 28 km diameter Mistastin Lake crater, Canada, which requires super-heating in excess of 2370 °C. This new temperature determination is the highest recorded from any crustal rock. Our phase heritage approach extends the thermometry range for impact melts by several hundred degrees, more closely bridging the gap between nature and theory. Profusion of >2370 °C superheated impact melt during high intensity bombardment of Hadean Earth likely facilitated consumption of early-formed crustal rocks and minerals, widespread volatilization of various species, including hydrates, and formation of dry, rigid, refractory crust.

Venus tectonic styles and crustal differentiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaula, W. M.; Lenardic, A.

1992-01-01

Two of the most important constraints are known from Pioneer Venus data: the lack of a system of spreading rises, indicating distributed deformation rather than plate tectonics; and the high gravity/topography ratio, indicating the absence of an asthenosphere. In addition, the high depth/diameter ratios of craters on Venus indicate that Venus probably has no more crust than Earth. The problems of the character of tectonics and crustal formation and recycling are closely coupled. Venus appears to lack a recycling mechanism as effective as subduction, but may also have a low rate of crustal differentiation because of a mantle convection pattern that is more distributed, less concentrated, than Earth's. Distributed convection, coupled with the nonlinear dependence of volcanism on heat flow, would lead to much less magmatism, despite only moderately less heat flow, compared to Earth. The plausible reason for this difference in convective style is the absence of water in the upper mantle of Venus. We have applied finite element modeling to problems of the interaction of mantle convection and crust on Venus. The main emphasis has been on the tectonic evolution of Ishtar Terra, as the consequence of convergent mantle flow. The early stage evolution is primarily mechanical, with crust being piled up on the down-stream side. Then the downflow migrates away from the center. In the later stages, after more than 100 m.y., thermal effects develop due to the insulating influence of the thickened crust. An important feature of this modeling is the entrainment of some crustal material in downflows. An important general theme in both convergent and divergent flows is that of mixing vs. stratification. Models of multicomponent solid-state flow obtain that lower-density crustal material can be entrained and recycled, provided that the ration of low-density to high-density material is small enough (as in subducted slabs on Earth). The same considerations should apply in upflows; a small percent of partial melt may be carried along with its matrix and never escape to the surface. Models that assume melt automatically rising to the crust and no entrainment or other mechanism of recycling lower-density material obtain oscillatory behavior, because it takes a long time for heat to build up enough to overcome a Mg-rich low-density residuum. However, these models develop much thicker crust than consistent with estimates from crater depth/diameter ratios.

MAGNETAR FIELD EVOLUTION AND CRUSTAL PLASTICITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lander, S. K., E-mail: skl@soton.ac.uk

2016-06-20

The activity of magnetars is believed to be powered by colossal magnetic energy reservoirs. We sketch an evolutionary picture in which internal field evolution in magnetars generates a twisted corona, from which energy may be released suddenly in a single giant flare, or more gradually through smaller outbursts and persistent emission. Given the ages of magnetars and the energy of their giant flares, we suggest that their evolution is driven by a novel mechanism: magnetic flux transport/decay due to persistent plastic flow in the crust, which would invalidate the common assumption that the crustal lattice is static and evolves onlymore » under Hall drift and Ohmic decay. We estimate the field strength required to induce plastic flow as a function of crustal depth, and the viscosity of the plastic phase. The star’s superconducting core may also play a role in magnetar field evolution, depending on the star’s spindown history and how rotational vortices and magnetic fluxtubes interact.« less

3D Numerical Examination of Continental Mantle Lithosphere Response to Lower Crust Eclogitization and Nearby Slab Subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janbakhsh, P.; Pysklywec, R.

2017-12-01

2D numerical modeling techniques have made great contribution to understanding geodynamic processes involved in crustal and lithospheric scale deformations for the past 20 years. The aim of this presentation is to expand the scope covered by previous researchers to 3 dimensions to address out-of-plane intrusion and extrusion of mantle material in and out of model space, and toroidal mantle wedge flows. In addition, 3D velocity boundary conditions can create more realistic models to replicate real case scenarios. 3D numerical experiments that will be presented are designed to investigate the density and viscosity effects of lower crustal eclogitization on the decoupling process of continental mantle lithosphere from the crust and its delamination. In addition, these models examine near-field effects of a subducting ocean lithosphere and a lithospheric scale fault zone on the evolution of the processes. The model solutions and predictions will also be compared against the Anatolian geology where subduction of Aegean and Arabian slabs, and the northern boundary with the North Anatolian Fault Zone are considered as two main contributing factors to anomalous crustal uplift, missing mantle lithosphere, and anomalous surface heat flux.

Crustal structure of Baffin Bay from constrained 3-D gravity inversion and deformable plate tectonic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welford, J. Kim; Peace, Alexander L.; Geng, Meixia; Dehler, Sonya A.; Dickie, Kate

2018-05-01

Mesozoic to Cenozoic continental rifting, breakup, and spreading between North America and Greenland led to the opening, from south to north, of the Labrador Sea and eventually Baffin Bay between Baffin Island, northeast Canada, and northwest Greenland. Baffin Bay lies at the northern limit of this extinct rift, transform, and spreading system and remains largely underexplored. With the sparsity of existing crustal-scale geophysical investigations of Baffin Bay, regional potential field methods and quantitative deformation assessments based on plate reconstructions provide two means of examining Baffin Bay at the regional scale and drawing conclusions about its crustal structure, its rifting history, and the role of pre-existing structures in its evolution. Despite the identification of extinct spreading axes and fracture zones based on gravity data, insights into the nature and structure of the underlying crust have only been gleaned from limited deep seismic experiments, mostly concentrated in the north and east where the continental shelf is shallower and wider. Baffin Bay is partially underlain by oceanic crust with zones of variable width of extended continental crust along its margins. 3-D gravity inversions, constrained by bathymetric and depth to basement constraints, have generated a range of 3-D crustal density models that collectively reveal an asymmetric distribution of extended continental crust, approximately 25-30 km thick, along the margins of Baffin Bay, with a wider zone on the Greenland margin. A zone of 5 to 13 km thick crust lies at the centre of Baffin Bay, with the thinnest crust (5 km thick) clearly aligning with Eocene spreading centres. The resolved crustal thicknesses are generally in agreement with available seismic constraints, with discrepancies mostly corresponding to zones of higher density lower crust along the Greenland margin and Nares Strait. Deformation modelling from independent plate reconstructions using GPlates of the rifted margins of Baffin Bay was performed to gauge the influence of original crustal thickness and the width of the deformation zone on the crustal thicknesses obtained from the gravity inversions. These results show the best match with the results from the gravity inversions for an original unstretched crustal thickness of 34-36 km, consistent with present-day crustal thicknesses derived from teleseismic studies beyond the likely continentward limits of rifting around the margins of Baffin Bay. The width of the deformation zone has only a minimal influence on the modelled crustal thicknesses if the zone is of sufficient width that edge effects do not interfere with the main modelled domain.

Large-scale subduction of continental crust implied by India-Asia mass-balance calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingalls, Miquela; Rowley, David B.; Currie, Brian; Colman, Albert S.

2016-11-01

Continental crust is buoyant compared with its oceanic counterpart and resists subduction into the mantle. When two continents collide, the mass balance for the continental crust is therefore assumed to be maintained. Here we use estimates of pre-collisional crustal thickness and convergence history derived from plate kinematic models to calculate the crustal mass balance in the India-Asia collisional system. Using the current best estimates for the timing of the diachronous onset of collision between India and Eurasia, we find that about 50% of the pre-collisional continental crustal mass cannot be accounted for in the crustal reservoir preserved at Earth's surface today--represented by the mass preserved in the thickened crust that makes up the Himalaya, Tibet and much of adjacent Asia, as well as southeast Asian tectonic escape and exported eroded sediments. This implies large-scale subduction of continental crust during the collision, with a mass equivalent to about 15% of the total oceanic crustal subduction flux since 56 million years ago. We suggest that similar contamination of the mantle by direct input of radiogenic continental crustal materials during past continent-continent collisions is reflected in some ocean crust and ocean island basalt geochemistry. The subduction of continental crust may therefore contribute significantly to the evolution of mantle geochemistry.

Crustal evolution inferred from Apollo magnetic measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyal, P.; Daily, W. D.; Vanyan, L. L.

1978-01-01

Magnetic field and solar wind plasma density measurements were analyzed to determine the scale size characteristics of remanent fields at the Apollo 12, 15, and 16 landing sites. Theoretical model calculations of the field-plasma interaction, involving diffusion of the remanent field into the solar plasma, were compared to the data. The information provided by all these experiments shows that remanent fields over most of the lunar surface are characterized by spatial variations as small as a few kilometers. Large regions (50 to 100 km) of the lunar crust were probably uniformly magnetized during early crustal evolution. Bombardment and subsequent gardening of the upper layers of these magnetized regions left randomly oriented, smaller scale (5 to 10 km) magnetic sources close to the surface. The larger scale size fields of magnitude approximately 0.1 gammas are measured by the orbiting subsatellite experiments and the small scale sized remanent fields of magnitude approximately 100 gammas are measured by the surface experiments.

Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect and continental evolution involving subduction underplating and synchronous foreland thrusting

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fuis, G.S.; Moore, Thomas E.; Plafker, G.; Brocher, T.M.; Fisher, M.A.; Mooney, W.D.; Nokleberg, W.J.; Page, R.A.; Beaudoin, B.C.; Christensen, N.I.; Levander, A.R.; Lutter, W.J.; Saltus, R.W.; Ruppert, N.A.

2008-01-01

We investigate the crustal structure and tectonic evolution of the North American continent in Alaska, where the continent has grown through magmatism, accretion, and tectonic underplating. In the 1980s and early 1990s, we conducted a geological and geophysical investigation, known as the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT), along a 1350-km-long corridor from the Aleutian Trench to the Arctic coast. The most distinctive crustal structures and the deepest Moho along the transect are located near the Pacific and Arctic margins. Near the Pacific margin, we infer a stack of tectonically underplated oceanic layers interpreted as remnants of the extinct Kula (or Resurrection) plate. Continental Moho just north of this underplated stack is more than 55 km deep. Near the Arctic margin, the Brooks Range is underlain by large-scale duplex structures that overlie a tectonic wedge of North Slope crust and mantle. There, the Moho has been depressed to nearly 50 km depth. In contrast, the Moho of central Alaska is on average 32 km deep. In the Paleogene, tectonic underplating of Kula (or Resurrection) plate fragments overlapped in time with duplexing in the Brooks Range. Possible tectonic models linking these two regions include flat-slab subduction and an orogenic-float model. In the Neogene, the tectonics of the accreting Yakutat terrane have differed across a newly interpreted tear in the subducting Pacific oceanic lithosphere. East of the tear, Pacific oceanic lithosphere subducts steeply and alone beneath the Wrangell volcanoes, because the overlying Yakutat terrane has been left behind as underplated rocks beneath the rising St. Elias Range, in the coastal region. West of the tear, the Yakutat terrane and Pacific oceanic lithosphere subduct together at a gentle angle, and this thickened package inhibits volcanism. ?? 2008 The Geological Society of America.

Abrupt tectonics and rapid slab detachment with grain damage

PubMed Central

Bercovici, David; Schubert, Gerald; Ricard, Yanick

2015-01-01

A simple model for necking and detachment of subducting slabs is developed to include the coupling between grain-sensitive rheology and grain-size evolution with damage. Necking is triggered by thickened buoyant crust entrained into a subduction zone, in which case grain damage accelerates necking and allows for relatively rapid slab detachment, i.e., within 1 My, depending on the size of the crustal plug. Thick continental crustal plugs can cause rapid necking while smaller plugs characteristic of ocean plateaux cause slower necking; oceanic lithosphere with normal or slightly thickened crust subducts without necking. The model potentially explains how large plateaux or continental crust drawn into subduction zones can cause slab loss and rapid changes in plate motion and/or induce abrupt continental rebound. PMID:25605890

Abrupt tectonics and rapid slab detachment with grain damage.

PubMed

Bercovici, David; Schubert, Gerald; Ricard, Yanick

2015-02-03

A simple model for necking and detachment of subducting slabs is developed to include the coupling between grain-sensitive rheology and grain-size evolution with damage. Necking is triggered by thickened buoyant crust entrained into a subduction zone, in which case grain damage accelerates necking and allows for relatively rapid slab detachment, i.e., within 1 My, depending on the size of the crustal plug. Thick continental crustal plugs can cause rapid necking while smaller plugs characteristic of ocean plateaux cause slower necking; oceanic lithosphere with normal or slightly thickened crust subducts without necking. The model potentially explains how large plateaux or continental crust drawn into subduction zones can cause slab loss and rapid changes in plate motion and/or induce abrupt continental rebound.

Anomalous Structure of Oceanic Lithosphere in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans: A Preliminary Analysis Based on Bathymetry, Gravity and Crustal Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barantsrva, O.

2014-12-01

We present a preliminary analysis of the crustal and upper mantle structure for off-shore regions in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. These regions have anomalous oceanic lithosphere: the upper mantle of the North Atlantic ocean is affected by the Iceland plume, while the Arctic ocean has some of the slowest spreading rates. Our specific goal is to constrain the density structure of the upper mantle in order to understand the links between the deep lithosphere dynamics, ocean spreading, ocean floor bathymetry, heat flow and structure of the oceanic lithosphere in the regions where classical models of evolution of the oceanic lithosphere may not be valid. The major focus is on the oceanic lithosphere, but the Arctic shelves with a sufficient data coverage are also included into the analysis. Out major interest is the density structure of the upper mantle, and the analysis is based on the interpretation of GOCE satellite gravity data. To separate gravity anomalies caused by subcrustal anomalous masses, the gravitational effect of water, crust and the deep mantle is removed from the observed gravity field. For bathymetry we use the global NOAA database ETOPO1. The crustal correction to gravity is based on two crustal models: (1) global model CRUST1.0 (Laske, 2013) and, for a comparison, (2) a regional seismic model EUNAseis (Artemieva and Thybo, 2013). The crustal density structure required for the crustal correction is constrained from Vp data. Previous studies have shown that a large range of density values corresponds to any Vp value. To overcome this problem and to reduce uncertainty associated with the velocity-density conversion, we account for regional tectonic variations in the Northern Atlantics as constrained by numerous published seismic profiles and potential-field models across the Norwegian off-shore crust (e.g. Breivik et al., 2005, 2007), and apply different Vp-density conversions for different parts of the region. We present preliminary results, which we use to examine factors that control variations in bathymetry, sedimentary and crustal thicknesses in these anomalous oceanic domains.

Oblique reactivation of lithosphere-scale lineaments controls rift physiography - the upper-crustal expression of the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone, offshore southern Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Thomas B.; Jackson, Christopher A.-L.; Bell, Rebecca E.; Duffy, Oliver B.

2018-04-01

Pre-existing structures within sub-crustal lithosphere may localise stresses during subsequent tectonic events, resulting in complex fault systems at upper-crustal levels. As these sub-crustal structures are difficult to resolve at great depths, the evolution of kinematically and perhaps geometrically linked upper-crustal fault populations can offer insights into their deformation history, including when and how they reactivate and accommodate stresses during later tectonic events. In this study, we use borehole-constrained 2-D and 3-D seismic reflection data to investigate the structural development of the Farsund Basin, offshore southern Norway. We use throw-length (T-x) analysis and fault displacement backstripping techniques to determine the geometric and kinematic evolution of N-S- and E-W-striking upper-crustal fault populations during the multiphase evolution of the Farsund Basin. N-S-striking faults were active during the Triassic, prior to a period of sinistral strike-slip activity along E-W-striking faults during the Early Jurassic, which represented a hitherto undocumented phase of activity in this area. These E-W-striking upper-crustal faults are later obliquely reactivated under a dextral stress regime during the Early Cretaceous, with new faults also propagating away from pre-existing ones, representing a switch to a predominantly dextral sense of motion. The E-W faults within the Farsund Basin are interpreted to extend through the crust to the Moho and link with the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone, a lithosphere-scale lineament, identified within the sub-crustal lithosphere, that extends > 1000 km across central Europe. Based on this geometric linkage, we infer that the E-W-striking faults represent the upper-crustal component of the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone and that the Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone represents a long-lived lithosphere-scale lineament that is periodically reactivated throughout its protracted geological history. The upper-crustal component of the lineament is reactivated in a range of tectonic styles, including both sinistral and dextral strike-slip motions, with the geometry and kinematics of these faults often inconsistent with what may otherwise be inferred from regional tectonics alone. Understanding these different styles of reactivation not only allows us to better understand the influence of sub-crustal lithospheric structure on rifting but also offers insights into the prevailing stress field during regional tectonic events.

Seismic structure of the Slave craton crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barantseva, O.; Vinnik, L. P.; Farra, V.; van der Hilst, R. D.; Artemieva, I. M.; Montagner, J. P.

2017-12-01

We present P- and S-receiver functions for 20 stations along a 200-km-long NNW-SSE seismological profile across the Slave craton, and estimate the average crustal Vp/Vs ratio which is indicative of rock composition. We observe high Vp/Vs ratio ( 1.85-2.00) for the bulk crust and elevated Vp values at a depth range from 20-30 km to 40 km. High Vp values (>7.0 km/s) suggest mafic composition of the lower crust. In case of dry lower crustal rocks, the Vp/Vs ratio is expected to range from 1.6 to 1.8, which is lower than the observed values of 1.9-2.0. Laboratory studies show that Vp/Vs 1.9-2.0 can be explained by the presence of numerous cracks saturated with an incompressible fluid. Our results are at odds with the structure of the cratonic crust in many regions worldwide, and may suggest a unique geodynamic evolution of the Slave crust. Possible explanations for the observed crustal structure include the presence of an underplated mafic material, possibly related to intraplate magmatism or paleosubduction. Receiver functions are highly sensitive to the change of acoustic impedance and S-wave velocities, but do not resolve the internal seismic structure with a high precision. We extend our study of the crustal structure by using ambient noise tomography (ANT). We measure Rayleigh wave dispersion from Green's functions that are estimated from one-year noise cross-correlation (NCF). The phase velocity maps are inverted for 1D wave speed profiles which are then combined to form 2D and 3D models of the crust of the Slave Province. The combined results of RF analyses and ANT are interpreted in terms of crustal structure, composition, and evolution.

The dehydration, rehydration and tectonic setting of greenstone belts in a portion of the northern Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanreenen, D. D.; Barton, J. M., Jr.; Roering, C.; Vanschalkwyk, J. C.; Smit, C. A.; Debeer, J. D.; Stettler, E. H.

1986-01-01

High-grade gneiss terranes and low-grade granite-greenstone terranes are well known in several Archaean domains. The geological relationship between these different crustal regions, however, is still controversial. One school of thought favors fundamental genetic differences between high-grade and low-grade terranes while others argue for a depth-controlled crustal evolution. The detailed examination of well-exposed Archaean terranes at different metamorphic grades, therefore, is not only an important source of information about the crustal levels exposed, but also is critical to the understanding of the possible tectonic and metamorphic evolution of greenstone belts with time. Three South African greenstone belts are compared.

The Apollo peak-ring impact basin: Insights into the structure and evolution of the South Pole-Aitken basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potter, Ross W. K.; Head, James W.; Guo, Dijun; Liu, Jianzhong; Xiao, Long

2018-05-01

The 492 km-diameter Apollo impact basin post-dates, and is located at the inner edge of, the ∼2240 km-diameter South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, providing an opportunity to assess the SPA substructure and lateral heterogeneity. Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory gravity data suggest an average crustal thickness on the floor of SPA of ∼20 km and within the Apollo basin of ∼5 km, yet remote sensing data reveal no conclusive evidence for the presence of exposed mantle material. We use the iSALE shock physics code to model the formation of the Apollo basin and find that the observational data are best fit by the impact of a 40 km diameter body traveling at 15 km/s into 20-40 km thick crustal material. These results strongly suggest that the Apollo impact occurred on ejecta deposits and collapsed crustal material of the SPA basin and could help place constraints on the location, size and geometry of the SPA transient cavity. The peak ring in the interior of Apollo basin is plausibly interpreted to be composed of inwardly collapsed lower crustal material that experienced peak shock pressures in excess of 35 GPa, consistent with remote sensing observations that suggest shocked plagioclase. Proposed robotic and/or human missions to SPA and Apollo would present an excellent opportunity to test the predictions of this work and address many scientific questions about SPA basin evolution and structure.

The Mars Crustal Magnetic Field Control of Plasma Boundary Locations and Atmospheric Loss: MHD Prediction and Comparison with MAVEN

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fang, Xiaohua; Ma, Yingjuan; Masunaga, Kei; Dong, Chuanfei; Brain, David; Halekas, Jasper; Lillis, Robert; Jakosky, Bruce M.; Connerney, Jack; Grebowsky, Joseph;

The long-term post-outburst spin down and flux relaxation of magnetar swift J1822.3–1606

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scholz, P.; Kaspi, V. M.; Cumming, A., E-mail: pscholz@physics.mcgill.ca

2014-05-01

The magnetar Swift J1822.3–1606 entered an outburst phase in 2011 July. Previous X-ray studies of its post-outburst rotational evolution yielded inconsistent measurements of the spin-inferred magnetic field. Here we present the timing behavior and flux relaxation from over two years of Swift, RXTE, and Chandra observations following the outburst. We find that the ambiguity in previous timing solutions was due to enhanced spin down that resembles an exponential recovery following a glitch at the outburst onset. After fitting out the effects of the recovery, we measure a long-term spin-down rate of ν-dot =(−3.0 ± 0.3)×10{sup −16} s{sup –2} which impliesmore » a dipolar magnetic field of 1.35 × 10{sup 13} G, lower than all previous estimates for this source. We also consider the post-outburst flux evolution, and fit it with both empirical and crustal cooling models. We discuss the flux relaxation in the context of both crustal cooling and magnetospheric relaxation models.« less

Bounds on Lithospheric Thickness on Venus from Magellan Gravity and Topography Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Catherine L.; Sandwell, David

1997-01-01

The primary objective of the work executed under NAGW-4784 is to provide constraints on the thermal and tectonic evolution of Venus. Establishing thermal and tectonic evolution models requires not only geological, but geophysical constraints, in particular the nature of temporal and spatial variations in crustal and lithospheric thickness. The major topics of study completed under NAGW-4784 (described more fully below) are: (1) detailed analyses of the resolution of Magellan Line-Of-Site (LOS) Doppler data to establish the minimum resolvable wavelength in the gravity data; (2) calculations of the global strain field in the venusian lithosphere and comparisons with global strain patterns from geological mapping; (3) study of the geological history of coronae at E. Eistla Regio; (4) estimation of crustal and lithospheric thickness by modeling of topography at asymmetric and symmetric rift-like chasmata; (5) preliminary investigations of spatial versus temporal variations in lithospheric thickness. Both the PI and Co-I have presented papers based on these topics at national and international meetings (American Geophysical Union Meetings, Lunar and Planetary Science Conferences, Chapman Conference on the Geodynamics of Venus).

A lead isotope study of mineralization in the Saudi Arabian Shield

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stacey, J.S.; Doe, B.R.; Roberts, R.J.; Delevaux, M.H.; Gramlich, J.W.

1980-01-01

New lead isotope data are presented for some late Precambrian and early Paleozoic vein and massive sulfide deposits in the Arabian Shield. Using the Stacey Kramers (1975) model for lead isotope evolution, isochron model ages range between 720 m.y. and 420 m.y. Most of the massive sulfide deposits in the region formed before 680 m.y. ago, during evolution of the shield. Vein type mineralization of higher lead content occurred during the Pan African event about 550 m.y. ago and continued through the Najd period of extensive faulting in the shield that ended about 530 m.y. ago. Late post-tectonic metamorphism may have been responsible for vein deposits that have model ages less than 500 m.y. Alternatively some of these younger model ages may be too low due to the mineralizing fluids acquiring radiogenic lead from appreciably older local crustal rocks at the time of ore formation. The low207Pb/204Pb ratios found for the deposits in the main part of the shield and for those in north-eastern Egypt, indicate that the Arabian craton was formed in an oceanic crustal environment during the late Precambrian. Involvement of older, upper-crustal material in the formation of the ore deposits in this part of the shield is precluded by their low207Pb/204Pb and208Pb/204Pb characteristics. In the eastern part of the shield, east of longitude 44??20???E towards the Al Amar-Idsas fault region, lead data are quite different. They exhibit a linear207Pb/204Pb-206Pb/204Pb relationship together with distinctly higher208Pb/204Pb characteristics. These data imply the existence of lower crustal rocks of early Proterozoic age that apparently have underthrust the shield rocks from the east. If most of the samples we have analyzed from this easterly region were mineralized 530 m.y. ago, then the age of the older continental rocks is 2,100??300 m.y. (2??). The presence of upper crustal rocks, possibly also of early Proterozoic age, is indicated by galena data from Hailan in South Yemen and also from near Muscat in Oman. These data are the first to indicate such old continental material in these regions. ?? 1980 Springer-Verlag.

Seismological Constraints on Lithospheric Evolution in the Appalachian Orogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, K. M.; Hopper, E.; Hawman, R. B.; Wagner, L. S.

2017-12-01

Crust and mantle structures beneath the Appalachian orogen, recently resolved by seismic data from the EarthScope SESAME Flexible Array and Transportable Array, provide new constraints on the scale and style of the Appalachian collision and subsequent lithospheric evolution. In the southern Appalachians, imaging with Sp and Ps phases reveals the final (Alleghanian) suture between the crusts of Laurentia and the Gondwanan Suwannee terrane as a low angle (<15°) southward-dipping interface that soles into a flat-lying mid-crustal detachment. The suture location near the top of the crust coincides closely with the northern limit of the Suwannee terrane reconstructed from its lower Paleozoic shelf strata (Boote and Knapp, 2016). The observed suture geometry implies over 300 km of head-on shortening across a plate boundary structure similar in scale to the Himalayan mid-crustal detachment. While the suture and other structures from the Alleghanian collision are preserved in the upper and mid-crust, the lower crust and mantle lithosphere beneath this region have been significantly modified by later processes. Ps receiver functions, wavefield migration and SsPmp modeling reveal that crustal thickness reaches a maximum of 58 km (beneath high elevations in the Blue Ridge terrane) and decreases to 29-35 km (beneath lower elevations in the Carolina and Suwannee terranes). Given metamorphic estimates of unroofing (Duff and Kellogg, 2017) isostatic arguments indicate crustal thicknesses were 15-25 km larger at the end of the orogeny, indicating a thick crustal root across the region. The present-day residual crustal root beneath the Blue Ridge mountains is estimated to have a density contrast with the mantle of only 104±20 kg/m3. This value is comparable to other old orogens but lower than values typical of young or active orogens, indicating a loss of lower crustal buoyancy over time. At mantle depths, the negative shear velocity gradient that marks the transition from lithosphere to asthenosphere, as illuminated by Sp phases, varies across the Appalachian orogen. This boundary is shallow beneath the northeastern U.S. and in the zone of Eocene volcanism in Virginia, where low velocity anomalies occur in the upper mantle. These correlations suggest recent active lithosphere-asthenosphere interaction.

High resolution 2D numerical models from rift to break-up: Crustal hyper-extension, Margin asymmetry, Sequential faulting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brune, Sascha; Heine, Christian; Pérez-Gussinyé, Marta; Sobolev, Stephan

2013-04-01

Numerical modelling is a powerful tool to integrate a multitude of geological and geophysical data while addressing fundamental questions of passive margin formation such as the occurrence of crustal hyper-extension, (a-)symmetries between conjugate margin pairs, and the sometimes significant structural differences between adjacent margin segments. This study utilises knowledge gathered from two key examples of non-magmatic, asymmetric, conjugate margin pairs, i.e. Iberia-New Foundland and Southern Africa-Brazil, where many published seismic lines provide solid knowledge on individual margin geometry. While both margins involve crustal hyper-extension, it is much more pronounced in the South Atlantic. We investigate the evolution of these two margin pairs by carefully constraining our models with detailed plate kinematic history, laboratory-based rheology, and melt fraction evaluation of mantle upwelling. Our experiments are consistent with observed fault patterns, crustal thickness, and basin stratigraphy. We conduct 2D thermomechanical rift models using the finite element code SLIM3D that operates with nonlinear stress- and temperature-dependent elasto-visco-plastic rheology, with parameters provided by laboratory experiments on major crustal and upper mantle rocks. In our models we also calculate the melt fraction within the upwelling asthenosphere, which allows us to control whether the model indeed corresponds to the non-magmatic margin type or not. Our modelling highlights two processes as fundamental for the formation of hyper-extension and margin asymmetry at non-magmatic margins: (1) Strain hardening in the rift center due to cooling of upwelling mantle material (2) The formation of a weak crustal domain adjacent to the rift center caused by localized viscous strain softening and heat transfer from the mantle. Simultaneous activity of both processes promotes lateral rift migration in a continuous way that generates a wide layer of hyper-extended crust on one side of the rift basin. This mechanism implies that syn-rift deformation at the distal margin postdates faulting at the proximal margin by several million years. The succession of events holds intriguing implications not only for peak heat flow migration but also for processes like serpentinization and magmatic underplating.

Crustal thickness of the Moon: New constraints from gravity inversions using polyhedral shape models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hikida, Hajime; Wieczorek, Mark A.

2007-12-01

A new method is presented for estimating crustal thickness from gravity and topography data on the Moon. By calculating analytically the exterior gravitational field for a set of arbitrarily shaped polyhedra, relief along the crust-mantle interface can be inverted for that satisfies the observational constraints. As this method does not rely upon filtering the Bouguer anomaly, which was required with previous inversions performed in the spherical-harmonic domain, and as the dramatic variations in spatial quality of the lunar gravity field are taken into account, our crustal thickness model more faithfully represents the available data. Using our model results, we investigate various aspects of the prominent nearside impact basins. The crustal thickness in the central portion of the Orientale and Crisium basins is found to be close to zero, suggesting that these basins could have conceivably excavated into the lunar mantle. Furthermore, given our uncertain knowledge of the density of the crust and mantle, it is possible that the Humorum, Humboldtianum, Nectaris, and Smythii basins could have excavated all the way through the crust as well. The crustal structure for most of the young impact basins implies a depth/diameter ratio of about 0.08 for their excavation cavities. As noted in previous studies, however, the crustal structure of Imbrium and Serenitatis is anomalous, which is conceivably a result of enhanced rates of post-impact viscous relaxation caused by the proximity of these basins to the Procellarum KREEP Terrane. Impact basins older than Smythii show little or no evidence for crustal thinning, suggesting that these ancient basins were also affected by high rates of viscous relaxation resulting from higher crustal temperatures early in the Moon's evolution. The lithosphere beneath many young basins is found to be supporting a downward directed force, even after the load associated with the mare basalts is removed, and this is plausibly attributed to superisostatic uplift of the crust-mantle interface. Those basins that are close to achieving a pre-mare isostatic state are generally found to reside within, or close to, the Procellarum KREEP Terrane.

Moho Depth and Bulk Crustal Properties in Northern Quebec and Labrador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vervaet, F.; Darbyshire, F. A.

2016-12-01

Northern Quebec and Labrador lie at the heart of the Laurentian landmass and preserve over 3 billion years of continental evolution. In this region the Archean Superior and Nain cratons are surrounded by Paleoproterozoic orogens such as New-Quebec, Trans-Hudson and Torngat, as well as the younger Grenville orogen to the SE. Study of crustal structure in this region provides valuable information on the assembly of the North American continent. We use data from 8 seismic stations installed in summer 2011 as part of the QUiLLE (Quebec-Labrador Lithospheric Experiment) project to investigate crustal structure, using receiver function analysis. The data set covers 5 years (2011-2016) for most of the stations, comprising several hundred events of magnitude ≥5 and epicentral distance 30-90°. After initial data processing and quality control, several tens of events per station were used in an H-κ stacking analysis to estimate Moho depth and bulk crustal properties. Some stations show significant complexity in their receiver functions, leading to inconclusive H-κ results, but the majority show a consistent Moho signal from which crustal parameters are successfully extracted. Crustal thickness varies from 33 to 49 km, with the thickest crust associated with the Trans-Hudson orogen in the Ungava region of northernmost Quebec and the thinnest beneath the central Labrador coast. Vp/Vs ratios (κ) lie in the range 1.71-1.86, with the majority of values consistent with granite-gneiss-tonalite bulk crustal compositions. The receiver functions are combined with surface-wave group velocity data to model the crustal structures in more detail beneath each station, allowing us to investigate crustal layering, Moho complexity and lateral heterogeneity.

Raising Tibet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harrison, T.M.; Yin, An; Copeland, P.

1992-03-27

Thermochronologic, sedimentologic, oceanographic, and paleoclimatic studies suggest that rapid uplift and unroofing of southern Tibet began about 20 million years ago and that the present elevation of much of the Tibetan plateau was attained by about 8 million years ago. Hypotheses advanced to explain the tectonic evolution of the India-Asia collision, which began about 40 to 50 million years ago, predict the timing and rates of crustal thickening of the southern margin of Asia. However, these models do not predict the prominently enhanced early Miocene denudation and uplift that are manifested in a variety of geological records. A model involvingmore » continental extrusion, development of a crustal-scale thrust ramp of the Main Central Thrust beneath the Gangdese belt, and lithospheric delamination provides a history consistent with these observations.« less

GLIMPCE Seismic reflection evidence of deep-crustal and upper-mantle intrusions and magmatic underplating associated with the Midcontinent Rift system of North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Behrendt, John C.; Hutchinson, D.R.; Lee, M.; Thornber, C.R.; Tréhu, A.; Cannon, W.; Green, A.

1990-01-01

Deep-crustal and Moho reflections, recorded on vertical incidence and wide angle ocean bottom Seismometer (OBS) data in the 1986 GLIMPCE (Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution) experiment, provide evidence for magmatic underplating and intrusions within the lower crust and upper mantle contemporaneous with crustal extension in the Midcontinent Rift system at 1100 Ma. The rift fill consists of 20-30 km (7-10 s) of basalt flows, secondary syn-rift volcaniclastic and post-basalt sedimentary rock. Moho reflections recorded in Lake Superior over the Midcontinent Rift system have times from 14-18 s (about 46 km to as great as 58 km) in contrast to times of about 11-13 s (about 36-42 km crustal thickness) beneath the surrounding Great Lakes. The Seismically complex deep-crust to mantle transition zone (30-60 km) in north-central Lake Superior, which is 100 km wider than the rift half-graben, reflects the complicated products of tectonic and magmatic interaction of lower-crustal and mantle components during evolution or shutdown of the aborted Midcontinent Rift. In effect, mantle was changed into crust by lowering Seismic velocity (through intrusion of lower density magmatic rocks) and increasing Moho (about 8.1 km s-1 depth. 

Linkages Between Critical Wedges and Crustal Channels Using 2-D Coupled Thermomechanical Finite Element Models: Implications for Himalayan Orogenic Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparks, S. A.; Thigpen, J. R.

2017-12-01

In continental tectonics, questions remain regarding the dominant mechanisms of shortening accommodation during orogen evolution. Two quantitatively-supported models, critical wedge and channel flow, have been applied to the Himalaya and proposed for other large collisional systems. These two models represent fundamentally distinct mechanisms for accommodating shortening in collisional systems and until recently have been viewed as mutually exclusive. While there remains support for these mechanisms being incompatible end-members, in more recent studies it has been proposed that either: (1) both geodynamic mechanisms may operate simultaneously yet in spatially distinct parts of the larger composite orogenic system or (2) both mechanisms are present yet they operate at temporally distinct intervals, wherein the orogen progressively develops through stages dominated by mid-crustal channel flow followed by shallow thrust stacking and duplex development. In both scenarios, the mechanism active at each stage in orogen evolution is presumably dependent upon local to regional scale rheological conditions (as a function of orogen dynamic and thermal evolution) that are likely to be transient in both space and time. However, questions regarding the dynamic, mechanical, and thermal-kinematic relationships of such a system remain. Also, while field observations and deformation records derived from analyses of transects within the Himalaya can be interpreted in such a way to be consistent with a unified model, numerical models that predict the behavior of interactions between the end-member models have - until now - not existed. Here, we present results from 2-D coupled thermomechanical finite-element numerical experiments that examine the necessary conditions for mechanical compatibility between the channel and critical wedge by focusing on the role of rheology. These model results will eventually allow us to make preliminary comparisons between model-derived stress predictions and differential stress values determined from quartz paleopiezometry from samples collected in the Langtang and Annapurna regions of central Nepal.

Validating predictions made by a thermo-mechanical model of melt segregation in sub-volcanic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roele, Katarina; Jackson, Matthew; Morgan, Joanna

2014-05-01

A quantitative understanding of the spatial and temporal evolution of melt distribution in the crust is crucial in providing insights into the development of sub-volcanic crustal stratigraphy and composition. This work aims to relate numerical models that describe the base of volcanic systems with geophysical observations. Recent modelling has shown that the repetitive emplacement of mantle-derived basaltic sills, at the base of the lower crust, acts as a heat source for anatectic melt generation, buoyancy-driven melt segregation and mobilisation. These processes form the lowermost architecture of complex sub-volcanic networks as upward migrating melt produces high melt fraction layers. These 'porosity waves' are separated by zones with high compaction rates and have distinctive polybaric chemical signatures that suggest mixed crust and mantle origins. A thermo-mechanical model produced by Solano et al in 2012 has been used to predict the temperatures and melt fractions of successive high porosity layers within the crust. This model was used as it accounts for the dynamic evolution of melt during segregation and migration through the crust; a significant process that has been neglected in previous models. The results were used to input starting compositions for each of the layers into the rhyolite-MELTS thermodynamic simulation. MELTS then determined the approximate bulk composition of the layers once they had cooled and solidified. The mean seismic wave velocities of the polymineralic layers were then calculated using the relevant Voight-Reuss-Hill mixture rules, whilst accounting for the pressure and temperature dependence of seismic wave velocity. The predicted results were then compared with real examples of reflectivity for areas including the UK, where lower crustal layering is observed. A comparison between the impedance contrasts at compositional boundaries is presented as it confirms the extent to which modelling is able to make predictions that are consistent with the real data. This highlights improvements that could be made to the thermo-mechanical model, such as an extension into 3-D that would be capable of capturing the effects of convective instabilities. In addition, it describes how far numerical models are capable of reducing the uncertainty in the parameter space for poorly defined crustal properties. Most importantly however, it gives an improved understanding of the intrusion and development of melt zones in the continental crust that ultimately control the formation of volcanic systems. [1] Solano, J. M. S., M. D. Jackson, R. S. J. Sparks, J. D. Blundy, and C. Annen (2012). Melt segregation in deep crustal hot zones: a mechanism for chemical differentiation, crustal assimilation and the formation of evolved magmas. Journal of Petrology, 53, Number 10, Pages 1999-2026. DOI: 10.1093/petrology/egs041.

A new model for the initiation, crustal architecture, and extinction of pull-apart basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wijk, J.; Axen, G. J.; Abera, R.

2015-12-01

We present a new model for the origin, crustal architecture, and evolution of pull-apart basins. The model is based on results of three-dimensional upper crustal numerical models of deformation, field observations, and fault theory, and answers many of the outstanding questions related to these rifts. In our model, geometric differences between pull-apart basins are inherited from the initial geometry of the strike-slip fault step which results from early geometry of the strike-slip fault system. As strike-slip motion accumulates, pull-apart basins are stationary with respect to underlying basement and the fault tips may propagate beyond the rift basin. Our model predicts that the sediment source areas may thus migrate over time. This implies that, although pull-apart basins lengthen over time, lengthening is accommodated by extension within the pull-apart basin, rather than formation of new faults outside of the rift zone. In this aspect pull-apart basins behave as narrow rifts: with increasing strike-slip the basins deepen but there is no significant younging outward. We explain why pull-apart basins do not go through previously proposed geometric evolutionary stages, which has not been documented in nature. Field studies predict that pull-apart basins become extinct when an active basin-crossing fault forms; this is the most likely fate of pull-apart basins, because strike-slip systems tend to straighten. The model predicts what the favorable step-dimensions are for the formation of such a fault system, and those for which a pull-apart basin may further develop into a short seafloor-spreading ridge. The model also shows that rift shoulder uplift is enhanced if the strike-slip rate is larger than the fault-propagation rate. Crustal compression then contributes to uplift of the rift flanks.

Timing of crust formation and recycling in accretionary orogens: Insights learned from the western margin of South America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahlburg, Heinrich; Vervoort, Jeffrey D.; Du Frane, S. Andrew; Bock, Barbara; Augustsson, Carita; Reimann, Cornelia

2009-12-01

Accretionary orogens are considered major sites of formation of juvenile continental crust. In the central and southern Andes this is contradicted by two observations: siliciclastic fills of Paleozoic basins in the central Andean segment of the accretionary Terra Australis Orogen consist almost exclusively of shales and mature sandstones; and magmatic rocks connected to the Famatinian (Ordovician) and Late Paleozoic magmatic arcs are predominantly felsic and characterized by significant crustal contamination and strongly unradiogenic Nd isotope compositions. Evidence of juvenile crustal additions is scarce. We present laser ablation (LA)-ICPMS U-Pb ages and LA-MC-ICPMS Hf isotope data of detrital zircons from seven Devonian to Permian turbidite sandstones incorporated into a Late Paleozoic accretionary wedge at the western margin of Gondwana in northern Chile. The combination with Nd whole-rock isotope data permits us to trace the evolution of the South American continental crust through several Proterozoic and Paleozoic orogenic cycles. The analyzed detrital zircon spectra reflect all Proterozoic orogenic cycles representing the step-wise evolution of the accretionary SW Amazonia Orogenic System between 2.0 and 0.9 Ga, followed by the Terra Australis Orogen between 0.9 and 0.25 Ga. The zircon populations are characterized by two prominent maxima reflecting input from Sunsas (Grenville) age magmatic rocks (1.2-0.9 Ga) and from the Ordovician to Silurian Famatinian magmatic arc (0.52-0.42 Ga). Grains of Devonian age are scarce or absent from the analyzed zircon populations. The Hf isotopic compositions of selected dated zircons at the time of their crystallization ( ɛHf ( T) ; T = 3.3-0.25 Ga) vary between - 18 and + 11. All sandstones have a significant juvenile component; between 20 and 50% of the zircons from each sedimentary rock have positive ɛHf ( T) and can be considered juvenile. The majority of the juvenile grains have Hf-depleted mantle model ages (Hf TDM) between 1.55 and 0.8 Ga, the time of the Rondonia-San Ignacio and Sunsas orogenic events on the Amazonia craton. The corresponding whole-rock ɛNd ( T) values fot these same rocks are between - 8 and - 3 indicating a mixture of older evolved and juvenile sources. Nd-depleted mantle model ages (Nd TDM*) are between 1.5 and 1.2 Ga and coincide broadly with the zircon Hf model ages. Our data indicate that the Paleo- and Mesoproterozoic SW Amazonia Orogenic System, and the subsequent Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic Terra Australis Orogen in the region of the central and southern Andes, developed following two markedly different patterns of accretionary orogenic crustal evolution. The SW Amazonia Orogenic System developed by southwestward growth over approximately 1.1 Ga through a combination of accretion of juvenile material and crustal recycling typical of the extensional or retreating mode of accretionary orogens. In contrast, the central Andean segment of the Terra Australis Orogen evolved from 0.9 to 0.25 Ga in the compressional or advancing mode in a relatively fixed position without the accretion of oceanic crustal units or large scale input of juvenile material to the orogenic crust. Here, recycling mainly of Mesoproterozoic continental crust has been the dominant process of crustal evolution.

Recommendations and Guidelines, The Incorporation of Results of Current Crustal Evolution Studies into K-12 Curricula. A Report of the National Association of Geology Teachers Conference on K-12 Crustal Evolution Education (Western Hills State Lodge, Oklahoma, September 16-18, 1974).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

The National Association of Geology Teachers (NAGT) conducted an assessment of the implications of current studies encompassing the theories of continental drift, polar wandering, sea-floor spreading, and plate tectonics to K-12 education, and presented in this document recommendations for the incorporation of these concepts into school curricula.…

MEVTV Workshop on Early Tectonic and Volcanic Evolution of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, H. (Editor)

1988-01-01

Although not ignored, the problems of the early tectonic and volcanic evolution of Mars have generally received less attention than those later in the evolution of the planet. Specifically, much attention was devoted to the evolution of the Tharsis region of Mars and to the planet itself at the time following the establishment of this major tectonic and volcanic province. By contrast, little attention was directed at fundamental questions, such as the conditions that led to the development of Tharsis and the cause of the basic fundamental dichotomy of the Martian crust. It was to address these and related questions of the earliest evolution of Mars that a workshop was organized under the auspices of the Mars: Evolution of Volcanism, Tectonism, and Volatiles (MEVTV) Program. Four sessions were held: crustal dichotomy; crustal differentiation/volcanism; Tharsis, Elysium, and Valles Marineris; and ridges and fault tectonics.

Two-stage rifting in the Kenya rift: implications for half-graben models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mugisha, F.; Ebinger, C. J.; Strecker, M.; Pope, D.

1997-09-01

The Kerio sub-basin in the northern Kenya rift is a transitional area between the southern Kenya rift, where crustal thickness is 30 km, and the northern Kenya rift, where crustal thickness is 20 km. The lack of data on the shallow crustal structure, geometry of rift-bounding faults, and rift evolution makes it difficult to determine if the crustal thickness variations are due to pre-rift structure, or along-axis variations in crustal stretching. We reprocessed reflection seismic data acquired for the National Oil Corporation of Kenya, and integrated results with field and gravity observations to (1) delineate the sub-surface geometry of the Kerio sub-basin, (2) correlate seismic stratigraphic sequences with dated strata exposed along the basin margins, and (3) use new and existing results to propose a two-stage rifting model for the central Kenya rift. Although a classic half-graben form previously had been inferred from the attitude of uppermost strata, new seismic data show a more complex form in the deeper basin: a narrow full-graben bounded by steep faults. We suggest that the complex basin form and the northwards increase in crustal thinning are caused by the superposition of two or more rifting events. The first rifting stage may have occurred during Palaeogene time contemporaneous with sedimentation and rifting in northwestern Kenya and southern Sudan. The distribution of seismic sequences suggests that a phase of regional thermal subsidence occurred prior to renewed faulting and subsidence at about 12 Ma after the eruption of flood phonolites throughout the central Kenya rift. A new border fault developed during the second rifting stage, effectively widening the basin. Gravity and seismic data indicate sedimentary and volcanic strata filling the basin are 6 km thick, with up to 4 km deposited during the first rifting stage.

Continental Evolution Involving Subduction Underplating and Synchronous Foreland Thrusting: Evidence from the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuis, G. S.; Moore, T. E.; Plafker, G.; Brocher, T. M.; Fisher, M. A.; Mooney, W. D.; Nokleberg, W. J.; Page, R. A.; Beaudoin, B. C.; Christensen, N. I.; Levander, A.; Lutter, W. J.; Saltus, R. W.; Ruppert, N. A.

2010-12-01

We investigated the crustal structure and tectonic evolution of the North American continent in Alaska, where the continent has grown through magmatism, accretion, and tectonic underplating. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, we conducted a geological and geophysical investigation, known as the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT), along a 1350-km-long corridor from the Aleutian Trench to the Arctic coast. The most distinctive crustal structures and the deepest Moho along the transect are located near the Pacific and Arctic margins. Near the Pacific margin, we infer a stack of tectonically underplated oceanic layers interpreted to be remnants of the extinct Kula (or Resurrection) Plate. Continental Moho just north of this underplated stack is more than 55 km deep. Near the Arctic margin, the Brooks Range is underlain by north-vergent, crustal-scale duplexes that overlie a ramp on autochthonous North Slope crust. There, Moho has been depressed to nearly 50-km depth. In contrast, the Moho of central Alaska is on average 32 km deep. In the Paleogene, tectonic underplating of Kula- (or Resurrection-) Plate fragments overlapped in time with duplexing in the Brooks Range. Possible tectonic models linking these two widely separated regions include “flat-slab” subduction and an “orogenic-float” model. In the Neogene, the collision of the Yakutat terrane (YAK), in southern Alaska, correlates with renewed compression in northeast Alaska and northwest Canada, in a fashion somewhat similar to the tectonics in the Paleogene. The Yakutat terrane, riding atop the subducting Pacific oceanic lithosphere (POL), spans a newly interpreted tear in the POL. East of the tear, POL is interpreted to subduct steeply and alone beneath the Wrangell arc volcanoes because the overlying YAK has been left behind as tectonically underplated rocks beneath the rising St. Elias Range in the coastal region. West of the tear, the YAK and POL are interpreted to subduct together at a gentle angle (a few degrees from 0 to 400 km from the trench), and this thickened package inhibits arc volcanism.

Crustal structure of Yunnan province, People's Republic of China, from seismic refraction profiles

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kan, R.-J.; Hu, H.-X.; Zeng, R.-S.; Mooney, W.D.; McEvilly, T.V.

1986-01-01

Seismic refraction, profiles in Yunnan Province, southwestern China, define the crustal structure in an area of active tectonics, on the southern end of the Himalaya-Burma arc. The crustal thickness ranges from 38 to 46 kilometers, and the relatively low mean crustal velocity indicates a crustal composition compatible with normal continental crust and consisting mainly of meta-sedimentary and silicic intrusive rocks, with little mafic or ultramafic component. This composition suggests a crustal evolution involving sedimentary processes on the flank of the Yangtze platform rather than the accretion of oceanic island arcs, as has been proposed. An anomalously low upper-mantle velocity observed on one profile, but not on another at right angles to it may indicate active tectonic processes in the mantle or seismic anisotropy.

Crustal Structure of Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, from Seismic Refraction Profiles.

PubMed

Kan, R J; Hu, H X; Zeng, R S; Mooney, W D; McEvilly, T V

1986-10-24

Seismic refraction, profiles in Yunnan Province, southwestern China, define the crustal structure in an area of active tectonics on the southern end of the Himalaya-Burma arc. The crustal thickness ranges from 38 to 46 kilometers, and the relatively low mean crustal velocity indicates a crustal composition compatible with normal continental crust and consisting mainly of meta-sedimentary and silicic intrusive rocks, with little mafic or ultramafic component. This composition suggests a crustal evolution involving sedimentary processes on the flank of the Yangtze platform rather than the accretion of oceanic island arcs, as has been proposed. An anomalously low upper-mantle velocity observed on one profile but not on another at right angles to it may indicate active tectonic processes in the mantle or seismic anisotropy.

Crustal thickness and Vp/Vs beneath the southeastern United States: Constraints from receiver function stacking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Q.; Gao, S. S.; Liu, K. H.

2017-12-01

To provide new constraints on crustal structure and evolution models beneath a collage of tectonic provinces in the southeastern United States, a total of 10,753 teleseismic receiver functions recorded by 125 USArray and other seismic stations are used to compute crustal thickness and Vp/Vs values. The resulting crustal thicknesses range from 25 km at the coast to 51 km beneath the peak of the southern Appalachians with an average of 36.2 km ± 5.5 km. The resulting crustal thicknesses correlate well with surface elevation and Bouguer gravity anomalies. Beneath the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the crustal thicknesses show a clear eastward thinning with a magnitude of 10 km, from about 40 km beneath the western margin to 30 km beneath the coast. The Vp/Vs values for the entire study area range from 1.71 to 1.90 with a mean value of 1.80 ± 0.04. The mean Vp/Vs value is 1.82±0.035 in the southern Appalachian Mountain. The slightly larger than normal crustal Vp/Vs for this area might be the result of significant erosion of the felsic upper crust over the past 300 million years. Alternatively, it could also suggest the existence of pervasive magmatic intrusion into the Appalachian crust. The Vp/Vs measurements in the Atlantic Coastal Plain increase toward the east, ranging from 1.75 to 1.82, probably indicating a gradual increase of mafic magmatic intrusion into thinner crust during the development of the passive continental margin.

Study of crustal structure and stretch mechanism of central continental shelf of northern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, J.; Xia, S.; Sun, J.; Wan, K.; Xu, H.

2017-12-01

Known as a significant region to study tectonic relationship between South China block and South China Sea (SCS) block and the evolution of rifted basin in continental margin, the continental shelf of northern SCS documents the evolution from continental splitting to seafloor spreading of SCS. To investigate crustal structure of central continental shelf in northern SCS, two wide-angle onshore-offshore seismic experiments and coincident multi-channel seismic (MCS) profiles were carried out across the onshore-offshore transitional zone in northern SCS, 2010 and 2012. A total of 34 stations consisted of ocean bottom seismometers, portable and permanent land stations were deployed during the survey. The two-dimensional precise crustal structure models of central continental shelf in northern SCS was constructed from onshore to offshore, and the stretching factors along the P-wave velocity models were calculated. The models reveal that South China block is a typical continental crust with a 30-32 km Moho depth, and a localized high-velocity anomaly in middle-lower crust under land area near Hong Kong was imaged, which may reflect magma underplating caused by subduction of paleo-Pacific plate in late Mesozoic. The littoral fault zone is composed of several parallel, high-angle, normal faults that mainly trend northeast to northeast-to-east and dip to the southeast with a large displacement, and the fault is divided into several segments separated by the northwest-trending faults. The shelf zone south of LFZ was consisted of a differential thinning upper and lower continental crust, which indicate stretch thinning of passive continent margin during the Cenozoic spreading of the SCS. The results appear to further confirm that the northern margin of SCS experienced a transition from active margin to passive one during late Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

Crustal structure of the Kaapvaal craton and its significance for early crustal evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, David E.; Niu, Fenglin; Rokosky, Juliana

2003-12-01

High-quality seismic data obtained from a dense broadband array near Kimberley, South Africa, exhibit crustal reverberations of remarkable clarity that provide well-resolved constraints on the structure of the lowermost crust and Moho. Receiver function analysis of Moho conversions and crustal multiples beneath the Kimberley array shows that the crust is 35 km thick with an average Poisson's ratio of 0.25. The density contrast across the Moho is ˜15%, indicating a crustal density about 2.86 gm/cc just above the Moho, appropriate for felsic to intermediate rock compositions. Analysis of waveform broadening of the crustal reverberation phases suggests that the Moho transition can be no more than 0.5 km thick and the total variation in crustal thickness over the 2400 km 2 footprint of the array no more than 1 km. Waveform and travel time analysis of a large earthquake triggered by deep gold mining operations (the Welkom mine event) some 200 km away from the array yield an average crustal thickness of 35 km along the propagation path between the Kimberley array and the event. P- and S-wave velocities for the lowermost crust are modeled to be 6.75 and 3.90 km/s, respectively, with uppermost mantle velocities of 8.2 and 4.79 km/s, respectively. Seismograms from the Welkom event exhibit theoretically predicted but rarely observed crustal reverberation phases that involve reflection or conversion at the Moho. Correlation between observed and synthetic waveforms and phase amplitudes of the Moho reverberations suggests that the crust along the propagation path between source and receiver is highly uniform in both thickness and average seismic velocity and that the Moho transition zone is everywhere less than about 2 km thick. While the extremely flat Moho, sharp transition zone and low crustal densities beneath the region of study may date from the time of crustal formation, a more geologically plausible interpretation involves extensive crustal melting and ductile flow during the major craton-wide Ventersdorp tectonomagmatic event near the end of Archean time.

Comparison of publically available Moho depth and crustal thickness grids with newly derived grids by 3D gravity inversion for the High Arctic region.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebedeva-Ivanova, Nina; Gaina, Carmen; Minakov, Alexander; Kashubin, Sergey

2016-04-01

We derived Moho depth and crustal thickness for the High Arctic region by 3D forward and inverse gravity modelling method in the spectral domain (Minakov et al. 2012) using lithosphere thermal gravity anomaly correction (Alvey et al., 2008); a vertical density variation for the sedimentary layer and lateral crustal variation density. Recently updated grids of bathymetry (Jakobsson et al., 2012), gravity anomaly (Gaina et al, 2011) and dynamic topography (Spasojevic & Gurnis, 2012) were used as input data for the algorithm. TeMAr sedimentary thickness grid (Petrov et al., 2013) was modified according to the most recently published seismic data, and was re-gridded and utilized as input data. Other input parameters for the algorithm were calibrated using seismic crustal scale profiles. The results are numerically compared with publically available grids of the Moho depth and crustal thickness for the High Arctic region (CRUST 1 and GEMMA global grids; the deep Arctic Ocean grids by Glebovsky et al., 2013) and seismic crustal scale profiles. The global grids provide coarser resolution of 0.5-1.0 geographic degrees and not focused on the High Arctic region. Our grids better capture all main features of the region and show smaller error in relation to the seismic crustal profiles compare to CRUST 1 and GEMMA grids. Results of 3D gravity modelling by Glebovsky et al. (2013) with separated geostructures approach show also good fit with seismic profiles; however these grids cover the deep part of the Arctic Ocean only. Alvey A, Gaina C, Kusznir NJ, Torsvik TH (2008). Integrated crustal thickness mapping and plate recon-structions for the high Arctic. Earth Planet Sci Lett 274:310-321. Gaina C, Werner SC, Saltus R, Maus S (2011). Circum-Arctic mapping project: new magnetic and gravity anomaly maps of the Arctic. Geol Soc Lond Mem 35, 39-48. Glebovsky V.Yu., Astafurova E.G., Chernykh A.A., Korneva M.A., Kaminsky V.D., Poselov V.A. (2013). Thickness of the Earth's crust in the deep Arctic Ocean: results of a 3D gravity modeling Russian Geology and Geophysics 54, 247-262. Jakobsson M, Mayer L, Coakley B, Dowdeswell JA, Forbes S, Fridman B, Hodnesdal H, Noormets R, Pedersen R, Rebesco M, Schenke HW, Zarayskaya Y, Accettella D, Armstrong A, Anderson RM, Bienhoff P, Camerlenghi A, Church I, Edwards M, Gardner JV, Hall JK, Hell B, Hestvik O, Krist-offersen Y, Marcussen C, Mohammad R, Mosher D, Nghiem SV, Pedrosa MT, Travaglini PG, Weatherall P (2012). The international bathymetric chart of the Arctic Ocean (IBCAO) version 3.0. Geophys Res Lett 39, L12609. Laske, G., Masters., G., Ma, Z. and Pasyanos, M. (2013). Update on CRUST1.0 - A 1-degree Global Model of Earth's Crust, Geophys. Res. Abstracts, 15, Abstract EGU2013-2658, 2013. Minakov A, Faleide JI, Glebovsky VY, Mjelde R (2012) Structure and evolution of the northern Barents-Kara Sea continental margin from integrated analysis of potential fields, bathymetry and sparse seismic data. Geophys J Int 188, 79-102. Petrov O., Smelror M., Shokalsky S., Morozov A., Kashubin S., Grikurov G., Sobolev N., Petrov E., (2013). A new international tectonic map of the Arctic (TeMAr) at 1:5 M scale and geodynamic evolution in the Arctic region. EGU2013-13481. Reguzzoni, M., & Sampietro, D. (2014). GEMMA: An Earth crustal model based on GOCE satellite data. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation Spasojevic S. & Gurnis M., (2012). Sea level and vertical motion of continents from dynamic earth models since the late Cretaceous. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 96, pp. 2037-2064.

Origin and potential geothermal significance of China Hat and other late Pleistocene topaz rhyolite lava domes of the Blackfoot Volcanic Field, SE Idaho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCurry, M. O.; Pearson, D. M.; Welhan, J. A.; Kobs-Nawotniak, S. E.; Fisher, M. A.

2014-12-01

The Snake River Plain and neighboring regions are well known for their high heat flow and robust Neogene-Quaternary tectonic and magmatic activity. Interestingly, however, there are comparatively few surficial manifestations of geothermal activity. This study is part of a renewed examination of this region as a possible hidden or blind geothermal resource. We present a testable, integrated volcanological, petrogenetic, tectonic and hydrothermal conceptual model for 57 ka China Hat and cogenetic topaz rhyolite lava domes of the Blackfoot Volcanic Field. This field is well suited for analysis as a blind resource because of its distinctive combination of (1) young bimodal volcanism, petrogenetic evidence of shallow magma storage and evolution, presence of coeval extension, voluminous travertine deposits, and C- and He-isotopic evidence of active magma degassing; (2) a paucity of hot springs or other obvious indicators of a geothermal resource in the immediate vicinity of the lava domes; and (3) proximity to a region of high crustal heat flow, high-T geothermal fluids at 2.5-5 km depth and micro-seismicity characterized by its swarming nature. Eruptions of both basalt and rhyolite commonly evolve from minor phreatomagmatic to effusive. In our model, transport of both magmatic and possible deep crustal aqueous fluids may be controlled by preexisting crustal structures, including west-dipping thrust faults. Geochemical evolution of rhyolite magma is dominated by mid- to upper-crustal fractional crystallization (with pre-eruption storage and phenocryst formation at ~14 km). Approximately 1.2 km3 of topaz rhyolite have been erupted since 1.4 Ma, yielding an average eruption rate of 0.8 km3/m.y. Given reasonable assumptions of magma cumulate formation and eruption rates, and initial and final volatile concentrations, we infer average H2O and CO2 volatile fluxes from the rhyolite source region of ~2MT/year and 340 T/day, respectively. Lithium flux may be comparable to CO2.

Crustal evolution inferred from Apollo magnetic measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyal, P.; Daily, W. D.; Vanian, L. L.

1978-01-01

The topology of lunar remanent fields is investigated by analyzing simultaneous magnetometer and solar wind spectrometer data. The diffusion model proposed by Vanyan (1977) to describe the field-plasma interaction at the lunar surface is extended to describe the interaction with fields characterized by two scale lengths, and the extended model is compared with data from three Apollo landing sites (Apollo 12, 15 and 16) with crustal fields of differing intensity and topology. Local remanent field properties from this analysis are compared with high spatial resolution magnetic maps obtained from the electron reflection experiment. It is concluded that remanent fields over most of the lunar surface are characterized by spatial variations as small as a few kilometers. Large regions (50 to 100 km) of the lunar crust were probably uniformly magnetized early in the evolution of the crust. Smaller scale (5 to 10 km) magnetic sources close to the surface were left by bombardment and subsequent gardening of the upper layers of these magnetized regions. The small scale sized remanent fields of about 100 gammas are measured by surface experiments, whereas the larger scale sized fields of about 0.1 gammas are measured by the orbiting subsatellite experiments.

Chemical differentiation on one-plate planets: Predictions and geologic observations for Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Head, James W., III; Parmentier, E. M.; Hess, P. C.

1992-01-01

Recent studies have examined the partial melting of planetary interiors on one-plate planets and the implications for the formation and evolution of basaltic crust and the complementary residual mantle layer. In contrast to the Earth, where the crust and residual layer move laterally and are returned to the interior following subduction, one-plate planets such as Venus are characterized by vertical accretion of the crust and residual layer. The residual mantle layer is depleted and compositionally buoyant, being less dense than undepleted mantle due to its reduced Fe/Mg and dense Al-bearing minerals; its melting temperature is also increased. As the crust and depleted mantle layer grow vertically during the thermal evolution of the planet, several stages develop. As a step in the investigation and testing of these theoretical treatments of crustal development on Venus, we investigate the predictions deriving from two of these stages (a stable thick crust and depleted layer, and a thick unstable depleted layer) and compare these to geologic and geophysical observations, speculating on how these might be interpreted in the context of the vertical crustal accretion models. In each case, we conclude with an outline of further tests and observations of these models.

Puzzling features of western Mediterranean tectonics explained by slab dragging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spakman, Wim; Chertova, Maria V.; van den Berg, Arie.; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.

2018-03-01

The recent tectonic evolution of the western Mediterranean region is enigmatic. The causes for the closure of the Moroccan marine gateway prior to the Messinian salinity crisis, for the ongoing shortening of the Moroccan Rif and for the origin of the seismogenic Trans-Alboran shear zone and eastern Betics extension are unclear. These puzzling tectonic features cannot be fully explained by subduction of the east-dipping Gibraltar slab in the context of the regional relative plate motion frame. Here we use a combination of geological and geodetic data, as well as three-dimensional numerical modelling of subduction, to show that these unusual tectonic features could be the consequence of slab dragging—the north to north-eastward dragging of the Gibraltar slab by the absolute motion of the African Plate. Comparison of our model results to patterns of deformation in the western Mediterranean constrained by geological and geodetic data confirm that slab dragging provides a plausible mechanism for the observed deformation. Our results imply that the impact of absolute plate motion on subduction is identifiable from crustal observations. Identifying such signatures elsewhere may improve the mantle reference frame and provide insights on subduction evolution and associated crustal deformation.

A proposal to conduct a Caribbean plate project involving the application of space technology to the study of Caribbean geology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wadge, G. (Editor)

1981-01-01

The Caribbean plate project is designed to improve current understanding of geological resources and geological hazards within the Caribbean region. Models of mineral occurrence and genesis (including energy resources) on a regional scale, which contribute to nonrenewable resource investigations. Models of lithospheric stress and strain on a regional scale, which contribute to forecasting geological hazards such as earthquakes and major volcanic eruptions are developed. Geological information is synthesize, and research tools provided by space technology the study of the Earth's crust are used. The project was organized in a thematic fashion, to focus on specific geological aspects of the Caribbean plate which are considered to be key factors in developing the types of models described. The project adopts a synoptic perspective in seeking to characterize the three dimensional structure, composition, state of stress, and evolution of the entire Caribbean plate. Geological information derived from analysis of space acquired data is combined with information provided by conventional methods to obtain insight into the structure, composition, and evolution of the Earth's crust. In addition, very long baseline interferometry and laser ranging techniques, which are also based upon the use of space technology, obtain information concerning crustal motion that, in turn, provides insight into the distribution and localization of crustal stress.

Tectonic Evolution of Ishtar Terra: Processes of Crustal Shortening and Thickening on Venus.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vorder Bruegge, Richard Walsh

Evidence for the horizontal movement of large areas of crust, mountain building, and the possible removal of crust through processes similar to those observed on Earth is found in the Ishtar Terra highland region of Venus. Ishtar Terra is 5000 x 1500 km in size, an area comparable to Australia. It is characterized by a 2-5 km high, flat plain, Lakshmi Planum, which is flanked by mountain belts that reach elevations of up to 11 km. Outboard of these mountain belts are complexly deformed 'tessera' regions at elevations of 1 to 6 km. Evidence for the creation of crust through a mechanism comparable to terrestrial seafloor spreading is found in the elevated Trough and Ridge Terrain of Eastern Fortuna Tessera. In addition, the region around the Trough and Ridge Terrain is characterized by an elevated and deformed surface which exhibits a morphology compatible with an origin through crustal shortening through the collision of thick blocks of crust, such as through continental or oceanic plateau collision on Earth. Folds, thrusts, and strike-slip faults, all indicative of crustal shortening, are identified in these regions, and indicate a variety of convergence directions. The collision of very thick crustal blocks also produces high orogenic belts through processes comparable to terrestrial orogenesis. However, some fundamental differences may also exist in orogenesis on the two planets. These differences are primarily related to the driving mechanisms and thermal effects of orogenesis. The surficial geological characteristics of the northern edge of Ishtar Terra have been combined with geophysical modelling and provide evidence that this region is characterized by the wholescale underthrusting of low-lying plains crust beneath the thicker crust of Ishtar Terra. This underthrusting process adds upper crustal material to Ishtar Terra through a suturing process analogous to that of sedimentary accretionary wedges on Earth. The primary conclusion of this work is that crustal shortening and thickening through processes comparable to those observed on Earth have played a dominant role in the formation and evolution of Ishtar Terra.

The relationship between crustal tectonics and internal evolution in the moon and Mercury

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solomon, S. C.

1977-01-01

The relationship between crustal tectonics and thermal evolution is discussed in terms of the moon and Mercury. Finite strain theory and depth and temperature-dependent thermal expansion are used to evaluate previous conclusions about early lunar history. Factors bringing about core differentiation in the first 0.6 b.y. of Mercurian evolution are described. The influence of concentrating radioactive heat sources located in Mercury's crust on the predicted contraction is outlined. The predicted planetary volume change is explored with regard to quantitative limits on the extent of Mercurian core solidification. Lunar and Mercurian thermal stresses involved in thermal evolution are reviewed, noting the history of surface volcanism. It is concluded that surface faulting and volcanism are closely associated with the thermal evolution of the whole planetary volume. As the planet cools or is heated, several types of tectonic and volcanic effects may be produced by thermal stress occurring in the lithosphere.

The diverse crustal structure and magmatic evolution of the Manihiki Plateau, central Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hochmuth, K.; Gohl, K.; Uenzelmann-Neben, G.; Werner, R.

2014-07-01

The Manihiki Plateau is a Large Igneous Province (LIP) in the central Pacific. It was emplaced as part of the "Super-LIP" Ontong Java Nui and experienced fragmentation into three sub-plateaus, possibly during the break-up of Ontong Java Nui. The Manihiki Plateau is presumably the centerpiece of this "Super-LIP" and its investigation can therefore decipher the break-up mechanisms as well as the evolution of the plateau after its initial emplacement. By analyzing two seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profiles crossing the two largest sub-plateaus of the Manihiki Plateau, the High Plateau and the Western Plateaus, we give new insights into their crustal structure and magmatic evolution. The High Plateau shows a crustal structure of 20 km thickness and a seismic P wave velocity distribution, which is comparable to other LIPs. The High Plateau experienced a strong secondary volcanism, which can be seen in relicts of seamount chain volcanism. The Western Plateaus on the other hand show no extensive secondary volcanism and are mainly structured by fault systems and sedimentary basins. A constant decrease in Moho depth (9-17 km) is a further indicator of crustal stretching on the Western Plateaus. Those findings lead to the conclusion, that the two sub-plateaus of the Manihiki Plateau experienced a different magmatic and tectonic history. Whereas the High Plateau experienced a secondary volcanism, the Western Plateaus underwent crustal stretching during and after the break-up of Ontong Java Nui. This indicates, that the sub-plateaus of the Manihiki Plateau play an individual part in the break-up history of Ontong Java Nui.

Magma oceanography. II - Chemical evolution and crustal formation. [lunar crustal rock fractional crystallization model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Longhi, J.

1977-01-01

A description is presented of an empirical model of fractional crystallization which predicts that slightly modified versions of certain of the proposed whole moon compositions can reproduce the major-element chemistry and mineralogy of most of the primitive highland rocks through equilibrium and fractional crystallization processes combined with accumulation of crystals and trapping of residual liquids. These compositions contain sufficient Al to form a plagioclase-rich crust 60 km thick on top of a magma ocean that was initially no deeper than about 300 km. Implicit in the model are the assumptions that all cooling and crystallization take place at low pressure and that there are no compositional or thermal gradients in the liquid. Discussions of the cooling and crystallization of the proposed magma ocean show these assumptions to be disturbingly naive when applied to the ocean as a whole. However, the model need not be applied to the whole ocean, but only to layers of cooling liquid near the surface.

MeltMigrator: A MATLAB-based software for modeling three-dimensional melt migration and crustal thickness variations at mid-ocean ridges following a rules-based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Hailong; Montési, Laurent G. J.; Behn, Mark D.

2017-01-01

MeltMigrator is a MATLAB®-based melt migration software developed to process three-dimensional mantle temperature and velocity data from user-supplied numerical models of mid-ocean ridges, calculate melt production and melt migration trajectories in the mantle, estimate melt flux along plate boundaries, and predict crustal thickness distribution on the seafloor. MeltMigrator is also capable of calculating compositional evolution depending on the choice of petrologic melting model. Programmed in modules, MeltMigrator is highly customizable and can be expanded to a wide range of applications. We have applied it to complex mid-ocean ridge model settings, including transform faults, oblique segments, ridge migration, asymmetrical spreading, background mantle flow, and ridge-plume interaction. In this technical report, we include an example application to a segmented mid-ocean ridge. MeltMigrator is available as a supplement to this paper, and it is also available from GitHub and the University of Maryland Geodynamics Group website.

Dynamic modeling of stress evolution and crustal deformation associated with the seismogenic process of the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, W.; Wan, Y.; Wang, K.; Zeng, Y.; Shen, Z.

2009-12-01

We model stress evolution and crustal deformation associated with the seismogenic process of the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake. This earthquake ruptured a section of the Longmen Shan fault, which is a listric fault separating the eastern Tibetan plateau at northwest from the Sichuan basin at southeast, with a predominantly thrust component for the southwest section of the fault. Different driving mechanisms have been proposed for the fault system: either by channel flow in the lower crust, or lateral push from the eastern Tibetan plateau on the entire crust. A 2-D finite element model is devised to simulate the tectonic process and test validities of the models. A layered viscoelastic media is prescribed, and constrained from seismological and other geophysical investigation results, characterized with a weak lower crust in the western Tibetan plateau and a strong lower crust in the Sichuan basin. The interseismic, coseismic, and postseismic deformation processes are modeled, under constraints of GPS observed deformation fields during these time periods. Our preliminary result shows concentration of elastic strain energy accumulated mainly surrounding the lower part of the locking section of the seismogenic fault during the interseismic time period, implying larger stress drop at the lower part than at the upper part of the locking section of the fault, assuming a total release of the elastic stress accumulation during an earthquake. The coseismic stress change is the largest at the near field in the hanging-wall, offering explanation of extensive aftershock activities occurred in the region after the Wenchuan mainshock. A more complete picture of stress evolution and interaction between the upper and lower crust in the process during an earthquake cycle will be presented at the meeting.

landforms evolution in collisional-dominated settings: the case of Northern Sicily (Central Mediterranean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nigro, Fabrizio; Renda, Pietro; Favara, Rocco

2010-05-01

In the young mountain chains underwent to emersion, the different crustal blocks which compose the belt may be subjected to differentiate tilting during uplift. The tilting process may be revealed both by the stratal pattern of the syn-uplifting deposits or deduced by the function altitude/area ratio. The prevailing of the uplift rate with respect to the tilting rate (and vice versa) result from the shape of this function. So, in young mountains the hypsometric analysis may results a useful tool for decipher how the crustal blocks are underwent to uplift. An integrate analysis based on stratigraphy, structural and morphometric data represents the correctly approach for characterise the landform evolution in regions underwent to active tectonics. In the aim to evaluate the recent tectonic history from topography in regions underwent to active deformations, by deducing the effect of tectonisms on landforms, the definition of the boundary conditions (regarding the crustal deformation) is fundamental for morphometric analysis. In fact, the morphologic style and the morphometric pattern in tectonically active settings are closely related to the dominance of rock masses exceeding for uplift (or failure for subsidence) with respect to the exogenous erosional processes. Collisional geodynamic processes induce crustal growth for faulting and folding. In this earth's sectors, the uplift of crustal blocks is a very common effect of compressional deformation. It reflects for example fold amplification and thrusting, but it is a very common process also in settings dominated by crustal thinning, where the viscoelastic properties of the lithosphere induce tilting and localised uplift of normal-faulted crustal blocks. The uplift rate is rarely uniform for wide areas within the orogens on the passive margins, but it changes from adjacent crustal blocks as the effect of space-variation of kinematics conditions or density. It also may change within a single block, as the effect of tilting, which induces synchronously mass elevation and subsidence. Not considering sea-level fluctuations and the climatic-lithologic parameters, the 2D distribution of uplift rate influences the landmass evolution in time. The tendency of rock masses to equilibrium resulting from concurrent tectonic building and denudation forces defines the geomorphic cycle. This evolution is checked by different stages, each characterised by a well-recognisable morphometric patterns. The dominance of uplift or erosion and concurrent block tilting induce characteristic a landform evolution tendency, which may be evaluated with the morphometric analysis. A lot of morphometric functions describe the equilibrium stage of landmasses, providing useful tools for deciphering how tectonics acts in typology (e.g. inducing uplift uniformly or with crustal block tilting) and resulting effects on landforms (magnitude of uplift rate vs tilting rate). We aim to contribute in the description of landforms evolution in Sicily (Central Mediterranean) under different morphoevolutive settings, where may prevails uplift, tilting or erosion, each characterised by different morphometric trends. The present-day elevation of Pliocene to upper Pleistocene deposits suggests that Northen Sicily underwent neotectonic uplift. The recent non-uniform uplift of Northern Sicily coastal sector is suggested by the different elevation of the Pliocene-Upper Pleistocene marine deposits. The maximum uplift rate characterise the NE Sicily and the minimum the NW Sicily. The overall westwards decreasing trend of uplift is in places broken in the sectors where are located a lot of morphostructures. Localised uplift rates higher than the adjacent coastal plains are suggested by the present-day elevation of the beachshore deposits of Tyrrhenian age. Northern Sicily may be divided into a lot of crustal blocks, underwent to different tilting and uplift rates. Accentuate tilting and uplift results from transtensional active faulting of the already emplaced chain units, as also suggested by seismicity and the focal plane solutions of recent strong earthquakes.

Rare earth element patterns in Archean high-grade metasediments and their tectonic significance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Stuart Ross; Rudnick, Roberta L.; Mclennan, Scott M.; Eriksson, Kenneth A.

1986-01-01

REE data on metasedimentary rocks from two different types of high-grade Archean terrains are presented and analyzed. The value of REEs as indicators of crustal evolution is explained; the three geologic settings (in North America, Southern Africa, and Australia) from which the samples were obtained are described; and the data are presented in extensive tables and graphs and discussed in terms of metamorphic effects, the role of accessory phases, provenance, and tectonic implications (recycling, the previous extent of high-grade terrains, and a model of Archean crustal growth). The diversity of REE patterns in shallow-shelf metasediments is attributed to local provenance, while the Eu-depleted post-Archean patterns are associated with K-rich plutons from small, stable early Archean terrains.

Investigation of lunar crustal structure and isostasy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thurber, Clifford H.

1987-01-01

The lunar mascon basins have strongly free air gravity anomalies, generally exceeding 100 milligals at an elevation of 100 km. The source of the anomalies is a combination of mantle uplift beneath the impact basins and subsequent infilling by high-density mare basalts. The relative contribution of these two components is still somewhat uncertain, although it is generally accepted that the amount of mantle uplift greatly exceeds the thickness of the basalts. Extensive studies have been carried out of the crustal structure of mare basins, based on gravity data, and their tectonic evolution, based on compressive and extensional tectonic features. The present study endeavored to develop a unified, self-consistent model of the lunar crust and lithosphere incorporating both gravity and tectonic constraints.

Oceanic crustal carbon cycle drives 26-million-year atmospheric carbon dioxide periodicities.

PubMed

Müller, R Dietmar; Dutkiewicz, Adriana

2018-02-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) data for the last 420 million years (My) show long-term fluctuations related to supercontinent cycles as well as shorter cycles at 26 to 32 My whose origin is unknown. Periodicities of 26 to 30 My occur in diverse geological phenomena including mass extinctions, flood basalt volcanism, ocean anoxic events, deposition of massive evaporites, sequence boundaries, and orogenic events and have previously been linked to an extraterrestrial mechanism. The vast oceanic crustal carbon reservoir is an alternative potential driving force of climate fluctuations at these time scales, with hydrothermal crustal carbon uptake occurring mostly in young crust with a strong dependence on ocean bottom water temperature. We combine a global plate model and oceanic paleo-age grids with estimates of paleo-ocean bottom water temperatures to track the evolution of the oceanic crustal carbon reservoir over the past 230 My. We show that seafloor spreading rates as well as the storage, subduction, and emission of oceanic crustal and mantle CO 2 fluctuate with a period of 26 My. A connection with seafloor spreading rates and equivalent cycles in subduction zone rollback suggests that these periodicities are driven by the dynamics of subduction zone migration. The oceanic crust-mantle carbon cycle is thus a previously overlooked mechanism that connects plate tectonic pulsing with fluctuations in atmospheric carbon and surface environments.

Oceanic crustal carbon cycle drives 26-million-year atmospheric carbon dioxide periodicities

PubMed Central

Müller, R. Dietmar; Dutkiewicz, Adriana

2018-01-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) data for the last 420 million years (My) show long-term fluctuations related to supercontinent cycles as well as shorter cycles at 26 to 32 My whose origin is unknown. Periodicities of 26 to 30 My occur in diverse geological phenomena including mass extinctions, flood basalt volcanism, ocean anoxic events, deposition of massive evaporites, sequence boundaries, and orogenic events and have previously been linked to an extraterrestrial mechanism. The vast oceanic crustal carbon reservoir is an alternative potential driving force of climate fluctuations at these time scales, with hydrothermal crustal carbon uptake occurring mostly in young crust with a strong dependence on ocean bottom water temperature. We combine a global plate model and oceanic paleo-age grids with estimates of paleo-ocean bottom water temperatures to track the evolution of the oceanic crustal carbon reservoir over the past 230 My. We show that seafloor spreading rates as well as the storage, subduction, and emission of oceanic crustal and mantle CO2 fluctuate with a period of 26 My. A connection with seafloor spreading rates and equivalent cycles in subduction zone rollback suggests that these periodicities are driven by the dynamics of subduction zone migration. The oceanic crust-mantle carbon cycle is thus a previously overlooked mechanism that connects plate tectonic pulsing with fluctuations in atmospheric carbon and surface environments. PMID:29457135

Crustal structure and tectonics of the northern part of the Southern Granulite Terrane, India

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rao, V.V.; Sain, K.; Reddy, P.R.; Mooney, W.D.

2006-01-01

Deep seismic reflection studies investigating the exposed Archean lower continental crust of the Southern Granulite Terrane, India, yield important constraints on the nature and evolution of the deep crust, including the formation and exhumation of granulites. Seismic reflection images along the Kuppam-Bhavani profile reveal a band of reflections that dip southward from 10.5 to 15.0??s two-way-time (TWT), across a distance of 50??km. The bottom of these reflections beneath the Dharwar craton is interpreted as the Moho. Further south, another reflection band dipping northward is observed. These bands of reflectivity constitute a divergent reflection fabric that converges at the Moho boundary observed at the Mettur shear zone. Reflection fabrics that intersect at a steep angle are interpreted as a collisional signature due to the convergence of crustal blocks, which we infer resulted in crustal thickening and the formation of granulites. Anomalous gravity and magnetic signatures are also observed across the Mettur shear zone. The gravity model derived from the Bouguer gravity data corroborates seismic results. The tectonic regime and seismic reflection profiles are combined in a 3-D representation that illustrates our evidence for paleo-subduction at a collision zone. The structural dissimilarities and geophysical anomalies suggest that the Mettur shear zone is a suture between the Dharwar craton in the north and another crustal block in the south. This study contributes significantly to our understanding of the operation of Archean plate tectonics, here inferred to involve collision and subduction. Furthermore, it provides an important link between the Gondwanaland and global granulite evolution occurring throughout the late Archean. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crustal Evolution of the Protonilus Mensae Area, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGill, G. E.; Smrekar, S. E.; Dimitriou, A. M.; Raymond, C. A.

