The Fine Geochemical Structure of the Hawaiian Mantle Plume: Relation to the Earth's Lowermost Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weis, D.; Harrison, L.

2017-12-01

The Hawaiian mantle plume has been active for >80 Ma with the highest magmatic flux, also distinctly increasing with time. The identification of two clear geochemical trends (Loa-Kea) among Hawaiian volcanoes in all isotope systems has implications for the dynamics and internal structure of the plume conduit and source in the deep mantle. A compilation of modern isotopic data on Hawaiian shield volcanoes and from the Northwest Hawaiian Ridge (NWHR), focusing specifically on high-precision Pb isotopes integrated with Sr, Nd and Hf isotopes, indicates the presence of source differences for Loa- and Kea-trend volcanoes that are maintained throughout the 1 Ma activity of each volcano. These differences extend back in time on all the Hawaiian Islands ( 5 Ma), and as far back as 47 Ma on the NWHR. In all isotope systems, the Loa-trend basalts are more heterogeneous by a factor of 1.5 than the Kea-trend basalts. The Hawaiian mantle plume overlies the boundary between ambient Pacific lower mantle on the Kea side and the Pacific LLSVP on the Loa side. Geochemical differences between Kea and Loa trends reflect preferential sampling of these two distinct sources of deep mantle material, with additional contribution of ULVZ material sporadically on the Loa side. Plume movement up the gently sloping edge of the LLSVP resulted in entrainment of greater amounts of LLSVP-enriched material over time, and explains why the Hawaiian mantle plume dramatically strengthens over time, contrary to plume models. Similar indications of preferential sampling at the edges of the African LLSVP are found in Kerguelen and Tristan da Cunha basalts in the Indian and Atlantic oceans, respectively. The anomalous low-velocity zones at the core-mantle boundary store geochemical heterogeneities that are enriched in recycled material (EM-I type) with different compositions under the Pacific and under Africa, and that are sampled by strong mantle plumes such as Hawaii and Kerguelen.

Chondritic Xenon in the Earth's mantle: new constrains on a mantle plume below central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caracausi, Antonio; Avice, Guillaume; Bernard, Peter; Furi, Evelin; Marty, Bernard

2016-04-01

Due to their inertness, their low abundances, and the presence of several different radiochronometers in their isotope systematics, the noble gases are excellent tracers of mantle dynamics, heterogeneity and differentiation with respect to the atmosphere. Xenon deserves particular attention because its isotope systematic can be related to specific processes during terrestrial accretion (e.g., Marty, 1989; Mukhopadhyay, 2012). The origin of heavy noble gases in the Earth's mantle is still debated, and might not be solar (Holland et al., 2009). Mantle-derived CO2-rich gases are particularly powerful resources for investigating mantle-derived noble gases as large quantities of these elements are available and permit high precision isotope analysis. Here, we report high precision xenon isotopic measurements in gases from a CO2 well in the Eifel volcanic region (Germany), where volcanic activity occurred between 700 ka and 11 ka years ago. Our Xe isotope data (normalized to 130Xe) show deviations at all masses compared to the Xe isotope composition of the modern atmosphere. The improved analytical precision of the present study, and the nature of the sample, constrains the primordial Xe end-member as being "chondritic", and not solar, in the Eifel mantle source. This is consistent with an asteroidal origin for the volatile elements in Earth's mantle and it implies that volatiles in the atmosphere and in the mantle originated from distinct cosmochemical sources. Despite a significant fraction of recycled atmospheric xenon in the mantle, primordial Xe signatures still survive in the mantle. This is also a demonstration of a primordial component in a plume reservoir. Our data also show that the reservoir below the Eifel region contains heavy-radiogenic/fissiogenic xenon isotopes, whose ratios are typical of plume-derived reservoirs. The fissiogenic Pu-Xe contribution is 2.26±0.28 %, the UXe contribution is negligible, the remainder being atmospheric plus primordial. Our data support the notion that the fraction of plutonium-derived Xe in plume sources (oceanic as well as continental) is higher than in the MORB source reservoir. Hence, the MORB - type reservoirs appear to be well distinguished and more degassed than the plume sources (oceanic as well as continental) supporting the heterogeneity of Earth's mantle. Finally this study highlights that xenon isotopes in the Eifel gas have preserved a chemical signature that is characteristic of other mantle plume sources. This is very intriguing because the presence of a mantle plume in this sector of Central Europe was already inferred from geophysical and geochemical studies(Buikin et al., 2005; Goes et al., 1999). Notably, tomographic images show a low-velocity structure down to 2000 km depth, representing deep mantle upwelling under central Europe, that may feed smaller upper-mantle plumes (Eifel volcanic district-Germany). References Buikin A., Trieloff M., HoppJ., Althaus T., Korochantseva E., Schwarz W.H. &Altherr R., (2005), Noble gas isotopessuggestdeepmantleplume source of late Cenozoicmaficalkalinevolcanism in Europe, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 230, 143-162. Goes S., Spakman W. &BijwaardH., (1999), A lowermantle source for centraleuropeanvolcanism, Science, 286, 1928-1931.G. Holland, M. Cassidy, C.J. Ballentine, Meteorite Kr in the Earth's mantle suggests a late accretionary source for the atmosphere, Science, 326, 1522-1525, (2009). Marty, B. Neon and xenon isotopes in MORB: implications for the Earth-atmosphere evolution. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 94, 45-56 (1989). Mukhopadhyay S., Early differentiation and volatile accretion recorded in deep-mantle neon and xenon Nature, 486, 101-106, (2013).

Mantle Upwellings Below the Ibero-Maghrebian Region with a Common Deep Source from P Travel-time Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Civiero, C.; Custodio, S.; Silveira, G. M.; Rawlinson, N.; Arroucau, P.

2017-12-01

The processes responsible for the geodynamical evolution of the Ibero-Maghrebian domain are still enigmatic. Several geophysical studies have improved our understanding of the region, but no single model has been accepted yet. This study takes advantage of the dense station networks deployed from France in the north to Canary Islands and Morocco in the south to provide a new high-resolution P-wave velocity model of the structure of the upper-mantle and top of the lower mantle. These images show subvertical small-scale upwellings below Atlas Range, Canary Islands and Central Iberia that seem to cross the transition zone. The results, together with geochemical evidence and a comparison with previous global tomographic models, reveal the ponding or flow of deep-plume material beneath the transition zone, which seems to feed upper-mantle "secondary" pulses. In the upper mantle the plumes, in conjunction with the subduction-related upwellings, allow the hot mantle to rise in the surrounding zones. During its rising, the mantle interacts with horizontal SW slab-driven flow which skirts the Alboran slab and connects with the mantle upwelling below Massif Central through the Valencia Trough rift.

Comparing the composition of the earliest basalts erupted by the Iceland and Afar mantle plumes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuart, Finlay M.

2013-04-01

The first basalts erupted by mantle plumes are typically generated by mantle melting at temperatures 200-300°C higher than average ambient mantle. This is consistent with the derivation of from a thermal boundary layer at the core-mantle boundary. Mantle plume temperatures decrease with time, likely as large plume heads give way to thin plume conduits. Consequently the early, hot plume basalts are a window into the deep mantle. At it's simplest they provide a test of whether the discrete plume source regions are primordial mantle that have been isolated since soon after Earth accretion, or have substantial contributions from subducted slabs. Here I present new isotopic and trace element determinations of the earliest picritic basalts from the ~30 Ma Afar plume in Ethiopia. They will be compared with similar material from the ~60 Ma proto-Iceland plume (PIP) in an effort to test prevailing models regarding the source of mantle plumes. The extremely primordial nature of the helium in the PIP picrites (3He/4He ~ 50 Ra) contrasts with much lower values of the Ethiopian flood basalt province (~21 Ra). The Iceland plume 3He/4He has decreased (linearly) with time, mirroring the secular cooling of the Iceland mantle plume identified by decreasing MgO and FeO in primary melts. In 60 million years the Iceland plume 3He/4He is still higher than the maximum Afar plume value. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic composition of the high 3He/4He Ethiopian flood basalt province picrites are remarkably homogenous (e.g. 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70396-0.70412; 206Pb/204Pb = 18.82-19.01). In comparison the PIP picrites have ranges that span nearly the global range of E-MORB and N-MORB. The Afar and proto-Iceland mantle plumes are clearly not initiated in a single deep mantle domain with the same depletion/enrichment and degassing histories, and the same scale of heterogeneity. This implies that there is more than one plume source region/mechanism that is capable of generating comparable volumes of basalt melt at Earth surface.

Deep long-period earthquakes west of the volcanic arc in Oregon: evidence of serpentine dehydration in the fore-arc mantle wedge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vidale, John E.; Schmidt, David A.; Malone, Stephen D.; Hotovec-Ellis, Alicia J.; Moran, Seth C.; Creager, Kenneth C.; Houston, Heidi

2014-01-01

Here we report on deep long-period earthquakes (DLPs) newly observed in four places in western Oregon. The DLPs are noteworthy for their location within the subduction fore arc: 40–80 km west of the volcanic arc, well above the slab, and near the Moho. These “offset DLPs” occur near the top of the inferred stagnant mantle wedge, which is likely to be serpentinized and cold. The lack of fore-arc DLPs elsewhere along the arc suggests that localized heating may be dehydrating the serpentinized mantle wedge at these latitudes and causing DLPs by dehydration embrittlement. Higher heat flow in this region could be introduced by anomalously hot mantle, associated with the western migration of volcanism across the High Lava Plains of eastern Oregon, entrained in the corner flow proximal to the mantle wedge. Alternatively, fluids rising from the subducting slab through the mantle wedge may be the source of offset DLPs. As far as we know, these are among the first DLPs to be observed in the fore arc of a subduction-zone system.

Growth of continental crust: Clues from Nd isotopes and Nb-Th relationships in mantle-derived magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arndt, N. T.; Chauvel, C.; Jochum, K.-P.; Gruau, G.; Hofmann, A. W.

Isotope and trace element geochemistry of Precambrian mantle derived rocks and implications for the formation of the continental crust is discussed. Epsilon Nd values of Archean komatiites are variable, but range up to at least +5, suggesting that the Archean mantle was heterogeneous and, in part, very depleted as far back as 3.4 to 3.5 Ga. This may be taken as evidence for separation of continental crust very early in Earth history. If these komatiite sources were allowed to evolve in a closed system, they would produce modern day reservoirs with much higher epsilon Nd values than is observed. This implies recycling of some sort of enriched material, perhaps subducted sediments, although other possibilities exist. Archean volcanics show lower Nb/Th than modern volcanics, suggesting a more primitive mantle source than that observed nowadays. However, Cretaceous komatiites from Gorgona island have similar Nb/Th to Archean volcanics, indicating either the Archean mantle source was indeed more primitive, or Archean magmas were derived from a deep ocean island source like that proposed for Gorgona.

Growth of continental crust: Clues from Nd isotopes and Nb-Th relationships in mantle-derived magmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arndt, N. T.; Chauvel, C.; Jochum, K.-P.; Gruau, G.; Hofmann, A. W.

1988-01-01

Isotope and trace element geochemistry of Precambrian mantle derived rocks and implications for the formation of the continental crust is discussed. Epsilon Nd values of Archean komatiites are variable, but range up to at least +5, suggesting that the Archean mantle was heterogeneous and, in part, very depleted as far back as 3.4 to 3.5 Ga. This may be taken as evidence for separation of continental crust very early in Earth history. If these komatiite sources were allowed to evolve in a closed system, they would produce modern day reservoirs with much higher epsilon Nd values than is observed. This implies recycling of some sort of enriched material, perhaps subducted sediments, although other possibilities exist. Archean volcanics show lower Nb/Th than modern volcanics, suggesting a more primitive mantle source than that observed nowadays. However, Cretaceous komatiites from Gorgona island have similar Nb/Th to Archean volcanics, indicating either the Archean mantle source was indeed more primitive, or Archean magmas were derived from a deep ocean island source like that proposed for Gorgona.

Earth's Deep Carbon Cycle Constrained by Partial Melting of Mantle Peridotite and Eclogite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, R.; Hirschmann, M. M.; Withers, A. C.

2006-05-01

The mass of carbon in the mantle is thought to exceed that in all Earth's other reservoirs combined1 and large fluxes of carbon are cycled into and out of the mantle via subduction and volcanic emission. Devolatilization is known to release water in the mantle wedge, but release of carbon could be delayed if the relevant decarbonation reactions or solidi of oceanic crust are not encountered along P-T path of subduction. Outgassing of CO2 from the mantle also has a critical influence on Earth's climate for time scales of 108-109 yr1. The residence time for carbon in the mantle is thought to exceed the age of the Earth1,2, but it could be significantly shorter owing to pervasive deep melting beneath oceanic ridges. The dominant influx of carbon is via carbonate in altered ocean-floor basalts, which survives decarbonation during subduction. Our experiments demonstrate that solidi of carbonated eclogite remain hotter than average subduction geotherms at least as deep as transition zone3, and thus significant subducted C is delivered to the deep Earth, rather than liberated in the shallow mantle by melting. Flux of CO2 into the mantle, assuming average estimate of carbon in altered ocean crust of 0.21 wt. % CO24, can amount to 0.15 × 1015 g/yr. In upwelling mantle, however, partial melting of carbonated eclogite releases calcio-dolomitic carbonatite melt at depths near ~400 km and metasomatically implants carbonate to surrounding peridotite. Thus, volcanic release of CO2 to basalt source regions is likely controlled by the solidus of carbonated peridotite. Our recent experiments with nominally anhydrous, carbonate-bearing garnet lherzolite indicate that the solidus of peridotite with a trace amount of CO2 is ~500 °C lower than that of volatile-free peridotite at 10 GPa5. In upwelling mantle the solidus of carbonated lherzolite is ~100-200 km shallower than that of eclogite+CO2, but beneath oceanic ridges, initial melting occurs as deep as 300-330 km. For peridotite with ~100-1000 ppm CO2, this initial melting yields 0.03-0.3% carbonatite melt. Extraction of such melts from the mantle above 300 km implies residence times of 1 to 4 Gyr for carbon and other highly incompatible elements in the convecting mantle. Such short residence times suggest that large fractions of mantle carbon must be recycled rather than primordial. Implied CO2 fluxes are 0.12-3.4 × 1015 g/yr, which matches or exceeds direct estimates for CO2 fluxes at ridges (0.04-0.66 × 1015 g/yr) 1,6. However, not all of this deep extracted CO2 may reach ridges; some may instead be implanted into oceanic lithosphere, providing a widespread source for metasomatic fluids that are highly enriched in incompatible elements. 1Sleep, N. H. and Zahnle, K. 2001, JGR 106, 1373-1399. 2Zhang, Y. and Zindler, A. 1993, EPSL 117, 331-345. 3Dasgupta, R. et al. 2004, EPSL 227, 73-85. 4Alt, J. C. and Teagle, D. A. H. 1999, GCA, 1527-1535. 5Dasgupta, R. and Hirschmann, M. M. in press, Nature. 6Javoy, M. and Pineau, F. 1991, EPSL 107, 598-611.

Dynamics of metasomatic transformation of lithospheric mantle rocks under Siberian Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharapov, Victor; Perepechko, Yury; Tomilenko, Anatoly; Chudnenko, Konstantin; Sorokin, Konstantin

2014-05-01

Numerical problem for one- and two-velocity hydrodynamics of heat and mass transfer in permeable zones over 'asthenospheric lenses' (with estimates for dynamics of non-isothermal metasomatosis of mantle rocks, using the approximation of flow reactor scheme) was formulated and solved based on the study of inclusion contents in minerals of metamorphic rocks of the lithosphere mantle and earth crust, estimates of thermodynamic conditions of inclusions appearance, and the results of experimental modeling of influence of hot reduced gases on rocks and minerals of xenoliths in mantle rocks under the cratons of Siberian Platform (SP): 1) the supply of fluid flows of any composition from upper mantle magma sources results in formation of zonal metasomatic columns in ultrabasic lithosphere mantle in permeable zones of deep faults; 2) when major element or petrogenetic components are supplied from magma source, depleted ultrabasic rocks of the lithosphere mantle are transformed into substrates which can be regarded as deep analogs of crust rodingites; 3) other fluid compositions cause deep calcinations and noticeable salination of metasomated substrate, or garnetization (eclogitization) of primary ultrabasic matrix develops; 4) above these zones the zone of basification appears; it is changed by the area of pyroxenitization, amphibolization, and biotitization; 5) modeling of thermo and mass exchange for two-velocity hydrodynamic problem showed that hydraulic approximation increases velocities of heat front during convective heating and decreases pressure in fluid along the flow. It was shown that grospydites, regarded earlier as eclogites, in permeable areas of lithosphere mantle, are typical zones draining upper mantle magma sources of metasomatic columns. As a result of the convective melting the polybaric magmatic sources may appear. Thus the formation of the (kimberlites?) melilitites or carbonatites is possible at the base of the lithospheric plates. It is shown that the physico - chemical conditions of the carbonation of the depleted mantle peridotites refer to the narrow interval of the possible fluid compositions. The bulk fluid content near 4 weight % with the SiO2 CaO 0.5 - 0.1 molar volumes the 1) the Si/Ca molar ratio is < 1; 2) in the C-H-O system the molar ration should be 1/2/3 - 2/1/2; 3) the pO2 variations should be -8 < lg pO2 < -11; 4) in the fluid the CO2 content is twice higher than H2O and Cl essentially prevail under F. In the system with smaller fraction of the fluid phase less increased by the major element rock components the carbonation is more intensive when the Ca content decrease. The fusions of the basic magmas are possible within the wehrlitization zones. The work is supported by RFBR grant 12-05-00625.

A rapid burst in hotspot motion through the interaction of tectonics and deep mantle flow.

PubMed

Hassan, Rakib; Müller, R Dietmar; Gurnis, Michael; Williams, Simon E; Flament, Nicolas

2016-05-12

Volcanic hotspot tracks featuring linear progressions in the age of volcanism are typical surface expressions of plate tectonic movement on top of narrow plumes of hot material within Earth's mantle. Seismic imaging reveals that these plumes can be of deep origin--probably rooted on thermochemical structures in the lower mantle. Although palaeomagnetic and radiometric age data suggest that mantle flow can advect plume conduits laterally, the flow dynamics underlying the formation of the sharp bend occurring only in the Hawaiian-Emperor hotspot track in the Pacific Ocean remains enigmatic. Here we present palaeogeographically constrained numerical models of thermochemical convection and demonstrate that flow in the deep lower mantle under the north Pacific was anomalously vigorous between 100 million years ago and 50 million years ago as a consequence of long-lasting subduction systems, unlike those in the south Pacific. These models show a sharp bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor hotspot track arising from the interplay of plume tilt and the lateral advection of plume sources. The different trajectories of the Hawaiian and Louisville hotspot tracks arise from asymmetric deformation of thermochemical structures under the Pacific between 100 million years ago and 50 million years ago. This asymmetric deformation waned just before the Hawaiian-Emperor bend developed, owing to flow in the deepest lower mantle associated with slab descent in the north and south Pacific.

Zoned mantle convection.

PubMed

Albarède, Francis; Van Der Hilst, Rob D

2002-11-15

We review the present state of our understanding of mantle convection with respect to geochemical and geophysical evidence and we suggest a model for mantle convection and its evolution over the Earth's history that can reconcile this evidence. Whole-mantle convection, even with material segregated within the D" region just above the core-mantle boundary, is incompatible with the budget of argon and helium and with the inventory of heat sources required by the thermal evolution of the Earth. We show that the deep-mantle composition in lithophilic incompatible elements is inconsistent with the storage of old plates of ordinary oceanic lithosphere, i.e. with the concept of a plate graveyard. Isotopic inventories indicate that the deep-mantle composition is not correctly accounted for by continental debris, primitive material or subducted slabs containing normal oceanic crust. Seismological observations have begun to hint at compositional heterogeneity in the bottom 1000 km or so of the mantle, but there is no compelling evidence in support of an interface between deep and shallow mantle at mid-depth. We suggest that in a system of thermochemical convection, lithospheric plates subduct to a depth that depends - in a complicated fashion - on their composition and thermal structure. The thermal structure of the sinking plates is primarily determined by the direction and rate of convergence, the age of the lithosphere at the trench, the sinking rate and the variation of these parameters over time (i.e. plate-tectonic history) and is not the same for all subduction systems. The sinking rate in the mantle is determined by a combination of thermal (negative) and compositional buoyancy and as regards the latter we consider in particular the effect of the loading of plates with basaltic plateaux produced by plume heads. Barren oceanic plates are relatively buoyant and may be recycled preferentially in the shallow mantle. Oceanic plateau-laden plates have a more pronounced negative buoyancy and can more easily founder to the very base of the mantle. Plateau segregation remains statistical and no sharp compositional interface is expected from the multiple fate of the plates. We show that the variable depth subduction of heavily laden plates can prevent full vertical mixing and preserve a vertical concentration gradient in the mantle. In addition, it can account for the preservation of scattered remnants of primitive material in the deep mantle and therefore for the Ar and (3)He observations in ocean-island basalts.

South Atlantic sag basins: new petroleum system components

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

Henry, S.G.; Mello, M.R.

Newly discovered pre-salt source rocks, reservoirs and seals need to be included as components to the petroleum systems of both sides of the South Atlantic. These new components lie between the pre-salt rift strata and the Aptian salt layers, forming large, post-rift, thermal subsidence sag basins. These are differentiated from the older rift basins by the lack of syn-rift faulting and a reflector geometry that is parallel to the base salt regional unconformity rather than to the Precambrian basement. These basins are observed in deep water regions overlying areas where both the mantle and the crust have been involved inmore » the extension. This mantle involvement creates post-rift subsiding depocenters in which deposition is continuous while proximal rift-phase troughs with little or no mantle involvement are bypassed and failed to accumulate potential source rocks during anoxic times. These features have been recognized in both West African Kwanza Basin and in the East Brasil Rift systems. The pre-salt source rocks that are in the West African sag basins were deposited in lacustrine brackish to saline water environment and are geochemically distinct from the older, syn-rift fresh to brackish water lakes, as well as from younger, post-salt marine anoxic environments of the drift phase. Geochemical analyses of the source rocks and their oils have shown a developing source rock system evolving from isolated deep rift lakes to shallow saline lakes, and culminating with the infill of the sag basin by large saline lakes to a marginally marine restricted gulf. Sag basin source rocks may be important in the South Atlantic petroleum system by charging deep-water prospects where syn-rift source rocks are overmature and the post-salt sequences are immature.« less

The He isotope composition of the earliest picrites erupted by the Ethiopia plume, implications for mantle plume source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuart, Finlay; Rogers, Nick; Davies, Marc

2016-04-01

The earliest basalts erupted by mantle plumes are Mg-rich, and typically derived from mantle with higher potential temperature than those derived from the convecting upper mantle at mid-ocean ridges and ocean islands. The chemistry and isotopic composition of picrites from CFB provide constraints on the composition of deep Earth and thus the origin and differentiation history. We report new He-Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic composition of the picrites from the Ethiopian flood basalt province from the Dilb (Chinese Road) section. They are characterized by high Fe and Ti contents for MgO = 10-22 wt. % implying that the parent magma was derived from a high temperature low melt fraction, most probably from the Afar plume head. The picrite 3He/4He does not exceed 21 Ra, and there is a negative correlation with MgO, the highest 3He/4He corresponding to MgO = 15.4 wt. %. Age-corrected 87Sr/86Sr (0.70392-0.70408) and 143Nd/144Nd (0.512912-0.512987) display little variation and are distinct from MORB and OIB. Age-corrected Pb isotopes display a significant range (e.g. 206Pb/204Pb = 18.70-19.04) and plot above the NHRL. These values contrast with estimates of the modern Afar mantle plume which has lower 3He/4He and Sr, Nd and Pb isotope ratios that are more comparable with typical OIB. These results imply either interaction between melts derived from the Afar mantle plume and a lithospheric component, or that the original Afar mantle plume had a rather unique radiogenic isotope composition. Regardless of the details of the origins of this unusual signal, our observations place a minimum 3He/4He value of 21 Ra for the Afar mantle plume, significantly greater than the present day value of 16 Ra, implying a significant reduction over 30 Myr. In addition the Afar source was less degassed than convecting mantle but more degassed than mantle sampled by the proto-Iceland plume (3He/4He ~50 Ra). This suggests that the largest mantle plumes are not sourced in a single deep mantle domain with a common depletion history and that they do not mix with shallower mantle reservoirs to the same extent.