2004-01-01

Despite research by numerous geologists and geo- physicists, the age and origin of the martian crustal dichotomy remain uncertain. Models for the origin of this dichotomy involve single or multiple impact, mantle megaplumes, primordial crustal asymmetry, and plate tectonics. Most of these models imply a Noachian age for the dichotomy. A major problem common to all genetic models is the difficulty separating the features resulting from the primary cause for the dichotomy from features due to younger fault- ing, impact cratering, volcanism, deposition, and erosion. highlands (the dichotomy boundary) approximates a small circle that ranges in latitude from about -10 deg. in Elysium Planitia to about +45 deg. north of Arabia Terra. For much of its length the boundary is characterized by relatively steep scarps separating highland plateau to the south from lowland plains to the north, generally with a complex transition zone on the lowland side of these scarps. These scarps are almost certainly due to normal faulting. The type fretted terrain, which defines the boundary in north-central Arabia Terra, also is characterized by scarps but has under- gone a more complex history of faulting and dissection [13]. In some places, notably in the Acidalia Planitia region, the dichotomy boundary is gradational. In the Tharsis region the boundary is obscured by younger volcanics.

Crustal Anatexis by Upwelling Mantle Melts in the N.Atlantic Igneous Province: the Isle of Rum, NW Scotland.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hertogen, J.; Meyer, R.; Nicoll, G.; Troll, V. R.; Ellam, R. M.; Emeleus, C. H.

2008-12-01

Crustal anatexis is a common process in the rift-to-drift evolution during continental breakup and the formation of Volcanic Rifted Margins (VRM) systems. 'Early felsic-later mafic' volcanic rock associations on the Continent Ocean Boundary (COB) of the N.Atlantic Ocean have been sampled by ODP drilling on the SE Greenland margin and the the Vøring Plateau (Norwegian Sea). Such associations also occur further inland in the British Paleocene Igneous Province, such as on the Isle of Rum (e.g., Troll et al., Contrib. Min. Petrol., 2004, 147, p.722). Sr and Nd isotope and trace element geochemistry show that the Rum rhyodacites are the products of melting of Lewisian amphibolite gneiss. There are no indications of a melt contribution from Lewisian granulite gneiss. The amphibolite gneiss parent rock had experienced an ancient Cs and Rb loss, possibly during a Caledonian event, which caused 87Sr/86Sr heterogeneity in the crustal source of silicic melts. The dacites and early gabbros of Rum are mixtures of crustal melts and primary mantle melts. Rare Earth Element modelling shows that late stage picritic melts on Rum are close analogues for the parent melts of the Rum Layered Suite, and for the mantle melts that caused crustal anatexis of the Lewisian gneiss. These primary mantle melts have close affinities to MORB whose trace element content varies from slightly depleted to slightly enriched. The 'early felsic-later mafic' volcanic associations from Rum, and from the now drowned seaward dipping wedges on the shelf of SE Greenland and on the Vøring Plateau show geochemical differences that result from variations in the regional crustal composition and the depth at which crustal anatexis took place.

Upper- and mid-crustal radial anisotropy beneath the central Himalaya and southern Tibet from seismic ambient noise tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Zhi; Gao, Xing; Wang, Wei; Yao, Zhenxing

2012-05-01

Through analysis of the Rayleigh wave and Love wave empirical Green's functions recovered from cross-correlation of seismic ambient noise, we image the radial anisotropy and shear wave velocity structure beneath southern Tibet and the central Himalaya. Dense ray path coverage from 22 broadband seismic stations deployed by the Himalayan Nepal Tibet Seismic Experiment project provides the unprecedented opportunity to resolve the spatial distribution of the radial anisotropy within the crust of the central Himalaya and southern Tibet. In the shallow subsurface, the obtained results indicate significant radial anisotropy with negative magnitude (VSV > VSH) mainly associated with the Indus Yarlung Suture and central Himalaya, possibly related to the fossil microcracks or metamorphic foliations formed during the uplifting of the Tibetan Plateau. With increasing depth, the magnitude of radial anisotropy varies from predominantly negative to predominantly positive, and a mid-crustal layer with prominent positive radial anisotropy (VSV < VSH) has been detected. The top of the mid-crustal anisotropic layer correlates nicely with the starting depth of the mid-crustal lower velocity layers detected in our previous study. The spatial correlation of the positive radial anisotropy layers and mid-crustal lower velocity layers might suggest lateral crustal channel flow induced alignment of mineral grains, most likely micas or amphiboles, within the mid-crust of the central Himalaya and southern Tibet. This observation provides independent seismic evidence to support the thermo-mechanical model, which involves the southward extrusion of a low viscosity mid-crustal channel driven by the denudation effect focused at the southern flank of the Tibetan Plateau to explain the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan-Himalayan orogen.

Upper crustal structure of Madeira Island revealed from ambient noise tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matos, Catarina; Silveira, Graça; Matias, Luís; Caldeira, Rita; Ribeiro, M. Luísa; Dias, Nuno A.; Krüger, Frank; Bento dos Santos, Telmo

2015-06-01

We present the first image of the Madeira upper crustal structure, using ambient seismic noise tomography. 16 months of ambient noise, recorded in a dense network of 26 seismometers deployed across Madeira, allowed reconstructing Rayleigh wave Green's functions between receivers. Dispersion analysis was performed in the short period band from 1.0 to 4.0 s. Group velocity measurements were regionalized to obtain 2D tomographic images, with a lateral resolution of 2.0 km in central Madeira. Afterwards, the dispersion curves, extracted from each cell of the 2D group velocity maps, were inverted as a function of depth to obtain a 3D shear wave velocity model of the upper crust, from the surface to a depth of 2.0 km. The obtained 3D velocity model reveals features throughout the island that correlates well with surface geology and island evolution.

Quantitative analysis of surface deformation and ductile flow in complex analogue geodynamic models based on PIV method.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krýza, Ondřej; Lexa, Ondrej; Závada, Prokop; Schulmann, Karel; Gapais, Denis; Cosgrove, John

2017-04-01

Recently, a PIV (particle image velocimetry) analysis method is optical method abundantly used in many technical branches where material flow visualization and quantification is important. Typical examples are studies of liquid flow through complex channel system, gas spreading or combustion problematics. In our current research we used this method for investigation of two types of complex analogue geodynamic and tectonic experiments. First class of experiments is aimed to model large-scale oroclinal buckling as an analogue of late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic evolution of Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) resulting from nortward drift of the North-China craton towards the Siberian craton. Here we studied relationship between lower crustal and lithospheric mantle flows and upper crustal deformation respectively. A second class of experiments is focused to more general study of a lower crustal flow in indentation systems that represent a major component of some large hot orogens (e.g. Bohemian massif). The most of simulations in both cases shows a strong dependency of a brittle structures shape, that are situated in upper crust, on folding style of a middle and lower ductile layers which is influenced by rheological, geometrical and thermal conditions of different parts across shortened domain. The purpose of PIV application is to quantify material redistribution in critical domains of the model. The derivation of flow direction and calculation of strain-rate and total displacement field in analogue experiments is generally difficult and time-expensive or often performed only on a base of visual evaluations. PIV method operates with set of images, where small tracer particles are seeded within modeled domain and are assumed to faithfully follow the material flow. On base of pixel coordinates estimation the material displacement field, velocity field, strain-rate, vorticity, tortuosity etc. are calculated. In our experiments we used velocity field divergence to quantify the redistribution and flow of anatectic lower crust and to evaluate upper crust thickenning and topography evolution. As this method is very sensitive to resolution and color contrast of obtained images and used materials are mostly uniform within individual rheological layers and domains, we utilized various markers as flakes of a fluorescent wax or glitter to increase overall sensitivity. Applying this method to oroclinal buckling experiments we derived velocity field divergence associated with upper crustal deformation and evolution of topography. Scaled, dimensionless negative values of divergence reach minimum (˜ -1) in two elongated domains propagating from inflection area of modeled orocline. These values correlate with significant upper crust material removing and-or with redistribution of crustal material associated with formed pop-up and pop-down structures. Maximum positive values (˜ 0.1) correspond with material spreading alongside forming platforms that are situated in foreland of maximum elevations. Application of PIV method on lateral view, where ductile middle and lower crust is vertically folded during lithosphere shortening and indentation, revealed possibility to track melt migration from base of lower crust through interlimb area towards hinge zone of individual folds. Simultaneously with folds locking and material accumulation, whole structures are exhumed at the middle crust level. Melt flow and heat exchange with surrounding environment is responsible for increased plasticity of the middle crust marked by higher strain-rates observed inside fold envelope. It is also responsible for significant elevation above hinges during later stages of model evolution. Heterogeneous nature of deformation is well documented by heterogeneities in derived divergence field within folds interiors. Our results show distinct advantages of PIV method for post-processing of geodynamic and tectonic analogue models and demonstrate great potential of this method for quantitative processing of wide spectrum of analogue approaches to different natural systems.

Crustal Structure of the Yakutat Microplate: New Constraints for Understanding the Evolution of Subduction and Collision in southern Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worthington, L. L.; van Avendonk, H. J.; Gulick, S. P.; Christeson, G. L.; Pavlis, T. L.

2010-12-01

Flat-slab subduction and accretion of the Yakutat (YAK) microplate in southern Alaska characterizes the most recent iteration in the process of terrane accretion that has built the tectonic assemblage of the Canada-Alaska Cordillera since the Mesozoic. Despite the potentially pivotal role of the Yakutat collision in the evolution and deformation of the North American Cordillera, major questions regarding locations of active faults and velocity structure and thickness of the Yakutat block itself have gone unanswered. We present results of a 2008 marine seismic reflection/refraction survey acquired as part of the St. Elias Erosion and Tectonics Project (STEEP), a multi-disciplinary NSF-Continental Dynamics project aimed at structural evolution and geodynamics related to the YAK collision. An onshore-offshore wide-angle refraction profile shows YAK crustal thickness ranging from ~15 km near the Bering Glacier to ~35 km east of the Dangerous River Zone (DRZ), with calculated lower crustal velocities potentially >7km/s. Crustal velocity and structure are continuous across the DRZ on the YAK shelf, which is historically described as a vertical boundary between continental crust on the east and oceanic basement on the west. Instead, we observe a gradual shallowing of elevated crustal velocities associated with a basement high observed on coincident marine reflection data near the DRZ. Crustal velocity and thicknesses are comparable to the Kerguelen oceanic plateau and the Siletz terrane, thus supporting the oceanic plateau theory for the origin of the YAK microplate. The observed variable crustal thickness indicates that the YAK slab may be slightly wedge-shaped, thinning in the direction of subduction. The thickest portion of the offshore YAK is entering the orogen near the eastern syntaxis, where the Fairweather fault system encounters a restraining bend as its orientation changes from north-south to east-west. It follows that observations of elevated exhumation rates and concentrated seismicity in the vicinity of the syntaxis may not be the exclusive result of this corner geometry. Instead, we must consider that underlying crustal structure of the YAK indentor partially determines the large-scale patterns of mountain building in southern Alaska. These observations also imply that uplift and deformation have intensified through time as thicker, more buoyant YAK crust attempts to subduct.

Estimating Crustal Properties Directly from Satellite Tracking Data by Using a Topography-based Constraint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goossens, S. J.; Sabaka, T. J.; Genova, A.; Mazarico, E. M.; Nicholas, J. B.; Neumann, G. A.; Lemoine, F. G.

2017-12-01

The crust of a terrestrial planet is formed by differentiation processes in its early history, followed by magmatic evolution of the planetary surface. It is further modified through impact processes. Knowledge of the crustal structure can thus place constraints on the planet's formation and evolution. In particular, the average bulk density of the crust is a fundamental parameter in geophysical studies, such as the determination of crustal thickness, studies of the mechanisms of topography support, and the planet's thermo-chemical evolution. Yet even with in-situ samples available, the crustal density is difficult to determine unambiguously, as exemplified by the results for the Gravity and Recovery Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, which found an average crustal density for the Moon that was lower than generally assumed. The GRAIL results were possible owing to the combination of its high-resolution gravity and high-resolution topography obtained by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), and high correlations between the two datasets. The crustal density can be determined by its contribution to the gravity field of a planet, but at long wavelengths flexure effects can dominate. On the other hand, short-wavelength gravity anomalies are difficult to measure, and either not determined well enough (other than at the Moon), or their power is suppressed by the standard `Kaula' regularization constraint applied during inversion of the gravity field from satellite tracking data. We introduce a new constraint that has infinite variance in one direction, called xa . For constraint damping factors that go to infinity, it can be shown that the solution x becomes equal to a scale factor times xa. This scale factor is completely determined by the data, and we call our constraint rank-minus-1 (RM1). If we choose xa to be topography-induced gravity, then we can estimate the average bulk crustal density directly from the data (assuming uncompensated topography). We validate our constraint with pre-GRAIL lunar data, showing that we obtain the same bulk density from data, of much lower resolution than GRAIL's. We will present the results of our new methodology applied to the case of Mars. We will discuss the results, namely an average crustal density lower than generally assumed.

Thrust Slip Rates as a Control on the Presence and Spatial Distribution of High Metamorphic Heating Rates in Collisional Systems: The "Hot Iron" Model Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thigpen, R.; Ashley, K. T.; Law, R. D.; Mako, C. A.

2017-12-01

In natural systems, two key observations indicate that major strain discontinuities such as faults and shear zones should play a fundamental role in orogenic thermal evolution: (1) Large faults and shear zones often separate components of the composite orogen that have experienced broadly different thermal and deformational histories, and (2) quantitative metamorphic and diffusional studies indicate that heating rates are much faster and the duration of peak conditions much shorter in natural collisional systems than those predicted by numerical continuum deformation models. Because heat transfer processes such as conduction usually operate at much slower time scales than rates of other tectonic processes, thermal evolution is often transient and thus can be strongly influenced by tectonic disturbances that occur at rates much faster than thermal relaxation. Here, we use coupled thermal-mechanical finite element models of thrust faults to explore how fault slip rate may fundamentally influence the thermal evolution of individual footwall and hanging wall thrust slices. The model geometry involves a single crustal-scale thrust with a dip of 25° that is translated up the ramp at average velocities of 20, 35, and 50 km Myr-1, interpreted to represent average to relatively high slip rates observed in many collisional systems. Boundary conditions include crustal radioactive heat production, basal mantle heat flow, and surface erosion rates that are a function of thrust rate and subsequent topography generation. In the models, translation of the hanging wall along the crustal-scale detachment results in erosion, exhumation, and retrograde metamorphism of the emerging hanging wall topography and coeval burial, `hot iron' heating, and prograde metamorphism of the thrust footwall. Thrust slip rates of 20, 35, and 50 km Myr-1 yield maximum footwall heating rates ranging from 55-90° C Myr-1 and maximum hanging wall cooling rates of 138-303° C Myr-1. These relatively rapid heating rates explain, in part, the presence of chemical diffusion profiles in metamorphic minerals that are indicative of high heating rates. Additionally, the relatively high cooling rates explain preservation of chemical zoning, as rapid cooling prevents diffusive profiles from being substantially modified during exhumation.

Lithospheric structure of Iberia and Morocco using finite-frequency Rayleigh wave tomography from earthquakes and seismic ambient noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palomeras, I.; Villaseñor, A.; Thurner, S.; Levander, A.; Gallart, J.; Harnafi, M.

2017-05-01

We present a new 3-D shear velocity model of the western Mediterranean from the Pyrenees, Spain, to the Atlas Mountains, Morocco, and the estimated crustal and lithospheric thickness. The velocity model shows different crustal and lithospheric velocities for the Variscan provinces, those which have been affected by Alpine deformation, and those which are actively deforming. The Iberian Massif has detectable differences in crustal thickness that can be related to the evolution of the Variscan orogen in Iberia. Areas affected by Alpine deformation have generally lower velocities in the upper and lower crust than the Iberian Massif. Beneath the Gibraltar Strait and surrounding areas, the crustal thickness is greater than 50 km, below which a high-velocity anomaly (>4.5 km/s) is mapped to depths greater than 200 km. We identify this as a subducted remnant of the NeoTethys plate referred to as the Alboran and western Mediterranean slab. Beneath the adjacent Betic and Rif Mountains, the Alboran slab is still attached to the base of the crust, depressing it, and ultimately delaminating the lower crust and mantle lithosphere as the slab sinks. Under the adjacent continents, the Alboran slab is surrounded by low upper mantle shear wave velocities (Vs < 4.3) that we interpret as asthenosphere that has replaced the continental margin lithosphere which was viscously removed by Alboran plate subduction. The southernmost part of the model features an anomalously thin lithosphere beneath the Atlas Mountains that could be related to lateral flow induced by the Alboran slab.

A kinematic model for the development of the Afar Depression and its paleogeographic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redfield, T. F.; Wheeler, W. H.; Often, M.

2003-11-01

The Afar Depression is a highly extended region of continental to transitional oceanic crust lying at the junction of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Ethiopian rifts. We analyze the evolution of the Afar crust using plate kinematics and published crustal models to constrain the temporal and volumetric evolution of the rift basin. Our reconstruction constrains the regional-scale initial 3D geometry and subsequent extension and is well calibrated at the onset of rifting (˜20 Ma) and from the time of earliest documented sea-floor spreading anomalies (˜6 Ma Red Sea; ˜10 Ma Gulf of Aden). It also suggests the Danakil block is a highly extended body, having undergone between ˜200% and ˜400% stretch. Syn-rift sedimentary and magmatic additions to the crust are taken from the literature. Our analysis reveals a discrepancy: either the base of the crust has not been properly imaged, or a (plume-related?) process has somehow caused bulk removal of crustal material since extension began. Inferring subsidence history from thermal modeling and flexural considerations, we conclude subsidence in Afar was virtually complete by Mid Pliocene time. Our analysis contradicts interpretations of late (post 3 Ma) large (˜2 km) subsidence of the Hadar area near the Ethiopian Plateau, suggesting paleoclimatic data record regional, not local, climate change. Tectonic reconstruction (supported by paleontologic and isotopic data) suggests that a land bridge connected Africa and Arabia, via Danakil, up to the Early to Middle Pliocene. The temporal constraints on land bridge and escarpment morphology constrain Afar paleogeography, climate, and faunal migration routes. These constraints (particularly the development of geographic isolation) are fundamentally important for models evaluating and interpreting biologic evolution in the Afar, including speciation and human origins.

Petrology and geochemistry of charnockites (felsic ortho-granulites) from the Kerala Khondalite Belt, Southern India: Evidence for intra-crustal melting, magmatic differentiation and episodic crustal growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravindra Kumar, G. R.; Sreejith, C.

2016-10-01

The Kerala Khondalite Belt (KKB) of the southern India encompasses volumetrically significant magmatic components. Among these, orthopyroxene-bearing, felsic ortho-granulites, popularly known as charnockites in Indian context, constitute an important lithology. In contrast to the well-known phenomena of arrested charnockitization, the geochemical characteristics and petrogenesis of these ortho-granulite suites remain poorly studied, leaving geodynamic models envisaged for the KKB highly conjectural. In this paper, we try to bridge this gap with detailed results on orthopyroxene-bearing, felsic ortho-granulites spread over the entire KKB and propose a new petrogenetic and crustal evolution model. Based on geochemical characteristics, the orthopyroxene-bearing, felsic ortho-granulites (charnockites sensu lato) of KKB are classified into (1) tonalitic (TC), (2) granitic (GC), and (3) augen (AC) suites. Members of the TC follow sodic (characterized by decreasing CaO/Na2O), whereas those of the GC and AC follow calc-alkaline trends of differentiation. Geochemical patterns of the TC resemble those of the Archaean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suites, with slightly magnesian character (average Mg# = 33), moderate LREE (average LaN = 154), low HREE (average YbN = 6) and Y (1-53 ppm; average 11 ppm). The TC is also characterized by positive to slightly negative europium anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.7 to 1.67). The GC and AC suites, on the other hand, resemble post-Archaean arc-related granites. The GC displays ferroan nature (average Mg# = 22), low to moderate degrees of REE fractionation (average [La/Yb]N = 34.84), high contents of Y (5-128 ppm; average 68), and low Sr/Y (1-98) ratios. Significant negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.18-0.91; average 0.50) and low Sr (65-690 ppm) are also noted in the GC. Similar chemical characteristics are shown by the AC, with ferroan nature (average Mg# = 21), low to moderate degrees of REE fractionation (average [La/Yb]N = 26), high contents of Y (71-99 ppm; average 87), and low Sr/Y (average 2) ratios with significant negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.03-0.31; average 0.23) and low Sr (average 160 ppm) contents. The protoliths of the TC are interpreted as being derived from partial melting of thickened oceanic-arc crust composed of Archaean mafic composite source rocks (i.e., eclogite and/or garnet amphibolite) with a garnet amphibolite residue. Geochemical features of the GC, such as high Rb/Sr (average 1.80) and Ba/Sr ratios (average values > 6), are considered as evidence for crustal reworking in their genesis, suggesting remelting of a quartzo-feldspathic (TTG) source, within the plagioclase stability fields. The geochemical features of the felsic ortho-granulite suite, substantiated with published geochronological data on members of the TC, GC, and AC suites, suggest a four-stage crustal evolution of the KKB. The first stage is marked by the formation of an over-thickened oceanic-arc. Zircon Hfc model ages of the TC and GC suites constrain the time of this juvenile magmatic crust-forming event as Meso- to Neoarchaean (2.8 to 2.6 Ga). The second stage corresponds to the production of TTG magmas by melting of the over-thickened oceanic-arc crust, subsequent to basaltic underplating during Palaeoproterozoic (ca. 2.1 Ga). The third stage was initiated by a transition in subduction style from shallow to steep due to continent-arc accretion. This stage is marked by the formation of granitic magmas through partial melting of the TTG crust and their differentiation into GC and TC. The zircon crystallization ages (1.89 and 1.85 Ga) of the GC indicate arc accretion occurred during the Palaeoproterozoic. The fourth stage of crustal evolution is correlated with the Mesoproterozoic ( 1.5 Ga) emplacement of megacrystic K-feldspar granites (protoliths to the AC and augen gneisses). The distinct petrography, geochemistry and crystallization ages of the AC suggests recurrence of megacrystic, high-K calc-alkaline granitoids as the product of final phases of crustal-remelting marking subduction cessation. All these magmatic events are fairly well correlated with the major episodes of crustal growth observed in the once contiguous continental fragments (Sri Lanka and Madagascar) and worldwide events (2.7, 1.9, and 1.2 Ga) implying similar episodic nature in the lower crustal evolution of the KKB.

A 3-D shear velocity model of the southern North America and the Caribbean plates from ambient noise and earthquake tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaite, B.; Villaseñor, A.; Iglesias, A.; Herraiz, M.; Jiménez-Munt, I.

2014-10-01

We use group velocities from earthquake tomography together with group and phase velocities from ambient noise tomography (ANT) of Rayleigh-waves to invert for the 3-D shear-wave velocity structure (5-70 km) of the Caribbean (CAR) and southern North American (NAM) plates. The lithospheric model proposed offers a complete image of the crust and uppermost-mantle with imprints of the tectonic evolution. One of the most striking features inferred is the main role of the Ouachita-Marathon-Sonora orogeny front on the crustal seismic structure of NAM plate. A new imaged feature is the low crustal velocities along USA-Mexico border. The model also shows a break of the E-W mantle velocity dichotomy of the NAM and CAR plates beneath the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and Yucatan Block. High upper-mantle velocities along the Mesoamerican Subduction Zone coincide with inactive volcanic areas while the lowest velocities correspond to active volcanic arcs and thin lithospheric mantle regions.

A 3-D shear velocity model of the southern North American and Caribbean plates from ambient noise and earthquake tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaite, B.; Villaseñor, A.; Iglesias, A.; Herraiz, M.; Jiménez-Munt, I.

2015-02-01

We use group velocities from earthquake tomography together with group and phase velocities from ambient noise tomography (ANT) of Rayleigh waves to invert for the 3-D shear-wave velocity structure (5-70 km) of the Caribbean (CAR) and southern North American (NAM) plates. The lithospheric model proposed offers a complete image of the crust and uppermost-mantle with imprints of the tectonic evolution. One of the most striking features inferred is the main role of the Ouachita-Marathon-Sonora orogeny front on the crustal seismic structure of the NAM plate. A new imaged feature is the low crustal velocities along the USA-Mexico border. The model also shows a break of the east-west mantle velocity dichotomy of the NAM and CAR plates beneath the Isthmus of the Tehuantepec and the Yucatan Block. High upper-mantle velocities along the Mesoamerican Subduction Zone coincide with inactive volcanic areas while the lowest velocities correspond to active volcanic arcs and thin lithospheric mantle regions.

The 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake Revealed by Kinematic Source Inversion and Seismic Wavefield Simulations: Slow Rupture Propagation on a Geometrically Complex Crustal Fault Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holden, C.; Kaneko, Y.; D'Anastasio, E.; Benites, R.; Fry, B.; Hamling, I. J.

2017-11-01

The 2016 Kaikōura (New Zealand) earthquake generated large ground motions and resulted in multiple onshore and offshore fault ruptures, a profusion of triggered landslides, and a regional tsunami. Here we examine the rupture evolution using two kinematic modeling techniques based on analysis of local strong-motion and high-rate GPS data. Our kinematic models capture a complex pattern of slowly (Vr < 2 km/s) propagating rupture from south to north, with over half of the moment release occurring in the northern source region, mostly on the Kekerengu fault, 60 s after the origin time. Both models indicate rupture reactivation on the Kekerengu fault with the time separation of 11 s between the start of the original failure and start of the subsequent one. We further conclude that most near-source waveforms can be explained by slip on the crustal faults, with little (<8%) or no contribution from the subduction interface.

Tropics in Antarctica? Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Earthquakes and Plate Boundaries. Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

USArray Imaging of Continental Crust in the Conterminous United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xiaofei; Lowry, Anthony R.

2017-12-01

The thickness and bulk composition of continental crust provide important constraints on the evolution and dynamics of continents. Crustal mineralogy and thickness both may influence gravity anomalies, topographic elevation, and lithospheric strength, but prior to the inception of EarthScope's USArray, seismic measurements of crustal thickness and properties useful for inferring lithology are sparse. Here we improve upon a previously published methodology for joint inversion of Bouguer gravity anomalies and seismic receiver functions by using parameter space stacking of cross correlations of modeled synthetic and observed receiver functions instead of standard H-κ amplitude stacking. The new method is applied to estimation of thickness and bulk seismic velocity ratio, vP/vS, of continental crust in the conterminous United States using USArray and other broadband network data. Crustal thickness variations are reasonably consistent with those found in other studies and show interesting relationships to the history of North American continental formation. Seismic velocity ratios derived in this study are more robust than in other analyses and hint at large-scale variations in composition of continental crust. To interpret the results, we model the pressure-/temperature-dependent thermodynamics of mineral formation for various crustal chemistries, with and without volatile constituents. Our results suggest that hydration lowers bulk crustal vP/vS and density and releases heat in the shallow crust but absorbs heat in the lowermost crust (where plagioclase breaks down to pyroxene and garnet resulting in higher seismic velocity). Hence, vP/vS variations may provide a useful proxy for hydration state in the crust.

Geophysical evidence for the extent of crustal types and the type of margin along a profile in the northeastern Baffin Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altenbernd, Tabea; Jokat, Wilfried; Heyde, Ingo; Damm, Volkmar

2015-11-01

Investigating the crust of northern Baffin Bay provides valuable indications for the still debated evolution of this area. The crust of the southern Melville Bay is examined based on wide-angle seismic and gravity data. The resulting P wave velocity, density, and geological models give insights into the crustal structure. A stretched and rifted continental crust underneath southern Melville Bay is up to 30 km thick, with crustal velocities ranging between 5.5 and 6.9 km/s. The deep Melville Bay Graben contains a 9 km thick infill with velocities of 4 to 5.2 km/s in its lowermost part. West of the Melville Bay Ridge, a ~80 km wide and partly only 5 km thick Continent-Ocean Transition (COT) is present. West of the COT, up to 5 km thick sedimentary layers cover a 4.3 to 7 km thick, two-layered oceanic crust. The upper oceanic layer 2 has velocities of 5.2 to 6.0 km/s; the oceanic layer 3 has been modeled with rather low velocities of 6.3 to 6.9 km/s. Low velocities of 7.8 km/s characterize the probably serpentinized upper mantle underneath the thin crust. The serpentinized upper mantle and low thickness of the oceanic crust are another indication for slow or ultraslow spreading during the formation of the oceanic part of the Baffin Bay. By comparing our results on the crustal structure with other wide-angle seismic profiles recently published, differences in the geometry and structure of the crust and the overlying sedimentary cover are revealed. Moreover, the type of margin and the extent of crustal types in the Melville Bay area are discussed.

Slab detachment during continental collision: Influence of crustal rheology and interaction with lithospheric delamination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duretz, T.; Gerya, T. V.

2013-08-01

Collision between continents can lead to the subduction of continental material. If the crust remains coupled to the downgoing slab, a large buoyancy force is generated. This force slows down convergence and promotes slab detachment. If the crust resists to subduction, it may decouple from the downgoing slab and be subjected to buoyant extrusion. We employ two-dimensional thermo-mechanical modelling to study the importance of crustal rheology on the evolution of subduction-collision systems. We propose simple quantifications of the mechanical decoupling between lithospheric levels (σ*) and the potential for buoyant extrusion of the crust (ξ*). The modelling results indicate that a variable crustal rheological structure results in slab detachment, delamination, or the combination of both mechanisms. A strong crust provides coupling at the Moho (low σ*) and remains coherent during subduction (low ξ). It promotes deep subduction of the crust (180 km) and slab detachment. Exhumation occurs in coherent manners via eduction and thrusting. Slab detachment triggers the development of topography (> 4.5 km) close to the suture. A contrasting style of collision occurs using a weak crustal rheology. Mechanical decoupling at the Moho (high σ*) promotes the extrusion of the crust (high ξ), disabling slab detachment. Ongoing shortening leads to buckling of the crust and development of topography on the lower plate. Collisions involving rheologically layered crust allow decoupling at mid-crustal depths. This structure favours both the extrusion of upper crust and the subduction of the lower crust. Such collisions are successively affected by delamination and slab detachment. Topography develops together with the buoyant extrusion of crust onto the foreland and is further amplified by slab detachment. Our results suggest that the occurrence of both delamination (Apennines) and slab detachment (Himalayas) in orogens may indicate differences in the initial crustal structure of subducting continental plates in these regions.

Lateral variations in foreland flexure of a rifted continental margin: The Aquitaine Basin (SW France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angrand, P.; Ford, M.; Watts, A. B.

2017-12-01

We study the effects of the inherited Aptian to Cenomanian rift on crustal rheology and evolution of the Late Cretaceous to Neogene flexural Aquitaine foreland basin, northern Pyrenees. We use surface and subsurface geological data to define the crustal geometry and the post-rift thermal subsidence, and Bouguer gravity anomalies and flexural modeling to study the lateral variation of the elastic thickness, flexure of the European plate and controlling loads. The Aquitaine foreland can be divided along-strike into three sectors. The eastern foreland is un-rifted and is associated with a simple flexural subsidence. The central sector is affected by crustal stretching and the observed foreland base is modeled by combining topographic and buried loads, with post-rift thermal subsidence. In the western sector the foreland basin geometry is mainly controlled by post-rift thermal subsidence. These three sectors are separated by major lineaments, which affect both crustal and foreland geometry. These lineaments seem to be part of a larger structural pattern that includes the Toulouse and Pamplona Faults. The European foreland shows lateral variations in flexural behavior: the relative role of surface and sub-surface (i.e., buried) loading varies along-strike and the elastic thickness values decrease from the north-east to the south-west where the plate is the most stretched. We suggest that foreland basins are influenced by the thermal state of the underlying lithosphere if it was initiated soon after rifting and that thermal cooling can contribute significantly to subsidence.

Crustal structure beneath the Paleozoic Parnaíba Basin revealed by airborne gravity and magnetic data, Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

de Castroa, David L.; Fuck, Reinhardt A.; Phillips, Jeffrey D.; Vidotti, Roberta M.; Bezerra, Francisco H. R.; Dantas, Elton L.

2014-01-01

The Parnaíba Basin is a large Paleozoic syneclise in northeastern Brazil underlain by Precambrian crystalline basement, which comprises a complex lithostructural and tectonic framework formed during the Neoproterozoic–Eopaleozoic Brasiliano–Pan African orogenic collage. A sag basin up to 3.5 km thick and 1000 km long formed after the collage. The lithologic composition, structure, and role in the basin evolution of the underlying basement are the focus of this study. Airborne gravity and magnetic data were modeled to reveal the general crustal structure underneath the Parnaíba Basin. Results indicate that gravity and magnetic signatures delineate the main boundaries and structural trends of three cratonic areas and surrounding Neoproterozoic fold belts in the basement. Triangular-shaped basement inliers are geophysically defined in the central region of this continental-scale Neoproterozoic convergence zone. A 3-D gravity inversion constrained by seismological data reveals that basement inliers exhibit a 36–40.5 km deep crustal root, with borders defined by a high-density and thinner crust. Forward modeling of gravity and magnetic data indicates that lateral boundaries between crustal units are limited by Brasiliano shear zones, representing lithospheric sutures of the Amazonian and São Francisco Cratons, Tocantins Province and Parnaíba Block. In addition, coincident residual gravity, residual magnetic, and pseudo-gravity lows indicate two complex systems of Eopaleozoic rifts related to the initial phase of the sag deposition, which follow basement trends in several directions.

Quantifying crustal thickness over time in magmatic arcs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Profeta, Lucia; Ducea, Mihai N.; Chapman, James B.; Paterson, Scott R.; Gonzales, Susana Marisol Henriquez; Kirsch, Moritz; Petrescu, Lucian; Decelles, Peter G.

2015-12-01

We present global and regional correlations between whole-rock values of Sr/Y and La/Yb and crustal thickness for intermediate rocks from modern subduction-related magmatic arcs formed around the Pacific. These correlations bolster earlier ideas that various geochemical parameters can be used to track changes of crustal thickness through time in ancient subduction systems. Inferred crustal thicknesses using our proposed empirical fits are consistent with independent geologic constraints for the Cenozoic evolution of the central Andes, as well as various Mesozoic magmatic arc segments currently exposed in the Coast Mountains, British Columbia, and the Sierra Nevada and Mojave-Transverse Range regions of California. We propose that these geochemical parameters can be used, when averaged over the typical lifetimes and spatial footprints of composite volcanoes and their intrusive equivalents to infer crustal thickness changes over time in ancient orogens.

Quantifying crustal thickness over time in magmatic arcs

PubMed Central

Profeta, Lucia; Ducea, Mihai N.; Chapman, James B.; Paterson, Scott R.; Gonzales, Susana Marisol Henriquez; Kirsch, Moritz; Petrescu, Lucian; DeCelles, Peter G.

2015-01-01

We present global and regional correlations between whole-rock values of Sr/Y and La/Yb and crustal thickness for intermediate rocks from modern subduction-related magmatic arcs formed around the Pacific. These correlations bolster earlier ideas that various geochemical parameters can be used to track changes of crustal thickness through time in ancient subduction systems. Inferred crustal thicknesses using our proposed empirical fits are consistent with independent geologic constraints for the Cenozoic evolution of the central Andes, as well as various Mesozoic magmatic arc segments currently exposed in the Coast Mountains, British Columbia, and the Sierra Nevada and Mojave-Transverse Range regions of California. We propose that these geochemical parameters can be used, when averaged over the typical lifetimes and spatial footprints of composite volcanoes and their intrusive equivalents to infer crustal thickness changes over time in ancient orogens. PMID:26633804

Testing palaeotectonic models for the Internal Hellenides with sediment provenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meinhold, G.

2009-04-01

The Internal Hellenides of Greece are a result of the Alpine-Himalayan orogen. The relationships between different pre-Alpine crustal fragments of the Internal Hellenides are now masked by younger (Mesozoic to Cenozoic) complex structural and metamorphic events. This, together with the scarcity of biostratigraphic, geochronological and palaeomagnetic data, has given rise to equivocal palaeotectonic models and interpretations. However, the age and origin of pre-Alpine basement units in the Internal Hellenides has important implications for our in-depth understanding of the evolution of North Gondwana-derived terranes and consequently for alternative palaeotectonic reconstructions for the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic. A multidisciplinary sediment provenance study was undertaken since sedimentary rocks can provide information about rock lithologies in the source area, which have often been destroyed and recycled during ancient plate tectonic processes. Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks from key areas of the Internal Hellenides were analysed using whole-rock major- and trace-element geochemistry (XRF, ICPMS), detrital chrome spinel, garnet, white mica and rutile chemistry (EMP), detrital zircon geochronology (SHRIMP, LA-ICPMS) and biostratigraphic analysis. These new data are used to constrain terrane accretion processes and the provenance of crustal sources for sediments during Palaeozoic and Mesozoic times and thus will test palaeotectonic models for the Internal Hellenides. This is expected to shed light on the Palaeo- and Neotethyan evolution in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Geochemistry of granitoid rocks from the western Superior Province: Evidence for 2- and 3-stage crustal evolution models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beakhouse, G. P.; errane) are discussed.

1986-01-01

The Superior Province is divisible into subprovinces that can be classified as greenstone-tonalite, paragneiss, or batholitic terranes and are distinguished by differences in lithologic proportions, metamorphic grade, and structural style. The origin and significance of contrasting geochemical characteristics of plutonic rocks from the Winnipeg River subprovince (a batholithic terrane) and the Wabigoon subprovince (a greenstone-tonalite terrane) are discussed.

The South China sea margins: Implications for rifting contrasts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayes, D.E.; Nissen, S.S.

2005-01-01

Implications regarding spatially complex continental rifting, crustal extension, and the subsequent evolution to seafloor spreading are re-examined for the northern and southern-rifted margins of the South China Sea. Previous seismic studies have shown dramatic differences in the present-day crustal thicknesses as the manifestations of the strain experienced during the rifting of the margin of south China. Although the total crustal extension is presumed to be the same along the margin and adjacent ocean basin, the amount of continental crustal extension that occurred is much less along the east and central segments of the margin than along the western segment. This difference was accommodated by the early formation of oceanic crust (creating the present-day South China Sea basin) adjacent to the eastern margin segment while continued extension of continental crust was sustained to the west. Using the observed cross-sectional areas of extended continental crust derived from deep penetration seismics, two end-member models of varying rift zone widths and varying initial crustal thicknesses are qualitatively examined for three transects. Each model implies a time difference in the initiation of seafloor spreading inferred for different segments along the margin. The two models examined predict that the oceanic crust of the South China Sea basin toward the west did not begin forming until sometime between 6-12 my after its initial formation (???32 Ma) toward the east. These results are compatible with crustal age interpretations of marine magnetic anomalies. Assuming rifting symmetry with conjugate margin segments now residing along the southern portions of the South China Sea basin implies that the total width of the zone of rifting in the west was greater than in the east by about a factor of two. We suggest the most likely causes of the rifting differences were east-west variations in the rheology of the pre-rift crust and associated east-west variations in the thermal structure of the pre-rift lithosphere. The calculated widths of rifted continental crust for the northern and southern margins, when combined with the differential widths of seafloor generated during the seafloor spreading phase, indicate the total crustal extension that occurred is about 1100 km and is remarkably consistent to within ???10% for all three (eastern, central, western) segments examined. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of lunar crustal structure and isostasy. Final technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thurber, C.H.

1987-07-01

The lunar mascon basins have strongly free air gravity anomalies, generally exceeding 100 milligals at an elevation of 100 km. The source of the anomalies is a combination of mantle uplift beneath the impact basins and subsequent infilling by high-density mare basalts. The relative contribution of these two components is still somewhat uncertain, although it is generally accepted that the amount of mantle uplift greatly exceeds the thickness of the basalts. Extensive studies have been carried out of the crustal structure of mare basins, based on gravity data, and their tectonic evolution, based on compressive and extensional tectonic features. Themore » present study endeavored to develop a unified, self-consistent model of the lunar crust and lithosphere incorporating both gravity and tectonic constraints.« less

Rayleigh-wave Tomography Study of Northwestern Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLellan, M. E.; Audet, P.; Schaeffer, A. J.

2015-12-01

Due to the ongoing collision of the Yakutat block with the North American plate in southeastern Alaska, a significant amount of deformation is occurring in the northern Canadian Cordillera. The stress transfer associated with the accretion of this terrane is believed to be responsible for the seismicity across this widespread region. Estimates of crustal thickness within the Mackenzie and Richardson Mountains provide constraints on models describing the evolution of crustal roots responsible for supporting such belts that transmit tectonic stresses over long distances (>1000 km); unfortunately, current seismic velocity models used to map crustal thickness have limited resolution due to sparse coverage by seismograph networks. Here we use data from a new regional seismograph network (Yukon-Northwest Seismograph Network - YNSN) as well as permanent stations to map out crustal structure. Crustal thickness variations can be obtained from 3-D seismic velocity models determined from the inversion of surface-wave dispersion data. In this work we present preliminary results of a regional tomography study of northwestern Canada, encompassing the northern Canadian Cordillera, using dispersion curves derived from ambient noise cross-correlations in addition to teleseismic two-station interferometry. We collected all available vertical component seismic data from stations located in the Yukon and surrounding regions from the period between June 2012 and June 2015. Using this data set, we first cross-correlated hour-long segments of the ambient seismic noise between all available stations pairs that share common data availability and obtained virtual Rayleigh waves with energy over periods 10-50 s that are predominantly sensitive to crust and uppermost mantle structure. This data set is complemented by Rayleigh-wave dispersion measurements, spanning the period range 25—175 s, derived by cross-correlating vertical component data from teleseismic earthquakes (M>5) lying along the great circle path between individual station pairs. We then measured group and phase velocities from these Rayleigh wave data sets and produced the first regional, high-resolution, azimuthally anisotropic phase and group velocity maps of northwestern Canada.

Evidence for mafic lower crust in Tanzania, East Africa, from joint inversion of receiver functions and Rayleigh wave dispersion velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julià, Jordi; Ammon, Charles J.; Nyblade, Andrew A.

2005-08-01

The S-wave velocity structure of Precambrian terranes in Tanzania, East Africa is modelled by jointly inverting receiver functions and surface wave dispersion velocities from the 1994-1995 Tanzania broad-band seismic experiment. The study region, which consists of an Archean craton surrounded by Proterozoic mobile belts, forms a unique setting for evaluating Precambrian crustal evolution. Our results show a uniform crustal structure across the region, with a 10-15 km thick upper crust with VS= 3.4-3.5 km s-1, overlying a gradational lower crust with S-wave velocities up to 4.1 km s-1 at 38-42 km depth. The upper-mantle lid displays uniform S-wave velocities of 4.5-4.7 km s-1 to depths of 100-150 km and overlays a prominent low-velocity zone. This low-velocity zone is required by the dispersion and receiver function data, but its depth interval is uncertain. The high crustal velocities within the lowermost crust characterize the entire region and suggest that mafic lithologies are present in both Archean and Proterozoic terranes. The ubiquitous mafic lower crust can be attributed to underplating associated with mafic dyke emplacement. This finding suggests that in East Africa there has been little secular variation in Precambrian crustal development.

What Happens When Continents Collide? Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

How Do Continents Split Apart? Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

How Fast is the Ocean Floor Moving? Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Introduction to Lithospheric Plate Boundaries. Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Locating Active Plate Boundaries by Earthquake Data. Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Lithspheric Plates and Ocean Basin Topography. Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Microfossils, Sediments and Sea-Floor Spreading. Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Spreading Sea Floors and Fractured Ridges. Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Imaginary Continents: A Geological Puzzle. Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Fossils as Clues to Ancient Continents. Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Thinned crustal structure and tectonic boundary of the Nansha Block, southern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Miao; Wu, Shi-Guo; Zhang, Jian

2016-12-01

The southern South China Sea margin consists of the thinned crustal Nansha Block and a compressional collision zone. The Nansha Block's deep structure and tectonic evolution contains critical information about the South China Sea's rifting. Multiple geophysical data sets, including regional magnetic, gravity and reflection seismic data, reveal the deep structure and rifting processes. Curie point depth (CPD), estimated from magnetic anomalies using a windowed wavenumber-domain algorithm, enables us to image thermal structures. To derive a 3D Moho topography and crustal thickness model, we apply Oldenburg algorithm to the gravity anomaly, which was extracted from the observed free air gravity anomaly data after removing the gravity effect of density variations of sediments, and temperature and pressure variations of the lithospheric mantle. We found that the Moho depth (20 km) is shallower than the CPD (24 km) in the Northwest Borneo Trough, possibly caused by thinned crust, low heat flow and a low vertical geothermal gradient. The Nansha Block's northern boundary is a narrow continent-ocean transition zone constrained by magnetic anomalies, reflection seismic data, gravity anomalies and an interpretation of Moho depth (about 13 km). The block extends southward beneath a gravity-driven deformed sediment wedge caused by uplift on land after a collision, with a contribution from deep crustal flow. Its southwestern boundary is close to the Lupar Line defined by a significant negative reduction to the pole (RTP) of magnetic anomaly and short-length-scale variation in crustal thickness, increasing from 18 to 26 km.

Ridge-trench collision in Archean and Post-Archean crustal growth: Evidence from southern Chile

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, E. P.; Forsythe, R. D.

1988-01-01

The growth of continental crust at convergent plate margins involves both continuous and episodic processes. Ridge-trench collision is one episodic process that can cause significant magmatic and tectonic effects on convergent plate margins. Because the sites of ridge collision (ridge-trench triple junctions) generally migrate along convergent plate boundaries, the effects of ridge collision will be highly diachronous in Andean-type orogenic belts and may not be adequately recognized in the geologic record. The Chile margin triple junction (CMTJ, 46 deg S), where the actively spreading Chile rise is colliding with the sediment-filled Peru-Chile trench, is geometrically and kinematically the simplest modern example of ridge collision. The south Chile margin illustrates the importance of the ridge-collision tectonic setting in crustal evolution at convergent margins. Similarities between ridge-collision features in southern Chile and features of Archean greenstone belts raise the question of the importance of ridge collision in Archean crustal growth. Archean plate tectonic processes were probably different than today; these differences may have affected the nature and importance of ridge collision during Archean crustal growth. In conclusion, it is suggested that smaller plates, greater ridge length, and/or faster spreading all point to the likelihood that ridge collision played a greater role in crustal growth and development of the greenstone-granite terranes during the Archean. However, the effects of modern ridge collision, and the processes involved, are not well enough known to develop specific models for the Archean ridge collison.

Crustal structure and evolution of the NW Zagros Mountains (Iran): Insights from numerical modeling of the interplay between surface and tectonic processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saura, Eduard; Garcia-Castellanos, Daniel; Casciello, Emilio; Vergés, Jaume

2014-05-01

Protracted Arabia-Eurasia convergence resulted in the closure of the >2000 km wide Neo-Tethys Ocean from early Late Cretaceous to Recent. This process was controlled by the structure of the NE margin of the Arabian plate, the NE-dipping oceanic subduction beneath Eurasia, the obduction of oceanic lithosphere and the collision of small continental and volcanic arc domains of the SW margin of Eurasia. The evolution of the Zagros Amiran and Mesopotamian foreland basins is studied in this work along a ~700 km long transect in NW Zagros constrained by field, seismic and published data. We use the well-defined geometries and ages of the Amiran and Mesopotamian foreland basins to estimate the elastic thickness of the lithosphere and model the evolution of the deformation to quantitatively link the topographic, tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the system. Modelling results show two major stages of emplacement. The obduction (pre-collision) stage involves the thin thrust sheets of the Kermanshah complex together with the Bisotun basement. The collision stage corresponds to the emplacement of the basement duplex and associated crustal thickening, coeval to the out of sequence emplacement of Gaveh Rud and Imbricated Zone in the hinterland. The geodynamic model is consistent with the history of the foreland basins, with the regional isostasy model, and with a simple scenario for the surface process efficiency. The emplacement of Bisotun basement during obduction tectonically loaded and flexed the Arabian plate triggering deposition in the Amiran foreland basin. The basement units emplaced during the last 10 My, flexed the Arabian plate below the Mesopotamian basin. During this stage, material eroded from the Simply Folded belt and the Imbricated zone was not enough to fill the Mesopotamian basin, which, according to our numerical model results, required a maximum additional sediment supply of 80 m/Myr. This additional supply had to be provided by an axial drainage system, which can be correlated by the income of paleo-Tigris and paleo-Eufrates rivers transporting sediments from north-westernmost areas.

Crustal dynamics project data analysis, 1991: VLBI geodetic results, 1979 - 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ma, C.; Ryan, J. W.; Caprette, D. S.

1992-01-01

The Goddard VLBI group reports the results of analyzing 1412 Mark II data sets acquired from fixed and mobile observing sites through the end of 1990 and available to the Crustal Dynamics Project. Three large solutions were used to obtain Earth rotation parameters, nutation offsets, global source positions, site velocities, and baseline evolution. Site positions are tabulated on a yearly basis from 1979 through 1992. Site velocities are presented in both geocentric Cartesian coordinates and topocentric coordinates. Baseline evolution is plotted for 175 baselines. Rates are computed for earth rotation and nutation parameters. Included are 104 sources, 88 fixed stations and mobile sites, and 688 baselines.

Nature of the uppermost mantle below the Porcupine Basin, offshore Ireland: new insights from seismic refraction and gravity data modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prada, M.; Watremez, L.; Chen, C.; O'Reilly, B.; Minshull, T. A.; Reston, T. J.; Wagner, G.; Gaw, V.; Klaeschen, D.; Shannon, P.

2015-12-01

The Porcupine Basin is a tongue-shaped basin SW of Ireland formed during the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean. Its history of sedimentation reveals several rifting and subsidence phases during the Late Paleozoic and Cenozoic, with a particular major rift phase occurring in Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous times. Previous work, focused on seismic and gravity data, suggest the presence of major crustal faulting and uppermost mantle serpentinization in the basin. Serpentinization is a key factor in lithospheric extension since it reduces the strength of mantle rocks, and hence, influences the tectonics of the lithosphere. Besides reducing the seismic velocity of the rock, serpentinization decreases mantle rock density favoring isostatic rebound and basin uplift, thus affecting the tectonic and thermal evolution of the basin. Here we characterize the deep structure of the Porcupine Basin from wide-angle seismic (WAS) and gravity data, with especial emphasis on the nature of the underlying mantle. The WAS data used were acquired along a 300 km long transect across the northern region of the basin. We used a travel time inversion method to model the data and obtain a P-wave velocity (Vp) model of the crust and uppermost mantle, together with the geometry of the main geological interfaces. The crustal structure along the model reveals a maximum stretching factor of ~5-6. These values are well within the range of crustal extension at which the crust becomes entirely brittle allowing the formation of major crustal faulting and serpentinization of the mantle. To further constrain the seismic structure and hence the nature of the mantle we assess the Vp uncertainty of the model by means of a Monte Carlo analysis and perform gravity modeling to test different interpretations regarding mantle rock nature. This project is funded by the Irish Shelf Petroleum Studies Group (ISPSG) of the Irish Petroleum Infrastructure Programme Group 4.

Visualization and dissemination of global crustal models on virtual globes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Liang-feng; Pan, Xin; Sun, Jian-zhong

2016-05-01

Global crustal models, such as CRUST 5.1 and its descendants, are very useful in a broad range of geoscience applications. The current method for representing the existing global crustal models relies heavily on dedicated computer programs to read and work with those models. Therefore, it is not suited to visualize and disseminate global crustal information to non-geological users. This shortcoming is becoming obvious as more and more people from both academic and non-academic institutions are interested in understanding the structure and composition of the crust. There is a pressing need to provide a modern, universal and user-friendly method to represent and visualize the existing global crustal models. In this paper, we present a systematic framework to easily visualize and disseminate the global crustal structure on virtual globes. Based on crustal information exported from the existing global crustal models, we first create a variety of KML-formatted crustal models with different levels of detail (LODs). And then the KML-formatted models can be loaded into a virtual globe for 3D visualization and model dissemination. A Keyhole Markup Language (KML) generator (Crust2KML) is developed to automatically convert crustal information obtained from the CRUST 1.0 model into KML-formatted global crustal models, and a web application (VisualCrust) is designed to disseminate and visualize those models over the Internet. The presented framework and associated implementations can be conveniently exported to other applications to support visualizing and analyzing the Earth's internal structure on both regional and global scales in a 3D virtual-globe environment.

General relativistic treatment of the thermal, magnetic and rotational evolution of isolated neutron stars with crustal magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Page, D.; Geppert, U.; Zannias, T.

2000-08-01

We investigate the thermal, magnetic and rotational evolution of isolated neutron stars assuming that the dipolar magnetic field is confined to the crust. Our treatment, for the first time, uses a fully general relativistic formalism not only for the thermal but also for the magnetic part, and includes partial general relativistic effects in the rotational part. Due to the fact that the combined evolution depends crucially upon the compactness of the star, three different equations of state have been employed in the calculations. In the absence of general relativistic effects, while upon increasing compactness a decrease of the crust thickness takes place leading into an accelerating field decay, the inclusion of general relativistic effects intend to "decelerate this acceleration". As a consequence we find that, within the crustal field hypothesis, a given equation of state is compatible with the observed distribution of pulsar periods P and period derivative &mathaccent "705Frelax dot; provided the initial field strength and current location as well as the magnitude of the impurity content are appropriately constrained. Finally, we access the flexibility of the soft, medium and stiff classes of equations of state as candidates in describing the state of the matter in the neutron star interiors. The comparison of our model calculations with observations, together with the consideration of independent information about neutron star evolution, suggests that a not too soft equation of state describes neutron star interiors and its cooling proceeds along the `standard' scenario.

Sm-Nd isotopic data from Archean metavolcanic rocks at Holenarsipur, South India

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drury, S.A.; Van Calsteren, P.C.; Reeves-Smith, G.J.

1987-11-01

Results of a Sm-Nd isotopic analysis of Archean metavolcanics in the Holenarsipur greenstone belt, Karnataka, South India, give a whole-rock isochron age of 2.62 Ga for lightly deformed metabasaltic amphibolites in the northern part of the belt. This is within error of the age of high-grade metamorphism and crustal thickening which affected areas further to the south during the late Archean. Together with the geochemical affinities of these and other metavolcanics in Karnataka, and results of regional structural analysis, this unexpected age supports a model relating volcanism and crustal thickening to northward subduction and crustal accretion during the late Archean.more » Data from basic and ultrabasic metavolcanics from the more strongly deformed and higher-grade southern arm of the Holenarsipur belt do not permit an age greater than 3.0 Ga. Previously, these rocks were regarded as part of an older supracrustal sequence that predated the local 3.0 to 3.3 Ga gneissic complex. The new dates therefore considerably simplify attempts at accounting for greenstone evolution in South India.« less

Role of pre-existing structures in controlling the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the eastern Tibetan plateau: New insights from analogue experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ming; Yin, An; Yan, Danping; Ren, Hongyu; Mu, Hongxu; Zhu, Lutao; Qiu, Liang

2018-06-01

Pre-existing weakness due to repeated tectonic, metamorphic, and magmatic events is a fundamental feature of the continental lithosphere on Earth. Because of this, continental deformation results from a combined effect of boundary conditions imposed by plate tectonic processes and heterogeneous and anisotropic mechanical strength inherited from protracted continental evolution. In this study, we assess how this interaction may have controlled the Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Tibetan plateau during the India-Asia collision. Specifically, we use analogue models to evaluate how the pre-Cenozoic structures may have controlled the location, orientation, and kinematics of the northwest-striking Xianshuihe and northeast-striking Longmen Shan fault zones, the two most dominant Cenozoic structures in eastern Tibet. Our best model indicates that the correct location, trend, and kinematics of the two fault systems can only be generated and maintained if the following conditions are met: (1) the northern part of the Songpan-Ganzi terrane in eastern Tibet has a strong basement whereas its southern part has a weak basement, (2) the northern strong basement consists of two pieces bounded by a crustal-scale weak zone that is expressed by the Triassic development of a northwest-trending antiform exposing middle and lower crustal rocks, and (3) the region was under persistent northeast-southwest compression since ∼35 Ma. Our model makes correct prediction on the sequence of deformation in eastern Tibet; the Longmen Shan right-slip transpressional zone was initiated first as an instantaneous response to the northeast-southwest compression, which is followed by the formation of the Xianshuihe fault about a half way after the exertion of northeast-southwest shortening in the model. The success of our model highlights the importance of pre-existing weakness, a key factor that has been largely neglected in the current geodynamic models of continental deformation.

Fine-scale crustal structure of the Azores Islands from teleseismic receiver functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spieker, K.; Rondenay, S.; Ramalho, R. S.; Thomas, C.; Helffrich, G. R.

2016-12-01

The Azores plateau is located near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and consists of nine islands, most of which lie east of the MAR. Various methods including seismic reflection, gravity, and passive seismic imaging have been used to investigate the crustal thickness beneath the islands. They have yielded thickness estimates that range between roughly 10 km and 30 km, but until now models of the fine-scale crustal structure have been lacking. A comparison of the crustal structure beneath the islands that lie west and east of the MAR might give further constraints on the evolution of the islands. For example, geochemical studies carried out across the region predict the existence of volcanic interfaces that should be detected seismically within the shallow crust of some of the islands. In this study, we use data from ten seismic stations located on the Azores Islands to investigate the crustal structure with teleseismic P-wave receiver functions. We query our resulting receiver functions for signals associated with the volcanic edifice, the crust-mantle boundary, and potential underplated layers beneath the various islands. The islands west of the MAR have a crustal structure comprising two discontinuities - an upper one at 1-2 km depth marking the base of the volcanic edifice, and a lower one at 10 km depth that we interpret as crust-mantle boundary. The islands east of the MAR can be subdivided into two groups. The central islands that are closer to the MAR exhibit a crustal structure similar to that of the western islands, with a volcanic edifice reaching a depth of 2 km and an average crust-mantle boundary at around 12 km depth. The easternmost islands, located on the oldest lithosphere, exhibit a more complex crustal structure with evidence for a mid-crustal interface and an underplated layer, yielding an effective crust-mantle boundary at >15 km depth. The difference in structure between proximal and distal islands might be related to the age of the plate at the time of emplacement of the islands, with an older plate providing conditions that are more favourable for basaltic underplating.

Evolution of Slow to Intermediate-Spreading Oceanic Crust in the South Atlantic: The Effects of Age, Sediment Thickness, and Spreading Rate on the Heterogeneity of Upper Crustal Velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kardell, D. A.; Christeson, G. L.; Reece, R.; Carlson, R. L.

2017-12-01

The upper section of oceanic crust (layer 2A) commonly exhibits relatively low seismic velocities due to abundant pore and crack space created by the extrusive emplacement of magma and extensional faulting at the spreading ridge. While this is generally true for all spreading rates, previous studies have shown that slow seafloor spreading can yield much higher levels of upper crustal heterogeneity than observed for faster spreading rates. We use a recent multichannel seismic dataset collected with a 12.5 km streamer during the CREST cruise (Crustal Reflectivity Experiment Southern Transect) to build eleven 60-80 km-long tomographic velocity models. These two-dimensional models include both ridge-normal and ridge-parallel orientations and cover oceanic crust produced at slow to intermediate spreading rates. Crustal ages range between 0 and 70 m.y., spreading rates range between slow-spreading and intermediate-spreading, and sedimentary cover thickness ranges from 0 m close to the spreading center to 500 m proximal to the Rio Grande Rise. Our results show a trend of increasing layer 2A velocities with age out to the midpoint of the seismic transect. There is a rapid increase in velocities from 2.8 km/s near the ridge to 4.3 km/s around 10 Ma, and a slower increase to velocities around 5 km/s in 37 m.y. old crust. While this indicates an ongoing evolution in oceanic crust older than expected, the velocities do level off in the older half of the transect, averaging 5 km/s. Crust covered by a thicker sedimentary section can exhibit velocities up to 1 km/s faster than adjacent non-sedimented crust, accounting for much of the local variations. This is possibly due to the effects of a sealed hydrothermal system. We also observe a more heterogeneous velocity structure parallel to the ridge than in the ridge-normal orientation, and more velocity heterogeneity for slow-spreading crust compared to intermediate-spreading crust.

Deciphering the Influence of Crustal Flexure and Shear Along the Margins of the Eastern Snake River Plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, S. D.

2016-12-01

The kinematic evolution of the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) remains highly contested. A lack of strike-slip faults bounding the ESRP serves as a primary assumption in many leading kinematic models. Recent GPS geodesy has highlighted possible shear zones along the ESRP yet regional strike-slip faults remain unidentified. Oblique movement within dense arrays of high-angle conjugate normal faults, paralleling the ESRP, occur within a discrete zone of 50 km on both margins of the ESRP. These features have long been attributed to progressive crustal flexure and subsidence within the ESRP, but are capable of accommodating the observed strain without necessitating large scale strike-slip faults. Deformation features within an extensive Neogene conglomerate provide field evidence for dextral shear in a transtensional system along the northern margin of the ESRP. Pressure-solution pits and cobble striations provide evidence for a horizontal ENE/WSW maximum principal stress orientation, consistent with the hypothesis of a dextral Centennial shear zone. Fold hinges, erosional surfaces and stratigraphic datums plunging perpendicular into the ESRP have been attributed to crustal flexure and subsidence of the ESRP. Similar Quaternary folds plunge obliquely into the ESRP along its margins where diminishing offset along active normal faults trends into linear volcanic features. In all cases, orientations and distributions of plunging fold structures display a correlation to the terminus of active Basin and Range faults and linear volcanic features of the ESRP. An alternative kinematic model, rooted in kinematic disparities between Basin and Range faults and parallelling volcanic features may explain the observed downwarping as well as provide a mechanism for the observed shear along the margins of the ESRP. By integrating field observations with seismic, geodetic and geomorphic observations this study attempts to decipher the signatures of crustal flexure and shear along the margins of the ESRP. Decoupling the influence of these distinct processes on deformation features bounding the ESRP will aid in our understanding of the kinematic evolution of this highly complex region.

Quasi-quantitative analysis of the lithospheric rheology across an incipient continental rift based on 3-D magnetotelluric imaging of Linfen Basin within the North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Y.; Jin, S.; Wei, W.; Ye, G.; Dong, H.; Zhang, L.

2017-12-01

The Shanxi Rift being located within the interior of the North China Craton and far from any plate boundaries has undergone dramatic deformation and seismicity during the Cenozoic. In this study, we build 3-D lithospheric resistivity model by MT array data, across the Linfen Basin which is the most active segment of this intraplate rift. Accordingly, combined with previous rock physics experimental results, we estimate the fluid contents of lower crustal granulites and upper mantle peridotites and thereby the rough distribution of lithospheric rheological strength. On the two sides of Linfen Basin, lithosphere beneath the Precambrian terranes are of high strength. By contrast, a high-conductivity nearly upright lithosphere weak zone occurs beneath the eastern margin of the Linfen Basin and appears to be connected to the high-conductivity and therefore weak lower crust just beneath the basin, probably indicating a structure of asthenospheric upwelling causing the lower crustal decoupling through lateral drag forces. The distribution of lithospheric weak zones, brittle faults, ductile shear zones and detachment structures determined from our resistivity model is in good agreement with the 8-My stage model of a previous numerical geodynamic simulation for continental rift evolution by reconstruction of the South Atlantic plate. Accordingly, we suggest that the lithospheric weak zone could be a preexisting Precambrian shear zone and has reactivated as an asthenospheric upwelling conduit under the far-field effects of Indo- Asian collision or Pacific Plate subduction since the late Mesozoic. This process could have caused the upper crustal extension and rifting through the stress regulation by the plastic lower crust, which could be the mechanism of rift formation. In summary, we suggest the Linfen segment of the Shanxi Rift, is a simple shear mode rift in the incipient stage of rift evolution, rather than a mature pure shear mode one as determined by precious seismic imaging.

Crustal Structure and Evolution of the Eastern Himalayan Plate Boundary System, Northeast India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, S.; Priestley, K. F.; Borah, Kajaljyoti; Gaur, V. K.

2018-01-01

We use data from 24 broadband seismographs located south of the Eastern Himalayan plate boundary system to investigate the crustal structure beneath Northeast India. P wave receiver function analysis reveals felsic continental crust beneath the Brahmaputra Valley, Shillong Plateau and Mikir Hills, and mafic thinned passive margin transitional crust (basement layer) beneath the Bengal Basin. Within the continental crust, the central Shillong Plateau and Mikir Hills have the thinnest crust (30 ± 2 km) with similar velocity structure, suggesting a unified origin and uplift history. North of the plateau and Mikir Hills the crustal thickness increases sharply by 8-10 km and is modeled by ˜30∘ north dipping Moho flexure. South of the plateau, across the ˜1 km topographic relief of the Dawki Fault, the crustal thickness increases abruptly by 12-13 km and is modeled by downfaulting of the plateau crust, overlain by 13-14 km thick sedimentary layer/rocks of the Bengal Basin. Farther south, beneath central Bengal Basin, the basement layer is thinner (20-22 km) and has higher Vs (˜4.1 km s-1) indicating a transitional crystalline crust, overlain by the thickest sedimentary layer/rocks (18-20 km). Our models suggest that the uplift of the Shillong Plateau occurred by thrust faulting on the reactivated Dawki Fault, a continent margin paleorift fault, and subsequent back thrusting on the south dipping Oldham Fault, in response to flexural loading of the Eastern Himalaya. Our estimated Dawki Fault offset combined with timing of surface uplift of the plateau reveals a reasonable match between long-term uplift and convergence rate across the Dawki Fault with present-day GPS velocities.

Discussion on final rifting evolution and breakup : insights from the Mid Norwegian - North East Greenland rifted system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peron-Pinvidic, Gwenn; Terje Osmundsen, Per

2016-04-01

In terms of rifted margin studies, the characteristics of the distal and outer domains are among the today's most debated questions. The architecture and composition of deep margins are rarely well constrained and hence little understood. Except from in a handful number of cases (eg. Iberia-Newfoundland, Southern Australia, Red Sea), basement samples are not available to decipher between the various interpretations allowed by geophysical models. No consensus has been reached on the basement composition, tectonic structures, sedimentary geometries or magmatic content. The result is that non-unique end-member interpretations and models are still proposed in the literature. So, although these domains mark the connection between continents and oceans, and thus correspond to unique stages in the Earth's lithospheric life cycle, their spatial and temporal evolution are still unresolved. The Norwegian-Greenland Sea rift system represents an exceptional laboratory to work on questions related to rifting, rifted margin formation and sedimentary basin evolution. It has been extensively studied for decades by both the academic and the industry communities. The proven and expected oil and gas potentials led to the methodical acquisition of world-class geophysical datasets, which permit the detailed research and thorough testing of concepts at local and regional scales. This contribution is issued from a three years project funded by ExxonMobil aiming at better understanding the crustal-scale nature and evolution of the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. The idea was to take advantage of the data availability on this specific rift system to investigate further the full crustal conjugate scale history of rifting, confronting the various available datasets. In this contribution, we will review the possible structural and sedimentary geometries of the distal margin, and their connection to the oceanic domain. We will discuss the definition of 'breakup' and introduce a first order conceptual model that proposes a combined influence of tectonic and magmatic processes on the outbuilding of the distal, outer and oceanic domains.

How Do Scientists Decide Which is the Better Theory? Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

How Does Heat Flow Vary in the Ocean Floor? Crustal Evaluation Education Project. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoever, Edward C., Jr.

Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) modules were designed to: (1) provide students with the methods and results of continuing investigations into the composition, history, and processes of the earth's crust and the application of this knowledge to man's activities and (2) to be used by teachers with little or no previous background in the…

Orogenic inheritance and continental breakup: Wilson Cycle-control on rift and passive margin evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiffer, C.; Petersen, K. D.

2016-12-01

Rifts often develop along suture zones between previously collided continents, as part of the Wilson cycle. The North Atlantic is such an example, formed where Pangaea broke apart along Caledonian and Variscan sutures. Dipping upper mantle structures in E. Greenland and Scotland, have been interpreted as fossil subduction zones and the seismic signature indicates the presence of eclogite and serpentinite. We speculate that this orogenic material may impose a rheological control upon post-orogenic extension and we use thermo-mechanical modelling to explore such effects. Our model includes the following features: 1) Crustal thickness anomalies, 2) Eclogitised mafic crust emplaced in the mantle lithosphere, and 3) Hydrated mantle peridotite (serpentinite) formed in a pre-rift subduction setting. Our models indicate that the inherited structures control the location and the structural and magmatic evolution of the rift. Rifting of thin initial crust allows for relatively large amounts of serpentinite to be preserved within the uppermost mantle. This facilitates rapid continental breakup and serpentinite exhumation. Magmatism does not occur before continental breakup. Rifts in thicker crust preserve little or no serpentinite and thinning is more focused in the mantle lithosphere, rather than in the crust. Continental breakup is therefore preceded by magmatism. This implies that pre-rift orogenic properties may determine whether magma-poor or magma-rich conjugate margins are formed. Our models show that inherited orogenic eclogite and serpentinite are deformed and partially emplaced either as dipping structures within the lithospheric mantle or at the base of the thinned continental crust. The former is consistent with dipping sub-Moho reflectors often observed in passive margins. The latter provides an alternative interpretation of `lower crustal bodies' which are often regarded as igneous bodies. An additional implication of our models is that serpentinite, often observed seismically or exposed at the sea floor of passive margins, was formed prior to rifting in addition to syn-rift, fault-driven hydrothermal processes. Whether lower crustal and serpentinite bodies are produced previously or during rifting is of relevance for the estimation of thinning-factors of the pre-existing crust.

Crustal Magnetization Model of Maud Rise in the Southwest Indian Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Hyung Rae; vanFrese, Ralph R. B.; Golynsky, Alexander V.; Taylor, Patrick T.; Kim, Jeong Woo

2004-01-01

We modeled the crustal magnetization for the Maud Rise in the south-west Indian Ocean off the coast of East Antarctica using magnetic observations from the Oersted satellite and near-surface surveys complied by the Antarctic Digital Magnetic Anomaly Project (ADMAP). A new inversion modeling scheme of the multi-altitude anomaly fields suggests that the magnetic effects due to crustal thickness variations and remanence involving the normal polarity Cretaceous Quiet Zone (KQZ) become increasingly dominant with altitude. The magnetic crustal thickness effects were modeled in the Oersted data using crustal thickness variations derived from satellite altitude gravity data. Remanent magnetization modeling of the residual Oersted and near-surface magnetic anomalies supports extending the KQZ eastwards to the Astrid Ridge. The remaining near-surface anomalies involve crustal features with relatively high frequency effects that are strongly attenuated at satellite altitudes. The crustal modeling can be extended by the satellite magnetic anomalies across the Indian Ocean Ridge for insight on the crustal properties of the conjugate Agulhas Plateau. The modeling supports the Jurassic reconstruction of Gondwana when the African Limpopo-Zambezi and East Antarctic Princess Astrid coasts were connected as part of a relatively demagnetized crustal block.

The evolution of a calc-alkaline basic to silicic magma system: Geochemical and Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and 18O /16O isotopic evidence from the Late Hercynian Atesina-Cima d'Asta volcano-plutonic complex, northern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth, Susanne; Oberli, Felix; Meier, Martin; Blattner, Peter; Bargossi, Giuseppe M.; Di Battistini, Gianfranco

1993-09-01

Geochemical and Sr-Nd-O isotopic data presented for basaltic andesitic to rhyolitic and for quartz noritic to monzogranitic rock suites from the Late Hercynian calc-alkaline Atesina volcanic complex (AVC) and the Cima d'Asta pluton (CAP), Southern Alps (northern Italy), provide information on both the primary magmatic processes and the effects of (mainly Triassic) hydrothermal overprint. Fluid infiltration led to mobilization of major and trace elements (K 2O, Na 2O, CaO, Rb, Sr, and Ba), opensystem behavior in total-rock Rb-Sr, and shift in δ18O to elevated values (total rock up to 16.6%. and volcanic matrix up to 17.8%.). Oxygen isotopic disequilibrium between quartz-feldspar pairs suggests water-rock interaction at medium/low temperatures. The δ18O values of quartz, the REE characterized by regular LREE enrichment/HREE depletion, and the Sm-Nd isotopic signatures, however, remained virtually unaffected by secondary processes. The initial ɛNd values (at 270 Ma) of the AVC and CAP magmatites are restricted to overlapping ranges of -3.6 to -6.5 and of -2.7 to -6.5, respectively, indicating significant crustal contribution; these values and associated T DM model ages of 1.1-1.6 Ga agree well with those of typical South Alpine lower crustal magmatites. The AVC and CAP rocks do not follow the "normal" trend of increasingly crustal Nd isotopic signatures with progressive degree of magma evolution expected for a single-stage AFC-type process, but instead display an inversion of this relationship. Geochemical and isotopic constraints favor a model of a large-scale MASH-type melting and mixing zone at or near the base of the continental crust. Distinct elemental enrichment/depletion and REE crossover patterns displayed by high-silica as compared to less silicic AVC rhyolites suggest subsequent magma evolution within a shallow-level compositionally zoned chamber.

Crustal growth in subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogt, Katharina; Castro, Antonio; Gerya, Taras

2015-04-01

There is a broad interest in understanding the physical principles leading to arc magmatisim at active continental margins and different mechanisms have been proposed to account for the composition and evolution of the continental crust. It is widely accepted that water released from the subducting plate lowers the melting temperature of the overlying mantle allowing for "flux melting" of the hydrated mantle. However, relamination of subducted crustal material to the base of the continental crust has been recently suggested to account for the growth and composition of the continental crust. We use petrological-thermo-mechanical models of active subduction zones to demonstrate that subduction of crustal material to sublithospheric depth may result in the formation of a tectonic rock mélange composed of basalt, sediment and hydrated /serpentinized mantle. This rock mélange may evolve into a partially molten diapir at asthenospheric depth and rise through the mantle because of its intrinsic buoyancy prior to emplacement at crustal levels (relamination). This process can be episodic and long-lived, forming successive diapirs that represent multiple magma pulses. Recent laboratory experiments of Castro et al. (2013) have demonstrated that reactions between these crustal components (i.e. basalt and sediment) produce andesitic melt typical for rocks of the continental crust. However, melt derived from a composite diapir will inherit the geochemical characteristics of its source and show distinct temporal variations of radiogenic isotopes based on the proportions of basalt and sediment in the source (Vogt et al., 2013). Hence, partial melting of a composite diapir is expected to produce melt with a constant major element composition, but substantial changes in terms of radiogenic isotopes. However, crustal growth at active continental margins may also involve accretionary processes by which new material is added to the continental crust. Oceanic plateaus and other crustal units may collide with continental margins to form collisional orogens and accreted terranes in places where oceanic lithosphere is recycled back into the mantle. We use thermomechanical-petrological models of an oceanic-continental subduction zone to analyse the dynamics of terrane accretion and its implications to arc magmatisim. It is shown that terrane accretion may result in the rapid growth of continental crust, which is in accordance with geological data on some major segments of the continental crust. Direct consequences of terrane accretion may include slab break off, subduction zone transference, structural reworking, formation of high-pressure terranes and partial melting (Vogt and Gerya., 2014), forming complex suture zones of accreted and partially molten units. Castro, A., Vogt, K., Gerya, T., 2013. Generation of new continental crust by sublithospheric silicic-magma relamination in arcs: A test of Taylor's andesite model. Gondwana Research, 23, 1554-1566. Vogt, K., Castro, A., Gerya, T., 2013. Numerical modeling of geochemical variations caused by crustal relamination. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 14, 470-487. Vogt, K., Gerya, T., 2014. From oceanic plateaus to allochthonous terranes: Numerical Modelling. Gondwana Research, 25, 494-508

Coupling SPH and thermochemical models of planets: Methodology and example of a Mars-sized body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golabek, G. J.; Emsenhuber, A.; Jutzi, M.; Asphaug, E. I.; Gerya, T. V.

2018-02-01

Giant impacts have been suggested to explain various characteristics of terrestrial planets and their moons. However, so far in most models only the immediate effects of the collisions have been considered, while the long-term interior evolution of the impacted planets was not studied. Here we present a new approach, combining 3-D shock physics collision calculations with 3-D thermochemical interior evolution models. We apply the combined methods to a demonstration example of a giant impact on a Mars-sized body, using typical collisional parameters from previous studies. While the material parameters (equation of state, rheology model) used in the impact simulations can have some effect on the long-term evolution, we find that the impact angle is the most crucial parameter for the resulting spatial distribution of the newly formed crust. The results indicate that a dichotomous crustal pattern can form after a head-on collision, while this is not the case when considering a more likely grazing collision. Our results underline that end-to-end 3-D calculations of the entire process are required to study in the future the effects of large-scale impacts on the evolution of planetary interiors.

Slab dragging and the recent geodynamic evolution of the western Mediterranean plate boundary region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spakman, Wim; Chertova, Maria V.; van den Berg, Arie P.; Thieulot, Cedric; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J. J.

2016-04-01

The Tortonian-Present geodynamic evolution of the plate boundary between North Africa and Iberia is characterized by first-order enigmas. This concerns, e.g., the diffuse tectonic activity of the plate boundary; the crustal thickening below the Rif; the closing of the northern Moroccan marine gateways prior to the Messinian Salinity Crisis; crustal extension of the central to eastern Betics; the origin and sense of motion of the large left-lateral Trans Alboran Shear Zone (TASZ) and Eastern Betic Shear Zone (EBSZ); and lithosphere delamination of the North African continental edge. Many explanations have been given for each of these seemingly disparate tectonic features, which invariably have been addressed in the plate tectonic context of the NW-SE relative plate convergence between the major plates since the Tortonian, mostly independently from each other. Usually there is no clear role for the subducted slab underlying the region, except for presumed rollback, either to SW or to the W, depending on the type of observations that require explanation. Here we integrate the dynamic role of the slab with the NW-SE relative plate convergence by 3-D numerical modelling of the slab evolution constrained by absolute plate motions (Chertova et al., JGR,2014 & Gcubed 2014). By combining observations and predictions from seismology, geology, and geodesy, with our numerical 3-D slab-mantle dynamics modelling, we developed a new and promising geodynamic framework that provides explanations of all noted tectonic enigmas in a coherent and connected way. From the Tortonian until today, we propose that mantle-resisted slab dragging combines with the NW-SE plate convergence across the (largely) unbroken plate boundary to drive the crustal deformation of the region. Slab dragging is the lateral transport, pushing or pulling, of slab through the mantle by the absolute motion of the subducting plate (Chertova et al., Gcubed, 2014). Because the slab is connected to both the Iberian and African lithosphere, both plates are dragging the slab by their shared ~NNE component of absolute plate motion, which in fact is invisible in the relative plate convergence frame that is usually adopted. Slab dragging induces mantle resistance that, we demonstrate by numerical modelling, leads in the region to differential lateral motion between the slab and African plate driving indentation of the Africa continental lithosphere leading to crustal shortening explaining the closure of Moroccan seaways and the thickening of the Rif crust. The differential motion also explains the TASZ and the transition from western Betics shortening to eastern Betics extension, both still active today. During Miocene westward slab rollback mantle-resisted slab dragging also provided the driving force of edge delamination of African lithosphere, we propose. These explanations of geological features are fully corroborates by an analysis of the GPS motion field in terms of the strain- and rotation rate fields using the method of Spakman and Nyst (2002), and the predicted crustal flow field. In particular, we derive from the GPS and geological data that the direction of African absolute motion is ~NNE and that the slab experiences at present negligible rollback.

Late Cenozoic extension and crustal doming in the NE Chinese Pamir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiede, Rasmus C.; Sobel, Edward R.; Chen, Jie; Schoenbohm, Lindsay; Stockli, Daniel; Sudo, Masafumi; Strecker, Manfred

2013-04-01

The northward motion of the Pamir indenter with respect to Eurasia has resulted in coeval thrusting, strike-slip and normal faulting. The eastern Pamir is currently deformed by east-west oriented extension, accompanied by uplift and exhumation of the Kongur Shan (7719 m) and Muztagh Ata (7546 m) gneiss domes. Both domes are an integral part of the footwall of the Kongur Shan Extensional System (KES), a 250-km-long, north-south oriented graben. Why active normal faulting within the Pamir is primarily localized along the KES and not distributed more widely throughout the orogen, has remained unclear. In addition, relatively little is known about how deformation has evolved throughout the Cenozoic, despite refined estimates on present-day crustal deformation rates and microseismicity, which indicate where crustal deformation is presently being accommodated. To better constrain the spatiotemporal evolution of faulting along the KES, we present 39 new apatite fission-track, zircon U-Th-Sm/He, and 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages from a series of footwall transects along the KES graben shoulder. Combining this data with, present day topographic relief, 1D thermo-kinematic and exhumational modeling documents successive stages, rather than synchronous deformation and gneiss dome exhumation. While Kongur-Shan-exhumation started during the late Miocene, Muztagh Ata began earlier and has slowed down since the late Miocene. We present a new model, suggesting that thermal and density effects associated with a lithospheric tear fault along the eastern margin of the subducting Alai slab localizes extensional upper-plate deformation along the KES and decouples crustal motion between the Central/Western Pamir and Eastern Pamir/Tarim basin.

The Diversity and Evolution of Different type Granitoids in Eastern Dharwar Craton: Evidence from "Arc-Plume" Collision in Neoarchaean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandy, J.; Dey, S.