Experimental constraints on the fate of subducted upper continental crust beyond the "depth of no return"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yanfei; Wu, Yao; Wang, Chao; Zhu, Lüyun; Jin, Zhenmin

2016-08-01

The subducted continental crust material will be gravitationally trapped in the deep mantle after having been transported to depths of greater than ∼250-300 km (the "depth of no return"). However, little is known about the status of this trapped continental material as well as its contribution to the mantle heterogeneity after achieving thermal equilibrium with the surrounding mantle. Here, we conduct an experimental study over pressure and temperature ranges of 9-16 GPa and 1300-1800 °C to constrain the fate of these trapped upper continental crust (UCC). The experimental results show that partial melting will occur in the subducted UCC along normal mantle geotherm to produce K-rich melt. The residual phases composed of coesite/stishovite + clinopyroxene + kyanite in the upper mantle, and stishovite + clinopyroxene + K-hollandite + garnet + CAS-phase in the mantle transition zone (MTZ), respectively. The residual phases achieve densities greater than the surrounding mantle, which provides a driving force for descent across the 410-km seismic discontinuity into the MTZ. However, this density relationship is reversed at the base of the MTZ, leaving the descended residues to be accumulated above the 660-km seismic discontinuity and may contribute to the "second continent". The melt is ∼0.6-0.7 g/cm3 less dense than the surrounding mantle, which provides a buoyancy force for ascent of melt to shallow depths. The ascending melt, which preserves a significant portion of the bulk-rock rare earth elements (REEs), large ion lithophile elements (LILEs), and high-filed strength elements (HFSEs), may react with the surrounding mantle. Re-melting of the metasomatized mantle may contribute to the origin of the "enriched mantle sources" (EM-sources). Therefore, the deep subducted continental crust may create geochemical/geophysical heterogeneity in Earth's interior through subduction, stagnation, partial melting and melt segregation.

Volatiles in the Earth and Moon: Constraints on planetary formation and evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parai, Rita

The volatile inventories of the Earth and Moon reflect unique histories of volatile acquisition and loss in the early Solar System. The terrestrial volatile inventory was established after the giant impact phase of accretion, and the planet subsequently settled into a regime of long-term volatile exchange between the mantle and surface reservoirs in association with plate tectonics. Therefore, volatiles in the Earth and Moon shed light on a diverse array of processes that shaped planetary bodies in the Solar System as they evolved to their present-day states. Here we investigate new constraints on volatile depletion in the early Solar System, early outgassing of the terrestrial mantle, and the long-term evolution of the deep Earth volatile budget. We develop a Monte Carlo model of long-term water exchange between the mantle and surface reservoirs. Previous estimates of the deep Earth return flux of water are up to an order of magnitude too large, and incorporation of recycled slabs on average rehydrates the upper mantle but dehydrates the plume source. We find evidence for heterogeneous recycling of atmospheric argon and xenon into the upper mantle from noble gases in Southwest Indian Ridge basalts. Xenon isotope systematics indicate that xenon budgets of mid-ocean ridge and plume-related mantle sources are dominated by recycled atmospheric xenon, though the two sources have experienced different degrees of degassing. Differences between the mid-ocean ridge and plume sources were initiated within the first 100 million years of Earth history, and the two sources have never subsequently been homogenized. New high-precision xenon isotopic data contribute to an emerging portrait of two mantle reservoirs with distinct histories of outgassing and incorporation of recycled material in association with plate tectonics. Xenon isotopes indicate that the Moon likely formed within ˜70 million years of the start of the Solar System. To further investigate early Solar System chronology, we determined strontium isotopic compositions in a suite of planetary materials. If the Moon is derived from proto-Earth material, then rubidium-strontium systematics in the lunar anorthosite 60025 and Moore County plagioclase indicate that Moon formation occurred within ~62 million years of the start of the Solar System.

Evidence for Primordial Water in Earths Deep Mantle: D/h Ratios in Baffin Island and Icelandic Picrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hallis, L. J.; Huss, G. R.; Nagashima, K.; Taylor, J.; Hilton, D. R.; Mottl, M. J.; Meech, K. J.; Halldorsson, S. A.

2016-12-01

Experimentally based chemical models suggest Jeans escape could have caused an increase in Earth's atmospheric D/H ratio of between a factor of 2 and 9 since the planets formation1. Plate tectonic mixing ensures this change has been incorporated into the mantle. In addition, collisions with hydrogen bearing planetesimals or cometary material after Earth's accretion could have altered the D/H ratio of the planet's surface and upper mantle2. Therefore, to determine Earth's original D/H ratio, a reservoir that has been completely unaffected by these surface and upper mantle changes is required. Most studies suggest that high 3He/4He ratios in some OIBs indicate the existence of relatively undegassed regions in the deep mantle compared to the upper mantle, which retain a greater proportion of their primordial He3-4. Early Tertiary (60-million-year-old) picrites from Baffin Island and west Greenland, which represent volcanic rocks from the proto/early Iceland mantle plume, contain the highest recorded terrestrial 3He/4He ratios3-4. These picrites also have Pb and Nd isotopic ratios consistent with primordial mantle ages (4.45 to 4.55 Ga)5, indicating the persistence of an ancient, isolated reservoir in the mantle. The undegassed and primitive nature6of this reservoir suggests that it could preserve Earth's initial D/H ratio. We measured the D/H ratios of olivine-hosted glassy melt inclusions in Baffin Island and Icelandic picrites to establish whether their deep mantle source region exhibits a different D/H ratio to known upper mantle and surface reservoirs. Baffin Island D/H ratios were found to extend lower than any previously measured mantle values (δD -97 to -218 ‰), suggesting that areas of the deep mantle do preserve a more primitive hydrogen reservoir, hence are unaffected by plate tectonic mixing. Comparing our measured low D/H ratios to those of known extra-terrestrial materials can help determine where Earths water came from. References: [1] Genda and Ikoma, 2008 Icarus 194, 42-52. [2] Abramov, and Mojzsis, (2009) Nature 459, 419-422. [3] Stuart et al. (2003) Nature 424, 57-59. [4] Starkey et al. (2009) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 277, 91-100. [5] Jackson et al. (2010) Nature 466, 853-856. [6] Robillard et al. (1992) Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 112, 230-241.

Effect of hydrogen on the melting of the Fe-C system and the fate of the subducted carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, X.; Chen, B.; Gao, J.; Zhu, F.

2017-12-01

The subducted oceanic crust carries significant amount of carbonates and organic carbons from the surface into the deep mantle. Through slab-mantle interactions, subducted carbons can react with metallic iron in the metal-saturated regions of the mantle and form various reduced species such as Fe carbides. The Fe-C system is found to have higher eutectic melting temperature than mantle geotherm and thus carbon by forming iron carbides may be "redox freezed" in the mantle (Rohrbach and Schmidt 2011). Hydrogen was found to be have significant effect on the melting of the Fe-light-elements systems such as the Fe-S system (Shibazaki et al., 2011). Here we report experimental results from both multi-anvil press and diamond anvil cell experiments on the melting behaviors of the Fe-C-H system. C14H12, a solid-state C-H organic compound was used as a C-H source to react with the metallic iron at high pressure and high temperature conditions. With excess C14H12, hydrogen in the FeHx alloy was totally replaced by carbon at 14.8-24.7 GPa. Conversely, with excess Fe, the existence of hydrogen is found to depress the melting temperature of the Fe-C system by at least 100 K. Hydrogen may facilitate the transport and cycling of subducted carbon in the deep mantle and contribute to formation of superdeep diamonds (Smith et al. 2016). Rohrbach, Arno, and Max W. Schmidt. "Redox freezing and melting in the Earth's deep mantle resulting from carbon-iron redox coupling." Nature 472.7342 (2011): 209. Shibazaki, Yuki, et al. "Effect of hydrogen on the melting temperature of FeS at high pressure: Implications for the core of Ganymede." Earth and Planetary Science Letters 301.1 (2011): 153-158. Smith, Evan M., et al. "Large gem diamonds from metallic liquid in Earth's deep mantle." Science 354.6318 (2016): 1403-1405.

S-to-P Conversions from Mid-mantle Slow Scatterers in Slab Regions: Observations of Deep/Stagnated Oceanic Crust?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xiaobo; Zheng, Yixian

2018-02-01

The fate of a subducted slab is a key ingredient in the context of plate tectonics, yet it remains enigmatic especially in terms of its crustal component. In this study, our efforts are devoted to resolve slab-related structures in the mid-mantle below eastern Indonesia, the Izu-Bonin region, and the Peru area by employing seismic array analysing techniques on high-frequency waveform data from F-net in Japan and the Alaska regional network and the USArray in North America. A pronounced arrival after the direct P wave is observed in the recordings of four deep earthquakes (depths greater than 400 km) from three subduction systems including the Philippines, the Izu-Bonin, and the Peru. This later arrival displays a slightly lower slowness compared to the direct P wave and its back-azimuth deviates somewhat from the great-circle direction. We explain it as an S-to-P conversion at a deep scatterer below the sources in the source region. In total, five scatterers are seen at depths ranging from 930 to 1500 km. Those scatterers appear to be characterised by an 7 km-thick low-velocity layer compared to the ambient mantle. Combined evidence from published mineral physical analysis suggests that past subducted oceanic crust, possibly fragmented, is most likely responsible for these thin-layer compositional heterogeneities trapped in the mid-mantle beneath the study regions. Our observations give a clue to the potential fate of subducted oceanic crust.

FeO2 and FeOOH under deep lower-mantle conditions and Earth's oxygen-hydrogen cycles.

PubMed

Hu, Qingyang; Kim, Duck Young; Yang, Wenge; Yang, Liuxiang; Meng, Yue; Zhang, Li; Mao, Ho-Kwang

2016-06-09

The distribution, accumulation and circulation of oxygen and hydrogen in Earth's interior dictate the geochemical evolution of the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. The oxygen-rich atmosphere and iron-rich core represent two end-members of the oxygen-iron (O-Fe) system, overlapping with the entire pressure-temperature-composition range of the planet. The extreme pressure and temperature conditions of the deep interior alter the oxidation states, spin states and phase stabilities of iron oxides, creating new stoichiometries, such as Fe4O5 (ref. 5) and Fe5O6 (ref. 6). Such interactions between O and Fe dictate Earth's formation, the separation of the core and mantle, and the evolution of the atmosphere. Iron, in its multiple oxidation states, controls the oxygen fugacity and oxygen budget, with hydrogen having a key role in the reaction of Fe and O (causing iron to rust in humid air). Here we use first-principles calculations and experiments to identify a highly stable, pyrite-structured iron oxide (FeO2) at 76 gigapascals and 1,800 kelvin that holds an excessive amount of oxygen. We show that the mineral goethite, FeOOH, which exists ubiquitously as 'rust' and is concentrated in bog iron ore, decomposes under the deep lower-mantle conditions to form FeO2 and release H2. The reaction could cause accumulation of the heavy FeO2-bearing patches in the deep lower mantle, upward migration of hydrogen, and separation of the oxygen and hydrogen cycles. This process provides an alternative interpretation for the origin of seismic and geochemical anomalies in the deep lower mantle, as well as a sporadic O2 source for the Great Oxidation Event over two billion years ago that created the present oxygen-rich atmosphere.