2017-12-01

Neoarchaean crustal growth, role of plate tectonics and potential secular changes is still disoriented in Dharwar craton. To provide constraints on these questions, geochronological and geochemical data are presented on the unstudied granitoids associated with Kadiri greenstone belt, eastern Dharwar craton. Five diverse type of granitoids suites are identified in that area. Field setting, petrography, whole rock geochemistry study with Sm-Nd isotopes and zircon dates help to identify their source and petrogenesis. Along the eastern margin of the Kadiri belt a sanukitoid-like granitoid body is exposed which was probably derived from a metasomatised mantle wedge above a subduction zone followed by some older crustal contamination. Along the western margin transitional TTG is exposed displaying an intrusive relation with Kadiri dacite-rhyolite. This suite is interpreted to be derived from a mafic source with some enriched crustal component. Further east and west vast area is occupied highly silicic biotite monzogranite which is enriched in LILE, high K2O/Na2O. These granitoids are product of intracrustal shallow melting. At the south-eastern tip of the Kadiri belt occurs a well-foliated and banded transitional TTG which was probably derived from melting of mafic source with some contribution of felsic crustal material. At the north-eastern tip of the belt a highly silicic ferroan granitoid is exposed. Geochemical characteristics indicate that it is A-type granite, produced from shallow melting of a felsic crustal source. The basalt in greenstone belt is generated in oceanic plateau setting and granitoids in arc setting in different time. A tectonic scenario envisaging collision between an arc and oceanic plateau followed by repeated slab break-off and crustal recycling is proposed to explain the evolution of the terrain.

The Evolution of Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis of Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Wu, T.; Li, M.; Zhang, Y.; Hua, Y.; Zhang, B.

2017-12-01

Indian plate has been colliding with Eurasian plate since 50Ma years ago, resulting in the Tethys extinction, crust shortening and Tibetan plateau uplift. But it is still a debate how the Tibetan Plateau material escaped. This study tries to invert the distributions of dispersion phase velocity and anisotropy in Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS) based on the seismic data. We focused on the seven sub-blocks around EHS region. Sub-block "EHS" represents EHS corner with high velocity anomalies, significantly compressed in the axle and strike directions. Sub-blocks "LSD", "QTB" and "SP-GZB" are located at its northern areas with compressions also, and connected with low-velocity anomalies in both crustal and upper mantle rocks. Sub-block "ICB" is located at its southern area with low velocity anomaly, and connected with Tengchong volcano. Sub-blocks "SYDB" and "YZB" are located at its eastern areas with high velocity anomalies in both crustal and upper mantle rocks. Our results demonstrated that significant azimuthal anisotropy of crust (t£30s) and upper mantle (30s£t£60s). Crustal anisotropy indicates the orogenic belt matched well with the direction of fast propagation, and upper mantle anisotropy represents the lattic-preferred orientation (LPO) of mantle minerals (e.g. olivine and basalt), indicating the features of subducting Indian plate. Besides, Red River fault is a dextral strike fault, controlling the crustal and mantle migration. There is a narrow zone to be the channel flow of Tibetan crustal materials escaping toward Yunnan area. The evolution of EHS seems constrained by gravity isostatic mechanism. Keywords: Tibetan Plateau; Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis; Red River fault; crustal flow; surface wave; anisotropy

Mantle heterogeneity and crustal recycling in Archean granite-greenstone belts - Evidence from Nd isotopes and trace elements in the Rainy Lake area, Superior Province, Ontario, Canada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirey, Steven B.; Hanson, Gilbert N.

1986-01-01

Crustal evolution in the Rainy Lake area, Ontario is studied in terms of geochemical characteristics. The Nd isotope data are examined for heterogeneity of the Archean mantle, and the Sm/Nd depletion of the mantle is analyzed. The Nd isotope systematics of individual rock suites is investigated in order to understand the difference between crust and mantle sources; the precursors and petrogenetic processes are discussed. The correlation between SiO2 content and Nd values is considered. Rapid recycling of crustal components, which were previously derived from depleted mantle sources, is suggested based on the similarity of the initial Nd isotopic composition for both mantle-derived and crustally-derived rocks.

Re-evaluation of polyphase kinematic and 40Ar/39Ar cooling history of Moldanubian hot nappe at the eastern margin of the Bohemian Massif

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Racek, M.; Lexa, O.; Schulmann, K.; Corsini, M.; Štípská, P.; Maierová, P.

2017-03-01

A structural and geochronological 40Ar/39Ar study was performed in kilometre-scale middle and lower crustal lens-shaped domains dominated by a preserved subvertical foliation, surrounded by horizontally foliated migmatites. These domains occur within the Moldanubian nappe overlying the Brunia microcontinent at the eastern margin of the European Variscides. Three main deformation phases were recognized: subvertical S2 fabric trending NW-SE in lower crustal rocks and NE-SW in mid-crustal rocks. It is reworked by HT/MT horizontal fabric S3 along margins of crustal domains and in surrounding migmatites. S3 bears a prolate NE lineation parallel to the S2-S3 intersection in the lower crustal domain. In the middle crustal units, L3 is weak, connected to oblate strain and trends NE-SW parallel to the S2-S3 intersection. D4 non-coaxial shear deformation is mainly localized at the boundary between the Moldanubian nappe and Brunia and bears strong top to the NNE shear criteria. In order to constrain kinematics of the D3 deformation, strain modelling was performed to show that the Moldanubian hot nappe was frontally thrust over the Brunia indentor. The renewed D4 tangential movement only heterogeneously reactivates the horizontal S3. This evolution is recorded in 40Ar/39Ar amphibole cooling ages, which show two statistically significant Carboniferous peaks at 342 and 332 Ma, which are also reflected by published detrital muscovite 40Ar/39Ar ages in the adjacent foreland basin. This geochronological record is correlated with progressive erosion of the topographically elevated upper crustal part of the Moldanubian nappe during D3 frontal thrusting, followed by greenschist facies D4 transpressive reactivation and subsequent erosion of high-grade parts of the nappe.

Extreme Mesozoic crustal thinning in the Eastern Iberia margin: The example of the Columbrets Basin (Valencia Trough)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohn, G.; Etheve, N.; Frizon de Lamotte, D.; Roca, E.; Tugend, J.; Gómez-Romeu, J.

2017-12-01

Eastern Iberia preserves a complex succession of Mesozoic rifts partly or completely inverted during the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic in relation with Africa-Eurasia convergence. Notably, the Valencia Trough, classically viewed as part of the Cenozoic West Mediterranean basins, preserves in its southwestern part a thick Mesozoic succession (locally »10km thick) over a highly thinned continental basement (locally only »3,5km thick). This sub-basin referred to as the Columbrets Basin, represents a Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous hyper-extended rift basin weakly overprinted by subsequent events. Its initial configuration is well preserved allowing us to unravel its 3D architecture and tectono-stratigraphic evolution in the frame of the Mesozoic evolution of eastern Iberia. The Columbrets Basin benefits from an extensive dataset combining high resolution reflection seismic profiles, drill holes, refraction seismic data and Expanding Spread Profiles. Its Mesozoic architecture is controlled by interactions between extensional deformation and halokinesis involving the Upper Triassic salt. The thick uppermost Triassic to Cretaceous succession describes a general synclinal shape, progressively stretched and dismembered towards the basin borders. The SE-border of the basin is characterized by a large extensional detachment fault acting at crustal scale and interacting locally with the Upper Triassic décollement. This extensional structure accommodates the exhumation of the continental basement and part of the crustal thinning. Eventually our results highlight the complex interaction between extreme crustal thinning and occurrence of a pre-rift salt level for the deformation style and tectono-stratigraphic evolution of hyper-extended rift basins.

Mantle downwelling and crustal convergence - A model for Ishtar Terra, Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiefer, Walter S.; Hager, Bradford H.

1991-01-01

Models of viscous crustal flow driven by gradients in topography are presented in order to explore quantitatively the implications of the hypothesis that Ishtar is a crustal convergence zone overlying a downwelling mantle. Assuming a free-slip surface boundary condition, it is found that, if the crustal convergence hypothesis is correct, then the crustal thickness in the plains surrounding Ishtar can be no more than about 25 km thick. If the geothermal gradient is larger or the rheology is weaker, the crust must be even thinner for net crustal convergence to be possible. This upper bound is in good agreement with the several independent estimates of crustal thickness of 15-30 km in the plains of Venus based on modeling of the spacing of tectonic features and of impact crater relaxation. Although Ishtar is treated as a crustal convergence zone, this crustal flow model shows that under some circumstances, near-surface material may actually flow away from Ishtar, providing a possible explanation for the grabenlike structures in Fortuna Tessera.

Basin deconstruction-construction: Seeking thermal-tectonic consistency through the integration of geochemical thermal indicators and seismic fault mechanical stratigraphy ​- Example from Faras Field, North Western Desert, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pigott, John D.; Abouelresh, Mohamed O.

2016-02-01

To construct a model of a sedimentary basin's thermal tectonic history is first to deconstruct it: taking apart its geological elements, searching for its initial conditions, and then to reassemble the elements in the temporal order that the basin is assumed to have evolved. Two inherent difficulties implicit to the analysis are that most organic thermal indicators are cumulative, irreversible and a function of both temperature and time and the non-uniqueness of crustal strain histories which complicates tectonic interpretations. If the initial conditions (e.g. starting maturity of the reactants and initial crustal temperature) can be specified and the boundary conditions incrementally designated from changes in the lithospheric heat engine owing to stratigraphic structural constraints, then the number of pathways for the temporal evolution of a basin is greatly reduced. For this investigation, model input uncertainties are reduced through seeking a solution that iteratively integrates the geologically constrained tectonic subsidence, geochemically constrained thermal indicators, and geophysically constrained fault mechanical stratigraphy. The Faras oilfield in the Abu Gharadig Basin, North Western Desert, Egypt, provides an investigative example of such a basin's deconstructive procedure. Multiple episodes of crustal extension and shortening are apparent in the tectonic subsidence analyses which are constrained from the fault mechanical stratigraphy interpreted from reflection seismic profiles. The model was iterated with different thermal boundary conditions until outputs best fit the geochemical observations. In so doing, the thermal iterations demonstrate that general relationship that basin heat flow increases decrease vertical model maturity gradients, increases in surface temperatures shift vertical maturity gradients linearly to higher values, increases in sediment conductivities lower vertical maturities with depth, and the addition of ;ghost; layers (those layers removed) prior to the erosional event increase maturities beneath, and conversely. These integrated constraints upon the basin evolution model indicate that the principal source rocks, Khatatba and the lowest part of the Alam El Bueib formations, entered the oil window at approximately 95 Ma and the gas window at approximately 25 Ma. The upper part of the Alam El Bueib Formation is within the oil window at the present day. Establishing initial and boundary value conditions for a basin's thermal evolution when geovalidated by the integration of seismic fault mechanical stratigraphy, tectonic subsidence analysis, and organic geochemical maturity indicators provides a powerful tool for optimizing petroleum exploration in both mature and frontier basins.

Crustal evolution in Asia: Correlations and connections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsunogae, Toshiaki; Kwon, Sanghoon; Santosh, M.

2016-11-01

The Asian region records multiple subduction, accretion and collision processes related to the breakup of Gondwana and Pangea, and the ongoing formation of the future supercontinent Amasia. The oldest geological record of Asia is preserved in Archean crustal fragments which were welded together by later collisional events related to the assembly of several supercontinents. The Asian region also records recent geological events such as volcanic activities and mega-earthquakes related to subduction of oceanic plates along active continental margins and collision of microplates. This region is thus regarded as an excellent field laboratory for examining the evolution of continental crust and cratons, formation and destruction of continents and supercontinents, and related metallogenic and surface environmental processes.

Evaluation of six NEHRP B/C crustal amplification models proposed for use in western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boore, David; Campbell, Kenneth W.

2016-01-01

We evaluate six crustal amplification models based on National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) B/C crustal profiles proposed for use in western North America (WNA) and often used in other active crustal regions where crustal properties are unknown. One of the models is based on an interpolation of generic rock velocity profiles previously proposed for WNA and central and eastern North America (CENA), in conjunction with material densities based on an updated velocity–density relationship. A second model is based on the velocity profile used to develop amplification factors for the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA)‐West2 project. A third model is based on a near‐surface velocity profile developed from the NGA‐West2 site database. A fourth model is based on velocity and density profiles originally proposed for use in CENA but recently used to represent crustal properties in California. We propose two alternatives to this latter model that more closely represent WNA crustal properties. We adopt a value of site attenuation (κ0) for each model that is either recommended by the author of the model or proposed by us. Stochastic simulation is used to evaluate the Fourier amplification factors and their impact on response spectra associated with each model. Based on this evaluation, we conclude that among the available models evaluated in this study the NEHRP B/C amplification model of Boore (2016) best represents median crustal amplification in WNA, although the amplification models based on the crustal profiles of Kamai et al. (2013, 2016, unpublished manuscript, see Data and Resources) and Yenier and Atkinson (2015), the latter adjusted to WNA crustal properties, can be used to represent epistemic uncertainty.

Evolution of crustal stress, pressure and temperature around shear zones during orogenic wedge formation: a 2D thermo-mechanical numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markus Schmalholz, Stefan; Jaquet, Yoann

2016-04-01

We study the formation of an orogenic wedge during lithospheric shortening with 2D numerical simulations. We consider a viscoelastoplastic rheology, thermo-mechanical coupling by shear heating and temperature-dependent viscosities, gravity and erosion. In the initial model configuration there is either a lateral temperature variation at the model base or a lateral variation in crustal thickness to generate slight stress variations during lithospheric shortening. These stress variations can trigger the formation of shear zones which are caused by thermal softening associated with shear heating. We do not apply any kind of strain softening, such as reduction of friction angle with progressive plastic strain. The first major shear zone that appears during shortening crosscuts the entire crust and initiates the asymmetric subduction/underthrusting of mainly the mechanically strong lower crust. After some deformation, the first shear zone in the upper crust is abandoned, the deformation propagates towards the foreland and a new shear zone forms only in the upper crust. The shear zone propagation occurs several times where new shear zones form in the upper crust and the mechanically strong top of the lower crust acts as detachment horizon. We calculate the magnitudes of the maximal and minimal principal stresses and of the mean stress (or dynamic pressure), and we record also the temperature for several marker points in the upper and lower crust. We analyse the evolution of stresses and temperature with burial depth and time. Deviatoric stresses (half the differential stress) in the upper crust are up to 200 MPa and associated shear heating in shear zones ranges between 40 - 80 °C. Lower crustal rocks remain either at the base of the orogenic wedge at depths of around 50 km or are subducted to depths of up to 120 km, depending on their position when the first shear zone formed. Largest deviatotric stresses in the strong part of the lower crust are about 1000 MPa and maximal shear heating in shear zones is approximately 200 °C. Marker points can migrate through the main shear zone in the lower crust which remains active throughout lithospheric shortening. Some pressure-temperature paths show an anti-clockwise evolution. The impact of various model parameters on the results is discussed as well as applications of the results to geological data.

Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of the Early Carboniferous to the Late Permian Barleik plutons in the West Junggar (NW China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bo; Han, Bao-Fu; Ren, Rong; Chen, Jia-Fu; Wang, Zeng-Zhen; Zheng, Bo

2017-02-01

The Paleozoic accretionary orogenesis and continental crustal growth in Central Asia are thought to have close relationship with the evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO). The well-exposed plutons in the northern Barleik Mountains of the West Junggar region, NW China, may provide essential insights into the evolution of the Junggar Ocean, a branch of the PAO, and mechanism of continental crustal growth. Our work on the Barleik plutons indicates an early suite of 324-320 Ma diorite and a late suite of 314-259 Ma quartz syenite and granitic porphyry. All the plutons are characterized by high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic signatures, varying depletion in Nb, Ta, Sr, P, Eu, and Ti, low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70241-0.70585), strongly positive εNd(t) values (+ 5.7-+7.7), and young one-stage Nd model ages (390-761 Ma), suggesting that they resulted from different batches of magma that were produced by fractional crystallization of a metasomatized mantle source with minor crustal contamination. The diorite is coeval with the youngest arc magmatic rocks, indicating a subduction-related origin. By contrast, the quartz syenite and granitic porphyry are geochemically similar to A2-type granites, with high Zr, Ga, and FeOT/[FeOT + MgO], and are coeval with the widespread plutons in the West Junggar. This, together with the occurrence of Late Carboniferous fluvial deposits and the lack of < 320 Ma ophiolitic and subduction-related metamorphic lithologies, definitively indicates a post-collisional setting after the closure of the Junggar Ocean. Slab breakoff accompanied by asthenospheric upwelling and basaltic underplating is a possible geodynamic process that is responsible for the post-collisional magmatism and vertical crustal growth in the region. Thus a tectonic switch from subduction to post-collision started at the end of the Early Carboniferous ( 320 Ma), probably as a result of the final closure of the Junggar Ocean.

Thermal modelling of stepwise anatexis in a thrust-thickened sialic crust

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zen, E.-A.

1988-01-01

One-dimensional modelling of the thermal history of a sialic crust thickened by multiple overstack thrusting of upper crustal material shows that anatexis is likely. both the uplift rate and the length of the incubation period between end of tectonism and start of uplift are important controls on the amount and temperature of the melt. Heat of fusion does not significantly affect the long-term thermal structure of the crust if the melt is not extracted because only a small fraction of conductive heat is converted to latent heat, though short-term thermal effects of latent heat can be locally important. Model results show that commonly <15% of mantle heat flux is converted to latent heat; even during peak melting in the most productive models, less than half of incremental mantle flux is converted. The results have obvious implications on the acceptability of proposed heat sources for crustal anatexis. Fusion could retard crustal temperature rise by nearly 100??C, but the system would recover except for situations of very rapid uplift. Understanding of the thermal evolution of a burial-uplift system requires knowledge not only of the timing of anatexis but of the pooling and movement of the magma, as well as the duration and nature of the incubation period; we are poorly equipped to measure these events. The model predicts that the characteristic time for anatexis is a thickened sialic crust is several tens of millions of years, comparable to the time lapse between orogenies; in making geological interpretations of magmatism, this time lag must be considered. -Author

The Tethys Rifting of the Valencia Trough Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viñas, Marina; Ranero, César R.; Cameselle, Alejandra L.

2017-04-01

The western Mediterranean submarine realm is composed of several basin inferred to be formed by a common geodynamic process: upper plate extension during slab rollback of a retreating subduction zone. Although the time evolution of the geometry of the trenches is debated, all models assume that basins opened sequentially from NW (Gulf of Lions) towards the SE (Ligurian-Provençal and later Tyrrhenian basins) and SW (Valencia Trough and later Algerian-South Balearic and Alboran Basin) as trenches migrated. Basin opening history is key to reconstruct kinematics of slab retreat preferred in each model. However, the deep structure of basins is inadequately known due to the paucity of modern wide-angle and multichannel reflection seismic studies across entire systems, and absence of deep drilling in the deep-water regions of the basins, as a result, much of the opening evolution is inferred from indirect evidence. In the Valencia Trough Basin (VTB), drilling and vintage seismic data provide good knowledge of the shallow geology of the basin. However, crustal-scale information across the entire VTB has been limited to two studies (Figure 1): One in the late 80's (Valsis experiment) with three Expanded Spread Profiles that yielded local 1D velocity/depth models used to constrain 2D gravity modeling, and a few multichannel seismic profiles along the Iberian shelf and across segments of the basin. A second study in the early 90's (ESCI experiment) collected a low-resolution deep-penetration multichannel seismic reflection profile across the basin and a coincident wide-angle seismic line with numerous land stations in Iberia but a handful of widely-spaced Ocean Bottom Seismometers. In the absence of modern detailed crustal structure, the origin and evolution of the VTB is still debated. Industry multichannel seismic reflection profiles cover the SW segment of the VTB. This is a region where the basin sea floor is comparatively shallower and has numerous industry wells reaching deep into the sediment sequence, which provides an unprecedented view of the tectonic structure and distribution of synrift deposits across the entire basin, from the Iberian to the North Balearic margin (Figure 2). Here we first show that the seismic records provide full crustal-scale information. Later we discuss the tectonic and sedimentary structure that supports that crustal stretching and basin formation of the VTB occurred fundamentally during the Mesozoic times by strike-slip tectonics and not during Tertiary times by back-arc extension. We show that the current sea floor morphological configuration giving rise to the so-called Valencia Trough does not represent the changes in crystalline basement thickness related to rifting, but fundamentally a product of sediment dynamics, particularly by the development during post-Messinian times of the Ebro-river delta. Our results are significant to understand Tethyan rifting and need to be considered for plate kinematic reconstructions of the western Mediterranean.

Spatial relationships between crustal structures and mantle seismicity in the Vrancea Seismogenic Zone of Romania: Implications for geodynamic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enciu, Dana-Mihaela

Integration of active and passive-source seismic data is employed to study the relationships between crustal structures and seismicity in the SE Carpathian foreland of Romania, and the connection with the Vrancea Seismogenic Zone. Relocated crustal epicenters and focal mechanisms are correlated with industry seismic profiles Comanesti, Ramnicu Sarat, Braila and Buzau, the reprocessed DACIA PLAN profile and the DRACULA (Deep Reflection Acquisition Constraining Unusual Lithospheric Activity) II and III profiles in order to understand the link between neo-tectonic foreland deformation and Vrancea mantle seismicity. Projection of crustal foreland hypocenters onto deep seismic profiles identified active crustal faults suggesting a mechanical coupling between sedimentary, crustal and upper mantle structures on the Trotus, Sinaia and newly observed Ialomita Faults. Seismic reflection imaging revealed the absence of west dipping reflectors in the crust and an east dipping to horizontal Moho in the proximity of the Vrancea area. These findings argue against both 'subduction-in-place' and 'slab break-off' as viable mechanisms for generating Vrancea mantle seismicity.

Sensitivity analysis of a variability in rock thermal conductivity concerning implications on the thermal evolution of the Brazilian South Atlantic passive continental margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stippich, Christian; Krob, Florian; Glasmacher, Ulrich Anton; Hackspacher, Peter Christian

2017-04-01

The aim of the research is to quantify the long-term evolution of the western South Atlantic passive continental margin (SAPCM) in SE-Brazil. Excellent onshore outcrop conditions and extensive pre-rift to post-rift archives between São Paulo and Laguna allow a high precision quantification of exhumation, and rock uplift rates, influencing physical parameters, long-term acting forces, and process-response systems. The research integrates published (Karl et al., 2013) and partly published thermochronological data from Brazil, and test lately published new concepts on causes of long-term landscape and lithospheric evolution in southern Brazil. Six distinct lithospheric blocks (Laguna, Florianópolis, Curitiba, Ilha Comprida, Peruibe and Santos), which are separated by fracture zones (Karl et al., 2013) are characterized by individual thermochronological age spectra. Furthermore, the thermal evolution derived by numerical modeling indicates variable post-rift exhumation histories of these blocks. In this context, we will provide information on the causes for the complex exhumation history of the Florianópolis, and adjacent blocks. Following up on our latest publication (Braun et al., 2016) regarding the effect of variability in rock thermal conductivity on exhumation rate estimates we performed a sensitivity analysis to quantify the effect of a differentiated lithospheric crust on the thermal evolution of the Florianópolis block versus exhumation rates estimated from modelling a lithospheric uniform crustal block. The long-term landscape evolution models with process rates were computed with the software code PECUBE (Braun, 2003; Braun et al., 2012). Testing model solutions obtained for a multidimensional parameter space against the real thermochronological and geomorphological data set, the most likely combinations of parameters, values, and rates can be constrained. References Braun, J., 2003. Pecube: A new finite element code to solve the 3D heat transport equation including the effects of a time-varying, finite amplitude surface topography. Computers and Geosciences, v.29, pp.787-794. Braun, J., Stippich, C., Glasmacher, U. A., 2016. The effect of variability in rock thermal conductivity on exhumation rate estimates from thermochronological data. Tectonophysics, v.690, pp.288-297 Braun, J., van der Beek, P., Valla, P., Robert, X., Herman, F., Goltzbacj, C., Pedersen, V., Perry, C., Simon-Labric, T., Prigent, C., 2012. Quantifying rates of landscape evolution and tectonic processes by thermochronology and numerical modeling of crustal heat transport using PECUBE. Tectonophysics, v.524-525, pp.1-28. Karl, M., Glasmacher, U.A., Kollenz, S., Franco-Magalhaes, A.O.B., Stockli, D.F., Hackspacher, P., 2013. Evolution of the South Atlantic passive continental margin in southern Brazil derived from zircon and apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He and fission-track data. Tectonophysics, Volume 604, Pages 224-244.

A non-zircon Hf isotope record in Archean black shales from the Pilbara craton confirms changing crustal dynamics ca. 3 Ga ago.

PubMed

Nebel-Jacobsen, Yona; Nebel, Oliver; Wille, Martin; Cawood, Peter A

2018-01-17

Plate tectonics and associated subduction are unique to the Earth. Studies of Archean rocks show significant changes in composition and structural style around 3.0 to 2.5 Ga that are related to changing tectonic regime, possibly associated with the onset of subduction. Whole rock Hf isotope systematics of black shales from the Australian Pilbara craton, selected to exclude detrital zircon components, are employed to evaluate the evolution of the Archean crust. This approach avoids limitations of Hf-in-zircon analyses, which only provide input from rocks of sufficient Zr-concentration, and therefore usually represent domains that already underwent a degree of differentiation. In this study, we demonstrate the applicability of this method through analysis of shales that range in age from 3.5 to 2.8 Ga, and serve as representatives of their crustal sources through time. Their Hf isotopic compositions show a trend from strongly positive εHf initial values for the oldest samples, to strongly negative values for the younger samples, indicating a shift from juvenile to differentiated material. These results confirm a significant change in the character of the source region of the black shales by 3 Ga, consistent with models invoking a change in global dynamics from crustal growth towards crustal reworking around this time.

The topography of a continental indenter: The interplay between crustal deformation, erosion, and base level changes in the eastern Southern Alps

PubMed Central

Heberer, B.; Prasicek, G.; Neubauer, F.; Hergarten, S.

2017-01-01

Abstract The topography of the eastern Southern Alps (ESA) reflects indenter tectonics causing crustal shortening, surface uplift, and erosional response. Fluvial drainages were perturbed by Pleistocene glaciations that locally excavated alpine valleys. The Late Miocene desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea and the uplift of the northern Molasse Basin led to significant base level changes in the far field of the ESA and the Eastern Alps (EA), respectively. Among this multitude of mechanisms, the processes that dominate the current topographic evolution of the ESA and the ESA‐EA drainage divide have not been identified. We demonstrate the expected topographic effects of each mechanism in a one‐dimensional model and compare them with observed channel metrics. We find that the normalized steepness index increases with uplift rate and declines from the indenter tip in the northwest to the foreland basin in the southeast. The number and amplitude of knickpoints and the distortion in longitudinal channel profiles similarly decrease toward the east. Changes in slope of χ‐transformed channel profiles coincide spatially with the Valsugana‐Fella fault linking crustal stacking and uplift induced by indenter tectonics with topographic evolution. Gradients in χ across the ESA‐EA drainage divide imply an ongoing, north directed shift of the Danube‐ESA watershed that is most likely driven by a base level rise in the northern Molasse basin. We conclude that the regional uplift pattern controls the geometry of ESA‐EA channels, while base level changes in the far field control the overall architecture of the orogen by drainage divide migration. PMID:28344912

The topography of a continental indenter: The interplay between crustal deformation, erosion, and base level changes in the eastern Southern Alps.

PubMed

Robl, J; Heberer, B; Prasicek, G; Neubauer, F; Hergarten, S

2017-01-01

The topography of the eastern Southern Alps (ESA) reflects indenter tectonics causing crustal shortening, surface uplift, and erosional response. Fluvial drainages were perturbed by Pleistocene glaciations that locally excavated alpine valleys. The Late Miocene desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea and the uplift of the northern Molasse Basin led to significant base level changes in the far field of the ESA and the Eastern Alps (EA), respectively. Among this multitude of mechanisms, the processes that dominate the current topographic evolution of the ESA and the ESA-EA drainage divide have not been identified. We demonstrate the expected topographic effects of each mechanism in a one-dimensional model and compare them with observed channel metrics. We find that the normalized steepness index increases with uplift rate and declines from the indenter tip in the northwest to the foreland basin in the southeast. The number and amplitude of knickpoints and the distortion in longitudinal channel profiles similarly decrease toward the east. Changes in slope of χ -transformed channel profiles coincide spatially with the Valsugana-Fella fault linking crustal stacking and uplift induced by indenter tectonics with topographic evolution. Gradients in χ across the ESA-EA drainage divide imply an ongoing, north directed shift of the Danube-ESA watershed that is most likely driven by a base level rise in the northern Molasse basin. We conclude that the regional uplift pattern controls the geometry of ESA-EA channels, while base level changes in the far field control the overall architecture of the orogen by drainage divide migration.

Granulite belts of Central India with special reference to the Bhopalpatnam Granulite Belt: Significance in crustal evolution and implications for Columbia supercontinent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vansutre, Sandeep; Hari, K. R.

2010-11-01

The Central Indian collage incorporates the following major granulite belts: (1) the Balaghat-Bhandara Granulite Belt (BBG), (2) the Ramakona-Katangi Granulite Belt (RKG), (3) the Chhatuabhavna Granulite (CBG) of Bilaspur-Raigarh Belt, (4) the Makrohar Granulite Belt (MGB) of Mahakoshal supracrustals, (5) the Kondagaon Granulite Belt (KGGB), (6) the Bhopalpatnam Granulite Belt (BGB), (7) the Konta Granulite Belt (KTGB) and (8) the Karimnagar Granulite Belt (KNGB) of the East Dharwar Craton (EDC). We briefly synthesize the general geologic, petrologic and geochronologic features of these belts and explain the Precambrian crustal evolution in Central India. On the basis of the available data, a collisional relationship between Bastar craton and the EDC during the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic is reiterated as proposed by the earlier workers. The tectonic evolution of only few of the orogenic belts (BGB in particular) of Central India is related to Columbia.

Imaging crustal roots in the Europe-Mediterranean region: a surface wave perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villaseñor, Antonio

2016-04-01

The thickness of crustal roots is a fundamental constrain to understand the geodynamic evolution of mountain ranges. Crustal thickness can be inferred from a variety of geophysical observables (e.g. gravity anomalies, active and passive seismic methods, etc). Deep seismic sounding (DSS) using controlled sources usually provides the most accurate images of the crustal structure and thickness. However it is an expensive method, and often only used for 2D profiles. On the other hand, passive seismology experiments based on earthquakes or ambient noise have generally lower resolution, but are cheaper to conduct and can provide 3D images. As a result of the success of USArray, experiments consisting of dense deployments of broadband seismometers have become the modern standard approach for imaging continental regions. This, in combination with the densification of permanent regional monitoring networks and the use of seismic ambient noise, has allowed to use surface waves to image with increased resolution regions such as Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Surface waves are not very sensitive to the location of discontinuities such as the Moho, but can provide good constraints on the lateral variation of crustal thickness. Here, by combining continuous recordings of array experiments and permanent networks, I present a new tomographic model of surface wave velocities in the Europe-Mediterranean region that can be used as a proxy for crustal thickness. Large low velocity anomalies corresponding to thick crust are observed as expected in mountain ranges such as the Atlas, Pyrenees and Alps where crustal thickening has occurred as a result of continental collision. In addition, similarly large low velocity anomalies are observed in regions where slab roll-back/break-off has occurred (Betic-Rif, NW and SE Carpathians, Apennines, western Balkan peninsula). While these anomalies might not all be originated by thick crust, in some cases such as the Rif-western Betics previously unknown thick crust (without topographic nor gravimetric signature) has been confirmed by recent DSS studies, suggesting different a mechanism for crustal thickening than simply continental collision. This research has been funded by projects MISTERIOS (CGL2013-48601-C2-1-R) and VeTools.

Geochemical Relationships between Volcanic and Plutonic Upper to Mid Crustal Exposures of the Rosario Segment, Alisitos Arc (Baja California, Mexico): An Outstanding Field Analog to the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, R.; DeBari, S. M.; Busby, C. J.; Medynski, S.

2015-12-01

Exposed paleo-arcs, such as the Rosario segment of the Cretaceous Alisitos Arc in Baja California, Mexico, provide an opportunity to explore the evolution of arc crust through time. Remarkable 3-D exposures of the Rosario segment record crustal generation processes in the volcanic rocks and underlying plutonic rocks. In this study, we explore the physical and geochemical connection between the plutonic and volcanic sections of the extensional Alisitos Arc, and elucidate differentiation processes responsible for generating them. These results provide an outstanding analog for extensional active arc systems, such as the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) Arc. Upper crustal volcanic rocks have a coherent stratigraphy that is 3-5 km thick and ranges in composition from basalt to dacite. The most felsic compositions (70.9% SiO2) are from a welded ignimbrite unit. The most mafic compositions (51.5% SiO2, 3.2% MgO) are found in basaltic sill-like units. Phenocrysts in the volcanic units include plagioclase +/- amphibole and clinopyroxene. The transition to deeper plutonic rocks is clearly an intrusive boundary, where plutonic units intrude the volcanic units. Plutonic rocks are dominantly a quartz diorite main phase with a more mafic, gabbroic margin. A transitional zone is observed along the contact between the plutonic and volcanic rocks, where volcanics have coarsely recrystallized textures. Mineral assemblages in the plutonic units include plagioclase +/- quartz, biotite, amphibole, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene. Most, but not all, samples are low K. REE patterns are relatively flat with limited enrichment. Normalization diagrams show LILE enrichment and HFSE depletion, where trends are similar to average IBM values. We interpret plutonic and volcanic units to have similar geochemical relationships, where liquid lines of descent show the evolution of least to most evolved magma types. We provide a model for the formation and magmatic evolution of the Alisitos Arc.

The origin and evolution of silicic magmas during continental rifting: new constraints from trace elements and oxygen isotopes from Ethiopian volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchison, W.; Boyce, A.; Mather, T. A.; Pyle, D. M.; Yirgu, G.; Gleeson, M. L.

2017-12-01

The petrologic diversity of rift magmas is generated by two key processes: interaction with the crust via partial melting or assimilation; and closed-system fractional crystallization of the parental magma. It is not yet known whether these two petrogenetic processes vary spatially between different rift settings, and whether there are any significant secular variations during rift evolution. The Ethiopian Rift is the ideal setting to test these hypotheses because it captures the transition from continental rifting to sea-floor spreading and has witnessed the eruption of large volumes of mafic and silicic volcanic rocks since 30 Ma. We use new oxygen isotope (δ18O) and trace element data to fingerprint fractional crystallisation and partial crustal melting processes in Ethiopia and evaluate spatial variations between three active rift segments. δ18O measurements are used to examine partial crustal melting processes. We find that most δ18O data from basalts to rhyolites fall within the bounds of modelled fractional crystallization trajectories (i.e., 5.5-6.5 ‰). Few samples deviate from this trend, emphasising that fractional crystallization is the dominant petrogenetic processes and that little fusible Precambrian crustal material (δ18O of 7-18 ‰) remain to be assimilated beneath the magmatic segments. Trace element systematics (e.g., Ba, Sr, Rb, Th and Zr) further underscore the dominant role of fractional crystallization but also reveal important variations in the degree of melt evolution between the volcanic systems. We find that the most evolved silicic magmas, i.e., those with greatest peralkalinity (molar Na2O+K2O>Al2O3), are promoted in regions of lowest magma flux off-axis and along rift. Our findings provide new information on the nature of the crust beneath Ethiopia's active magmatic segments and also have relevance for understanding ancient rift zones and the geotectonic settings that promote genesis of economically-valuable mineral deposits.

What are the Geophysical Fingerprints of hyper-extended Crustal Domains ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanton, N.; Manatschal, G.; Maia, M.; Viana, A.; Tugend, J.; Autin, J.

2012-04-01

The Iberian margin is a well-studied region and presently the best tectonic setting for understanding the dynamic process of margin's formation and evolution. The world largest available dataset enabled to properly constrain the crustal structure and opened new paradigms for passive margins studies. Nevertheless, there are numerous remaining questions, as for example what is the spatial extent of continental inheritance along the margin and what is the role of fluids (serpentinization/magmatism) during margin's formation/deformation? The observation of a hyper-extended crustal domain, now also identified in other margins reveals the highly diverse nature of the crust along rifted margins. What are its physical properties and how do they change laterally? The aim of this study is to explore the physical signature of the serpentinized crust, which composes this hyper-extended domain, to identify the limits of the system and discuss its nature and importance. To investigate the lateral variation of crustal types we use integrated gravity, magnetic, seismic and available geological/well data. Transformations on the potential field data enable us to enhance the horizontal and vertical variations of the crust, and future forward modeling will provide a geological correlation for Iberia. The preliminary results showed that the transitional crust can be subdivided into two zones, regarding their different geophysical signatures: from the necking zone, the continent ward transitional crust displays decreasing gravity anomaly, low horizontal gradient and smooth magnetic anomalies; towards offshore (to the west of the J anomaly) the transitional crust is characterized by a semi-cyclic magnetic anomaly pattern, with increasing gravity, showing a stronger horizontal gradient and rough bathymetry. We associate this transitional domain with an embryonic oceanic type crust. Comparisons with other margins along the North Atlantic, despite the great spatial variation, reveals preliminarily that the hyper-extended crust at the non-volcanic Iberia Margin displays intrinsic characteristics distinct from the more volcanic transitional domains to the north. The physical properties of the different crustal types will be further modeled to properly constrain their characteristics. The final results shall enable us to identify the lateral transition between the different continental-transitional hydrated-oceanic crustal types and potentially would allow us to identify similar domains worldwide.

Influence of Initial Geometry and Boundary Conditions on Flat Subduction Models and Resulting Topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, P.; Moucha, R.

2014-12-01

Numerical investigations of surface deformation in response to flat slab subduction began with seminal papers by Bird (1988) and Mitrovica et al. (1989). Recently, a number of numerical studies have begun to explore the complexity in the dynamics of flat-slab subduction initiation and continuation, but did not address the corresponding surface deformation (English et al., 2003; Pérez-Campos et al., 2008; Liu et al., 2010; Jones et al., 2011; Arrial and Billen, 2013; Vogt and Gerya, 2014). Herein, we explore the conditions that lead to flat-slab subduction and characterize the resulting surface deformation using a 2D finite-difference marker-in-cell method. We specifically explore how initial model geometry and boundary conditions affect the evolution of the angle at which a slab subducts in the presence/absence of a buoyant oceanic plateau and the resulting surface topography. In our simulations, the surface is tracked through time as an internal erosion/sedimentation surface. The top boundary of the crust is overlaid by a "sticky" (viscous 10^17 Pa.s) water/air layer with correspondingly stratified densities. We apply a coupled surface processes model that solves the sediment transport/diffusion erosion equation at each time step to account for the corresponding crustal mass flux and its effect on crustal deformation. Model results show the initial angle of subduction has a substantial impact on the subduction angle of the slab and hence the evolution of topography. The results also indicate plate velocity and the presence of an oceanic plateau in a forced subduction only have a moderate effect on the angle of subduction.

What Hf isotopes in zircon tell us about crust-mantle evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iizuka, Tsuyoshi; Yamaguchi, Takao; Itano, Keita; Hibiya, Yuki; Suzuki, Kazue

2017-03-01

The 176Lu-176Hf radioactive decay system has been widely used to study planetary crust-mantle differentiation. Of considerable utility in this regard is zircon, a resistant mineral that can be precisely dated by the U-Pb chronometer and record its initial Hf isotope composition due to having low Lu/Hf. Here we review zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotopic data mainly obtained over the last two decades and discuss their contributions to our current understanding of crust-mantle evolution, with emphasis on the Lu-Hf isotope composition of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE), early differentiation of the silicate Earth, and the evolution of the continental crust over geologic history. Meteorite zircon encapsulates the most primitive Hf isotope composition of our solar system, which was used to identify chondritic meteorites best representative of the BSE (176Hf/177Hf = 0.282793 ± 0.000011; 176Lu/177Hf = 0.0338 ± 0.0001). Hadean-Eoarchean detrital zircons yield highly unradiogenic Hf isotope compositions relative to the BSE, providing evidence for the development of a geochemically enriched silicate reservoir as early as 4.5 Ga. By combining the Hf and O isotope systematics, we propose that the early enriched silicate reservoir has resided at depth within the Earth rather than near the surface and may represent a fractionated residuum of a magma ocean underlying the proto-crust, like urKREEP beneath the anorthositic crust on the Moon. Detrital zircons from world major rivers potentially provide the most robust Hf isotope record of the preserved granitoid crust on a continental scale, whereas mafic rocks with various emplacement ages offer an opportunity to trace the Hf isotope evolution of juvenile continental crust (from εHf[4.5 Ga] = 0 to εHf[present] = + 13). The river zircon data as compared to the juvenile crust composition highlight that the supercontinent cycle has controlled the evolution of the continental crust by regulating the rates of crustal generation and intra-crustal reworking processes and the preservation potential of granitoid crust. We use the data to explore the timing of generation of the preserved continental crust. Taking into account the crustal residence times of continental crust recycled back into the mantle, we further propose a model of net continental growth that stable continental crust was firstly established in the Paleo- and Mesoarchean and significantly grew in the Paleoproterozoic.

The South Scandinavian crust: Structural complexities from seismic reflection and refraction profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinck, J. J.; Husebye, E. S.; Lund, C.-E.

1991-04-01

Pioneering work on mapping the Scandinavian crust commenced in the early 1960s and since then numerous profiling surveys have been undertaken, particularly as part of the on-going EUGENO-S project. However, the most significant contribution to mapping crustal structural details came from the M.V. Mobil Search cruises in the Skagerrak and off the West coast of Norway (16 s TWT reflection profiling). All past and present crustal profiling results have been integrated to produce detailed maps of Moho depths and crustal thicknesses for South Scandinavia. The thinnest crust is found in the North Sea and Skagerrak (approximately 20 km), while East-central Sweden features very thick crust (approximately 50 km). Other interesting features are the apparent correlation between crustal thinning and sedimentation/subsidence, magmatic activity, earthquake occurrences and the tectonic age of the crust. Moho depths and the crustal thicknesses clearly reflect the tectonic evolution and the present structural features of the region investigated.

Time-dependent changes in magmatic and hydrothermal activity at the Costa Rica Rift recorded by variations in oceanic crustal structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, D. J.; Peirce, C.; Hobbs, R. W.; Gregory, E. P. M.; Zhang, L.

2016-12-01

Geophysical studies of crustal structure at a diverse range of ridges have provided evidence that the balance between spreading rate and magma supply determines whether spreading predominantly occurs by magmatic accretion of new oceanic crust or through tectonic stretching of the whole lithosphere. Asymmetric spreading, patterns of on- and off-axis volcanism, the evolution of oceanic core complexes and the distribution of hydrothermal systems all indicate that the process of spreading is not constant over geologically short timescales. The structure of the resulting crust reflects this complexity in origin. Studies along flow-lines across ridges spreading at intermediate rates suggest variations in topographic style and crustal structure have periodically occurred, controlled by the interplay between magmatic accretion and tectonic stretching, and coupled to the degree of hydrothermal activity. Seismic reflection images and tomographic models derived from wide-angle seismic data have enabled a detailed examination of the oceanic crust that formed at the fast-to-intermediate-spreading (36 mm yr-1) Costa Rica Rift over the last 6 Ma, to look for any temporal variation in basement topography, upper crust (layer 2) P-wave velocity/density structure and crustal thickness. Coincident marine gravity and magnetic data not only allow us to test the validity of the final velocity-density model but also review variability in half-spreading rate, respectively. Collectively our analyses allow us to investigate the timescale and cyclicity of crustal structure variations and, having determined the spreading rate over time, consider how this may reflect changes in magma supply and/or hydrothermal activity at the Costa Rica Rift, using borehole 504B as the ground-truth. This research is part of a major, interdisciplinary NERC-funded collaboration entitled: Oceanographic and Seismic Characterisation of heat dissipation and alteration by hydrothermal fluids at an Axial Ridge (OSCAR).

Archean crustal evolution in the Southern São Francisco craton, Brazil: Constraints from U-Pb, Lu-Hf and O isotope analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albert, Capucine; Farina, Federico; Lana, Cristiano; Stevens, Gary; Storey, Craig; Gerdes, Axel; Dopico, Carmen Martínez

2016-12-01

In this study we present U-Pb and Hf isotope data combined with O isotopes in zircon from Neoarchean granitoids and gneisses of the southern São Francisco craton in Brazil. The basement rocks record three distinct magmatic events: Rio das Velhas I (2920-2850 Ma), Rio das Velhas II (2800-2760 Ma) and Mamona (2750-2680 Ma). The three sampled metamorphic complexes (Bação, Bonfim and Belo Horizonte) have distinct εHf vs. time arrays, indicating that they grew as separate terranes. Paleoarchean crust is identified as a source which has been incorporated into younger magmatic rocks via melting and mixing with younger juvenile material, assimilation and/or source contamination processes. The continental crust in the southern São Francisco craton underwent a change in magmatic composition from medium- to high-K granitoids in the latest stages, indicating a progressive HFSE enrichment of the sources that underwent anatexis in the different stages and possibly shallowing of the melting depth. Oxygen isotope data shows a secular trend towards high δ18O (up to 7.79‰) indicating the involvement of metasediments in the petrogenesis of the high potassium granitoids during the Mamona event. In addition, low δ18O values (down to 2.50‰) throughout the Meso- and Neoarchean emphasize the importance of meteoritic fluids in intra-crustal magmatism. We used hafnium isotope modelling from a compilation of detrital zircon compositions to constrain crustal growth rates and geodynamics from 3.50 to 2.65 Ga. The modelling points to a change in geodynamic process in the southern São Francisco craton at 2.9 Ga, from a regime dominated by net crustal growth in the Paleoarchean to a Neoarchean regime marked by crustal reworking. The reworking processes account for the wide variety of granitoid magmatism and are attributed to the onset of continental collision.

Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic compositions of a suite of Late Archean, igneous rocks, eastern Beartooth Mountains: implications for crust-mantle evolution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wooden, J.L.; Mueller, P.A.

1988-01-01

A series of compositionally diverse, Late Archean rocks (2.74-2.79 Ga old) from the eastern Beartooth Mountains, Montana and Wyoming, U.S.A., have the same initial Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic ratios. Lead and Sr initial ratios are higher and Nd initial ratios lower than would be expected for rocks derived from model mantle sources and strongly indicate the involvement of an older crustal reservoir in the genesis of these rocks. Crustal contamination during emplacement can be ruled out for a variety of reasons. Instead a model involving subduction of continental detritus and contamination of the overlying mantle as is often proposed for modern subduction environments is preferred. This contaminated mantle would have all the isotopic characteristics of mantle enriched by internal mantle metasomatism but would require no long-term growth or changes in parent to daughter element ratios. This contaminated mantle would make a good source for some of the Cenozoic mafic volcanics of the Columbia River, Snake River Plain, and Yellowstone volcanic fields that are proposed to come from ancient, enriched lithospheric mantle. The isotopic characteristics of the 2.70 Ga old Stillwater Complex are a perfect match for the proposed contaminated mantle which provides an alternative to crustal contamination during emplacement. The Pb isotopic characteristics of the Late Archean rocks of the eastern Beartooth Mountains are similar to those of other Late Archean rocks of the Wyoming Province and suggest that Early Archean, upper crustal rocks were common in this terrane. The isotopic signatures of Late Archean rocks in the Wyoming Province are distinctive from those of other Archean cratons in North America which are dominated by a MORB-like, Archean mantle source (Superior Province) and/or a long-term depleted crustal source (Greenland). ?? 1988.

Layered Crustal Anisotropy in the NE Tibetan Plateau Inferred from Ambient Noise Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, C.; Yang, Y.; Zheng, Y.

2016-12-01

The Tibetan Plateau is the highest and largest plateau in the world with an average elevation of 4-5 km and 60-70 km thick crust, about twice of the thickness of average continental crust. Two end-member models have bene invoked to explain the crustal thickening and the growth of the plateau: (1) continuous and uniform thickening of the whole crust and (2) mid/lower crustal channel flow. However, which mechanism dominates the crustal thickening and the growth of the plateau is still under hot debate. Seismic anisotropy can provide observational constraints on deformation mode, which would have distinguished pattern resulting from the two different thickening models. Thus, by studying seismic anisotropy, we can distinguish different models of crustal thickening and plateau growth. In this study, we employ an eikonal tomography method of ambient noise to investigate azimuthal anisotropy of Rayleigh waves in the NE Tibetan Plateau. Our tomography reveals significant anisotropy in the crust. In particular, stratification of crustal azimuthal anisotropy is observed: an upper crustal anisotropic layer characterized by a NE-SW fast direction and a mid/lower crustal anisotropic layer with a NNE-SSW fast direction. The dominantly NE-SW oriented anisotropy in the upper crust is likely caused by shape-preferred orientation (SPO) of faults and fractures in the shallow depths. The anisotropy in the mid/lower crust, however, is nearly orthogonal to that in the shallow crust, suggesting a different mechanism. The NNE-SSW fast direction coincides with the proposed flow direction by the crustal flow model in NE Tibetan Plateau, suggesting anisotropy in the mid/lower crust may be related to the crustal flow. The two-layered crustal stratigraphy observed in the NE Tibetan Plateau is contrary to the continuous thickening model, but favours the crustal flow model.

Crustal structure, and topographic relief in the high southern Scandes, Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stratford, W.; Thybo, H.; Frassetto, A.

2010-05-01

Resolving the uplift history of southern Norway is hindered by the lack of constraint available from the geologic record. Sediments that often contain information of burial and uplift history have long since been stripped from the onshore regions in southern Norway, and geophysical, dating methods and geomorphological studies are the remaining means of unraveling uplift history. New constraints on topographic evolution and uplift in southern Norway have been added by a recent crustal scale refraction project. Magnus-Rex (Mantle investigation of Norwegian uplift Structure, refraction experiment) recorded three ~400 km long active source seismic profiles across the high southern Scandes Mountains. The goal of the project is to determine crustal thickness and establish whether these mountains are supported at depth by a crustal root or by other processes. The southern Scandes Mountains were formed during the Caledonian Orogeny around 440 Ma. These mountains, which reach elevations of up to ~2.5 km, are comprised of one or more palaeic (denudation) surfaces of rolling relief that are incised by fluvial and glacial erosion. Extreme vertical glacial incision of up to 1000 m cuts into the surfaces in the western fjords, while the valleys of eastern Norway are more fluvial in character. Climatic controls on topography here are the Neogene - Recent effects of rebound due to removal of the Fennoscandian ice sheet and isostatic rebound due to incisional erosion. However, unknown tectonic uplift mechanisms may also be in effect, and separating the tectonic and climate-based vertical motions is often difficult. Sediment and rock has been removed by the formation of the palaeic surfaces and uplift measurements cannot be directly related to present elevations. Estimates so far have indicated that rebound due to incisional erosion has a small effect of ~500 m on surface elevation. Results from Magnus-Rex indicate the crust beneath the high mountains is up to 40 km thick. This thickness implies that the high elevations of the southern Scandes Mountains are not entirely compensated by an Airy type of isostatic model, and other mechanisms for uplift and sustained topographic relief must be in effect. Moreover, there is an observed lateral offset between the highest mountains and the thickest crust beneath the southern Scandes indicating that the Moho topography is modulated by the flexural strength of the lithosphere. We relate new crustal thickness measurements to observed topography to quantify how much of the present elevation of the southern Scandes Mountains can be accounted for by crustal thickness alone. This new understanding of crustal structure can be used to help separate the climatic and tectonic effects on landscape evolution of the southern Scandes Mountains.

The Glacial BuzzSaw, Isostasy, and Global Crustal Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levander, A.; Oncken, O.; Niu, F.

2015-12-01

The glacial buzzsaw hypothesis predicts that maximum elevations in orogens at high latitudes are depressed relative to temperate latitudes, as maximum elevation and hypsography of glaciated orogens are functions of the glacial equilibrium line altitude (ELA) and the modern and last glacial maximum (LGM) snowlines. As a consequence crustal thickness, density, or both must change with increasing latitude to maintain isostatic balance. For Airy compensation crustal thickness should decrease toward polar latitudes, whereas for Pratt compensation crustal densities should increase. For similar convergence rates, higher latitude orogens should have higher grade, and presumably higher density rocks in the crustal column due to more efficient glacial erosion. We have examined a number of global and regional crustal models to see if these predictions appear in the models. Crustal thickness is straightforward to examine, crustal density less so. The different crustal models generally agree with one another, but do show some major differences. We used a standard tectonic classification scheme of the crust for data selection. The globally averaged orogens show crustal thicknesses that decrease toward high latitudes, almost reflecting topography, in both the individual crustal models and the models averaged together. The most convincing is the western hemisphere cordillera, where elevations and crustal thicknesses decrease toward the poles, and also toward lower latitudes (the equatorial minimum is at ~12oN). The elevation differences and Airy prediction of crustal thickness changes are in reasonable agreement in the North American Cordillera, but in South America the observed crustal thickness change is larger than the Airy prediction. The Alpine-Himalayan chain shows similar trends, however the strike of the chain makes interpretation ambiguous. We also examined cratons with ice sheets during the last glacial period to see if continental glaciation also thins the crust toward higher latitudes. The glaciated North American and European cratons show a trend of modest thinning (~3km), and glaciated western Asia minor thinning (~1.5 km). These values are at the level of model uncertainties, but we note that cratons without ice sheets during the last glacial period show substantially different patterns.

Petrochemical evolution of the White Mfolozi Granite pluton: Evidence for a late Palaeoarchaean A-type granite from the SE Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misra, Saumitra; Reinhardt, Jürgen; Wilson, Allan H.

2017-08-01

One of the major limitations in understanding the geochemical evolution of the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa, is the scarcity of whole rock trace element data of the granitoid and other rocks compared to the vastness of this cratonic block. Here we present new XRF major oxide and ICP-MS trace element analyses of the White Mfolozi Granitoid (WMG) pluton, SE Kaapvaal Craton, which suggest that the 3.25 Ga (U-Pb zircon age) old WMG pluton is a peraluminous A-type granite and could be equivalent to the intrusive potassic granite phase of the Anhalt Granitoid suite, occurring to the North of the WMG pluton. The pluton was generated by batch partial melting of a pre-existing TTG source in two major phases under relatively anhydrous conditions, and the heat of partial melting could have been provided by a voluminous mantle-derived mafic magma, which intruded into mid-crustal levels (c. 17 km), perhaps during a period of crustal extension. The estimated pressure and temperature of generation of the WMG parent magma with average molar [or/(or + ab)] 0.48 could be 500 MPa and close to 1000 °C, respectively, when compared with the results of experimental petrology. Interstitial occurrence of relatively iron-rich biotite [Mg/(Mg + Fe) 0.41-0.45] suggests that the final temperature of crystallization of the pluton was close to 800 °C. An important magmatic event following the main phase of partial melting was limited mixing between the intrusive mafic magma and co-existing newly generated granitic melt. This magma mixing resulted in distinct variations in SiO2 and a low initial Sr isotopic ratio (0.7013) of the WMG pluton. Although both the models of partial melting of quartzo-feldspathic sources and fractional crystallization of basaltic magmas with or without crustal assimilation have been proposed for the origin of A-type granites, the model of magmatic evolution of the WMG pluton presented here can also be an alternative model for the generation of A-type granites. In this model, post-partial melting magma mixing is perhaps critical in explaining the Daly gap in composition and extreme variations in chemical (e.g., SiO2) and isotopic compositions observed in many bimodal A-type granite suites. The emplacement of the oldest known A-type granitoid suite in the Kaapvaal Craton, the WMG pluton, marks a period of stabilization of the craton before erosion and deposition of the overlying volcano-sedimentary succession of the Pongola Supergroup.

Magnetic anomalies on Io and their relationship to the spatial distribution of volcanic centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knicely, J.; Everett, M. E.; Sparks, D. W.

2014-12-01

The analysis of terrestrial magnetic anomalies has long proved useful for constraining crustal structure and dynamics. Here, we study Jupiter's moon, Io, using magnetics. We conduct forward modeling to make predictions of the crustal magnetic anomaly distribution on Io. Io is the most volcanic body in the solar system due to tidal heating from its Laplace resonance with Europa and Ganymede, causing extensive sulfur and silicate volcanism. We assume the magnetic susceptibility, which controls the measured magnetic signal, is controlled by temperature. Continuous overturn of the crust controls the vertical temperature profile, and local volcanic centers give the lateral temperature structure. As non-magnetic sulfur volcanism occurs at cool temperatures beneath the Curie point, it should not greatly affect the planetary magnetism and consequently is ignored in this paper. We assume that the average crustal temperatures are determined by a model of continuous burial by newly erupted material (O'Reilly and Davies 1981, Geophysical Research Letters), which put the Curie isotherm at great depth. We use a cylindrically symmetric model of the thermal evolution of the crust around an isolated volcanic center to obtain the local deviations in the thickness of the magnetizable layer. The crustal rocks are presumed to be mafic or ultramafic in composition, based on their spectral signatures, the temperature of the silicate volcanic eruptions, and their rheology as inferred from flow structures. Analysis of the 1997 Pillan eruption suggests a composition similar to lunar mare basalt or komatiite. The magnetic and thermal properties of lunar mare basalt have been well studied since the Apollo missions. Unaltered terrestrial ultramafics have been studied sufficiently to constrain their properties. A common technique of discretizing the magnetized material into prisms and summing the magnetic field of each prism as per Blakely (1995) was used to obtain an estimate of the crustal magnetic anomalies of Io as they would be measured by a satellite. The mapping is displayed as zonal bands so that a Cartesian geometry may be used. Early results indicated an accuracy better than 2 nT is required to detect the magnetic anomalies generated by volcanic activity.

The Stratigraphy and Evolution of the Lunar Crust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCallum, I. Stewart

1998-01-01

Reconstruction of stratigraphic relationships in the ancient lunar crust has proved to be a formidable task. The intense bombardment during the first 700 m.y. of lunar history has severely perturbed the original stratigraphy and destroyed the primary textures of all but a few nonmare rocks. However, a knowledge of the crustal stratigraphy as it existed prior to the cataclysmic bombardment about 3.9 Ga is essential to test the major models proposed for crustal origin, i.e., crystal fractionation in a global magmasphere or serial magmatism in a large number of smaller bodies. Despite the large difference in scale implicit in these two models, both require an efficient separation of plagioclase and mafic minerals to form the anorthositic crust and the mafic mantle. Despite the havoc wreaked by the large body impactors, these same impact processes have brought to the lunar surface crystalline samples derived from at least the upper half of the lunar crust, thereby providing an opportunity to reconstruct the stratigraphy in areas sampled by the Apollo missions. As noted, ejecta from the large multiring basins are dominantly, or even exclusively, of crustal origin. Given the most recent determinations of crustal thicknesses, this implies an upper limit to the depth of excavation of about 60 km. Of all the lunar samples studied, a small set has been recognized as "pristine", and within this pristine group, a small fraction have retained some vestiges of primary features formed during the earliest stages of crystallization or recrystallization prior to 4.0 Ga. We have examined a number of these samples that have retained some record of primary crystallization to deduce thermal histories from an analysis of structural, textural, and compositional features in minerals from these samples. Specifically, by quantitative modeling of (1) the growth rate and development of compositional profiles of exsolution lamellae in pyroxenes and (2) the rate of Fe-Mg ordering in orthopyroxenes, we can constrain the cooling rates of appropriate lunar samples. These cooling rates are used to compute depths of burial at the time of crystallization, which enable us to reconstruct parts of the crustal stratigraphy as it existed during the earliest stages of lunar history.

Structural architecture of oceanic plateau subduction offshore Eastern Java and the potential implications for geohazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shulgin, A.; Kopp, H.; Mueller, C.; Planert, L.; Lueschen, E.; Flueh, E. R.; Djajadihardja, Y.

2011-01-01

The region offshore Eastern Java represents one of the few places where the early stage of oceanic plateau subduction is occurring. We study the little investigated Roo Rise oceanic plateau on the Indian plate, subducting beneath Eurasia. The presence of the abnormal bathymetric features entering the trench has a strong effect on the evolution of the subduction system, and causes additional challenges on the assessment of geohazard risks. We present integrated results of a refraction/wide-angle reflection tomography, gravity modelling, and multichannel reflection seismic imaging using data acquired in 2006 south of Java near 113°E. The composite structural model reveals the previously unresolved deep geometry of the oceanic plateau and the subduction zone. The oceanic plateau crust is on average 15 km thick and covers an area of about 100 000 km2. Within our profile the Roo Rise crustal thickness ranges between 18 and 12 km. The upper oceanic crust shows high degree of fracturing, suggesting heavy faulting. The forearc crust has an average thickness of 14 km, with a sharp increase to 33 km towards Java, as revealed by gravity modelling. The complex geometry of the backstop suggests two possible models for the structural formation within this segment of the margin: either accumulation of the Roo Rise crustal fragments above the backstop or alternatively uplift of the backstop caused by basal accumulation of crustal fragments. The subducting plateau is affecting the stress field within the accretionary complex and the backstop edge, which favours the initiation of large, potentially tsunamogenic earthquakes such as the 1994 Mw= 7.8 tsunamogenic event.

Identifying mantle lithosphere inheritance in controlling intraplate orogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heron, Philip J.; Pysklywec, Russell N.; Stephenson, Randell

2016-09-01

Crustal inheritance is often considered important in the tectonic evolution of the Wilson Cycle. However, the role of the mantle lithosphere is usually overlooked due to its difficulty to image and uncertainty in rheological makeup. Recently, increased resolution in lithosphere imaging has shown potential scarring in continental mantle lithosphere to be ubiquitous. In our study, we analyze intraplate deformation driven by mantle lithosphere heterogeneities from ancient Wilson Cycle processes and compare this to crustal inheritance deformation. We present 2-D numerical experiments of continental convergence to generate intraplate deformation, exploring the limits of continental rheology to understand the dominant lithosphere layer across a broad range of geological settings. By implementing a "jelly sandwich" rheology, common in stable continental lithosphere, we find that during compression the strength of the mantle lithosphere is integral in generating deformation from a structural anomaly. We posit that if the continental mantle is the strongest layer within the lithosphere, then such inheritance may have important implications for the Wilson Cycle. Furthermore, our models show that deformation driven by mantle lithosphere scarring can produce tectonic patterns related to intraplate orogenesis originating from crustal sources, highlighting the need for a more formal discussion of the role of the mantle lithosphere in plate tectonics.

Imaging the crustal magma sources beneath Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes, Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Okubo, Paul G.; Benz, Harley M.; Chouet, Bernard A.

1997-01-01

Three-dimensional seismic P-wave traveltime tomography is used to image the magma sources beneath Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes, Hawaii. High-velocity bodies (>6.4 km/s) in the upper 9 km of the crust beneath the summits and rift zones of the volcanoes correlate with zones of high magnetic intensities and are interpreted as solidified gabbro-ultramafic cumulates from which the surface volcanism is derived. The proximity of these high-velocity features to the rift zones is consistent with a ridge-spreading model of the volcanic flank. Southeast of the Hilina fault zone, along the south flank of Kilauea, low-velocity material (<6.0 km/s) is observed extending to depths of 9–11 km, indicating that the Hilina fault may extend possibly as deep as the basal decollement. Along the southeast flank of Mauna Loa, a similar low-velocity zone associated with the Kaoiki fault zone is observed extending to depths of 6–8 km. These two upper crustal low-velocity zones suggest common stages in the evolution of the Hawaiian shield volcanoes in which these fault systems are formed as a result of upper crustal deformation in response to magma injection within the volcanic edifice.

Spreading vs. Rifting as modes of extensional tectonics on the globally expanded Ganymede

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pizzi, Alberto; Domenica, Alessandra Di; Komatsu, Goro; Cofano, Alessandra; Mitri, Giuseppe; Bruzzone, Lorenzo

2017-05-01

The formation of Ganymede's sulci is likely related to extensional tectonics that affected this largest icy satellite of Jupiter. Through geometric and structural analyses we reconstructed the pre-deformed terrains and we recognized two different modes of extension associated with sulci. In the first mode, smooth sulci constitute spreading centers between two dark terrain plates, similar to the fast oceanic spreading centers on Earth. Here extension is primarily accommodated by crustal accretion of newly formed icy crust. In the second mode, dark terrain extension is mainly accommodated by swaths of normal fault systems analogous to Earth's continental crustal rifts. A comparison with terrestrial extensional analogues, based on the fault displacement/length (Dmax/L) ratio, spacing and morphology, showed that magmato-tectonic spreading centers and continental crustal rifts on Earth follow the same relative patterns observed on Ganymede. Our results suggest that the amount of extensional strain may have previously been underestimated since the occurrence of spreading centers may have played a major role in the tectonic evolution of the globally expanded Ganymede. We also discuss a possible model for the origin of the different modes of extension in the context of the global expansion of the satellite.

Hemispheric Dichotomy in Lithosphere Thickness on Mars Caused by Differences in Crustal Structure and Composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiriet, Mélanie; Michaut, Chloé; Breuer, Doris; Plesa, Ana-Catalina

2018-04-01

Estimates of the Martian elastic lithosphere thickness suggest small values of ˜25 km during the Noachian for the southern hemisphere and a large present-day difference below the two polar caps (≥300 km in the north and >110 km in the south). In addition, young lava flows suggest that Mars has been volcanically active up to the recent past. We run Monte Carlo simulations using a 1-D parameterized thermal evolution model to investigate whether a north/south hemispheric dichotomy in crustal properties and composition can explain these constraints. Our results suggest that 55-65% of the bulk radioelement content are in the crust, and most of it (43-51%) in the southern one. The southern crust can be up to 480 kg/m3 less dense than the northern one and might contain a nonnegligible proportion of felsic rocks. Our models predict a dry mantle and a wet or dry crustal rheology today. This is consistent with a mantle depleted in radioelements and volatiles. We retrieve north/south surface heat flux of 17.1-19.5 mW/m2 and 24.8-26.5 mW/m2, respectively, and a large difference in lithospheric temperatures between the two hemispheres (170-304 K in the shallow mantle). This difference could leave a signature in the seismic signals measured by the future InSight mission.

Characterizing the Noble Gas Isotopic Composition of the Barnett Shale and Strawn Group and Constraining the Source of Stray Gas in the Trinity Aquifer, North-Central Texas.

PubMed

Wen, Tao; Castro, M Clara; Nicot, Jean-Philippe; Hall, Chris M; Pinti, Daniele L; Mickler, Patrick; Darvari, Roxana; Larson, Toti

2017-06-06

This study presents the complete set of stable noble gases for Barnett Shale and Strawn Group production gas together with stray flowing gas in the Trinity Aquifer, Texas. It places new constraints on the source of this stray gas and further shows that Barnett and Strawn gas have distinct crustal and atmospheric noble gas signatures, allowing clear identification of these two sources. Like stray gas, Strawn gas is significantly more enriched in crustal 4 He*, 21 Ne*, and 40 Ar* than Barnett gas. The similarity of Strawn and stray gas crustal noble gas signatures suggests that the Strawn is the source of stray gas in the Trinity Aquifer. Atmospheric 22 Ne/ 36 Ar ratios of stray gas mimic also that of Strawn, further reinforcing the notion that the source of stray gas in this aquifer is the Strawn. While noble gas signatures of Strawn and stray gas are consistent with a single-stage water degassing model, a two-stage oil modified groundwater exsolution fractionation model is required to explain the light atmospheric noble gas signature of Barnett Shale production gas. These distinct Strawn and Barnett noble gas signatures are likely the reflection of distinct evolution histories with Strawn gas being possibly older than that of Barnett Shale.

Barnett Shale or Strawn Group: Identifying the Source of Stray Gas through Noble Gases in the Trinity Aquifer, North-Central Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, T.; Castro, M. C.; Nicot, J. P.; Hall, C. M.; Pinti, D. L.; Mickler, P. J.; Darvari, R.; Larson, T. E.

2017-12-01

The complete set of stable noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) is presented for Barnett Shale and Strawn Group production gas together with that of stray flowing gas present in the Trinity Aquifer, Texas. It places new constraints on the source of this stray gas and further shows that Barnett and Strawn gas have distinct crustal and atmospheric noble gas signatures, allowing clear identification of these two sources. Like Trinity Aquifer stray gas, Strawn gas is significantly more enriched in crustal 4He*, 21Ne*, and 40Ar* than Barnett gas. The similarity of Strawn and stray gas crustal noble gas signatures suggests that the Strawn is the source of stray gas in the Trinity Aquifer. Atmospheric 22Ne/36Ar ratios of stray gas mimic also that of Strawn, further reinforcing the notion that the source of stray gas in this aquifer is the Strawn. While noble gas signatures of Strawn and stray gas are consistent with a single-stage water degassing model, a two-stage oil modified groundwater exsolution fractionation model is required to explain the light atmospheric noble gas signature of Barnett Shale production gas. These distinct Strawn and Barnett noble gas signatures are likely the reflection of distinct evolution histories with Strawn gas being possibly older than that of Barnett Shale.

Further constraints on neutron star crustal properties in the low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9-342058

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parikh, A. S.; Wijnands, R.; Degenaar, N.; Ootes, L.; Page, D.

2018-05-01

We report on two new quiescent XMM-Newton observations (in addition to the earlier Swift/XRT and XMM-Newton coverage) of the cooling neutron star crust in the low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9-342058. Its crust was heated during the ˜4.5 month accretion outburst of the source. From our quiescent observations, fitting the spectra with a neutron star atmosphere model, we found that the crust had cooled from ˜100 to ˜73 eV from ˜8 to ˜479 d after the end of its outburst. However, during the most recent observation, taken ˜860 d after the end of the outburst, we found that the crust appeared not to have cooled further. This suggested that the crust had returned to thermal equilibrium with the neutron star core. We model the quiescent thermal evolution with the theoretical crustal cooling code NSCool and find that the source requires a shallow heat source, in addition to the standard deep crustal heating processes, contributing ˜0.9 MeV per accreted nucleon during outburst to explain its observed temperature decay. Our high quality XMM-Newton data required an additional hard component to adequately fit the spectra. This slightly complicates our interpretation of the quiescent data of 1RXS J180408.9-342058. The origin of this component is not fully understood.

Age constraints on the evolution of the Quetico belt, Superior Province, Ontario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Percival, J. A.; Sullivan, R. W.

1986-01-01

Much attention has been focused on the nature of Archean tectonic processes and the extent to which they were different from modern rigid-plate tectonics. The Archean Superior Province has linear metavolcanic and metasediment-dominated subprovinces of similar scale to cenozoic island arc-trench systems of the western Pacific, suggesting an origin by accreting arcs. Models of the evolution of metavolcanic belts in parts of the Superior Province suggest an arc setting but the tectonic environment and evolution of the intervening metasedimentary belts are poorly understood. In addition to explaining the setting giving rise to a linear sedimentary basin, models must account for subsequent shortening and high-temperature, low-pressure metamorphism. Correlation of rock units and events in adjacent metavolcanic and metasedimentary belts is a first step toward understanding large-scale crustal interactions. To this end, zircon geochronology has been applied to metavolcanic belts of the western Superior Province; new age data for the Quetico metasedimentary belt is reported, permitting correlation with the adjacent Wabigoon and Wawa metavolcanic subprovinces.

Investigating the crustal elements of the central Antarctic Plate (ICECAP): How long-range aerogeophysics is critical to understanding the evolution of the East Antarctic ice sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blankenship, D. D.; Brozena, J. M.; Siegert, M. J.; Morse, D. L.; Dalziel, I. W.; Lawver, L. A.; Holt, J. W.; Childers, V. A.; Bamber, J. L.; Payne, A. J.

2004-12-01

The highlands of the central Antarctic Plate have been the nursery for East Antarctic ice sheets since at least the early Oligocene separation of Antarctica and Australia. Significant strides have been made in deciphering the marine geological, geophysical, and geochemical record of the deposits left by these sheets and the Pleistocene paleoclimate record from ice cores taken from the central reaches of the contemporary ice sheet. Most recently, the scientific community has realized the importance of the isolated biome represented by the subglacial lakes that characterize the domes of the central East Antarctic ice sheet and evolve in concert with them. Understanding the evolution of the East Antarctic ice sheet and its sub-glacial environment would be a major contribution to the IPY 2007-2008 international effort. Critical to understanding offshore and ice core records of paleoclimate, as well as the distribution/isolation of any subglacial lake systems, is developing a comprehensive understanding of the crustal elements of the central Antarctic Plate. A complete understanding of the evolution of East Antarctic ice sheets throughout the Cenozoic requires knowledge of the boundaries, elevation and paleolatitude of these crustal elements through time as well as evidence of their morphological, sedimentological and tectono-thermal history. The basic impediments to gaining this understanding are the subcontinental scale of the central Antarctic Plate and the one to four kilometers of ice cover that inhibits direct access. It is possible however to provide a substantial framework for understanding these crustal elements through a comprehensive program of long-range airborne geophysical observations. We have proposed a plan to measure gravity, magnetics, ice-penetrating radar, and laser/radar altimetry over the Gamburtsev, Vostok and Belgica subglacial highlands beneath Domes A - C of the contemporary East Antarctic ice sheet using a Navy P-3 aircraft based in McMurdo. Such measurements would help characterize crustal boundaries, establish absolute bedrock elevation and contemporary basal melt distribution (for boundary conditions of ice sheet and lake evolution), and reveal detailed subglacial geomorphology. A P-3 aircraft based in McMurdo would provide access to more than half of the continent without the difficult logistic support of remote field camps and fuel caches.

NASA Space Geodesy Program: GSFC data analysis, 1992. Crustal Dynamics Project VLBI geodetic results, 1979 - 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, J. W.; Ma, C.; Caprette, D. S.

1993-01-01

The Goddard VLBI group reports the results of analyzing 1648 Mark 3 data sets acquired from fixed and mobile observing sites through the end of 1991, and available to the Crustal Dynamics Project. Two large solutions were used to obtain Earth rotation parameters, nutation offsets, radio source positions, site positions, site velocities, and baseline evolution. Site positions are tabulated on a yearly basis for 1979 to 1995, inclusive. Site velocities are presented in both geocentric Cartesian and topocentric coordinates. Baseline evolution is plotted for 200 baselines, and individual length determinations are presented for an additional 356 baselines. This report includes 155 quasar radio sources, 96 fixed stations and mobile sites, and 556 baselines.

Creep and slip: Seismic precursors to the Nuugaatsiaq landslide (Greenland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, Piero

2017-09-01

Precursory signals to material's failure are predicted by numerical models and observed in laboratory experiments or using field data. These precursory signals are a marker of slip acceleration on weak regions, such as crustal faults. Observation of these precursory signals of catastrophic natural events, such as earthquakes and landslides, is necessary for improving our knowledge about the physics of the nucleation process. Furthermore, observing such precursory signals may help to forecast these catastrophic events or reduce their hazard. I report here the observation of seismic precursors to the Nuugaatsiaq landslide in Greenland. Time evolution of the detected precursors implies that an aseismic slip event is taking place for hours before the landslide, with an exponential increase of slip velocity. Furthermore, time evolution of the precursory signals' amplitude sheds light on the evolution of the fault physics during the nucleation process.

Crustal structure of Tolfa domes complex (northern Latium - Italy) inferred from receiver functions analysis: an interplay between tectonics and magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buttinelli, M.; Bianchi, I.; Anselmi, M.; Chiarabba, C.; de Rita, D.; Quattrocchi, F.

2010-12-01

The Tolfa-Cerite volcanic district developed along the Tyrrhenian passive margin of central Italy, as part of magmatic processes started during the middle Pliocene. In this area the uncertainties on the deep crustal structures and the definition of the intrusive bodies geometry are focal issues that still need to be addressed. After the onset of the spreading of the Tyrrhenian sea during the Late Miocene, the emplacement of the intrusive bodies of the Tolfa complex (TDC), in a general back-arc geodynamical regime, generally occurred in a low stretching rate, in correspondence of the junctions between major lithospheric discontinuities. Normal faults, located at the edge of Mio-Pliocene basins, were used as preferential pathways for the rising of magmatic masses from the mantle to the surface. We used teleseismic recordings at the TOLF and MAON broad band station of the INGV seismic network (located between the Argentario promontory and Tolfa-Ceriti dome complexes -TDC-) to image the principal seismic velocity discontinuities by receiver function analysis (RF's). Together with RF’s velocity models of the area computed using the teleseismic events recorded by a temporary network of eight stations deployed around the TDC, we achieve a general crustal model of this area. The geometry of the seismic network has been defined to focus on the crustal structure beneath the TDC, trying to define the main velocity changes attributable to the intrusive bodies, the calcareous basal complex, the deep metamorphic basement, the lower crust and the Moho. The analysis of these data show the Moho at a depth of 23 km in the TDC area and 20 km in the Argentario area. Crustal models also show an unexpected velocity decrease between 12 and 18 km, consistent with a slight dropdown of the Vp/Vs ratio, imputable to a regional mid-crustal shear zone inherited from the previous alpine orogenesis, re-activated in extensional tectonic by the early opening phases of the Tyrrhenian sea. Above this low Vs layer, we find some interesting features corresponding to: - a low Vs shallow and 2 km thick layer of Liguride and Plio-Pleistocene units (z = 0-2 km of depth) - a high Vs 4-5 km thick anisotropic layer of limestones (z = 2-7 km of depth) - a very high Vs (3.8 km/s) 4 km thick layer probably corresponding to the metamorphic basement. The analysis of the geometry of the velocity changes between these layers (from the surface to the bottom of metamorphic basement), also yield evidence of crustal block tilting, due to the development of the eastern continental passive margin of the Tyrrhenian sea. The general crustal setting observed between the TDC and the Argentario areas is also consistent with the simple shear models suggested for back-arc basins opening. Comparison of RF’s TDC models with MAON station data also led to important considerations confirming the initial evolutive phase of the Tyrrhenian sea opening, in association with the first occurrences of intrusive magmatism in these areas.

Interrelation between rifting, faulting, sedimentation, and mantle serpentinization during continental margin formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rupke, L.; Schmid, D. W.; Perez-Gussinye, M.; Hartz, E. H.

2013-12-01

We explore the conditions under which mantle serpentinization may take place during continental rifting with 2D thermotectonostratigraphic basin models. The basic concept follows the idea that the entire extending continental crust has to be brittle for crustal scale faulting and mantle serpentinization to occur. The new model tracks the rheological evolution of the continental crust and allows for kinetically controlled mantle serpentinization processes. The isostatic and latent heat effects of the reaction are fully coupled to the structural and thermal solutions. A systematic parameter study shows that a critical stretching factor exists for which complete crustal embrittlement and serpentinization occurs. Sedimentation shifts this critical stretching factor to higher values as both deeper burial and the low thermal conductivity of sediments lead to higher crustal temperatures. Serpentinization reactions are therefore only likely in settings with low sedimentation rates and high stretching factors. In addition, we find that the rate of sediment supply has first order controls on the rheology of the lower crust, which may control the overall margin geometry. We further test these concepts in ideas in a case study for the Norwegian margin. In particular, we evaluate whether the inner lower crustal bodies (LCB) imaged beneath the More and Voring margin could be serpentinized mantle. For this purpose we reconstruct multiple 2D transects through a 3D data set. This reconstruction of the Norwegian margin shows that serpentinization reactions are indeed possible and likely during the Jurassic rift phase. Predicted present-day thicknesses and locations of partially serpentinized mantle rocks fit well to information on LCBs from seismic and gravity data. We conclude that some of the inner LCBs beneath the Norwegian margin may, in fact, be partially serpentinized mantle.

Late Cenozoic extension and crustal doming in the India-Eurasia collision zone: New thermochronologic constraints from the NE Chinese Pamir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiede, Rasmus C.; Sobel, Edward R.; Chen, Jie; Schoenbohm, Lindsay M.; Stockli, Daniel F.; Sudo, Masafumi; Strecker, Manfred R.

2013-06-01

northward motion of the Pamir indenter with respect to Eurasia has resulted in coeval thrusting, strike-slip faulting, and normal faulting. The eastern Pamir is currently deformed by east-west oriented extension, accompanied by uplift and exhumation of the Kongur Shan (7719 m) and Muztagh Ata (7546 m) gneiss domes. Both domes are an integral part of the footwall of the Kongur Shan extensional fault system (KES), a 250 km long, north-south oriented graben. Why active normal faulting within the Pamir is primarily localized along the KES and not distributed more widely throughout the orogen has remained unclear. In addition, relatively little is known about how deformation has evolved throughout the Cenozoic, despite refined estimates on present-day crustal deformation rates and microseismicity, which indicate where crustal deformation is presently being accommodated. To better constrain the spatiotemporal evolution of faulting along the KES, we present 39 new apatite fission track, zircon U-Th-Sm/He, and 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages from a series of footwall transects along the KES graben shoulder. Combining these data with present-day topographic relief, 1-D thermokinematic and exhumational modeling documents successive stages, rather than synchronous deformation and gneiss dome exhumation. While the exhumation of the Kongur Shan commenced during the late Miocene, extensional processes in the Muztagh Ata massif began earlier and have slowed down since the late Miocene. We present a new model of synorogenic extension suggesting that thermal and density effects associated with a lithospheric tear fault along the eastern margin of the subducting Alai slab localize extensional upper plate deformation along the KES and decouple crustal motion between the central/western Pamir and eastern Pamir/Tarim basin.

Venus geology, geochemistry, and geophysics - Research results from the USSR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barsukov, V. L.; Basilevsky, A. T.; Volkov, V. P.; Zharkov, V. N.

The book includes papers on the Venusian volcanism, hot-spot structures, the Lakshmi phenomenon, tesserae, ridge belts on plains, impact craters, evidence on the crustal dichotomy, the global tectonic style, resurfacing, and Venusian igneous rocks. Special attention is given to volatiles in the atmosphere and crust, the expansion of topography into spherical harmonics, rotation, statistical properties of topography and the gravity field, a physical model of Venus, and models of the thermal evolution of Venus. Also presented are an atlas of Venusian surface images and a table listing topographic features on Venus and their coordinates.

Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic compositions of a suite of Large Archean, igneous rocks, eastern Beartooth Mountains - Implications for crust-mantle evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wooden, J. L.; Mueller, P. A.

1988-01-01

Compositionally diverse Late Archean rocks (2.74-2.79 Ga old) from the eastern Beartooth Mountains (Montana and Wyoming) were studied and shown to have the same initial Pb, Sr, and Nd isotopic ratios. Lead and Sr initial ratios are higher and Nd initial values lower than predicted for rocks derived from model mantle sources and strongly indicate the involvement of an older crustal reservoir in the genesis of these rocks. A model involving subduction of continental detritus and contamination of the overlying mantle is suggested.

Origin and evolution of multi-stage felsic melts in eastern Gangdese belt: Constraints from U-Pb zircon dating and Hf isotopic composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Liang; Zhang, Hong-Fei; Harris, Nigel; Pan, Fa-Bin; Xu, Wang-Chun

2011-11-01

This integrated study of whole rock geochemistry, zircon U-Pb dating and Hf isotope composition for seven felsic rocks from the Nyingchi Complex in eastern Himalayan syntaxis has revealed a complex magmatic history for the eastern Gangdese belt. This involves multiple melt sources and mechanisms that uniquely identify the tectonic evolution of this part of the Himalayan orogen. Our U-Pb zircon dating reveals five stages of magmatic or anatectic events: 165, 81, 61, 50 and 25 Ma. The Jurassic granitic gneiss (165 Ma) exhibits εHf(t) values of + 1.4 to + 3.5. The late Cretaceous granite (81 Ma) shows variable εHf(t) values from - 0.9 to + 6.2, indicating a binary mixing between juvenile and old crustal materials. The Paleocene granodioritic gneiss (61 Ma) has εHf(t) values of + 5.4 to + 8.0, suggesting that it originated from partial melting of a juvenile crustal material. The Eocene anatexis is recorded in the leucosome, which has Hf isotopic composition similar to that of the Jurassic granite, indicating that the leucosome could be derived from partial melting of the Jurassic granite. The late Oligocene biotite granite (25 Ma) shows adakitic geochemical characteristics, with Sr/Y = 49.3-56.6. The presence of a large number of inherited zircons and negative εHf(t) values suggest that it sourced from anatexis of crustal materials. In contrast to the Gangdese batholiths that are mainly derived from juvenile crustal source in central Tibet, the old crustal materials play an important role for the magma generation of the felsic rocks, suggesting the existence of a crustal basement in the eastern Gangdese belt. These correspond to specific magmatic evolution stages during the convergence between India and Asia. The middle Jurassic granitic gneiss resulted from the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab. The late Cretaceous magmatism is probably related to the ocean ridge subduction. The Paleocene-Eocene magmatism, metamorphism and anatexis are interpreted to result from roll-back and break-off of the subducted Neo-Tethyan slab that occurred in the early stage of the India-Asian collision, respectively. The late Oligocene adakitic rocks resulted from the break-off of the subducted Indian continental crust starting at ~ 25 Ma.

Evidence for Thin Oceanic Crust on the Extinct Aegir Ridge, Norwegian Basin, N.E. Atlantic Derived from Satellite Gravity Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenhalgh, E. E.; Kusznir, N. J.

2006-12-01

Satellite gravity inversion incorporating a lithosphere thermal gravity correction has been used to map crustal thickness and lithosphere thinning factor for the N.E. Atlantic. The inversion of gravity data to determine crustal thickness incorporates a lithosphere thermal gravity anomaly correction for both oceanic and continental margin lithosphere. Predicted crustal thicknesses in the Norwegian Basin are between 7 and 4 km on the extinct Aegir oceanic ridge which ceased sea-floor spreading in the Oligocene. Crustal thickness estimates do not include a correction for sediment thickness and are upper bounds. Crustal thicknesses determined by gravity inversion for the Aegir Ridge are consistent with recent estimates derived using refraction seismology by Breivik et al. (2006). Failure to incorporate a lithosphere thermal gravity anomaly correction produces an over-estimate of crustal thickness. Oceanic crustal thicknesses within the Norwegian Basin are predicted by the gravity inversion to increase to 9-10 km eastwards towards the Norwegian (Moere) and westwards towards the Jan Mayen micro-continent, consistent with volcanic margin continental breakup at the end of the Palaeocene. The observation (from gravity inversion and seismic refraction studies) of thin oceanic crust produced by the Aegir ocean ridge in the Oligocene has implications for the temporal evolution of asthenosphere temperature under the N.E. Atlantic during the Tertiary. Thin Oligocene oceanic crust may imply cool (normal) asthenosphere temperatures during the Oligocene in contrast to elevated asthenosphere temperatures in the Palaeocene and Miocene-Recent as indicated by volcanic margin formation and the formation of Iceland respectively. Gravity inversion also predicts a region of thin oceanic crust to the west of the northern part of the Jan Mayen micro-continent and to the east of the thicker oceanic crust currently being formed at the Kolbeinsey Ridge. Thicker crust (c.f. ocean basins) is predicted for the Jan Mayen micro- continent south of Jan Mayen Island, with crust of the order of 20 km thickness extending southwards to connect with both the Faroes-Iceland Ridge and N.E. Iceland. Predicted crustal thicknesses under the Faroes- Iceland Ridge are approximately 25 km. The lithosphere thermal model used to predict the lithosphere thermal gravity anomaly correction may be conditioned using magnetic isochron data to provide the age of oceanic lithosphere. The resulting crustal thickness determination and the location of ocean-continent transition (OCT) are however sensitive to errors in the magnetic isochron data. An alternative method of inverting satellite gravity to give crustal thickness, incorporating a lithosphere thermal correction, has been used which does not use magnetic isochron data and provides an independent prediction of crustal thickness and OCT location. The crustal thickness estimates and OCT locations detailed above are robust to these sensitivity tests.

The metamorphic record of subduction-accretion processes in the Neoarchaean: the Nuuk region, southern West Greenland.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dziggel, Annika; Kolb, Jochen

2013-04-01

The Nuuk region of southern West Greenland exposes an exceptionally well preserved section through Archaean mid- to lower continental crust, and therefore provides a natural laboratory to study the tectonic processes in the Archaean. The area mainly consists of amphibolite to granulite facies TTG gneisses, narrow supracrustal belts, and minor late-tectonic granites. It is made up of several distinct terranes, including, from NW to SE, the Færingehavn, Tre Brødre, and Tasiusarsuaq terranes. Extensive high-grade metamorphism and a clockwise PT evolution of the Færingehavn terrane in the Neoarchaean (2.72-2.71 Ga) have been interpreted as a result of crustal thickening and thrusting of the Tasiusarsuaq terrane on top of the Tre Brødre and Færingehavn terranes (Nutman and Friend, 2007). Prior to final collision, the Tasiusarsuaq terrane (the upper plate in a plate tectonic model) underwent a prolonged period of compressive deformation between 2.8 and 2.72 Ga (Kolb et al., 2012). The structural evolution was associated with near-isobaric cooling from medium-pressure granulite facies conditions of ca. 850°C and 7.5 kbar to amphibolite facies conditions of ca. 700°C and 6.5-7 kbar (Dziggel et al., 2012). Despite this long period of crustal convergence, there is no evidence for exhumation and/or loading, pointing to a rheologically weak and unstable Archaean crust perhaps due to low density differences and ongoing melt extraction. Rocks of the structurally underlying Færingehavn terrane record a distinctly different metamorphic evolution. Although generally more strongly retrogressed, relict higher-pressure mineral assemblages in mafic granulites and felsic gneisses record conditions of > 8-9 kbar and >= 750°C, indicating burial to depths of at least 30 km along an apparent geothermal gradient of 20-25°C/km. The peak of metamorphism was followed by isothermal decompression at ca. 2.715 Ga (Nutman and Friend, 2007), indicating rapid exhumation of lower crustal rocks during, or shortly after, the main accretionary event. The existence of dual thermal regimes with contrasting PT paths, as well as the good correlation between the timing of collision, high-pressure metamorphism and rapid exhumation are all consistent with plate-tectonic processes operating in the Neoarchaean. However, the crustal convergence in the Nuuk region was not associated with the extreme crustal thickening observed in many younger orogenic belts, and this likely reflects the generally higher mantle temperatures in the Neoarchaean. The prolonged period of crustal convergence prior to final collision may further indicate that the convergence rates in the Archaean were rather low. Dziggel, A., Diener, J.F.A., Stoltz, N.B., Kolb, J., 2012. Role of H2O in the formation of garnet coronas during near-isobaric cooling of mafic granulites: the Tasiusarsuaq terrane, southern West Greenland. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 30, 957-972. Kolb, J., Kokfelt, T.F., Dziggel, A., 2012. Geodynamic setting and deformation history of an Archaean terrane at mid-crustal level: the Tasiusarsuaq terrane of southern West Greenland. Precambrian Research, 212-213, 34-56. Nutman, A.P. & Friend, C.R.L., 2007. Adjacent terranes with ca. 2715 and 2650 Ma high-pressure metamorphic assemblages in the Nuuk region of the North Atlantic Craton, southern West Greenland: Complexities of Neoarchaean collisional orogeny. Precambrian Research, 155, 159-203.

Seismological constraints on the crustal structures generated by continental rejuvenation in northeastern China

PubMed Central

Zheng, Tian-Yu; He, Yu-Mei; Yang, Jin-Hui; Zhao, Liang

2015-01-01

Crustal rejuvenation is a key process that has shaped the characteristics of current continental structures and components in tectonic active continental regions. Geological and geochemical observations have provided insights into crustal rejuvenation, although the crustal structural fabrics have not been well constrained. Here, we present a seismic image across the North China Craton (NCC) and Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) using a velocity structure imaging technique for receiver functions from a dense array. The crustal evolution of the eastern NCC was delineated during the Mesozoic by a dominant low seismic wave velocity with velocity inversion, a relatively shallow Moho discontinuity, and a Moho offset beneath the Tanlu Fault Zone. The imaged structures and geochemical evidence, including changes in the components and ages of continental crusts and significant continental crustal growth during the Mesozoic, provide insight into the rejuvenation processes of the evolving crust in the eastern NCC caused by structural, magmatic and metamorphic processes in an extensional setting. The fossil structural fabric of the convergent boundary in the eastern CAOB indicates that the back-arc action of the Paleo-Pacific Plate subduction did not reach the hinterland of Asia. PMID:26443323

The evolution of magma during continental rifting: New constraints from the isotopic and trace element signatures of silicic magmas from Ethiopian volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchison, William; Mather, Tamsin A.; Pyle, David M.; Boyce, Adrian J.; Gleeson, Matthew L. M.; Yirgu, Gezahegn; Blundy, Jon D.; Ferguson, David J.; Vye-Brown, Charlotte; Millar, Ian L.; Sims, Kenneth W. W.; Finch, Adrian A.

2018-05-01

Magma plays a vital role in the break-up of continental lithosphere. However, significant uncertainty remains about how magma-crust interactions and melt evolution vary during the development of a rift system. Ethiopia captures the transition from continental rifting to incipient sea-floor spreading and has witnessed the eruption of large volumes of silicic volcanic rocks across the region over ∼45 Ma. The petrogenesis of these silicic rocks sheds light on the role of magmatism in rift development, by providing information on crustal interactions, melt fluxes and magmatic differentiation. We report new trace element and Sr-Nd-O isotopic data for volcanic rocks, glasses and minerals along and across active segments of the Main Ethiopian (MER) and Afar Rifts. Most δ18 O data for mineral and glass separates from these active rift zones fall within the bounds of modelled fractional crystallization trajectories from basaltic parent magmas (i.e., 5.5-6.5‰) with scant evidence for assimilation of Pan-African Precambrian crustal material (δ18 O of 7-18‰). Radiogenic isotopes (εNd = 0.92- 6.52; 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7037-0.7072) and incompatible trace element ratios (Rb/Nb <1.5) are consistent with δ18 O data and emphasize limited interaction with Pan-African crust. However, there are important regional variations in melt evolution revealed by incompatible elements (e.g., Th and Zr) and peralkalinity (molar Na2 O +K2 O /Al2O3). The most chemically-evolved peralkaline compositions are associated with the MER volcanoes (Aluto, Gedemsa and Kone) and an off-axis volcano of the Afar Rift (Badi). On-axis silicic volcanoes of the Afar Rift (e.g., Dabbahu) generate less-evolved melts. While at Erta Ale, the most mature rift setting, peralkaline magmas are rare. We find that melt evolution is enhanced in less mature continental rifts (where parental magmas are of transitional rather than tholeiitic composition) and regions of low magma flux (due to reduced mantle melt productivity or where crustal structure inhibits magma ascent). This has important implications for understanding the geotectonic settings that promote extreme melt evolution and, potentially, genesis of economically-valuable mineral deposits in ancient rift-settings. The limited isotopic evidence for assimilation of Pan-African crustal material in Ethiopia suggests that the pre-rift crust beneath the magmatic segments has been substantially modified by rift-related magmatism over the past ∼45 Ma; consistent with geophysical observations. We argue that considerable volumes of crystal cumulate are stored beneath silicic volcanic systems (>100 km3), and estimate that crystal cumulates fill at least 16-30% of the volume generated by crustal extension under the axial volcanoes of the MER and Manda Hararo Rift Segment (MHRS) of Afar. At Erta Ale only ∼1% of the volume generated due to rift extension is filled by cumulates, supporting previous seismic evidence for a greater role of plate stretching in mature rifts at the onset of sea-floor spreading. We infer that ∼45 Ma of magmatism has left little fusible Pan-African material to be assimilated beneath the magmatic segments and the active segments are predominantly composed of magmatic cumulates with δ18 O indistinguishable from mantle-derived melts. We predict that the δ18 O of silicic magmas should converge to mantle values as the rift continues to evolve. Although current data are limited, a comparison with ∼30 Ma ignimbrites (with δ18 O up to 8.9‰) supports this inference, evidencing greater crustal assimilation during initial stages of rifting and at times of heightened magmatic flux.

Isotopic evolution of the idaho batholith and Challis intrusive province, Northern US Cordillera

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gaschnig, Richard M.; Vervoort, J.D.; Lewis, R.S.; Tikoff, B.

2011-01-01

The Idaho batholith and spatially overlapping Challis intrusive province in the North American Cordillera have a history of magmatism spanning some 55 Myr. New isotopic data from the ???98 Ma to 54 Ma Idaho batholith and ???51 Ma to 43 Ma Challis intrusions, coupled with recent geochronological work, provide insights into the evolution of magmatism in the Idaho segment of the Cordillera. Nd and Hf isotopes show clear shifts towards more evolved compositions through the batholith's history and Pb isotopes define distinct fields correlative with the different age and compositionally defined suites of the batholith, whereas the Sr isotopic compositions of the various suites largely overlap. The subsequent Challis magmatism shows the full range of isotopic compositions seen in the batholith. These data suggest that the early suites of metaluminous magmatism (98-87 Ma) represent crust-mantle hybrids. Subsequent voluminous Atlanta peraluminous suite magmatism (83-67 Ma) results primarily from melting of different crustal components. This can be attributed to crustal thickening, resulting from either subduction processes or an outboard terrane collision. A later, smaller crustal melting episode, in the northern Idaho batholith, resulted in the Bitterroot peraluminous suite (66-54 Ma) and tapped different crustal sources. Subsequent Challis magmatism was derived from both crust and mantle sources and corresponds to extensional collapse of the over-thickened crust. ?? The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Crustal-scale alpine tectonic evolution of the western Pyrenees - eastern Cantabrian Mountains (N Spain) from integration of structural data, low-T thermochronology and seismic constraint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeFelipe, I.; Pedreira, D.; Pulgar, J. A.; Van der Beek, P.; Bernet, M.; Pik, R.

2017-12-01

The Pyrenean-Cantabrian Mountain belt extends in an E-W direction along the northern border of Spain and resulted from the convergence between the Iberian and European plates from the Late Cretaceous to the Miocene, in the context of the Alpine orogeny. The main aim of this work is to characterize the tectonic evolution at a crustal-scale of the transition zone from the Pyrenees to the Cantabrian Mountains, in the eastern Basque-Cantabrian Basin (BCB). We integrate structural work, thermochronology (apatite fission track and zircon (U-Th)/He) and geophysical information (shallow seismic reflection profiles, deep seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profiles and seismicity distribution) to propose an evolutionary model since the Jurassic to the present. During the Albian, hyperextension related to the opening of the Bay of Biscay yielded to mantle unroofing to the base of the BCB. This process was favored by a detachment fault that connected the mantle in its footwall with the base of a deep basin in its hanging wall. During this process, the basin experienced HT metamorphism and fluid circulation caused the serpentinization of the upper part of the mantle. There is no evidence of seafloor mantle exhumation before the onset of the Alpine orogeny. The thermochronological study points to a N-vergent phase of contractional deformation in the late Eocene represented by the thin-skinned Leiza fault system followed in the early Oligocene by the S-vergent, thick-skinned, Ollín thrust. Exhumation rates for the late Eocene-early Oligocene are of 0.2-0.7 km/Myr. After that period, deformation continues southwards until the Miocene. The crustal-scale structure resultant of the Alpine orogeny consists of an Iberian plate that subducts below the European plate. The crust is segmented into four blocks separated by three S-vergent crustal faults inherited from the Cretaceous extensional period. The P-wave velocities in this transect show anomalous values (7.4 km/s) in the deepest part of the Iberian crust that may correspond to serpentinized mantle formed during the Cretaceous and later subducted. The Alpine shortening in this transect is estimated in ca. 90 km. Integration of structural, geophysical and thermochronological data, allows a more precise reconstruction of the crustal-scale Alpine cycle in the eastern BCB.

Heat Flow, Regional Geophysics and Lithosphere Structure In The Czech Republic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safanda, J.; Cermak, V.; Kresl, M.; Dedecek, P.

Paper summarises and critically revises heat flow data that have been collected in the Czech Republic to date. The regional heat flow density map was prepared in view of all existing heat flow data completed with the similar in the surrounding countries and taking into consideration also temperature measurements in deep boreholes. Crustal temperature profiles were calculated by using the available geological information, results of deep seismic sounding and the laboratory data on radiogenic heat produc- tion and thermal conductivity. Special attention was paid to numerous temperature logs in two sedimentary basins, namely in the Cheb and Ostrava-Karvina coal basins, for which detailed heat flow patterns were proposed. Relationships between heat flow distribution and the crustal/lithosphere evolution, between heat flow and the heat pro- duction of the crustal rocks, heat flow and crustal thickness and the steady-state vs. transient heat transport are discussed.

MAVEN Observations of Energy-Time Dispersed Electron Signatures in Martian Crustal Magnetic Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harada, Y.; Mitchell, D. L.; Halekas, J. S.; McFadden, J. P.; Mazelle, C.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Espley, J.; Brain, D. A.; Larson, D. E.; Lillis, R. J.;

Connecting crustal seismicity and earthquake-driven stress evolution in Southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pollitz, Fred; Cattania, Camilla

2017-01-01

Tectonic stress in the crust evolves during a seismic cycle, with slow stress accumulation over interseismic periods, episodic stress steps at the time of earthquakes, and transient stress readjustment during a postseismic period that may last months to years. Static stress transfer to surrounding faults has been well documented to alter regional seismicity rates over both short and long time scales. While static stress transfer is instantaneous and long lived, postseismic stress transfer driven by viscoelastic relaxation of the ductile lower crust and mantle leads to additional, slowly varying stress perturbations. Both processes may be tested by comparing a decade-long record of regional seismicity to predicted time-dependent seismicity rates based on a stress evolution model that includes viscoelastic stress transfer. Here we explore crustal stress evolution arising from the seismic cycle in Southern California from 1981 to 2014 using five M≥6.5 source quakes: the M7.3 1992 Landers, M6.5 1992 Big Bear, M6.7 1994 Big Bear, M7.1 1999 Hector Mine, and M7.2 2010 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquakes. We relate the stress readjustment in the surrounding crust generated by each quake to regional seismicity using rate-and-state friction theory. Using a log likelihood approach, we quantify the potential to trigger seismicity of both static and viscoelastic stress transfer, finding that both processes have systematically shaped the spatial pattern of Southern California seismicity since 1992.

Intraplate volcanism in the Danube Basin of NW Hungary: 3D geophysical modelling of the Late Miocene Pásztori volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pánisová, Jaroslava; Balázs, Attila; Zalai, Zsófia; Bielik, Miroslav; Horváth, Ferenc; Harangi, Szabolcs; Schmidt, Sabine; Götze, Hans-Jürgen

2017-12-01

Three-dimensional geophysical modelling of the early Late Miocene Pásztori volcano (ca. 11-10 Ma) and adjacent area in the Little Hungarian Plain Volcanic Field of the Danube Basin was carried out to get an insight into the most prominent intra-crustal structures here. We have used gridded gravity and magnetic data, interpreted seismic reflection sections and borehole data combined with re-evaluated geological constraints. Based on petrological analysis of core samples from available six exploration boreholes, the volcanic rocks consist of a series of alkaline trachytic and trachyandesitic volcanoclastic and effusive rocks. The measured magnetic susceptibilities of these samples are generally very low suggesting a deeper magnetic source. The age of the modelled Pásztori volcano, buried beneath a 2 km-thick Late Miocene-to-Quaternary sedimentary sequence, is 10.4 +/- 0.3 Ma belonging to the dominantly normal C5 chron. Our model includes crustal domains with different effective induced magnetizations and densities: uppermost 0.3-1.8 km thick layer of volcanoclastics underlain by a trachytic-trachyandesitic coherent and volcanoclastic rock units of a maximum 2 km thickness, with a top situated at minimal depth of 2.3 km, and a deeper magmatic pluton in a depth range of 5-15 km. The 3D model of the Danube Basin is consistent with observed high ΔZ magnetic anomalies above the volcano, while the observed Bouguer gravity anomalies correlate better with the crystalline basement depth. Our analysis contributes to deeper understanding of the crustal architecture and the evolution of the basin accompanied by alkaline intraplate volcanism.

Seismic and Thermal Structure of the Arctic Lithosphere, From Waveform Tomography and Thermodynamic Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebedev, S.; Schaeffer, A. J.; Fullea, J.; Pease, V.

2015-12-01

Thermal structure of the lithosphere is reflected in the values of seismic velocities within it. Our new tomographic models of the crust and upper mantle of the Arctic are constrained by an unprecedentedly large global waveform dataset and provide substantially improved resolution, compared to previous models. The new tomography reveals lateral variations in the temperature and thickness of the lithosphere and defines deep boundaries between tectonic blocks with different lithospheric properties and age. The shape and evolution of the geotherm beneath a tectonic unit depends on both crustal and mantle-lithosphere structure beneath it: the lithospheric thickness and its changes with time (these determine the supply of heat from the deep Earth), the crustal thickness and heat production (the supply of heat from within the crust), and the thickness and thermal conductivity of the sedimentary cover (the insulation). Detailed thermal structure of the basins can be modelled by combining seismic velocities from tomography with data on the crustal structure and heat production, in the framework of computational petrological modelling. The most prominent lateral contrasts across the Arctic are between the cold, thick lithospheres of the cratons (in North America, Greenland and Eurasia) and the warmer, non-cratonic blocks. The lithosphere of the Canada Basin is cold and thick, similar to old oceanic lithosphere elsewhere around the world; its thermal structure offers evidence on its lithospheric age and formation mechanism. At 150-250 km depth, the central Arctic region shows a moderate low-velocity anomaly, cooler than that beneath Iceland and N Atlantic. An extension of N Atlantic low-velocity anomaly into the Arctic through the Fram Strait may indicate an influx of N Atlantic asthenosphere under the currently opening Eurasia Basin.

Geochronology and geochemistry of early Paleozoic igneous rocks of the Lesser Xing'an Range, NE China: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhi-wei; Xu, Wen-liang; Pei, Fu-ping; Wang, Feng; Guo, Peng

2016-09-01

This paper presents new zircon U-Pb, Hf isotope, and whole-rock major and trace element data for early Paleozoic igneous rocks of the Lesser Xing'an Range, NE China, in order to constrain the early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that early Paleozoic magmatic events within the northern Songnen-Zhangguangcai Range Massif (SZM) can be subdivided into four stages: Middle Cambrian ( 505 Ma), Late Cambrian ( 490 Ma), Early-Middle Ordovician ( 470 Ma), and Late Ordovician (460-450 Ma). The Middle Cambrian monzogranites are K-rich, weakly to strongly peraluminous, and characterized by pronounced heavy rare earth element (HREE) depletions, high Sr/Y ratios, low Y concentrations, low primary zircon εHf(t) values (- 6.79 to - 1.09), and ancient two-stage model (TDM2) ages (1901-1534 Ma). These results indicate derivation from partial melting of thickened ancient crustal materials that formed during the amalgamation of the northern SZM and the northern Jiamusi Massif (JM). The Late Cambrian monzonite, quartz monzonite, and monzogranite units are chemically similar to A-type granites, and contain zircons with εHf(t) values of - 2.59 to + 1.78 and TDM2 ages of 1625-1348 Ma. We infer that these rocks formed from primary magmas generated by partial melting of Mesoproterozoic accreted lower crustal materials in a post-collisional extensional environment. The Early-Middle Ordovician quartz monzodiorite, quartz monzonite, monzogranite, and rhyolite units are calc-alkaline, relatively enriched in light REEs (LREEs) and large ion lithophile elements (LILEs; e.g., Rb, Th, and U), depleted in HREEs and high field strength elements (HFSEs; e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti), and contain zircons with εHf(t) values of - 7.33 to + 4.98, indicative of formation in an active continental margin setting. The Late Ordovician alkali-feldspar granite and rhyolite units have A-type granite affinities that suggest they formed in an extensional environment. A comparison of early Paleozoic magmatic events and Hf isotopic model ages between the northern SZM and the JM indicates that these two massifs have similar histories of Mesoproterozoic and early Paleozoic crustal accretion and reworking, although the SZM contains much older crustal materials than the JM.

Characterizing the Crustal architecture of the Parnaiba basin with passive-source seismology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coelho, Diogo; Julià, Jordi; Rodríguez Tribaldos, Verónica; White, Nicky

2017-04-01

Lithospheric-scale processes, such as the origin and evolution of large cratonic basins, can create big footprints or signatures in the subsurface that can be observed by geophysical means. With a huge potential for natural resources, the equatorial margin of NE Brazil has motivated many geophysical investigations by the oil industry. Our study area is the Parnaíba Basin, one of the largest cratonic basins of the world. The main goal of our study is to provide new images of the crust and lithosphere under the basin and highlight seismic discontinuities within, in order to improve our understanding of its architecture and help constrain models for its origin and evolution. A total of 9 broadband seismographic stations were installed within the PBAP project, a collaboration among several universities and BP Energy do Brasil, along an approximately 500 km-long transect across the basin, with interstation spacing of around 50 km. The receiver function technique is probably one of the most successful methodologies in broadband seismology for imaging of the crust and lithospheric mantle in continental areas, and we estimated crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio of the Parnaíba Basin by developing P-wave receiver functions from the acquired dataset. We also developed one-dimensional velocity models calculated from the joint inversion of P-wave receiver function and Rayleigh dispersion curves. Results from HK-Stacking, receiver function migration and joint inversion indicate the Moho dips gently toward the depocenter of the basin, displaying up to three different behaviors: A flat Moho in the depocenter of the basin, which showed the thickest crust (>42 km) and Vp/Vs ratio values arround 1,75; A thinning crust towards the eastern flank (<38 km), bounding with the Borborema Province, with Vp/Vs ratio of 1,74; An almost flat Moho with thickness of 40 km and Vp/Vs ratio around 1,72 on the western border, bounding with the Araguaia Belt. We also noted some mid crustal reflections at 15-20 km depth indicating the presence of a mid-crustal discontinuity. The presence of this discontinuity, along with the segmentation of the Parnaíba crust, suggest that limited stretching might have occurred during the development of this cratonic basin.

Deformation mechanisms and grain size evolution in the Bohemian granulites - a computational study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maierova, Petra; Lexa, Ondrej; Jeřábek, Petr; Franěk, Jan; Schulmann, Karel

2015-04-01

A dominant deformation mechanism in crustal rocks (e.g., dislocation and diffusion creep, grain boundary sliding, solution-precipitation) depends on many parameters such as temperature, major minerals, differential stress, strain rate and grain size. An exemplary sequence of deformation mechanisms was identified in the largest felsic granulite massifs in the southern Moldanubian domain (Bohemian Massif, central European Variscides). These massifs were interpreted to result from collision-related forced diapiric ascent of lower crust and its subsequent lateral spreading at mid-crustal levels. Three types of microstructures were distinguished. The oldest relict microstructure (S1) with large grains (>1000 μm) of feldspar deformed probably by dislocation creep at peak HT eclogite facies conditions. Subsequently at HP granulite-facies conditions, chemically- and deformation- induced recrystallization of feldspar porphyroclasts led to development of a fine-grained microstructure (S2, ~50 μm grain size) indicating deformation via diffusion creep, probably assisted by melt-enhanced grain-boundary sliding. This microstructure was associated with flow in the lower crust and/or its diapiric ascent. The latest microstructure (S3, ~100 μm grain size) is related to the final lateral spreading of retrograde granulites, and shows deformation by dislocation creep at amphibolite-facies conditions. The S2-S3 switch and coarsening was interpreted to be related with a significant decrease in strain rate. From this microstructural sequence it appears that it is the grain size that is critically linked with specific mechanical behavior of these rocks. Thus in this study, we focused on the interplay between grain size and deformation with the aim to numerically simulate and reinterpret the observed microstructural sequence. We tested several different mathematical descriptions of the grain size evolution, each of which gave qualitatively different results. We selected the two most elaborated and at the same time the most promising descriptions: thermodynamics-based models with and without Zener pinning. For conditions compatible with the S1 and S2 microstructures (~800 °C and strain rate ~10-13 s-1), the calculated stable grain sizes are ~30 μm and >300 μm in the models with and without Zener pinning, respectively. This is in agreement with the contrasting grain sizes associated with S1 and S2 microstructures implying that mainly chemically induced recrystallization of S1 feldspar porphyroclasts must had played a fundamental role in the transition into the diffusion creep. The model with pinning also explains only minor changes of mean grain size associated with S2 microstructure. The S2-S3 switch from the diffusion to dislocation creep is difficult to explain when assuming reasonable temperature and strain rate (or stress). However, a simple incorporation of the effect of melt solidification into the model with pinning can mimic this observed switch. Besides the above mentioned simple models with prescribed temperature and strain rate, we implemented the grain size evolution laws into in a 2D thermo-mechanical model setup, where stress, strain rate and temperature evolve in a more natural manner. This setup simulates a collisional evolution of an orogenic root with anomalous lower crust. The lower-crustal material is a source region for diapirs and it deforms via a combination of dislocation and grain-size-sensitive creeps. We tested the influence of selected parameters in the flow laws and in the grain-size evolution laws on the shape and other characteristics of the growing diapirs. The outputs of our simulations were then compared with the geological record from the Moldanubian granulite massifs.

Using a New Crustal Thickness Model to Test Previous Candidate Lunar Basins and to Search for New Candidates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, H. M.; Frey, H. V.

2012-01-01

A new crustal thickness model was used to test the viability of 110 candidate large lunar basins previously identified using older topographic and crustal thickness data as well as photogeologic data. The new model was also used to search for new candidate lunar basins greater than 300 km in diameter. We eliminated 11 of 27 candidates previously identified in the older crustal thickness model, and found strong evidence for at least 8 new candidates.

Evolution of Continental Lower Crust Recorded By an Exhumed Deep Crustal Intracontinental Shear Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumond, G.; Mahan, K. H.; Regan, S. P.; Williams, M. L.; Goncalves, P.; Wood, V. R.

2014-12-01

Exposures of deep crustal shear zones are fundamental records of strain localization and the temporal evolution of ductile to brittle behavior as these tectonites were exhumed to the surface. We present results from a decade of field-based research on a deeply exhumed (~35 km-paleodepths) strike-slip shear zone in the western Churchill province of the Canadian Shield. The Grease River shear zone is a >400 km-long and 7 km-thick structure that cuts the Athabasca granulite terrane, North America's largest exposure of continental lower crust (>20,000 km2). The shear zone is dominated by granulite- to amphibolite-grade L-S and L>S tectonites characterized by penetrative NE-striking steeply-dipping foliations with gently-plunging to sub-horizontal stretching and intersection lineations. These fabrics are locally overprinted by pseudotachylyte and narrow (<500 m-thick) greenschist-grade zones of cataclasite. Dextral kinematics are defined by deflected foliation trajectories, C' shear bands, and well-developed σ- and δ-type porphyroclasts of Kfs + Pl + Opx + Grt + Hb in felsic to intermediate granulite paragneisses and orthogneisses. Data collected along a well-exposed, nearly 150 km-long segment of the shear zone documents a >100 m.y. episodic record of transpressive to strike-slip intracontinental strain accumulation that coincided with two oppositely convergent orogenies: the east-vergent arc-continent collision of the 1.94-1.90 Ga Taltson orogen and the west-vergent continent-continent collision of the 1.9-1.8 Ga Trans-Hudson orogen. Deformation mechanisms evolved from distributed ductile dynamic recrystallization and grain-size reduction to localized pseudotachylyte development, cataclastic flow, and brittle faulting. Lower crustal behavior during strain localization was dynamic. Melt-weakened mono-cyclic crust was juxtaposed against strong isobarically-cooled poly-cyclic crust along the shear zone at 1.92-1.90 Ga. Brittle-ductile reactivation of the structure during exhumation to middle crustal levels was coincident with fluid-mediated retrograde reactions that facilitated crustal-scale segmentation and transpressive uplift of lower crustal granulites at 1.85 Ga. This study illustrates that lower crustal rheology is spatially and temporally heterogeneous.

A Global 3D P-Velocity Model of the Earth’s Crust and Mantle for Improved Event Location -- SALSA3D

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

incorporates variable resolution in both the geographic and radial dimensions. For our starting model, we use a simplified two layer crustal model derived from... crustal model derived from the Crust 2.0 model over a uniform AK135 mantle. Sufficient damping is used to reduce velocity adjustments so that ray path...upper mantle, and a third tessellation with variable resolution to all crustal layers. The crustal tessellation (not shown) has 2° triangles in oceanic

Contrasts in Lower Crustal Structure and Evolution Between the Northern and Southern Rocky Mountains From Xenoliths and Seismic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulte-Pelkum, V.; Mahan, K. H.; Shen, W.; Stachnik, J. C.

2016-12-01

We compare and contrast crustal structure and composition along a transect from the Southern to Northern Rocky Mountains, with a focus on the lower crust. Evolution of the crust can include processes of emplacement, differentiation, and thermal changes that may generate lower crust with high seismic wavespeeds. The high seismic velocities can be due to mafic composition, the presence of garnet, or both. We seek to find seismic signatures preserved from such processes and compare xenolith samples and present-day seismic appearance between regions with varying tectonic histories. We review recent seismic results from the EarthScope Transportable Array from receiver functions and surface waves, compilations of active source studies, and xenolith studies to compare lower crustal structure along transects through the Northern and Southern Rocky Mountains traversing Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Xenoliths from an unusually thick lower crustal layer with high seismic velocities in Montana record magmatic emplacement processes dating back to the Archean. The lower crustal layer possesses internal velocity contrasts that lead to conflicting interpretations of Moho depth depending on the method used, with xenoliths and a refraction study placing the Moho at 55 km depth, while studies using surface waves and receiver functions identify the largest contrast at 40-45 km depth as the Moho. An additional confounding factor is the presence of metasomatized uppermost mantle with low seismic velocities, which may further diminish the seismic signature of the petrological Moho. To the south, the high-velocity layer diminishes, and seismic velocities in the deep crust under southern Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico are lower. In the literature, north-south gradients in lower crustal velocity in this area and observed differences in garnet content have variously been ascribed to thermal dehydration of Archean-age hydrous crust or Laramide-age hydration of previously garnet-rich crust.

Lunar Global Heat Flow: Predictions and Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegler, M.; Williams, J. P.; Paige, D. A.; Feng, J.

2017-12-01

The global thermal state of the Moon provides fundamental information on its bulk composition and interior evolution. The Moon is known to have a highly asymmetric surface composition [e.g. Lawrence et al., 2003] and crustal thickness [Wieczorek et al.,2012], which is suspected to result from interior asymmetries [Wieczorek and Phillips, 2000; Laneuville et al., 2013]. This is likely to cause a highly asymmetric surface heat flux, both past and present. Our understanding the thermal evolution and composition of the bulk moon therefore requires a global picture of the present lunar thermal state, well beyond our two-point Apollo era measurement. As on the on the Earth, heat flow measurements need to be taken in carefully selected locations to truly characterize the state of the planet's interior. Future surface heat flux and seismic observations will be affected by the presence of interior temperature and crustal radiogenic anomalies, so placement of such instruments is critically important for understanding the lunar interior. The unfortunate coincidence that Apollo geophysical measurements lie areas within or directly abutting the highly radiogenic, anomalously thin-crusted Procellarum region highlights the importance of location for in situ geophysical study [e.g. Siegler and Smrekar, 2014]. Here we present the results of new models of global lunar geothermal heat flux. We synthesize data from several recent missions to constrain lunar crustal composition, thickness and density to provide global predictions of the surface heat flux of the Moon. We also discuss implications from new surface heat flux constraints from the LRO Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment and Chang'E 2 Microwave Radiometer. We will identify areas with the highest uncertainty to provide insight on the placement of future landed geophysical missions, such as the proposed Lunar Geophysical Network, to better aim our future exploration of the Moon.

Eastern Ishtar Terra: Tectonic evolution derived from recognized features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vorderbruegge, R. W.; Head, James W.

1989-01-01

Previous analyses have recognized several styles and orientations of compressional deformation, crustal convergence, and crustal thickening in Eastern Ishtar Terra. An east to west sense of crustal convergence through small scale folding, thrusting, and buckling is reflected in the high topography and ridge-and-valley morphology of Maxwell Montes and the adjacent portion of Fortuna Tessera. This east to west convergence was accompanied by up to 1000 km of lateral motion and large scale strike-slip faulting within two converging shear zones which has resulted in the present morphology of Maxwell Montes. A more northeast to southwest sense of convergence through large scale buckling and imbrication is reflected in large, northwest-trending scarps along the entire northern boundary of Ishtar Terra, with up to 2 km of relief present at many of the scarps. It was previously suggested that both styles of compression have occurred at the expense of pre-existing tessera regions which have then been overprinted by the latest convergence event. The difference in style is attributed mostly to differences in the properties of the crust converging with the tessera blocks. If one, presumably thick, tessera block converges with another tessera region, then the widespread, distributed style of deformation occurs, as observed in western Fortuna Tessera. However, if relatively thin crust (such as suggested for the North Polar Plains converges with thicker tessera regions, then localized deformation occurs, as reflected in the scarps along Northern Ishtar Terra. The purpose is to identify the types of features observed in Eastern Ishtar Terra. Their potential temporal and spatial relationships, is described, possible origins for them is suggested, and how the interpretation of some of these features has led to the multiple-style tectonic evolution model described is shown.

Deep Crustal Structure beneath Large Igneous Provinces and the Petrologic Evolution of Flood Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, Mark; Ridley, Victoria

2010-05-01

We present a review of seismological constraints on deep crustal structures underlying large igneous provinces (LIPs), largely from wide-angle seismic refraction surveys. The main purpose of this review is to ascertain whether this seismic evidence is consistent with, or contrary to, petrological models for the genesis of flood basalt lavas. Where high-quality data are available beneath continental flood basalt (CFB) provinces (Emeishan, Columbia River, Deccan, Siberia), high-velocity structures (Vp ~6.9-7.5 km/sec) are typically found immediately overlying the Moho in layers of order ~5-15 km thick. Oceanic plateau (OP) LIPs exhibit similar layers, with a conspicuous layer of very high crustal velocity (Vp~7.7 km/sec) beneath the enormous Ontong-Java plateau. These structures are similar to inferred ultramafic underplating structures seen beneath active hotspots such as Hawaii, the Marqueses, and La Reunion. Petrogenetic models for flood basalt volcanism based on hot plume melting beneath mature lithosphere suggest that these deep seismic structures may consist in large part of cumulate bodies of olivine and clinopyroxene which result from ponding and deep-crustal fractionation of ultramafic primary melts. Such fractionation is necessary to produce basalts with typical MgO contents of ~6-8%, as observed for the vast bulk of observed flood basalts, from primary melts with MgO contents of order ~15-18% (or greater) such as result from hot, deep melting beneath the lithosphere. The volumes of cumulate bodies and ultramafic intrusions in the lowermost crust, often described in the literature as "underplating," are comparable to those of the overlying basaltic formations, also consistent with petrological models. Further definition of the deep seismic structure beneath such prominent LIPs as the Ontong-Java Plateau could place better constraints on flood basalt petrogenesis by determining the relative volumes of ultramafic bodies and basaltic lavas, thereby better constraining the overall process of LIP emplacement.

Deep crustal structure beneath large igneous provinces and the petrologic evolution of flood basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridley, Victoria A.; Richards, Mark A.

2010-09-01

We present a review of seismological constraints on deep crustal structures underlying large igneous provinces (LIPs), largely from wide-angle seismic refraction surveys. The main purpose of this review is to ascertain whether this seismic evidence is consistent with, or contrary to, petrological models for the genesis of flood basalt lavas. Where high-quality data are available beneath continental flood basalt (CFB) provinces (Emeishan, Columbia River, Deccan, Siberia), high-velocity structures (Vp ˜ 6.9-7.5 km/sec) are typically found immediately overlying the Moho in layers of order ˜5-15 km thick. Oceanic plateau (OP) LIPs exhibit similar layers, with a conspicuous layer of very high crustal velocity (Vp ˜ 7.7 km/sec) beneath the enormous Ontong-Java plateau. These structures are similar to inferred ultramafic underplating structures seen beneath active hot spots such as Hawaii, the Marquesas, and La Reunion. Petrogenetic models for flood basalt volcanism based on hot plume melting beneath mature lithosphere suggest that these deep seismic structures may consist in large part of cumulate bodies of olivine and clinopyroxene which result from ponding and deep-crustal fractionation of ultramafic primary melts. Such fractionation is necessary to produce basalts with typical MgO contents of ˜6-8%, as observed for the vast bulk of observed flood basalts, from primary melts with MgO contents of order ˜15-18% (or greater) such as result from hot, deep melting beneath the lithosphere. The volumes of cumulate bodies and ultramafic intrusions in the lowermost crust, often described in the literature as "underplating," are comparable to those of the overlying basaltic formations, also consistent with petrological models. Further definition of the deep seismic structure beneath such prominent LIPs as the Ontong-Java Plateau could place better constraints on flood basalt petrogenesis by determining the relative volumes of ultramafic bodies and basaltic lavas, thereby better constraining the overall process of LIP emplacement.

Deep Crustal Structure beneath Large Igneous Provinces and the Petrologic Evolution of Flood Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, M. A.; Ridley, V. A.

2010-12-01

We present a review of seismological constraints on deep crustal structures underlying large igneous provinces (LIPs), largely from wide-angle seismic refraction surveys. The main purpose of this review is to ascertain whether this seismic evidence is consistent with, or contrary to, petrological models for the genesis of flood basalt lavas. Where high-quality data are available beneath continental flood basalt (CFB) provinces (Emeishan, Columbia River, Deccan, Siberia), high-velocity structures (Vp ~6.9-7.5 km/sec) are typically found immediately overlying the Moho in layers of order ~5-15 km thick. Oceanic plateau (OP) LIPs exhibit similar layers, with a conspicuous layer of very high crustal velocity (Vp~7.7 km/sec) beneath the enormous Ontong-Java plateau. These structures are similar to inferred ultramafic underplating structures seen beneath active hotspots such as Hawaii, the Marquesas, and La Reunion. Petrogenetic models for flood basalt volcanism based on hot plume melting beneath mature lithosphere suggest that these deep seismic structures may consist in large part of cumulate bodies of olivine and clinopyroxene which result from ponding and deep-crustal fractionation of ultramafic primary melts. Such fractionation is necessary to produce basalts with typical MgO contents of ~6-8%, as observed for the vast bulk of observed flood basalts, from primary melts with MgO contents of order ~15-18% (or greater) such as result from hot, deep melting beneath the lithosphere. The volumes of cumulate bodies and ultramafic intrusions in the lowermost crust, often described in the literature as “underplating,” are comparable to those of the overlying basaltic formations, also consistent with petrological models. Further definition of the deep seismic structure beneath such prominent LIPs as the Ontong-Java Plateau could place better constraints on flood basalt petrogenesis by determining the relative volumes of ultramafic bodies and basaltic lavas, thereby better constraining the overall process of LIP emplacement.

Deep Crustal Melting and the Survival of Continental Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitney, D.; Teyssier, C. P.; Rey, P. F.; Korchinski, M.

2017-12-01

Plate convergence involving continental lithosphere leads to crustal melting, which ultimately stabilizes the crust because it drives rapid upward flow of hot deep crust, followed by rapid cooling at shallow levels. Collision drives partial melting during crustal thickening (at 40-75 km) and/or continental subduction (at 75-100 km). These depths are not typically exceeded by crustal rocks that are exhumed in each setting because partial melting significantly decreases viscosity, facilitating upward flow of deep crust. Results from numerical models and nature indicate that deep crust moves laterally and then vertically, crystallizing at depths as shallow as 2 km. Deep crust flows en masse, without significant segregation of melt into magmatic bodies, over 10s of kms of vertical transport. This is a major mechanism by which deep crust is exhumed and is therefore a significant process of heat and mass transfer in continental evolution. The result of vertical flow of deep, partially molten crust is a migmatite dome. When lithosphere is under extension or transtension, the deep crust is solicited by faulting of the brittle upper crust, and the flow of deep crust in migmatite domes traverses nearly the entire thickness of orogenic crust in <10 million years. This cycle of burial, partial melting, rapid ascent, and crystallization/cooling preserves the continents from being recycled into the mantle by convergent tectonic processes over geologic time. Migmatite domes commonly preserve a record of high-T - low-P metamorphism. Domes may also contain rocks or minerals that record high-T - high-P conditions, including high-P metamorphism broadly coeval with host migmatite, evidence for the deep crustal origin of migmatite. There exists a spectrum of domes, from entirely deep-sourced to mixtures of deep and shallow sources. Controlling factors in deep vs. shallow sources are relative densities of crustal layers and rate of extension: fast extension (cm/yr) promotes efficient ascent of deep crust, whereas slow extension (mm/yr) produces significantly less exhumation. Recognition of the importance of migmatite (gneiss) domes as archives of orogenic deep crust is applicable to determining the chemical and physical properties of continental crust, as well as mechanisms and timescales of crustal differentiation.

Geothermal Heat Flux and Upper Mantle Viscosity across West Antarctica: Insights from the UKANET and POLENET Seismic Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donnell, J. P.; Dunham, C.; Stuart, G. W.; Brisbourne, A.; Nield, G. A.; Whitehouse, P. L.; Hooper, A. J.; Nyblade, A.; Wiens, D.; Aster, R. C.; Anandakrishnan, S.; Huerta, A. D.; Wilson, T. J.; Winberry, J. P.

2017-12-01

Quantifying the geothermal heat flux at the base of ice sheets is necessary to understand their dynamics and evolution. The heat flux is a composite function of concentration of upper crustal radiogenic elements and flow of heat from the mantle into the crust. Radiogenic element concentration varies with tectonothermal age, while heat flow across the crust-mantle boundary depends on crustal and lithospheric thicknesses. Meanwhile, accurately monitoring current ice mass loss via satellite gravimetry or altimetry hinges on knowing the upper mantle viscosity structure needed to account for the superimposed glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) signal in the satellite data. In early 2016 the UK Antarctic Network (UKANET) of 10 broadband seismometers was deployed for two years across the southern Antarctic Peninsula and Ellsworth Land. Using UKANET data in conjunction with seismic records from our partner US Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET) and the Antarctic Seismographic Argentinian Italian Network (ASAIN), we have developed a 3D shear wave velocity model of the West Antarctic crust and uppermost mantle based on Rayleigh and Love wave phase velocity dispersion curves extracted from ambient noise cross-correlograms. We combine seismic receiver functions with the shear wave model to help constrain the depth to the crust-mantle boundary across West Antarctica and delineate tectonic domains. The shear wave model is subsequently converted to temperature using a database of densities and elastic properties of minerals common in crustal and mantle rocks, while the various tectonic domains are assigned upper crustal radiogenic element concentrations based on their inferred tectonothermal ages. We combine this information to map the basal geothermal heat flux variation across West Antarctica. Mantle viscosity depends on factors including temperature, grain size, the hydrogen content of olivine and the presence of melt. Using published mantle xenolith and magnetotelluric data to constrain grain size and hydrogen content, respectively, we use the temperature model to estimate the regional upper mantle viscosity structure. The viscosity information will be incorporated in a 3D GIA model that will better constrain estimates of current ice loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

New insight on the paleoproterozoic evolution of the São Francisco Craton: Reinterpretation of the geology, the suture zones and the thicknesses of the crustal blocks using geophysical and geological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sampaio, Edson E. S.; Barbosa, Johildo S. F.; Correa-Gomes, Luiz C.

2017-07-01

The Archean-Paleoproterozoic Jequié (JB) and Itabuna-Salvador-Curaçá (ISCB) blocks and their tectonic transition zone in the Valença region, Bahia, Brazil are potentially important for ore deposits, but the geological knowledge of the area is still meager. The paucity of geological information restricts the knowledge of the position and of the field characteristics of the tectonic suture zone between these two crustal segments JB and ISCB. Therefore, interpretation of geophysical data is necessary to supplement the regional structural and petrological knowledge of the area as well as to assist mining exploration programs. The analysis of the airborne radiometric and magnetic data of the region has established, respectively, five radiometric domains and five magnetic zones. Modeling of a gravity profile has defined the major density contrasts of the deep structures. The integrated interpretation of the geophysical data fitted to the known geological information substantially improved the suture zone (lower plate JB versus upper plate ISCB) delimitation, the geological map of the area and allowed to estimate the thicknesses of these two blocks, and raised key questions about the São Francisco Craton tectonic evolution.

The crustal structure of Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada—teleseismic mapping across a remote intraplate orogenic belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiffer, Christian; Stephenson, Randell; Oakey, Gordon N.; Jacobsen, Bo H.

2016-03-01

Ellesmere Island in Arctic Canada displays a complex geological evolution. The region was affected by two distinct orogenies, the Palaeozoic Ellesmerian orogeny (the Caledonian equivalent in Arctic Canada and Northern Greenland) and the Palaeogene Eurekan orogeny, related to the opening of Baffin Bay and the consequent convergence of the Greenland plate. The details of this complex evolution and the present-day deep structure are poorly constrained in this remote area and deep geophysical data are sparse. Receiver function analysis of seven temporary broad-band seismometers of the Ellesmere Island Lithosphere Experiment complemented by two permanent stations provides important data on the crustal velocity structure of Ellesmere Island. The crustal expression of the northernmost tectonic block of Ellesmere Island (˜82°-83°N), Pearya, which was accreted during the Ellesmerian orogeny, is similar to that at the southernmost part, which is part of the Precambrian Laurentian (North America-Greenland) craton. Both segments have thick crystalline crust (˜35-36 km) and comparable velocity-depth profiles. In contrast, crustal thickness in central Ellesmere Island decreases from ˜24-30 km in the Eurekan fold and thrust belt (˜79.7°-80.6°N) to ˜16-20 km in the Hazen Stable Block (HSB; ˜80.6°-81.4°N) and is covered by a thick succession of metasediments. A deep crustal root (˜48 km) at ˜79.6°N is interpreted as cratonic crust flexed beneath the Eurekan fold and thrust belt. The Carboniferous to Palaeogene sedimentary succession of the Sverdrup Basin is inferred to be up to 1-4 km thick, comparable to geologically-based estimates, near the western margin of the HSB.

Crustal fingering: solidification on a viscously unstable interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Xiaojing; Jimenez-Martinez, Joaquin; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis; Porter, Mark; Juanes, Ruben

2017-11-01

Motivated by the formation of gas hydrates in seafloor sediments, here we study the volumetric expansion of a less viscous gas pocket into a more viscous liquid when the gas-liquid interfaces readily solidify due to hydrate formation. We first present a high-pressure microfluidic experiment to study the depressurization-controlled expansion of a Xenon gas pocket in a water-filled Hele-Shaw cell. The evolution of the pocket is controlled by three processes: (1) volumetric expansion of the gas; (2) rupturing of existing hydrate films on the gas-liquid interface; and (3) formation of new hydrate films. These result in gas fingering leading to a complex labyrinth pattern. To reproduce these observations, we propose a phase-field model that describes the formation of hydrate shell on viscously unstable interfaces. We design the free energy of the three-phase system to rigorously account for interfacial effects, gas compressibility and phase transitions. We model the hydrate shell as a highly viscous fluid with shear-thinning rheology to reproduce shell-rupturing behavior. We present high-resolution numerical simulations of the model, which illustrate the emergence of complex crustal fingering patterns as a result of gas expansion dynamics modulated by hydrate growth at the interface.

Magma-assisted rifting in Ethiopia.

PubMed

Kendall, J-M; Stuart, G W; Ebinger, C J; Bastow, I D; Keir, D

2005-01-13

The rifting of continents and evolution of ocean basins is a fundamental component of plate tectonics, yet the process of continental break-up remains controversial. Plate driving forces have been estimated to be as much as an order of magnitude smaller than those required to rupture thick continental lithosphere. However, Buck has proposed that lithospheric heating by mantle upwelling and related magma production could promote lithospheric rupture at much lower stresses. Such models of mechanical versus magma-assisted extension can be tested, because they predict different temporal and spatial patterns of crustal and upper-mantle structure. Changes in plate deformation produce strain-enhanced crystal alignment and increased melt production within the upper mantle, both of which can cause seismic anisotropy. The Northern Ethiopian Rift is an ideal place to test break-up models because it formed in cratonic lithosphere with minor far-field plate stresses. Here we present evidence of seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle of this rift zone using observations of shear-wave splitting. Our observations, together with recent geological data, indicate a strong component of melt-induced anisotropy with only minor crustal stretching, supporting the magma-assisted rifting model in this area of initially cold, thick continental lithosphere.

Crustal structure beneath Namche Barwa, eastern Himalayan syntaxis: New insights from three-dimensional magnetotelluric imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Changhong; Peng, Miao; Tan, Handong; Xu, Zhiqin; Li, Zhong-Hai; Kong, Wenxin; Tong, Tuo; Wang, Mao; Zeng, Weihua

2017-07-01

The eastern terminations of the Himalayan orogeny, named Namche Barwa, are considered a vital natural laboratory in the Tibetan plateau for geodynamics due to its distinctive geological and geomorphological characteristics. Magnetotelluric (MT) data measured at 83 sites around the Namche Barwa are imaged by three-dimensional (3-D) inversion to better reveal the crustal structure of the eastern Himalaya. The results show a complex and heterogeneous electrical structure beneath the Namche Barwa. The electrical conductors distributed in the middle and lower crust around the Namche Barwa provide additional evidence for the "crustal flow" model if they are considered as some parts of the flow in a relatively large-scale region. The near-surface resistivity model beneath the inner part of Namche Barwa conforms with the locations of hot spring and fluid inclusions, the brittle-ductile transition, and the 300°C-400°C isotherm from previous hydrothermal studies. Relatively resistive upper crust (>800 Ωm) is underlain by a more conductive middle to lower crust (<80 Ωm). The electrical characteristics of the thermal structure at shallow depth indicate an accumulation of hydrous melting, a localized conductive steep dipping zone for decompression melting consistent with the "tectonic aneurysm" model for explaining the exhumation mechanism of metamorphic rocks at Namche Barwa. The results also imply that both surface processes and local tectonic responses play a vital role in the evolution of Namche Barwa. An alternative hypothesis that the primary sustained heat source accounts for the local thermal-rheological structure beneath Namche Barwa is also discussed.

Global variations in gravity-derived oceanic crustal thickness: Implications on oceanic crustal accretion and hotspot-lithosphere interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, J.; Zhu, J.

2012-12-01

We present a new global model of oceanic crustal thickness based on inversion of global oceanic gravity anomaly with constrains from seismic crustal thickness profiles. We first removed from the observed marine free-air gravity anomaly all gravitational effects that can be estimated and removed using independent constraints, including the effects of seafloor topography, marine sediment thickness, and the age-dependent thermal structure of the oceanic lithosphere. We then calculated models of gravity-derived crustal thickness through inversion of the residual mantle Bouguer anomaly using best-fitting gravity-modeling parameters obtained from comparison with seismically determined crustal thickness profiles. Modeling results show that about 5% of the global crustal volume (or 9% of the global oceanic surface area) is associated with model crustal thickness <5.2 km (designated as "thin" crust), while 56% of the crustal volume (or 65% of the surface area) is associated with crustal thickness of 5.2-8.6 km thick (designated as "normal" crust). The remaining 39% of the crustal volume (or 26% of the surface area) is associated with crustal thickness >8.6 km and is interpreted to have been affected by excess magmatism. The percentage of oceanic crustal volume that is associated with thick crustal thickness (>8.6 km) varies greatly among tectonic plates: Pacific (33%), Africa (50%), Antarctic (33%), Australia (30%), South America (34%), Nazca (23%), North America (47%), India (74%), Eurasia (68%), Cocos (20%), Philippine (26%), Scotia (41%), Caribbean (89%), Arabian (82%), and Juan de Fuca (21%). We also found that distribution of thickened oceanic crust (>8.6 km) seems to depend on spreading rate and lithospheric age: (1) On ocean basins younger than 5 Ma, regions of thickened crust are predominantly associated with slow and ultraslow spreading ridges. The relatively strong lithospheric plate at slow and ultraslow ridges might facilitate the loading of large magmatic emplacements on the plate. (2) In contrast, crustal thickness near fast and intermediately fast spreading ridges typically does not exceed 7-8 km. The relatively weak lithosphere at fast and intermediately fast ridges might make it harder for excess magmatism to accrete. We further speculate that the relatively wide partial melting zones in the upper mantle beneath the fast and intermediately fast ridges might act as "buffer" zones, thus diluting the melt anomalies from the underlying hotspots or regions of mantle heterogeneities. (3) As the crustal age increases and the lithospheric plate thickens, regions of thickened crust start to develop on ocean basins that were originally created at fast and intermediately fast ridges. The integrated crustal volume for fast and intermediately fast ocean crust appears to reach peak values for certain geological periods, such as 40-50 Ma and 70-80 Ma. The newly constructed global models of gravity-derived crustal thickness, combining with geochemical and other constraints, can be used to investigate the processes of oceanic crustal accretion and hotspot-lithosphere interactions.

Constraints on Early Mars Evolution and Dichotomy Origin from Relaxation Modeling of Dichotomy Boundary in the Ismenius Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guest, A.; Smrekar, S. E.

2004-01-01

The Martian dichotomy is a global feature separating the northern and southern hemispheres. The 3.5 - 4 Gyr old feature is manifested by a topographic difference of 2-6 km and crustal thickness difference of approx. 15 - 30 km between the two hemispheres. In the Ismenius region, sections of the boundary are characterized by a single scarp with a slope of approx. 20 deg. - 23 deg. and are believed to be among the most well preserved parts of the dichotomy boundary. The origin of the dichotomy is unknown. Endogenic hypotheses do not predict the steep slopes (scarps) of the dichotomy boundary. Exogenic models for forming the northern lowlands by impact cratering, associate the scarps along the dichotomy boundary with craters' rims, but are not globally consistent with the topography and gravity. In order to better understand the origin of the Martian dichotomy, it is necessary to know if the steep scarps along the boundary represent the original shape of the dichotomy. Smrekar et al. presented evidence showing that the boundary scarp in Ismenius is a fault along which the highland crust was down faulted. We test whether the relaxation process could produce faulting along the dichotomy boundary and examine the crustal and mantle conditions that would allow for faulting to occur within 1 Gyr and preserve the long wavelength topography over another 3 Gyr. We approach the problem by a combination of numerical and semi-analytical modeling. We test different viscosity profiles and crustal thicknesses by comparing our modeled magnitude, location and timing of plastic strain and displacements to detailed geologic observations in the Ismenius region.

Crustal deformation mechanism in southeastern Tibetan Plateau: Insights from numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Liu, S.; Chen, L.

2017-12-01

The Indo-Asian collision developed the complicated crustal deformation around the southeastern Tibetan plateau. Numerous models have proposed to explain the crustal deformation, but the mechanism remains controversial, especially the increasing multi-geophysics data, which demonstrate the existence of lower velocity, lower resistivity and high conductivity, implying that lower crustal flow is responsible for the crustal deformation, arguing for the lower crust flow model. To address the relations between the crust flow and the surface deformation, we employ a three-dimensional viscoelastic finite model to investigate the possible influence on the surface deformation, and discuss the stress field distribution under the model. Our preliminary results suggest that lower crustal flow plays an important role in crustal deformation in southeastern Tibetan plateau. The best fitting is achieved when the flow velocity of the lower crust is approximately 10-11 mm/a faster than that of the upper crust. Crustal rheological properties affect regional crustal deformation, when the viscosity of the middle and lower crust in the South China block reaches 1022 and 1023 Pa.s, respectively; the predicted match observations well, especially for the magnitude within the South China block. The maximum principal stress field exhibits clear zoning, gradually shifting from an approximately east-west orientation in the northern Bayan Har block to southeast in the South China block, southwest in the western Yunnan block, and a radially divergent distribution in the Middle Yunnan and Southern Yunnan blocks.

From crustal thinning to mantle exhumation: what the Pyrenean breccia formations tell us.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clerc, C.; Chauvet, A.; Lagabrielle, Y.; Reynaud, J.-Y.; Boulvais, P.; Bousquet, R.; Lahfid, A.; Vauchez, A.; Mahé, S.

2012-04-01

Several formations with various breccia types occur in Mesozoic basins disseminated along the North Pyrenean fault, on the northern flank of the French Pyrenees. Due to their location along the Iberia-Europa plate boundary, the North Pyrenean breccia formations represent complex archives documenting the tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the Pyrenean realm during the Aptian-Albian period. In particular, the North Pyrenean breccia formations have recorded the main stages of crustal thinning, continental break-up and mantle exhumation, which occurred along the North Pyrenean Zone (NPZ). We will review the main sedimentary, structural, metamorphic and geochemical characters of these breccias, based on new field investigations conducted in both the Western and Eastern Pyrenées (Agly, Aulus, Moncaup-St Béas and Urdach localities). Based on our new founding, we re-intrepret the significance of the breccia formations in the light of the most recent models developed for the pre-orogenic evolution of the Pyrenees. In several places and mostly close to the contact between Paleozoic basement and Mesozoic cover, we systematically recognized the following three types of breccias: i) Semi-ductile syn-metamorphic breccias resulting from the boudinage of silicic or dolomitic beddings in ductily deformed marbles. ii) Cataclastic breccias disturbing the neighbouring host rocks and displaying a relatively monogenetic character. These tectonic breccias result from the disruption of the Mesozoic metamorphic platform under cooling conditions. They are dominated by cataclastic levels mainly located in the Triassic and Liassic weaker levels, iii) Polymictic sedimentary breccias, which composition is dominated by clasts of Mesozoic metasediments. Locally, close to subcontinental mantle bodies, the sedimentary breccias include numerous clasts of ultramafic and/or crustal basement rocks. Such breccias are the witness of the disruption of the sedimentary cover of the North Pyrenean Zone massifs followed by clastic sedimentation in a context of hyper-extended crust and mantle exhumation. Improving the knowledge of the formation of the different types of breccia exposed all along the Northern Pyrenees brings important hints to decipher the tectonic history responsible for the formation of the metamorphic basins and the exhumation (and reworking) of deep crustal and mantle rocks in the NPZ.

Decoding magma plumbing and geochemical evolution beneath the Lastarria volcanic complex (Northern Chile)-Evidence for multiple magma storage regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stechern, André; Just, Tobias; Holtz, François; Blume-Oeste, Magdalena; Namur, Olivier

2017-05-01

The petrology of quaternary andesites and dacites from Lastarria volcano was investigated to reconstruct the magma plumbing and storage conditions beneath the volcano. The mineral phase compositions and whole-rock major and trace element compositions were used to constrain temperature, pressure and possible mechanisms for magma differentiation. The applied thermobarometric models include two-pyroxene thermobarometry, plagioclase-melt thermometry, amphibole composition thermobarometry, and Fe-Ti oxide thermo-oxybarometry. The overall temperature estimation is in the range 840 °C to 1060 °C. Calculated oxygen fugacity ranges between NNO to NNO + 1. Results of the geo-barometric calculations reveal multiple magma storage regions, with a distinct storage level in the uppermost crust ( 6.5-8 km depth), a broad zone at mid-crustal levels ( 10-18 km depth), and a likely deeper zone at intermediate to lower crustal levels (> 20 km depth). The highest temperatures in the range 940-1040 °C are recorded in minerals stored in the mid-crustal levels ( 10-18 km depth). The whole-rock compositions clearly indicate that magma mixing is the main parameter controlling the general differentiation trends. Complex zoning patterns and textures in the plagioclase phenocrysts confirm reheating and remobilization processes due to magma replenishment.

Tectonic control of erosion in the southern Central Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Val, Pedro; Venerdini, Agostina L.; Ouimet, William; Alvarado, Patricia; Hoke, Gregory D.

2018-01-01

Landscape evolution modeling and global compilations of exhumation data indicate that a wetter climate, mainly through orographic rainfall, can govern the spatial distribution of erosion rates and crustal strain across an orogenic wedge. However, detecting this link is not straightforward since these relationships can be modulated by tectonic forcing and/or obscured by heavy-tailed frequencies of catchment discharge. This study combines new and published along-strike average rates of catchment erosion constrained by 10Be and river-gauge data in the Central Andes between 28°S and 36°S. These data reveal a nearly identical latitudinal pattern in erosion rates on both sides of the range, reaching a maximum of 0.27 mm/a near 34°S. Collectively, data on topographic and fluvial relief, variability of rainfall and discharge, and crustal seismicity suggest that the along-strike pattern of erosion rates in the southern Central Andes is largely independent of climate, but closely relates to the N-S distribution of shallow crustal seismicity and diachronous surface uplift. The consistently high erosion rates on either side of the orogen near 34°S imply that climate plays a secondary role in the mass flux through an orogenic wedge where the perturbation to base level is similar on both sides.

Curie surface of Borborema Province, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correa, Raphael T.; Vidotti, Roberta M.; Oksum, Erdinc

2016-06-01

The Curie surface interpreted from magnetic data through spatial frequency domain techniques is used to provide information on the thermal structure of Borborema Province. The Borborema Province is part of the neoproterozoic collision of an orogenic system situated between the São Francisco-Congo and São Luís-West Africa cratons, which formed the Gondwana Supercontinent. The Curie surface of Borborema Province varies from 18 to 59 km, which reveals the complexity in the crustal composition of the study area. The thermal structure shows different crustal blocks separated by the main shear zones, which corroborates the evolution model of allochthonous terranes. The Curie surface signature for the west portion of Pernambuco Shear Zone may indicate processes of mantle serpentinization, once the Curie isotherm is deeper than Mohorovic discontinuity. In this region, the amplitude of Bouguer anomaly decreases, which corroborates long wavelength anomaly observed in the magnetic anomaly. We interpreted this pattern as evidence of the Brasiliano-Pan-Africano's subduction/collision event. Earthquakes in the region are concentrated mainly in shallow Curie surface regions (less resistant crust) and in transition zones between warm and cold blocks. We calculated the horizontal gradient of the Curie depth to emphasize the signature of contact between the thermal blocks. These regions mark possible crustal discontinuities, and have high correlation with orogenic gold occurrence in the study area.

Permanent uplift in magmatic systems with application to the Tharsis region of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, R. J.; Sleep, N. H.; Banerdt, W. B.

1990-04-01

A model is derived for predicting both crustal displacement (leading to permanent uplift) and topographic elevation in regional large-scale magmatic systems associated with partial melting of mantle rocks. The model is then applied to the Tharsis region of Mars to test the uplift versus construction. It was found that a lower bound estimate of the fraction of intrusives necessary for any uplift at all is about 85 percent of the total magmatic products at Tharsis. Thus, it is proposed that most of the magmas associated with Tharsis evolution ended up as intrusive bodies in the crust and upper mantle.

Permanent uplift in magmatic systems with application to the Tharsis region of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, Roger J.; Sleep, Norman H.; Banerdt, W. Bruce

1990-01-01

A model is derived for predicting both crustal displacement (leading to permanent uplift) and topographic elevation in regional large-scale magmatic systems associated with partial melting of mantle rocks. The model is then applied to the Tharsis region of Mars to test the uplift versus construction. It was found that a lower bound estimate of the fraction of intrusives necessary for any uplift at all is about 85 percent of the total magmatic products at Tharsis. Thus, it is proposed that most of the magmas associated with Tharsis evolution ended up as intrusive bodies in the crust and upper mantle.

The Imaging and Evolution of Seismic Layer 2A Thickness from a 0-70 Ma Oceanic Crustal Transect in the South Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estep, J. D.; Reece, R.; Kardell, D. A.; Christeson, G. L.; Carlson, R. L.

2017-12-01

Seismic layer 2A, the uppermost igneous portion of oceanic crust, is commonly used to refer to the seismic velocities of upper crust that are bounded below by a steep vertical velocity gradient. Layer 2A velocities are known to increase with crustal age, from 2.5 km/s in crust <1 Ma to 4.5-5 km/s in crust >15 Ma. Thickness of layer 2A has been shown to increase by a factor of 2 within 1 Ma at fast spreading ridges and then remain relatively constant, while layer 2A maintains a fairly consistent thickness, irrespective of age, at slow-intermediate spreading ridges. Layer 2A thickness and velocity evolution studies to date have been largely focused on young oceanic crust very proximal to a spreading center with little investigation of changes (or lack thereof) that occur at crustal ages >10 Ma. We utilize a multichannel seismic dataset collected at 30° S in the western South Atlantic that continuously images 0 - 70 Ma oceanic crust along a single flowline generated at the slow-intermediate spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge. We follow the methods of previous studies by processing the data to image the layer 2A event, which is then used for calculating thickness. 1D travel time forward modeling at regularly spaced age intervals across the transect provides for the conversion of time to depth thickness, and for determining the evolution of velocities with age. Our results show layer 2A in 20 Ma crust is roughly double the thickness of that in crust 0-5 Ma (830 vs. 440 m), but thickness does not appear to change beyond 20 Ma. The layer 2A event is readily observable in crust 0-50 Ma, is nearly completely absent in crust 50-65 Ma, and then reappears with anomalously high amplitude and lateral continuity in crust 65-70 Ma. Our results suggest that layer 2A thickens with age at the slow-intermediate spreading southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and that layer 2A either continues to evolve at the older crustal ages, well beyond the expected 10-15 Ma "mature age", or that external factors have altered the crust at 65-70 Ma. The proximity and thermal influence of the Rio Grande Rise might explain the anomalous appearance of the layer 2A event at the older ages of crust for the study.

The evolution of the magmatic arc of Southern Peru (200-60 Ma), Arequipa area: insight from geochemical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demouy, S.; Benoit, M.; De Saint Blanquat, M.; Brunet, P.

2012-12-01

Cordilleran-type batholiths are built by prolonged arc activity along continental margins and may provide detailed magmatic records of the subduction system evolution. The magmas produced in subduction context involve both mantellic and crustal end members and are subject to various petrological processes. The MASH zones (Hildreth and Moorbath, 1988), at the basis of the continental crust, are the best places for the genesis of such hybrid magmas. The various geochemical signatures observed in the plutonic rocks, may also be attributed to source heterogeneities or generated by subsequent petrological processes. This study has focused in the Arequipa section of the Coastal Batholith of Southern Peru (200-60 Ma), in an area extending over 80x40 km. Major and trace elements as well as Sr and Nd isotopic analyses were performed in a set of 100 samples ranging from gabbro to granite. The obtained data highlight the wide heterogeneity of the geochemical signatures that is not related to the classification of the rocks. In first step, Rb/Sr systematic was used to isolate a set of samples plotting along a Paleocene isochron and defining a cogenetic suite. This suite appears to have evolved by simple fractional crystallization. By using reverse modeling, the parameters controlling the fractional crystallization process were defined, as partition coefficients, initial concentrations and amount of fractional crystallization. The other magmatic suites display a wide range of isotopic and geochemical signatures. To explain this heterogeneity, a model involving competition between fractional crystallization and magma mixing into MASH zones was proposed. A large range of hybrid magma types is potentially generated during the maturation of the system, but this range tends to disappear as fractionation and mixing occurs. Finally the model predicts the genesis of a homogeneous reservoir created at depth, from which magmas may evolve only by fractional crystallization. Therefore stabilization of this reservoir is directly related to the thermal conditions present at the basis of the continental crust, and allows the production of large volumes at the batholiths level, known as flare-up events. These results are critical in order to estimate the amount of crustal growth and thickening in the Arequipa area, as they provide the basis for the estimation of the mantle versus crustal contribution during the magma genesis.

The influence of tectonic inheritance on crustal extension style following failed subduction of continental crust: applications to metamorphic core complexes in Papua New Guinea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biemiller, J.; Ellis, S. M.; Little, T.; Mizera, M.; Wallace, L. M.; Lavier, L.

2017-12-01

The structural, mechanical and geometric evolution of rifted continental crust depends on the lithospheric conditions in the region prior to the onset of extension. In areas where tectonic activity preceded rift initiation, structural and physical properties of the previous tectonic regime may be inherited by the rift and influence its development. Many continental rifts form and exhume metamorphic core complexes (MCCs), coherent exposures of deep crustal rocks which typically surface as arched or domed structures. MCCs are exhumed in regions where the faulted upper crust is displaced laterally from upwelling ductile material along a weak detachment fault. Some MCCs form during extensional inversion of a subduction thrust following failed subduction of continental crust, but the degree to which lithospheric conditions inherited from the preceding subduction phase control the extensional style in these systems remains unclear. For example, the Dayman Dome in Southeastern Papua New Guinea exposes prehnite-pumpellyite to greenschist facies rocks in a smooth 3 km-high dome exhumed with at least 24 km of slip along one main detachment normal fault, the Mai'iu Fault, which dips 21° at the surface. The extension driving this exhumation is associated with the cessation of northward subduction of Australian continental crust beneath the oceanic lithosphere of the Woodlark Plate. We use geodynamic models to explore the effect of pre-existing crustal structures inherited from the preceding subduction phase on the style of rifting. We show that different geometries and strengths of inherited subduction shear zones predict three distinct modes of subsequent rift development: 1) symmetric rifting by newly formed high-angle normal faults; 2) asymmetric rifting along a weak low-angle detachment fault extending from the surface to the brittle-ductile transition; and 3) extension along a rolling-hinge structure which exhumes deep crustal rocks in coherent rounded exposures. We propose the latter mode as an exhumation model for Dayman Dome and compare the model predictions to regional geophysical and geological evidence. Our models find that tectonically inherited subduction structures may strongly control subsequent extension style when the subduction thrust is weak and well-oriented for reactivation.

Rheological implications of sediment transport for continental rifting and its impact in margin geometry and major unconformities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andres-Martinez, Miguel; Perez-Gussinye, Marta; Armitage, John; Morgan, Jason

2016-04-01

The inner dynamics of the Earth such as mantle convection, geochemical reactions and isostasy have been typically interpreted as the main engine of plate tectonics and crustal deformation. However, nowadays it is well established that processes transporting material along the surface of the Earth influence the inner dynamics. Surface processes play a key role particularly during rifting, where great subsidence rates occur at synrift basins while shoulder uplift provides rock to be eroded for later infilling of these basins. Erosion implies unloading of the crust which favours uplift, and sedimentation at basins results in loading which favours subsidence. Consequently, erosion and sedimentation amplify stresses and the flexural response of the lithosphere in situations with extensive faulting. These changes to the stress field may be large enough to result in changes in the evolution of rifting and its modes of extension. Additionally, higher subsidence rates and thermal blanketing due to sediments may result in higher geotherms and consequently, a weaker/more-viscous behaviour of the crustal rocks. This would also have a large impact on the deformation style during extension. Here, we explore the interactions between surface processes and tectonics using numerical modelling. Experiments are run with the absence of sediment transport and with different sediment transport regimes for 35 and 40 km crustal thicknesses. Tests with higher transport coefficient show more effective localization of deformation into upper crustal faults which results in effective crustal thinning, larger blocks and longer-lived faults. Our experiments also prove that more effective surface processes reduce the length of margins generated by sequential faulting. For our end member situations, high sedimentation rates lead to pure shear extension of the crust induced by high temperatures, which finally results in broad extension and symmetric margins. Furthermore, our model allows for the recovery of predicted sediment stratigraphic patterns. Major unconformities that separate synrift from sag-basin-type sediments are observed in these pseudo-strata patterns. Here, we also address the meaning of these major unconformities and their relationship to the time of breakup.

The evolution of volcanism, tectonics, and volatiles on Mars - An overview of recent progress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimbelman, James R.; Solomon, Sean C.; Sharpton, Virgil L.

1991-01-01

Significant results of the 'Mars: Evolution of Volcanism, Tectonics, and Volatiles' (MEVTV) project are presented. The data for the project are based on geological mapping from the Viking images, petrologic and chemical analyses of SNC meteorites, and both mapping and temporal grouping of major fault systems. The origin of the planet's crustal dichotomy is examined in detail, the kinematics and formation of wrinkle ridges are discussed, and some new theories are set forth. Because the SNC meteorites vary petrologically and isotopically, the sources of the parental Martian magma are heterogeneous. Transcurrent faulting coupled with the extensional strains that form Valles Marineris suggest early horizontal movement of lithospheric blocks. A theory which connects the formation of the crustal dichotomy to the Tharsis region associates the horizontal motions with plate tectonics that generated a new lithosphere.

Ion Densities in the Nightside Ionosphere of Mars: Effects of Electron Impact Ionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girazian, Z.; Mahaffy, P.; Lillis, R. J.; Benna, M.; Elrod, M.; Fowler, C. M.; Mitchell, D. L.

2017-11-01

We use observations from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission to show how superthermal electron fluxes and crustal magnetic fields affect ion densities in the nightside ionosphere of Mars. We find that due to electron impact ionization, high electron fluxes significantly increase the CO2+, O+, and O2+ densities below 200 km but only modestly increase the NO+ density. High electron fluxes also produce distinct peaks in the CO2+, O+, and O2+ altitude profiles. We also find that superthermal electron fluxes are smaller near strong crustal magnetic fields. Consequently, nightside ion densities are also smaller near strong crustal fields because they decay without being replenished by electron impact ionization. Furthermore, the NO+/O2+ ratio is enhanced near strong crustal fields because, in the absence of electron impact ionization, O2+ is converted into NO+ and not replenished. Our results show that electron impact ionization is a significant source of CO2+, O+, and O2+ in the nightside ionosphere of Mars.

Evolution of the Southern Guinea Plateau: Implications on Guinea-Demerara Plateau formation using insights from seismic, subsidence, and gravity data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olyphant, Jared R.; Johnson, Roy A.; Hughes, Amanda N.

2017-10-01

The Guinea Plateau (offshore Guinea) and its conjugate, the Demerara Plateau (offshore French Guiana), comprise two of the most prominent passive continental margins in the Atlantic Ocean. The conjugate plateaus formed as a result of two periods of rifting, the Jurassic opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean and the northward-propagating Cretaceous opening of the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Although several studies are published on the Demerara Plateau that explain the evolution of its multi-rift history and the effect of rifting on its distinct geometry, the Guinea Plateau, and in particular its south-eastern margin, remain relatively unexplored in the literature. Here we present interpretations of the structure and evolution of the Guinea Plateau using recent 2-D and 3-D seismic-reflection data collected at the intersection of the southern and eastern margins. We substantiate our study with calculated subsidence curves at four locations along the southern margin, as well as two 2-D gravity forward models along regional seismic-reflection profiles to estimate stretching factors (β) and crustal thicknesses. We combine our results with previous studies concerning the south-western Guinea margin, and compare them to published interpretations regarding the conjugate margins of the Demerara Plateau. The resolved amounts of rift-related volcanism, listric-style normal faults, and moderate stretching factors suggest that a component of upper-crustal asymmetry (simple shear) and depth-dependent stretching may have persisted at the Demerara-Guinea conjugate margins during Cretaceous rifting of the equatorial segment of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.

The Upper- to Middle-Crustal Section of the Alisitos Oceanic Arc, (Baja, Mexico): an Analog of the Izu-Bonin-Marianas (IBM) Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medynski, S.; Busby, C.; DeBari, S. M.; Morris, R.; Andrews, G. D.; Brown, S. R.; Schmitt, A. K.

2016-12-01

The Rosario segment of the Cretaceous Alisitos arc in Baja California is an outstanding field analog for the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) arc, because it is structurally intact, unmetamorphosed, and has superior three-dimensional exposures of an upper- to middle-crustal section through an extensional oceanic arc. Previous work1, done in the pre-digital era, used geologic mapping to define two phases of arc evolution, with normal faulting in both phases: (1) extensional oceanic arc, with silicic calderas, and (2) oceanic arc rifting, with widespread diking and dominantly mafic effusions. Our new geochemical data match the extensional zone immediately behind the Izu arc front, and is different from the arc front and rear arc, consistent with geologic relations. Our study is developing a 3D oceanic arc crustal model, with geologic maps draped on Google Earth images, and GPS-located outcrop information linked to new geochemical, geochronological and petrographic data, with the goal of detailing the relationships between plutonic, hypabyssal, and volcanic rocks. This model will be used by scientists as a reference model for past (IBM-1, 2, 3) and proposed IBM (IBM-4) drilling activities. New single-crystal zircon analysis by TIMS supports the interpretation, based on batch SIMS analysis of chemically-abraded zircon1, that the entire upper-middle crustal section accumulated in about 1.5 Myr. Like the IBM, volcanic zircons are very sparse, but zircon chemistry on the plutonic rocks shows trace element compositions that overlap to those measured in IBM volcanic zircons by A. Schmitt (unpublished data). Zircons have U-Pb ages up to 20 Myr older than the eruptive age, suggesting remelting of older parts of the arc, similar to that proposed for IBM (using different evidence). Like IBM, some very old zircons are also present, indicating the presence of old crustal fragments, or sediments derived from them, in the basement. However, our geochemical data show that the magmas are differentiated from a single mantle source, so any older crust that was remelted had the same compositional characteristics. This is similar to previous conclusion that the different parts of the Izu arc have retained their distinct compositions over the last 15 Myr2. 1Busby et al., 2006 JVGR 149, 1-46 2 Hochstaedter et al., 2000 JGR 105, 495-512

Initiation of the Andean orogeny by lower mantle subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faccenna, Claudio; Oncken, Onno; Holt, Adam F.; Becker, Thorsten W.