Key new pieces of the HIMU puzzle from olivines and diamond inclusions.

PubMed

Weiss, Yaakov; Class, Cornelia; Goldstein, Steven L; Hanyu, Takeshi

2016-09-29

Mantle melting, which leads to the formation of oceanic and continental crust, together with crust recycling through plate tectonics, are the primary processes that drive the chemical differentiation of the silicate Earth. The present-day mantle, as sampled by oceanic basalts, shows large chemical and isotopic variability bounded by a few end-member compositions. Among these, the HIMU end-member (having a high U/Pb ratio, μ) has been generally considered to represent subducted/recycled basaltic oceanic crust. However, this concept has been challenged by recent studies of the mantle source of HIMU magmas. For example, analyses of olivine phenocrysts in HIMU lavas indicate derivation from the partial melting of peridotite, rather than from the pyroxenitic remnants of recycled oceanic basalt. Here we report data that elucidate the source of these lavas: high-precision trace-element analyses of olivine phenocrysts point to peridotite that has been metasomatized by carbonatite fluids. Moreover, similarities in the trace-element patterns of carbonatitic melt inclusions in diamonds and HIMU lavas indicate that the metasomatism occurred in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, fused to the base of the continental crust and isolated from mantle convection. Taking into account evidence from sulfur isotope data for Archean to early Proterozoic surface material in the deep HIMU mantle source, a multi-stage evolution is revealed for the HIMU end-member, spanning more than half of Earth's history. Before entrainment in the convecting mantle, storage in a boundary layer, upwelling as a mantle plume and partial melting to become ocean island basalt, the HIMU source formed as Archean-early Proterozoic subduction-related carbonatite-metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle.

Origin of geochemical mantle components: Role of spreading ridges and thermal evolution of mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Jun-Ichi; Gill, James B.; van Keken, Peter E.; Kawabata, Hiroshi; Skora, Susanne

2017-02-01

We explore the element redistribution at mid-ocean ridges (MOR) using a numerical model to evaluate the role of decompression melting of the mantle in Earth's geochemical cycle, with focus on the formation of the depleted mantle component. Our model uses a trace element mass balance based on an internally consistent thermodynamic-petrologic computation to explain the composition of MOR basalt (MORB) and residual peridotite. Model results for MORB-like basalts from 3.5 to 0 Ga indicate a high mantle potential temperature (Tp) of 1650-1500°C during 3.5-1.5 Ga before decreasing gradually to ˜1300°C today. The source mantle composition changed from primitive (PM) to depleted as Tp decreased, but this source mantle is variable with an early depleted reservoir (EDR) mantle periodically present. We examine a two-stage Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic evolution of mantle residues from melting of PM or EDR at MORs. At high-Tp (3.5-1.5 Ga), the MOR process formed extremely depleted DMM. This coincided with formation of the majority of the continental crust, the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, and the enriched mantle components formed at subduction zones and now found in OIB. During cooler mantle conditions (1.5-0 Ga), the MOR process formed most of the modern ocean basin DMM. Changes in the mode of mantle convection from vigorous deep mantle recharge before ˜1.5 Ga to less vigorous afterward is suggested to explain the thermochemical mantle evolution.

Metastable mantle phase transformations and deep earthquakes in subducting oceanic lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirby, Stephen H.; Stein, Seth; Okal, Emile A.; Rubie, David C.

1996-05-01

Earth's deepest earthquakes occur as a population in subducting or previously subducted lithosphere at depths ranging from about 325 to 690 km. This depth interval closely brackets the mantle transition zone, characterized by rapid seismic velocity increases resulting from the transformation of upper mantle minerals to higher-pressure phases. Deep earthquakes thus provide the primary direct evidence for subduction of the lithosphere to these depths and allow us to investigate the deep thermal, thermodynamic, and mechanical ferment inside slabs. Numerical simulations of reaction rates show that the olivine → spinel transformation should be kinetically hindered in old, cold slabs descending into the transition zone. Thus wedge-shaped zones of metastable peridotite probably persist to depths of more than 600 km. Laboratory deformation experiments on some metastable minerals display a shear instability called transformational faulting. This instability involves sudden failure by localized superplasticity in thin shear zones where the metastable host mineral transforms to a denser, finer-grained phase. Hence in cold slabs, such faulting is expected for the polymorphic reactions in which olivine transforms to the spinel structure and clinoenstatite transforms to ilmenite. It is thus natural to hypothesize that deep earthquakes result from transformational faulting in metastable peridotite wedges within cold slabs. This consideration of the mineralogical states of slabs augments the traditional largely thermal view of slab processes and explains some previously enigmatic slab features. It explains why deep seismicity occurs only in the approximate depth range of the mantle transition zone, where minerals in downgoing slabs should transform to spinel and ilmenite structures. The onset of deep shocks at about 325 km is consistent with the onset of metastability near the equilibrium phase boundary in the slab. Even if a slab penetrates into the lower mantle, earthquakes should cease at depths near 700 km, because the seismogenic phase transformations in the slab are completed or can no longer occur. Substantial metastability is expected only in old, cold slabs, consistent with the observed restriction of deep earthquakes to those settings. Earthquakes should be restricted to the cold cores of slabs, as in any model in which the seismicity is temperature controlled, via the distribution of metastability. However, the geometries of recent large deep earthquakes pose a challenge for any such models. Transformational faulting may give insight into why deep shocks lack appreciable aftershocks and why their source characteristics, including focal mechanisms indicating localized shear failure rather than implosive deformation, are so similar to those of shallow earthquakes. Finally, metastable phase changes in slabs would produce an internal source of stress in addition to those due to the weight of the sinking slab. Such internal stresses may explain the occurrence of earthquakes in portions of lithosphere which have foundered to the bottom of the transition zone and/or are detached from subducting slabs. Metastability in downgoing slabs could have considerable geodynamic significance. Metastable wedges would reduce the negative buoyancy of slabs, decrease the driving force for subduction, and influence the state of stress in slabs. Heat released by metastable phase changes would raise temperatures within slabs and facilitate the transformation of spinel to the lower mantle mineral assemblage, causing slabs to equilibrate more rapidly with the ambient mantle and thus contribute to the cessation of deep seismicity. Because wedge formation should occur only for fast subducting slabs, it may act as a "parachute" and contribute to regulating plate speeds. Wedge formation would also have consequences for mantle evolution because the density of a slab stagnated near the bottom of the transition zone would increase as it heats up and the wedge transforms to denser spinel, favoring the subsequent sinking of the slab into the lower mantle.

The Upper Mantle Flow Field around South-Africa as Reflected by Isotopic Provinciality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyzen, C.; Blichert-Toft, J.; Ludden, J.; Humler, E.; Mevel, C.; Albarede, F.

2006-12-01

Isotopic studies of MORB have established the existence of broad isotopic provinces within the underlying asthenosphere, such as in the Indian Ocean (DUPAL). How these features relate to mantle circulation is, however, still unknown. The steepness of the transition between such isotopic provinces will define the geometry of the velocity field in the upper mantle. In this respect, the transition between the Indian and South Atlantic provinces, two domains that are isotopically contrasted, should be readily identifiable over this long ridge segment. Here, we present Hf isotope data for 60 samples dredged along the SWIR between 35° and 69°E. The new Hf isotope data show that the Indian asthenosphere does not spill directly into the South Atlantic upper mantle: the general decreasing southward gradient observed for ^{176}Hf/^{177}Hf down the mid- Atlantic Ridge, and also for Sr isotopes and model Th/U ratios (derived from Pb isotopes), is overprinted by material with radiogenic Sr, unradiogenic Hf and high Th/U. The Indian domain grades into the South Atlantic around Bouvet, while the South Atlantic collides with the Atlantic province around Tristan. We interpret these features to represent fronts between three adjacent isotopic provinces similar to what has been suggested for the Australian-Antarctic Discordance. The common DUPAL signature of MORB and OIB from the Indian province and the geochemistry of Gulf of Aden MORB and the Afar plume suggest that the source of this distinctive mantle component is deep and lies to the north of the province. This is also what the three-dimensional flow field computed by Behn et al. (2004) from shear-wave splitting shows with a major lower mantle upwelling radiating at the base of the asthenosphere under the Afar plume. Lower mantle gushing out from this source flows southward unimpeded along the Indian ridges, whereas it only reaches the South Atlantic ridge after first having been deflected under the deep roots of the South African Archean cratons. Erosion of these roots by the asthenospheric drift confers a distinct continental signature on the source of South Atlantic MORB. This pattern is also consistent with the observation that the lowest He isotope values occur, on average, along the South Atlantic ridge. To some extent, the dynamics of the North Atlantic upper mantle mirrors the Indian situation: the flow field of Behn et al. (2004) shows that the North Atlantic asthenosphere also fills up through deep mantle upwellings, which is consistent with the Dupal-like isotopic signature of the Arctic ridges. M.D. Behn, C.P. Conrad and P.G. Silver (2004), Detection of upper mantle flow associated with the African Superplume, Earth. Planet. Sci. Lett., 224, 259-274.

The ratios of carbon and non-radiogenic helium and argon isotopes in the mantle and crustal rocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lokhov, K.; Levsky, L.

1994-01-01

The studies of the relations of carbon and primary isotopes of noble gases were carried out on the natural gases and on the mantle rocks from the mantle M-type sources, which represent the degassed mantle reservoir (MORB's). These works has the aim of estimation of the values of the C/3He ratios in the deep mantle fluids to determine the flux of the mantle CO2 on the basis of known flux of primary mantle 3He. It was found, that in the natural gases the values of the C/3He ratios fall into the range from 1 times E plus 6 to 1 times E plus 15, and in the fluids of MORB's are constant near 2 times E plus 9. We have studied the mantle rocks from the relatively undergassed mantle P minus type sources: continental; Baikal Rift (Siberia), Mongolia, Catalonia (Spain), Pannonia Depression (central Europe) and ocean; Spietzbergen isl., Hawaii isl., Canarian isl. It ws found, that in mantle xenolites and the host alkaline basalts from the continental rifts and ocean islands, the values of the C/3He ratios fall into the range from E plus 11 to E plus 15 (and this result needed to be explained; the higher carbon to helium ratios is relatively undergassed mantle reservoir compared with the degassed one, requires whether hilly compatibility of helium compared with carbon, whether additional flux of 3He to the degassed mantle reservoir). From the other hand it was found that in the mantle rocks from the sources of P minus and M minus types, continental carbonatites, the values of the C/36Ar ratios are constant in the range from E plus 9 to E plus 10, the close values have the MORB's also.

Helium Flux from the Earth's Mantle as Estimated from Hawaiian Fumarolic Degassing.

PubMed

Naughton, J J; Lee, J H; Keeling, D; Finlayson, J B; Dority, G

1973-04-06

Averaged helium to carbon dioxide ratios measured from systematic collections of gases from Sulphur Bank fumarole. Kilauea, Hawaii, when coupled with estimates of carbon in the earth's crust, give a helium flux of 1 x 105 atoms per square centimeter per second. This is within the lower range of other estimates, and may represent the flux from deep-seated sources in the upper mantle.