2017-04-01

The Cordillera of the Andes is a double-vergent orogenic belt built up by thickening of South American plate crust. Several models provide plausible explanations for the evolution of the Andes, but the reason why shortening started at ∼50 Ma is still unclear. We explore the evolution of the subduction zone through time by restoring the position of the Nazca trench in an absolute reference frame, comparing its position with seismic tomography models and balancing the evolution of the subducting slab. Reconstructions show that the slab enters into the lower mantle at ∼ 50 ± 10 Ma, and then progressed, moving horizontally at shallow lower mantle depth while thickening and folding in the transition zone. We test this evolutionary scenario by numerical models, which illustrate that compression in the upper plate intensifies once the slab is anchored in the lower mantle. We conclude that onset of significant shortening and crustal thickening in the Andes and its sustained action over tens of million years is related to the penetration of the slab into the lower mantle, producing a slowdown of lateral slab migration, and dragging the upper plate against the subduction zone by large-scale return flow.

Initiation of the Andean orogeny by lower mantle subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faccenna, Claudio; Oncken, Onno; Holt, Adam; Becker, Thorsten

2017-04-01

The Cordillera of the Andes is a double-vergent orogenic belt built up by thickening of South American plate crust. Several models provide plausible explanations for the evolution of the Andes, but the reason why shortening started at 50 Ma is still unclear. We explore the evolution of the subduction zone through time by restoring the position of the Nazca trench in an absolute reference frame, comparing its position with seismic tomography models and balancing the evolution of the subducting slab. Reconstructions show that the slab enters into the lower mantle at 50+10 Ma, and then progressed, moving horizontally at shallow lower mantle depth while thickening and folding in the transition zone. We test this evolutionary scenario by numerical models, which illustrate that compression in the upper plate emerges once the slab is anchored in the lower mantle. We conclude that onset of significant shortening and crustal thickening in the Andes and its sustained action over tens of million years is related to the penetration of the slab into the lower mantle, producing a slowdown of lateral slab migration, and dragging the upper plate against the subduction zone by large-scale return flow.

Initiation of the Andean orogeny by lower mantle subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faccenna, C.; Oncken, O.; Holt, A.; Becker, T. W.

2017-12-01

The Cordillera of the Andes is a double-vergent orogenic belt built up by thickening of South American plate crust. Several models provide plausible explanations for the evolution of the Andes, but the reason why shortening started at 50 Ma is still unclear. We explore the evolution of the subduction zone through time by restoring the position of the Nazca trench in an absolute reference frame, comparing its position with seismic tomography models and balancing the evolution of the subducting slab. Reconstructions show that the slab enters into the lower mantle at 50+10 Ma, and then progressed, moving horizontally at shallow lower mantle depth while thickening and folding in the transition zone. We test this evolutionary scenario by numerical models, which illustrate that compression in the upper plate emerges once the slab is anchored in the lower mantle. We conclude that onset of significant shortening and crustal thickening in the Andes and its sustained action over tens of million years is related to the penetration of the slab into the lower mantle, producing a slowdown of lateral slab migration, and dragging the upper plate against the subduction zone by large-scale return flow.

The Collaborative Seismic Earth Model: Generation 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fichtner, Andreas; van Herwaarden, Dirk-Philip; Afanasiev, Michael; SimutÄ--, SaulÄ--; Krischer, Lion; ćubuk-Sabuncu, Yeşim; Taymaz, Tuncay; Colli, Lorenzo; Saygin, Erdinc; Villaseñor, Antonio; Trampert, Jeannot; Cupillard, Paul; Bunge, Hans-Peter; Igel, Heiner

2018-05-01

We present a general concept for evolutionary, collaborative, multiscale inversion of geophysical data, specifically applied to the construction of a first-generation Collaborative Seismic Earth Model. This is intended to address the limited resources of individual researchers and the often limited use of previously accumulated knowledge. Model evolution rests on a Bayesian updating scheme, simplified into a deterministic method that honors today's computational restrictions. The scheme is able to harness distributed human and computing power. It furthermore handles conflicting updates, as well as variable parameterizations of different model refinements or different inversion techniques. The first-generation Collaborative Seismic Earth Model comprises 12 refinements from full seismic waveform inversion, ranging from regional crustal- to continental-scale models. A global full-waveform inversion ensures that regional refinements translate into whole-Earth structure.

A Global 3D P-Velocity Model of the Earth’s Crust and Mantle for Improved Event Location

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

starting model, we use a simplified layer crustal model derived from the NNSA Unified model in Eurasia and Crust 2.0 model everywhere else, over a...geographic and radial dimensions. For our starting model, we use a simplified layer crustal model derived from the NNSA Unified model in Eurasia and...tessellation with 4° triangles to the transition zone and upper mantle, and a third tessellation with variable resolution to all crustal layers. The

A Time Scale for Major Events in Early Mars Crustal Evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, Herbert V.

2004-01-01

The population of visible and buried impact basins > 200 km diameter revealed by high resolution gridded MOLA data and the cumulative frequency curves derived for these pvide a basis for a chronology of major events in early martian history. The relative chronology can be given in terms of N(200) crater retention ages; 'absolute ages' can be assigued using the Hartmann-Neukum (H&N) model chronology. In terms of billions of H&N years, the crustal dichotomy formed by large impact basins at 4.12 +/- 0.08 BYA (N(200) = 3.0-3.2) and the global magnetic field died at about or slightly before the same time (4.15 +/- 0.08 BYA (N(200) = 3.5). In this chronology, the buried lowlands are approx. 120 my younger than the buried highlands, approx. 160 my younger than the highlands overall and approx. 340 my younger than the oldest crater retention surface we see, defined by the largest impact basins.

The Syrtis Major volcano, Mars: A multidisciplinary approach to interpreting its magmatic evolution and structural development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillis, Robert J.; Dufek, Josef; Kiefer, Walter S.; Black, Benjamin A.; Manga, Michael; Richardson, Jacob A.; Bleacher, Jacob E.

2015-09-01

Very weak crustal magnetic fields over the Syrtis Major volcanic complex imply almost total thermal demagnetization via magmatic intrusions over a large area less than ~4 Ga. We fit a model of these intrusions and the resulting thermal demagnetization to maps of crustal magnetic field strength at 185 km altitude. The best fits are most consistent with a "dog bone"-shaped region of intrusive material, elongated approximately north-south, with an area of ~350,000 km2 and an inferred volume of ~4-19 × 106 km3. Such a large volume is best explained by a long-lived mantle plume beneath the Syrtis edifice. A free-air gravity anomaly high over the Syrtis Major caldera is consistent with dense mafic residue remaining at depth following crystal fractionation that produced the silicic magmas seen at the surface. The elongation of this region is consistent with ascent and north-south emplacement of magma enabled by structures parallel to and associated with the preexisting Isidis impact basin.

Cenozoic intra-plate magmatism in the Darfur volcanic province: mantle source, phonolite-trachyte genesis and relation to other volcanic provinces in NE Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucassen, Friedrich; Pudlo, Dieter; Franz, Gerhard; Romer, Rolf L.; Dulski, Peter

2013-01-01

Chemical and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of Late Cenozoic to Quaternary small-volume phonolite, trachyte and related mafic rocks from the Darfur volcanic province/NW-Sudan have been investigated. Isotope signatures indicate variable but minor crustal contributions. Some phonolitic and trachytic rocks show the same isotopic composition as their primitive mantle-derived parents, and no crustal contributions are visible in the trace element patterns of these samples. The magmatic evolution of the evolved rocks is dominated by crystal fractionation. The Si-undersaturated strongly alkaline phonolite and the Si-saturated mildly alkaline trachyte can be modelled by fractionation of basanite and basalt, respectively. The suite of basanite-basalt-phonolite-trachyte with characteristic isotope signatures from the Darfur volcanic province fits the compositional features of other Cenozoic intra-plate magmatism scattered in North and Central Africa (e.g., Tibesti, Maghreb, Cameroon line), which evolved on a lithosphere that was reworked or formed during the Neoproterozoic.

Anatomy of a metamorphic core complex: seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profiling in southeastern California and western Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCarthy, J.; Larkin, S.P.; Fuis, G.S.; Simpson, R.W.; Howard, K.A.

1991-01-01

The metamorphic core complex belt in southeastern California and western Arizona is a NW-SE trending zone of unusually large Tertiary extension and uplift. Midcrustal rocks exposed in this belt raise questions about the crustal thickness, crustal structure, and the tectonic evolution of the region. Three seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profiles were collected to address these issues. The results presented here, which focus on the Whipple and Buckskin-Rawhide mountains, yield a consistent three-dimensiional image of this part of the metamorphic core complex belt. The final model consists of a thin veneer (<2 km) of upper plate and fractured lower plate rocks (1.5-5.5 km s-1) overlying a fairly homogeneous basement (~6.0 km s-1) and a localized high-velocity (6.4 km s -1) body situated beneath the western Whipple Mountains. A prominent midcrustal reflection is identified beneath the Whipple and Buckskin Rawhide mountains between 10 and 20km depth. -from Authors

Magnetic anomalies in East Antarctica: a window on major tectonic provinces and their boundaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Golynsky, A.V.

2007-01-01

An analysis of aeromagnetic data compiled within the Antarctic Digital Magnetic Anomaly Project (ADMAP) yields significant new insight into major tectonic provinces of East Antarctica. Several previously unknown crustal blocks are imaged in the deep interior of the continent, which are interpreted as cratonic nuclei. These cratons are fringed by a large and continuous orogenic belt between Coats Land and Princess Elizabeth Land, with possible branches in the deeper interior of East Antarctica. Most of the crustal provinces and boundaries identified in this study are only in part exposed. More detailed analyses of these crustal provinces and their tectonic boundaries would require systematic acquisition of additional high-resolution magnetic data, because at present the ADMAP database is largely inadequate to address many remaining questions regarding Antarctica’s tectonic evolution.

Ionizing Electrons on the Martian Nightside: Structure and Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillis, Robert J.; Mitchell, David L.; Steckiewicz, Morgane; Brain, David; Xu, Shaosui; Weber, Tristan; Halekas, Jasper; Connerney, Jack; Espley, Jared; Benna, Mehdi; Elrod, Meredith; Thiemann, Edward; Eparvier, Frank

2018-05-01

The precipitation of suprathermal electrons is the dominant external source of energy deposition and ionization in the Martian nightside upper atmosphere and ionosphere. We investigate the spatial patterns and variability of ionizing electrons from 115 to 600 km altitude on the Martian nightside, using CO2 electron impact ionization frequency (EIIF) as our metric, examining more than 3 years of data collected in situ by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft. We characterize the behavior of EIIF with respect to altitude, solar zenith angle, solar wind pressure, and the geometry and strength of crustal magnetic fields. EIIF has a complex and correlated dependence on these factors, but we find that it generally increases with altitude and solar wind pressure, decreases with crustal magnetic field strength and does not depend detectably on solar zenith angle past 115°. The dependence is governed by (a) energy degradation and backscatter by collisions with atmospheric neutrals below 220 km and (b) magnetic field topology that permits or retards electron access to certain regions. This field topology is dynamic and varies with solar wind conditions, allowing greater electron access at higher altitudes where crustal fields are weaker and also for higher solar wind pressures, which result in stronger draped magnetic fields that push closed crustal magnetic field loops to lower altitudes. This multidimensional electron flux behavior can in the future be parameterized in an empirical model for use as input to global simulations of the nightside upper atmosphere, which currently do not account for this important source of energy.

Rocky Mountain evolution: Tying Continental Dynamics of the Rocky Mountains and Deep Probe seismic experiments with receiver functions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rumpfhuber, E.-M.; Keller, Gordon R.; Sandvol, E.; Velasco, A.A.; Wilson, D.C.

2009-01-01

In this study, we have determined the crustal structure using three different receiver function methods using data collected from the northern transect of the Continental Dynamics of the Rocky Mountains (CD-ROM) experiment. The resulting migrated image and crustal thickness determinations confirm and refine prior crustal thickness measurements based on the CD-ROM and Deep Probe experiment data sets. The new results show a very distinct and thick lower crustal layer beneath the Archean Wyoming province. In addition, we are able to show its termination at 42??N latitude, which provides a seismic tie between the CD-ROM and Deep Probe seismic experiments and thus completes a continuous north-south transect extending from New Mexico into Alberta, Canada. This new tie is particularly important because it occurs close to a major tectonic boundary, the Cheyenne belt, between an Archean craton and a Proterozoic terrane. We used two different stacking techniques, based on a similar concept but using two different ways to estimate uncertainties. Furthermore, we used receiver function migration and common conversion point (CCP) stacking techniques. The combined interpretation of all our results shows (1) crustal thinning in southern Wyoming, (2) strong northward crustal thickening beginning in central Wyoming, (3) the presence of an unusually thick and high-velocity lower crust beneath the Wyoming province, and (4) the abrupt termination of this lower crustal layer north of the Cheyenne belt at 42??N latitude. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

Effects of solid/liquid phase fractionation on pH and aqueous species molality in subduction zone fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, X.; Galvez, M. E.

2017-12-01

Metamorphic fluids are a crucial ingredient of geodynamic evolution, i.e. heat transfer, rock mechanics and metamorphic/metasomatic reactions. During crustal evolution at elevated P and T, rock forming components can be effectively fractionated from the reactive rock system by at least two processes: 1. extraction from porous rocks by liquid phases such as solute-bearing (e.g. Na+, Mg2+) aqueous fluids or partial melts. 2. isolation from effective bulk rock composition due to slow intragranular diffusion in high-P refractory phases such as garnet. The effect of phase fractionation (garnet, partial melt and aqueous species) on fluid - rock composition and properties remain unclear, mainly due to a high demand in quantitative computations of the thermodynamic interactions between rocks and fluids over a wide P-T range. To investigate this problem, we build our work on an approach initially introduced by Galvez et al., (2015) with new functionalities added in a MATLAB code (Rubisco). The fluxes of fractionated components in fluid, melt and garnet are monitored along a typical prograde P-T path for a model crustal pelite. Some preliminary results suggest a marginal effect of fractionated aqueous species on fluid and rock properties (e.g. pH, composition), but the corresponding fluxes are significant in the context of mantle wedge metasomatism. Our work provides insight into the role of high-P phase fractionation on mass redistribution between the surface and deep Earth in subduction zones. Existing limitations relevant to our liquid/mineral speciation/fractionation model will be discussed as well. ReferencesGalvez, M.E., Manning, C.E., Connolly, J.A.D., Rumble, D., 2015. The solubility of rocks in metamorphic fluids: A model for rock-dominated conditions to upper mantle pressure and temperature. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 430, 486-498.

Potential cooling of an accretion-heated neutron star crust in the low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9-342058

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parikh, A. S.; Wijnands, R.; Degenaar, N.; Ootes, L. S.; Page, D.; Altamirano, D.; Cackett, E. M.; Deller, A. T.; Gusinskaia, N.; Hessels, J. W. T.; Homan, J.; Linares, M.; Miller, J. M.; Miller-Jones, J. C. A.

2017-04-01

We have monitored the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9-342058 in quiescence after its ˜4.5 month outburst in 2015. The source has been observed using Swift and XMM-Newton. Its X-ray spectra were dominated by a thermal component. The thermal evolution showed a gradual X-ray luminosity decay from ˜18 × 1032 to ˜4 × 1032 (D/5.8 kpc)2 erg s-1 between ˜8 and ˜379 d in quiescence, and the inferred neutron star surface temperature (for an observer at infinity; using a neutron star atmosphere model) decreased from ˜100 to ˜71 eV. This can be interpreted as cooling of an accretion-heated neutron star crust. Modelling the observed temperature curve (using nscool) indicated that the source required ˜1.9 MeV per accreted nucleon of shallow heating in addition to the standard deep crustal heating to explain its thermal evolution. Alternatively, the decay could also be modelled without the presence of deep crustal heating, only having a shallow heat source (again ˜1.9 MeV per accreted nucleon was required). However, the XMM-Newton data statistically required an additional power-law component. This component contributed ˜30 per cent of the total unabsorbed flux in 0.5-10 keV energy range. The physical origin of this component is unknown. One possibility is that it arises from low-level accretion. The presence of this component in the spectrum complicates our cooling crust interpretation because it might indicate that the smooth luminosity and temperature decay curves we observed may not be due to crust cooling but due to some other process.

Crustal dynamics project data analysis, 1987. Volume 2: Mobile VLBI geodetic results, 1982-1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ma, C.; Ryan, J. W.

1987-01-01

The Goddard VLBI group reports the results of analyzing 101 Mark III data sets acquired from mobile observing sites through the end of 1986 and available to the Crustal Dynamics Project. The fixed VLBI observations at Hat Creek, Ft. Davis, Mojave, and OVRO are included as they participate heavily in the mobile schedules. One large solution GLB171 was used to obtain baseline length and transverse evolutions. Radio source positions were estimated globally, while nutation offsets were estimated from each data set. The results include 28 mobile sites.

3D Thermomechanical Modeling of Rifted Margins with Coupled Surface Processes: the North West Shelf, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moresi, L. N.; Beucher, R.; Morón, S.; Rey, P. F.; Salles, T.; Brocard, G. Y.; Farrington, R.; Giordani, J.; Mansour, J.

2017-12-01

Thermo-mechanical numerical models and analogue experiments with a layered lithosphere have emphasised the role played by the composition and thermal state of the lithosphere on the style of extension. The variation in rheological properties and the coupling between lithospheric layers promote depth-dependent extension with the potential for complex rift evolution over space and time. Local changes in the stress field due to loading / unloading of the lithosphere can perturb the syn and post-rift stability of the margins. We investigate how erosion of the margins and sedimentation within the basins integrate with the thermo-mechanical processes involved in the structural and stratigraphic evolution of the North West Shelf (NWS), one of the most productive and prospective hydrocarbon provinces in Australia. The complex structural characteristics of the NWS include large-scale extensional detachments, difference between amounts of crustal and lithospheric extension and prolonged episodes of thermal sagging after rifting episodes. It has been proposed that the succession of different extensional styles mechanisms (Cambrian detachment faulting, broadly distributed Permo-Carboniferous extension and Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous localised rift development) is best described in terms of variation in deformation response of a lithosphere that has strengthened from one extensional episode to the next. However, previous models invoking large-scale detachments fail to explain changes in extensional styles and overestimate the structural importance of relatively local detachments. Here, we hypothesize that an initially weak lithosphere would distribute deformation by ductile flow within the lower crust and that the interaction between crustal flow, thermal-evolution and sediment loading/unloading could explain some of the structural complexities recorded by the NWS. We run a series of fully coupled 3D thermo-mechanical numerical experiments that include realistic thermal and mechanical properties, as well as surface processes (erosion, sediments transport and sedimentation). This modeling approach aims to provide insights into the thermal and structural history of the NWS, and a better understanding of the complex interactions between tectonics and surface processes at rifted margins.

Isostatic compensation of Ishtar Terra, Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucinskas, Algis B.; Turcotte, Donald L.; Arkani-Hamed, Jafar

We have used spherical harmonic representations of the Venus topography and geopotential, obtained from Magellan data, to evaluate isostatic support in several areas within the Ishtar Terra highlands, including the Lakshmi plateau, its surrounding mountain belts, namely Akna and Freyja, and Maxwell Montes, and the Fortuna Tessera province. We find that topography in Ishtar is largely isostatically compensated (>80%). Regional geoidtopography variations in the subregions can be explained by a combination of Airy (crustal thickening) and thermal (lithospheric thinning) mechanisms, provided Venus has a thick reference thermal lithosphere (~300-400 km). With the exception of eastern Fortuna, low elevation areas (h<3-4 km above the mean planetary radius, MPR) with large geoidtopography ratios (GTR) seem to be associated, to various degrees, with thermal isostasy, whereas the higher areas (h>4 km above MPR) with small GTRs are almost certainly Airy compensated via thickened crust. Relatively large (>60 km) total Airy crustal thicknesses obtained in the western Ishtar mountain belts, together with a probable basalt-eclogite phase change, suggest a possible silicic composition for these structures, provided they are older than ~25-50 Ma. Lakshmi Planum seems essentially thermally supported, with the thermal lithosphere thinned to ~100 km. We suggest, as one possibility, that the lithospheric thinning process under Lakshmi is delamination of a dense eclogite lower lithosphere layer into the mantle. The decrease in GTR observed in Ishtar between Lakshmi to the west (GTR ~20 m/km), Maxwell and west Fortuna (GTR~8 m/km), and eastern Fortuna (GTR~4 m/km) may correspond to a decay in thermal compensation attributed to lithospheric delamination, which would be fairly recent (~100 Ma) in Lakshmi, partially decayed in west Fortuna, and absent in east Fortuna, where a mostly Airy-supported topography is essentially relaxed with no thermal uplift. Alternatively, if surficial concentrations in radiogenic elements were prevalent throughout the crust, partial melting of a thickened crust could account for the thermal uplift in Lakshmi and west Fortuna. The zero-elevation basaltic crustal thickness H ~24 km obtained for the east Fortuna Tessera region may be representative of the ambient crustal thickness in the Venus lowlands. Our findings support multicomponent models for tectonic and volcanic activity in Ishtar. The thick ambient crust and thermal lithosphere implied by this study agree with observational constraints such as support of extreme elevations, large topographic slopes, unrelaxed craters, and the thick elastic lithosphere suggested by flexure studies. If the ambient thermal lithosphere on Venus were to be relatively thin (~100-200 km), with a cold mantle and radiogenic elements concentrated in the crust, then thermal evolution on Venus may be in quasi-steady state, with the geodynamic evolution in monotonic decline. However, if the ambient thermal lithosphere is very thick (~300-400 km), as suggested by our thermal model fits, then it is consistent with the predictions of strongly unsteady state thermal evolution models and an interior which is currently heating up. This would support the view that catastrophic resurfacing on Venus might be episodic.

Crustal structure and evolution of the Trans-Hudson orogen: Results from seismic reflection profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baird, D. J.; Nelson, K. D.; Knapp, J. H.; Walters, J. J.; Brown, L. D.

1996-04-01

A 400-km-long deep seismic reflection transect across northeastern Montana and northern North Dakota reveals the crustal-scale structural fabric of the Early Proterozoic Trans-Hudson orogen beneath the Williston basin. Comparison with deep seismic reflection data across the Canadian portion of the same orogen ˜700 km to the north reveals first-order similarities in crustal architecture but documents significant along-strike variation in orogenic evolution. Both transects display a broad crustal-scale antiform axial to the orogen. In the north, geologic data suggest that this antiform is cored by an Archean microcontinent. In the south, west dipping reflections on the western flank of the antiform extend from the upper crust to the uppermost mantle and truncate prominent subhorizontal lower crustal reflections of the Archean Wyoming craton. Within the Wyoming craton, the eastern limit of east dipping midcrustal reflections coincides with the subsurface age boundary between the craton and the Early Proterozoic Trans-Hudson orogen as interpreted from potential field and drill core data. On the basis of subsurface geochronologic data from the crystalline basement and by analogy with the Glennie domain within the exposed Trans-Hudson orogen in Canada, we suggest that the southern antiform is cored by an Archean crustal fragment that was caught up in the terminal collision of the Wyoming and Superior cratons during Hudsonian orogeny. The eastern side of the Trans-Hudson orogen is characterized on both seismic transects by predominantly east dipping crustal penetrating reflections. We interpret the easterly dip of these reflections as evidence that the Superior province was thrust westward over the interludes of the orogen during terminal collision. Although juvenile Early Proterozoic terranes characterize the exposed segment of the Trans-Hudson orogen in Canada, limited drill core information within the Dakota segment of the orogen shows a predominance of granulitic Archean age crust. This difference in basement lithologies along strike within the orogen may indicate the following: either juvenile crust comparable to that exposed in the northern Trans-Hudson was never present in the south, or it was removed by progressive over thickening, erosion, and/or faulting. Postorogenic extensional collapse may be responsible for preservation of juvenile terranes in the north.

Along Arc Structural Variation in the Izu-Bonin Arc and its Implications for Crustal Evolution Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodaira, S.; Sato, T.; Takahashi, N.; Ito, A.; Kaneda, Y.

2005-12-01

A continental-type middle crust having Vp = 6.1 - 6.3 km/s has been imaged at several oceanic island arcs (e.g. northern Izu, Mariana, Tonga, Kyushu-Palau ridge) since Suyehiro et al. (1996) has found a felsic middle crust in the northern Izu arc. A high velocity lower crust (Vp > 7.3 km/s) underlying the felsic middle crust has been also underlined as a characteristic structure in the northern Izu arc. A bulk composition of the crust in the Izu arc may indicate more mafic than that of a typical continental crust due to a large volume of the high velocity lower crust. Since a crust becomes more mature toward the north along the Izu-Bonin arc, investigating structural variation along the volcanic front has been believed to provide a fundamental knowledge for a crustal evolution process. In 2004 and 2005, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology has conducted two along arc wide-angle seismic surveys from the Sagami-bay to the Kita-Iwo jima, a total profile length of about 1000 km. Although data from the Bonin-part of the profile which were acquired this year has not been processed yet, a result from the Izu-part, from the Sagami-bay to Tori shima, shows significant structural variations along the volcanic front. The crustal thickness are varied with a wavelength of several tens of km, i.e., thickened up to 25-30 km around the volcanoes (the Miyake jama, Hachijo jima, Aoga sima, Sumisu jima), while thinned down to 20 km between them. The fine seismic velocity image obtained by refraction tomography as well as a wide-angle reflection migration shows that the variation of the crustal block having 6.0 - 6.7 km/s, which is a typical continental crustal velocity, is mainly responsible for the observed variation of the crustal thickness. The thickness of the high velocity lower crust is not significantly varied along the arc. Therefore, an average crustal seismic velocity (varied 6.6 to 7.0 km/s) represents a higher velocity that that of a typical continental crust (6. 4 km/s), and a negative correlation between the thickness of the 6.0 - 6.7 km/s block and the average crustal seismic velocity is recognized. In conclusion, the continental-type of the crust efficiently grow at the Quaternary volcanoes along Izu arc, but even at those areas the bulk composition of the entire crustal section shows more mafic than a continental crust due to the uniformly existing high velocity lower crust. A delamination process may be necessary to form a continental crust form the Izu island arc crust

Crustal structure and evolution of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian belt: A review and new interpretations from recent concepts and data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixell, A.; Labaume, P.; Ayarza, P.; Espurt, N.; de Saint Blanquat, M.; Lagabrielle, Y.

2018-01-01

This paper provides a synthesis of current data and interpretations on the crustal structure of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian orogenic belt, and presents new tectonic models for representative transects. The Pyrenean orogeny lasted from Santonian ( 84 Ma) to early Miocene times ( 20 Ma), and consisted of a spatial and temporal succession of oceanic crust/exhumed mantle subduction, rift inversion and continental collision processes at the Iberia-Eurasia plate boundary. A good coverage by active-source (vertical-incidence and wide-angle reflection) and passive-source (receiver functions) seismic studies, coupled with surface data have led to a reasonable knowledge of the present-day crustal architecture of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian belt, although questions remain. Seismic imaging reveals a persistent structure, from the central Pyrenees to the central Cantabrian Mountains, consisting of a wedge of Eurasian lithosphere indented into the thicker Iberian plate, whose lower crust is detached and plunges northwards into the mantle. For the Pyrenees, a new scheme of relationships between the southern upper crustal thrust sheets and the Axial Zone is here proposed. For the Cantabrian belt, the depth reached by the N-dipping Iberian crust and the structure of the margin are also revised. The common occurrence of lherzolite bodies in the northern Pyrenees and the seismic velocity and potential field record of the Bay of Biscay indicate that the precursor of the Pyrenees was a hyperextended and strongly segmented rift system, where narrow domains of exhumed mantle separated the thinned Iberian and Eurasian continental margins since the Albian-Cenomanian. The exhumed mantle in the Pyrenean rift was largely covered by a Mesozoic sedimentary lid that had locally glided along detachments in Triassic evaporites. Continental margin collision in the Pyrenees was preceded by subduction of the exhumed mantle, accompanied by the pop-up thrust expulsion of the off-scraped sedimentary lid above. To the west, oceanic subduction of the Bay of Biscay under the North Iberian margin is supported by an upper plate thrust wedge, gravity and magnetic anomalies, and 3D inclined sub-crustal reflections. However, discrepancies remain for the location of continent-ocean transitions in the Bay of Biscay and for the extent of oceanic subduction. The plate-kinematic evolution during the Mesozoic, which involves issues as the timing and total amount of opening, as well as the role of strike-slip drift, is also under debate, discrepancies arising from first-order interpretations of the adjacent oceanic magnetic anomaly record.

Constraints on formation and evolution of the lunar crust from feldspathic granulitic breccias NWA 3163 and 4881

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLeod, Claire L.; Brandon, Alan D.; Fernandes, Vera A.; Peslier, Anne H.; Fritz, Jörg; Lapen, Thomas; Shafer, John T.; Butcher, Alan R.; Irving, Anthony J.

2016-08-01

Lunar granulitic meteorites provide new constraints on the composition and evolution of the lunar crust as they are potentially derived from outside the Apollo and Luna landing sites. Northwest Africa (NWA) 3163, the focus of this study, and its paired stones NWA 4881 and NWA 4483, are shocked granulitic noritic anorthosites. They are petrographically and compositionally distinct from the Apollo granulites and noritic anorthosites. Northwest Africa 3163 is REE-depleted by an order of magnitude compared to Apollo granulites and is one of the most trace element depleted lunar samples studied to date. New in-situ mineral compositional data and Rb-Sr, Ar-Ar isotopic systematics are used to evaluate the petrogenetic history of NWA 3163 (and its paired stones) within the context of early lunar evolution and the bulk composition of the lunar highlands crust. The NWA 3163 protolith was the likely product of reworked lunar crust with a previous history of heavy REE depletion. The bulk feldspathic and pyroxene-rich fragments have 87Sr/86Sr that are indistinguishable and average 0.699282 ± 0.000007 (2σ). A calculated source model Sr TRD age of 4.340 ± 0.057 Ga is consistent with (1) the recently determined young FAS (Ferroan Anorthosite) age of 4.360 ± 0.003 Ga for FAS 60025, (2) 142Nd model ages for the closure of the Sm-Nd system for the mantle source reservoirs of the Apollo mare basalts (4.355-4.314 Ga) and (3) a prominent age peak in the Apollo lunar zircon record (c. 4.345 Ga). These ages are ∼100 Myr younger than predicted timescales for complete LMO crystallization (∼10 Myrs after Moon formation, Elkins-Tanton et al., 2011). This supports a later, major event during lunar evolution associated with crustal reworking due to magma ocean cumulate overturn, serial magmatism, or a large impact event leading to localized or global crustal melting and/or exhumation. The Ar-Ar isotopic systematics on aliquots of paired stone NWA 4881 are consistent with an impact event at ⩾ 3.5 Ga. This is inferred to record the event that induced granularization of NWA 3163 (and paired rocks). A later event is also recorded at ∼2 Ga by Ar-Ar isotopes is consistent with an increase in the number of impacts on the lunar surface at this time (Fernandes et al., 2013). Northwest Africa 3163 and its paired stones therefore record a c. 2.4 Gyr record of lunar crustal production, metamorphism, brecciation, impacts and eventual ejection from the lunar surface.

Planetary Geophysics and Tectonics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parmentier, E. M.

1997-01-01

Research supported by grant NAGW-1928 has addressed a variety of problems related to planetary evolution. One important focus has been on questions related to the role of chemical buoyancy in planetary evolution with application to both Venus and the Moon. We have developed a model for the evolution of the Moon (Hess and Parmentier, 1995) in which dense, highly radioactive, late stage magma ocean cumulates sink forming a core. This core heats the overlying, chemically layered mantle giving rise to a heated, chemically well-mixed layer that thickens with time. This Mixed layer eventually becomes hot enough and thick enough that its top begins to melt at a pressure low enough that melt is buoyant, thus creating mare basalts from a high pressure source of the correct composition and at an appropriate time in lunar evolution. In work completed during the last year, numerical experiments on convection in a chemically stably stratified fluid layer heated from below have been completed. These results show us how to calculate the evolution of a mixed layer in the Moon, depending on the heat production in the ilmenite- cumulate core and the chemical stratification of the overlying mantle. Chemical stratification of the mantle after its initial differentiation is would trap heat in the deep interior and prevent the rapid rise of plumes with accompanying volcanism. This trapping of heat in the interior can explain the thickness of the lunar lithosphere as a function of time as well as the magmatic evolution. We show that heat transported to the base of the lithosphere at a rate determined by current estimates of radioactivity in the Moon would not satisfy constraints on elastic lithosphere thickness from tectonic feature associated with basin loading. Trapping heat at depth by a chemically stratified mantle may also explain the absence of global compressional features on the surface that previous models predict for an initially hot lunar interior. For Venus, we developed a model in which the chemical buoyancy of crust and a depleted mantle layer stabilizes the lithosphere for long periods of time and provides a mechanism of episodic planetary evolution (Parmentier and Hess, 1992). Continued thickening of a residual depleted mantle layer eventually suppresses pressure release melting and the creation of depleted mantle. Continued cooling then allows the lithosphere to become heavier than the underlying hotter, undepleted mantle. This repeated instability can occur on time scales appropriate for episodic global resurfacing on Venus. We have also examined the role of the gabbro-eclogite phase transformation on crust and lithosphere stability and as a mechanism of crustal recycling in the absence of plate tectonics. Our work thus far concentrates on the scale of instability that would occur due to cooling or crustal thickening associated with horizontal shortening. Whether repeated overturn can explain the evolution of Venus depends in part on whether sufficient heat transfer can occur between overturns and on constraints provided by understanding observed surface features and evolution.

Enriched continental flood basalts from depleted mantle melts: modeling the lithospheric contamination of Karoo lavas from Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinonen, Jussi S.; Luttinen, Arto V.; Bohrson, Wendy A.

2016-01-01

Continental flood basalts (CFBs) represent large-scale melting events in the Earth's upper mantle and show considerable geochemical heterogeneity that is typically linked to substantial contribution from underlying continental lithosphere. Large-scale partial melting of the cold subcontinental lithospheric mantle and the large amounts of crustal contamination suggested by traditional binary mixing or assimilation-fractional crystallization models are difficult to reconcile with the thermal and compositional characteristics of continental lithosphere, however. The well-exposed CFBs of Vestfjella, western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, belong to the Jurassic Karoo large igneous province and provide a prime locality to quantify mass contributions of lithospheric and sublithospheric sources for two reasons: (1) recently discovered CFB dikes show isotopic characteristics akin to mid-ocean ridge basalts, and thus help to constrain asthenospheric parental melt compositions and (2) the well-exposed basaltic lavas have been divided into four different geochemical magma types that exhibit considerable trace element and radiogenic isotope heterogeneity (e.g., initial ɛ Nd from -16 to +2 at 180 Ma). We simulate the geochemical evolution of Vestfjella CFBs using (1) energy-constrained assimilation-fractional crystallization equations that account for heating and partial melting of crustal wall rock and (2) assimilation-fractional crystallization equations for lithospheric mantle contamination by using highly alkaline continental volcanic rocks (i.e., partial melts of mantle lithosphere) as contaminants. Calculations indicate that the different magma types can be produced by just minor (1-15 wt%) contamination of asthenospheric parental magmas by melts from variable lithospheric reservoirs. Our models imply that the role of continental lithosphere as a CFB source component or contaminant may have been overestimated in many cases. Thus, CFBs may represent major juvenile crustal growth events rather than just recycling of old lithospheric materials.

Workshop on the Archean Mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashwal, L. D. (Editor)

1989-01-01

The Workshop on the Archaen mantle considers and discusses evidence for the nature of earth's Archaen mantle, including its composition, age and structure, influence on the origin and evolution of earth's crust, and relationship to mantle and crustal evolution of the other terrestrial planets. The summaries of presentations and discussions are based on recordings made during the workshop and on notes taken by those who agreed to serve as summarizers.

Structural evolution of the Sarandí del Yí Shear Zone, Uruguay: kinematics, deformation conditions and tectonic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oriolo, S.; Oyhantçabal, P.; Heidelbach, F.; Wemmer, K.; Siegesmund, S.

2015-10-01

The Sarandí del Yí Shear Zone is a crustal-scale shear zone that separates the Piedra Alta Terrane from the Nico Pérez Terrane and the Dom Feliciano Belt in southern Uruguay. It represents the eastern margin of the Río de la Plata Craton and, consequently, one of the main structural features of the Precambrian basement of Western Gondwana. This shear zone first underwent dextral shearing under upper to middle amphibolite facies conditions, giving rise to the reactivation of pre-existing crustal fabrics in the easternmost Piedra Alta Terrane. Afterwards, pure-shear-dominated sinistral shearing with contemporaneous magmatism took place under lower amphibolite to upper greenschist facies conditions. The mylonites resulting from this event were then locally reactivated by a cataclastic deformation. This evolution points to strain localization under progressively retrograde conditions with time, indicating that the Sarandí del Yí Shear Zone represents an example of a thinning shear zone related to the collisional to post-collisional evolution of the Dom Feliciano Belt that occurred between the Meso- to Neoproterozoic (>600 Ma) and late Ediacaran-lower Cambrian times.

Along-axis crustal structure of the Porcupine Basin from seismic refraction data modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prada, Manel; Watremez, Louise; Chen, Chen; O'Reilly, Brian; Minshull, Tim; Reston, Tim; Wagner, Gerlind; Gaws, Viola; Klaschen, Dirk; Shannon, Patrick

2016-04-01

The Porcupine Basin is a tongue-shaped offshore basin SW of Ireland that formed during the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean. Its history of development involved several rifting and subsidence phases during the Late Paleozoic and Cenozoic, with a particular major rift phase occurring in Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous times. Previous work, focused on subsidence analysis, showed that stretching factors (β) in the northern part of the basin are < 1.5 and increase significantly southwards, where they were estimated to be > 6. However, recent studies based on seismic reflection and refraction profiles concluded that β in places along the basin axis were significantly higher, and suggested the presence of major crustal faulting and uppermost mantle serpentinization in the basin. Constraining β and the processes related to the formation of the basin will provide insights into aspects such as the tectonic response to lithospheric extension and the thermal evolution of the basin. Here we present the tomography results of five wide-angle seismic (WAS) profiles acquired across and along the basin axis. We used a travel time inversion method to model the WAS data and obtain P-wave velocity (Vp) models of the crust and uppermost mantle, together with the geometry of the main geological interfaces along each of these lines. Coincident seismic reflection profiles to each WAS line were also used to integrate the tectonic structure with the Vp model. These results improved constrains on the location of the base of the crust and allow to estimate maximum β (βmax) along each profile. The analysis shows that βmax values in the northern part of the basin are 5-6 times larger than estimates based on subsidence analysis. Towards the south, βmax increases up to 10, but then rapidly decreases to 3.3 southwards. These values are well within the range of crustal extension at which the crust becomes entirely brittle at magma-poor margins allowing the formation of major crustal faulting and serpentinization of the mantle. In agreement with this observation, Vp values of the mantle are lower than those expected for a non-altered mantle (i.e. ~8 km/s) supporting mantle serpentinization. The outcome of this study reveals the complexity of the crustal structure of the Porcupine Basin and demonstrates the importance and value of this type of analysis in understanding rift systems. This project is funded by the Irish Shelf Petroleum Studies Group (ISPSG) of the Irish Petroleum Infrastructure Programme Group 4.

The forgotten component of sub-glacial heat flow: Upper crustal heat production and resultant total heat flux on the Antarctic Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burton-Johnson, Alex; Halpin, Jacqueline; Whittaker, Joanne; Watson, Sally

2017-04-01

Seismic and magnetic geophysical methods have both been employed to produce estimates of heat flux beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. However, both methods use a homogeneous upper crustal model despite the variable concentration of heat producing elements within its composite lithologies. Using geological and geochemical datasets from the Antarctic Peninsula we have developed a new methodology for incorporating upper crustal heat production in heat flux models and have shown the greater variability this introduces in to estimates of crustal heat flux, with implications for glaciological modelling.

Sanukitoids Record the Onset of Widespread Neoarchean Supracrustal Recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bjorkman, K. E.; Kemp, A. I.; Lu, Y. J.; McCuaig, T. C.; Hollings, P. N.

2016-12-01

The sudden appearance of sanukitoid magmatism marks a chemical and isotopic turning point in the late Archean. Petrogenetic models call for mixing between primitive and evolved sources to account for their enrichment in both compatible and incompatible elements. TTG melts and the mantle wedge are the most commonly cited end members, but previous study of oxygen isotopes hinted at a supracrustal contribution. Clarifying the nature of endmembers may illuminate the significance of this shift for crustal growth and geodynamics. Heavy oxygen isotope signatures in zircons from 15 sanukitoid intrusions across 4 terranes in the southwestern Superior Craton of Canada (average δ18Ozrc=6.6‰, extending to 7.4‰) unequivocally fingerprint a supracrustal contribution to the host magmas. This contrasts with the mantle-like oxygen of pre-collisional TTG magmatism. Hafnium isotopes measured in the same zircon domains are less radiogenic than the estimated Superior mantle at 2.7 Ga, with ɛHf ranging from +1.5 to +4.1. Hf-O isotope mixing models require <50% local Archean sediment (δ18OWR=10.6‰, ɛHf 1.5±1) addition to mantle peridotite. Within-sample isotope homogeneity indicates a well-mixed magma during zircon crystallisation. A correlation in ɛHf to local crust implies local sediment input or additional contamination by crustal assimilation. As the terranes are roughly parallel to the Kenoran Orogeny, the local Hf signature is unlikely to be derived from subducted sediments. Rather these data permit (i) extensive mixing of sediment melts with the mantle wedge followed by crustal assimilation, registering the onset of widespread erosion and subduction of sediments, or (ii) assimilation of local supracrustal rocks at depth, and by implication, late crustal overturn. These results are incongruent with the current paradigm for late Archaean magmatism, which links sanukitoid generation to extensive TTG metasomatism of the mantle. Sanukitoid emplacement thus records a critical change in the character of the crust, lithosphere and tectonic regime during the evolution of Archean cratons.

Ages and Growth of the Continental Crust from Radiogenic Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patchett, P. J.; Samson, S. D.

2003-12-01

The development and application of radiogenic isotopes to dating of geologic events, and to questions of growth, evolution, and recycling processes in the continental crust are mature areas of scientific inquiry. By this we understand that many of the approaches used to date rocks and constrain the evolution of the continents are well established, even routine, and that the scope of data available on age and evolution of continents is very large. This is not to say that new approaches have not been developed in recent years, or that new approaches and/or insights cannot be developed in the future. However, the science of continental crustal evolution is definitely a domain where many of the problems are well defined, the power of the techniques used to solve them are well known, and the limitations of field and laboratory databases, as well as the preserved geologic record, are understood.From the very early days of crustal evolution studies, it was innovations and improvements in laboratory techniques that drove the pace of discovery (e.g., Holmes, 1911; Nier, 1939). This remained true through all the increments in capability reviewed in this chapter, up to the present day. Thus, continental crustal evolution is an area of Earth science where a species of very laboratory-oriented investigator, the "radiogenic isotope geologist" or "geochronologist," has made major advances, even breakthroughs, in understanding. This is true in spite of the fact that many of the individuals of the species may have lacked field expertise, or even more than a primitive level of geologic background. Because design and building of instruments like radiation detectors or mass spectrometers requires a knowledge of physics, many of the early practitioners of rock dating were physicists, like Alfred Nier (cited above). Since the 1970s, essentially all mass spectrometers have been constructed by specialized commercial firms, and the level of physics expertise among isotope geologists has been lower. These firms, based mainly (but not exclusively) in and around Manchester, England, and Bremen, Germany, have spearheaded technical innovations in mass spectrometry. Isotope geology researchers are one group of consumers for this technology, along with chemists, nuclear-weapon laboratories and nuclear-power generating facilities. Today, the vast majority of isotope geology researchers are derived from geological backgrounds.This chapter will briefly review historical aspects of the development of radiogenic isotope geology as applied to continents. Some details, references and cross-references to other chapters in this volume will be provided for most major radiogenic isotopic methods, and for applications of these. However, this chapter will ultimately concentrate on two major approaches that dominate the research field today: (i) crustal tectonic and magmatic ages from U-Pb dating of accessory minerals like zircon; and (ii) crustal differentiation and growth from neodymium isotopic determinations on total rocks.The sheer amount of data available from continental areas, and the pace of data acquisition today, places any geographically constrained compilation in the impossible category for a chapter like this one. In this chapter, the state of the art in both geochronology and crustal origins will be illustrated by selected examples, not by global compilations or comprehensive discussions of each region that has been studied. Nevertheless, some remarks about the availability of data from different parts of the world need to be made. As with other areas of geology, biology, and botany, the parts of the world that have been longest settled by western civilization have the best data coverage for both ages of continental rocks, and their origins and evolution. Thus, Western Europe, Canada, the USA and Australia have generally somewhat thorough coverage. More limited data have become available from Eastern Europe, Greenland, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Antarctica. Some of these data have been produced by groups based in those regions, but much of the data published between 1970 and today have been driven by studies based in, and funded from, western countries. Availability of state-of-the-art results for ages of crust and its evolution are low in Antarctica and Greenland, where climate and ice cover limit work, and in South America, Africa, and parts of Asia, where studies have been sporadic, and are certainly limited in some cases by political instability. This general situation is now changing, however. Two parts of the world where results for ages of orogenic belts and for crustal evolution in general are accumulating more rapidly since about 1990 are China and Russia; this is connected with growth of modern isotope geology facilities in those countries. Understanding of global continent growth and evolution is limited in critical respects by the large regions of the world that are poorly dated. Therefore, gradual improvement of the state of knowledge of less accessible parts of the continents will bring significant benefits, even though the conceptual issues may be understood to a large extent.

Accessing The Fourth Dimension In Orogenic Reconstruction Using Granitoid Thermobarometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, E.; Wielicki, M. M.; Harrison, M.; Lovera, O. M.; DePaolo, D.

2016-12-01

Tectonic models for the Tibetan-Himalayan orogen predict very different crustal thickness histories, providing a possible test of these various hypotheses. However, reconstructing the evolution of the Tibetan-Himalayan crust is a four-dimensional problem. Knowing the 2D distribution of U-Pb zircon dated samples permits insights into changes in magmatic style, but understanding of N-S thickening history requires depth information. In S. Tibet, voluminous granitoids emplaced between 200-20 Ma provides a spatiotemporal window into the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan crust. A thermoisotopic model utilizing systematic N-S ɛNd variations as a crustal thickness proxy indicates that, at the time of collision, the crust beneath the Indus-Tsangpo suture was relatively thin ( 20 km), increasing to >45 km 100 km to the N. Given evidence of little post-50 Ma upper-crustal shortening, the Tibetan crust appears to have reached its present 85 km thickness via 20 km of tectonic accretion, 15 km of juvenile magma input, as well as the underthrusted Indian crust. Since zircon ɛHf correlates well with whole rock ɛNd, using it together with in situ δ18O, Ti-thermometry and trace element analyses, has provided a refined picture of the relative roles of assimilation and recharge in granitoid formation. To understand the spatiotemporal progression of thickening, we utilize two thermobarometers to reconstruct crystallization depths: Al-in-hornblende and Ti-in-quartz. While Al-in-hornblende has been more widely tested on igneous systems, our data show that it may be sensitive to closure effects during high T storage and hydrothermal alteration. In contrast, Ti-in-quartz preserves magmatic Ti signatures, and quartz's exclusive structure and resistance to alteration provides a more robust proxy for emplacement conditions. Using these thermobarometers in conjunction with Ti-in-zircon thermometry can establish emplacement depth of syn-collisional Lhasa block granites providing the missing dimension in reconstructing orogenic histories. Together, our data show that the southern margin of Asia remained thin (<25 km) until collision began whereas the northern terrane was continuously thick from 200 Ma. This observation reinforces the growing view that Tibet hosted significant topography prior to collision.

Provenance and tectonic setting of siliciclastic rocks associated with the Neoproterozoic Dahongliutan BIF: Implications for the Precambrian crustal evolution of the Western Kunlun orogenic belt, NW China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Jun; Wang, He; Wang, Min

2017-10-01

The Late Neoproterozoic Dahongliutan BIF is associated with siliciclastic rocks in the Tianshuihai terrane of the Western Kunlun orogenic belt (WKO), NW China. The sedimentary rocks have various weathering indices (e.g., CIA = 57-87, PIA = 61-96 and Th/U = 4.85-12.45), indicative of varying degrees of weathering in the source area. The rocks have trace element ratios, such as Th/Sc = 0.60-1.21 and Co/Th = 0.29-1.67, and light rare earth element (LREE) enriched chondrite-normalized REE patterns, suggesting that they were mainly sourced from intermediate and felsic rocks. Available U-Pb ages of detrital zircon from these rocks reveal that the detrital sources may have been igneous and metamorphic rocks from the WKO and the Tarim Block. Our study suggests that the Dahongliutan BIF and hosting siliciclastic rocks may have deposited in a setting transitional from a passive to active continental margin, probably related to the Late Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian seafloor spreading and subduction of the Proto-Tethys Ocean. U-Pb dating of 163 detrital zircons defines five major age populations at 2561-2329 Ma, 2076-1644 Ma, 1164-899 Ma, 869-722 Ma and 696-593 Ma. These age groups broadly correspond to the major stages of supercontinent assembly and breakup events widely accepted for Columbia, Rodinia and Gondwana. Some zircons have TDM2 model ages of 3.9-1.8 Ga and negative εHf(t) values, suggesting that the Archean to Paleoproterozoic (as old as Eoarchean) crustal materials were episodically reworked and incorporated into the late magmatic process in the WKO. Some Neoproterozoic zircons have TDM2 model ages of 1.47-1.07 Ga and 1.81-1.53 Ga and positive εHf(t) values, indicating juvenile crustal growth during the Mesoproterozoic. Our new results, combined with published data, imply that both the Tianshuihai terrane in the WKO and the Tarim Block share the same Precambrian tectonic evolution history.

Subsidence history, crustal structure and evolution of the Nogal Rift, Northern Somalia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, M. Y.; Watts, A. B.

2013-12-01

Seismic reflection profile, gravity anomaly, and biostratigraphic data from deep exploration wells have been used to determine the tectonic subsidence, structure and evolution of the Nogal basin, Northern Somalia, one of a number of ENE-WSW trending early Mesozoic rifts that formed prior to opening of the Gulf of Aden. Backstripping of biostratigraphic data at the Nogal-1 and Kali-1 wells provides new constraints on the age of rifting, and the amount of crustal and mantle extension. The tectonic subsidence and uplift history at the wells can be generally explained as a consequence of two, possibly three, major rifting events. The first event initiated in the Late Jurassic (~156 Ma) and lasted for ~10 Myr. We interpret the rift as a late stage event associated with the break-up of Gondwana and the separation of Africa and Madagascar. The second event initiated in the Late Cretaceous (~80 Ma) and lasted for ~20 Myr. This event probably correlates with a rapid increase in spreading rate on the ridges separating the African and Indian and African and Antarctica plates and a contemporaneous slowing down of Africa's plate motion. The backstripped tectonic subsidence data can be explained by a multi-rift extensional model with a stretching factor, β, in the range 1.17-1.38. The third and most recent event occurred in the Oligocene (~32 Ma) and lasted for ~10 Myr. This rift only developed at the centre of the basin close to Nogal-1 well, and is related to the opening of the Gulf of Aden. The amount of crustal thinning inferred at the Kali-1 well is consistent with the results of Process-Oriented Gravity and Flexure (POGM) modelling, assuming an elastic thickness of ~30 km. The thinning at the Nogal-1 well, however, is greater by ~ 7 km than predicted suggesting that the basin may be locally underplated by magmatic material. Irrespective, POGM suggests the transition between thick crust beneath Northern Somalia to thin crust beneath the Indian Ocean forms a ~500 km wide zone which begins beneath the Kali-1 and Nogal-1 wells and ends beneath the upper continental rise.

The crust and upper mantle of central East Greenland - implications for continental accretion and rift evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiffer, Christian; Balling, Niels; Ebbing, Jörg; Holm Jacobsen, Bo; Bom Nielsen, Søren

2016-04-01

The geological evolution of the North Atlantic Realm during the past 450 Myr, which has shaped the present-day topographic, crustal and upper mantle features, was dominated by the Caledonian orogeny and the formation of the North Atlantic and associated igneous activity. The distinct high altitude-low relief landscapes that accompany the North Atlantic rifted passive margins are the focus of a discussion of whether they are remnant and modified Caledonian features or, alternatively, recently uplifted peneplains. Teleseismic receiver function analysis of 11 broadband seismometers in the Central Fjord Region in East Greenland indicates the presence of a fossil subduction complex, including a slab of eclogitised mafic crust and an overlying wedge of hydrated mantle peridotite. This model is generally consistent with gravity and topography. It is shown that the entire structure including crustal thickness variations and sub-Moho heterogeneity gives a superior gravity and isostatic topographic fit compared to a model with a homogeneous lithospheric layer (1). The high topography of >1000 m in the western part of the area is supported by the c. 40 km thick crust. The eastern part requires buoyancy from the low velocity/low density mantle wedge. The geometry, velocities and densities are consistent with structures associated with a fossil subduction zone. The spatial relations with Caledonian structures suggest a Caledonian origin. The results indicate that topography is isostatically compensated by density variations within the lithosphere and that significant present-day dynamic topography seems not to be required. Further, this structure is suggested to be geophysically very similar to the Flannan reflector imaged north of Scotland, and that these are the remnants of the same fossil subduction zone, broken apart and separated during the formation of the North Atlantic in the early Cenozoic (2). 1) Schiffer, C., Jacobsen, B.H., Balling, N., Ebbing, J. and Nielsen, S.B., 2015. The East Greenland Caledonides - teleseismic signature, gravity and isostasy. Geophysical Journal International, 203, 1400-1418. 2) Schiffer, C., Stephenson, R.A., Petersen, K.D., Nielsen, S.B., Jacobsen, B.H., Balling, N. and Macdonald, D.I.M., 2015. A sub-crustal piercing point for North Atlantic reconstructions and tectonic implications. Geology, 43, 1087-1090.

Beating the Heat: Magmatism in the Low-Temperature Thermochronologic Record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, K. E.; Reiners, P. W.; Braun, J.; Karlstrom, L.; Morriss, M. C.

2017-12-01

The low-temperature thermochronology community was quick to recognize upper-crustal complexities in the geotherm that reflect landscape evolution, but the complex effects of crustal magmatism on thermochronometers can be difficult to independently document and remain underexplored. Because magmatism is common in many regions central to our understanding of tectonics, this is a significant gap in our ability to robustly interpret rock cooling. Here, we use several different numerical approaches to examine how local and regional crustal magmatism affects cooling age patterns and present examples from the western US that demonstrate the importance—and utility—of considering these effects. We modified the finite-element code Pecube to calculate how thermochronometers document the emplacement of simple hot bodies at different crustal levels. Results demonstrate the potential for mid-crustal plutons, emplaced at 10-15 km depth, to reset cooling ages in the overlying rocks at partial-retention depths at the time of magmatism. Permo-Triassic sandstones from the Colorado Plateau's Canyonlands region have apatite cooling ages that exemplify the resulting ambiguity: Oligocene rock cooling can be attributed to either 1 km of erosion or relaxation of a geothermal gradient transiently doubled by mid-crustal magmatism. Despite these complexities, there are compelling reasons to target rocks with magmatic histories. Shallowly emplaced plutons can usefully reset cooling ages in country rocks with protracted near-surface histories, as we have demonstrated in the Colorado Plateau's Henry Mountains. Cooling age patterns are also useful for quantifying magmatic processes themselves. In an ongoing project, we use the pattern of thermochronometer resetting around individual dikes that fed the Columbia River flood basalts, which are exposed in the Wallowa Mountains, to identify long-lived feeder dikes and model their thermal aureoles to further constrain eruptive dynamics. The pattern of resetting around dikes compliments higher-temperature constraints on the longevity of magma flow from phase equilibria in partially melted wall rocks. In principal, this technique should also resolve along-strike variability in flow localization, providing novel constraints on eruptive flux in large igneous provinces.

Seismic Tomography of the Arabian-Eurasian Collision Zone and Surrounding Areas

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-20

zone. The crustal models correlate well with geologic and tectonic features. The upper mantle tomograms show the images of the subducted Neotethys...We first obtain Pn and Sn velocities using local and regional arrival time data. Second, we obtain the 3-D crustal P and S velocity models...teleseismic tomography provides a high-resolution, 3-D P-wave velocity model for the crust, upper mantle, and the transition zone. The crustal models

Fluids of the Lower Crust: Deep Is Different

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manning, Craig E.

2018-05-01

Deep fluids are important for the evolution and properties of the lower continental and arc crust in tectonically active settings. They comprise four components: H2O, nonpolar gases, salts, and rock-derived solutes. Contrasting behavior of H2O-gas and H2O-salt mixtures yields immiscibility and potential separation of phases with different chemical properties. Equilibrium thermodynamic modeling of fluid-rock interaction using simple ionic species known from shallow-crustal systems yields solutions too dilute to be consistent with experiments and resistivity surveys, especially if CO2 is added. Therefore, additional species must be present, and H2O-salt solutions likely explain much of the evidence for fluid action in high-pressure settings. At low salinity, H2O-rich fluids are powerful solvents for aluminosilicate rock components that are dissolved as polymerized clusters. Addition of salts changes solubility patterns, but aluminosilicate contents may remain high. Fluids with Xsalt = 0.05 to 0.4 in equilibrium with model crustal rocks have bulk conductivities of 10‑1.5 to 100 S/m at porosity of 0.001. Such fluids are consistent with observed conductivity anomalies and are capable of the mass transfer seen in metamorphic rocks exhumed from the lower crust.

Australian Seismological Reference Model (AuSREM): crustal component

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmon, M.; Kennett, B. L. N.; Saygin, E.

2013-01-01

Although Australia has been the subject of a wide range of seismological studies, these have concentrated on specific features of the continent at crustal scales and on the broad scale features in the mantle. The Australian Seismological Reference Model (AuSREM) is designed to bring together the existing information, and provide a synthesis in the form of a 3-D model that can provide the basis for future refinement from more detailed studies. Extensive studies in the last few decades provide good coverage for much of the continent, and the crustal model builds on the various data sources to produce a representative model that captures the major features of the continental structure and provides a basis for a broad range of further studies. The model is grid based with a 0.5° sampling in latitude and longitude, and is designed to be fully interpolable, so that properties can be extracted at any point. The crustal structure is built from five-layer representations of refraction and receiver function studies and tomographic information. The AuSREM crustal model is available at 1 km intervals. The crustal component makes use of prior compilations of sediment thicknesses, with cross checks against recent reflection profiling, and provides P and S wavespeed distributions through the crust. The primary information for P wavespeed comes from refraction profiles, for S wavespeed from receiver function studies. We are also able to use the results of ambient noise tomography to link the point observations into national coverage. Density values are derived using results from gravity interpretations with an empirical relation between P wavespeed and density. AuSREM is able to build on a new map of depth to Moho, which has been created using all available information including Moho picks from over 12 000 km of full crustal profiling across the continent. The crustal component of AuSREM provides a representative model that should be useful for modelling of seismic wave propagation and calculation of crustal corrections for tomography. Other applications include gravity studies and dynamic topography at the continental scale.

Ivrea mantle wedge and arc of the Western Alps (I): Geophysical evidence for the deep structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kissling, Edi; Schmid, Stefan M.; Diehl, Tobias

2017-04-01

The construction of five crustal-scale profiles across the Western Alps and the Ivrea mantle wedge integrates up-to-date geological and geophysical information and reveals important along strike changes in the overall structure of the crust of the Western Alpine arc (Schmid et al. 2017). The 3D crustal model of the Western Alps represented by these cross sections is based on recent P-velocity local earthquake tomography that compliments the previously existing wealth of geophysical information about lithosphere structure in the region. As part of Adria mantle lithosphere exhibiting strong upward bending toward the plate boundary along the inner arc of the Western Alps, the well-known Ivrea body plays a crucial role in our tectonic model. Until recently, however, the detailed 3D geometry of this key structure was only poorly constrained. In this study we present a review of the many seismic data in the region and we document the construction of our 3D lithosphere model by principles of multidisciplinary seismic tomography. Reference: Stefan M. Schmid, Edi Kissling, Douwe J.J. van Hinsbergen, Giancarlo Molli (2017). Ivrea mantle wedge and arc of the Western Alps (2): Kinematic evolution of the Alps-Apennines orogenic system. Abstract Volume EGU 2017.

Model for the Evolution of an Oceanic Core Complex and its Hydrothermal Vent on the Ultraslow-Spreading Mid Cayman Spreading Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, J.; Van Avendonk, H. J.; Hayman, N. W.; Grevemeyer, I.; Peirce, C.

2016-12-01

The Mid Cayman Spreading Center (MCSC) is an ultraslow-spreading center (15 mm yr-1 full rate) along the Caribbean-North American plate boundary. Despite the paradigm that ultraslow-spreading centers are amagmatic and cold, two hydrothermal vent fields have recently been discovered along the MCSC. The Beebe Vent Field is a black smoker in the northern axial deep, and the Von Damm Vent Field (VDVF) is a moderate-temperature, talc precipitating vent found atop an oceanic core complex (OCC). This OCC, "Mt. Dent", is a large (3 km high) massif that formed beneath a detachment fault, which exhumed lower crustal and upper mantle material. The CaySeis Experiment was conducted in April, 2015 in order to collect wide-angle refraction data of the MCSC crust and upper mantle. We modeled the across-axis crustal structure of Mt. Dent as well as the surrounding lithosphere using 2.5D P-wave tomography. Using this tomographic model, along with geochemistry, we propose a model for the formation and evolution of the OCC Mt. Dent and the VDVF. A detachment fault formed in a magma-poor environment due to a pulse of magmatism, producing a large gabbro body that was then exhumed and rotated into the OCC footwall. Once magmatism waned and the gabbroic body cooled, the OCC was faulted and fractured due to plate flexure and increased tectonic extensional stress in the naturally cold and thick lithosphere. These faults provide a permeable and deep network of hydrothermal pathways that mine deep lithospheric heat and expose gabbro and fresh mantle peridotite. This model is consistent with the basalt geochemistry, hydrothermal fluid geochemistry, and the distribution of brittle vs. ductile structures along the detachment shear zone. The VDVF is therefore a product of a pulse of magmatism in an overall melt-poor environment, conditions that may be found at other ultraslow-spreading ridges.

Steady State Growth of Continental Crust?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowring, S. A.; Bauer, A.; Dudas, F. O.; Schoene, B.; McLean, N. M.

2012-12-01

More than twenty years since the publication of Armstrong's seminal paper, debate still rages about most aspects of the Earth's first billion years. Although orders of magnitude more data have been generated since then, the arguments remain the same. The debate is largely centered on the isotopic systematics of minerals and whole rocks, the major and trace element geochemistry of continental crust, and various geodynamic models for differentiation of the planet. Most agree that earth, like all the terrestrial planets, differentiated into a crust, mantle and core very early in its history. After that, models of crustal evolution diverge significantly, including the suggestions that modern style plate tectonics did not originate until ca. 2.7 Ga or younger and that plumes have played a major role in the generation of continental crust. Many believe that the preserved rock record and the detrital zircon record are consistent with episodic crustal growth, which in turn has led to geodynamic models of episodic mantle convection driving major crust forming events. High-precision and high-throughput geochronology have led to claims of episodicity even more pronounced than that presented in Gastil's 1960 paper. We believe that Earth history has been dominated by plate tectonics and that continental crust is formed largely by amalgamation of island arcs, seamounts, micro continents, and oceanic plateaus. While there are geochemical differences in the average composition of Archean igneous rocks when compared to younger rocks, the processes responsible for their formation may not have changed a great deal. In this view, the so-called crustal growth curves originated by Hurley are in fact crude approximations of crustal preservation. The most highly cited rationales for the view that little silicic crust formed during Earth's first billion years are the lack of known exposed crust older than 3.5 Ga and the paucity of detrital zircons older than 4.0 Ga in sedimentary rocks of any age. If one accepts that the probability of preserving old crust decreases with increasing age, the few exposures of rocks older than 3.5 Ga should not be surprising. The thickness and compositional differences between Archean and younger lithospheric mantle are not fully understood nor is the role of thicker buoyant mantle in preserving continental crust; these lead to the question of whether the preserved rock record is representative of what formed. It is notable that the oldest known rocks, the ca. 4.0 Ga Acasta Gneisses, are tonalities-granodiorites-granites with evidence for the involvement of even older crust and that the oldest detrital zircons from Australia (ca. 4.0-4.4 Ga) are thought to have been derived from granitoid sources. The global Hf and Nd isotope databases are compatible with both depleted and enriched sources being present from at least 4.0 Ga to the present and that the lack of evolution of the MORB source or depleted mantle is due to recycling of continental crust throughout earth history. Using examples from the Slave Province and southern Africa, we argue that Armstrong's concept of steady state crustal growth and recycling via plate tectonics still best explains the modern geological and geochemical data.

Basalt generation at the Apollo 12 site. Part 2: Source heterogeneity, multiple melts, and crustal contamination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neal, Clive R.; Hacker, Matthew D.; Snyder, Gregory A.; Taylor, Lawrence A.; Liu, Yun-Gang; Schmitt, Roman A.

1994-01-01

The petrogenesis of Apollo 12 mare basalts has been examined with emphasis on trace-element ratios and abundances. Vitrophyric basalts were used as parental compositions for the modeling, and proportions of fractionating phases were determined using the MAGFOX prograqm of Longhi (1991). Crystal fractionation processes within crustal and sub-crustal magma chambers are evaluated as a function of pressure. Knowledge of the fractionating phases allows trace-element variations to be considered as either source related or as a product of post-magma-generation processes. For the ilmenite and olivine basalts, trace-element variations are inherited from the source, but the pigeonite basalt data have been interpreted with open-system evolution processes through crustal assimilation. Three groups of basalts have been examined: (1) Pigeonite basalts-produced by the assimilation of lunar crustal material by a parental melt (up to 3% assimilation and 10% crystal fractionation, with an 'r' value of 0.3). (2) Ilmenite basalts-produced by variable degrees of partial melting (4-8%) of a source of olivine, pigeonite, augite, and plagioclase, brought together by overturn of the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) cumulate pile. After generation, which did not exhaust any of the minerals in the source, these melts experienced closed-system crystal fractionation/accumulation. (3) Olivine basalts-produced by variable degrees of partial melting (5-10%) of a source of olivine, pigeonite, and augite. After generation, again without exhausting any of the minerals in the source, these melts evolved through crystal accumulation. The evolved liquid counterparts of these cumulates have not been sampled. The source compositions for the ilmenite and olivine basalts were calculated by assuming that the vitrophyric compositions were primary and the magmas were produced by non-modal batch melting. Although the magnitude is unclear, evaluation of these source regions indicates that both be composed of early- and late-stage Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) cumulates, requiring an overturn of the cumulate pile.

Arctic and N Atlantic Crustal Thickness and Oceanic Lithosphere Distribution from Gravity Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusznir, Nick; Alvey, Andy

2014-05-01

The ocean basins of the Arctic and N. Atlantic formed during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic as a series of distinct ocean basins, both small and large, leading to a complex distribution of oceanic crust, thinned continental crust and rifted continental margins. The plate tectonic framework of this region was demonstrated by the pioneering work of Peter Ziegler in AAPG Memoir 43 " Evolution of the Arctic-North Atlantic and the Western Tethys" published in 1988. The spatial evolution of Arctic Ocean and N Atlantic ocean basin geometry and bathymetry are critical not only for hydrocarbon exploration but also for understanding regional palaeo-oceanography and ocean gateway connectivity, and its influence on global climate. Mapping crustal thickness and oceanic lithosphere distribution represents a substantial challenge for the Polar Regions. Using gravity anomaly inversion we have produced comprehensive maps of crustal thickness and oceanic lithosphere distribution for the Arctic and N Atlantic region, We determine Moho depth, crustal basement thickness, continental lithosphere thinning and ocean-continent transition location using a 3D spectral domain gravity inversion method, which incorporates a lithosphere thermal gravity anomaly correction (Chappell & Kusznir 2008). Gravity anomaly and bathymetry data used in the gravity inversion are from the NGA (U) Arctic Gravity Project and IBCAO respectively; sediment thickness is from a new regional compilation. The resulting maps of crustal thickness and continental lithosphere thinning factor are used to determine continent-ocean boundary location and the distribution of oceanic lithosphere. Crustal cross-sections using Moho depth from the gravity inversion allow continent-ocean transition structure to be determined and magmatic type (magma poor, "normal" or magma rich). Our gravity inversion predicts thin crust and high continental lithosphere thinning factors in the Eurasia, Canada, Makarov, Podvodnikov and Baffin Basins consistent with these basins being oceanic. Larger crustal thicknesses, in the range 20 - 30 km, are predicted for the Lomonosov, Alpha and Mendeleev Ridges. Crustal basement thicknesses of 10-15 km are predicted under the Laptev Sea which is interpreted as highly thinned continental crust formed at the eastward continuation of Eurasia Basin sea-floor spreading. Thin continental or oceanic crust of thickness 7 km or less is predicted under the North Chukchi Basin and has major implications for understanding the Mesozoic and Cenozoic plate tectonic history of the Siberian and Chukchi Amerasia Basin margins. Restoration of crustal thickness and continent-ocean boundary location from gravity inversion may be used to test and refine plate tectonic reconstructions. Using crustal thickness and continental lithosphere thinning factor maps with superimposed shaded-relief free-air gravity anomaly, we improve the determination of pre-breakup rifted margin conjugacy and sea-floor spreading trajectory within the Arctic and N Atlantic basins. By restoring crustal thickness & continental lithosphere thinning maps of the Eurasia Basin & NE Atlantic to their initial post-breakup configuration we show the geometry and segmentation of the rifted continental margins at their time of breakup, together with the location of highly-stretched failed breakup basins and rifted micro-continents. We interpret gravity inversion crustal thicknesses underneath Morris Jessop Rise & Yermak Plateau as continental crust which provided a barrier to the tectonic and palaeo-oceanic linkage between the Arctic & North Atlantic until the Oligocene. Before this time, we link the seafloor spreading within the Eurasia Basin to that in Baffin Bay.

Coupling giant impacts and longer-term evolution models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golabek, Gregor; Jutzi, Martin; Emsenhuber, Alexandre; Gerya, Taras; Asphaug, Erik

2016-04-01

The crustal dichotomy is the dominant geological feature on planet Mars. The exogenic approach to the origin of the crustal dichotomy assumes that the northern lowlands correspond to a giant impact basin formed after primordial crust formation. However these simulations only consider the impact phase without studying the long-term repercussions of such a collision. The endogenic approach, suggesting a degree-1 mantle upwelling underneath the southern highlands, relies on a high Rayleigh number and a particular viscosity profile to form a low degree convective pattern within the geological constraints for the dichotomy formation. Such vigorous convection, however, results in continuous magmatic resurfacing, destroying the initially dichotomous crustal structure in the long-term. A further option is a hybrid exogenic-endogenic approach, which proposes an impact-induced magma ocean and subsequent superplume in the southern hemisphere. However these models rely on simple scaling laws to impose the thermal effects of the collision. Here we present the first results of impact simulations performed with a SPH code serially coupled with geodynamical computations performed using the code I3VIS to improve the latter approach and test it against observations. We are exploring collisions varying the impactor velocities, impact angles and target body properties, and are gauging the sensitivity to the handoff from SPH to I3VIS. As expected, our first results indicate the formation of a transient hemispherical magma ocean in the impacted hemisphere, and the merging of the cores. We also find that impact angle and velocity have a strong effect on the post-impact temperature field and on the timescale and nature of core merger.

The crustal structure in the transition zone between the western and eastern Barents Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shulgin, Alexey; Mjelde, Rolf; Faleide, Jan Inge; Høy, Tore; Flueh, Ernst; Thybo, Hans

2018-07-01

We present a crustal-scale seismic profile in the Barents Sea based on new data. Wide-angle seismic data were recorded along a 600 km long profile at 38 ocean bottom seismometer and 52 onshore station locations. The modelling uses the joint refraction/reflection tomography approach where co-located multichannel seismic reflection data constrain the sedimentary structure. Further, forward gravity modelling is based on the seismic model. We also calculate net regional erosion based on the calculated shallow velocity structure. Our model reveals a complex crustal structure of the Baltic Shield to Barents shelf transition zone, as well as strong structural variability on the shelf itself. We document large volumes of pre-Carboniferous sedimentary strata in the transition zone which reach a total thickness of 10 km. A high-velocity crustal domain found below the Varanger Peninsula likely represents an independent crustal block. Large lower crustal bodies with very high velocity and density below the Varanger Peninsula and the Fedynsky High are interpreted as underplated material that may have fed mafic dykes in the Devonian. We speculate that these lower crustal bodies are linked to the Devonian rifting processes in the East European Craton, or belonging to the integral part of the Timanides, as observed onshore in the Pechora Basin.

Geophysical evidence for the crustal variation and distribution of magmatism along the central coast of Mozambique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Christian Olaf; Jokat, Wilfried

2017-08-01

For our understanding of the timing and geometry of the initial Gondwana break-up, still a consistent image of the crustal composition of the conjugated margins of central Mozambique and Antarctica and the location of their continent-ocean boundaries is missing. In this regard, a main objective is the explanation for the source of the different magnetic signature of the conjugate margins. Based on a revised investigation of wide-angle seismic data along two profiles across the Mozambican margin by means of an amplitude modelling, this study presents the crustal composition across and along the continental margin of central Mozambique. Supported by 2D magnetic modelling, the results are compared to the conjugate margin in Antarctica and allow new conclusions about their joined tectonic evolution. An observed crustal diversity between the north-eastern and south-western parts of the central Mozambican margin, testifies to the complex break-up history of this area. Conspicuous is the equal spatial extent of the HVLCB along the margin of 190-215 km. The onset of oceanic crust at the central Mozambican margin is refined to chron M38n.2n (164.1 Ma). Magnetic modelling supports the presence of reversed polarized SDRs in the continent-ocean transition that were mainly emplaced between 168.5 and 166.8 Ma (M42-M40). Inferred SDRs in the Riiser-Larsen Sea might be emplaced sometime between 166.8 and 164.1 Ma (M39-M38), but got overprinted by normal polarized intrusions of a late stage of rift volcanism, causing the opposite magnetic signature of the conjugate margins. The distribution of the magmatic material along the central coast of Mozambique clearly indicates the eastern extension of the north-eastern branch of the Karoo triple rift along the entire margin. The main magmatic phase affecting this area lasted for at least 12 Myr between 169 and 157 Ma, followed by the cease of the magmatism, perhaps due to the relative southwards motion of the magmatic centre.

Consequences of Chixculub Impact for the Tectonic and Geodynamic Evolution of the Gulf of Mexico North Carribean Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangin, C.; Crespy, A.; Martinez-Reyes, J.

2013-05-01

The debate for Pacific exotic origin versus in situ inter American plate Atlantic origin of the Caribbean plate is active in the scientific community since decades. Independently of the origin of this plate, its fast motion towards the east at a present rate of 2cm/yr is accepted to have been initiated during the early-most Cenozoic. The Paleocene is a key period in the global evolution of Central America mainly marked also by the Chicxulub multiring meteor impact in Yucatan. We question here the genetic relationship between this impact event and the incipient tectonic escape of the Caribbean plate. The mostly recent published models suggest this impact has affected the whole crust down to the Moho, the upper mantle being rapidly and considerably uplifted. The crust was then fragmented 600km at least from the point of impact, and large circular depressions were rapidly filled by clastic sediments from Cantarell to Western Cuba via Chiapas and Belize. North of the impact, the whole Gulf of Mexico was affected by mass gravity sliding, initiated also during the Paleocene in Texas, remaining active in this basin up to present time. South of the impact, in the Caribbean plate, the Yucatan basin was rapidly opened, indicating a fast escape of the crustal material towards the unique free boundary, the paleo-Antilles subduction zone. Shear waves velocity data below the Caribbean plate suggest this crustal tectonic escape was enhanced by the fast eastward flowing mantle supporting a fragmented and stretched crust. The proposed model suggests Chicxulub impact (but also the hypothetic Beata impact) have fragmented brittle crust, then easily drifted towards the east. This could explain the Paleogene evolution of the Caribbean plate largely stretched during its early evolution. Geologically, this evolution could explain the absence of evident Paleogene oblique subduction along the Caribbean plate northern and southern margins, marked only by Mid Cretaceous dragged volcanic complexes, but also the relatively recent motion along the Cayman Fault zone (Miocene instead of Eocene). These results are part of a cooperative research-industry programm conducted by CEREGE/EGERIE, Aix-en-Provence and GeoAzur, Nice, with Frontier Basin study group TOTAL S.A., Paris.

Preface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinton, John M.

This volume is an outgrowth of IUGG Union Symposium 9 held during the 1987 IUGG General Assembly at Vancouver, Canada. This symposium, jointly sponsored by IAVCEI, IASPEI, ICL and IAGA, consisted of 31 presentations ranging in subject matter from melt segregation and melt focusing processes beneath mid-ocean ridges, to the structures of oceanic crust and ophiolite analogues, morphological variations in the accretion process, the structural evolution of specific spreading ridge systems, the interplay between magmatism and rifting, and the chemical and thermal balances involved in mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems. Six of those papers have been expanded in the present volume. These papers constitute several important advances in our understanding of the evolution of mid-ocean ridge systems. The recognition that transverse seismic anisotropy is an important characteristic of oceanic layer 2 (Fryer et al.) has profound implications for interpretations of crustal thicknesses based on seismic data, and appears to explain a longstanding enigma of marine seismology: the apparent thinning of upper crustal layers with age. An analysis of magnetic anomaly data and transform fault azimuths across the boundaries of the Pacific, Easter and Nazca plates (Naar and Hey) has resulted in the calculation of new, instantaneous plate motion models for a significant portion of the south Pacific plate boundaries, in addition to providing important constraints on the recent evolution of the Easter Microplate. A new kinematic model for the evolution of the Gorda Rise (Stoddard) reproduces the complex magnetic lineations of that area, and includes models for the generation of the President Jackson seamount chain. Phase equilibria are used to constrain the nature of magmas parental to differentiated lavas of Icelandic rift zones (Thy); these magmas contrast significantly with those for several other spreading ridges, with implications for the melting regimes operating there. The final two papers are devoted to evaluations of the accretion process over relatively short time intervals. The use of bottom observations at Axial Seamount on the Juan de Fuca Ridge has allowed Zonenshain et al. to decipher the volcanic, tectonic and hydrothermal history of this area over the last 60,000 years. An even finer scale view of the accretion process is provided by Jacoby et al., in their assessment of the implications of geophysical and geodetic data for magma movement in the Krafla Rift Zone, Iceland since 1975.

Crustal structure along the west flank of the Cascades, western Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, K.C.; Keller, Gordon R.; Gridley, J.M.; Luetgert, J.H.; Mooney, W.D.; Thybo, H.

1997-01-01

Knowledge of the crustal structure of the Washington Cascades and adjacent Puget Lowland is important to both earthquake hazards studies and geologic studies of the evolution of this tectonically active region. We present a model for crustal velocity structure derived from analysis of seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection data collected in 1991 in western Washington. The 280-km-long north-south transect skirts the west flank of the Cascades as it crosses three tectonic provinces including the Northwest Cascades Thrust System (NWCS), the Puget Lowland, and the volcanic arc of the southern Cascades. Within the NWCS, upper crustal velocities range from 4.2 to 5.7 km s-1 and are consistent with the presence of a diverse suite of Mesozoic and Paleozoic metasediments and metavolcanics. In the upper 2-3 km of the Puget Lowland velocities drop to 1.7-3.5 km s-1 and reflect the occurrence of Oligocene to recent sediments within the basin. In the southern Washington Cascades, upper crustal velocities range from 4.0 to 5.5 km s-1 and are consistent with a large volume of Tertiary sediments and volcanics. A sharp change in velocity gradient at 5-10 km marks the division between the upper and middle crust. From approximately 10 to 35 km depth the velocity field is characterized by a velocity increase from ???6.0 to 7.2 km s-1. These high velocities do not support the presence of marine sedimentary rocks at depths of 10-20 km beneath the Cascades as previously proposed on the basis of magnetotelluric data. Crustal thickness ranges from 42 to 47 km along the profile. The lowermost crust consists of a 2 to 8-km-thick transitional layer with velocities of 7.3-7.4 km s-1. The upper mantle velocity appears to be an unusually low 7.6-7.8 km s-1. When compared to velocity models from other regions, this model most closely resembles those found in active continental arcs. Distinct seismicity patterns can be associated with individual tectonic provinces along the seismic transect. In the NWCS and Puget Lowland, most of the seismicity occurs below the base of the upper crust as defined by a seismic boundary at 5-10 km depth and continues to 20-30 km depth. The region of transition between the NWCS and the Puget Lowland appears as a gap in seismicity with notably less seismic activity north of the boundary between the two. Earthquakes within the Cascades are generally shallower (0-20 km) and are dominated by events associated with the Rainier Seismic Zone. Copyright 1997 by the American Geophysical Union.

Greenstone belts: Their boundaries, surrounding rock terrains and interrelationships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Percival, J. A.; Card, K. D.

1986-01-01

Greenstone belts are an important part of the fragmented record of crustal evolution, representing samples of the magmatic activity that formed much of the Earth's crust. Most belts developed rapidly, in less than 100 Ma, leaving large gaps in the geological record. Surrounding terrains provide information on the context of greenstone belts. The effects of tectonic setting, structural geometry and evolution, associated plutonic activity and sedimentation are discussed.

Limitations of quantitative analysis of deep crustal seismic reflection data: Examples from GLIMPCE

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, Myung W.; Hutchinson, Deborah R.

1992-01-01

Amplitude preservation in seismic reflection data can be obtained by a relative true amplitude (RTA) processing technique in which the relative strength of reflection amplitudes is preserved vertically as well as horizontally, after compensating for amplitude distortion by near-surface effects and propagation effects. Quantitative analysis of relative true amplitudes of the Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution seismic data is hampered by large uncertainties in estimates of the water bottom reflection coefficient and the vertical amplitude correction and by inadequate noise suppression. Processing techniques such as deconvolution, F-K filtering, and migration significantly change the overall shape of amplitude curves and hence calculation of reflection coefficients and average reflectance. Thus lithological interpretation of deep crustal seismic data based on the absolute value of estimated reflection strength alone is meaningless. The relative strength of individual events, however, is preserved on curves generated at different stages in the processing. We suggest that qualitative comparisons of relative strength, if used carefully, provide a meaningful measure of variations in reflectivity. Simple theoretical models indicate that peg-leg multiples rather than water bottom multiples are the most severe source of noise contamination. These multiples are extremely difficult to remove when the water bottom reflection coefficient is large (>0.6), a condition that exists beneath parts of Lake Superior and most of Lake Huron.

Relating modes of extension to the spatial and temporal distribution of major sediment unconformities at passive margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrés-Martínez, Miguel; Pérez-Gussinyé, Marta; Armitage, John; Morgan, Jason P.

2017-04-01

Rifting is a regional process which results in thinning of the crust over hundreds of kilometres. However, basins where deposition takes place could have different subsidence histories due to local graben-bounding fault kinetics. A change in the rift dynamics often results in a displacement of the basin depocenters, with subsequent erosion of old sediments and later deposition, creating an unconformity. Unconformities of regional character are typically studied to unveil the overall rift deformation history, and major ones separating syn- and post-kinematic sediments are often associated with break-up of the continental crust. However, evolution of the basement deformation is typically challenging to study since reflection images are usually diffuse at these depths and boreholes are typically scarce, which complicates the dating of the sediments overlying the basement. Consequently, relating the deformation styles and rift evolution to unconformities is not straight forward. We use numerical models in order to approach the meaning of regional unconformities and to study the sedimentation patterns under different modes of extension. Our models solve 2D Stokes flow for rocks treated as non-Newtonian bodies, together with heat conservation equation. Viscosities and densities depend on temperatures. Elasticity and plasticity are plugged-in in the mechanical formulation. We also use strain softening to simulate faulting and shear zones. The top boundary is a free-surface so that tectonics result in topography. Additionally, we update this topography every time step using a sediment transport model, and we store information about depositional times, paleo-depths and erosional events. These models allow for the recovery of the basement deformation during rift evolution simultaneously to the recovery of sedimentation history. Here, we run models with different crustal rheologies to reproduce different extensional modes. This allows us to contrast sedimentation patterns and unconformities under variable kinetic scenarios, from regional to faulted-block scales. We find that unconformities are generally associated to a change in the locus of extension. In models with intermediate-strength crust, sequential faulting takes place, so that only one fault is active at a time and occur in the hanging wall of the previous fault, resulting in asymmetric conjugate margins. In this case a major unconformity separates syn- and post-kinematic sediments. Both syn- and post-kinematic sediments young oceanwards and the unconformity dates the time in which extension abandons the area in favour of new faults forming oceanwards. Models with weaker crusts display extension along a wide region, with overprinting of different faulting phases. Eventually, deformation localizes in a narrow region due to cooling, and crustal break-up occurs. In this case, a first set of unconformities separates different phases of faulting inside the syn-kinematic sediments, and later unconformities separate syn-kinematic and post-kinematic sediments, dating the time at which extension localizes. We also find that unconformities date the crustal break-up only when they develop in the vicinity of the break-up locus. This stresses on that terms such as syn- and post-rift sediments and break-up unconformity should be handled carefully when seismic interpretation is done, and also provides support for unconformities as rifting story-tellers.

Origin of the Sudbury Complex by meteoritic impact: Neodymium isotopic evidence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Faggart, B.E.; Basu, A.R.; Tatsumoto, M.

1985-01-01

Samarium-neodymium isotopic data on whole rocks and minerals of the Sudbury Complex in Canada gave an igneous crystallization age of 1840 ?? 21 ?? 106 years. The initial epsilon neodymium values for 15 whole rocks are similar to those for average upper continental crust, falling on the crustal trend of neodymium isotopic evolution as defined by shales. The rare earth element concentration patterns of Sudbury rocks are also similar to upper crustal averages. These data suggest that the Sudbury Complex formed from melts generated in the upper crust and are consistent with a meteoritic impact.

Multiphase Structural Evolution of a Continental Margin During Obduction Orogeny: Insights From the Jebel Akhdar Dome, Oman Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grobe, A.; Virgo, S.; von Hagke, C.; Urai, J. L.; Littke, R.

2018-03-01

The structural evolution of the carbonate platform in the footwall of the Semail ophiolite emplaced onto the passive continental margin of Arabia helps to better understand the early stages of obduction-related orogens. These early stages are rarely observable in other orogens as they are mostly overprinted by later mountain building phases. We present an extensive structural analysis of the Jebel Akhdar anticline, the largest tectonic window of the Oman Mountains, and integrate it on different scales. Outcrop observations can be linked to plate motion data, providing an absolute timeframe for structural generations consistent with radiometric dating of veins. Top-to-S overthrusting of the Semail ophiolite and Hawasina nappes onto the carbonate platform during high plate convergence rates between Arabia and Eurasia caused rapid burial and overpressure, generation and migration of hydrocarbons, and bedding-confined veins, but no major deformation in the carbonate platform. At reduced convergence rates, subsequent tectonic thinning of the ophiolite took place above a top-to-NNE, crustal-scale ductile shear zone, deforming existing veins and forming a cleavage in clay-rich layers in early Campanian times. Ongoing extension occurred along normal- to oblique-slip faults, forming horst-graben structures and a precursor of the Jebel Akhdar dome (Campanian to Maastrichtian). This was followed by NE-SW oriented ductile shortening and the formation of the Jebel Akhdar dome, deforming the earlier structures. Thereafter, exhumation was associated with low-angle normal faults on the northern flank of the anticline. We correlate the top-to-NNE crustal-scale shear zone with a similar structure in the Saih Hatat window to develop a unified model of the tectonic evolution of the Oman Mountains.

Structural Mapping of Paterae and Mountains on Io: Implications for Crustal Stresses and Feature Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahern, A.; Radebaugh, J.; Christiansen, E. H.; Harris, R. A.

2015-12-01

Paterae and mountains are some of the most distinguishing and well-distributed surface features on Io, and they reveal the role of tectonism in Io's crust. Paterae, similar to calderas, are volcano-tectonic collapse features that often have straight margins. Io's mountains are some of the highest in the solar system and contain linear features that reveal crustal stresses. Paterae and mountains are often found adjacent to one another, suggesting possible genetic relationships. We have produced twelve detailed regional structural maps from high-resolution images of relevant features, where available, as well as a global structural map from the Io Global Color Mosaic. The regional structural maps identify features such as fractures, lineations, folds, faults, and mass wasting scarps, which are then interpreted in the context of global and regional stress regimes. A total of 1048 structural lineations have been identified globally. Preliminary analyses of major thrust and normal fault orientations are dominantly 90° offset from each other, suggesting the maximum contractional stresses leading to large mountain formation are not a direct result of tidal extension. Rather, these results corroborate the model of volcanic loading of the crust and global shortening, leading to thrust faulting and uplift of coherent crustal blocks. Several paterae, such as Hi'iaka and Tohil, are found adjacent to mountains inside extensional basins where lava has migrated up normal faults to erupt onto patera floors. Over time, mass wasting and volcanic resurfacing can change mountains from young, steep, and angular peaks to older, gentler, and more rounded hills. Mass wasting scarps make up 53% of all features identified. The structural maps highlight the significant effect of mass wasting on Io's surface, the evolution of mountains through time, the role of tectonics in the formation of paterae, and the formation of mountains through global contraction due to volcanism.

Making the case for the Picuris orogeny: Evidence for a 1500 to 1400 Ma orogenic event in the southwestern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Daniel, Christopher G.; Jones, James V.; Andronicos, Christopher L.; Gray, Mary Beth; Abbott, Lon D.; Hancock, Gregory S.

2013-01-01

The early Mesoproterozoic (ca. 1400 Ma) is an enigmatic time in the tectonic evolution of southern Laurentia. Circa 1400 Ma granites within Laurentia and multiple other continents have distinctive geochemistry consistent with crustal extension or mantle upwelling. In the southwestern United States, these granites are commonly foliated and are often spatially associated with km-scale ductile shear zones. Deformation is attributed to intracontinental tectonism driven by active convergence along the distal southern margin of Laurentia. The recent discovery of deformed and metamorphosed, ca. 1450 Ma sedimentary rocks in northern New Mexico has strengthened the case for regional deformation and orogenesis. However, important questions remain about the tectonic significance of these events and how to reconcile tectonic models with granite petrology at the regional to global scale. This trip focuses on the protolith age of Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks and the kinematics, timing, and tectonic significance of deformation, magmatism, and metamorphism for the Mesoproterozoic across different crustal levels in the southern Rocky Mountains to highlight the ongoing questions and controversies regarding the Mesoproterozoic tectonic setting of Laurentia.This field trip will examine some of the diverse and most recently discovered evidence for ca. 1400 Ma orogenesis in the southern Rocky Mountains. We hope this trip will promote new interest and discussion about the Mesoproterozoic tectonic evolution of Laurentia. We will visit multiple outcrops in the Wet Mountains of southern Colorado and the Picuris Mountains of northern New Mexico. Stops in the Wet Mountains are arranged from north to south to examine contrasting styles of ca. 1400 Ma deformation with increasing paleodepth across the tilted Proterozoic crustal section. In the Picuris Mountains, we focus on detrital zircon geochronology and revisions to the lithostratigraphy of Paleoproterozoic and recently documented Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks, the nature of regional metamorphism, and the style of deformation, ca. 1450–1400 Ma.

Thermal history and differential exhumation across the Eastern Musgrave Province, South Australia: Insights from low-temperature thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glorie, Stijn; Agostino, Kate; Dutch, Rian; Pawley, Mark; Hall, James; Danišík, Martin; Evans, Noreen J.; Collins, Alan S.

2017-04-01

Multi-method geo- and thermochronological data obtained for Palaeo- and Mesoproterozoic granitoids traversing the main structural architecture of the eastern Musgrave Province within South Australia reveal multiphase cooling histories. Apatite U-Pb dating on six samples yield consistent ages of 1075-1025 Ma, suggesting a thermal reset coinciding with mantle-derived magmatism of the greater Warakurna Large Igneous Province ( 1080-1040 Ma). Apatite fission track (AFT) analysis indicate that four discrete thermal events affected the study area, inducing cooling through the AFT partial annealing zone ( 60-120 °C), supported by apatite and zircon (U-Th-Sm)/He data. Late Neoproterozoic cooling from deep crustal levels to temperatures < 200 °C was discerned, which is thought to be related to exhumation and denudation during the Petermann Orogeny. Subsequent cooling events at 450-400 Ma (Silurian-Devonian) and 310-290 Ma (Late Carboniferous) are interpreted to represent exhumation associated with the Alice Springs Orogeny. The latter event exhumed the sampled plutons to shallow crustal depths. An additional Triassic - early Jurassic thermal event, likely recording elevated geothermal gradients at that time, was observed throughout the study area, however, more data is needed to further support this interpretation. The high sample density across the structural architecture of the study area furthermore reveals patterns of fault reactivation and resulting differential exhumation, indicating shallower exhumation levels in the centre and deeper exhumation towards the margins of the sampled transect. The observed differential exhumation patterns match with existing seismic data and fit a model of an inverted graben system for the Phanerozoic evolution of the eastern Musgraves. The results highlight a complex Phanerozoic thermal history for the eastern Musgraves and help to elucidate the poorly appreciated tectonic evolution of inland Australia. This study further demonstrates how high-density sample transects across structural architecture can assess the relative crustal level and associated preservation of the thermal history record within fault-reactivated terranes.

CRUST1.0: An Updated Global Model of Earth's Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laske, G.; Masters, G.; Ma, Z.; Pasyanos, M. E.

2012-04-01

We present an updated global model of Earth's crustal structure. The new model, CRUST1.0, serves as starting model in a more comprehensive effort to compile a global model of Earth's crust and lithosphere, LITHO1.0. CRUST1.0 is defined on a 1-degree grid and is based on a new database of crustal thickness data from active source seismic studies as well as from receiver function studies. In areas where such constraints are still missing, for example in Antarctica, crustal thicknesses are estimated using gravity constraints. The compilation of the new crustal model initially follows the philosophy of the widely used crustal model CRUST2.0 (Bassin et al., 2000; http://igppweb.ucsd.edu/~gabi/crust2.html). Crustal types representing properties in the crystalline crust are assigned according to basement age or tectonic setting. The classification of the latter loosely follows that of an updated map by Artemieva and Mooney (2001) (http://www.lithosphere.info). Statistical averages of crustal properties in each of these crustal types are extrapolated to areas with no local seismic or gravity constraint. In each 1-degree cell, boundary depth, compressional and shear velocity as well as density is given for 8 layers: water, ice, 3-layer sediment cover and upper, middle and lower crystalline crust. Topography, bathymetry and ice cover are taken from ETOPO1. The sediment cover is essentially that of our sediment model (Laske and Masters, 1997; http://igppweb.ucsd.edu/~sediment.html), with several near-coastal updates. In the sediment cover and the crystalline crust, updated scaling relationships are used to assign compressional and shear velocity as well as density. In an initial step toward LITHO1.0, the model is then validated against our new global group velocity maps for Rayleigh and Love waves, particularly at frequencies between 30 and 40 mHz. CRUST1.0 is then adjusted in areas of extreme misfit where we suspect deficiencies in the crustal model. These currently include some near-coastal areas with thick sediment cover and several larger orogenic belts. Some remaining discrepancies, such as in backarc basins, may result from variations in the deeper uppermost mantle and remain unchanged in CRUST1.0 but will likely be modified in LITHO1.0. CRUST1.0 is available for download.

Insights into the crustal structure and magmatic evolution of the High and Western Plateau of the Manihiki Plateau, Central Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hochmuth, Katharina; Gohl, Karsten; Uenzelmann-Neben, Gabriele

2014-05-01

The Manihiki Plateau is a Large Igneous Province (LIP) located in the Central Pacific. It is assumed, that the formation of the Manihiki Plateau took place during the early Cretaceous in multiple volcanic stages as part of the "Super-LIP" Ontong-Java-Nui. The plateau consists of several sub-plateaus of which the Western Plateau und High Plateau are the largest. In addressing the plateau's magmatic evolutionary history, one of the key questions is whether all sub-plateaus experienced the same magmatic history or if distinct phases of igneous or tectonic processes led to its fragmentation. During the RV Sonne cruise SO-224 in 2012; we collected two deep crustal seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection lines, crossing the two main sub-plateaus. Modeling of P- and S-wave phases reveals the different crustal nature of both sub-plateaus. On the High Plateau, the 20 km thick crust is divided into four seismic units, interpreted to range from basaltic composition in the uppermost crust to peridotitic composition in the middle and lower crust. The Western Plateau on the other hand shows multiple rift structures and no indications of basalt flows. With a maximum of 17 km crustal thickness, the Western Plateau is also thinner than the High Plateau. The upper basement layers show relatively low P-wave velocities (3.0 - 5.0 km/s), which infers that on the Western Plateau these layers consist of volcanoclastic and carbonatic rocks rather than basaltic flow units. Later volcanic stages may be restricted to the High Plateau with a possible eastward trend in the center of volcanic activity. Extensive secondary volcanism does not seem to have occurred on the Western Plateau, and its later deformation is mainly caused by tectonic extension and rifting.

MAVEN observations of complex magnetic field configuration in the Martian magnetotail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiBraccio, G. A.; Luhmann, J. G.; Curry, S.; Espley, J. R.; Gruesbeck, J.; Xu, S.; Mitchell, D. L.; Soobiah, Y. I. J.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Dong, C.; Harada, Y.; Ruhunusiri, S.; Halekas, J. S.; Hara, T.; Ma, Y.; Brain, D.; Jakosky, B. M.

2017-12-01

The magnetosphere of Mars has attributes of both induced and intrinsic magnetospheres, forming as a result of direct solar wind interaction with the planet's upper atmosphere and local crustal magnetic fields. Magnetic reconnection is able to occur between the draped interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and closed crustal magnetic fields, creating an open field topology with one end attached to the planet and the other flowing in the solar wind. For this reason, the Martian magnetotail becomes a complex menagerie of various field topologies that may contribute to atmospheric escape to space. We explore these magnetic topologies in the Martian magnetotail using a combination of observations from the the Mars Atmosphere Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft along with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. Preliminary MHD results suggest that the central tail contains two lobes composed of open crustal fields, which are twisted by roughly 45°, either clockwise or counterclockwise from the ecliptic plane, in response to the east-west component of the IMF. These simulated open-field lobes are enveloped by an induced comet-like tail formed by the draped IMF. Using two Earth years of data, we analyze MAVEN Magnetometer and Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA) measurements to assess the tail magnetic field configuration as a function of IMF orientation. We infer, through data-model comparisons, that the open-field tail lobes are likely a result of reconnection between the crustal fields and the IMF. The open topology of these fields may in fact contribute to atmospheric loss to space. This investigation confirms that the Martian magnetotail is a hybrid configuration between intrinsic and induced magnetospheres, shifting the paradigm of Mars' magnetosphere as we have understood it thus far.

Crustal structure of the Kermadec arc from MANGO seismic refraction profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassett, Dan; Kopp, Heidrun; Sutherland, Rupert; Henrys, Stuart; Watts, Anthony B.; Timm, Christian; Scherwath, Martin; Grevemeyer, Ingo; de Ronde, Cornel E. J.

2016-10-01

Three active-source seismic refraction profiles are integrated with morphological and potential field data to place the first regional constraints on the structure of the Kermadec subduction zone. These observations are used to test contrasting tectonic models for an along-strike transition in margin structure previously known as the 32°S boundary. We use residual bathymetry to constrain the geometry of this boundary and propose the name Central Kermadec Discontinuity (CKD). North of the CKD, the buried Tonga Ridge occupies the fore-arc with VP 6.5-7.3 km s-1 and residual free-air gravity anomalies constrain its latitudinal extent (north of 30.5°S), width (110 ± 20 km), and strike ( 005° south of 25°S). South of the CKD the fore-arc is structurally homogeneous downdip with VP 5.7-7.3 km s-1. In the Havre Trough back-arc, crustal thickness south of the CKD is 8-9 km, which is up to 4 km thinner than the northern Havre Trough and at least 1 km thinner than the southern Havre Trough. We suggest that the Eocene arc did not extend along the current length of the Tonga-Kermadec trench. The Eocene arc was originally connected to the Three Kings Ridge, and the CKD was likely formed during separation and easterly translation of an Eocene arc substrate during the early Oligocene. We suggest that the first-order crustal thickness variations along the Kermadec arc were inherited from before the Neogene and reflect Mesozoic crustal structure, the Cenozoic evolution of the Tonga-Kermadec-Hikurangi margin and along-strike variations in the duration of arc volcanism.

Generation and Reworking of Archaean and Hadean Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawkesworth, C.; Kemp, T.; Storey, C.; Dhuime, B.

2008-12-01

Combined Hf and O isotopes in well-dated zircons are increasingly used to investigate the age of the crustal source rocks of detrital and inherited zircons. O isotopes are used to screen out samples that may have a sediment contribution in the parental magma, since sediments yield hybrid model ages that are difficult to interpret. Mafic and granitic rocks also have different Lu/Hf ratios, and so in principle the Hf isotope ratios of zircons can be used to investigate the broad composition of the average crust. The unradiogenic Hf isotope compositions of the Jack Hills zircons from Western Australia indicate the existence of enriched (crustal) reservoirs by at least 4.3 Ga (Y. Amelin et al., 1998, Nature v. 399, p. 252- 255; T. M. Harrison et al., 2005, Science, v. 310, p. 1947-1950). We report in situ Hf isotope analyses of the Jack Hills zircons in which the Pb isotope age information is measured concurrently with the Hf isotope data. The simple data arrays provide clear evidence for Earth differentiation at 4.5 Ga, with the production of both continental crust-like material and a mafic crustal reservoir with higher Lu/Hf. The continued resampling of this reservoir over at least 1.5 Ga argues for a substantial stabilised volume of mafic crust, and, in tandem with oxygen isotope data, the existence of Hadean continents. Zircons remain poor windows into the upper mantle. We therefore investigate Nd isotopes in well-dated titanites; they have closure temperatures for Pb in the range 600-750oC and they can retain cores with distinct age and REE chemistry to subsequent rim overgrowths. Nd isotopes offer a complementary approach to Hf in zircon that can be used to construct the both depleted mantle evolution and crustal growth curves.

Common Pb isotope mapping of UHP metamorphic zones in Dabie orogen, Central China: Implication for Pb isotopic structure of subducted continental crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Ji; Wang, Ying; Li, Shu-Guang

2014-10-01

We report Pb isotopic compositions for feldspars separated from 57 orthogneisses and 2 paragneisses from three exhumed UHPM slices representing the North Dabie zone, the Central Dabie zone and the South Dabie zone of the Dabie orogen, central-east China. The feldspars from the gneisses were recrystallized during Triassic continental subduction and UHP metamorphism. Precursors of the orthogneisses are products of Neoproterozoic bimodal magmatic events, those in north Dabie zone emplaced into the lower crust and those in central and south Dabie zones into middle or upper crust, respectively. On a 207Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb diagram, almost all orthogneisses data lie to the left of the 0.23 Ga paleogeochron and plot along the model mantle evolution curve with the major portion of the data plotting below it. On a 208Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb diagram the most of data of north Dabie zone extend in elongate arrays along the lower crustal curve and others extend between the lower crustal curve to near the mantle evolution curve for the plumbotectonics model. This pattern demonstrates that the Pb isotopic evolution of the feldspars essentially ended at 0.23 Ga and the orthogneiss protoliths were principally dominated by reworking of ancient lower crust with some addition of juvenile mantle in the Neoproterozoic rifting tectonic zone. According to geological evolution history of the locally Dabie orogen, a four-stage Pb isotope evolution model including a long time evolution between 2.0 and 0.8 Ga with a lower crust type U/Pb ratio (μ = 5-6) suggests that magmatic emplacement levels of the protoliths of the orthogneisses in the Dabie orogen at 0.8 Ga also play an important role in the Pb evolution of the exhumed UHPM slices, corresponding to their respective Pb characters at ca. 0.8-0.23 Ga. For example, north Dabie zone requires low μ values (3.4-9.6), while central and south Dabie zones require high μ values (10.9-17.2). On the other hand, Pb isotopic mixing between north and central or south Dabie zones during retro-grade metamorphism enhanced by the extensive magmatism in the Cretaceous has also been observed in the 207Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb diagrams. A combined study of common Pb isotopic compositions of Dabie orthogneisses and Sulu UHPM rocks from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling project demonstrates that a slab marked by extremely unradiogenic Pb observed in the main hole was absent in the Dabie orogen. However, occurrence of some Mesozoic granitoids with such unradiogenic character in the Dabie orogen suggests that their source may be a buried unradiogenic unit underlying below north Dabie zone. This case study clearly shows that whether the position of the Dabie data relative to the orogen curve of the plumbotectonic model is helpful in understanding the Pb isotopic structure and evolution of subducted continental crust.

LITHO1.0: An Updated Crust and Lithosphere Model of the Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masters, G.; Ma, Z.; Laske, G.; Pasyanos, M. E.

2011-12-01

We are developing LITHO1.0: an updated crust and lithosphere model of the Earth. The overall plan is to take the popular CRUST2.0 model - a global model of crustal structure with a relatively poor representation of the uppermost mantle - and improve its nominal resolution to 1 degree and extend the model to include lithospheric structure. The new model, LITHO1.0, will be constrained by many different datasets including extremely large new datasets of relatively short period group velocity data. Other data sets include (but are not limited to) compilations of receiver function constraints and active source studies. To date, we have completed the compilation of extremely large global datasets of group velocity for Rayleigh and Love waves from 10mHz to 40mHz using a cluster analysis technique. We have also extended the method to measure phase velocity and are complementing the group velocity with global data sets of longer period phase data that help to constrain deep lithosphere properties. To model these data, we require a starting model for the crust at a nominal resolution of 1 degree. This has been developed by constructing a map of crustal thickness using data from receiver function and active source experiments where available, and by using CRUST2.0 where other constraints are not available. Particular care has been taken to make sure that the locations of sharp changes in crustal thickness are accurately represented. This map is then used as a template to extend CRUST2.0 to 1 degree nominal resolution and to develop starting maps of all crustal properties. We are currently modeling the data using two techniques. The first is a linearized inversion about the 3D crustal starting model. Note that it is important to use local eigenfunctions to compute Frechet derivatives due to the extreme variations in crustal structure. Another technique uses a targeted grid search method. A preliminary model for the crustal part of the model will be presented.

Estimating gravity changes caused by crustal strain: application to the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Zhi; Xu, Caijun

2017-08-01

Temporal gravimetry is an efficient tool for monitoring mass transfers, but distinguishing the contribution of each process to the measured signals is challenging. Few effective methods have been developed to estimate the changes in gravity caused by crustal strain for large-scale geophysical problems. To fill this research gap, we proposed a formula that describes a negative linear correlation between changes in gravity and crustal dilatational strain. Surface observations of gravity changes and dilatational strains were simulated using PSGRN/PSCMP, which is a numerical code used to calculate the surface response to fault dislocations, and the accuracy of the formula was quantitatively verified. Four parameters are required for this formula: the crustal dilatational strain, the crustal density, the Moho depth, and a coefficient that characterizes the degree of crust-mantle coupling. To illustrate the application of this new method to a natural case study, including specifying the values of the necessary parameters, the crustal strain-caused gravity changes (CSGCs) were calculated at 1° × 1° grid nodes over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The CSGC model shows that most of the crust of the TP is undergoing extension, which generates negative gravity signals. The magnitude of the Tibetan CSGC model is approximately 0.2 μGal yr-1, which is similar to the results obtained from numerical modelling of the crustal tectonics of the Taiwanese Orogen. To evaluate the reliability of the Tibetan CSGC model, the uncertainties in the crustal dilatational strain, crustal density, Moho depth, and crust-mantle coupling factor were evaluated and then used to estimate the CSGC uncertainty by applying the error propagation law. The CSGC model was used to analyse the mass transfers of the TP. The results suggest that a significant mass accumulation process may be occurring beneath the crust of the northern TP.

Preliminary results from combined wide-angle and reflection seismic data in the Natal Valley, South Mozambique margin across the Almirante Leite volcanic ridge : MZ2 profile (MOZ3/5 cruise).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verrier, Fanny; Leprêtre, Angélique; Evain, Mikael; Schnurle, Philippe; Watremez, Louise; Aslanian, Daniel; De Clarens, Philippe; Afonso Dias, Nuno; Afilhado, Alexandra; Leroy, Sylvie; d'Acremont, Elia; Castilla, Raymi; Moulin, Maryline

2017-04-01

The study of South Mozambique passive margin is essential to understand its rifting evolution and better constrain kinematic reconstructions model of the Indian Ocean. MOZ3-5 oceanographic cruises (2016) is part of the PAMELA project (PAssive Margin Exploration LAboratory), conducted by TOTAL, IFREMER, in collaboration with Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Université Rennes 1, Université Pierre and Marie Curie, CNRS et IFPEN. These campaigns allowed the acquisition of wide-angle and multichannel seismic data as well as high resolution bathymetric data, dredges, magnetic and gravimetric data. This work focuses on the deep structure of the northern segment of the Natal Valley which was investigated along a 300 km long E-W seismic transect cross-cutting the Almirante Leite volcanic ridge (MZ2 profile). The wide-angle data set is composed of 23 OBS (Ocean Bottom Seismometers) and 19 LSS (Land Seismic Station) spaced by about 12 km and 4-5 km respectively. Forward modelling of the wide-angle data led to a preliminary 2D P-waves velocity model revealing the sedimentary architecture, crustal and lithospherical structures and shallow high velocity material at the volcanic ridge. The aim of this work is to present the first results on the crustal structure from P-waves velocity modeling along the profile MZ2, in order to discuss the sedimentary sequences, the geometry and nature of the crust (oceanic or continental) as well as structures associated with volcanism, and to better understand the margin's evolution. The post-doc of Fanny Verrier is co-funded by TOTAL and IFREMER as part of the PAMELA (Passive Margin Exploration Laboratories) scientific project. Moulin, M., Aslanian, D., 2016. PAMELA-MOZ03 cruise, RV Pourquoi pas ?, http://dx.doi.org/10.17600/16001600 Moulin, M., Evain, M., 2016. PAMELA-MOZ05 cruise, RV Pourquoi pas ?, http://dx.doi.org/10.17600/16009500

Reassessing Geophysical Models of the Bushveld Complex in 3D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, J.; Webb, S. J.; Finn, C.

2012-12-01

Conceptual geophysical models of the Bushveld Igneous Complex show three possible geometries for its mafic component: 1) Separate intrusions with vertical feeders for the eastern and western lobes (Cousins, 1959) 2) Separate dipping sheets for the two lobes (Du Plessis and Kleywegt, 1987) 3) A single saucer-shaped unit connected at depth in the central part between the two lobes (Cawthorn et al, 1998) Model three incorporates isostatic adjustment of the crust in response to the weight of the dense mafic material. The model was corroborated by results of a broadband seismic array over southern Africa, known as the Southern African Seismic Experiment (SASE) (Nguuri, et al, 2001; Webb et al, 2004). This new information about the crustal thickness only became available in the last decade and could not be considered in the earlier models. Nevertheless, there is still on-going debate as to which model is correct. All of the models published up to now have been done in 2 or 2.5 dimensions. This is not well suited to modelling the complex geometry of the Bushveld intrusion. 3D modelling takes into account effects of variations in geometry and geophysical properties of lithologies in a full three dimensional sense and therefore affects the shape and amplitude of calculated fields. The main question is how the new knowledge of the increased crustal thickness, as well as the complexity of the Bushveld Complex, will impact on the gravity fields calculated for the existing conceptual models, when modelling in 3D. The three published geophysical models were remodelled using full 3Dl potential field modelling software, and including crustal thickness obtained from the SASE. The aim was not to construct very detailed models, but to test the existing conceptual models in an equally conceptual way. Firstly a specific 2D model was recreated in 3D, without crustal thickening, to establish the difference between 2D and 3D results. Then the thicker crust was added. Including the less dense, thicker crust underneath the Bushveld Complex necessitates the presence of dense material in the central area between the eastern and western lobes. The simplest way to achieve this is to model the mafic component of the Bushveld Complex as a single intrusion. This is similar to what the first students of the Bushveld Complex suggested. Conceptual models are by definition simplified versions of the real situation, and the geometry of the Bushveld Complex is expected to be much more intricate. References Cawthorn, R.G., Cooper, G.R.J., Webb, S.J. (1998). Connectivity between the western and eastern limbs of the Bushveld Complex. S Afr J Geol, 101, 291-298. Cousins, C.A. (1959). The structure of the mafic portion of the Bushveld Igneous Complex. Trans Geol Soc S Afr, 62, 179-189. Du Plessis, A., Kleywegt, R.J. (1987). A dipping sheet model for the mafic lobes of the Bushveld Complex. S Afr J Geol, 90, 1-6. Nguuri, T.K., Gore, J., James, D.E., Webb, S.J., Wright, C., Zengeni, T.G., Gwavava, O., Snoke, J.A. and Kaapvaal Seismic Group. (2001). Crustal structure beneath southern Africa and its implications for the formation and evolution of the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe cratons. Geoph Res Lett, 28, 2501-2504. Webb, S.J., Cawthorn, R.G., Nguuri, T., James, D. (2004). Gravity modelling of Bushveld Complex connectivity supported by Southern African Seismic Experiment results, S Afr J Geol, 107, 207-218.

Subduction initiation, recycling of Alboran lower crust, and intracrustal emplacement of subcontinental lithospheric mantle in the Westernmost Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varas-Reus, María Isabel; Garrido, Carlos J.; Bosch, Delphine; Marchesi, Claudio; Hidas, Károly; Booth-Rea, Guillermo; Acosta-Vigil, Antonio

2015-04-01

Unraveling the tectonic settings and processes involved in the annihilation of subcontinental mantle lithosphere is of paramount importance for our understanding of the endurance of continents through Earth history. Unlike ophiolites -- their oceanic mantle lithosphere counterparts -- the mechanisms of emplacement of the subcontinental mantle lithosphere in orogens is still poorly known. The emplacement of subcontinental lithospheric mantle peridotites is often attributed to extension in rifted passive margins or continental backarc basins, accretionary processes in subduction zones, or some combination of these processes. One of the most prominent features of the westernmost Mediterranean Alpine orogenic arcs is the presence of the largest outcrops worldwide of diamond facies, subcontinental mantle peridotite massifs; unveiling the mechanisms of emplacement of these massifs may provide important clues on processes involved in the destruction of continents. The western Mediterranean underwent a complex Alpine evolution of subduction initiation, slab fragmentation, and rollback within a context of slow convergence of Africa and Europe In the westernmost Mediterranean, the alpine orogeny ends in the Gibraltar tight arc, which is bounded by the Betic, Rif and Tell belts that surround the Alboran and Algero-Balearic basins. The internal units of these belts are mostly constituted of an allochthonous lithospheric domain that collided and overthrusted Mesozoic and Tertiary sedimentary rocks of the Mesozoic-Paleogene, South Iberian and Maghrebian rifted continental paleomargins. Subcontinental lithospheric peridotite massifs are intercalated between polymetamorphic internal units of the Betic (Ronda, Ojen and Carratraca massifs), Rif (Beni Bousera), and Tell belts. In the Betic chain, the internal zones of the allochthonous Alboran domain include, from bottom to top, polymetamorphic rock of the Alpujarride and Malaguide complexes. The Ronda peridotite massif -- the largest outcrop (> 300 km2) of subcontinental lithospheric mantle peridotite in westernmost Mediterranean -- occurs at the basal units of the western Alpujarride. Late, intrusive mantle, high-Mg pyroxenite dykes in the Ronda peridotite (Betic Cordillera, S. Spain) show geochemical signature akin to high-pressure (> 1 GPa) segregates of high-Mg andesite and boninite found in island arc terrains and ophiolite, where they usually witness nascent subduction and/or oceanic accretion in a forearc setting. These pyroxenites point to a suprasubduction environment prior to the intracrustal emplacement of subcontinental peridotites drawing some parallels between the crustal emplacement environment of some ophiolites and that of sublithospheric mantle in the westernmost Mediterranean. Here, we present new Sr-Nd-Pb-isotopic data from a variety of crustal rocks that might account for the crustal components seen in high-Mg Ronda pyroxenites. This data allows the origin of this crustal component to be unveiled, providing fundamentally constraints on the processes involved in the emplacement of large massifs of subcontinental mantle lithosphere in the westernmost Mediterranean. In order to test the hypothesis that the crustal component in Ronda high-Mg pyroxenites was acquired during the Alpine evolution of the Betic-Rif orogen, we selected samples from crustal sections that might have been underthrusted beneath the Alboran lithospheric mantle before the putative Miocene intra-crustal emplacement of peridotites. Samples are from the western Betics and comprise sediments from the Gibraltar Arc Flysch Trough units, which forms a fold-and-thrust belt between the Iberian paleomargin and the allochthonous Alboran domain, and metasedimentary rocks from the Jubrique and Blanca units of the Alpujarride complex, which underlie and overlie the Ronda peridotite and constitute the crustal section of the Alboran lithosphere domain to which the Ronda peridotite pertains. Sr-Nd-Pb systematic of sediments strongly support Alboran geodynamic models that envisage slab roll-back as the tectonic mechanism responsible for Miocene lithospheric thinning, and consistent with a scenario where back-arc inversion leading to subduction initiation of crustal units at the front of the Alboran wedge

The Australian Computational Earth Systems Simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mora, P.; Muhlhaus, H.; Lister, G.; Dyskin, A.; Place, D.; Appelbe, B.; Nimmervoll, N.; Abramson, D.

2001-12-01

Numerical simulation of the physics and dynamics of the entire earth system offers an outstanding opportunity for advancing earth system science and technology but represents a major challenge due to the range of scales and physical processes involved, as well as the magnitude of the software engineering effort required. However, new simulation and computer technologies are bringing this objective within reach. Under a special competitive national funding scheme to establish new Major National Research Facilities (MNRF), the Australian government together with a consortium of Universities and research institutions have funded construction of the Australian Computational Earth Systems Simulator (ACcESS). The Simulator or computational virtual earth will provide the research infrastructure to the Australian earth systems science community required for simulations of dynamical earth processes at scales ranging from microscopic to global. It will consist of thematic supercomputer infrastructure and an earth systems simulation software system. The Simulator models and software will be constructed over a five year period by a multi-disciplinary team of computational scientists, mathematicians, earth scientists, civil engineers and software engineers. The construction team will integrate numerical simulation models (3D discrete elements/lattice solid model, particle-in-cell large deformation finite-element method, stress reconstruction models, multi-scale continuum models etc) with geophysical, geological and tectonic models, through advanced software engineering and visualization technologies. When fully constructed, the Simulator aims to provide the software and hardware infrastructure needed to model solid earth phenomena including global scale dynamics and mineralisation processes, crustal scale processes including plate tectonics, mountain building, interacting fault system dynamics, and micro-scale processes that control the geological, physical and dynamic behaviour of earth systems. ACcESS represents a part of Australia's contribution to the APEC Cooperation for Earthquake Simulation (ACES) international initiative. Together with other national earth systems science initiatives including the Japanese Earth Simulator and US General Earthquake Model projects, ACcESS aims to provide a driver for scientific advancement and technological breakthroughs including: quantum leaps in understanding of earth evolution at global, crustal, regional and microscopic scales; new knowledge of the physics of crustal fault systems required to underpin the grand challenge of earthquake prediction; new understanding and predictive capabilities of geological processes such as tectonics and mineralisation.

Evidence for a Low Bulk Crustal Density for Mars from Gravity and Topography.

PubMed

Goossens, Sander; Sabaka, Terence J; Genova, Antonio; Mazarico, Erwan; Nicholas, Joseph B; Neumann, Gregory A

2017-08-16

Knowledge of the average density of the crust of a planet is important in determining its interior structure. The combination of high-resolution gravity and topography data has yielded a low density for the Moon's crust, yet for other terrestrial planets the resolution of the gravity field models has hampered reasonable estimates. By using well-chosen constraints derived from topography during gravity field model determination using satellite tracking data, we show that we can robustly and independently determine the average bulk crustal density directly from the tracking data, using the admittance between topography and imperfect gravity. We find a low average bulk crustal density for Mars, 2582 ± 209 kg m -3 . This bulk crustal density is lower than that assumed until now. Densities for volcanic complexes are higher, consistent with earlier estimates, implying large lateral variations in crustal density. In addition, we find indications that the crustal density increases with depth.

Quarternary evolution of fluvial systems in the northern Rio Grande rift: Implications for vertical crustal uplift and rift tectonics. Final report, October 1, 1988--September 30, 1989

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harrington, C.D.; Wells, S.G.

1994-09-01

We propose to establish the late Cenozoic history of incision of the Rio Grande in the northern rift and to relate the variations of drainage incision to vertical uplift and rift tectonics. Our objectives are to establish the nature and timing of Rio Grande gorge development across the boundary between the Espanola/Taos-San Luis basins using isotopic and varnish cation ratio dating, establishing isochrons along gorge walls and isoleths of incision rates throughout the gorge, and documenting spatial and temporal variations in the isopleth data that might reflect deformation resulting from crustal uplift. The results of this study will be significantmore » because the derived isochrons and incision rates can be used to date periods and to document the areal extent of vertical crustal uplift which may reflect asthenospheric and lithospheric interactions beneath the rift.« less

On the state of stress in the near-surface of the earth's crust

USGS Publications Warehouse

Savage, W.Z.; Swolfs, H.S.; Amadei, B.

1992-01-01

Five models for near-surface crustal stresses induced by gravity and horizontal deformation and the influence of rock property contrasts, rock strength, and stress relaxation on these stresses are presented. Three of the models-the lateral constraint model, the model for crustal stresses caused by horizontal deformation, and the model for the effects of anisotropy-are linearly elastic. The other two models assume that crustal rocks are brittle or viscoelastic in order to account for the effects of rock strength and time on near-surface stresses. It is shown that the lateral constraint model is simply a special case of the combined gravity-and deformation-induced stress field when horizontal strains vanish and that the inclusion of the effect of rock anisotropy in the solution for crustal stresses caused by gravity and horizontal deformation broadens the range for predicted stresses. It is also shown that when stress levels in the crust reach the limits of brittle rock strength, these stresses become independent of strain rates and that stress relaxation in ductile crustal rocks subject to constant horizontal strain rates causes horizontal stresses to become independent of time in the long term. ?? 1992 Birkha??user Verlag.

Crustal Structure of the Yakutat Microplate: New Parameters for Understanding the Evolution of the Chugach-St.Elias Orogeny

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worthington, L. L.; Christeson, G. L.; van Avendonk, H. J.; Gulick, S. P.

2009-12-01

We present results of a 2008 marine seismic reflection/refraction survey acquired as part of the St. Elias Erosion and Tectonics Project (STEEP), a multi-disciplinary NSF-Continental Dynamics project aimed at tectonic-climate interaction, structural evolution and geodynamics in the Chugach-St. Elias orogen. The Chugach-St.Elias orogen is the result of flat-slab subduction and collision of the Yakutat (YAK) microplate with North Amercian (NA) on the southern Alaska margin during the last ~10Ma. A fundamental goal of STEEP is to address controversy related to the deep crustal structure of the YAK block itself, describe its offshore structural relationships and constrain its buoyancy in order to understand the orogenic driver. Marine seismic reflection profiles acquired across the offshore YAK microplate provide the first regional images of the top of the subducting YAK basement. The basement reflector is observed near the seafloor at the Dangerous River Zone (DRZ) and is overlain by up to 12 km of sediments near Kayak Island, resulting in a basement dip of ~3° in the direction of subduction. The basement reflector also shallows near the shelf-edge adjacent to the Transition Fault, the YAK-Pacific boundary. These observations are indicative of an overall regional basement tilt towards the NA continent. Two coincident wide-angle refraction profiles constrain YAK crustal thickness between 30-35km, >20km thicker than normal oceanic crust, and lower crustal velocities potentially >7km/s. Crustal velocity and thickness are comparable to the Kerguelen oceanic plateau and the Siletz terrane. These results are the first direct observations in support of the oceanic plateau theory for the origin of the YAK microplate. Crustal velocity and structure are continuous across the DRZ on the YAK shelf, which is historically described as a vertical boundary between continental crust on the east and oceanic basement on the west. Instead, we observe a gradual shallowing of elevated crustal velocities associated with the aforementioned basement high near DRZ. Interestingly, observed Moho arrivals across the profile do not mimic the dipping trajectory of the basement reflector, indicating that the YAK slab may be slightly wedge-shaped, thinning in the direction of subduction. If true, the following implications for the YAK-NA collision must be considered: first, that uplift and deformation have intensified through time as thicker, more buoyant YAK crust attempts to subduct; second, migration of intense uplift from west to east across the orogen is partly controlled by underlying slab structure at depth.

Accretionary history of the Altai-Mongolian terrane: perspectives from granitic zircon U-Pb and Hf-isotope data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Keda; Sun, Min; Xiao, Wenjiao

2014-05-01

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) consists of many tectonic terranes with distinct origin and complicated evolutionary history. Understanding of individual block is crucial to reconstruct the geodynamic history of the gigantic accetionary collage. This study presents zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes for the granitoid rocks in the Russian Altai mountain range (including Gorny Altai, Altai-Mongolian terrane and CTUS suture zone between them), in order to clarify the timing of granitic magmatism, source nature, continental crustal growth and tectonic evolution. Our dating results suggest that granitic magmatism of the Russian Altai mountain range occurred in three major episodes including 445~429 Ma, 410~360 Ma and ~241 Ma. Most of the zircons within the Paleozoic granitoids present comparable positive ɛHf(t) values and Neoproterozoic crustal model ages, which favor the interpretation that the juvenile crustal materials produced in the early stage of CAOB were probably dominant sources for the Paleozoic magmatism in the region. The inference is also supported by widespread occurrence of short-lived juvenile materials including ophiolites, seamount relics and arc assemblages in the north CAOB. Consequently, the Paleozoic massive granitic rocks maybe not represent continental crustal growth at the time when they were emplaced, but rather record reworking of relatively juvenile Proterozoic crustal rocks although mantle-derived mafic magma was possibly involved to sever as heat engine during granitic magma generation. The Early Triassic granitic intrusion may be product in an intra-plate environment, as the case of same type rocks in the adjacent areas. The positive ɛHf(t) values (1.81~7.47) and corresponding Hf model ages (0.80~1.16 Ga) together with evidence of petrology are consistent with the interpretation that the parental magma of the Triassic granitic intrusion was produced from enriched mantle-derived sources under an usually high temperature condition which is likely due to basaltic magma that underplated the lower crust. Our data combined with evidence of the regional geology enable us to conclude that the Gorny Altai and Altai-Mongolian terranes possibly have similar tectonic natures, but represent two separate accretionary systems before Devonian collision. The accretion and amalgamation processes resulted in the Paleozoic granitoid magmatism and caused the two terranes to merge as a composite tectonic domain at the Siberian continental margin.

Influence of stretching and density contrasts on the chemical evolution of continental magmas: An example from the Ivrea-Verbano Zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sinigoi, S.; Quick, J.E.; Mayer, A.; Budahn, J.

1996-01-01

The southern Ivrea-Verbano Zone of the Italian Western Alps contains a huge mafic complex that intruded high-grade metamorphic rocks while they were resident in the lower crust. Geologic mapping and chemical variations of the igneous body were used to study the evolution of underplated crust. Slivers of crustal rocks (septa) interlayered with igneous mafic rocks are concentrated in a narrow zone deep in the complex (Paragneiss-bearing Belt) and show evidence of advanced degrees of partial melting. Variations of rare-earth-element patterns and Sr isotope composition of the igneous rocks across the sequence are consistent with increasing crustal contamination approaching the septa. Therefore, the Paragneiss-bearing Belt is considered representative of an "assimilation region" where in-situ interaction between mantle- and crust-derived magmas resulted in production of hybrid melts. Buoyancy caused upwards migration of the hybrid melts that incorporated the last septa and were stored at higher levels, feeding the Upper Mafic Complex. Synmagmatic stretching of the assimilation region facilitated mixing and homogenization of melts. Chemical variations of granitoids extracted from the septa show that deep septa are more depleted than shallow ones. This suggests that the first incorporated septa were denser than the later ones, as required by the high density of the first-injected mafic magmas. It is inferred that density contrasts between mafic melts and crustal rocks play a crucial role for the processes of contamination of continental magmas. In thick under- plated crust, the extraction of early felsic/hybrid melts from the lower crust may be required to increase the density of the lower crust and to allow the later mafic magmas to penetrate higher crustal levels.

Looking through the Zircon Kaleidoscope: Durations, Rates, and Fluxes in Silicic Magmatic System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaltegger, U.; Wotzlaw, J. F.

2014-12-01

The crystallization rate of zircon in a cooling magma depends on the cooling rate through the saturation interval in addition to compositional and kinetic factors. Repeated influx of hot magma over 10-20 ka leads to short-amplitude temperature oscillations, which are recorded by resorption/crystallization cycles of zircon. Plotting the number of dated zircons versus their high-precision U-Pb date results in curves that qualitatively relate to the evolution of magma temperature over time [1], [2]. The trace elemental, O and Hf isotopic composition of zircon gives indications about the degree of magma homogenization and thermal evolution. Zircons from systems with small volumes and magma fluxes record non-systematic chemical and Hf isotopic heterogeneity, suggesting crystallization in non-homogenized ephemeral magma batches. Such systems typically lead to small, mid-upper crustal plutons [3]. Zircons from large-volume crystal-poor rhyolites record initial heterogeneities and rapid amalgamation of smaller magma batches over 10 ka [4], while zircons from monotonous intermediates record magma evolution over several 100 ka with coherent fractionation trends suggesting homogenization and a coherent thermal evolution [2]. In both cases, volumes and flux rates were sufficient to produce large volumes of eruptible magma on very contrasting time scales. Zircon is therefore recording cyclic crystallization-rejuvenation processes during temperature fluctuations in intermediate to upper crustal magma reservoirs but may not relate to the physical pluton emplacement or eruption. We can quantify volumes, rates of magma influx, rates of cooling and crystallization, and the degree of convective homogenization from zircon data, and infer reservoir assembly and eruption trigger mechanisms. These parameters largely control the evolution of long-lived, low-flux silicic magmatic system typical for mid-to-upper crustal plutons, monotonous intermediates are characterized by intermediate durations and fluxes while short-lived, high-flux systems preferentially produce crystal-poor rhyolites. References: [1] Caricchi et al. (2014) Nature 511, 457-461; [2] Wotzlaw et al. (2013) Geology 41, 867-870; [3] Broderick (2013) PhD thesis, Univ. of Geneva; [3] Wotzlaw et al. (2014) Geology, doi:10.1130/G35979.1

Mega-Impacts on Mars: Implications for the Late Heavy Bombardment in the Inner Solar System, and the Early Evolution of the Earth and Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, Herbert

2012-01-01

There are about 30 very large impact basins on Mars, > 1000 km in diameter, most of which are revealed by their topographic and/or crustal thickness signatures. Crater retention ages and model absolute ages suggest these all formed in a relatively short time (100-200 million years?), perhaps during a "Late Heavy Bombardment" (LHB) caused by the evolution of the orbits of the giant planets. This so-called "Nice Model" of planetary formation may explain the LHB on the Moon at about 3.9 billion years ago and would have produced a similar bombardment throughout the inner solar system. The formation of 30 very large impact basins would have had catastrophic environmental consequences for Mars, which were further complicated by the demise of the global magnetic field at about the same time. If there are no very large basins on Mars older than the 30 we see and the LHB really lasted everywhere only a short time, there may have been a relatively longer time (400 million years?) during which Mars and the Earth suffered no major impact trauma and during which conditions on both worlds may have been far more habitable than during the LHB. However, if the formation of the Mars crustal dichotomy was due to an even larger giant impact that predated the very large basins, all record of this earlier and possibly more clement time on Mars may have been erased. Ages of the smaller but still very large basins can be used to approximately date the giant impact (if it occurred). Even the very large basins appear to have reset the crater retention ages of the entire crust of Mars and may have by themselves erased any record of an earlier time.

Lithospheric rheological heterogeneity across an intraplate rift basin (Linfen Basin, North China) constrained from magnetotelluric data: Implications for seismicity and rift evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Yaotian; Jin, Sheng; Wei, Wenbo; Ye, Gaofeng; Jing, Jian'en; Zhang, Letian; Dong, Hao; Xie, Chengliang; Liang, Hongda

2017-10-01

We take the Linfen Basin, which is the most active segment of the Cenozoic intraplate Shanxi Rift, as an example, showing how to use magnetotelluric data to constrain lithospheric rheological heterogeneities of intraplate tectonic zones. Electrical resistivity models, combined with previous rheological numerical simulation, show a good correlation between resistivity and rheological strength, indicating the mechanisms of enhanced conductivity could also be reasons of reduced viscosity. The crust beneath the Linfen Basin shows overall stratified features in both electrical resistivity and rheology. The uppermost crustal conductive layer is dominated by friction sliding-type brittle fracturing. The high-resistivity mid-crust is inferred to be high-viscosity metamorphic basement being intersected by deep fault. The plastic lower crust show significantly high-conductivity feature. Seismicity appears to be controlled by crustal rheological heterogeneity. Micro-earthquakes mainly distribute at the brittle-ductile transition zones as indicated by high- to low-resistivity interfaces or the high pore pressure fault zones while the epicenters of two giant destructive historical earthquakes occur within the high-resistivity and therefore high-strength blocks near the inferred rheological interfaces. The lithosphere-scale lateral rheological heterogeneity along the profile can also be illustrated. The crust and upper mantle beneath the Ordos Block, Lüliang Mountains and Taihang Mountains are of high rheological strength as indicated by large-scale high-resistivity zones while a significant high-conductivity, lithosphere-scale weak zone exists beneath the eastern margin of the Linfen Basin. According to previous geodynamic modeling works, we suggest that this kind of lateral rheological heterogeneity may play an essential role for providing driving force for the formation and evolution of the Shanxi Rift, regional lithospheric deformation and earthquake activities under the far-field effects of the India-Eurasian Collision.

Main Ethiopian Rift Kinematic analogue modeling: Implications for Nubian-Somalian plate motion.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erbello, A.; Corti, G.; Sani, F.; Agostini, A.; Buccianti, A.; Kidane, T. B.

2016-12-01

In this contribution, analogue modeling is used to provide new insights into the kinematics of the Nubia and Somalia plates responsible for development and evolution of the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER), at the northern termination of the East African Rift. In particular, we performed new crustal-scale, brittle models to analyze the along-strike variations in fault architecture in the MER and their relations with the rift trend, plate motion and the resulting Miocene-recent kinematics of rifting. The models reproduced the overall geometry of the 600km-long MER with its along-strike variation in orientation to test different hypothesis proposed to explain rift evolution. Analysis of model results in terms of statistics of fault length and orientation, as well as deformation architecture, and its comparison with the MER suggests that models of two-phase rifting (with a first phase of NW-SE extension followed by E-W rifting) or constant NW-SE extension, as well as models of constant ENE-WSW rifting are not able to reproduce the fault architecture observed in nature. Model results suggest instead that the rift has likely developed under a constant, post-11 Ma extension oriented roughly ESE-WNW (N97.5°E), consistent with recent plate kinematics models.

Modeling along-axis variations in fault architecture in the Main Ethiopian Rift: Implications for Nubia-Somalia kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erbello, Asfaw; Corti, Giacomo; Agostini, Andrea; Sani, Federico; Kidane, Tesfaye; Buccianti, Antonella

2016-12-01

In this contribution, analogue modeling is used to provide new insights into the Nubia-Somalia kinematics responsible for development and evolution of the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER), at the northern termination of the East African Rift system. In particular, we performed new crustal-scale, brittle models to analyze the along-strike variations in fault architecture in the MER and their relations with the rift trend, plate motion and the resulting Miocene-recent kinematics of rifting. The models reproduced the overall geometry of the ∼600 km-long MER with its along-strike variation in orientation to test different hypothesis proposed to explain rift evolution. Analysis of model results in terms of statistics of fault length and orientation, as well as deformation architecture, and its comparison with the MER suggest that models of two-phase rifting (with a first phase of NW-SE extension followed by E-W rifting) or constant NW-SE extension, as well as models of constant ENE-WSW rifting are not able to reproduce the fault architecture observed in nature. Model results suggest instead that the rift has likely developed under a constant, post-11 Ma extension oriented roughly ESE-WNW (N97.5°E), consistent with recent plate kinematics models.

Miocene crustal extension following thrust tectonic in the Lower Sebtides units (internal Rif, Ceuta Peninsula, Spain): Implication for the geodynamic evolution of the Alboran domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Homonnay, Emmanuelle; Corsini, Michel; Lardeaux, Jean-Marc; Romagny, Adrien; Münch, Philippe; Bosch, Delphine; Cenki-Tok, Bénédicte; Ouazzani-Touhami, Mohamed

2018-01-01

In Western Mediterranean, the Rif belt in Morocco is part of the Gibraltar Arc built during the Tertiary in the framework of Eurasia-Africa convergence. The structural and metamorphic evolution of the internal units of this belt as well as their timing, crucial to constrain the geodynamic evolution of the Alboran Sea, is still largely debated. Our study on the Ceuta Peninsula (Northern Rif) provides new structural, petrological and geochronological data (U-Th-Pb, Ar-Ar), which allow to precise the tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Lower Sebtides metamorphic units with: (1) a syn-metamorphic thrusting event developed under granulite facies conditions (7-10 kbar and 780-820 °C). A major thrust zone, the Ceuta Shear Zone, drove the emplacement of metapelites and peridotitic lenses from the Ceuta Upper Unit over the orthogneisses of the Monte Hacho Lower Unit. This compressional event ended during the Upper Oligocene. (2) an extensional event developed at the boundary between amphibolite and greenschist facies conditions (400-550 °C and 1-3 kbar). During this event, the Ceuta Shear Zone has been reactivated as a normal fault. Normal ductile shear zones contributed to the final exhumation of the metamorphic units during the Early Miocene. We propose that the compressional event is related to the formation of an orogenic wedge located in the upper plate, in a backward position, of the subduction zone driving the geodynamic evolution of the Alboran domain. In this context, the episode of lithospheric thinning could be related to the opening of the Alboran basin in a back-arc position. Furthermore, unlike the previous models proposed for the Rif belt, the tectonic coupling between mantle peridotites and crustal metamorphic rocks occurred in Ceuta Peninsula at a depth of 20-30 km under high temperature conditions, before the extensional event, and thus cannot be related to the back-arc extension. 1, BSE image of monazite. 2, CL image of monazite showing a thin rim zonation. 3, BSE image of zircon. 4, CL image of zircon showing zonation.

Moho depth model for the Central Asian Orogenic Belt from satellite gravity gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guy, Alexandra; Holzrichter, Nils; Ebbing, Jörg

2017-09-01

The main purpose of this study is to construct a new 3-D model of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) crust, which can be used as a starting point for future lithospheric studies. The CAOB is a Paleozoic accretionary orogen surrounded by the Siberian Craton to the north and the North China and Tarim Cratons to the south. This area is of great interest due to its enigmatic and still not completely understood geodynamic evolution. First, we estimate an initial crustal thickness by inversion of the vertical gravity component of the Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) and DTU10 models. Second, 3-D forward modeling of the GOCE gravity gradients is performed, which determines the topography of the Moho, the geometry, and the density distribution of the deeper parts of the CAOB and its surroundings, taking into account the lateral and vertical density variations of the crust. The model is constrained by seismic refraction, reflection, and receiver function studies and geological studies. In addition, we discuss the isostatic implications of the differences between the seismic Moho and the resulting 3-D gravity Moho, complemented by the analysis of the lithostatic load distribution at the upper mantle level. Finally, the correlation between the contrasting tectonic domains and the thickness of the crust reveals the inheritance of Paleozoic and Mesozoic geodynamics, particularly the magmatic provinces and the orocline which preserve their crustal features.

CRUST 5.1: A global crustal model at 5° x 5°

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mooney, Walter D.; Laske, Gabi; Masters, T. Guy

1998-01-01

We present a new global model for the Earth's crust based on seismic refraction data published in the period 1948–1995 and a detailed compilation of ice and sediment thickness. An extensive compilation of seismic refraction measurements has been used to determine the crustal structure on continents and their margins. Oceanic crust is modeled with both a standard model for normal oceanic crust, and variants for nonstandard regions, such as oceanic plateaus. Our model (CRUST 5.1) consists of 2592 5° × 5° tiles in which the crust and uppermost mantle are described by eight layers: (1) ice, (2) water, (3) soft sediments, (4) hard sediments, (5) crystalline upper, (6) middle, (7) lower crust, and (8) uppermost mantle. Topography and bathymetry are adopted from a standard database (ETOPO-5). Compressional wave velocity in each layer is based on field measurements, and shear wave velocity and density are estimated using recently published empirical Vp- Vs and Vp-density relationships. The crustal model differs from previous models in that (1) the thickness and seismic/density structure of sedimentary basins is accounted for more completely, (2) the velocity structure of unmeasured regions is estimated using statistical averages that are based on a significantly larger database of crustal structure, (3) the compressional wave, shear wave, and density structure have been explicitly specified using newly available constraints from field and laboratory studies. Thus this global crustal model is based on substantially more data than previous models and differs from them in many important respects. A new map of the thickness of the Earth's crust is presented, and we illustrate the application of this model by using it to provide the crustal correction for surface wave phase velocity maps. Love waves at 40 s are dominantly sensitive to crustal structure, and there is a very close correspondence between observed phase velocities at this period and those predicted by CRUST 5.1. We find that the application of crustal corrections to long-period (167 s) Rayleigh waves significantly increases the variance in the phase velocity maps and strengthens the upper mantle velocity anomalies beneath stable continental regions. A simple calculation of crustal isostacy indicates significant lateral variations in upper mantle density. The model CRUST 5.1 provides a complete description of the physical properties of the Earth's crust at a scale of 5° × 5° and can be used for a wide range of seismological and nonseismological problems.

Archean sedimentary systems and crustal evolution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowe, D. R.

1985-01-01

Current knowledge of preserved Archean sedimentary rocks suggests that they accumulated in at least three major depositional settings. These are represented generally by sedimentary units: (1) in early Archean, pre-3.0 Ga old greenstone belts, (2) on late Archean sialic cratons, and (3) in late Archean, post-3.0 Ga old greenstone belts. Research suggests that the Archean was characterized by at least two distinctive and largely diachronous styles of crustal evolution. Thick, stable early Archean simatic platforms, perhaps analogous to modern oceanic islands formed over hot spots, underwent a single cycle of cratonization to form stable continental blocks in the early Archean. Later formed Archean continents show a two stage evolution. The initial stage is reflected in the existence of older sialic material, perhaps representing incompletely cratonized areas or microcontinents of as yet unknown origin. During the second stage, late Archean greenstone belts, perhaps analogous to modern magmatic arcs or back arc basins, developed upon or adjacent to these older sialic blocks. The formation of this generation of Archean continents was largely complete by the end of the Archean. These results suggest that Archean greenstone belts may represent a considerable range of sedimentological and tectonic settings.

Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes for the Diablillos Intrusive Complex, Southern Puna, Argentina: Crustal evolution of the Lower Paleozoic Orogen, Southwestern Gondwana margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, Agustín; Hauser, Natalia; Becchio, Raúl; Suzaño, Néstor; Nieves, Alexis; Sola, Alfonso; Pimentel, Marcio; Reimold, Wolf

2017-12-01

The evolution of the rocks of the Lower Paleozoic Orogen in Puna, at the Southwestern Gondwana margin, has been widely debated. In particular, the scarce amount of geological and geochemical data available for the Diablillos Intrusive Complex, Eastern Magmatic Belt, Southern Puna, require a further study for new evidence towards the understanding of sources, magmatic processes and emplacement of magmas, in order to better comprehend the crustal evolution in this setting. We present new combined U-Pb and Hf isotope analyses on zircon by LA-MC-ICP-MS from monzogranite, granodiorite and diorite rocks of the Diablillos Intrusive Complex. We obtained 206Pb/238U concordant weighted average ages of 517 ± 3 Ma and 515 ± 6 Ma for the monzogranite and diorite, respectively, and a concordant age of 521 ± 4 Ma for the granodiorite. These ages permit to constrain the climax of magmatic activity in the Diablillos Complex around ∼515-520 Ma, while the emplacement of the complex took place between ∼540 Ma and 490 Ma (representing a ca. 50 Ma magmatic event). Major and trace element data, initial 87Sr/86Sr values varying from 0.70446 to 0.71278, positive and negative ɛNd(t) values between +2.5 and -4, as well as ɛHf(t) for zircon data between + 3 and -3 indicate that the analyzed samples represent contaminated magmas. The ɛHf(t) and the ɛNd(t) values for this complex specify that these rocks are derived from interaction of a dominant Mesoproterozoic crystalline and/or a metasedimentary source and juvenile mantle-derived magmas, with a TDM model age range of ∼1.2-1.5 Ga, with later reworking during lower Paleozoic times. The combined data obtained in this contribution together with previous data, allow us to suggest that the formation of the Eastern Magmatic Belt of the Puna was part of a long-lived magmatic event during Early Paleozoic times. Whereby the granitoids of the Eastern Magmatic Belt formed through intra-crustal recycling at an active continental margin, with minor contributions from juvenile material in the back-arc setting.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fielding, E.J.; Barazangi, M.; Isacks, B.L.

Topography and heterogeneous crustal structure have major effects on the propagation of regional seismic phases. We are collecting topographical, geological, and geophysical datasets for Eurasia into an information system that can be accessed via Internet connections. Now available are digital topography, satellite imagery, and data on sedimentary basins and crustal structure thicknesses. New datasets for Eurasia include maps of depth to Moho beneath Europe and Scandinavia. We have created regularly spaced grids of the crustal thickness values from these maps that can be used to create profiles of crustal structure. These profiles can be compared by an analyst or anmore » automatic program with the crustal seismic phases received along the propagation path to better understand and predict the path effects on phase amplitudes, a key to estimating magnitudes and yields, and for understanding variations in travel-time delays for phases such as Pn, important for improving regional event locations. The gridded data could also be used to model propagation of crustal phases in three dimensions. Digital elevation models, Satellite imagery, Geographic information systems, Lg Propagation, Moho, Geology, Crustal structure, Topographic relief.« less

Continental geodynamics and mineral exploration - the Western Australian perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gessner, Klaus; Murdie, Ruth; Yuan, Huaiyu; Brisbout, Lucy; Sippl, Christian; Tyler, Ian; Kirkland, Chris; Wingate, Michael; Johnson, Simon; Spaggiari, Catherine; Smithies, Hugh; Lu, Yongjun; Gonzalez, Chris; Jessell, Mark; Holden, Eun-Jung; Gorczyk, Weronika; Occhipinti, Sandra

2017-04-01

The exploration for mineral resources and their extraction has been a fundamental human activity since the dawn of civilisation: Geology is everywhere - ore deposits are rare. Most deposits were found at or near Earth's surface, often by chance or serendipity. To meet the challenge of future demand, successful exploration requires the use of advanced technology and scientific methods to identify targets at depth. Whereas the use and development of high-tech exploration, extraction and processing methods is of great significance, understanding how, when and where dynamic Earth systems become ore-forming systems is a difficult scientific challenge. Ore deposits often form by a complex interplay of coupled physical processes with evolving geological structure. The mineral systems approach states that understanding the geodynamic and tectonic context of crustal scale hydrothermal fluid flow and magmatism can help constrain the spatial extent of heat and mass transport and therefore improve targeting success in mineral exploration. Tasked with promoting the geological assets of one of the World's largest and most resource-rich jurisdictions, the Geological Survey of Western Australia is breaking new ground by systematically collecting and integrating geophysical, geological and geochemical data with the objective to reveal critical ties between lithospheric evolution and mineral deposits. We present examples where this approach has led to fundamental reinterpretations of Archean and Proterozoic geodynamics and the nature of tectonic domains and their boundaries, including cases where geodynamic modelling has played an important role in testing hypotheses of crustal evolution.

Lower crustal seismic activity in the Adana Basin (Eastern Mediterranean): Possible connection to gravitational flexure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ergin, Mehmet; Aktar, Mustafa

2018-04-01

High quality broadband data, together with the application of the double difference relocation technique, has been used to study the characteristics of the lower crustal seismicity in the Adana Basin, in southwestern Turkey. Deep events are clearly seen to be restricted only to the Adana Basin and never extend outside its boundaries. Furthermore, the seismogenic zone is observed to align roughly with the main axis of the basin and plunges steadily in the SSW-direction, following the basement trend of the Adana Basin. Similarities between geometries of the basin evolution and the deep seismic production suggest that both processes are closely related. A flexure process is proposed related to the subsidence of the Adana Basin. The seismogenic zone, originally at a shallow depth, is assumed to have been displaced vertically into the lower crust, by flexure. The temperature evolution of the crust during the flexure has been studied in detail using finite difference modeling, with amplitude and duration parameters taken from earlier studies. It has been concluded that the physical conditions for brittle fracturing remained unchanged for an extended period of time after the flexure. The brittle layers originally at shallow depths, preserved their original thermal properties after the subsidence and will continue to produce earthquakes at considerable depths. Numerical tests using inferred parameters imply a total vertical shift of 7-8 km for the seismogenic zone. Discussions for additional processes, which may further contribute to the cooling of the crust, are also included.

Geometries of geoelectrical structures in central Tibetan Plateau from INDEPTH magnetotelluric data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vozar, J.; Jones, A. G.; Le Pape, F.

2012-12-01

Magnetotelluric (MT) data collected on N-S profiles crossing the Banggong-Nujiang Suture (BNS), which separates the Qiangtang and Lhasa Terranes in central Tibet, as a part of InterNational DEep Profiling of Tibet and the Himalaya project (INDEPTH) are modeled by 2D, 3D inversion codes and 1D petro-physical package LitMod. The modeling exhibits regional resistive and conductive structures correlated with ShuangHu Suture, Tanggula Mountains and strike-slip faults like BengCo-Jiali fault in the south. The BNS is not manifested in the geoelectrical models as a strong crustal regional structure. The strike direction azimuth of mid and lower crustal structures estimated from horizontal slices from 3D modeling (N110°E) is slightly different from one estimated by 2D strike analysis (N100°E). Orientation of crustal structures is perpendicular to convergence direction in this area. The deepest lower crustal conductors are correlated to areas with maximum Moho depth obtained from satellite gravity data. The anisotropic 2D modeling reveals that lower crustal conductor in Lhasa Terrane is anisotropic. This anisotropy can be interpreted as a proof for crustal channel flow below Lhasa Terrane. But same Lhasa lower crust conductor from isotropic 3D modeling can be interpreted more likely as 3D lower Indian crust structure, located to the east from line 500, than geoelectrical anisotropic crustal flow. From deep electromagnetic sounding, supported by independent integrated petro-physical investigation, we can estimate the next upper-mantle conductive layer at depths from 200 km to 250 km below the Lhasa Terrane and less resistive Tibetan lithosphere below the Qiangtang Terrane with conductive upper-mantle in depths about 120 km.

The influence of crustal magnetic sources on the topology of the Martian magnetic environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brain, David Andrew

2002-09-01

In this thesis I use magnetometer data and magnetic field models to explore the morphology of magnetic fields close to Mars, with emphasis on the manner and extent to which crustal magnetic sources affect the magnetic field configuration. I analyze Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Magnetometer (MAG) data to determine the relative importance of the solar wind and of crustal magnetic sources in the observations. Crustal sources locally modify the solar wind interaction, adding variability to the Martian magnetic environment that depends on planetary rotation. I identify trends in the vector magnetic field with respect to altitude, solar zenith angle, and geographic location. The influence of the strongest crustal source extends to 1300 1400 km. I then use MAG data to evaluate models for the magnetic field associated with Mars' crust and for the solar wind interaction with the Martian ionosphere. A linear superposition of a spherical harmonic crustal model and a gasdynamic solar wind model improves the fit to MAG data over that from either model individually. I use simple pressure balance to calculate the shape and size of the Martian solar wind obstacle under a variety of different conditions. The obstacle is irregularly shaped (“lumpy”) and varies over the course of a Martian rotation, over a Martian year, and with changes in the upstream pressure. The obstacle above strong crustal sources can exceed 1000 km and is always higher than the altitude of the MGS spacecraft in its mapping orbit. I use a superposition model to explore the magnetic field topology at Mars under a variety of conditions. The model field topology is sensitive to changes in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength and orientation, as well as to Mars' orientation with respect to the solar wind flow. Regions of open magnetic field are located above strong crustal sources in the models, where the magnetic field is radially oriented with respect to the Martian surface. An examination of MAG and electron reflectometer (ER) data above one of these regions reveals a sharp change in the electron energy spectrum coinciding with perturbations in the orientation of the magnetic field.

Investigation of Along-Arc Geochemical Variations in the Southern Volcanic Zone: Azufre-Planchon-Peteroa Volcanic Complex, Southern Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holbik, S. P.; Hickey-Vargas, R.; Tormey, D.

2012-12-01

The Andean Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) is a vast and complex continental arc that has been studied extensively to provide an understanding of arc-magma genesis, the origin and chemical evolution of the continental crust, and geochemical compositions of volcanic products. This study focuses on volcanic rocks from the Azufre-Planchon-Peteroa (APP 35°15'S) volcanic complex, within the Transitional SVZ (34.3-37.0 °S), where crustal thickness increases from approximately 30 km in the south (Central SVZ), to 55 km in the north (Northern SVZ). Planchon is the northernmost volcano in the SVZ to erupt basaltic products, while Peteroa is the currently active cone, erupting tephra of andesitic composition, most recently in September of 2011. New data for the APP are consistent with the hypothesis of Tormey et al. (1995) that the APP experienced variable depths of crystal fractionation, and that crustal assimilation at Planchon is restricted to the lower crustal depths, as reflected by limited variability in 87Sr/86Sr isotopes. New δ18O data (26.5‰) from an outcropping dolomitic limestone country rock in the vicinity of the Azufre volcano also confirms the upper crustal source of anomalously high (7.1 and 7.3‰) oxygen isotopic values for Azufre dacites. A trend of high La/Yb (6.5-9.1) and Yb depletion with increasing La/Yb for Planchon basalts is consistent with the role of garnet as a residual or crystallizing phase at lower crustal depths, however, the La/Yb range is small when compared to published data from nearby TSVZ centers such as Nevado de Longavi (La/Yb = 5.5 to 16.7) and San Pedro Pellado (La/Yb =7.2 to 13.6). Geochemical modeling of the Planchon data shows that both hornblende and garnet must be involved in the magmatic evolution, even though erupted basalts are free of major hydrous phases, in order to account for the more limited range of La/Yb. Interestingly, baseline values of La/Yb for basalt and basaltic andesites from throughout the TSVZ, including the APP, are systematically higher than those for the Central SVZ (CSVZ 37°S - 42°S, e.g., La/Yb = 3.4 to 4.1 at Llaima) and change abruptly rather than gradually. This trend could be caused by stabilization of garnet in the thickening lower crust, by deepening of mantle melting sources beneath the crust, or a combination of factors. Ongoing work on Lu-Hf, Sm-Nd, and Rb-Sr radiogenic isotope systems are used to help constrain these hypotheses.

A Cenozoic tectonic model for Southeast Asia - microplates and basins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maher, K.A.

1995-04-01

A computer-assisted Cenozoic tectonic model was built for Southeast Asia and used to construct 23 base maps, 2 to 6 million years apart. This close temporal spacing was necessary to constrain all the local geometric shifts in a consistent and geologically feasible fashion. More than a hundred individual blocks were required to adequately treat Cenozoic microplate processes at a basic level. The reconstructions show tectonic evolution to be characterized by long periods of gradual evolution, interrupted by brief, widespread episodes of reorganization in fundamental plate geometries and kinematics. These episodes are triggered by major collisions, or by accumulation of smallermore » changes. The model takes into account difficulties inherent in the region. The Pacific and Indo-Australian plates and their predecessors have driven westward and northward since the late Paleozoic, towards each other and the relatively stationary backstop of Asia. Southeast Asia is therefore the result of a long-lived, complex process of convergent tectonics, making it difficult to reconstruct tectonic evolution as much of the continental margin and sea floor spreading record was erased. In addition, the region has been dominated by small-scale microplate processes with short time scales and internal deformation, taking place in rapidly evolving and more ductile buffer zones between the major rigid plate systems. These plate interaction zones have taken up much of the relative motion between the major plates. Relatively ephemeral crustal blocks appear and die within the buffer zones, or accrete to and disperse from the margins of the major plate systems. However, such microplate evolution is the dominant factor in Cenozoic basin evolution. This detailed testonic model aids in comprehension and prediction of basin development, regional hydrocarbon habitat, and petroleum systems.« less

Crustal structure of the eastern Borborema Province, NE Brazil, from the joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion: Implications for plateau uplift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luz, Rosana M. N.; Julià, Jordi; do Nascimento, Aderson F.

2015-05-01

We investigate the crustal structure of the Borborema Province of NE Brazil by developing 44 S wave velocity-depth profiles from the joint inversion of receiver functions and fundamental mode, Rayleigh wave group velocities. The Borborema Province is located in the northeasternmost corner of the South American continent and represents a portion of a larger Neoproterozoic mobile belt that formed during the Brasiliano-Pan African orogeny. Extensional processes in the Mesozoic—eventually leading to the separation of Africa and South America—left a number of aborted rift basins in the continental interiors, and episodes of diffuse intraplate volcanism and uplift marked the evolution of the Province after continental breakup. Our velocity-depth profiles reveal the existence of two crustal types in the Province: (i) the thin crustal type, which consists of 30-32.5 km thick crust, with an upper layer of 3.4-3.6 km/s overlying a lower layer of 3.7-3.8 km/s and (ii) the thick crustal type, which consists of a 35-37.5 km thick crust, with velocities between 3.5 and 3.9 km/s down to ˜30 km depth and a gradational increase in velocity (VS≥4.0 km/s) down to upper mantle depths. The crustal types correlate well with topography, with the thick crustal type being mainly found in the high-standing southern Borborema Plateau and the thin crustal type being mostly found in the low-lying Sertaneja depression and coastal cuestas. Interestingly, the thin crustal type is also observed under the elevated topography of the northern Plateau. We argue that the thick crustal type is rheologically strong and not necessarily related to postbreakup mantle processes, as it is commonly believed. We propose that extensional processes in the Mesozoic stretched portions of the Brasiliano crust and formed the thin crustal type that is now observed in the regions of low-lying topography, leaving the rheologically strong thick crust of the southern Plateau at higher elevations. The crust making the northern Plateau would have thinned and subsided during Mesozoic extension as part of a greater Sertaneja depression, to then experience uplift in the Cenozoic and achieve its present elevation.

Magma plumbing in the Grímsvötn volcanic system, Iceland: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thordarson, T.

2016-12-01

The basaltic Grímsvötn volcanic system (GVS) consists of Grímsvötn central volcano (GCV) and an immature fissure swarm extending 70 km to the southwest from GCV. The GCV has the highest eruption frequency of all central volcanos in Iceland, or 7 events per 100 years. In contrast, the GVS fissure swarm has only featured two events in postglacial times, the 1783-4 Laki and the prehistoric Lambavatnsgígar fissure eruptions. These two events account for 25% of the total Holocene magma output from the GVS and 80% of the output in historic time (i.e. last 1100 years). Although GVS magma plumbing has been a topic of research for four decades, its general structure, extent and geometry is still deliberated. Is mantle-derived magma delivered straight up beneath the GCV to an upper crustal magma chamber and then vertically to eruptions at the GCV and laterally to eruption on the GVS fissure swarm? Or does the system feature two levels of crustal storage, one in the upper crust beneath GCV and another at mid-crustal depth? Or is the structure of the GVS plumbing more complex? The data that we have so far and is pertinent to GVS magma plumbing is summarised below: Geophysical measurements imply that shallowest magma storage beneath GCV is at 3-4 km. The Zr and Nb concentrations in the tephra from the 1998 and 2004 GCV plus Laki eruptions show that the parent magmas for each was produced by different degrees of partial melting of a similar mantle source. It also demonstrates transport to the surface via separate pathways and that neither magma can be derived by fractional crystallization from a Laki-like magma. Detailed petrological studies on the Laki tephra and lava indicate polybaric magma evolution within the mid-crust (at 6 to 15 km depth), with further evolution at shallower depths induced either by disequilibrium crystal growth during ascent of magma from the mid-crust storage or a brief residence at 3-6 km depths. The Laki magma contains significant abundances of polymineralic glomerocrysts, signifying that erupted magma interacted with preexisting crystal mushes. These data support the notion of a crustal plumbing system with multiple storage level involving polybaric magma evolution and are inconsistent with the idea that all of the magma erupted within the GVS is delivered from a single upper crustal magma chamber beneath GCV.

Tracing Altiplano-Puna plateau surface uplift via radiogenic isotope composition of Andean arc lavas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, E. M.; Allen, M. B.; Macpherson, C.; McCaffrey, K. J. W.; Davidson, J.; Saville, C.

2016-12-01

We have compiled published geochemical data for Jurassic to Holocene Andean arc lavas from 5oN to 47oS, covering the current extent of the northern, central and southern volcanic zones. Using this dataset we evaluate the spatial and temporal evolution of age corrected Sr- and Nd-radiogenic isotopes in arc lavas at a continental-scale, in order to understand the tectonic and surface uplift histories of the Andean margin. It has long been noted that baseline 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd ratios of Quaternary lavas from the central volcanic zone, located within the Altiplano-Puna plateau, are distinct from volcanic rocks to the north and south. This is commonly attributed to greater crustal thickness, which increases to roughly twice that of the average continental crust within the Altiplano-Puna plateau. By comparing 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd ratios in Quaternary lavas to published crustal thickness models, present day topography and the compositions of basement terranes, we note that Sr- and Nd-isotope values of Quaternary lavas are an effective proxy for present day regional elevation. In contrast, variation in basement terranes has only a small, second order effect on isotopic composition at the scale of our study. Using this isotopic proxy, we infer the spatial extent of the plateau and its surface uplift history from the Jurassic to the present. Our results concur with a crustal thickening model of continued surface uplift, which initiated in the Altiplano, with deformation propagating southwards into the Puna throughout the Neogene and then continuing in central Chile and Argentina up to the present day.

some morphological effects related to a non-uniform uplifting of crustal blocks in Northern Sicily (Central Mediterranean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nigro, Fabrizio; Renda, Pietro; Favara, Rocco

2010-05-01

We can distinguish two morphological evolutions of the drainage basins which develop in the earth's sectors subjected to uplift and tilting, in relationship to their antecedence or subsequence in comparison to the tectonic process. If this process begins in concomitance with a geomorphic cycle the main valleys of the drainage basins will longitudinally be developed according to the tilting direction which the crustal block is subjected. But if the non-uniform vertical movement develops in a sector already characterized by the presence of a idrographic network, this can be influenced in its pattern in various ways. A crustal block contemporarily subject to uplift and tilting will be characterized to its inside, at the end of this process, by more elevated and less elevated sectors. The erosive ground processes suffer this non-uniform vertical movement and since it gradually develops in time, landforms, as valleys of drainage basins, will suffer analogous variations. If pre-existing, the slopes of the valleys will be subjected to tilting also and one of the characteristics in the evolution of the reliefs connected with the uplift and the tilting of crustal blocks are represented by the progressive asymmetry of the slopes of a valley. The uplift and the tilting of the block progressively determines a difference of inclination of the slopes of the incising valley. This effect is given by the progressive incision and migration of the axis of the valley that it determines slopes with crests to different middle elevation between the right side and that left. The erosional process that determines him with the uplift and the tilting of the crustal blocks are characterized by a greater erosion rate in the sectors of head of the slope that is mostly raised. Likewise, the migration of the river consistent with the tilting direction determines a greater rate of erosion along one of the banks. The general morphometric result can be that of the individualization of slopes that -in section- constitute polylines assimilable to arcs of circumference with different rays of bending. In map view, the evolution of the drainage network is characterised also from a different development of the river channels of different orders. Particularly, in the slope that is more subject to uplift the drainage network is more branched, with larger formation of river orders with respect to the opposite slope. If we suppose that the crustal block underwent to uplift and tilting is eroded from several idrographic networks that are identified in more drainage basins, at the end of the process, in absence of large-scale deformations as folding and faulting, the slope asimmetry of every main valley is maintained but, for tilting direction about orthogonal with respect to the directions of the rivers, a different altimetric development will be observed of the main rivers. If to the tilting and uplift of the crustal block are associated internal deformations as folds and faults, then the asymmetry of the slopes not always may result clearly evident, as well as the altimetric development of the main valleys. Regarding the above concepts, we recognised a non-uniform uplift and large-scale recent faulting in Northern Sicily (Central Mediterranean), both from drainage network pattern analisys, slopes geometries and structural data. The data sets have been compared with the uplift rate and seismicity distributions, allowing us to recognise different crustal blocks in which the northern Sicily chain may be divided. Each chain block reflects characteristic morphometric pattern of the drainage basins. The morphostructural setting, the distribution of seismicity and the orientation of the recent faults indicate that the main neotectonic narrow deformation zones bounding the crustal blocks range from NW-SE, NE-SW and W-E.