Record of massive upwellings from the Pacific large low shear velocity province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madrigal, Pilar; Gazel, Esteban; Flores, Kennet E.; Bizimis, Michael; Jicha, Brian

2016-11-01

Large igneous provinces, as the surface expression of deep mantle processes, play a key role in the evolution of the planet. Here we analyse the geochemical record and timing of the Pacific Ocean Large Igneous Provinces and preserved accreted terranes to reconstruct the history of pulses of mantle plume upwellings and their relation with a deep-rooted source like the Pacific large low-shear velocity Province during the Mid-Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous. Petrological modelling and geochemical data suggest the need of interaction between these deep-rooted upwellings and mid-ocean ridges in pulses separated by ~10-20 Ma, to generate the massive volumes of melt preserved today as oceanic plateaus. These pulses impacted the marine biota resulting in episodes of anoxia and mass extinctions shortly after their eruption.

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.

Investigating Transition Zone Thickness Variation under the Arabian Plate: Evidence Lacking for Deep Mantle Upwellings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juliá, J.; Tang, Z.; Mai, P. M.; Zahran, H.

2014-12-01

Cenozoic volcanic outcrops in Arabia - locally known as harrats - span more than 2000 km along the western half of the Arabian plate, from eastern Yemen to southern Syria. The magmatism is bimodal in character, with older volcanics (30 to 20 My) being tholeiitic-to-transitional and paralleling the Red Sea margin, and younger volcanics (12 Ma to Recent) being transitional-to-strongly-alkalic and aligning in a more north-south direction. The bimodal character has been attributed to a two-stage rifting process along the Red Sea, where the old volcanics would have produced from shallow sources related to an initial passive rifting stage, and young volcanics would have originated from one or more deep-seated mantle plumes driving present active rifting. Early models suggested the harrats would have resulted from either lateral flow from the Afar plume in Ethiopia, or more locally from a separate mantle plume directly located under the shield. Most recently, tomographic images of the Arabian mantle have suggested the northern harrats could be resulting from flow originating at a deep plume under Jordan. In this work, we investigate the location of deep mantle plumes under the Arabian plate by mapping transition zone thickness with teleseismic receiver functions. The transition zone is bounded by seismic discontinuities, nominally at 410 and 660 km depth, originating from phase transitions in the olivine-normative component of the mantle. The precise depth of the discontinuities is strongly dependent on temperature and, due to the opposing signs of the corresponding Clapeyron slopes, positive temperature anomalies are expected to result in thinning of the transition zone. Our dataset consists of ~5000 low-frequency (fc < 0.25 Hz) receiver function waveforms obtained at ~110 broadband stations belonging to a number of permanent and temporary seismic networks in the region. The receiver functions were migrated to depth and stacked along a ~2000 km long record section displaying P-to-S conversions at seismic discontinuities under Western Arabia. Our results display a normal to thicker-than-average transition zone under the study area, suggesting thermal perturbations of the transition zone due to deep mantle upwellings under the western shield and/or Jordan are unlikely.

Numerical modeling the genetic mechanism of Cenozoic intraplate Volcanoes in Northeastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Wulin; Chen, Yongshun John; Zhang, Huai; Jin, Yimin; Shi, Yaolin

2017-04-01

Changbaishan Volcano located about 1400 km west of Japan Trench is an intra continental volcano which having different origin from island arc volcanoes. A number of different mechanisms have been proposed to interpret the origin of intraplate volcanoes, such as deep mantle plumes, back-arc extension and decompressional partial melting, asthenosphere upwelling and decompressional melting, and deep stagnant slab dehydration and partial melting. The recent geophysical research reveals that the slow seismic velocity anomaly extends continuously just below 660 km depth to surface beneath Changbaishan by seismic images and three-dimensional waveform modelling [Tang et al., 2014]. The subduction-induced upwelling occurs within a gap in the stagnant subducted Pacific Plate and produces decompressional melting. Water in deep Earth can reduce viscosity and lower melting temperature and seismic velocity and has effects on many other physical properties of mantle materials. The water-storage capacity of wadsleyite and ringwoodite, which are the main phase in the mantle transition zone, is much greater than that of upper mantle and lower mantle. Geophysical evidences have shown that water content in the mantle transition zone is exactly greater than that of upper mantle and lower mantle [Karato, 2011]. Subducted slab could make mantle transition zone with high water content upward or downward across main phase change surface to release water, and lead to partial melting. We infer that the partial melting mantle and subducted slab materials propagate upwards and form the Cenozoic intraplate Volcanoes in Northeastern China. We use the open source code ASPECT [Kronbichler et al., 2012] to simulate the formation and migration of magma contributing to Changbaishan Volcano. We find that the water entrained by subducted slab from surface has only small proportion comparing to water content of mantle transition zone. Our model provide insights into dehydration melting induced by water transport out of the mantle transition zone associated with dynamic interactions between the subducted slab and surrounding mantle. References Karato, S. (2011), Water distribution across the mantle transition zone and its implications for global material circulation, EARTH PLANET SC LETT, 301(3), 413-423. Kronbichler, M., et al. (2012), High accuracy mantle convection simulation through modern numerical methods, GEOPHYS J INT, 191(1), 12-29. Tang, Y., et al. (2014), Changbaishan volcanism in northeast China linked to subduction-induced mantle upwelling, NAT GEOSCI, 7(6), 470-475.

The temperature of primary melts and mantle sources of komatiites, OIBs, MORBs and LIPs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobolev, Alexander

2015-04-01

There is general agreement that the convecting mantle, although mostly peridotitic in composition, is compositionally and thermally heterogeneous on different spatial scales. The amount, sizes, temperatures and compositions of these heterogeneities significantly affect mantle dynamics because they may diverge greatly from dominant peridotites in their density and fusibility. Differences in potential temperature and composition of mantle domains affect magma production and cannot be easily distinguished from each other. This has led to radically different interpretations of the melting anomalies that produce ocean-island basalts, large igneous provinces and komatiites: most scientists believe that they originate as hot, deep-sourced mantle plumes; but a small though influential group (e.g. Anderson 2005, Foulger, 2010) propose that they derive from high proportions of easily fusible recycled or delaminated crust, or in the case of komatiites contain large amount of H2O (e.g. Grove & Parman, 2004). The way to resolve this ambiguity is an independent estimation of temperature and composition of mantle sources of various types of magma. In this paper I report application of newly developed olivine-spinel-melt geothermometers based on partition of Al, Cr, Sc and Y for different primitive lavas from mid-ocean ridges, ocean-island basalts, large igneous provinces and komatiites. The results suggest significant variations of crystallization temperature for the same Fo of high magnesium olivines of different types of mantle-derived magmas: from the lowest (down to 1220 degree C) for MORB to the highest (up to over 1500 degree C) for komatiites and Siberian meimechites. These results match predictions from Fe-Mg olivine-melt equilibrium and confirm the relatively low temperature of the mantle source of MORB and higher temperatures in the mantle plumes that produce the OIB of Iceland, Hawaii, Gorgona, Archean komatiites and several LIPs (e.g Siberian and NAMP). The established liquidus temperatures and compositions of primary melts allow estimating potential temperatures and compositions of their mantle sources. The results strongly confirm mantle plume theory and presence of variable amounts of recycled crustal material in the mantle sources. This study has been founded by Russian Science Foundation grant 14-17-00491.

Mantle to surface degassing of alkalic magmas at Erebus volcano, Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oppenheimer, C.; Moretti, R.; Kyle, P.R.; Eschenbacher, A.; Lowenstern, J. B.; Hervig, R.L.; Dunbar, N.W.

2011-01-01

Continental intraplate volcanoes, such as Erebus volcano, Antarctica, are associated with extensional tectonics, mantle upwelling and high heat flow. Typically, erupted magmas are alkaline and rich in volatiles (especially CO2), inherited from low degrees of partial melting of mantle sources. We examine the degassing of the magmatic system at Erebus volcano using melt inclusion data and high temporal resolution open-path Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements of gas emissions from the active lava lake. Remarkably different gas signatures are associated with passive and explosive gas emissions, representative of volatile contents and redox conditions that reveal contrasting shallow and deep degassing sources. We show that this unexpected degassing signature provides a unique probe for magma differentiation and transfer of CO2-rich oxidised fluids from the mantle to the surface, and evaluate how these processes operate in time and space. Extensive crystallisation driven by CO2 fluxing is responsible for isobaric fractionation of parental basanite magmas close to their source depth. Magma deeper than 4kbar equilibrates under vapour-buffered conditions. At shallower depths, CO2-rich fluids accumulate and are then released either via convection-driven, open-system gas loss or as closed-system slugs that ascend and result in Strombolian eruptions in the lava lake. The open-system gases have a reduced state (below the QFM buffer) whereas the closed-system gases preserve their deep oxidised signatures (close to the NNO buffer). ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Tomography and Dynamics of Western-Pacific Subduction Zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, D.

2012-01-01

We review the significant recent results of multiscale seismic tomography of the Western-Pacific subduction zones and discuss their implications for seismotectonics, magmatism, and subduction dynamics, with an emphasis on the Japan Islands. Many important new findings are obtained due to technical advances in tomography, such as the handling of complex-shaped velocity discontinuities, the use of various later phases, the joint inversion of local and teleseismic data, tomographic imaging outside a seismic network, and P-wave anisotropy tomography. Prominent low-velocity (low-V) and high-attenuation (low-Q) zones are revealed in the crust and uppermost mantle beneath active arc and back-arc volcanoes and they extend to the deeper portion of the mantle wedge, indicating that the low-V/low-Q zones form the sources of arc magmatism and volcanism, and the arc magmatic system is related to deep processes such as convective circulation in the mantle wedge and dehydration reactions in the subducting slab. Seismic anisotropy seems to exist in all portions of the Northeast Japan subduction zone, including the upper and lower crust, the mantle wedge and the subducting Pacific slab. Multilayer anisotropies with different orientations may have caused the apparently weak shear-wave splitting observed so far, whereas recent results show a greater effect of crustal anisotropy than previously thought. Deep subduction of the Philippine Sea slab and deep dehydration of the Pacific slab are revealed beneath Southwest Japan. Significant structural heterogeneities are imaged in the source areas of large earthquakes in the crust, subducting slab and interplate megathrust zone, which may reflect fluids and/or magma originating from slab dehydration that affected the rupture nucleation of large earthquakes. These results suggest that large earthquakes do not strike anywhere, but in only anomalous areas that may be detected with geophysical methods. The occurrence of deep earthquakes under the Japan Sea and the East Asia margin may be related to a metastable olivine wedge in the subducting Pacific slab. The Pacific slab becomes stagnant in the mantle transition zone under East Asia, and a big mantle wedge (BMW) has formed above the stagnant slab. Convective circulations and fluid and magmatic processes in the BMW may have caused intraplate volcanism (e.g., Changbai and Wudalianchi), reactivation of the North China craton, large earthquakes, and other active tectonics in East Asia. Deep subduction and dehydration of continental plates (such as the Eurasian plate, Indian plate and Burma microplate) are also found, which have caused intraplate magmatism (e.g., Tengchong) and geothermal anomalies above the subducted continental plates. Under Kamchatka, the subducting Pacific slab shortens toward the north and terminates near the Aleutian-Kamchatka junction. The slab loss was induced by friction with the surrounding asthenosphere, as the Pacific plate rotated clockwise 30 Ma ago, and then it was enlarged by the slab-edge pinch-off by the asthenospheric flow. The stagnant slab finally collapses down to the bottom of the mantle, which may trigger upwelling of hot mantle materials from the lower mantle to the shallow mantle. Suggestions are also made for future directions of the seismological research of subduction zones.

Record of massive upwellings from the Pacific large low shear velocity province

PubMed Central

Madrigal, Pilar; Gazel, Esteban; Flores, Kennet E.; Bizimis, Michael; Jicha, Brian

2016-01-01

Large igneous provinces, as the surface expression of deep mantle processes, play a key role in the evolution of the planet. Here we analyse the geochemical record and timing of the Pacific Ocean Large Igneous Provinces and preserved accreted terranes to reconstruct the history of pulses of mantle plume upwellings and their relation with a deep-rooted source like the Pacific large low-shear velocity Province during the Mid-Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous. Petrological modelling and geochemical data suggest the need of interaction between these deep-rooted upwellings and mid-ocean ridges in pulses separated by ∼10–20 Ma, to generate the massive volumes of melt preserved today as oceanic plateaus. These pulses impacted the marine biota resulting in episodes of anoxia and mass extinctions shortly after their eruption. PMID:27824054

Source of Volatiles in Earth's Deep Mantle from Neon Isotope Systematics in the South Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, C. D.; Mukhopadhyay, S.