Analysis of magnetotelluric profile data from the Ruby Mountains metamorphic core complex and southern Carlin Trend region, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wannamaker, Philip E.; Doerner, William M.; Stodt, John A.; Sodergen, Timothy L.; Rodriguez, Brian D.

2002-01-01

We have collected about 150 magnetotelluric (MT) soundings in northeastern Nevada in the region of the Ruby Mountains metamorphic core complex uplift and southern Carlin mineral trend, in an effort to illuminate controls on core complex evolution and deposition of world-class gold deposits. The region has experienced a broad range of tectonic events including several periods of compressional and extensional deformation, which have contributed to the total expression of electrical resistivity. Most of the soundings are in three east-west profiles across increasing degrees of core uplift to the north (Bald Mountain, Harrison Pass and Secret Pass latitudes). Two shorter lines cross a prominent east-west structure to the north of the northern profile. MT impedance tensor and vertical magnetic field rotations imply a N-NNE average regional geoelectric strike, similar to surface geologic trends. Model resistivity cross sections were derived using a 2-D inversion algorithm, which damps departures of model parameters from an a priori structure, emphasizing the transverse magnetic (TM) mode and vertical magnetic field data. Geological interpretation of the resistivity combines previous seismic, potential field and isotope models, structural and petrological models for regional compression and extension, and detailed structural/stratigraphic interpretations incorporating drilling for petroleum and mineral exploration. To first order, the resistivity structure is one of a moderately conductive, Phanerozoic sedimentary section fundamentally disrupted by intrusion and uplift of resistive crystalline rocks. Late Devonian and early Mississippian shales of the Pilot and Chainman Formations together form an important conductive marker sequence in the stratigraphy and show pronounced increases in conductance (conductivity-thickness product) from east to west. These increases in conductance are attributed to graphitization caused by Elko-Sevier era compressional shear deformation and possibly by intrusive heating. The resistive crystalline central massifs adjoin the host stratigraphy across crustal-scale, subvertical fault zones. These zones provide electric current pathways to the lower crust for heterogeneous, upper crustal induced current flow. Resistive core complex crust may be steeply bounded under the middle of the neighboring grabens and not deepen at a shallow angle to arbitrary distances to the west. The numerous crustal breaks imaged with MT may contribute to the low effective elastic thickness estimated regionally for the Great Basin and exemplify the mid-crustal, steeply dipping slip zones in which major earthquakes nucleate. An east-west oriented conductor in the crystalline upper crust spans the East Humboldt Range and northern Ruby Mountains. The conductor may be related to an inferred ArcheanProterozoic suture or nearby graphitic metasediments, with possible alteration by middle Tertiary magmatic activity. Lower crustal resistivity everywhere under the profiles is low and appears quasi one-dimensional. It is consistent with a low rock porosity (

A Regional Seismic Travel Time Model for North America

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

velocity at the Moho, the mantle velocity gradient, and the average crustal velocity. After tomography across Eurasia, rigorous tests find that Pn...velocity gradient, and the average crustal velocity. After tomography across Eurasia rigorous tests find that Pn travel time residuals are reduced...and S-wave velocity in the crustal layers and in the upper mantle. A good prior model is essential because the RSTT tomography inversion is invariably

Models for extracting vertical crustal movements from leveling data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holdahl, S. H.

1978-01-01

Various adjustment strategies are being used in North America to obtain vertical crustal movements from repeated leveling. The more successful models utilize polynomials or multiquadric analysis to describe elevation change with a velocity surface. Other features permit determination of nonlinear motions, motions associated with earthquakes or episodes, and vertical motions of blocks where boundaries are prespecified. The preferred models for estimating crustal motions permit the use of detached segments of releveling to govern the shape of a velocity surface and allow for input from nonleveling sources such as tide gages and paired lake gages. Some models for extracting vertical crustal movements from releveling data are also excellent for adjusting leveling networks, and permit mixing old and new data in areas exhibiting vertical motion. The new adjustment techniques are more general than older static models and will undoubtedly be used routinely in the future as the constitution of level networks becomes mainly relevelings.

Lithospheric Contributions to Arc Magmatism: Isotope Variations Along Strike in Volcanoes of Honshu, Japan

PubMed

Kersting; Arculus; Gust

1996-06-07

Major chemical exchange between the crust and mantle occurs in subduction zone environments, profoundly affecting the chemical evolution of Earth. The relative contributions of the subducting slab, mantle wedge, and arc lithosphere to the generation of island arc magmas, and ultimately new continental crust, are controversial. Isotopic data for lavas from a transect of volcanoes in a single arc segment of northern Honshu, Japan, have distinct variations coincident with changes in crustal lithology. These data imply that the relatively thin crustal lithosphere is an active geochemical filter for all traversing magmas and is responsible for significant modification of primary mantle melts.

A major crustal feature in the southeastern United States inferred from the MAGSAT equivalent source anomaly field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruder, M. E.; Alexander, S. S.

1985-01-01

The MAGSAT equivalent-source anomaly field evaluated at 325 km altitude depicts a prominent anomaly centered over southeast Georgia, which is adjacent to the high-amplitude positive Kentucky anomaly. To overcome the satellite resolution constraint in studying this anomaly, conventional geophysical data were included in analysis: Bouguer gravity, seismic reflection and refraction, aeromagnetic, and in-situ stress-strain measurements. This integrated geophysical approach, infers more specifically the nature and extent of the crustal and/or lithospheric source of the Georgia MAGSAT anomaly. Physical properties and tectonic evolution of the area are all important in the interpretation.

Crustal dynamics project data analysis, 1986. Volume 1: Fixed station VLBI geodetic results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ma, C.; Ryan, J. W.

1987-01-01

The Goddard VLBI group reports the results of analyzing 361 Mark III VLBI data sets from fixed observatories through the end of 1985 which are available to the Crustal Dynamics Project. All POLARIS/IRIS full-day data sets are included. The mobile VLBI sites at Platteville, Colorado; Penticton, British Columbia; and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories are also included since these occupations bear on the study of plate stability. Two large solutions, GLB027 and GLB028, were used to obtain site/baseline evolutions and earth rotation parameters, respectively. Source positions and nutation offsets were also adjusted in each solution. The results include 23 sites and 101 baselines.

Magmatic and Crustal Differentiation History of Granitic Rocks from Hf-O Isotopes in Zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, , A. I. S.; Hawkesworth, , C. J.; Foster, , G. L.; Paterson, , B. A.; Woodhead, , J. D.; Hergt, , J. M.; Gray, , C. M.; Whitehouse, M. J.

2007-02-01

Granitic plutonism is the principal agent of crustal differentiation, but linking granite emplacement to crust formation requires knowledge of the magmatic evolution, which is notoriously difficult to reconstruct from bulk rock compositions. We unlocked the plutonic archive through hafnium (Hf) and oxygen (O) isotope analysis of zoned zircon crystals from the classic hornblende-bearing (I-type) granites of eastern Australia. This granite type forms by the reworking of sedimentary materials by mantle-like magmas instead of by remelting ancient metamorphosed igneous rocks as widely believed. I-type magmatism thus drives the coupled growth and differentiation of continental crust.

Reconstructing the Paleo-Limnologic Evolution of Lake Bonney, Antarctica using Dissolved Noble Gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warrier, R. B.; Castro, M.; Hall, C. M.; Kenig, F. P.; Doran, P. T.

2013-12-01

The McMurdo Dry Valleys, situated on the western coast of the Ross Sea are the largest ice-free region in Antarctica. Lake Bonney (LB), located in western Taylor valley, one of the main east-west dry valleys, has two lobes, East Lake Bonney (ELB) and West Lake Bonney (WLB), which are separated by a narrow straight with a ~13 m deep sill. Because the evolution of LB is ultimately controlled by climate and because there are no reliable millennial-scale continental records of climate other than the Taylor Dome ice core in this region of Antarctica, a number of studies have reconstructed the paleolimnologic history of LB using diverse tools to try to reconstruct the history of the lake, and thus, the climate evolution in this area. However, many open questions remain with respect to the paleo-limnologic evolution of LB. To further place constraints on the evolution of LB, we analyzed 23 lake samples collected between 5 and ~40 m depth from both ELB and WLB for He and Ar concentrations as well as isotopic ratios. Preliminary results show that samples present He excesses up to two and three orders of magnitude with respect to air saturated water (ASW) in ELB and WLB, respectively. While He excesses generally increase with depth in WLB suggesting accumulation of 4He over time, a similar correlation with depth is not observed for ELB samples, indicating a more complex evolutionary history in this lobe. Measured R/Ra He isotopic ratios, where Ra is the atmospheric 3He/4He ratio, vary between 0.20-0.61 and 0.16-0.22 for ELB and WLB respectively, and indicate that observed He excesses are predominantly crustal in origin, with a small (<~5%) mantle contribution. In contrast, measured 40Ar/36Ar ratios indicate that Ar concentrations at all depths in ELB are atmospheric in origin while WLB samples below the sill indicate addition of excess 40Ar, likely of radiogenic origin. Preliminary estimates of water residence times based on measured He excesses and crustal production ratios from basement rocks point to maximum water ages of ~5 kyrs and ~500 kyrs for the deep waters of ELB and WLB, respectively. Similarly, a maximum residence time of ~500 kyrs was obtained for bottom waters of WLB assuming a crustal origin for the observed excess 40Ar. These preliminary age results are maximum estimations and assume that all He and Ar excesses are entirely of crustal origin. Our preliminary results indicate that the WLB waters have been isolated from the atmosphere for a much longer period of time than ELB waters and point to a very different evolution of both lobes. In addition, these maximum WLB ages obtained are much younger than previously thought (~1-5 Ma).

Argon-40 as a Constraint on the Volcanic Degassing History and Thermal Evolution of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiefer, W. S.

2017-12-01

Models for the thermal and magmatic evolution of Mars are strongly controlled by the volcanic degassing of water from the interior. Water affects the mantle's viscosity and hence the vigor of convective flow. It also affects the mantle's solidus temperature and hence the rate of magma generation. This set of coupled feedback loops affects both the volume of crustal production and the possible production of a magnetic field via a core dynamo (e.g., Sandu and Kiefer, GRL 2012, 2011GL050225). Volcanic degassing also affects other atmospheric components. Argon-40, which is a radioactive decay product of potassium-40, can potentially serve as an additional test of thermal evolution models. As a noble gas, 40Ar is highly incompatible in mantle and crustal rocks and thus tends to degas to the atmosphere during magmatic events. 40K has a half-life of 1.25 billion years and thus 40Ar measures volcanic degassing throughout martian history. It is relatively insensitive to atmospheric loss processes during the earliest part of solar system history, and long-term loss of 40Ar from the atmosphere can be estimated from fractionation of the 38Ar/36Ar ratio relative to solar (MAVEN results indicate that 66% of 36Ar has been lost from the martian atmosphere, Jakosky et al., Science 2017). The noble gas composition of the martian atmosphere has been measured both in situ using the SAM mass spectrometer on NASA's Curiosity rover and via measurements of trapped atmospheric gases in martian meteorites. One important application of 40Ar degassing models is as a constraint on the bulk silicate composition of Mars. The most widely accepted composition model for Mars has a potassium abundance of 305-310 ppm, slightly higher than the bulk silicate Earth. However, several other models assume a bulk silicate Mars K of up to 1040 ppm. Preliminary Ar degassing modeling favors K in the lower half of this range, consistent with results from long-term and present-day magma production models. Constraints on the bulk silicate K abundance are important to understanding the thermal and magmatic history of Mars because 40K is a radioactive heat source. In addition, the expected abundances of K and Na are correlated and elevated values of Na act to lower the peridotite solidus and thus to enhance the magma production rate (Kiefer et al., Geochimica, 2015).

Composition of island arcs and continental growth.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jakes, P.; White, A. J. R.

1971-01-01

Island arc volcanism has contributed and is still contributing to continental growth, but the composition of island arcs differs from that of the upper continental crust in its lower abundance of Si, K, Rb, Ba, Sr and light rare earth elements. In their advanced stage of evolution, island arcs contain more than 80% of tholeiitic and 15% of ?island arc' calc-alkaline rocks with varied SiO2 contents. The larger proportion of tholeiitic rocks is in the lower crustal levels. The high stratigraphical levels of the island arcs are composed of tholeiitic plus calc-alkaline and/or high potash (shoshonitic) associations with higher abundances of K, Rb, Sr, and Ba. Stratification of the island arc crust is accentuated by another type of calc-alkaline volcanism (Andean type) originating at a late stage of arc evolution, probably by partial melting at the base of the crust. This causes enrichment of the upper crust in K, Rb, Ba and REE and accounts for upper crustal abundances of these elements as well as of SiO2.

Dynamical Effects on the Escape of H and D: Martian Water Reservoirs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartle, Richard E.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The evolution of water on Mars is dependent on the loss rates of H and D from its atmosphere, where the dominant loss mechanism for these constituents is Jeans escape. Throughout time, preferential escape of H over D has produced a deuterium rich atmosphere with a D/H ratio 5.2 times that of terrestrial water. Motion in the atmosphere of Mars is shown to change the Jeans escape rates of H and D in two important ways: (1) Atmospheric wind and rotation at the exobase increase the escape fluxes of H and D above the corresponding Jeans fluxes. (2) The percentage increase in escape flux due to motion is greatest for D. Recently, several models have been used to estimate the magnitudes of current and ancient crustal water reservoirs on Mars that freely exchange with its atmosphere. Differences in the reservoir sizes are influenced by differences in the composition at the exobase, thermal history of the atmosphere and the D/H ratio of earlier epochs as inferred from meteorites. When motion enhanced Jeans escape is applied to each of these models, it is shown in every case that factors (1) and (2) above lead to current and ancient crustal water reservoirs that are larger than those obtained without motion.

Disruption of River Networks in Nature and Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perron, J. T.; Black, B. A.; Stokes, M.; McCoy, S. W.; Goldberg, S. L.

2017-12-01

Many natural systems display especially informative behavior as they respond to perturbations. Landscapes are no exception. For example, longitudinal elevation profiles of rivers responding to changes in uplift rate can reveal differences among erosional mechanisms that are obscured while the profiles are in equilibrium. The responses of erosional river networks to perturbations, including disruption of their network structure by diversion, truncation, resurfacing, or river capture, may be equally revealing. In this presentation, we draw attention to features of disrupted erosional river networks that a general model of landscape evolution should be able to reproduce, including the consequences of different styles of planetary tectonics and the response to heterogeneous bedrock structure and deformation. A comparison of global drainage directions with long-wavelength topography on Earth, Mars, and Saturn's moon Titan reveals the extent to which persistent and relatively rapid crustal deformation has disrupted river networks on Earth. Motivated by this example and others, we ask whether current models of river network evolution adequately capture the disruption of river networks by tectonic, lithologic, or climatic perturbations. In some cases the answer appears to be no, and we suggest some processes that models may be missing.

Polybaric evolution of phonolite, trachyte, and rhyolite volcanoes in Eastern Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica: Controls on peralkalinity and silica saturation

USGS Publications Warehouse

LeMasurier, W.E.; Futa, K.; Hole, M.; Kawachi, Y.

2003-01-01

In the Marie Byrd Land volcanic province, peralkaline and metaluminous trachytes, phonolites, and rhyolites occur in 18 large shield volcanoes that are closely associated in time and space. They are arrayed radially across an 800 km wide structural dome, with the oldest at the crest and the youngest around the flanks. Several lines of evidence suggest that these rocks evolved via open-system, polybaric fractionation. We have used mass balance modeling of major elements together with trace-element data and mineral chemistry to help explain the evolution of this diverse suite of felsic rocks, which appear to have been generated coevally in isolated magma chambers, and erupted close to each other in patterns related to tectonic uplift and extension within the West Antarctic rift system. Isotopic and trace-element data indicate that this occurred with only minimal crustal contamination. We focus on volcanoes of the Executive Committee Range and Mount Murphy, where we find good representation of basalts and felsic rocks within a small area. Our results suggest that the felsic rocks were derived from basaltic magmas that differentiated at multiple levels during their passage to the surface: first to ferrogabbroic compositions near the base of the lithosphere, then to intermediate compositions near the base of the crust, and finally to felsic compositions in mid- to upper crustal reservoirs. The high-pressure history has been largely masked by low-pressure processes. The best indications of a high-pressure history are the mineral phases in cumulate nodules and their correlation with modeling results, with REE anomalies, and with the composition of an unusual gabbroic intrusion. Silica saturation characteristics are believed to have originated in magma chambers near the base of the crust, via fractionation of variable proportions of kaersutite and plagioclase. Development of peralkalinity in felsic rocks took place in upper crustal reservoirs by fractionating a high ratio of plagioclase to clinopyroxene under conditions of low pH2O. With increasing pH2O, the ratio plagioclase/clinopyroxene in the fractionated assemblage decreases and metaluminous liquids resulted. Crustal contamination seems to have had a role in suppressing peralkalinity, and was probably a factor in the origin of high-silica metaluminous rhyolite, but metaluminous rocks are uncommon. The volume and diversity of felsic rocks were probably enhanced by the structure of the lithosphere, the persistence of plume activity, and the immobility of the Antarctic plate. Mechanical boundaries at the base of the lithosphere and crust, and within the crust, appear to have acted as filters, trapping magmas at multiple levels, and prolonging the fractionation process. Final volumes would have been further enhanced by repeated refluxing of the same magma chambers, controlled by plume activity and plate immobility.

Characters of Vertical Variability with Geodetic Satellites and Ground-based Continuous GPS in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, C.-C.; Wu, Y.-H.; Chao, B. F.; Yu, S.-B.

2009-04-01

Present-day GPS network have been extensively used to monitor crustal deformation due to various geodynamic mechanisms. Situated among the Pacific Ring of Fire on the suture zone of Eurasian and Philippine Sea Plates, the island of Taiwan with a dense continuous GPS network since ~1996 and now over 300 stations sees plenty of geophysical phenomena including particularly prominent crustal motions. We assessed daily solution of each station's coordinate time series, and made the routine corrections, such as orbital, EOP, atmospheric and tidal corrections, using GAMIT/GLOBK software (with ITRF05). We then employ the Quasi-Observation Combination Analysis (QOCA) package to obtain the variability and trend after removing occasional earthquake "disruptions". Preliminary results show strong seasonal variations. We then utilize the numerical method of Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) to analysis the geophysical signals from the continuous and dense GPS vertical crustal motion observations. We wish to be able to characterize both the seasonal and non-seasonal variability in the vertical crustal motion, in terms of the EOF modes in the spatial domain over Taiwan (plus a few offshore islets) with time evolution spanning the entire period of time. Corraborating with time-variable gravity data from the geodetic satellite mission GRACE, we can further obtain vertical components of both mass-induced loading with respect to the precipitation minus evaporation and the crustal motion caused by the active tectonic processes on Taiwan.

The Oceanic Crustal Structure of the Southwestern Subbasin in the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Z.; Ruan, A.; Li, J.; Lee, C.

2012-12-01

Located at the southwestern part of the South China Sea (SCS) among the Zhongsha Islands(Macclesfield Bank), the east subbasin, the Nansha Islands(Dangerous Ground), the V type southwest subbasin (SWSB) is an unique ocean basin in all the three subbasins of SCS. The crustal structure is one of the key problems to study the formation and evolution of SWSB. During December 2010 to March 2011, Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs) experiment has been carried out in the SWSB to get the deep crustal structure information, especially under the fossil spreading center. Three types of OBS, Sedis IV type, I-4C type and MicrOBS type have been used in the experiment, and the energy source was supplied by 6000 inch3 large volume air-gun. High quality seismic data of four 2D profiles which covered the fossil spreading center of SWSB have been acquired. The data of the experiment can supply evidence for the study of oceanic crustal structure of the SWSB and seafloor spreading course, etc. The profile 1 extended 130 km in length. A total of 8 OBSs were deployed at intervals of 10 or 15 km and 7 OBSs were recovered. The data of the 7 stations of profile 1 have been processed, which shows that the seismic records are clear and seismic phases are abundance, and the air-guns have enough energy supply. The velocity model was obtained by using an interactive trial-and-error 2D ray-tracing method. The crustal structure indicates that the crustal thickness under the SWSB is about 6 km, and the moho depth is about 10km. The results reveal that the crust of SWSB is normal oceanic crust with a thin sedimentary layer on the seamount and shallow moho surface. The crustal velocity under the spreading center is extremely low, which shows the characteristic of the deep crustal structure of the fossil spreading center. Acknowledgements This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 91028006, 41106053, 41176046), Scientific Research Fund of the Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA(Grant No. JT1101) References: Ruan A G, Qiu X L, Li J B, et al. Wide aperture seismic sounding in the margin seas of China. South China Journal of Seismology,2009,29:10-18(in Chinese). Li J B, Jin X L, Gao J Y. Morpho-tectonic study on late-stage spreading of the Eastern Subbasin of South China Sea. Sci China Ser D-Earth Sci,2002, 45:978-989 WU Z L, LI J B, RUAN A G, et al. Crustal structure of the northwestern sub-basin, South China Sea: Results from a wide-angle seismic experiment[J]. Sci China Earth Sci, 2012,55:159-172. doi: 10.1007/s11430-011-4324-9.

Analysis of Fault Spacing in Thrust-Belt Wedges Using Numerical Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regensburger, P. V.; Ito, G.

2017-12-01

Numerical modeling is invaluable in studying the mechanical processes governing the evolution of geologic features such as thrust-belt wedges. The mechanisms controlling thrust fault spacing in wedges is not well understood. Our numerical model treats the thrust belt as a visco-elastic-plastic continuum and uses a finite-difference, marker-in-cell method to solve for conservation of mass and momentum. From these conservation laws, stress is calculated and Byerlee's law is used to determine the shear stress required for a fault to form. Each model consists of a layer of crust, initially 3-km-thick, carried on top of a basal décollement, which moves at a constant speed towards a rigid backstop. A series of models were run with varied material properties, focusing on the angle of basal friction at the décollement, the angle of friction within the crust, and the cohesion of the crust. We investigate how these properties affected the spacing between thrusts that have the most time-integrated history of slip and therefore have the greatest effect on the large-scale undulations in surface topography. The surface position of these faults, which extend through most of the crustal layer, are identifiable as local maxima in positive curvature of surface topography. Tracking the temporal evolution of faults, we find that thrust blocks are widest when they first form at the front of the wedge and then they tend to contract over time as more crustal material is carried to the wedge. Within each model, thrust blocks form with similar initial widths, but individual thrust blocks develop differently and may approach an asymptotic width over time. The median of thrust block widths across the whole wedge tends to decrease with time. Median fault spacing shows a positive correlation with both wedge cohesion and internal friction. In contrast, median fault spacing exhibits a negative correlation at small angles of basal friction (<17˚) and a positive correlation with larger angles of basal friction. From these correlations, we will derive scaling laws that can be used to predict fault spacing in thrust-belt wedges.

Crustal structure and tectonic history of the Kermadec arc inferred from MANGO seismic refraction profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassett, D.; Kopp, H.; Sutherland, R.; Henrys, S.; Watts, A. B.; Timm, C.; Scherwath, M.; Grevemeyer, I.; de Ronde, C. E. J.

2016-12-01

We have analyzed three wide-angle seismic reflection and refraction profiles and applied spectral averaging techniques to regional grids of bathymetry and free-air gravity anomaly to place the first regional constraints on the crustal structure of the Kermadec arc. These observations are used to test contrasting tectonic models for an along-strike transition in margin structure, across which, 1) the remnant Lau-Colville and active Kermadec arc ridges narrow by >50%; 2) the backarc and forearc deepen by 1 km, and 3) the active volcanic arc is deflected west into the deepest known backarc basin. We use residual bathymetric anomalies to constrain the geometry of this boundary and propose the name Central Kermadec Discontinuity (CKD). North of the CKD, the buried Tonga Ridge occupies the forearc with VP 6.5-7.3 km s-1 and residual free-air gravity anomalies constrain its latitudinal extent (north of 30.5°S), width (110±20 km) and strike ( 005° south of 25°S). South of the CKD the forearc is structurally homogeneous down-dip with VP 5.7-7.3 km s-1. Lower crustal velocities are similar to the northern Kermadec forearc, but there is no seismic or gravimetric evidence for an extinct arc ridge within the forearc. In the Havre Trough backarc, crustal thickness south of the CKD is 8-9 km, which is up-to 4 km thinner than the northern Havre Trough and at least 1 km thinner than the southern Havre Trough. The northern Kermadec/Tonga arc preserves a substrate of the Eocene arc, the southern Kermadec forearc preserves Mesozoic forearc rocks accreted at the Gondwana margin, and the central Kermadec arc may have fomed in the Kupe Abyssal Plain. The oldest arc related rocks recovered north and south of the CKD are 52 Ma and 16.7 Ma respectively, and plate tectonic reconstruction suggest the Eocene arc was originally conjoined with the Three Kings Ridge. The separation of these ridges during the early Oligocene likely formed the CKD. In contrast to previous interpretations, we suggest that the first-order crustal thickness variations along the Kermadec arc were inherited from before the Neogene and reflect Mesozoic crustal structure, the Cenozoic evolution of the Tonga-Kermadec-Hikurangi margin, and along-strike variations in the duration of arc volcanism.

Magmatic zircon Lu-Hf isotopic record of juvenile addition and crustal reworking in the Gawler Craton, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, Anthony J.; Payne, Justin L.

2017-11-01

New in situ zircon Lu-Hf isotopic data are presented from magmatic rocks distributed across the Gawler Craton, Australia. These rocks range in composition from granite to gabbro, with the majority being granite or granodiorite and moderately peraluminous in composition. The new Lu-Hf isotopic data, together with previously published data, provide insight into the magmatic evolution of the craton and crust and mantle interaction through time. Increased juvenile content of magmatic rocks correlate with periods of extensional tectonism, in particular basin formation and associated magmatism during the Neoarchean to earliest Paleoproterozoic (c. 2555-2480 Ma), Middle Paleoproterozoic (c. 2020-1710 Ma) and Late Paleoproterozoic (c. 1630-160 Ma). In contrast, magmatic rocks associated with periods of orogenic activity show greater proportions of crustal derivation, particularly the magmatic rocks generated during the c. 1730-1690 Ma Kimban Orogeny. The final two major magmatic events of the Gawler Craton at c. 1630-1604 Ma and c. 1595-1575 Ma both represent periods of juvenile input into the Gawler Craton, with εHf(t) values extending to as positive as + 8. However, widespread crustal melting at this time is also indicated by the presence of more evolved εHf(t) values to - 6.5. The mixing between crust and mantle sources during these two youngest magmatic events is also indicated by the range in two stage depleted mantle model ages (TDMc) between 1.76 Ga and 2.51 Ga. Significant mantle input into the crust, particularly during formation of the c. 1595-1575 Ma Hiltaba Suite and Gawler Range Volcanics, likely facilitated the widespread crustal magmatism of this time period. Viewed spatially, average εHf(t) and TDMc values highlight three of the major shear zones within the Gawler Craton as potentially being isotopic as well as structural boundaries. Differences in isotopic composition across the Coorabbie Shear Zone in the western Gawler Craton, the Middle Bore Fault in the northern Gawler Craton and, to a lesser extent, the Kalinjala Shear Zone in the southern Gawler Craton, broadly correspond to crustal and even lithospheric-scale discontinuities evident in geophysical studies. Therefore, these shear zones may approximate some of the first order crustal domains within the Gawler Craton.

Crustal and upper mantle investigations of the Caribbean-South American plate boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezada, Maximiliano J.

The evolution of the Caribbean --- South America plate boundary has been a matter of vigorous debate for decades and many questions remain unresolved. In this work, and in the framework of the BOLIVAR project, we shed light on some aspects of the present state and the tectonic history of the margin by using different types of geophysical data sets and techniques. An analysis of controlled-source traveltime data collected along a boundary-normal profile at ˜65°W was used to build a 2D P-wave velocity model. The model shows that the Caribbean Large Igenous Province is present offshore eastern Venezuela and confirms the uniformity of the velocity structure along the Leeward Antilles volcanic belt. In contrast with neighboring profiles, at this longitude we see no change in velocity structure or crustal thickness across the San Sebastian - El Pilar fault system. A 2D gravity modeling methodology that uses seismically derived initial density models was developed as part of this research. The application of this new method to four of the BOLIVAR boundary-normal profiles suggests that the uppermost mantle is denser under the South American continental crust and the island arc terranes than under the Caribbean oceanic crust. Crustal rocks of the island arc and extended island arc terranes of the Leeward Antilles have a relatively low density, given their P-wave velocity. This may be caused by low iron content, relative to average magmatic arc rocks. Finally, an analysis of teleseismic traveltimes with frequency-dependent kernels produced a 3D P-wave velocity perturbation model. The model shows the structure of the mantle lithosphere under the study area and clearly images the subduction of the Atlantic slab and associated partial removal of the lower lithosphere under northern South America. We also image the subduction of a section of the Caribbean plate under South America with an east-southeast direction. Both the Atlantic and Caribbean subducting slabs penetrate the mantle transition zone, affecting the topography of the 410-km and 660-km discontinuities.

Gravity evidence for shaping of the crustal structure of the Ameca graben (Jalisco block northern limit). Western Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alatorre-Zamora, Miguel Angel; Campos-Enríquez, José Oscar; Fregoso-Becerra, Emilia; Quintanar-Robles, Luis; Toscano-Fletes, Roberto; Rosas-Elguera, José

2018-03-01

The Ameca tectonic depression (ATD) is located at the NE of the Jalisco Block along the southwestern fringe of the NW-SE trending Tepic-Zacoalco Rift, in the west-central part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, western Mexico. To characterize its shallow crustal structure, we conducted a gravity survey based on nine N-S gravity profiles across the western half of the Ameca Valley. The Bouguer residual anomalies are featured by a central low between two zones of positive gravity values with marked gravity gradients. These anomalies have a general NW-SE trend similar to the Tepic-Zacoalco Rift general trend. Basement topography along these profiles was obtained by means of: 1) a Tsuboi's type inverse modeling, and 2) forward modeling. Approximately northward dipping 10° slopes are modeled in the southern half, with south tilted down faulted blocks of the Cretaceous granitic basement and its volcano-sedimentary cover along sub-vertical and intermediate normal faults, whereas southward dipping slopes of almost 15° are observed at the northern half. According to features of the obtained models, this depression corresponds to a slight asymmetric graben. The Ameca Fault is part of the master fault system along its northern limit. The quantitative interpretation shows an approximately 500 to 1100 m thick volcano-sedimentary infill capped by alluvial products. This study has several implications concerning the limit between the Jalisco Block and the Tepic-Zacoalco Rift. The established shallow crustal structure points to the existence of a major listric fault with its detachment surface beneath the Tepic-Zacoalco Rift. The Ameca Fault is interpreted as a secondary listric fault. The models indicate the presence of granitic bodies of the Jalisco Block beneath the TMVB volcanic products of the Tepic-Zacoalco rift. This implies that the limit between these two regional structures is not simple but involves a complex transition zone. A generic model suggests that the extension related normal faulting has been operating as a mechanism in the evolution of this rift. Analysis of seismicity affecting the study area and neighborhood indicates the inferred faults are active.

Hot spot abundance, ridge subduction and the evolution of greenstone belts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbott, D.; Hoffman, S.

1986-01-01

A number of plate tectonic hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of Archaean and Phanerozoic greenstone/ophiolite terranes. In these models, ophiolites or greenstone belts represent the remnants of one or more of the following: island arcs, rifted continental margins, oceanic crustal sections, and hot spot volcanic products. If plate tectonics has been active since the creation of the Earth, it is logical to suppose that the same types of tectonic processes which form present day ophiolites also formed Archaean greenstone belts. However, the relative importance of the various tectonic processes may well have been different and are discussed.

Lithospheric and crustal thinning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moretti, I.

1985-01-01

In rift zones, both the crust and the lithosphere get thinner. The amplitude and the mechanism of these two thinning situations are different. The lithospheric thinning is a thermal phenomenon produced by an asthenospherical uprising under the rift zone. In some regions its amplitude can exceed 200%. This is observed under the Baikal rift where the crust is directly underlaid by the mantellic asthenosphere. The presence of hot material under rift zones induces a large negative gravity anomaly. A low seismic velocity zone linked to this thermal anomaly is also observed. During the rifting, the magmatic chambers get progressively closer from the ground surface. Simultaneously, the Moho reflector is found at shallow depth under rift zones. This crustal thinning does not exceed 50%. Tectonic stresses and vertical movements result from the two competing effects of the lithospheric and crustal thinning. On the one hand, the deep thermal anomaly induces a large doming and is associated with extensive deviatoric stresses. On the other hand, the crustal thinning involves the formation of a central valley. This subsidence is increased by the sediment loading. The purpose here is to quantify these two phenomena in order to explain the morphological and thermal evolution of rift zones.

The mantle lithosphere and the Wilson Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heron, Philip; Pysklywec, Russell; Stephenson, Randell

2017-04-01

In the view of the conventional theory of plate tectonics (e.g., the Wilson Cycle), crustal inheritance is often considered important in tectonic evolution. However, the role of the mantle lithosphere is usually overlooked due to its difficulty to image and uncertainty in rheological makeup. Deep seismic imaging has shown potential scarring in continental mantle lithosphere to be ubiquitous. Recent studies have interpreted mantle lithosphere heterogeneities to be pre-existing structures, and as such linked to the Wilson Cycle and inheritance. In our study, we analyze intraplate deformation driven by mantle lithosphere heterogeneities from ancient Wilson Cycle processes and compare this to crustal inheritance deformation. We present 2-D numerical experiments of continental convergence to generate intraplate deformation, exploring the limits of continental rheology to understand the dominant lithosphere layer across a broad range of geological settings. By implementing a "jelly sandwich" rheology, characteristic of stable continental lithosphere, we find that during compression the strength of the mantle lithosphere is integral in controlling deformation from a structural anomaly. We posit that if the continental mantle is the strongest layer within the lithosphere, then such inheritance may have important implications for the Wilson Cycle. Furthermore, our models show that deformation driven by mantle lithosphere scarring can produce tectonic patterns related to intraplate orogenesis originating from crustal sources, highlighting the need for a more formal discussion of the role of the mantle lithosphere in plate tectonics. We outline the difficulty in unravelling the causes of tectonic deformation, alongside discussing the role of deep lithosphere processes in plate tectonics.

Magma Supply of Southwest Indian Ocean: Implication from Crustal Thickness Anomalies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiheng, L.; Jianghai, L.; Huatian, Z.; Qingkai, F.

2017-12-01

The Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) is one of the world's slowest spreading ridges with a full spreading rate of 14mm a-1, belonging to ultraslow spreading ridge, which are a novel class of spreading centers symbolized by non-uniform magma supply and crustal accretion. Therefore, the crustal thickness of Southwest Indian Ocean is a way to explore the magmatic and tectonic process of SWIR and the hotspots around it. Our paper uses Residual Mantle Bouguer Anomaly processed with the latest global public data to invert the relative crustal thickness and correct it according to seismic achievements. Gravity-derived crustal thickness model reveals a huge range of crustal thickness in Southwest Indian Ocean from 0.04km to 24km, 7.5km of average crustal thickness, and 3.5km of standard deviation. In addition, statistics data of crustal thickness reveal the frequency has a bimodal mixed skewed distribution, which indicates the crustal accretion by ridge and ridge-plume interaction. Base on the crustal thickness model, we divide three types of crustal thickness in Southwest Indian Ocean. About 20.31% of oceanic crust is <4.8km thick designated as thin crust, and 60.99% is 4.8-9.8km thick as normal crust. The remaining 18.70% is >9.8km thick as thick crust. Furthermore, Prominent thin crust anomalies are associated with the trend of most transform faults, but thick crust anomalies presents to northeast of Andrew Bain transform fault. Cold and depleted mantle are also the key factors to form the thin crust. The thick crust anomalies are constrained by hotspots, which provide abundant heat to the mantle beneath mid-ocean ridge or ocean basin. Finally, we roughly delineate the range of ridge-plume interaction and transform fault effect.

Rapid biological speciation driven by tectonic evolution in New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craw, Dave; Upton, Phaedra; Burridge, Christopher P.; Wallis, Graham P.; Waters, Jonathan M.

2016-02-01

Collisions between tectonic plates lead to the rise of new mountain ranges that can separate biological populations and ultimately result in new species. However, the identification of links between tectonic mountain-building and biological speciation is confounded by environmental and ecological factors. Thus, there are surprisingly few well-documented examples of direct tectonic controls on terrestrial biological speciation. Here we present examples from New Zealand, where the rapid evolution of 18 species of freshwater fishes has resulted from parallel tectonic landscape evolution. We use numerical models to reconstruct changes in the deep crustal structure and surface drainage catchments of the southern island of New Zealand over the past 25 million years. We show that the island and mountain topography evolved in six principal tectonic zones, which have distinct drainage catchments that separated fish populations. We use new and existing phylogenetic analyses of freshwater fish populations, based on over 1,000 specimens from more than 400 localities, to show that fish genomes can retain evidence of this tectonic landscape development, with a clear correlation between geologic age and extent of DNA sequence divergence. We conclude that landscape evolution has controlled on-going biological diversification over the past 25 million years.

Fracture patterns of the drainage basin of Wadi Dahab in relation to tectonic-landscape evolution of the Gulf of Aqaba - Dead Sea transform fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shalaby, Ahmed

2017-10-01

Crustal rifting of the Arabian-Nubian Shield and formation of the Afro-Arabian rifts since the Miocene resulted in uplifting and subsequent terrain evolution of Sinai landscapes; including drainage systems and fault scarps. Geomorphic evolution of these landscapes in relation to tectonic evolution of the Afro-Arabian rifts is the prime target of this study. The fracture patterns and landscape evolution of the Wadi Dahab drainage basin (WDDB), in which its landscape is modeled by the tectonic evolution of the Gulf of Aqaba-Dead Sea transform fault, are investigated as a case study of landscape modifications of tectonically-controlled drainage systems. The early developed drainage system of the WDDB was achieved when the Sinai terrain subaerially emerged in post Eocene and initiation of the Afro-Arabian rifts in the Oligo-Miocene. Conjugate shear fractures, parallel to trends of the Afro-Arabian rifts, are synthesized with tensional fracture arrays to adapt some of inland basins, which represent the early destination of the Sinai drainage systems as paleolakes trapping alluvial sediments. Once the Gulf of Aqaba rift basin attains its deeps through sinistral movements on the Gulf of Aqaba-Dead Sea transform fault in the Pleistocene and the consequent rise of the Southern Sinai mountainous peaks, relief potential energy is significantly maintained through time so that it forced the Pleistocene runoffs to flow via drainage systems externally into the Gulf of Aqaba. Hence the older alluvial sediments are (1) carved within the paleolakes by a new generation of drainage systems; followed up through an erosional surface by sandy- to silty-based younger alluvium; and (2) brought on footslopes of fault scarps reviving the early developed scarps and inselbergs. These features argue for crustal uplifting of Sinai landscapes syn-rifting of the Gulf of Aqaba rift basin. Oblique orientation of the Red Sea-Gulf of Suez rift relative to the WNW-trending Precambrian Najd faults; and extrusion of volcanic rocks in directions parallel to the rift boundaries geometrically suggest rifting on tensional fractures that mutually bridge the Najd fault-related shear fractures. These aspects might envisage reactivation of the preexisting Precambrian fracture patterns in the Arabian-Nubian shield by the Oligo-Miocene to Pleistocene rift-controlled stress field.

The crust of the Moon as seen by GRAIL.

PubMed

Wieczorek, Mark A; Neumann, Gregory A; Nimmo, Francis; Kiefer, Walter S; Taylor, G Jeffrey; Melosh, H Jay; Phillips, Roger J; Solomon, Sean C; Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C; Asmar, Sami W; Konopliv, Alexander S; Lemoine, Frank G; Smith, David E; Watkins, Michael M; Williams, James G; Zuber, Maria T

2013-02-08

High-resolution gravity data obtained from the dual Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft show that the bulk density of the Moon's highlands crust is 2550 kilograms per cubic meter, substantially lower than generally assumed. When combined with remote sensing and sample data, this density implies an average crustal porosity of 12% to depths of at least a few kilometers. Lateral variations in crustal porosity correlate with the largest impact basins, whereas lateral variations in crustal density correlate with crustal composition. The low-bulk crustal density allows construction of a global crustal thickness model that satisfies the Apollo seismic constraints, and with an average crustal thickness between 34 and 43 kilometers, the bulk refractory element composition of the Moon is not required to be enriched with respect to that of Earth.

Deformation Processes In SE Tibet: How Coupled Are The Surface And The Deeper Lithosphere? (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeitler, P. K.; Meltzer, A.

2010-12-01

We all like to cite the Himalayan collision as a type example of continent-continent collision, and the region has been used as a natural laboratory by a considerable number of diverse investigations. Southeastern Tibet and the Lhasa Block provide an interesting case to consider in this context. Surrounding portions of the Himalayan-Tibet system have been and are being intensely deformed, whereas the Andean-arc lithosphere of the Lhasa Block has remained enigmatically unscathed. High elevations throughout much of the terrane are fairly uniform but the eastern and western portions of block have experienced very different degrees of exhumation. Regions that experienced more exhumation have thinner crustal thicknesses, with the results that that Moho is warped up with respect to the surface. Thicker, less-exhumed portions of the Lhasa Block currently are underlain by what is inferred to be eclogitized lower crust, but this eclogitization is not seen where exhumation is significant. Beneath SE Tibet, subduction of the Indian lithosphere has been complicated, with tomographic imaging showing variations in mantle structure that do not register with the strike of surface features. Adjacent to the Lhasa Block, the Namche Barwa-Gyala metamorphic massif demonstrates a strong coupling between shallower crustal flow and localized erosion that is significant for the evolution of the Lhasa Block in the way that this feature controls base level for the upper Tsangpo drainage and thus the erosional driver for the system. More broadly, a weak lower crust and lower-crustal flow have been invoked by many workers to explain aspects of the region’s deformation patterns and topography. Thus it would seem that in SE Tibet, mid-to-upper crustal, lower-crustal, and whole-lithosphere processes all have the potential to either impact Earth-surface dynamics or be impacted by them. This leads to a number of questions about the 4D nature and scale of compensation, controls on the evolution of topography, and the degree to which feedbacks might exist between the surface and the deeper lithosphere.

Flat-slab subduction, whole crustal faulting, and geohazards in Alaska: Targets for Earthscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulick, S. P.; Pavlis, T. L.; Bruhn, R. L.; Christeson, G. L.; Freymueller, J. T.; Hansen, R. A.; Koons, P. O.; Pavlis, G. L.; Roeske, S.; Reece, R.; van Avendonk, H. J.; Worthington, L. L.

2010-12-01

Crustal structure and evolution illuminated by the Continental Dynamics ST. Elias Erosion and tectonics Project (STEEP) highlights some fundamental questions about active tectonics processes in Alaska including: 1) what are the controls on far field deformation and lithospheric stabilization, 2) do strike slip faults extend through the entire crust and upper mantle and how does this influence mantle flow, and 3) how does the transition from “normal” subduction of the Pacific along the Aleutians to flat slab subduction of the Yakutat Terrane beneath southeast and central Alaska to translation of the Yakutat Terrane past North American in eastern Alaska affect geohazard assessment for the north Pacific? Active and passive seismic studies and geologic fieldwork focusing on the Yakutat Terrane show that the Terrane ranges from 15-35 km thick and is underthrusting the North American plate from the St. Elias Mountains to the Alaska Range (~500 km). Deformation of the upper plate occurs within the offshore Pamplona Zone fold and thrust belt, and onshore throughout the Robinson Mountains. Deformation patterns, structural evolution, and the sedimentary products of orogenesis are fundamentally influenced by feedbacks with glacial erosion. The Yakutat megathrust extends beneath Prince William Sound such that the 1964 Mw 9.2 great earthquake epicenter was on this plate boundary and jumped to the adjacent Aleutian megathrust coseismically; this event illuminates the potential for transitional tectonic systems to enhance geohazards. The northern, southern, and eastern limits of the Yakutat microplate are strike-slip faults that, where imaged, appear to cut the entire crustal section and may allow for crustal extrusion towards the Bering Sea. Yakutat Terrane effects on mantle flow, however, have been suggested to cross these crustal features to allow for far-field deformation in the Yukon, Brooks Range, and Amerasia Basin. From the STEEP results it is clear that the Yakutat Terrane is driving a range of tectonic and surface processes perturbing the Aleutian subduction system at its eastern extent and linking this system with Laramide style subduction and plate boundary strike-slip tectonics farther east. Targeted geodetic and seismic deployments as part of Earthscope could examine all of these features and seek to address fundamental questions about tectonic interactions.

Quantifying the thermal evolution of early passive margins formation and its consequences on the structure of passive margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bousquet, Romain; Nalpas, Thierry

2017-04-01

Many large-scale dynamic processes, from continental rifting to plate subduction, are intimately linked to metamorphic reactions. This close relation between geodynamic processes and metamorphic reactions is, in spite of appearances, yet poorly understood. For example, during extension processes, rocks will be exposed to important temperature, pressures and stress changes. Meanwhile less attention has been paid to other important aspects of the metamorphic processes. When reacting rocks expand and contract, density and volume changes will set up in the surrounding material. While several tectonic models are proposed to explain the formation of extensive basins and passive margins ( simple shear detachment mantle exhumation .... ) a single thermal model (McKenzie, 1978), as a kind of dogma, is used to understanding and modeling the formation and evolution of sedimentary basins. The study of the thermal evolution, coupled with other tectonic models, and its consequences have never been studied in detail, although the differences may be significant. And it is clear that the petrological changes associated with changes in temperature conditions, influence changes reliefs. Constrained by the new field data of north Pyrenean basins on thermal evolution of pre-rift and syn-rift sediments, we explore the petrological changes associated to different thermal evolution and the consequences on the subsidence of the basins. We will also present numerical models quantifying mineralogical and physical changes inside the whole lithosphere during rifting processes. In the light of these models, we discuss the consequences of different thermal evolution on the subsidence processes as well as on gravimetry and seismic velocities signature of passive margins. We are able to distinguish two types of margins according to their thermal evolution: - An Alpine-type basin in which the temperature rise is 50 to 100 Ma older than the tectonic extension, leading to the "cold" opening of the ocean. - A Pyrenean type basin in which temperature changes are synchronous with basin formation, leading to a crustal boudignage and to the formation of a "anomalous" geophysical layer at the OCT

A deterministic and stochastic velocity model for the Salton Trough/Basin and Range transition zone and constraints on magmatism during rifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larkin, Steven P.; Levander, Alan; Okaya, David; Goff, John A.

1996-12-01

As a high resolution addition to the 1992 Pacific to Arizona Crustal Experiment (PACE), a 45-km-long deep crustal seismic reflection profile was acquired across the Chocolate Mountains in southeastern California to illuminate crustal structure in the transition between the Salton Trough and the Basin and Range province. The complex seismic data are analyzed for both large-scale (deterministic) and fine-scale (stochastic) crustal features. A low-fold near-offset common-midpoint (CMP) stacked section shows the northeastward lateral extent of a high-velocity lower crustal body which is centered beneath the Salton Trough. Off-end shots record a high-amplitude diffraction from the point where the high velocity lower crust pinches out at the Moho. Above the high-velocity lower crust, moderate-amplitude reflections occur at midcrustal levels. These reflections display the coherency and frequency characteristics of reflections backscattered from a heterogeneous velocity field, which we model as horizontal intrusions with a von Kármán (fractal) distribution. The effects of upper crustal scattering are included by combining the mapped surface geology and laboratory measurements of exposed rocks within the Chocolate Mountains to reproduce the upper crustal velocity heterogeneity in our crustal velocity model. Viscoelastic finite difference simulations indicate that the volume of mafic material within the reflective zone necessary to produce the observed backscatter is about 5%. The presence of wavelength-scale heterogeneity within the near-surface, upper, and middle crust also produces a 0.5-s-thick zone of discontinuous reflections from a crust-mantle interface which is actually a first-order discontinuity.

Evaluating Crustal Contamination Effects on the Lithophile Trace Element Budget of Shergottites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandon, A. D.; Ferdous, J.; Peslier, A. H.

2017-01-01

The origin of the incompatible trace element (ITE) enriched compositions of shergottites has been a point of contention for decades [1-2]. Two scenarios have been proposed, the first is that enriched shergottite compositions reflect an ITE-enriched mantle source, whereas in the second, the ITE enrichment reflects crustal contamination of mantle-derived parent magmas. Evidence supporting the first scenario is that the ITE-enriched shergottite compositions are consistent with the outcomes of magma ocean crystallization [3], and that Os-Nd isotope relationships for shergottites cannot be explained by realistic crustal contamination models [4]. In contrast, Cl and S isotopes are consistent with shergottite magmas interacting with Mars crust [5,6], and ITE-enriched olivine-hosted melt inclusions and interstitial glass are found in depleted shergottite Yamato 980459 [7]. These findings indicate that some level of crustal interaction occurred but the question of whether ITE-enrichments in some bulk shergottites reflect crustal contamination remains open. Recently, a Mars crustal breccia meteorite has been found, NWA 7034 and its paired stones, that is our best analogue to an average of Mars ancient crust [8-10]. This allows for better constraints on crustal contamination of shergottite magmas. We modeled magma-crust mixing and assimilation-fractional crystallization (AFC) using ITE-depleted shergottite compositions and bulk NWA 7034 and its clasts as end-members. The results of these models indicate that crustal contamination can only explain the ITE-enriched compositions of some bulk shergottites under unusual circumstances. It is thus likely that the shergottite range of compositions reflects primarily mantle sources.

"Storms of crustal stress" and AE earthquake precursors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gregori, G. P.; Poscolieri, M.; Paparo, G.; de Simone, S.; Rafanelli, C.; Ventrice, G.

2010-02-01

Acoustic emission (AE) displays violent paroxysms preceding strong earthquakes, observed within some large area (several hundred kilometres wide) around the epicentre. We call them "storms of crustal stress" or, briefly "crustal storms". A few case histories are discussed, all dealing with the Italian peninsula, and with the different behaviour shown by the AE records in the Cephalonia island (Greece), which is characterized by a different tectonic setting. AE is an effective tool for diagnosing the state of some wide slab of the Earth's crust, and for monitoring its evolution, by means of AE of different frequencies. The same effect ought to be detected being time-delayed, when referring to progressively lower frequencies. This results to be an effective check for validating the physical interpretation. Unlike a seismic event, which involves a much limited focal volume and therefore affects a restricted area on the Earth's surface, a "crustal storm" typically involves some large slab of lithosphere and crust. In general, it cannot be easily reckoned to any specific seismic event. An earthquake responds to strictly local rheological features of the crust, which are eventually activated, and become crucial, on the occasion of a "crustal storm". A "crustal storm" lasts typically few years, eventually involving several destructive earthquakes that hit at different times, at different sites, within that given lithospheric slab. Concerning the case histories that are here discussed, the lithospheric slab is identified with the Italian peninsula. During 1996-1997 a "crustal storm" was on, maybe elapsing until 2002 (we lack information for the period 1998-2001). Then, a quiet period occurred from 2002 until 26 May 2008, when a new "crustal storm" started, and by the end of 2009 it is still on. During the 1996-1997 "storm" two strong earthquakes occurred (Potenza and Colfiorito) - and (maybe) in 2002 also the Molise earthquake can be reckoned to this "storm". During the "storm", started in 2008, the l'Aquila earthquake occurred. Additional logical analysis envisages the possibility of distinguishing some kind of "elementary" constituents of a "crustal storm", which can be briefly called "crustal substorms". The concept of "storm" and "substorm" is a common logical aspect, which is shared by several phenomena, depending on their common intrinsic and primary logical properties that can be called lognormality and fractality. Compared to a "crustal storm", a "crustal substorm" is likely to be reckoned to some specific seismic event. Owing to brevity purposes, however, the discussion of "substorms" is given elsewhere. AE is an effective tool for monitoring these phenomena, and other processes that are ongoing within the crust. Eventually they result to be precursors of some more or less violent earthquake. It should be stressed, however, that the target of AE monitoring is diagnosing the Earth's crust. In contrast, earthquake prediction implies a much different perspective, which makes sense only by means of more detailed multiparametric monitoring. An AE array can provide real physical information only about the processes that are objectively ongoing inside different and contiguous large slabs of the crust. The purpose is to monitor the stress propagation that crosses different regions, in order to envisage where and when it can eventually trigger a catastrophe of the system. The conclusion is that continental - or planetary - scale arrays of AE monitoring stations, which record a few different AE frequencies, appear to be the likely first step for diagnosing the evolution of local structures preceding an earthquake. On the other hand, as it is well known, the magnitude of the shock is to be related to the elastic energy stored in the focal volume, rather than to the trigger that starts it.

An oceanic core complex (OCC) in the Albanian Dinarides? Preliminary paleomagnetic and structural results from the Mirdita Ophiolite (northern Albania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maffione, M.; Morris, A.; Anderson, M.

2010-12-01

Oceanic core complexes (OCCs) are dome-shaped massifs commonly associated with the inside corners of the intersection of transform faults and slow (and ultra-slow) spreading centres. They represent the uplifted footwalls of large-slip oceanic detachment faults (e.g. Cann et al., 1997; Blackman et al., 1998) and are composed of mantle and lower crustal rocks exhumed during fault displacement (Smith et al., 2006, 2008). Recent paleomagnetic studies of core samples from OCCs in the Atlantic Ocean (Morris et al., 2009; MacLeod et al., in prep) have confirmed that footwall sections undergo substantial rotation around (sub-) horizontal axes. These studies, therefore, support “rolling hinge” models for the evolution of OCCs, whereby oceanic detachment faults initiate at a steep angle at depth and then “roll-over” to their present day low angle orientations during unroofing (Buck, 1988; Wernicke & Axen, 1988; Lavier et al., 1999). However, a fully integrated paleomagnetic and structural analysis of this process is hampered by the one-dimensional sampling provided by ocean drilling of OCC footwalls. Therefore, ancient analogues for OCCs in ophiolites are of great interest, as these potentially provide 3-D exposures of these important structures and hence a more complete understanding of footwall strain and kinematics (providing that emplacement-related phases of deformation can be accounted for). Recently, the relationship between outcropping crustal and upper mantle rocks led Tremblay et al. (2009) to propose that an OCC is preserved within the Mirdita ophiolite of the Albanian Dinarides (northern Albania). This is a slice of Jurassic oceanic lithosphere exposed along a N-S corridor which escaped the main late Cenozoic Alpine deformation (Robertson, 2002, 2004; Dilek et al., 2007). Though in the eastern portion of the Mirdita ophiolite a Penrose-type sequence is present, in the western portion mantle rocks are in tectonic contact with upper crustal lithologies. This main fault has been interpreted by Tremblay et al. (2009) as originally an oceanic detachment fault that exhumed mantle rocks and put them in contact with upper crustal basalts according to the “rolling-hinge” model. In order to test this model and document the kinematics of the proposed detachment fault, we carried out a preliminary paleomagnetic and structural sampling campaign in July 2010. The principal aims were: (i) to determine whether paleomagnetic remanences provide evidence for early relative rotation of footwall and hanging wall sequences either side of the proposed detachment that may be consistent with rolling-hinge models for OCCs; & (ii) to provide insights into the broader tectonic evolution of the Mirdita units. We collected c. 200 oriented samples at 32 localities distributed within a 30 km x 15 km area located between the Puka and Krabbi massifs, near the villages of Puka and Reps. Here we present the preliminary results of this study and discuss their geological implications for the history of the Mirdita ophiolite, including the interpretation of the Puka and Krabbi massifs as a fossil OCC and the primary orientation of the Mirdita spreading axis.

Combining controlled-source seismology and receiver function information to derive 3-D Moho topography for Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spada, M.; Bianchi, I.; Kissling, E.; Agostinetti, N. Piana; Wiemer, S.

2013-08-01

The accurate definition of 3-D crustal structures and, in primis, the Moho depth, are the most important requirement for seismological, geophysical and geodynamic modelling in complex tectonic regions. In such areas, like the Mediterranean region, various active and passive seismic experiments are performed, locally reveal information on Moho depth, average and gradient crustal Vp velocity and average Vp/Vs velocity ratios. Until now, the most reliable information on crustal structures stems from controlled-source seismology experiments. In most parts of the Alpine region, a relatively large number of controlled-source seismology information are available though the overall coverage in the central Mediterranean area is still sparse due to high costs of such experiments. Thus, results from other seismic methodologies, such as local earthquake tomography, receiver functions and ambient noise tomography can be used to complement the controlled-source seismology information to increase coverage and thus the quality of 3-D crustal models. In this paper, we introduce a methodology to directly combine controlled-source seismology and receiver functions information relying on the strengths of each method and in relation to quantitative uncertainty estimates for all data to derive a well resolved Moho map for Italy. To obtain a homogeneous elaboration of controlled-source seismology and receiver functions results, we introduce a new classification/weighting scheme based on uncertainty assessment for receiver functions data. In order to tune the receiver functions information quality, we compare local receiver functions Moho depths and uncertainties with a recently derived well-resolved local earthquake tomography-derived Moho map and with controlled-source seismology information. We find an excellent correlation in the Moho information obtained by these three methodologies in Italy. In the final step, we interpolate the controlled-source seismology and receiver functions information to derive the map of Moho topography in Italy and surrounding regions. Our results show high-frequency undulation in the Moho topography of three different Moho interfaces, the European, the Adriatic-Ionian, and the Liguria-Corsica-Sardinia-Tyrrhenia, reflecting the complexity of geodynamical evolution.

3-D Spherical modelling of the thermo-chemical evolution of Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armann, M.; Tackley, P. J.

2009-04-01

Several first-order aspects of the dynamics of Venus' mantle remain poorly understood. These include (i) how Venus' mantle loses its radiogenic heat (presumably about the same as Earth's) despite the presence of stagnant lid convection. Hypotheses that have been advanced (summarised in [1]) are conduction through a thin lithosphere, episodic overturn of the lithosphere, magmatic heat transport, and concentration of almost all heat-producing elements into the crust, but there are problems with all of these taken individually. A thick lithosphere may not be consistent with admittance ratios, magmatic heat transport would require a too-large resurfacing rate, and a large concentration of heat-producing elements in the crust would cause weakness and possibly melting in the deep crust. (ii) The relatively long-wavelength distribution of surface features, which is surprising because numerical models and analogue laboratory experiments of stagnant-lid convection produce relatively short-wavelength convective cells. (iii) The inferred (from crater distributions [2]) relatively uniform surface age of 500-700 Ma. (iv) Whether the highlands are above mantle downwellings as on Earth or above mantle upwellings [3]. (v) How the mantle can have outgassing only 25% of 40Ar [4] but supposedly most of its water [5]. (vi) The cause of coronae and relationship to mantle processes [6]. To study some of these questions, we are performing integrated thermo-chemical convection modelling of Venus' evolution over 4.5 billion years, in 3-D spherical geometry as well as 2-D spherical annulus geometry [7]. These models include realistic ("laboratory") rheological parameters for diffusion creep and dislocation creep based on [8][9], which are also composition-dependent, and plastic yielding based on Byerlee's law, which might cause changes in tectonic regime (e.g., episodic plate tectonics). Crustal formation and the resulting differentiation of the crust and mantle are modelled using a self-consistent melting criterion, which also allows outgassing and trace element partitioning to be tracked [10][11], as well as the mean age of the crust. Phase transitions in both the olivine system and pyroxene-garnet system are included. The concentration of heat-producing elements is assumed to be the same as in bulk silicate Earth and decreases with time, and cooling of the core is tracked using a parameterised core heat balance. Geoid and surface topography are calculated using a self-gravitating formulation. Thus, the model constitutes an attempt to incorporate as much realism as is presently feasible in global-scale 3-D spherical simulations. Simulations are performed using StagYY, which uses a finite volume multigrid solver on the Yin-Yang spherical grid [12], and is developed from the earlier cartesian Stag3D [13]. We are running a systematic suite of simulations varying uncertain properties and parameters related to rheology, melting & eruption, and initial condition, and compare model results to observations of surface topography, geoid, mean surface age and distribution of surface ages, crustal deformation rates in the last part of the evolution (e.g., [14]), crustal thickness, and the time evolution of heat flux through the CMB. Of particular interest is whether a smooth evolution can satisfy the various observational constraints, or whether episodic or catastrophic behaviour is needed, as has been hypothesised by some authors. Simulations in which the lithosphere remains stagnant over the entire history indicate that over time, the crust becomes at least as thick as the mechanical lithosphere, and delamination occurs from its base. The dominant heat transport mechanism is magmatic. A thick crust is a quite robust feature of these calculations. Higher mantle viscosity results in larger topographic variations, thicker crust and lithosphere and higher admittance ratios; to match those of Venus, the upper mantle reference viscosity is about 1020 Pa s and internal convection is quite vigorous. The most successful results in matching observations are those in which the evolution is episodic, being in stagnant lid mode for most of the evolution but with 2-3 bursts of activity caused by lithospheric overturn. If the last burst of activity occurs ~1 Ga before present, then the present day tends to display low magmatic rates and mostly conductive heat transport, consistent with observations. In ongoing work we are examining the effect of crustal rheology and a more accurate melting treatment. References [1] Turcotte, D. L. (1995) JGR, 100, 16931-16940. [2] Hauck, S. A. et al. (1998) JGR, 103, 13635-13642. [3] Bindschadler, D. L. et al. (1992) JGR, 97, 13495-13532. [4] Kaula, W. M. (1999) Icarus, 139, 32-39. [5] Kaula, W. M. (1994) Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A, 349, 345-355. [6] Johnson, C. L. and Richards, M. A. (2003) JGR 108, doi:10.1029/2002JE001962. [7] Hernlund, J. W. and P. J. Tackley (2008) PEPI, submitted. [8] Karato, S. and P. Wu (1993) Science, 260, 771-778. [9] Yamazaki, D. and S. Karato (2001) Amer. Mineral., 86, 385-391. [10] Nakagawa, T. and P. J. Tackley (2005) Gcubed, 6, doi:10.1029/2005JB003751. [11] Xie, S. and P. J. Tackley (2004) PEPI, 146, 417-439. [12] Tackley, P. J. (2008) PEPI, submitted. [13] Tackley, P. J. (1993) GRL, 20, 2187-2190. [14] Grimm, R. E. (1994) JGR, 99, 23163-23171.

Imaging Subsurface Velocity Structure Under the Borborema Province, NE Brazil, With Passive-Source Seismology: From Crust to Lithosphere and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julia, J.; Nascimento, R.; Bastow, I. D.; Dias, R. C.; Pinheiro, A. G.; Farias do Nascimento, A.; Ferreira, J. M.; Fuck, R. A.

2013-05-01

The Borborema Province of NE Brazil can be regarded as a collage ofseveral terranes of Precambrian age that amalgamated during the Brasiliano-Pan African orogeny around 600 Ma. It comprises the northeasternmost corner of the South American continent and it is bounded by the São Francisco craton to the South, the Paleozoic Parnaiba basin to the West and a number of Mesozoic marginal basins to the North and East. The Cenozoic evolution of the Province is marked by the uplift of the Borborema Plateau and the coeval magmatism along two mutually orthogonal alignments: Macau-Queimadas, onshore and trending in the NS direction, and Fernando de Noronha-Mecejana, offshore and trending EW. Constraints on the geodynamical evolution of the Province come mostly from geochronological data and neotectonic markers, which have related this Cenozoic volcanism and the coeval plateau uplift to a small-scale convection cell that might have developed at the edge of the continent. Available seismic constraints on deep crustal and upper mantle structure to validate this interpretation, however, are scarce. In order to develop seismic constraints on deep crustal and upper mantle structure, a network of 16 short-period stations was deployed in 2011 under the Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Estudos Tectônicos (INCT-ET) of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). The stations complement an existing network of 16 broadband stations used for seismic monitoring of the Brazilian northeast. The combined network has an aperture of ˜400 km in the NE direction, ˜600 km in the NS direction, and an average inter-station spacing of ˜100 km and will operate for about 2 years. Tomographic images based on fundamental model surface-waves dispersion as well as ambient-noise cross-correlations and P- and S-wave travel-times are now being developed, along with detailed crustal-velocity models from the joint inversion of receiver functions and surface-wave dispersion, anisotropy constraints from SKS-splitting, and transition zone discontinuity topography from receiver function stacks. We expect that the new results will help shed light on the origin of the Cenozoic volcanism and uplift mechanism for the Borborema Province.

U-Pb thermochronology of the lower crust: producing a long-term record of craton thermal evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackburn, T.; Bowring, S. A.; Mahan, K. H.; Perron, T.; Schoene, B.; Dudas, F. O.

2010-12-01

The EarthScope initiative is focused on providing an enhanced view of the North American lithosphere and the present day stress field of the North American continent. Of key interest is the interaction between convecting asthenosphere and the conducting lithospheric mantle that underlie the continents, especially the cold ‘keels’ that underlie Archean domains. Cratonic regions are in general characterized by minimal erosion and or sediment accumulation. The Integration of seismic tomography, and mantle xenolith studies reveal a keel of seismically fast and relatively buoyant and viscous mantle; physical properties that are intimately linked with the long-term stability and topographic expression of the region. Missing from this model of the continental lithosphere is the 4th dimension--time--and along with it our understanding of the long-term evolution of these stable continental interiors. Here we present a thermal record from the North American craton using U-Pb thermochronology of lower crustal xenoliths. The use of temperature sensitive dates on lower crustal samples can produce a unique time-temperature record for a well-insulated and slowly cooling lithosphere. The base of the crust is insulated enough to remain unperturbed by any plausible changes to surface topography, yet unlike the subadjacent lithospheric mantle, contains accessory phases amenable to U-Pb dating (rutile, apatite, titanite). With near steady state temperatures in the lower crust between 400-600 °C, U-Pb thermochronometers with similar average closure temperatures for Pb are perfectly suited to record the long-term cooling of the lithosphere. Xenoliths from multiple depths, and across the craton yield time-temperature paths produced from U-Pb thermochronometers that record extremely slow cooling (<0.25 °C/Ma) over time scales of billions of years. Combining these data with numerical thermal modeling allow constraints to be placed on the dominant heat transfer mechanisms operating within the lithosphere including exhumation, conduction, decay of heat producing elements and thickness of crustal layers/lithospheric mantle. The thermal histories produced from this numerical model can in turn be used to calculate model U-Pb thermochronometric data using a numerical solution to the diffusion/production equation. Integration of thermal and volume diffusion models for the U-Pb system suggests that the extreme slow cooling recorded by U-Pb thermochronology is consistent with low integrated exhumation rates (<0.005 km/Ma). This exhumation rate is integrated over time-scales of hundreds of million to a billion years and does not preclude the possibility for rapid or short-wave length uplift/subsidence. This long-term record of continental lithosphere stability and apparent neutral buoyancy of the craton within a cooling mantle may be further used to refine our estimates of secular cooling within the mantle.

Tectonic escape of the Caribbean plate since the Paleocene: a consequence of the Chicxulub meteor impact?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangin, C.; Martinez-Reyes, J.; Crespy, A.; Zitter, T. A. C.

2012-04-01

The debate for Pacific exotic origin versus in situ inter American plate Atlantic origin of the Caribbean plate is active in the scientific community since decades. Independently of the origin of this plate, its fast motion towards the east at a present rate of 2cm/yr is accepted to have been initiated during the early-most Cenozoic. The Paleocene is a key period in the global evolution of Central America mainly marked also by the Chicxulub multiring meteor impact in Yucatan. We question here the genetic relationship between this impact event and the incipient tectonic escape of the Caribbean plate. The mostly recent published models suggest this impact has affected the whole crust down to the Moho, the upper mantle being rapidly and considerably uplifted. The crust was then fragmented 600km at least from the point of impact, and large circular depressions were rapidly filled by clastic sediments from Cantarell to Western Cuba via Chiapas and Belize. North of the impact, the whole Gulf of Mexico was affected by mass gravity sliding, initiated also during the Paleocene in Texas, remaining active in this basin up to present time. South of the impact, in the Caribbean plate, the Yucatan basin was rapidly opened, indicating a fast escape of the crustal material towards the unique free boundary, the paleo-Antilles subduction zone. Shear waves velocity data below the Caribbean plate suggest this crustal tectonic escape was enhanced by the fast eastward flowing mantle supporting a fragmented and stretched crust. The proposed model suggests Chicxulub impact (but also the hypothetic Beata impact) have fragmented brittle crust, then easily drifted towards the east. This could explain the Paleogene evolution of the Caribbean plate largely stretched during its early evolution. Geologically, this evolution could explain the absence of evident Paleogene oblique subduction along the Caribbean plate northern and southern margins, marked only by Mid Cretaceous dragged volcanic complexes, but also the relatively recent motion along the Cayman Fault zone (Miocene instead of Eocene). These results are part of a cooperative research-industry programm conducted by CEREGE/EGERIE, Aix-en-Provence and GeoAzur, Nice, with Frontier Basin study group, TOTAL S.A., Paris.

Crustal structure in Ethiopia and Kenya from receiver function analysis: Implications for rift development in eastern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dugda, Mulugeta T.; Nyblade, Andrew A.; Julia, Jordi; Langston, Charles A.; Ammon, Charles J.; Simiyu, Silas

2005-01-01

Crustal structure in Kenya and Ethiopia has been investigated using receiver function analysis of broadband seismic data to determine the extent to which the Cenozoic rifting and magmatism has modified the thickness and composition of the Proterozoic crust in which the East African rift system developed. Data for this study come from broadband seismic experiments conducted in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2002 and in Kenya between 2001 and 2002. Two methods have been used to analyze the receiver functions, the H-κ method, and direct stacks of the waveforms, yielding consistent results. Crustal thickness to the east of the Kenya rift varies between 39 and 42 km, and Poisson's ratios for the crust vary between 0.24 and 0.27. To the west of the Kenya rift, Moho depths vary between 37 and 38 km, and Poisson's ratios vary between 0.24 and 0.27. These findings support previous studies showing that crust away from the Kenya rift has not been modified extensively by Cenozoic rifting and magmatism. Beneath the Ethiopian Plateau on either side of the Main Ethiopian Rift, crustal thickness ranges from 33 to 44 km, and Poisson's ratios vary from 0.23 to 0.28. Within the Main Ethiopian Rift, Moho depths vary from 27 to 38 km, and Poisson's ratios range from 0.27 to 0.35. A crustal thickness of 25 km and a Poisson's ratio of 0.36 were obtained for a single station in the Afar Depression. These results indicate that the crust beneath the Ethiopian Plateau has not been modified significantly by the Cenozoic rifting and magmatism, even though up to a few kilometers of flood basalts have been added, and that the crust beneath the rifted regions in Ethiopia has been thinned in many places and extensively modified by the addition of mafic rock. The latter finding is consistent with models for rift evolution, suggesting that magmatic segments with the Main Ethiopian Rift, characterized by dike intrusion and Quaternary volcanism, act now as the locus of extension rather than the rift border faults.

3D Mechanical Models of Crustal Deformation and the Effect of Erosion on the Strain Pattern in SE Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, A. D.; Koons, P. O.; Upton, P.; Hallet, B.

2008-12-01

Employing 3D mechanical modeling to investigate the susceptibility of strain patterns to distinct erosion conditions we have identified a strong connection between surface erosion and strain localization and vertical motion of crustal material. The specific model geometry and boundary conditions are relevant to the dynamic St. Elias orogen of SE Alaska, but the general results and interpretations are universal. To illustrate the effect of erosion we compare results to a reference model without imposed erosion. We consider the crustal response to boundary conditions representing erosion scenarios: 1) regional erosion (~1 mm a-1 over a region ~600 km on a side) and 2) focused incision (~6 mm a-1 in valleys ~10 km wide and 50-100 km long). Whereas regional erosion mimics broader scale mass wasting and periglacial weathering, focused incision represents efficient erosion confined to valley systems similar to the massive Bering, Malaspina and Bagley glaciers of the St. Elias range. Using these boundary conditions we demonstrate significant localization of strain and crustal uplift beneath the sites of erosion. We also show the strain localization pattern adjusts to spatial shifts in erosion arising from substantial (order of 100km) glacial advance or retreat. The magnitude of the strain is higher in each erosion model compared to the reference model. The difference of the strain magnitude between erosion models and reference model depends on the location of the imposed erosion: crustal strain localize most when the forethrust daylights in the zone being eroded. Sustained focused erosion decreases the overall crustal strength beneath the site of erosion due to thinning of the strong brittle crust. Strain naturally concentrates within the weakened zone. Upward advection of warm crust causes further weakening and thereby leads to a tectonic aneurysm.

Ar-Ar dating and petrogenesis of the Early Miocene Taşkapı-Mecitli (Erciş-Van) granitoid, Eastern Anatolia Collisional Zone, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyan, Vural

2018-06-01

The Early Miocene Taşkapı-Mecitli granitoid that is located in the northern section of the Eastern Anatolia Collision Zone has typical I-type, metaluminous and calk-alkaline characteristics. It also contains mafic microgranular / magmatic enclaves (MMEs). New Ar-Ar dating results show that the age of the Taşkapı-Mecitli granitoid is ∼23 Ma and it crystallised in the Early Miocene, in contrast to its previously known Cretaceous age. Identical crystallisation ages (∼23 Ma), similar mineral assemblages and geochemical compositions, and indistinguishable isotopic compositions of MMEs and host rocks imply that the MMEs are most consistent with a cumulate origin formed at earlier stages of the same magmatic system that produced the Taşkapı-Mecitli granitoid. MELTS modelling suggests that magma of the Taşkapı-Mecitli granitoid was the result of fractionation under a crustal pressure of 4 kbar, with a H2O content of 1.5%. EC-AFC model calculation reveals that the Taşkapı-Mecitli granitoid includes from 0.5% to 2% crustal assimilation rates. These rates indicate that crustal contamination can be negligible when compared to fractional crystallisation in the evolution of the magma beneath the Taşkapı-Mecitli granitoid. The partial melting model calculations and MORB-normalised trace element concentrations of the least evolved samples of the Taşkapı-Mecitli granitoid are consistent with those of mafic melts obtained from partial melting of interacting mantle- lower crust with a melting degree of 18%. The age (23 Ma) of the post- or syn-collisional Taşkapı-Mecitli granitoid suggests that the collision between Arabian and Eurasian plates could be before/around ∼23 Ma (Late Oligocene to Early Miocene).

Crustal structure of Mars from gravity and topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neumann, G. A.; Zuber, M. T.; Wieczorek, M. A.; McGovern, P. J.; Lemoine, F. G.; Smith, D. E.

2004-01-01

Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography and gravity models from 5 years of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft tracking provide a window into the structure of the Martian crust and upper mantle. We apply a finite-amplitude terrain correction assuming uniform crustal density and additional corrections for the anomalous densities of the polar caps, the major volcanos, and the hydrostatic flattening of the core. A nonlinear inversion for Moho relief yields a crustal thickness model that obeys a plausible power law and resolves features as small as 300 km wavelength. On the basis of petrological and geophysical constraints, we invoke a mantle density contrast of 600 kg m-3; with this assumption, the Isidis and Hellas gravity anomalies constrain the global mean crustal thickness to be >45 km. The crust is characterized by a degree 1 structure that is several times larger than any higher degree harmonic component, representing the geophysical manifestation of the planet's hemispheric dichotomy. It corresponds to a distinction between modal crustal thicknesses of 32 km and 58 km in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. The Tharsis rise and Hellas annulus represent the strongest components in the degree 2 crustal thickness structure. A uniform highland crustal thickness suggests a single mechanism for its formation, with subsequent modification by the Hellas impact, erosion, and the volcanic construction of Tharsis. The largest surviving lowland impact, Utopia, post-dated formation of the crustal dichotomy. Its crustal structure is preserved, making it unlikely that the northern crust was subsequently thinned by internal processes.

Reports on block rotations, fault domains and crustal deformation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nur, Amos

1990-01-01

Studies of block rotations, fault domains and crustal deformation in the western United States, Israel, and China are discussed. Topics include a three-dimensional model of crustal fracture by distributed fault sets, distributed deformation and block rotation in 3D, stress field rotation, and multiple strike slip fault sets.

Chemical differentiation, thermal evolution, and catastrophic overturn on Venus: Predictions and geologic observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Head, James W.; Parmentier, E. M.; Hess, P. C.

1993-01-01

Observations from Magellan show that: (1) the surface of Venus is generally geologically young, (2) there is no evidence for widespread recent crustal spreading or subduction, (3) the crater population permits the hypothesis that the surface is in production, and (4) relatively few impact craters appear to be embayed by volcanic deposits suggesting that the volcanic flux has drastically decreased as a function of time. These observations have led to consideration of hypotheses suggesting that the geological history of Venus may have changed dramatically as a function of time due to general thermal evolution, and/or thermal and chemical evolution of a depleted mantle layer, perhaps punctuated by catastrophic overturn of upper layers or episodic plate tectonics. We have previously examined the geological implications of some of these models, and here we review the predictions associated with two periods of Venus history. Stationary thick lithosphere and depleted mantle layer, and development of regional to global development of regional to global instabilities, and compare these predictions to the geological characteristics of Venus revealed by Magellan.

3D Modeling of Iran and Surrounding Areas From Simultaneous Inversion of Multiple Geophysical Datasets

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

which are primarily sensitive to upper crustal structures, are difficult to measure and especially true in tectonically and geologically complex areas...slice through the model (compare Figure 6 and Figure 9). The fit to the receiver function is not perfect and the spread of the slower deep crustal ...Although the final fit is certainly not perfect, note the improvement in timing of the main crustal conversion and reverberation (vertical lines) from the

Influence of mid-crustal rheology on the deformation behavior of continental crust in the continental subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Fucheng; Sun, Zhen; Zhang, Jiangyang

2018-06-01

Although the presence of low-viscosity middle crustal layer in the continental crust has been detected by both geophysical and geochemical studies, its influence on the deformation behavior of continental crust during subduction remains poorly investigated. To illustrate the crustal deformation associated with layered crust during continental subduction, we conducted a suite of 2-D thermo-mechanical numerical studies with visco-brittle/plastic rheology based on finite-differences and marker-in-cell techniques. In the experiments, we established a three-layer crustal model with a quartz-rich middle crustal layer embedded between the upper and lower continental crust. Results show that the middle crustal layer determines the amount of the accreted upper crust, maximum subduction depth, and exhumation path of the subducted upper crust. By varying the initial effective viscosity and thickness of the middle crustal layer, the further effects can be summarized as: (1) a rheologically weaker and/or thicker middle crustal layer results in a larger percentage of the upper crust detaching from the underlying slab and accreting at the trench zone, thereby leading to more serious crustal deformation. The rest of the upper crust only subducts into the depths of high pressure (HP) conditions, causing the absence of ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks; (2) a rheologically stronger and/or thinner middle crustal layer favors the stable subduction of the continental crust, dragging the upper crust to a maximum depth of ∼100 km and forming UHP rocks; (3) the middle crustal layer flows in a ductile way and acts as an exhumation channel for the HP-UHP rocks in both situations. In addition, the higher convergence velocity decreases the amount of subducted upper crust. A detailed comparison of our modeling results with the Himalayan collisional belt are conducted. Our work suggests that the presence of low-viscosity middle crustal layer may be another possible mechanism for absence of UHP rocks in the southern Tibet.

Olivine-bearing lithologies on the Moon: Constraints on origins and transport mechanisms from M3 spectroscopy, radiative transfer modeling, and GRAIL crustal thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corley, Laura M.; McGovern, Patrick J.; Kramer, Georgiana Y.; Lemelin, Myriam; Trang, David; Gillis-Davis, Jeffrey J.; Taylor, G. Jeffrey; Powell, Kathryn E.; Kiefer, Walter S.; Wieczorek, Mark; Zuber, Maria T.

2018-01-01

High-resolution hyperspectral data from Chandrayaan-1's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) allow detection of olivine on the lunar surface. Olivine exposed at the surface may originate as mantle material or igneous products (intrusive or extrusive). Potential transport mechanisms include excavation of the mantle or lower crustal material by impacts that form basins and complex craters, differentiation of impact melt sheets, or magmatic emplacement of lavas, cumulates, or xenoliths. A sample of the lunar mantle, which has not been conclusively identified in the lunar sample collection, would yield fundamental new insights into the composition, structure, and evolution of the lunar interior. Olivine identified in remote spectral data is generally accepted to originate from the primary mantle, because abundant olivine is expected to exist in the mantle and lower crust, yet have sparse occurrences in the upper crust. In this study, we identified 111 M3 single-pixel spectra with characteristic absorption features consistent with olivine at Crisium, Nectaris, and Humorum basins and near the craters Roche and Tsiolkovsky. In an effort to determine the origins and transport mechanisms that led to these individual exposures, we estimated mineral abundances using radiative transfer modeling and examined crustal thickness estimates, topography and slope maps, and images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC). At Crisium basin, where crustal thickness is near 0 km (Wieczorek et al., 2013), mantle olivine may have been exposed by basin-forming impact and deposited on the rim. Picard crater, which is superposed on the floor of Crisium, also exhibits potential mantle olivine in its ejecta. Within Nectaris basin, olivine exposures are confined to the rims of small craters on the mare, which are inferred to excavate a layer of olivine-rich mare basalt. Olivine occurrences on the rim of Humorum basin, including those located on a graben, are likely to be cumulates of shallow intrusions that were transported magmatically to the surface. Near Roche crater, olivine may have originated in shallow dikes that reached the subsurface and were exposed by impacts. In addition to verifying both known and previously unidentified olivine exposures, our combined geophysical, spectral, and radiative transfer modeling investigation has allowed identification of both igneous and mantle-derived olivine.

Initiation, evolution and extinction of pull-apart basins: Implications for opening of the Gulf of California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Wijk, J.; Axen, G.; Abera, R.

2017-11-01

We present a model for the origin, crustal architecture, and evolution of pull-apart basins. The model is based on results of three-dimensional upper crustal elastic models of deformation, field observations, and fault theory, and is generally applicable to basin-scale features, but predicts some intra-basin structural features. Geometric differences between pull-apart basins are inherited from the initial geometry of the strike-slip fault step-over, which results from the forming phase of the strike-slip fault system. As strike-slip motion accumulates, pull-apart basins are stationary with respect to underlying basement, and the fault tips propagate beyond the rift basin, increasing the distance between the fault tips and pull-apart basin center. Because uplift is concentrated near the fault tips, the sediment source areas may rejuvenate and migrate over time. Rift flank uplift results from compression along the flank of the basin. With increasing strike-slip movement the basins deepen and lengthen. Field studies predict that pull-apart basins become extinct when an active basin-crossing fault forms; this is the most likely fate of pull-apart basins, because basin-bounding strike-slip systems tend to straighten and connect as they evolve. The models show that larger length-to-width ratios with overlapping faults are least likely to form basin-crossing faults, and pull-apart basins with this geometry are thus most likely to progress to continental rupture. In the Gulf of California, larger length-to-width ratios are found in the southern Gulf, which is the region where continental breakup occurred rapidly. The initial geometry in the northern Gulf of California and Salton Trough at 6 Ma may have been one of widely-spaced master strike-slip faults (lower length-to-width ratios), which our models suggest inhibits continental breakup and favors straightening of the strike-slip system by formation of basin-crossing faults within the step-over, as began 1.2 Ma when the San Jacinto and Elsinore - Cerro Prieto fault systems formed.

The crustal structure and tectonic development of the continental margin of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica: implications from geophysical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalberg, Thomas; Gohl, Karsten

2014-07-01

The Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica represents a key component in the tectonic history of Antarctic-New Zealand continental breakup. The region played a major role in the plate-kinematic development of the southern Pacific from the inferred collision of the Hikurangi Plateau with the Gondwana subduction margin at approximately 110-100 Ma to the evolution of the West Antarctic Rift System. However, little is known about the crustal architecture and the tectonic processes creating the embayment. During two `RV Polarstern' expeditions in 2006 and 2010 a large geophysical data set was collected consisting of seismic-refraction and reflection data, ship-borne gravity and helicopter-borne magnetic measurements. Two P-wave velocity-depth models based on forward traveltime modelling of nine ocean bottom hydrophone recordings provide an insight into the lithospheric structure beneath the Amundsen Sea Embayment. Seismic-reflection data image the sedimentary architecture and the top-of-basement. The seismic data provide constraints for 2-D gravity modelling, which supports and complements P-wave modelling. Our final model shows 10-14-km-thick stretched continental crust at the continental rise that thickens to as much as 28 km beneath the inner shelf. The homogenous crustal architecture of the continental rise, including horst and graben structures are interpreted as indicating that wide-mode rifting affected the entire region. We observe a high-velocity layer of variable thickness beneath the margin and related it, contrary to other `normal volcanic type margins', to a proposed magma flow along the base of the crust from beneath eastern Marie Byrd Land-West Antarctica to the Marie Byrd Seamount province. Furthermore, we discuss the possibility of upper mantle serpentinization by seawater penetration at the Marie Byrd Seamount province. Hints of seaward-dipping reflectors indicate some degree of volcanism in the area after break-up. A set of gravity anomaly data indicate several phases of fully developed and failed rift systems, including a possible branch of the West Antarctic Rift System in the Amundsen Sea Embayment.

Ambient noise adjoint tomography for a linear array in North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, C.; Yao, H.; Liu, Q.; Yuan, Y. O.; Zhang, P.; Feng, J.; Fang, L.

2017-12-01

Ambient noise tomography based on dispersion data and ray theory has been widely utilized for imaging crustal structures. In order to improve the inversion accuracy, ambient noise tomography based on the 3D adjoint approach or full waveform inversion has been developed recently, however, the computational cost is tremendous. In this study we present 2D ambient noise adjoint tomography for a linear array in north China with significant computational efficiency compared to 3D ambient noise adjoint tomography. During the preprocessing, we first convert the observed data in 3D media, i.e., surface-wave empirical Green's functions (EGFs) from ambient noise cross-correlation, to the reconstructed EGFs in 2D media using a 3D/2D transformation scheme. Different from the conventional steps of measuring phase dispersion, the 2D adjoint tomography refines 2D shear wave speeds along the profile directly from the reconstructed Rayleigh wave EGFs in the period band 6-35s. With the 2D initial model extracted from the 3D model from traditional ambient noise tomography, adjoint tomography updates the model by minimizing the frequency-dependent Rayleigh wave traveltime misfits between the reconstructed EGFs and synthetic Green function (SGFs) in 2D media generated by the spectral-element method (SEM), with a preconditioned conjugate gradient method. The multitaper traveltime difference measurement is applied in four period bands during the inversion: 20-35s, 15-30s, 10-20s and 6-15s. The recovered model shows more detailed crustal structures with pronounced low velocity anomaly in the mid-lower crust beneath the junction of Taihang Mountains and Yin-Yan Mountains compared with the initial model. This low velocity structure may imply the possible intense crust-mantle interactions, probably associated with the magmatic underplating during the Mesozoic to Cenozoic evolution of the region. To our knowledge, it's first time that ambient noise adjoint tomography is implemented in 2D media. Considering the intensive computational cost and storage of 3D adjoint tomography, this 2D ambient noise adjoint tomography has potential advantages to get high-resolution 2D crustal structures with limited computational resource.

Lower crust exhumation and ongoing continental convergence in the Variscan Maures-Tanneron Massif, France, geological synthesis and numerical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerbault, Muriel; Schneider, Julie; Corsini, Michel; Reverso-Peila, Alexandre

2015-04-01

The Maures-Tanneron Massif together with Corsica and Sardinia compose the present day southeastern part of the Variscan belt. Pressure-temperature-time patterns were compiled to adress how rocks once forming a thick orogenic crust were exhumed, from burial conditions of ca. 10 kb and ca. 800°C. A continuous evolution from subduction to collision, from ca. 420 Ma to 290 Ma has recently been proposed by Schneider et al., 2014, ending with orthogonal Permean rifting. Here we complement this study by exploring the thermo-mechanical conditions prevailing during the massive exhumation of this orogenic crust. Based on field observations and petrological analysis indicative of the acceleration of partial melting during ongoing convergence, our numerical models test a scenario in which pre-thickened units located at 40-60 km depth, would have molten due to internal heating and burrial, and were progressively exhumed by gravitationally-driven instabilities to the surface, within ~15-25 Myrs. Assuming temperature dependent elasto-visco-plastic behavior, we have tested rheological layering including mafic or felsic units, far-field convergence and surface processes, as well as temperature-dependent melting conditions and density and viscosity evolution. In order to reproduce asymmetrical exhumation over the given time-scales and over an extent area of more than 50 km synchroneous with the development of compressional folds in the upper crust, a best fit was obtained for an applied far-field convergence of 0.5 cm/yr, equivalent to present day Alpine convergence rates, and a bulk crustal viscosity of at least 102° Pa.s. Crustal heat source had to contribute significantly, whereas a too shallow mantle heat source triggers exceedingly warm and fast exhumation. We propose that the evolution from transpressional to tensile conditions perpendicular to the orogenic axis (north-south Permean rifting versus East-West vergence of the orogenic structures), occurred progressively as internal volume forces rose and exceeded far-field boundary forces, linked with the balancing of masses in all three directions. The original location of this portion of the Variscan belt remains unclear but it presents consistent transitional characteristics between the Massif Central and the Bohemian massif.

Post-orogenic evolution of mountain ranges and associated foreland basins: Initial investigation of the central Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernard, Thomas; Sinclair, Hugh; Ford, Mary; Naylor, Mark

2017-04-01

Mountain topography, including surrounding foreland basins, results from the long-term competition between tectonic and surface processes linked to climate. Numerous studies on young active mountain ranges such as the Southern Alps, New Zealand and Taiwan, have investigated the interaction between tectonics, climate and erosion on the topographic landscape. However most of the mountain ranges in the world are in various stages of post-orogenic decay, such as the European Alps, Urals, Caledonides, Appalachians and Pyrenees. The landscape evolution of these decaying mountains, which involve relatively inactive tectonics, should appear simple with progressive and relatively uniform erosion resulting in a general lowering of both elevation and topographic relief. However, in a number of examples, post-orogenic systems suggest a complex dynamism and interactions with their associated foreland basins in term of spatio-temporal variations in erosion and sedimentary flux. The complexity and transition to post-orogenesis is a function of multiple processes. Underpinning the transition to a post-orogenic state is the competition between erosion and crustal thickening; the balance of these processes determines the timing and magnitude of isostatic rebound and hence subsidence versus uplift of the foreland basin. It is expected that any change in the parameters controlling the balance of erosion versus crustal thickening will impact the topographic evolution and sediment flux from the mountain range and foreland basin to the surrounding continental margin. This study will focus on the causes and origins of the processes that define post-orogenesis. This will involve analyses of low-temperature thermochronological and topographic data, geodynamical modelling and sedimentological analyses (grainsize distribution). The Pyrenees and its associated northern retro-foreland basin, the Aquitaine basin, will form the natural laboratory for the project as it is one of the best documented mountain range/foreland basin systems in the world. Initial results of a review of the low-temperature thermochronological data using inverse modelling, illustrates the asymmetric exhumation of the mountain range, and the diachronous timing of decelerated exhumation linked to the transition to post-orogenesis. This study is part of the Orogen project, an academic-industrial collaboration (CNRS-BRGM-TOTAL).

A mechanism for crustal recycling on Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lenardic, A.; Kaula, W. M.; Bindschadler, D. L.

1993-01-01

Entrainment of lower crust by convective mantle downflows is proposed as a crustal recycling mechanism on Venus. The mechanism is characterized by thin sheets of crust being pulled into the mantle by viscous flow stresses. Finite element models of crust/mantle interaction are used to explore tectonic conditions under which crustal entrainment may occur. The recycling scenarios suggested by the numerical models are analogous to previously studied problems for which analytic and experimental relationships assessing entrainment rates have been derived. We use these relationships to estimate crustal recycling rates on Venus. Estimated rates are largely determined by (1) strain rate at the crust/mantle interface (higher strain rate leads to greater entrainment); and (2) effective viscosity of the lower crust (viscosity closer to that of mantle lithosphere leads to greater entrainment). Reasonable geologic strain rates and available crustal flow laws suggest entrainment can recycle approximately equal 1 cu km of crust per year under favorable conditions.

The lunar core and the origin of the moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newsom, H. E.

1984-05-01

The results of recent analyses of concentrations of refractory siderophile elements molybdenum and rhenium in lunar rock samples suggest that most siderophile elements in lunar crustal rocks and mare basalts are significantly less concentrated than in the earth's mantle and much less than in chondrite meteorites. The depletion of siderophile elements in the samples implies the existence of a metal core, and the amount of metal in the core is directly related to the conditions under which segregation occurs. The consequences of the data are discussed in terms of three theoretical models of lunar evolution: a terrestrial origin model; a terrestrial origin model which takes metal segregation into account; and an independent origin model. It is shown that less metal is needed for a terrestrial origin because the earth's mantle was already partially depleted in siderophile elements due to the formation of the earth core.

In Situ Analysis of Orthopyroxene in Diogenites Using Laser Ablation ICP-MS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elk, Mattias; Quinn, J. E.; Mittlefehldt, D. W.

2012-01-01

Howardites, eucrites and diogenites (HED) form a suit of igneous achondrite meteorites that are thought to have formed on a single asteroidal body. While there have been many different models proposed for the formation of the HED parent asteroid they can be generalized into two end member models. One is the magma ocean model (e.g. [1]) in which the entire HED parent body was continuously fractionated from a planet wide magma ocean with diogenites representing the lower crust and eucrites being upper crustal rocks. The second model hypothesizes that diogenites and eucrites were formed as a series of intrusions and/or extrusions of partial melts of a primitive proto-Vesta [2]. We use in situ trace element analysis together with major and minor element analysis to try and distinguish between these different hypotheses for the evolution of the HED parent body.

Growth of continental crust and its episodic reworking over >800 Ma: evidence from Hf-Nd isotope data on the Pietersburg block (South Africa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurent, Oscar; Zeh, Armin; Moyen, Jean-François; Doucelance, Régis; Martin, Hervé

2014-05-01

The formation and evolution of the continental crust during the Precambrian, and in particular during the Archaean eon (4.0-2.5 Ga), is still a matter of debate. In particular, it is not yet clear in which tectonic environment the genesis of crust took place and how the large volume of granitoid rocks that form ~70% of the Archaean crust were extracted from the mantle. Many studies highlighted that radiogenic isotope systems, especially Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd, are powerful tools to unravel the respective extent of crustal growth and recycling in Archaean terranes. This work presents coupled Hf and Nd isotope data (analyzed both in situ in accessory minerals and in whole rock samples) of Meso- to Neoarchaean granitoids, applied to unravel the processes of crust formation and evolution of the Pietersburg crustal block in South Africa. This crustal segment, the northermost one of the Archaean Kaapvaal Craton, is separated from older crust (3.65-3.10 Ga) by a large-scale suture zone, and the processes related to amalgamation of both blocks and their subsequent evolution are still unclear. The Pietersburg block is made up of a wide range of Archaean granitoid rocks, including tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) series, high-K monzogranites as well as (grano)diorites belonging to the so-called "sanukitoid" group [1], all intruded by late Paleoproterozoic alkaline complexes. Age determinations highlighted two stages of granitoid formation: (1) TTG magmatism took place episodically over >400 Ma between 3.34 and 2.89 Ga, with a major pulse at 2.97-2.90 Ga; while (2) all the other (high-K) granitoid types emplaced subsequently between 2.84 and 2.69 Ga before a long magmatic shutdown until the intrusion of alkaline complexes at ~2.00 Ga [2-3]. Isotope systematics reveal that these two stages are related to juvenile crust formation and crust reworking, respectively. Indeed, all Hf-Nd isotope data from TTG gneisses are suprachondritic, pointing to a juvenile origin and precluding any incorporation of older crust from the core of the Kaapvaal craton. In contrast, all data from the younger granitoids, including ~2 Ga-old alkaline complexes, plot along a single, well-defined trend of decreasing ɛHf-Nd towards youngest ages. This trend points to model ages around 2.95-3.05 Ga, which is that of the youngest TTGs, indicating that all ≤2.84 Ga-old granitoids formed by episodic reworking, over >800 Ma, of a single crustal reservoir represented by these TTGs. Interestingly enough, this reworking took place "in situ" by both (1) classical intracrustal differentiation (formation of high-K monzogranites) and (2) erosion, sedimentation and recycling of the resulting detrital material in the mantle, producing a hybrid mantle source from which derived the "sanukitoid" magmas and, much later, the alkaline complexes. All these observations are consistent if the Pietersburg block is regarded as an accretionary, Cordilleran-type orogen, formed along the northern margin of the Kaapvaal block by successive amalgamation of small TTG terranes between 3.34 and 2.90 Ga, as a result of episodic subduction dynamics. This gave rise to (1) a juvenile, accretionary crustal terrane and (2) a (isotopically similar) lithospheric mantle source, hybridized with crustal components derived from it. All the younger granitoids thus reult from significant reworking of these two reservoirs, first during ongoing convergence and continental collision between 2.84 and 2.69 Ga; and second, in response to lithosphere heating (intrusion of the Bushveld Complex?) in a within-plate environment at 2.00 Ga. [1] Laurent O. et al., submitted to Lithos [2] Zeh A. et al., 2009. Journal of Petrology 50(5), 933-966 [3] Laurent O. et al., 2013. Precambrian Research 230, 209-226

Crustal deformation in Great California Earthquake cycles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Victor C.; Rice, James R.

1987-01-01

A model in which coupling is described approximately through a generalized Elsasser model is proposed for computation of the periodic crustal deformation associated with repeated strike-slip earthquakes. The model is found to provide a more realistic physical description of tectonic loading than do simpler kinematic models. Parameters are chosen to model the 1857 and 1906 San Andreas ruptures, and predictions are found to be consistent with data on variations of contemporary surface strain and displacement rates as a function of distance from the 1857 and 1906 rupture traces. Results indicate that the asthenosphere appropriate to describe crustal deformation on the earthquake cycle time scale lies in the lower crust and perhaps the crust-mantle transition zone.

Cenozoic sedimentation in the Mumbai Offshore Basin: Implications for tectonic evolution of the western continental margin of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nair, Nisha; Pandey, Dhananjai K.

2018-02-01

Interpretation of multichannel seismic reflection data along the Mumbai Offshore Basin (MOB) revealed the tectonic processes that led to the development of sedimentary basins during Cenozoic evolution. Structural interpretation along three selected MCS profiles from MOB revealed seven major sedimentary sequences (∼3.0 s TWT, thick) and the associated complex fault patterns. These stratigraphic sequences are interpreted to host detritus of syn- to post rift events during rift-drift process. The acoustic basement appeared to be faulted with interspaced intrusive bodies. The sections also depicted the presence of slumping of sediments, subsidence, marginal basins, rollover anticlines, mud diapirs etc accompanied by normal to thrust faults related to recent tectonics. Presence of upthrusts in the slope region marks the locations of local compression during collision. Forward gravity modeling constrained with results from seismic and drill results, revealed that the crustal structure beneath the MOB has undergone an extensional type tectonics intruded with intrusive bodies. Results from the seismo-gravity modeling in association with litholog data from drilled wells from the western continental margin of India (WCMI) are presented here.

Developing a Crustal and Upper Mantle Velocity Model for the Brazilian Northeast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julia, J.; Nascimento, R.

2013-05-01

Development of 3D models for the earth's crust and upper mantle is important for accurately predicting travel times for regional phases and to improve seismic event location. The Brazilian Northeast is a tectonically active area within stable South America and displays one of the highest levels of seismicity in Brazil, with earthquake swarms containing events up to mb 5.2. Since 2011, seismic activity is routinely monitored through the Rede Sismográfica do Nordeste (RSisNE), a permanent network supported by the national oil company PETROBRAS and consisting of 15 broadband stations with an average spacing of ~200 km. Accurate event locations are required to correctly characterize and identify seismogenic areas in the region and assess seismic hazard. Yet, no 3D model of crustal thickness and crustal and upper mantle velocity variation exists. The first step in developing such models is to refine crustal thickness and depths to major seismic velocity boundaries in the crust and improve on seismic velocity estimates for the upper mantle and crustal layers. We present recent results in crustal and uppermost mantle structure in NE Brazil that will contribute to the development of a 3D model of velocity variation. Our approach has consisted of: (i) computing receiver functions to obtain point estimates of crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio and (ii) jointly inverting receiver functions and surface-wave dispersion velocities from an independent tomography study to obtain S-velocity profiles at each station. This approach has been used at all the broadband stations of the monitoring network plus 15 temporary, short-period stations that reduced the inter-station spacing to ~100 km. We expect our contributions will provide the basis to produce full 3D velocity models for the Brazilian Northeast and help determine accurate locations for seismic events in the region.

Application of FE software Elmer to the modeling of crustal-scale processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maierová, Petra; Guy, Alexandra; Lexa, Ondrej; Cadek, Ondrej

2010-05-01

We extended Elmer (the open source finite element software for multiphysical problems, http://www.csc.fi/english/pages/elmer) by user-written procedures for the two-dimensional modeling of crustal-scale processes. The standard version of Elmer is an appropriate tool for modeling of thermomechanical convection with non-linear viscous rheology. In geophysics, it might be suitable for some type of mantle convection modeling. Unlike the mantle, the crust is very heterogeneous. It consists of materials with distinct rheological properties that are subject to highly varied conditions: low pressure and temperature near the surface of the Earth and relatively high pressure and temperature at a depth of several tens of kilometers. Moreover, the deformation in the upper crust is mostly brittle and the strain is concentrated into narrow shear zones and thrusts. In order to simulate the brittle behavior of the crust, we implemented pressure-dependent visco-plastic rheology. The material heterogeneity and chemical convection is implemented in terms of active markers. Another special feature of the crust, the moving free surface, is already included in Elmer by means of a moving computational grid. Erosion can easily be added in this scheme. We tested the properties of our formulation of plastic flow on several numerical experiments simulating the deformation of material under compressional and extensional stresses. In the first step, we examined angles of shear zones that form in a plastically deforming material for different material parameters and grid resolutions. A more complex setting of "sandbox-type" experiments containing heterogeneous material, strain-softening and boundary friction was considered as a next testing case. To illustrate the abilities of the extended Elmer software in crustal deformation studies, we present two models of geological processes: diapirism of the lower crust and a channel flow forced by indentation. Both these processes are assumed to take place during the late stage of the Variscan orogeny in the area of the Bohemian Massif and they are well documented in the geological record. Extensive geological data are thus available and they can be compared with the results of our numerical simulations. Firstly, we model the indentation of a stiff block into a thick and hot crustal root and the consequent flow of the orogenic crust. For the development of the flow, the free surface deformation and erosion are essential. The importance of plastic deformation varies with the thermal structure of the domain. Secondly, we show an influence of thermal, density and viscosity structure of the crust on the time evolution and the final geometry of diapirs. The importance of the strain-rate dependence of viscosity, which is neglected in some numerical models, is discussed.

Crustal dynamics project data analysis, 1987. Volume 1: Fixed station VLBI geodetic results, 1979-1986

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, J. W.; Ma, C.

1987-01-01

The Goddard VLBI group reports the results of analyzing Mark III data sets from fixed observatories through the end of 1986 and available to the Crustal Dynamics Project. All full-day data from POLARIS/IRIS are included. The mobile VLBI sites at Platteville (Colorado), Penticton (British Columbia), and Yellowknife (Northwest Territories) are also included since these occupations bear on the study of plate stability. Two large solutions, GLB121 and GLB122, were used to obtain Earth rotation parameters and baseline evolutions, respectively. Radio source positions were estimated globally while nutation offsets were estimated from each data set. The results include 25 sites and 108 baselines.

Geophysical, petrological and mineral physics constraints on Earth's surface topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerri, Mattia; Cammarano, Fabio; Tackley, Paul J.

2015-04-01

Earth's surface topography is controlled by isostatically compensated density variations within the lithosphere, but dynamic topography - i.e. the topography due to adjustment of surface to mantle convection - is an important component, specially at a global scale. In order to separate these two components it is fundamental to estimate crustal and mantle density structure and rheological properties. Usually, crustal density is constrained from interpretation of available seismic data (mostly VP profiles) based on empirical relationships such those in Brocher [2005]. Mantle density structure is inferred from seismic tomography models. Constant coefficients are used to interpret seismic velocity anomalies in density anomalies. These simplified methods are unable to model the effects that pressure and temperature variations have on mineralogical assemblage and physical properties. Our approach is based on a multidisciplinary method that involves geophysical observables, mineral physics constraints, and petrological data. Mantle density is based on the thermal interpretation of global seismic tomography models assuming various compositional structures, as in Cammarano et al. [2011]. We further constrain the top 150 km by including heat-flow data and considering the thermal evolution of the oceanic lithosphere. Crustal density is calculated as in Guerri and Cammarano [2015] performing thermodynamic modeling of various average chemical compositions proposed for the crust. The modeling, performed with the code PerpleX [Connolly, 2005], relies on the thermodynamic dataset from Holland and Powell [1998]. Compressional waves velocity and crustal layers thickness from the model CRUST 1.0 [Laske et al., 2013] offer additional constrains. The resulting lithospheric density models are tested against gravity (GOCE) data. Various crustal and mantle density models have been tested in order to ascertain the effects that uncertainties in the estimate of those features have on the modeled topography. We also test several viscosity models, either radially symmetric, the V1 profile from Mitrovica and Forte [2004], or more complex laterally varying structures. All the property fields are expanded in spherical harmonics, until degree 24, and implemented in the code StagYY [Tackley, 2008] to perform mantle instantaneous flow modeling and compute surface topography and gravitational field. Our results show the importance of constraining the crustal and mantle density structure relying on a multidisciplinary approach that involves experimentally robust thermodynamic datasets. Crustal density field has a strong effect on the isostatic component of topography. The models that we test, CRUST 1.0 and those in Guerri and Cammarano [2015], produce strong differences in the computed isostatic topography, in the range ±600 m. For the lithospheric mantle, relying on experimentally robust material properties constraints is necessary to infer a reliable density model that takes into account chemical heterogeneities. This approach is also fundamental to correctly interpret seismic models in temperature, a crucial parameter, necessary to determine the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, where static effects on topography leave place to dynamic ones. The comparison between results obtained with different viscosity fields, either radially symmetric or vertically and laterally varying, shows how lateral viscosity variations affect the results, in particular the modeled geoid, at different wavelengths. References: Brocher, T. M. (2005), Empirical Relations between Elastic Wavespeeds and Density in the Earth's Crust, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 95(6), 2081-2092. Cammarano, F., P. J. Tackley, and L. Boschi (2011), Seismic, petrological and geodynamical constraints on thermal and compositional structure of the upper mantle: global thermochemical models, Geophys. J. Int. Connolly, J. A. D. (2005), Computation of phase equilibria by linear programming: A tool for geodynamic modeling and its application to subduction zone decarbonation, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (236), 524-541. Guerri, M., and F. Cammarano (2015), On the effects of chemical composition, water and temperature on physical properties of the Earth's continental crust, submitted to Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystem. Holland, T. J. B., and R. Powell (1998), An internally consistent thermodynamic data set for phases of petrological interest, J. metamorphic Geol., 16(309-343). Laske, G., G. Masters, Z. Ma, and M. E. Pasyanos (2013), CRUST1.0: An updated global model of Earth's crust, in EGU General Assembly 2013, edited, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vienna. Mitrovica, J. X., and A. M. Forte (2004), A new inference of mantle viscosity based upon joint inversion of convection and glacial isostatic adjustment data, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 225, 177-189. Tackley, P. J. (2008), Modelling compressible mantle convection with large viscosity contrasts in a three-dimensional spherical shell using the yin-yang grid, Phys. Earth Planet. Int.

The crustal tectonics and history of Europa: A structural, morphological, and comparative analysis. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schenk, P. M.

1984-01-01

An evaluation of surface features and structures on the Galilean moon Europa is made using the available high resolution Voyager imagery, low resolution support imaging, and what understanding of ice structure and mechanical behavior science has that is applicable to the problem. A general discussion of the history of Europa studies and the fundamental global morphology is undertaken. The visible lineament and terrain patterns are described, and possible origins discussed. Observations of faulting and block rotation previously described are amplified. A comparison of Europa's structures to terrestrial sea ice and lava lake crust features is also included. Finally, an attempt is made at synthesizing a unified model for the evolution of Europa's crust is presented which is compared with models developed by others.

The construction of sparse models of Mars' crustal magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Kimberly; Bloxham, Jeremy

2017-04-01

The crustal magnetic field of Mars is a key constraint on Martian geophysical history, especially the timing of the dynamo shutoff. Maps of the crustal magnetic field of Mars show wide variations in the intensity of magnetization, with most of the Northern hemisphere only weakly magnetized. Previous methods of analysis tend to favor smooth solutions for the crustal magnetic field of Mars, making use of techniques such as L2 norms. Here we utilize inversion methods designed for sparse models, to see how much of the surface area of Mars must be magnetized in order to fit available spacecraft magnetic field data. We solve for the crustal magnetic field at 10,000 individual magnetic pixels on the surface of Mars. We employ an L1 regularization, and solve for models where each magnetic pixel is identically zero, unless required otherwise by the data. We find solutions with an adequate fit to the data with over 90% sparsity (90% of magnetic pixels having a field value of exactly 0). We contrast these solutions with L2-based solutions, as well as an elastic net model (combination of L1 and L2). We find our sparse solutions look dramatically different from previous models in the literature, but still give a physically reasonable history of the dynamo (shutting off around 4.1 Ga).

Basin Analysis and Petroleum System Characterisation of Western Bredasdorp Basin, Southern Offshore of South Africa: Insights from a 3d Crust-Scale Basin Model - (Phase 1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonibare, W. A.; Scheck-Wenderoth, M.; Sippel, J.; Mikeš, D.

2012-04-01

In recent years, construction of 3D geological models and their subsequent upscaling for reservoir simulation has become an important tool within the oil industry for managing hydrocarbon reservoirs and increasing recovery rate. Incorporating petroleum system elements (i.e. source, reservoir and trap) into these models is a relatively new concept that seems very promising to play/prospect risk assessment and reservoir characterisation alike. However, yet to be fully integrated into this multi-disciplinary modelling approach are the qualitative and quantitative impacts of crust-scale basin dynamics on the observed basin-fill architecture and geometries. The focus of this study i.e. Western Bredasdorp Basin constitutes the extreme western section of the larger Bredasdorp sub-basin, which is the westernmost depocentre of the four southern Africa offshore sub-basins (others being Pletmos, Gamtoos and Algoa). These basins, which appear to be initiated by volcanically influenced continental rifting and break-up related to passive margin evolution (during the Mid-Late Jurassic to latest Valanginian), remain previously unstudied for crust-scale basin margin evolution, and particularly in terms of relating deep crustal processes to depo-system reconstruction and petroleum system evolution. Seismic interpretation of 42 2D seismic-reflection profiles forms the basis for maps of 6 stratigraphic horizons which record the syn-rift to post-rift (i.e. early drift and late drift to present-day seafloor) successions. In addition to this established seismic markers, high quality seismic profiles have shown evidence for a pre-rift sequence (i.e. older than Late Jurassic >130 Ma). The first goal of this study is the construction of a 3D gravity-constrained, crust-scale basin model from integration of seismics, well data and cores. This basin model is constructed using GMS (in-house GFZ Geo-Modelling Software) while testing its consistency with the gravity field is performed using IGMAS+ (Interactive Gravity and Magnetic Assistant System; Götze et al., 2010 and Schmidt et al., 2011). The ensuing model will be applied to predict the present-day deep crustal configuration and thermal field characteristics of the basin. Thereafter, 3D volumetric backstripping analysis will be performed to predict basin subsidence mechanisms (i.e. tectonic, thermal and sediment load) through time as well as to estimate paleo-water depths for paleogeographic reconstruction. The information gathered from crust-scale basin dynamics will be subsequently used at the petroleum system modelling stage to holistically assess the hydrocarbon potential of the basin in terms of source rock maturity and hydrocarbon generation, migration, timing and accumulation.

Do Hf isotopes in magmatic zircons represent those of their host rocks?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Di; Wang, Xiao-Lei; Cai, Yue; Goldstein, Steven L.; Yang, Tao

2018-04-01

Lu-Hf isotopic system in zircon is a powerful and widely used geochemical tracer in studying petrogenesis of magmatic rocks and crustal evolution, assuming that zircon Hf isotopes can represent initial Hf isotopes of their parental whole rock. However, this assumption may not always be valid. Disequilibrium partial melting of continental crust would preferentially melt out non-zircon minerals with high time-integrated Lu/Hf ratios and generate partial melts with Hf isotope compositions that are more radiogenic than those of its magma source. Dissolution experiments (with hotplate, bomb and sintering procedures) of zircon-bearing samples demonstrate this disequilibrium effect where partial dissolution yielded variable and more radiogenic Hf isotope compositions than fully dissolved samples. A case study from the Neoproterozoic Jiuling batholith in southern China shows that about half of the investigated samples show decoupled Hf isotopes between zircons and the bulk rocks. This decoupling could reflect complex and prolonged magmatic processes, such as crustal assimilation, magma mixing, and disequilibrium melting, which are consistent with the wide temperature spectrum from ∼630 °C to ∼900 °C by Ti-in-zircon thermometer. We suggest that magmatic zircons may only record the Hf isotopic composition of their surrounding melt during crystallization and it is uncertain whether their Hf isotopic compositions can represent the primary Hf isotopic compositions of the bulk magmas. In this regard, using zircon Hf isotopic compositions to trace crustal evolution may be biased since most of these could be originally from disequilibrium partial melts.

A Tale of Two Orogens: Comparing Crustal Processes in the Proterozoic Trans-Hudson and Grenville Orogens, Eastern Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darbyshire, F. A.; Bastow, I. D.; Gilligan, A.; Petrescu, L.

2016-12-01

The Precambrian core of North America is an assemblage of Archean cratons and Proterozoic orogenic belts, preserving over 3 billion years of Earth history. Here we focus on two of the largest collisional orogens, using recent and ongoing seismological studies to probe their present-day structure and tectonic history. The 1.8 Ga collision between the Western Churchill and Superior cratons, along with microcontinental and island arc terranes, formed the Trans-Hudson Orogen (THO), a collisional belt similar in scale and shape to the present-day Himalaya-Karakoram-Tibet Orogen (HKTO). In the Mesoproterozoic, a series of collisions reworked the SE margin of the Superior craton and added new material over a period of several hundred Ma, culminating in the Grenvillian orogeny and the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. The Grenville Orogen is thought to have been a large, hot, long-lived plateau which subsequently underwent orogenic collapse. While similar in spatial scale, the Trans-Hudson and Grenville Orogens have significantly different tectonic histories, notably in terms of longevity and tectonic evolution. Comparison of these collisional belts with each other, and with the HTKO, provide valuable insights into plate-tectonic history. Recently a number of broadband seismograph installations have allowed a detailed study of present-day crustal structure beneath the THO and the Grenville. Receiver-function and surface wave studies provide information on crustal thickness variations, bulk crustal composition and crustal heterogeneity. The crust beneath the orogens is generally thicker, more mafic and more heterogeneous than that beneath neighbouring Archean and Phanerozoic domains, with significant along-strike variability and Moho complexity. We review and interpret the new crustal structure information in the context of the tectonic processes affecting the two contrasting orogens.

Modeling the blockage of Lg waves from 3-D variations in crustal structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanborn, Christopher J.; Cormier, Vernon F.

2018-05-01

Comprised of S waves trapped in Earth's crust, the high frequency (2-10 Hz) Lg wave is important to discriminating earthquakes from explosions by comparing its amplitude and waveform to those of Pg and Pn waves. Lateral variations in crustal structure, including variations in crustal thickness, intrinsic attenuation, and scattering, affect the efficiency of Lg propagation and its consistency as a source discriminant at regional (200-1500 km) distances. To investigate the effects of laterally varying Earth structure on the efficiency of propagation of Lg and Pg, we apply a radiative transport algorithm to model complete, high-frequency (2-4 Hz), regional coda envelopes. The algorithm propagates packets of energy with ray theory through large-scale 3-D structure, and includes stochastic effects of multiple-scattering by small-scale heterogeneities within the large-scale structure. Source-radiation patterns are described by moment tensors. Seismograms of explosion and earthquake sources are synthesized in canonical models to predict effects on waveforms of paths crossing regions of crustal thinning (pull-apart basins and ocean/continent transitions) and thickening (collisional mountain belts), For paths crossing crustal thinning regions, Lg is amplified at receivers within the thinned region but strongly disrupted and attenuated at receivers beyond the thinned region. For paths crossing regions of crustal thickening, Lg amplitude is attenuated at receivers within the thickened region, but experiences little or no reduction in amplitude at receivers beyond the thickened region. The length of the Lg propagation within a thickened region and the complexity of over- and under-thrust crustal layers, can produce localized zones of Lg amplification or attenuation. Regions of intense scattering within laterally homogeneous models of the crust increase Lg attenuation but do not disrupt its coda shape.

Magmatic evolution of lunar highland rocks estimated from trace elements in plagioclase: A new bulk silicate Moon model with sub-chondritic Ti/Ba, Sr/Ba, and Sr/Al ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Togashi, Shigeko; Kita, Noriko T.; Tomiya, Akihiko; Morishita, Yuichi

2017-08-01

The compositions of host magmas of ferroan anorthosites (FAN-host magmas) were estimated from secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses of plagioclase in lunar highland rocks. The evolution of the magmas was investigated by considering phase relations based on the MELTS algorithm and by re-examining partition coefficients for trace elements between plagioclase and melts. Data little affected by post-magmatic processes were selected by using plagioclase with relatively primitive Sc and Co contents. The FAN-host magma contained 90-174 ppm Sr, 40-119 ppm Ba and 0.5-1.3% TiO2, and had sub-chondritic Sr/Ba and Ti/Ba ratios. It is difficult to account for the formation of FAN-host magma on the basis of magma evolution processes of previously proposed bulk silicate Moon models with chondritic ratios for refractory elements at global scale. Therefore, the source of the FAN-host magma must have had primordial sub-chondritic Sr/Ba and Ti/Ba ratios. The FAN-host magmas were consistent in refractory elements with the estimated host mafic magma for feldspathic crust based on lunar meteorites, and some very-low-Ti mare rocks from lunar meteorites. Here, we propose an alternative bulk silicate Moon model (the cBSM model), which is enriched in crustal components of proto-bodies relative to the present whole Earth-Moon system.

Crustal block motion model and interplate coupling along Ecuador-Colombia trench based on GNSS observation network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, T.; Mora-Páez, H.; Peláez-Gaviria, J. R.; Kimura, H.; Sagiya, T.

2017-12-01

IntroductionEcuador-Colombia trench is located at the boundary between South-America plate, Nazca Plate and Caribrian plate. This region is very complexes such as subducting Caribrian plate and Nazca plate, and collision between Panama and northern part of the Andes mountains. The previous large earthquakes occurred along the subducting boundary of Nazca plate, such as 1906 (M8.8) and 1979 (M8.2). And also, earthquakes occurred inland, too. So, it is important to evaluate earthquake potentials for preparing huge damage due to large earthquake in near future. GNSS observation In the last decade, the GNSS observation was established in Columbia. The GNSS observation is called by GEORED, which is operated by servicing Geologico Colomiano. The purpose of GEORED is research of crustal deformation. The number of GNSS site of GEORED is consist of 60 continuous GNSS observation site at 2017 (Mora et al., 2017). The sampling interval of almost GNSS site is 30 seconds. These GNSS data were processed by PPP processing using GIPSY-OASYS II software. GEORED can obtain the detailed crustal deformation map in whole Colombia. In addition, we use 100 GNSS data at Ecuador-Peru region (Nocquet et al. 2014). Method We developed a crustal block movements model based on crustal deformation derived from GNSS observation. Our model considers to the block motion with pole location and angular velocity and the interplate coupling between each block boundaries, including subduction between the South-American plate and the Nazca plate. And also, our approach of estimation of crustal block motion and coefficient of interplate coupling are based on MCMC method. The estimated each parameter is obtained probably density function (PDF). Result We tested 11 crustal block models based on geological data, such as active fault trace at surface. The optimal number of crustal blocks is 11 for based on geological and geodetic data using AIC. We use optimal block motion model. And also, we estimate interplate coupling along the plate interface and rigid block motion. We can evaluate to contribution of elastic deformation and rigid motion. In result, weak plate coupling was found northern part of 3 degree in latitude. Almost crustal deformation are explained by rigid block motion.

Improving the Inventory of Large Lunar Basins: Using LOLA Data to Test Previous Candidates and Search for New Ones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frey, H. V.; Meyer, H. M.; Romine, G. C.

2012-01-01

Topography and crustal thickness data from LOLA altimetry were used to test the validity of 98 candidate large lunar basins derived from photogeologic and earlier topographic and crustal thickness data, and to search for possible new candidates. We eliminate 23 previous candidates but find good evidence for 20 new candidates. The number of basins greater than 300 km diameter on the Moon is almost certainly a factor 2 (maybe 3?) larger than the number of named features having basin-like topography. Unified Lunar Control Net 2005 data [1] and model crustal thickness data [2] were previously used to search for possible previously unrecognized large lunar impact basins [3,4]. An inventory of 98 candidate topographic basins greater than 300 km in diameter was found [5]. This includes 33 named features (only those having basin-like topography) out of the 45 listed by Wilhelms [6], 38 additional Quasi-Circular Depressions (QCDs) found in the ULCN2005 topography, and 27 Circular Thin Areas (CTAs) found in model crustal thickness data [2]. Most named features and additional QCDs have strong CTA signatures, but there may be a class of CTAs that are not easily recognized in the old and low resolution ULCN2005 topography. Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) data have recently become publically available. We used these data to (a) refine the center and ring diameters of known basins, (b) test the viability of the candidate basins previously found (as described above), and (c) search for additional candidate basins not revealed by the earlier lower resolution data. We used the LOLA topography directly but also a recent new model crustal thickness data that includes Kaguya gravity data [7]. We repeated a Topographic Expression (TE) and a Crustal Thickness Expression (CTE) scoring exercise originally done with the basins found in ULCN and earlier model crustal thickness data [5]. Each candidate was scored on a scale from 0 (no topographic basin or circular thin area signature) to 5 (strong circular low or strong circular thin area signature). These were combined into a total score used to rank the probability for each candidate basin. We used the same GRIDVIEW software to stretch, contour and profile the LOLA and new crustal thickness data as was done with the ULCN2005 and older model crustal thickness data.

Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiang; Hawkesworth, Chris J.; Wyman, Derek; Chung, Sun-Lin; Wu, Fu-Yuan; Li, Xian-Hua; Li, Zheng-Xiang; Gou, Guo-Ning; Zhang, Xiu-Zheng; Tang, Gong-Jian; Dan, Wei; Ma, Lin; Dong, Yan-Hui

2016-01-01

There is considerable controversy over the nature of geophysically recognized low-velocity–high-conductivity zones (LV–HCZs) within the Tibetan crust, and their role in models for the development of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report petrological and geochemical data on magmas erupted 4.7–0.3 Myr ago in central and northern Tibet, demonstrating that they were generated by partial melting of crustal rocks at temperatures of 700–1,050 °C and pressures of 0.5–1.5 GPa. Thus Pliocene-Quaternary melting of crustal rocks occurred at depths of 15–50 km in areas where the LV–HCZs have been recognized. This provides new petrological evidence that the LV–HCZs are sources of partial melt. It is inferred that crustal melting played a key role in triggering crustal weakening and outward crustal flow in the expansion of the Tibetan Plateau. PMID:27307135

The geophysical character of southern Alaska - Implications for crustal evolution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Saltus, R.W.; Hudson, T.L.; Wilson, Frederic H.

2007-01-01

The southern Alaska continental margin has undergone a long and complicated history of plate convergence, subduction, accretion, and margin-parallel displacements. The crustal character of this continental margin is discernible through combined analysis of aeromagnetic and gravity data with key constraints from previous seismic interpretation. Regional magnetic data are particularly useful in defining broad geophysical domains. One of these domains, the south Alaska magnetic high, is the focus of this study. It is an intense and continuous magnetic high up to 200 km wide and ∼1500 km long extending from the Canadian border in the Wrangell Mountains west and southwest through Cook Inlet to the Bering Sea shelf. Crustal thickness beneath the south Alaska magnetic high is commonly 40–50 km. Gravity analysis indicates that the south Alaska magnetic high crust is dense. The south Alaska magnetic high spatially coincides with the Peninsular and Wrangellia terranes. The thick, dense, and magnetic character of this domain requires significant amounts of mafic rocks at intermediate to deep crustal levels. In Wrangellia these mafic rocks are likely to have been emplaced during Middle and (or) Late Triassic Nikolai Greenstone volcanism. In the Peninsular terrane, the most extensive period of mafic magmatism now known was associated with the Early Jurassic Talkeetna Formation volcanic arc. Thus the thick, dense, and magnetic character of the south Alaska magnetic high crust apparently developed as the response to mafic magmatism in both extensional (Wrangellia) and subduction-related arc (Peninsular terrane) settings. The south Alaska magnetic high is therefore a composite crustal feature. At least in Wrangellia, the crust was probably of average thickness (30 km) or greater prior to Triassic mafic magmatism. Up to 20 km (40%) of its present thickness may be due to the addition of Triassic mafic magmas. Throughout the south Alaska magnetic high, significant crustal growth was caused by the addition of mafic magmas at intermediate to deep crustal levels.

Crustal thickness of Antarctica estimated using data from gravimetric satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Llubes, Muriel; Seoane, Lucia; Bruinsma, Sean; Rémy, Frédérique

2018-04-01

Computing a better crustal thickness model is still a necessary improvement in Antarctica. In this remote continent where almost all the bedrock is covered by the ice sheet, seismic investigations do not reach a sufficient spatial resolution for geological and geophysical purposes. Here, we present a global map of Antarctic crustal thickness computed from space gravity observations. The DIR5 gravity field model, built from GOCE and GRACE gravimetric data, is inverted with the Parker-Oldenburg iterative algorithm. The BEDMAP products are used to estimate the gravity effect of the ice and the rocky surface. Our result is compared to crustal thickness calculated from seismological studies and the CRUST1.0 and AN1 models. Although the CRUST1.0 model shows a very good agreement with ours, its spatial resolution is larger than the one we obtain with gravimetric data. Finally, we compute a model in which the crust-mantle density contrast is adjusted to fit the Moho depth from the CRUST1.0 model. In East Antarctica, the resulting density contrast clearly shows higher values than in West Antarctica.

Zircon petrochronology reveals the temporal link between porphyry systems and the magmatic evolution of their hidden plutonic roots (the Eocene Coroccohuayco deposit, Peru)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chelle-Michou, Cyril; Chiaradia, Massimo; Ovtcharova, Maria; Ulianov, Alexey; Wotzlaw, Jörn-Frederik

2014-06-01

We present zircon geochronologic (LA-ICPMS and ID-TIMS), trace element and Hf isotopic evidence for a complex evolution of the plutonic roots of the Eocene Coroccohuayco porphyry system, southern Peru. LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating has initially been carried out to optimize grain selection for subsequent high-precision ID-TIMS dating and to characterize crustal assimilation (xenocrystic cores). This combined in-situ and whole-grain U-Pb dating of the same grains has been further exploited to derive a robust temporal interpretation of the complex magmatic system associated with the Coroccohuayco porphyry-skarn deposit. Our data reveal that a heterogeneous gabbrodioritic complex was emplaced at ca. 40.4 Ma and was followed by a nearly 5 Ma-long magmatic lull until the emplacement of dacitic porphyry stocks and dykes associated with the mineralizing event at ca. 35.6 Ma. However, at the sample scale, zircons from the porphyries provide insight into a 2 Ma-long lived “hidden” magmatism (probably at 4-9 km paleodepth) prior to porphyry intrusion and mineralization for which no other evidence can be found on the surface today. These dates together with zircon trace element analysis and Hf isotopes argue for the development of a long-lived magmatic system dominated by amphibole fractionation with an increasing amount of crustal assimilation and the development of a large and sustained thermal anomaly. The system was probably rejuvenated at an increasing rate from 37.5 to 35.6 Ma with injection of fresh and oxidized magma from the lower crust, which caused cannibalism and remelting of proto-plutons. The porphyry intrusions at Coroccohuayco were emplaced at the peak thermal conditions of this upper crustal magma chamber, which subsequently cooled and expelled ore fluids. Zircon xenocrysts and Hf isotopes in the porphyritic rocks suggest that this large upper crustal system evolved at stratigraphic levels corresponding to Triassic sediments similar to the Mitu group that may be present below the district. Using the zircon Ce anomaly as a proxy for oxidation state of the magma through time, we show that the high oxidation state of the porphyries is not the result of upper-crustal processes but is rather controlled by magmatic processes occurring at deeper levels. A comparison of our data with available high-precision geochronologic data at other porphyry systems suggests that such deposits may form when injection rate, volume and heat of their long-lived upper crustal magmatic system reach their peaks. These features might be diagnostic of a productive deposit.

What drives the Tibetan crust to the South East Asia? Role of upper mantle density discontinuities as inferred from the continental geoid anomalies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajesh, S.

2012-04-01

The Himalaya-Tibet orogen formed as a result of the northward convergence of India into the Asia over the past 55 Ma had caused the north south crustal shortening and Cenozoic upliftment of the Tibetan plateau, which significantly affected the tectonic and climatic framework of the Asia. Geodetic measurements have also shown eastward crustal extrusion of Tibet, especially along major east-southeast strike slip faults at a slip rate of 15-20 mm a-1 and around 40 mm a-1. Such continental scale deformations have been modeled as block rotation by fault boundary stresses developed due to the India-Eurasia collision. However, the Thin Sheet model explained the crustal deformation mechanism by considering varying gravitational potential energy arise out of varying crustal thickness of the viscous lithosphere. The Channel Flow model, which also suggests extrusion is a boundary fault guided flow along the shallow crustal brittle-ductile regime. Although many models have proposed, but no consensus in these models to explain the dynamics of measured surface geodetic deformation of the Tibetan plateau. But what remains conspicuous is the origin of driving forces that cause the observed Tibetan crustal flow towards the South East Asia. Is the crustal flow originated only because of the differential stresses that developed in the shallow crustal brittle-ductile regime? Or should the stress transfer to the shallow crustal layers as a result of gravitational potential energy gradient driven upper mantle flow also to be accounted. In this work, I examine the role of latter in the light of depth distribution of continental geoid anomalies beneath the Himalaya-Tibet across major upper mantle density discontinuities. These discontinuity surfaces in the upper mantle are susceptible to hold the plastic deformation that may occur as a result of the density gradient driven flow. The distribution of geoid anomalies across these density discontinuities at 220, 410 and 660 km depth in the upper mantle beneath the Himalaya-Tibet has been studied by analyzing the geoid undulation data obtained from various satellite geodetic missions along with the recent and old (EGM2008 and EGM2006) Earth Gravity models. Results show that the net geoid anomaly varies from -65 m to -20 m, which signify a density stratified upper mantle beneath the Himalaya-Tibet and the same has been confirmed from the results of regional seismic tomography studies. The density anomaly distribution beneath Tibet from 163 km depth to its upper mantle thickness of 1063 km show a strong NW-SE elliptically oriented positive geoid anomalies of magnitude around 40 meter. Asymmetric density anomaly gradient have been observed along the Himalayan arc from west to east as well as across the arc from north to south. This caused differential gravitational potential gradient and hence an elliptical flow structure of the Tibetan continental mantle along the resultant NW-SE direction, which is in concurrence with the observed present day direction of the Tibetan crustal flow. Thus the geoid anomalies distributed at various depth ranges show how the gradient in the upper mantle gravitational potential energy, especially across the deformed discontinuity surface, is significant in determining the transfer of deviatoric stresses and providing traction to the flow of crustal layers of the Tibetan Plateau. This suggests the viscous flow model could be a preferable choice, which could better accommodate the dynamics of the upper mantle, in explaining the crustal extrusion processes of the Tibetan Plateau.

Thermal and mass implications of magmatic evolution in the Lassen volcanic region, California, and minimum constraints on basalt influx to the lower crust

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guffanti, M.; Clynne, M.A.; Muffler, L.J.P.

1996-01-01

We have analyzed the heat and mass demands of a petrologic model of basaltdriven magmatic evolution in which variously fractionated mafic magmas mix with silicic partial melts of the lower crust. We have formulated steady state heat budgets for two volcanically distinct areas in the Lassen region: the large, late Quaternary, intermediate to silicic Lassen volcanic center and the nearby, coeval, less evolved Caribou volcanic field. At Caribou volcanic field, heat provided by cooling and fractional crystallization of 52 km3 of basalt is more than sufficient to produce 10 km3 of rhyolitic melt by partial melting of lower crust. Net heat added by basalt intrusion at Caribou volcanic field is equivalent to an increase in lower crustal heat flow of ???7 mW m-2, indicating that the field is not a major crustal thermal anomaly. Addition of cumulates from fractionation is offset by removal of erupted partial melts. A minimum basalt influx of 0.3 km3 (km2 Ma)-1 is needed to supply Caribou volcanic field. Our methodology does not fully account for an influx of basalt that remains in the crust as derivative intrusives. On the basis of comparison to deep heat flow, the input of basalt could be ???3 to 7 times the amount we calculate. At Lassen volcanic center, at least 203 km3 of mantle-derived basalt is needed to produce 141 km3 of partial melt and drive the volcanic system. Partial melting mobilizes lower crustal material, augmenting the magmatic volume available for eruption at Lassen volcanic center; thus the erupted volume of 215 km3 exceeds the calculated basalt input of 203 km3. The minimum basalt input of 1.6 km3 (km2 Ma)-1 is >5 times the minimum influx to the Caribou volcanic field. Basalt influx high enough to sustain considerable partial melting, coupled with locally high extension rate, is a crucial factor in development of Lassen volcanic center; in contrast. Caribou volcanic field has failed to develop into a large silicic center primarily because basalt supply there has been insufficient.

The PROTEUS Experiment: Active Source Seismic Imaging of the Crustal Magma Plumbing Structure of the Santorini Arc Volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooft, E. E. E.; Morgan, J. V.; Nomikou, P.; Toomey, D. R.; Papazachos, C. V.; Warner, M.; Heath, B.; Christopoulou, M. E.; Lampridou, D.; Kementzetzidou, D.

2016-12-01

The goal of the PROTEUS seismic experiment (Plumbing Reservoirs Of The Earth Under Santorini) is to examine the entire crustal magma plumbing system beneath a continental arc volcano and determine the magma geometry and connections throughout the crust. These physical parameters control magma migration, storage, and eruption and inform the question of how physical and chemical processing of magma at arc volcanoes forms the andesitic rock compositions that dominate the lower continental crust. These physical parameters are also important to understand volcanic-tectonic interactions and geohazards. Santorini is ideal for these goals because the continental crust has been thinned by extension and so the deep magmatic system is more accessible, also it is geologically well studied. Since the volcano is a semi-submerged, it was possible to collect a unique 3D marine-land active source seismic dataset. During the PROTEUS experiment in November-December of 2015, we recorded 14,300 marine sound sources from the US R/V Langseth on 89 OBSIP short period ocean bottom seismometers and 60 German and 5 Greek land seismometers. The experiment was designed for high-density spatial sampling of the seismic wavefield to allow us to apply two state-of-the-art 3D inversion methods: travel time tomography and full waveform inversion. A preliminary travel time tomography model of the upper crustal seismic velocity structure of the volcano and surrounding region is presented in an accompanying poster. We also made marine geophysical maps of the seafloor using multi-beam bathymetry and of the gravity and magnetic fields. The new seafloor map reveals the detailed structure of the major fault system between Santorini and Amorgos, of associated landslides, and of newly discovered volcanic features. The PROTEUS project will provide new insights into the structure of the whole crustal magmatic system of a continental arc volcano and its evolution within the surrounding tectonic setting.

Planetary Scale Impacts and Consequences for the Mars Hemispheric Dichotomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marinova, M. M.; Aharonson, O.; Asphaug, E.

2007-12-01

Planetary-scale impacts are events in which the resultant impact basin is a significant fraction of the planet's circumference. The curvature of the planet is expected to be important in the impact process, especially as it relates to the fate of downrange ejecta in off-axis events. Planetary-scale impacts are abundant in the Solar System, especially early in its evolution. A possible candidate planetary-scale impact basin is the Martian hemispheric dichotomy, expressed as a difference in surface elevation, crustal thickness, and surface age between the northern lowlands and the southern highlands. We investigate the characteristics of planetary-scale impacts, and in particular the effects of a mega impact on Mars. We use a 3 dimensional self-gravitational Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model to simulate the impacts, implementing an olivine equation of state derived for the Tillotson formulation, and use this to establish the initial pressure and internal energy profile of the planet. The parameter space of impactor energy, impactor size, and impact velocity are explored for Mars hemispheric impacts. We find that for a given impact energy, head-on large but slow impacts produce more melt and cover more of the planet with melt than small, fast, and oblique events. Head-on impacts produce crustal blow-off and a melt pool at the antipode. Oblique impacts do not cover much of the planet with melt, but create sizable basins. Various degrees of crustal thickening are apparent around the crater over a length of ~1000 km; this crustal thickening could relax over geological time. Fast impacts eject material with escape velocity many times their own mass. In all cases, less than 10% of the impactor's mass is placed in orbit. For oblique events, a significant fraction of the angular momentum in the system is carried away by escaping material, limiting the efficiency of angular momentum transfer to the planet.

Crustal structure of the southeastern Brazilian margin, Campos Basin, from aeromagnetic data: New kinematic constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanton, N.; Schmitt, R.; Galdeano, A.; Maia, M.; Mane, M.

2010-07-01

The continental and adjacent marginal features along southeast Brazil were investigated, focusing on the basement structural relationships between onshore and offshore provinces. Lateral and vertical variations in the magnetic anomalies provided a good correlation with the regional tectonic features. The sin-rift dykes and faults are associated with the magnetic lineaments and lie sub parallel to the Precambrian N45E-S45W basement structure of the Ribeira Belt, but orthogonally to the Cabo Frio Tectonic Domain (CFTD) basement, implying that: (1) the upper portion of the continental crust was widely affected by Mesozoic extensional deformation; and (2) tectonic features related to the process of break up of the Gondwana at the CFTD were form regardless of the preexisting structural basement orientation being controlled by the stress orientation during the rift phase. The deep crustal structure (5 km depth) is characterized by NE-SW magnetic "provinces" related to the Ribeira Belt tectonic units, while deep suture zones are defined by magnetic lows. The offshore Campos structural framework is N30E-S30W oriented and resulted from a main WNW-ESE direction of extension in Early Cretaceous. Transfer zones are represented by NW-SE and E-W oriented discontinuities. A slight difference in orientation between onshore (N45E) and offshore (N30E) structural systems seems to reflect a re-orientation of stress during rifting. We proposed a kinematical model to explain the structural evolution of this portion of the margin, characterized by polyphase rifting, associated with the rotation of the South American plate. The Campos Magnetic High (CMH), an important tectonic feature of the Campos Basin corresponds to a wide area of high crustal magnetization. The CMH wass interpreted as a magmatic feature, mafic to ultramafic in composition that extends down to 14 km depth and constitutes an evidence of intense crustal extension at 60 km from the coast.

USArray Receiver Function Imaging of Multiple-Layer Crustal Structure of the Contiguous United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, X.; Lowry, A. R.; Ravat, D.

2014-12-01

Thickness andseismic velocity of crustal layers are useful for understanding the history and evolution of continental lithosphere. Lowry and Pérez-Gussinyé (2011) observed that low bulk crustal seismic velocity ratio, Vp/Vs, strongly correlates with high geothermal gradient and active deformation, indicating quartz (to which Vp/Vs is most sensitive) plays a role in these processes. The lower crust (where ductile flow occurs which might explain the relationship) is commonly thought to be quartz-poor. However, layering of the crust may represent changes in either lithology or the phase of quartz. Laboratory strain-stress experiments on quartz indicate that near the a- to b-quartz phase transition, both Vp and Vp/Vs initially drop dramatically but then increase relative to the a-quartz regime because Young's modulus initially decreases by 30% before increasing by a net ~20%. Shear modulus varies only ~3% across the transition. Crustal structure is commonly represented by an upper, mid- and lower layer (e.g., Crust1.0) and conceptualized as primarily reflecting a change to more mafic lithology at greater depth, but estimates of Moho temperature indicate a quartz phase transition should be present in much of the western and central U.S. We have imaged multiple layering of the contiguous U.S. by applying a new cross-correlation and stacking method to USArray receiver functions. Synthetic models of a multiple layer crust indicate 'splitting' of converted-phase arrivals would be expected if a quartz phase transition were responsible. Preliminary imaging using cross-correlation of observed receiver functions with multiple layer synthetics demonstrates a marked improvement in correlation coefficients relative to a single-layer crust. In this presentation we will examine observational evidence for possible a- to b- phase transition layering (indicating quartz at depth) and compare with depths predicted for the quartz phase transition based on Pn-derived Moho temperatures and estimates of magnetic Curie depths.

Constraints on continental crustal mass loss via chemical weathering using lithium and its isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudnick, R. L.; Liu, X. M.

2012-04-01

The continental crust has an "intermediate" bulk composition that is distinct from primary melts of peridotitic mantle (basalt or picrite). This mismatch between the "building blocks" and the "edifice" that is the continental crust points to the operation of processes that preferentially remove mafic to ultramafic material from the continents. Such processes include lower crustal recycling (via density foundering or lower crustal subduction - e.g., relamination, Hacker et al., 2011, EPSL), generation of evolved melts via slab melting, and/or chemical weathering. Stable isotope systems point to the influence of chemical weathering on the bulk crust composition: the oxygen isotope composition of the bulk crust is distinctly heavier than that of primary, mantle-derived melts (Simon and Lecuyer, 2005, G-cubed) and the Li isotopic composition of the bulk crust is distinctly lighter than that of mantle-derive melts (Teng et al., 2004, GCA; 2008, Chem. Geol.). Both signatures mark the imprint of chemical weathering on the bulk crust composition. Here, we use a simple mass balance model for lithium inputs and outputs from the continental crust to quantify the mass lost due to chemical weathering. We find that a minimum of 15%, a maximum of 60%, and a best estimate of ~40% of the original juvenile rock mass may have been lost via chemical weathering. The accumulated percentage of mass loss due to chemical weathering leads to an average global chemical weathering rate (CWR) of ~ 1×10^10 to 2×10^10 t/yr since 3.5 Ga, which is about an order of magnitude higher than the minimum estimates based on modern rivers (Gaillardet et al., 1999, Chem. Geol.). While we cannot constrain the exact portion of crustal mass loss via chemical weathering, given the uncertainties of the calculation, we can demonstrate that the weathering flux is non-zero. Therefore, chemical weathering must play a role in the evolution of the composition and mass of the continental crust.

Surface Deformation and Lower Crustal Flow in Eastern Tibet

PubMed

Royden; Burchfiel; King; Wang; Chen; Shen; Liu

1997-05-02

Field observations and satellite geodesy indicate that little crustal shortening has occurred along the central to southern margin of the eastern Tibetan plateau since about 4 million years ago. Instead, central eastern Tibet has been nearly stationary relative to southeastern China, southeastern Tibet has rotated clockwise without major crustal shortening, and the crust along portions of the eastern plateau margin has been extended. Modeling suggests that these phenomena are the result of continental convergence where the lower crust is so weak that upper crustal deformation is decoupled from the motion of the underlying mantle. This model also predicts east-west extension on the high plateau without convective removal of Tibetan lithosphere and without eastward movement of the crust east of the plateau.

Revealing the long-term landscape evolution of the South Atlantic passive continental margin, Brazil and Namibia, by thermokinematic numerical modeling using the software code Pecube.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stippich, Christian; Glasmacher, Ulrich Anton; Hackspacher, Peter

2015-04-01

The aim of the research is to quantify the long-term landscape evolution of the South Atlantic passive continental margin (SAPCM) in SE-Brazil and NW-Namibia. Excellent onshore outcrop conditions and complete rift to post-rift archives between Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre and in the transition from Namibia to Angola (onshore Walvis ridge) allow a high precision quantification of exhumation, and uplift rates, influencing physical parameters, long-term acting forces, and process-response systems. Research will integrate the published and partly published thermochronological data from Brazil and Namibia, and test lately published new concepts on causes of long-term landscape evolution at rifted margins. The climate-continental margin-mantle coupled process-response system is caused by the interaction between endogenous and exogenous forces, which are related to the mantle-process driven rift - drift - passive continental margin evolution of the South Atlantic, and the climate change since the Early/Late Cretaceous climate maximum. Special emphasis will be given to the influence of long-living transform faults such as the Florianopolis Fracture Zone (FFZ) on the long-term topography evolution of the SAPCM's. A long-term landscape evolution model with process rates will be achieved by thermo-kinematic 3-D modeling (software code PECUBE1,2 and FastScape3). Testing model solutions obtained for a multidimensional parameter space against the real thermochronological and geomorphological data set, the most likely combinations of parameter rates, and values can be constrained. The data and models will allow separating the exogenous and endogenous forces and their process rates. References 1. Braun, J., 2003. Pecube: A new finite element code to solve the 3D heat transport equation including the effects of a time-varying, finite amplitude surface topography. Computers and Geosciences, v.29, pp.787-794. 2. Braun, J., van der Beek, P., Valla, P., Robert, X., Herman, F., Goltzbacj, C., Pedersen, V., Perry, C., Simon-Labric, T., Prigent, C. 2012. Quantifying rates of landscape evolution and tectonic processes by thermochronology and numerical modeling of crustal heat transport using PECUBE. Tectonophysics, v.524-525, pp.1-28. 3. Braun, J. and Willett, S.D., 2013. A very efficient, O(n), implicit and parallel method to solve the basic stream power law equation governing fluvial incision and landscape evolution. Geomorphology, v.180-181, 170-179.

Using crustal thickness and subsidence history on the Iberia-Newfoundland margins to constrain lithosphere deformation modes during continental breakup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeanniot, Ludovic; Kusznir, Nick; Manatschal, Gianreto; Mohn, Geoffroy

2014-05-01

Observations at magma-poor rifted margins such as Iberia-Newfoundland show a complex lithosphere deformation history during continental breakup and seafloor spreading initiation leading to complex OCT architecture with hyper-extended continental crust and lithosphere, exhumed mantle and scattered embryonic oceanic crust and continental slivers. Initiation of seafloor spreading requires both the rupture of the continental crust and lithospheric mantle, and the onset of decompressional melting. Their relative timing controls when mantle exhumation may occur; the presence or absence of exhumed mantle provides useful information on the timing of these events and constraints on lithosphere deformation modes. A single lithosphere deformation mode leading to continental breakup and sea-floor spreading cannot explain observations. We have determined the sequence of lithosphere deformation events for two profiles across the present-day conjugate Iberia-Newfoundland margins, using forward modelling of continental breakup and seafloor spreading initiation calibrated against observations of crustal basement thickness and subsidence. Flow fields, representing a sequence of lithosphere deformation modes, are generated by a 2D finite element viscous flow model (FeMargin), and used to advect lithosphere and asthenosphere temperature and material. FeMargin is kinematically driven by divergent deformation in the upper 15-20 km of the lithosphere inducing passive upwelling beneath that layer; extensional faulting and magmatic intrusions deform the topmost upper lithosphere, consistent with observations of deformation processes occurring at slow spreading ocean ridges (Cannat, 1996). Buoyancy enhanced upwelling, as predicted by Braun et al. (2000) is also kinematically included in the lithosphere deformation model. Melt generation by decompressional melting is predicted using the parameterization and methodology of Katz et al. (2003). The distribution of lithosphere deformation, the contribution of buoyancy driven upwelling and their spatial and temporal evolution including lateral migration are determined by using a series of numerical experiments, tested and calibrated against observations of crustal thicknesses and water-loaded subsidence. Pure-shear widths exert a strong control on the timing of crustal rupture and melt initiation; to satisfy OCT architecture, subsidence and mantle exhumation, we need to focus the deformation from a broad to a narrow region. The lateral migration of the deformation flow axis has an important control on the rupture of continental crust and lithosphere, melt initiation, their relative timing, the resulting OCT architecture and conjugate margin asymmetry. The numerical models are used to predict margin isostatic response and subsidence history.

Lithospheric extension near Lake Mead, Nevada - A model for ductile flow in the lower crust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kruse, Sarah; Mcnutt, Marcia; Phipps-Morgan, Jason; Royden, Leigh

1991-01-01

Small variations in gravity anomalies and topographic elevation observed in areas that have undergone highly variable amounts of upper crustal thinning can be satisfactorily explained by ductile flow of lower crustal material under the proper conditions. The boundary between the unextended Colorado Plateau and a strongly extended domain in the Basin and Range Province in the Lake Mead (Nevada) region is examined. Finite element modeling of Newtonian flow and power law creep shows that flow over the length scale of the eastern Basin and Range (500) km or more) corresponding to upper crustal extension by a factor of 1.4-3 over 10 million years requires effective viscosities less than 10 to the 18th - 10 to the 20th Pa s for ductile channels 10-25 km thick. Modeling suggests that these effective viscosities may be sustained by lower crustal material deforming at laboratory-derived power law creep rates. The longer-scale flow may require elevated crustal temperatures (more than 700 C), depending on the composition and material properties assumed. Under the boundary conditions assumed in this study the linear viscous flow models yield a satisfactory approximation to deformation by power law creep. This work suggests that flow in the lower crust may be a viable mechanism for producing small variations in total crustal thickness between strongly extended and less extended regions, and thereby explaining the relative uniformity in gravity and topography between such regions.

Archean crustal evolution of the Narryer Gneiss Terrane, Western Australia, as revealed by the U-Pb age and Hf-isotope compositions of zircon from the granitic gneisses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sylvester, P.; Souders, K.; Crowley, J. L.; Myers, J.

2011-12-01

The Narryer Gneiss Terrane of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, is an important area for studies of early crustal evolution because of the preservation of (1) detrital zircons of Hadean to Archean age in the Jack Hills and Mt. Narryer metasedimentary belts, and (2) several widespread units of granitic gneisses emplaced between ca. 3.7 and 2.6 Ga. We have analyzed the U-Pb geochronology and Hf-isotope geochemistry of magmatic zircons from 38 samples of the granitic gneisses using laser ablation - (multicollector) - ICPMS. The sample suite is dominated by the Meeberrie gneiss, a banded quartz-microcline-oligoclase-biotite gneiss of monzogranite to granodiorite composition, and the Dugel gneiss, a leucocratic, pegmatite-layered syenogranite gneiss, but gneisses of dioritic to tonalitic composition, as well as less deformed granite sheets, are also represented. Magmatic zircons were identified on the basis of the preservation of oscillatory zoning in BSE and CL images, igneous Th/U ratios (>0.2), and concordant U-Pb isotopic systematics with low common Pb contents. The results indicate many of the gneisses are composed of the products of multiple magmatic events, as has been reported previously for samples of the Meeberrie gneiss (Kinny & Nutman, 1996, Precambrian Res. 78, 165-178). Major ages of magmatism preserved in the gneisses occurred at ca. 3685-3665 Ma, 3620-3565 Ma, 3495-3440 Ma, 3375-3330 Ma, and 3300-3260 Ma. The late granite sheets crystallized at 2710-2645 Ma. Hf-isotope compositions of the zircons trend to less radiogenic values with decreasing age, with ɛHf values of ca. 0 to -5 for 3.7-3.4 Ga gneisses, ca. -1 to -9 for 3.4-3.2 Ga gneisses and ca. -5 to -20 for the late granite sheets. The array of the Hf isotopic compositions with time for the entire sample set are fit well by a regression indicating a source reservoir with a 176Lu/177Hf of 0.022 extracted from the depleted mantle at 3.9 Ga. This suggests that the Narryer gneisses and late granite sheets were derived by repeated partial melting of an Eoarchean mafic to intermediate crustal source that persisted throughout the Archean. The ɛHf evolution trend for the Narryer gneisses plots distinctly above the ɛHf trend of the Hadean mafic crustal reservoir inferred for the source of the Hadean detrital zircons from the Jack Hills. The implication is that the inferred Hadean crustal reservoir was not an important source of the Narryer gneisses, either because it was largely isolated from zones of melting in the crust of the Narryer Gneiss Terrane during the Archean, or because it was simply of limited volume.

The Pulse of the Crust: Slow fracture and rapid healing during the seismic cycle (Louis Néel Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meredith, Philip

2016-04-01

Earthquake ruptures and volcanic eruptions are the most dramatic manifestations of the dynamic failure of a critically stressed crust. However, these are actually very rare events in both space and time; and most of the crust spends most of its time in a highly stressed but subcritical state. Under upper crustal conditions most rocks accommodate applied stresses in a brittle manner through cracking, fracturing and faulting. Cracks can grow at all scales from the grain scale to the crustal scale, and under different stress regimes. Under tensile stresses, single, long cracks tend to grow at the expense of shorter ones; while under all-round compressive, multiple microcracks tend to coalesce to form macroscopic fractures or faults. Deformation in the crust also occurs over a wide range of strain rates, from the very slow rates associated with tectonic loading up to the very fast rates occurring during earthquake rupture. It is now well-established that reactions between chemically-active pore fluids and the rock matrix can lead to time-dependent, subcritical crack propagation and failure in rocks. In turn, this can allow them to deform and fail over extended periods of time at stresses well below their short-term strength, and even at constant stress; a process known as brittle creep. Such cracking at constant stress eventually leads to accelerated deformation and critical, dynamic failure. However, in the period between sequential dynamic failure events, fractures can become subject to chemically-enhanced time-dependent strength recovery processes such as healing or the growth of mineral veins. We show that such strengthening can be much faster than previously suggested and can occur over geologically very short time-spans. These observations of ultra-slow cracking and ultra-fast healing have profound implications for the evolution and dynamics of the Earth's crust. To obtain a complete understanding of crustal dynamics we require a detailed knowledge of all these time-dependent mechanisms. Such knowledge should be based on micromechanics, but also provide an adequate description at the macroscopic or crustal scale. One way of moving towards this is to establish a relationship between the internal, microstructural state of the rock and the macroscopically observable external quantities. Here, we present a number of examples of attempts to reconcile these ideas through external measurements of stress and strain evolution during deformation with simultaneous measurements of the evolution of key internal variables such as elastic wave speeds, acoustic emission output, porosity and permeability. Overall, the combined data are able to explain both the complexity of stress-strain relations during constant strain rate loading and the shape of creep curves during constant stress loading, thus providing a unifying framework to describe the time-dependent mechanical behaviour of crustal rocks.

Tectonic and metallogenic model for northeast Asia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parfenov, Leonid M.; Nokleberg, Warren J.; Berzin, Nikolai A.; Badarch, Gombosuren; Dril, Sergy I.; Gerel, Ochir; Goryachev, Nikolai A.; Khanchuk, Alexander I.; Kuz'min, Mikhail I.; Prokopiev, Andrei V.; Ratkin, Vladimir V.; Rodionov, Sergey M.; Scotese, Christopher R.; Shpikerman, Vladimir I.; Timofeev, Vladimir F.; Tomurtogoo, Onongin; Yan, Hongquan; Nokleberg, Warren J.

2011-01-01

This document describes the digital files in this report that contains a tectonic and metallogenic model for Northeast Asia. The report also contains background materials. This tectonic and metallogenic model and other materials on this report are derived from (1) an extensive USGS Professional Paper, 1765, on the metallogenesis and tectonics of Northeast Asia that is available on the Internet at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1765/; and (2) the Russian Far East parts of an extensive USGS Professional Paper, 1697, on the metallogenesis and tectonics of the Russian Far East, Alaska, and the Canadian Cordillera that is available on the Internet at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1697/. The major purpose of the tectonic and metallogenic model is to provide, in movie format, a colorful summary of the complex geology, tectonics, and metallogenesis of the region. To accomplish this goal four steps were taken: (1) 13 time-stage diagrams, from the late Neoproterozoic (850 Ma) through the present (0 Ma), were adapted, generalized, and transformed into color static time-stage diagrams; (2) the 13 time-stage diagrams were placed in a computer morphing program to produce the model; (3) the model was examined and each diagram was successively adapted to preceding and subsequent diagrams to match the size and surface expression of major geologic units; and (4) the final version of the model was produced in successive iterations of steps 2 and 3. The tectonic and metallogenic model and associated materials in this report are derived from a project on the major mineral deposits, metallogenesis, and tectonics of the Northeast Asia and from a preceding project on the metallogenesis and tectonics of the Russian Far East, Alaska, and the Canadian Cordillera. Both projects provide critical information on bedrock geology and geophysics, tectonics, major metalliferous mineral resources, metallogenic patterns, and crustal origin and evolution of mineralizing systems for this region. The major scientific goals and benefits of the projects are to: (1) provide a comprehensive international data base on the mineral resources of the region that is the first extensive knowledge available in English; (2) provide major new interpretations of the origin and crustal evolution of mineralizing systems and their host rocks, thereby enabling enhanced, broad-scale tectonic reconstructions and interpretations; and (3) promote trade and scientific and technical exchanges between North America and eastern Asia.

Estimating the Crustal Power Spectrum From Vector Magsat Data: Crustal Power Spectrum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowe, David A. J.; Parker, Robert L.; Purucker, Michael E.; Constable, Catherine G.

2000-01-01

The Earth's magnetic field can be subdivided into core and crustal components and we seek to characterize the crustal part through its spatial power spectrum (R(sub l)). We process vector Magsat data to isolate the crustal field and then invert power spectral densities of flight-local components along-track for R(sub l) following O'Brien et al. [1999]. Our model (LPPC) is accurate up to approximately degree 45 (lambda=900 km) - this is the resolution limit of our data and suggests that global crustal anomaly maps constructed from vector Magsat data should not contain features with wavelengths less than 900 km. We find continental power spectra to be greater than oceanic ones and attribute this to the relative thicknesses of continental and oceanic crust.

H, O, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope geochemistry of the Latir volcanic field and cogenetic intrusions, New Mexico, and relations between evolution of a continental magmatic center and modifications of the lithosphere

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, C.M.; Lipman, P.W.; Czamanske, G.K.

1990-01-01

Over 200 H, O, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope analyses, in addition to geologic and petrologic constraints, document the magmatic evolution of the 28.5-19 Ma Latir volcanic field and associated intrusive rocks, which includes multiple stages of crustal assimilation, magma mixing, protracted crystallization, and open- and closed-system evolution in the upper crust. In contrast to data from younger volcanic centers in northern New Mexico, relatively low and restricted primary ??18O values (+6.4 to +7.4) rule out assimilation of supracrustal rocks enriched in 18O. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.705 to 0.708), ??18O values (-2 to-7), and 206Pb/204Pb ratios (17.5 to 18.4) of metaluminous precaldera volcanic rocks and postcaldera plutonic rocks suggest that most Latir rocks were generated by fractional crystallization of substantial volumes of mantle-derived basaltic magma that had near-chondritic Nd isotope ratios, accompanied by assimilation of crustal material in two main stages: 1) assimilation of non-radiogenic lower crust, followed by 2) assimilation of middle and upper crust by inter-mediate-composition magmas that had been contaminated during the first stage. Magmatic evolution in the upper crust peaked with eruption of the peralkaline Amalia Tuff (???26 Ma), which evolved from metaluminous parental magmas. A third stage of late, roofward assimilation of Proterozoic rocks in the Amalia Tuff magma is indicated by trends in initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios from 0.7057 to 0.7098 and 19.5 to 18.8, respectively, toward the top of the pre-eruptive magma chamber. Highly evolved postcaldera plutons are generally fine grained and are zoned in initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios, varying from 0.705 to 0.709 and 17.8 to 18.6, respectively. In contrast, the coarser-grained Cabresto Lake (???25 Ma) and Rio Hondo (???21 Ma) plutons have relatively homogeneous initial 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios of approximately 0.7053 and 17.94 and 17.55, respectively. ??18O values for all the postcaldera plutons overlap those of the precaldera rocks and Amalia Tuff, except for those for two late-stage rhyolite dikes associated with the Rio Hondo pluton that have ??18O values of-8.6 and-9.5; these dikes are the only Latir rocks which may be largely crustal melts. Chemical and isotopic data from the Latir field suggest that large fluxes of mantle-derived basaltic magma are necessary for developing and sustaining large-volume volcanic centers. Development of a detailed model suggests that 6-15 km of new crust may have been added beneath the volcanic center; such an addition may result in significant changes in the chemical and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of the crust, although Pb isotope ratios will remain relatively unchanged. If accompanied by assimilation, crystallization of pooled basaltic magma near the MOHO may produce substantial cumulates beneath the MOHO that generate large changes in the isotopic composition of the upper mantle. The Latir field may be similar to other large-volume, long-lived intracratonal volcanic fields that fundamentally owe their origins to extensive injection of basaltic magma into the lower parts of their magmatic systems. Such fields may overlie areas of significant crustal growth and hybridization. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.

Structure and evolution of the NE Atlantic conjugate margins off Norway and Greenland (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faleide, J.; Planke, S.; Theissen-Krah, S.; Abdelmalak, M.; Zastrozhnov, D.; Tsikalas, F.; Breivik, A. J.; Torsvik, T. H.; Gaina, C.; Schmid, D. W.; Myklebust, R.; Mjelde, R.

2013-12-01

The continental margins off Norway and NE Greenland evolved in response to the Cenozoic opening of the NE Atlantic. The margins exhibit a distinct along-margin segmentation reflecting structural inheritance extending back to a complex pre-breakup geological history. The sedimentary basins at the conjugate margins developed as a result of multiple phases of post-Caledonian rifting from Late Paleozoic time to final NE Atlantic breakup at the Paleocene-Eocene transition. The >200 million years of repeated extension caused comprehensive crustal thinning and formation of deep sedimentary basins. The main rift phases span the following time intervals: Late Permian, late Middle Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous, Early-mid Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous-Paleocene. The late Mesozoic-early Cenozoic rifting was related to the northward propagation of North Atlantic sea floor spreading, but also linked to important tectonic events in the Arctic. The pre-drift extension is quantified based on observed geometries of crustal thinning and stretching factors derived from tectonic modeling. The total (cumulative) pre-drift extension amounts to in the order of 300 km which correlates well with estimates from plate reconstructions based on paleomagnetic data. Final lithospheric breakup at the Paleocene-Eocene transition culminated in a 3-6 m.y. period of massive magmatic activity during breakup and onset of early sea-floor spreading, forming a part of the North Atlantic Volcanic Province. At the outer parts of the conjugate margins, the lavas form characteristic seaward dipping reflector sequences and lava deltas that drilling has demonstrated to be subaerially and/or neritically erupted basalts. The continent-ocean transition is usually well defined as a rapid increase of P-wave velocities at mid- to lower-crustal levels. Maximum igneous crustal thickness of about 18 km is found across the outer Vøring Plateau on the Norwegian Margin, and lower-crustal P-wave velocities of up to 7.3 km/s are found at the bottom of the igneous crust here. The igneous crust, including the characteristic 7+ km/s lower crustal body, is even thicker on the East Greenland Margin. During the main igneous episode, sills intruded into the thick Cretaceous successions throughout the NE Atlantic margins. Strong crustal reflections can be mapped widespread on both conjugate margins. In some areas they are associated with the top of the high-velocity lower crustal body, in other areas they may represent deeply buried sedimentary sequence boundaries or moho at the base of the crust. Following breakup, the subsiding margins experienced modest sedimentation until the late Pliocene when large wedges of glacial sediments prograded into the deep ocean from uplifted areas along the continental margins. The outbuilding was probably initiated in Miocene time indicating pre-glacial tectonic uplift of Greenland, Fennoscandia and the Barents Shelf. The NE Atlantic margins also reveal evidence of widespread Cenozoic compressional deformation.