2016-12-01

The noble gases play an important role in understanding Earth's accretion and subsequent evolution. Neon isotopes in particular have the potential to distinguish between distinct sources of Earth's volatiles e.g., acquisition of nebular gas, solar wind implanted materials or chondritic meteorites and their components. The neon isotopic composition of the deep mantle remains subject to debate with the majority of mantle-derived basalts displaying maximum 20Ne/22Ne ratios less than 12.5, similar to values determined for the convective mantle (20Ne/22Ne = 12.49 +/- 0.04; [1]). These values are also much lower than those of solar wind (20Ne/22Ne = 13.8; [2,3]) and estimates of the nebular gas (20Ne/22Ne = 13.4; [4]) but comparable to solar wind implanted meteoritic materials (20Ne/22Ne = 12.5-12.7; [5]). Here we determine the neon isotopic composition of mantle-derived materials from the south Atlantic. These samples display strong linear correlations in 20Ne/22Ne-21Ne/22Ne space with maximum 20Ne/22Ne ratios that are resolvable from and higher than materials derived from the convecting mantle as well as models of solar wind implantation. These results supplement a growing database of mantle materials characterized by 20Ne/22Ne ratios greater than 12.5, challenging the notion that the entire mantle acquired volatiles from solar wind implanted meteoritic materials. In this presentation we will explore alternative origins for these volatiles and provide testable predictions for each scenario. [1] G. Holland, C.J. Ballentine.. Nature 441 (2006), 186-191. [2] A. Gimberg et al. GCA 72 (2008), 626-645. [3] V.S. Heber et al. GCA 73 (2009), 7414-7432. [4] V. S. Heber et al. ApJ 759 (2012), 121. [5] R. Wieler in: D. Porcelli, C.J. Ballentine, R. Wieler (Eds.), Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry 47 (2002), 21-70.

Metastable mantle phase transformations and deep earthquakes in subducting oceanic lithosphere

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirby, S.H.; Stein, S.; Okal, E.A.; Rubie, David C.

1996-01-01

Earth's deepest earthquakes occur as a population in subducting or previously subducted lithosphere at depths ranging from about 325 to 690 km. This depth interval closely brackets the mantle transition zone, characterized by rapid seismic velocity increases resulting from the transformation of upper mantle minerals to higher-pressure phases. Deep earthquakes thus provide the primary direct evidence for subduction of the lithosphere to these depths and allow us to investigate the deep thermal, thermodynamic, and mechanical ferment inside slabs. Numerical simulations of reaction rates show that the olivine ??? spinel transformation should be kinetically hindered in old, cold slabs descending into the transition zone. Thus wedge-shaped zones of metastable peridotite probably persist to depths of more than 600 km. Laboratory deformation experiments on some metastable minerals display a shear instability called transformational faulting. This instability involves sudden failure by localized superplasticity in thin shear zones where the metastable host mineral transforms to a denser, finer-grained phase. Hence in cold slabs, such faulting is expected for the polymorphic reactions in which olivine transforms to the spinel structure and clinoenstatite transforms to ilmenite. It is thus natural to hypothesize that deep earthquakes result from transformational faulting in metastable peridotite wedges within cold slabs. This consideration of the mineralogical states of slabs augments the traditional largely thermal view of slab processes and explains some previously enigmatic slab features. It explains why deep seismicity occurs only in the approximate depth range of the mantle transition zone, where minerals in downgoing slabs should transform to spinel and ilmenite structures. The onset of deep shocks at about 325 km is consistent with the onset of metastability near the equilibrium phase boundary in the slab. Even if a slab penetrates into the lower mantle, earthquakes should cease at depths near 700 km, because the seismogenic phase transformations in the slab are completed or can no longer occur. Substantial metastability is expected only in old, cold slabs, consistent with the observed restriction of deep earthquakes to those settings. Earthquakes should be restricted to the cold cores of slabs, as in any model in which the seismicity is temperature controlled, via the distribution of metastability. However, the geometries of recent large deep earthquakes pose a challenge for any such models. Transformational faulting may give insight into why deep shocks lack appreciable aftershocks and why their source characteristics, including focal mechanisms indicating localized shear failure rather than implosive deformation, are so similar to those of shallow earthquakes. Finally, metastable phase changes in slabs would produce an internal source of stress in addition to those due to the weight of the sinking slab. Such internal stresses may explain the occurrence of earthquakes in portions of lithosphere which have foundered to the bottom of the transition zone and/or are detached from subducting slabs. Metastability in downgoing slabs could have considerable geodynamic significance. Metastable wedges would reduce the negative buoyancy of slabs, decrease the driving force for subduction, and influence the state of stress in slabs. Heat released by metastable phase changes would raise temperatures within slabs and facilitate the transformation of spinel to the lower mantle mineral assemblage, causing slabs to equilibrate more rapidly with the ambient mantle and thus contribute to the cessation of deep seismicity. Because wedge formation should occur only for fast subducting slabs, it may act as a "parachute" and contribute to regulating plate speeds. Wedge formation would also have consequences for mantle evolution because the density of a slab stagnated near the bottom of the transition zone would increase as it heats up and the wedge tra

Not all Primordial Noble Gas Signatures are Associated with OIBs and Mantle Plumes - Mantle Heterogeneity, Primordial Shallow Sources and a Solar-like He, Ne Signature in an Ancient North American Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, L.; Castro, M. C.; Hall, C. M.

2007-12-01

The presence of primordial He and Ne components in ocean island basalts (OIBs) as well as a mantle He/heat flux ratio lower than the production ratio near mid-ocean ridges have historically been used to support the existence of a two-layer mantle convection model. This would comprise a lower, primordial, undegassed reservoir from which He removal to the upper degassed mantle would be impeded. Arguments based on He and heat transport have been recently invalidated by Castro et al. (2005) and should no longer be used to justify the presence of two such distinct mantle reservoirs. Indeed, it was shown that such low He/heat flux ratios are expected and do not reflect a He deficit in the original crust or mantle reservoir. By contrast, the occurrence of a He/heat flux ratio greater than the radiogenic production ratio can only result from a past mantle thermal event in which the released heat has already escaped while the released He remains, and is slowly rising to the surface. Such a high He/heat flux ratio is present in shallow groundwaters of the Michigan Basin. We now present results of a new noble gas study conducted in the Michigan Basin, in which 38 deep (0.5-3.6km) brine samples were collected and analyzed for all noble gas abundances and isotopic ratios. As expected from previously computed shallow high He/heat flux ratios, both He and Ne isotopic ratios clearly indicate the presence of a mantle component. Of greater significance is the primordial, solar-like signature, of this mantle component. It is also the first primordial signature ever recorded in crustal fluids in a continental region. Because no hotspots or hotspot tracks are known in the area, it is highly unlikely for such primordial, solar-like signature to result from a mantle plume-related mechanism originating deep in the mantle. We argue that such a primordial signature can be explained by a shallow noble gas reservoir in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Michigan Basin, possibly created by a mechanism similar to that proposed by Anderson (1998) for oceanic regions. Indeed, the Michigan Basin, located within the ancient North American craton (~1.1->2.5Ga), lies on a very thick U-Th depleted SCLM, possibly allowing preservation of a primordial, residual, mantle reservoir beneath the continental crust. Recent reactivation of the old mid-continent rift transecting the crystalline basement is likely responsible for the release of this primordial signature into the basin. The solar-like He and Ne signatures present in the Michigan Basin fluids not only suggest that a deep primordial mantle reservoir is not required to explain the presence of such components, they also point to a very heterogeneous mantle as previously suggested by Anderson (1998), Albarede (2005), and others. Consequently, the presence of a primordial noble gas signature, at least if observed in a continental region, should not be used to conclude at the existence of a deep mantle source and thus, of a hotspot as typically defined. The SCLM underneath ancient cratons is a great candidate for hosting primitive ancient mantle reservoirs. Arguments based on He/heat flux ratios as well as the presence of a primordial noble gas signature should not be used to support the existence of a lower, primordial, versus an upper, degassed mantle reservoir. Our study provides the first observational case for long-term primordial lithospheric storage. Anderson, 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95, 9087-9092. Albarede, 2005, AGU Monograph, 160, 27-46. Castro et al., 2005, EPSL, 237, 893-910.

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.

United States crustal thickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allenby, R. J.; Schnetzler, C. C.

1983-01-01

The thickness of the crust, the thickness of the basal (intermediate or lower) crustal layer, and the average velocity at the top of the mantle have been mapped using all available deep-penetrating seismic-refraction profiles in the conterminous United States and surrounding border areas. These profiles are indexed to their literature data sources. The more significant long wavelength anomalies on the three maps are briefly discussed and analyzed. An attempt to use Bouguer gravity to validate mantle structure was inconclusive.

How large is the subducted water flux? New constraints on mantle regassing rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parai, R.; Mukhopadhyay, S.

2012-02-01

Estimates of the subducted water (H2O) flux have been used to discuss the regassing of the mantle over Earth history. However, these estimates vary widely, and some are large enough to have reduced the volume of water in the global ocean by a factor of two over the Phanerozoic. In light of uncertainties in the hydration state of subducting slabs, magma production rates and mantle source water contents, we use a Monte Carlo simulation to set limits on long-term global water cycling and the return flux of water to the deep Earth. Estimates of magma production rates and water contents in primary magmas generated at ocean islands, mid-ocean ridges, arcs and back-arcs are paired with estimates of water entering trenches via subducting oceanic slab in order to construct a model of the deep Earth water cycle. The simulation is constrained by reconstructions of Phanerozoic sea level change, which suggest that ocean volume is near steady-state, though a sea level decrease of up to 360 m may be supported. We provide limits on the return flux of water to the deep Earth over the Phanerozoic corresponding to a near steady-state exosphere (0-100 meter sea level decrease) and a maximum sea level decrease of 360 m. For the near steady-state exosphere, the return flux is 1.4 - 2.0- 0.3+ 0.4 × 1013 mol/yr, corresponding to 2-3% serpentinization in 10 km of lithospheric mantle. The return flux that generates the maximum sea level decrease over the Phanerozoic is 3.5- 0.3+ 0.4 × 1013 mol/yr, corresponding to 5% serpentinization in 10 km of lithospheric mantle. Our estimates of the return flux of water to the mantle are up to 7 times lower than previously suggested. The imbalance between our estimates of the return flux and mantle output flux leads to a low rate of increase in bulk mantle water content of up to 24 ppm/Ga.

Formation and evolution of a metasomatized lithospheric root at the motionless Antarctic plate: the case of East Island, Crozet Archipelago (Indian Ocean)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyzen, Christine; Marzoli, Andrea; Bellieni, Giuliano; Levresse, Gilles

2016-04-01

Sitting atop the nearly stagnant Antarctic plate (ca. 6.46 mm/yr), the Crozet archipelago midway between Madagascar and Antarctica constitutes a region of unusually shallow (1543-1756 m below sea level) and thickened oceanic crust (10-16.5 km), high geoid height, and deep low-velocity zone, which may reflect the surface expression of a mantle plume. Here, we present new major and trace element data for Quaternary sub-aerial alkali basalts from East Island, the easterly and oldest island (ca. 9 Ma) of the Crozet archipelago. Crystallization at uppermost mantle depth and phenocryst accumulation have strongly affected their parental magma compositions. Their trace element patterns show a large negative K anomaly relative to Ta-La, moderate depletions in Rb and Ba with respect to Th-U, and heavy rare earth element (HREE) depletions relative to light REE. These characteristics allow limits to be placed upon the composition and mineralogy of their mantle source. The average trace element spectrum of East Island basalts can be matched by melting of about 2 % of a garnet-phlogopite-bearing peridotite source. The stability field of phlogopite restricts melting depth to lithospheric levels. The modelled source composition requires a multistage evolution, where the mantle has been depleted by melt extraction before having been metasomatized by alkali-rich plume melts. The depleted mantle component may be sourced by residual mantle plume remnants stagnated at the melting locus due to a weak lateral flow velocity inside the melting regime, whose accumulation progressively edifies a depleted lithospheric root above the plume core. Low-degree alkali-rich melts are likely derived from the plume source. Such a mantle source evolution may be general to both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments where the lateral component velocity of the mantle flow field is extremely slow.

Theoretical Prediction of Melting Relations in the Deep Mantle: the Phase Diagram Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belmonte, D.; Ottonello, G. A.; Vetuschi Zuccolini, M.; Attene, M.

2016-12-01

Despite the outstanding progress in computer technology and experimental facilities, understanding melting phase relations in the deep mantle is still an open challenge. In this work a novel computational scheme to predict melting relations at HP-HT by a combination of first principles DFT calculations, polymer chemistry and equilibrium thermodynamics is presented and discussed. The adopted theoretical framework is physically-consistent and allows to compute multi-component phase diagrams relevant to Earth's deep interior in a broad range of P-T conditions by a convex-hull algorithm for Gibbs free energy minimisation purposely developed for high-rank simplexes. The calculated phase diagrams are in turn used as a source of information to gain new insights on the P-T-X evolution of magmas in the deep mantle, providing some thermodynamic constraints to both present-day and early Earth melting processes. High-pressure melting curves of mantle silicates are also obtained as by-product of phase diagram calculation. Application of the above method to the MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (MAS) ternary system highlights as pressure effects are not only able to change the nature of melting of some minerals (like olivine and pyroxene) from eutectic to peritectic (and vice versa), but also simplify melting relations by drastically reducing the number of phases with a primary phase field at HP-HT conditions. It turns out that mineral phases like Majorite-Pyrope garnet and Anhydrous Phase B (Mg14Si5O24), which are often disregarded in modelling melting processes of mantle assemblages, are stable phases at solidus or liquidus conditions in a P-T range compatible with the mantle transition zone (i.e. P = 16 - 23 GPa and T = 2200 - 2700 °C) when their thermodynamic and thermophysical properties are properly assessed. Financial support to the Senior Author (D.B.) during his stay as Invited Scientist at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP, Paris) is warmly acknowledged.

Osmium Isotopic Evolution of the Mantle Sources of Precambrian Ultramafic Rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangopadhyay, A.; Walker, R. J.

2006-12-01

The Os isotopic composition of the modern mantle, as recorded collectively by ocean island basalts, mid- oceanic ridge basalts (MORB) and abyssal peridotites, is evidently highly heterogeneous (γ Os(I) ranging from <-10 to >+25). One important question, therefore, is how and when the Earth's mantle developed such large-scale Os isotopic heterogeneities. Previous Os isotopic studies of ancient ultramafic systems, including komatiites and picrites, have shown that the Os isotopic heterogeneity of the terrestrial mantle can be traced as far back as the late-Archean (~ 2.7-2.8 Ga). This observation is based on the initial Os isotopic ratios obtained for the mantle sources of some of the ancient ultramafic rocks determined through analyses of numerous Os-rich whole-rock and/or mineral samples. In some cases, the closed-system behavior of these ancient ultramafic rocks was demonstrated via the generation of isochrons of precise ages, consistent with those obtained from other radiogenic isotopic systems. Thus, a compilation of the published initial ^{187}Os/^{188}Os ratios reported for the mantle sources of komatiitic and picritic rocks is now possible that covers a large range of geologic time spanning from the Mesozoic (ca. 89 Ma Gorgona komatiites) to the Mid-Archean (e.g., ca. 3.3 Ga Commondale komatiites), which provides a comprehensive picture of the Os isotopic evolution of their mantle sources through geologic time. Several Precambrian komatiite/picrite systems are characterized by suprachondritic initial ^{187}Os/^{188}Os ratios (e.g., Belingwe, Kostomuksha, Pechenga). Such long-term enrichments in ^{187}Os of the mantle sources for these rocks may be explained via recycling of old mafic oceanic crust or incorporation of putative suprachondritic outer core materials entrained into their mantle sources. The relative importance of the two processes for some modern mantle-derived systems (e.g., Hawaiian picrites) is an issue of substantial debate. Importantly, however, the high-precision initial Os isotopic compositions of the majority of ultramafic systems show strikingly uniform initial ^{187}Os/^{188}Os ratios, consistent with their derivation from sources that had Os isotopic evolution trajectory very similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites. In addition, the Os isotopic evolution trajectories of the mantle sources for most komatiites show resolvably lower average Re/Os than that estimated for the Primitive Upper Mantle (PUM), yet significantly higher than that obtained in some estimates for the modern convecting upper mantle, as determined via analyses of abyssal peridotites. One possibility is that most of the komatiites sample mantle sources that are unique relative to the sources of abyssal peridotites and MORB. Previous arguments that komatiites originate via large extents of partial melting of relatively deep upper mantle, or even lower mantle materials could, therefore, implicate a source that is different from the convecting upper mantle. If so, this source is remarkably uniform in its long-term Re/Os, and it shows moderate depletion in Re relative to the PUM. Alternatively, if the komatiites are generated within the convective upper mantle through relatively large extents of partial melting, they may provide a better estimate of the Os isotopic composition of the convective upper mantle than that obtained via analyses of MORB, abyssal peridotites and ophiolites.

Deep permeable fault-controlled helium transport and limited mantle flux in two extensional geothermal systems in the Great Basin, United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Banerjee, Amlan; Person, Mark; Hofstra, Albert; Sweetkind, Donald S.; Cohen, Denis; Sabin, Andrew; Unruh, Jeff; Zyvoloski, George; Gable, Carl W.; Crossey, Laura; Karlstrom, Karl

2011-01-01

This study assesses the relative importance of deeply circulating meteoric water and direct mantle fluid inputs on near-surface 3He/4He anomalies reported at the Coso and Beowawe geothermal fields of the western United States. The depth of meteoric fluid circulation is a critical factor that controls the temperature, extent of fluid-rock isotope exchange, and mixing with deeply sourced fluids containing mantle volatiles. The influence of mantle fluid flux on the reported helium anomalies appears to be negligible in both systems. This study illustrates the importance of deeply penetrating permeable fault zones (10-12 to 10-15 m2) in focusing groundwater and mantle volatiles with high 3He/4He ratios to shallow crustal levels. These continental geothermal systems are driven by free convection.

Advances in target imaging of deep Earth structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masson, Y.; Romanowicz, B. A.; Clouzet, P.

2015-12-01

A new generation of global tomographic models (Lekić and Romanowicz, 2011; French et al, 2013, 2014) has emerged with the development of accurate numerical wavefield computations in a 3D earth combined with access to enhanced HPC capabilities. These models have sharpened up mantle images and unveiled relatively small scale structures that were blurred out in previous generation models. Fingerlike structures have been found at the base of the oceanic asthenosphere, and vertically oriented broad low velocity plume conduits extend throughout the lower mantle beneath those major hotspots that are located within the perimeter of the deep mantle large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs). While providing new insights into our understanding of mantle dynamics, the detailed morphology of these features, requires further efforts to obtain higher resolution images. The focus of our ongoing effort is to develop advanced tomographic methods to image remote regions of the Earth at fine scales. We have developed an approach in which distant sources (located outside of the target region) are replaced by an equivalent set of local sources located at the border of the computational domain (Masson et al., 2014). A limited number of global simulations in a reference 3D earth model is then required. These simulations are computed prior to the regional inversion, while iterations of the model need to be performed only within the region of interest, potentially allowing us to include shorter periods at limited additional computational cost. Until now, the application was limited to a distribution of receivers inside the target region. This is particularly suitable for studies of upper mantle structure in regions with dense arrays (e.g. see our companion presentation Clouzet et al., this Fall AGU). Here we present our latest development that now can include teleseismic data recorded outside the imaged region. This allows us to perform regional waveform tomography in the situation where neither earthquakes nor seismological stations are present within the region of interest, such as would be desireable for the study of a region in the deep mantle. We present benchmark tests showing how the uncertainties in the reference 3D model employed outside of the target region affects the quality of the regional tomographic images obtained.

Trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry of Rungwe Volcanic Province, Tanzania: Implications for a superplume source for East Africa Rift magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, Paterno; Hilton, David; Halldórsson, Sæmundur

2014-09-01

The recently discovered high, plume-like 3He/4He ratios at Rungwe Volcanic Province (RVP) in southern Tanzania, similar to those at the Main Ethiopian Rift in Ethiopia, strongly suggest that magmatism associated with continental rifting along the entire East African Rift System (EARS) has a deep mantle contribution (Hilton et al., 2011). New trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data for high 3He/4He lavas and tephras from RVP can be explained by binary mixing relationships involving Early Proterozoic (+/- Archaean) lithospheric mantle, present beneath the southern EARS, and a volatile-rich carbonatitic plume with a limited range of compositions and best represented by recent Nyiragongo lavas from the Virunga Volcanic Province also in the Western Rift. Other lavas from the Western Rift and from the southern Kenya Rift can also be explained through mixing between the same endmember components. In contrast, lavas from the northern Kenya and Main Ethiopian rifts can be explained through variable mixing between the same mantle plume material and the Middle to Late Proterozoic lithospheric mantle, present beneath the northern EARS. Thus, we propose that the bulk of EARS magmatism is sourced from mixing among three endmember sources: Early Proterozoic (+/- Archaean) lithospheric mantle, Middle to Late Proterozoic lithospheric mantle and a volatile-rich carbonatitic plume with a limited range of compositions. We propose further that the African Superplume, a large, seismically anomalous feature originating in the lower mantle beneath southern Africa, influences magmatism throughout eastern Africa with magmatism at RVP and Main Ethiopian Rift representing two different heads of a single mantle plume source. This is consistent with a single mantle plume origin of the coupled He-Ne isotopic signatures of mantle-derived xenoliths and/or lavas from all segments of the EARS (Halldorsson et al., 2014).

Constraints from Earth's heat budget on mantle dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellogg, L. H.; Ferrachat, S.

2006-12-01

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of proposed models to explain Earth's mantle dynamics: while two end-members, pure layered convection with the upper and lower mantle convecting separately from each other, and pure, whole mantle convection, appear not to satisfy all the observations, several addition models have been proposed. These models include and attempt to characterize least one reservoir that is enriched in radiogenic elements relative to the mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) source, as is required to account for most current estimates of the Earth's heat budget. This reservoir would also be responsible for the geochemical signature in some ocean island basalts (OIBs) like Hawaii, but must be rarely sampled at the surface. Our current knowledge of the mass- and heat-budget for the bulk silicate Earth from geochemical, cosmochemical and geodynamical observations and constraints enables us to quantify the radiogenic heat enrichment required to balance the heat budget. Without assuming any particular model for the structure of the reservoir, we first determine the inherent trade-off between heat production rate and mass of the reservoir. Using these constraints, we then investigate the dynamical inferences of the heat budget, assuming that the additional heat is produced within a deep layer above the core-mantle boundary. We carry out dynamical models of layered convection using four different fixed reservoir volumes, corresponding to deep layers of thicknesses 150, 500 1000 and 1600 km, respectively, and including both temperature-dependent viscosity and an instrinsic viscosity jump between upper and lower mantle. We then assess the viability of these cases against 5 criteria: stability of the deep layer through time, topography of the interface, effective density profile, intrinsic chemical density and the heat flux at the CMB.

On evolutionary climate tracks in deep mantle volatile cycle computed from numerical mantle convection simulations and its impact on the habitability of the Earth-like planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakagawa, T.; Tajika, E.; Kadoya, S.

2017-12-01

Discussing an impact of evolution and dynamics in the Earth's deep interior on the surface climate change for the last few decades (see review by Ehlmann et al., 2016), the mantle volatile (particularly carbon) degassing in the mid-oceanic ridges seems to play a key role in understanding the evolutionary climate track for Earth-like planets (e.g. Kadoya and Tajika, 2015). However, since the mantle degassing occurs not only in the mid-oceanic ridges but also in the wedge mantle (island arc volcanism) and hotspots, to incorporate more accurate estimate of mantle degassing flux into the climate evolution framework, we developed a coupled model of surface climate-deep Earth evolution in numerical mantle convection simulations, including more accurate deep water and carbon cycle (e.g. Nakagawa and Spiegelman, 2017) with an energy balance theory of climate change. Modeling results suggest that the evolution of planetary climate computed from a developed model is basically consistent with an evolutionary climate track in simplified mantle degassing model (Kadoya and Tajika, 2015), but an occurrence timing of global (snowball) glaciation is strongly dependent on mantle degassing rate occurred with activities of surface plate motions. With this implication, the surface plate motion driven by deep mantle dynamics would play an important role in the planetary habitability of such as the Earth and Earth-like planets over geologic time-scale.

Preparing for InSight - using the continuous seismic data flow to investigate the deep interior of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hempel, S.; Garcia, R.; Weber, R. C.; Schmerr, N. C.; Panning, M. P.; Lognonne, P. H.; Banerdt, W. B.

2016-12-01

Complementary to investigating ray theoretically predictable parameters to explore the deep interior of Mars (see AGU contribution by R. Weber et al.), this paper presents the waveform approach to illuminate the lowermost mantle and core-mantle boundary of Mars. In preparation to the NASA discovery mission InSight, scheduled for launch in May, 2018, we produce synthetic waveforms considering realistic combinations of sources and a single receiver, as well as noise models. Due to a lack of constraints on the scattering properties of the Martian crust and mantle, we assume Earth-like scattering as a minimum and Moon-like scattering as a maximum possibility. Various seismic attenuation models are also investigated. InSight is set up to deliver event data as well as a continuous data flow. Where ray theoretical approaches will investigate the event data, the continuous data flow may contain signals reflected multiple times off the same reflector, e.g. the underside of the lithosphere, or the core-mantle boundary. It may also contain signals of individual events not detected or interfering wavefields radiated off multiple undetected events creating 'seismic noise'. We will use AxiSEM to simulate a continuous data flow for these cases for various 1D and 2D Mars models, and explore the possibilities of seismic interferometry to use seismic information hidden in the coda to investigate the deep interior of Mars.

Low-3He/4He sublithospheric mantle source for the most magnesian magmas of the Karoo large igneous province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinonen, Jussi S.; Kurz, Mark D.

2015-09-01

The massive outpourings of Karoo and Ferrar continental flood basalts (CFBs) ∼180 Ma ago mark the initial Jurassic rifting stages of the Gondwana supercontinent. The origin and sources of these eruptions have been debated for decades, largely due to difficulties in defining their parental melt and mantle source characteristics. Recent findings of Fe- and Mg-rich dikes (depleted ferropicrite suite) from Vestfjella, western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, have shed light on the composition of the deep sub-Gondwanan mantle: these magmas have been connected to upper mantle sources presently sampled by the Southwest Indian Ocean mid-ocean ridge basalts (SWIR MORBs) or to high 3He/4He plume-entrained non-chondritic primitive mantle sources formed early in Earth's history. In an attempt to determine their He isotopic composition and relative contributions from magmatic, cosmogenic, and radiogenic He sources, we performed in-vacuo stepwise crushing and melting analyses of olivine mineral separates, some of which were abraded to remove the outer layer of the grains. The best estimate for the mantle isotopic composition is given by a sample with the highest amount of He released (>50%) during the first crushing step of an abraded coarse fraction. It has a 3He/4He of 7.03 ± 0.23 (2σ) times the atmospheric ratio (Ra), which is indistinguishable from those measured from SWIR MORBs (6.3-7.3 Ra; source 3He/4He ∼6.4-7.6 Ra at 180 Ma) and notably lower than in the most primitive lavas from the North Atlantic Igneous Province (up to 50 Ra), considered to represent the epitome magmas from non-chondritic primitive mantle sources. Previously published trace element and isotopic (Sr, Nd, and Pb) compositions do not suggest a direct genetic link to any modern hotspot of Indian or southern Atlantic Oceans. Although influence of a mantle plume cannot be ruled out, the high magma temperatures and SWIR MORB-like geochemistry of the suite are best explained by supercontinent insulation of a precursory Indian Ocean upper mantle source. Such a model is also supported by the majority of the recent studies on the structure, geochronology, and petrology of the Karoo CFBs.

Seismic evidence for silicate melt atop the 410-km mantle discontinuity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Revenaugh, Justin; Sipkin, S.A.

1994-01-01

LABORATORY results demonstrating that basic to ultrabasic melts become denser than olivine-rich mantle at pressures above 6 GPa (refs 1-3) have important implications for basalt petrogenesis, mantle differentiation and the storage of volatiles deep in the Earth. A density cross-over between melt and solid in the extensively molten Archaean mantle has been inferred from komatiitic volcanism and major-element mass balances, but present-day evidence of dense melt below the seismic low-velocity zone is lacking. Here we present mantle shear-wave impedance profiles obtained from multiple-ScS reverberation mapping for corridors connecting western Pacific subduction zone earthquakes with digital seismograph stations in eastern China, imaging a ~5.8% impedance decrease roughly 330 km beneath the Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea and easternmost Asia. We propose that this represents the upper surface of a layer of negatively buoyant melt lying on top of the olivine ??? ??- phase transition (the 410-km seismic discontinuity). Volatile-rich fluids expelled from the partial melt zone as it freezes may migrate upwards, acting as metasomatic agents and perhaps as the deep 'proto-source' of kimberlites. The remaining, dense, crystalline fraction would then concentrate above 410 km, producing a garnet-rich layer that may flush into the transition zone.

Sub-Moho Reflectors, Mantle Faults and Lithospheric Rheology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, L. D.

2013-12-01

One of the most unexpected and dramatic observations from the early years of deep reflection profiling of the continents using multichannel CMP techniques was the existing of prominent reflections from the upper mantle. The first of these, the Flannan thrust/fault/feature, was traced by marine profiling of the continental margin offshore Britain by the BIRPS program, which soon found them to be but one of several clear sub-crustal discontinuities in that area. Subsequently, similar mantle reflectors have been observed in many areas around the world, most commonly beneath Precambrian cratonic areas. Many, but not all, of these mantle reflections appear to arise from near the overlying Moho or within the lower crust before dipping well into the mantle. Others occur as subhorizontal events at various depths with the mantle, with one suite seeming to cluster at a depth of about 75 km. The dipping events have been variously interpreted as mantle roots of crustal normal faults or the deep extension of crustal thrust faults. The most common interpretation, however, is that these dipping events are the relicts of ancient subduction zones, the stumps of now detached Benioff zones long since reclaimed by the deeper mantle. In addition to the BIRPS reflectors, the best known examples include those beneath Fennoscandia in northern Europe, the Abitibi-Grenville of eastern Canada, and the Slave Province of northwestern Canada (e.g. on the SNORCLE profile). The most recently reported example is from beneath the Sichuan Basin of central China. The preservation of these coherent, and relatively delicate appearing, features beneath older continental crust and presumably within equally old (of not older) mantle lithosphere, has profound implications for the history and rheology of the lithosphere in these areas. If they represent, as widely believe, some form of faulting with the lithosphere, they provide corollary constraints on the nature of faulting in both the lower crust and upper mantle. The SNORCLE mantle reflectors, which can be traced deep within the early Precambrian (?) mantle by both surface (controlled source) reflection profiles and passive (receiver function) images most clearly illustrates the rheological implications of such feature. The SNORCLE events appear to root upwards into the lower crust and extend to depths approaching 200 km into the mantle. This would seem to require the preservation of undeformed mantle lithosphere for almost 2.5 billion years in this area. This preservation is clearly inconsistent with the interpretation of nearby shallower mantle interfaces as marking the modern lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. In summary, dipping mantle reflections imply preservation of substantial thicknesses of mantle lithosphere for very long periods of time, and localization of mantle deformation during the formation of these structures along relatively narrow, discrete interfaces rather than across broad zones of diffuse deformation. .

Magnesium Isotopic Compositions of Continental Basalts From Various Tectonic Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, W.; Li, S.; Tian, H.; Ke, S.

2016-12-01

Recycled sedimentary carbonate through subduction is the main light Mg isotopic reservoir in Earth's deep interior, thus Mg isotopic variation of mantle-derived melts provides a fresh perspective on investigating deep carbon cycling. Here we investigate Mg isotopic compositions of continental basalts from various tectonic settings: (1) The Cenozoic basalts from eastern China, coinciding with the stagnant Pacific slab in the mantle transition zone revealed by seismic tomography; (2) The Cenozoic basalts from Tengchong area, southwestern China, which comprises a crucial part of the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian plates; (3) The Permian basalts from Emeishan large igneous province, related to a mantle plume. The Cenozoic basalts from both eastern China and Tengchong area exhibit light Mg isotopic compositions (δ26Mg = -0.60 to -0.30‰ and -0.51 to -0.33‰), suggesting recycled sedimentary carbonates in their mantle sources. This is supported by their low Fe/Mn, high CaO/Al2O3, low Hf/Hf* and low Ti/Ti* ratios, which are typical features of carbonated peridotite-derived melt. The Tengchong basalts also show high 87Sr/86Sr, high radiogenic Pb and upper crustal-like trace element pattern, indicating contribution of recycled continental crustal materials. By contrast, all Emeishan basalts display a mantle-like Mg isotopic composition, with δ26Mg ranging from -0.35 to -0.19‰. Since the Emeishan basalts derived from a mantle plume, their mantle-like Mg isotopic composition may indicate limited sedimentary carbonated recycled into the lower mantle. This is consistent with a recent experimental study which concluded that direct recycling of carbon into the lower mantle may have been highly restricted throughout most of the Earth's history.

Water-rich planets: How habitable is a water layer deeper than on Earth?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noack, L.; Höning, D.; Rivoldini, A.; Heistracher, C.; Zimov, N.; Journaux, B.; Lammer, H.; Van Hoolst, T.; Bredehöft, J. H.

2016-10-01

Water is necessary for the origin and survival of life as we know it. In the search for life-friendly worlds, water-rich planets therefore are obvious candidates and have attracted increasing attention in recent years. The surface H2O layer on such planets (containing a liquid water ocean and possibly high-pressure ice below a specific depth) could potentially be hundreds of kilometres deep depending on the water content and the evolution of the proto-atmosphere. We study possible constraints for the habitability of deep water layers and introduce a new habitability classification relevant for water-rich planets (from Mars-size to super-Earth-size planets). A new ocean model has been developed that is coupled to a thermal evolution model of the mantle and core. Our interior structure model takes into account depth-dependent thermodynamic properties and the possible formation of high-pressure ice. We find that heat flowing out of the silicate mantle can melt an ice layer from below (in some cases episodically), depending mainly on the thickness of the ocean-ice shell, the mass of the planet, the surface temperature and the interior parameters (e.g. radioactive mantle heat sources). The high pressure at the bottom of deep water-ice layers could also impede volcanism at the water-mantle boundary for both stagnant lid and plate tectonics silicate shells. We conclude that water-rich planets with a deep ocean, a large planet mass, a high average density or a low surface temperature are likely less habitable than planets with an Earth-like ocean.

Using uplift rates and lithosphere stress pattern for the past 200 Ma to quantify deep and shallow mantle contributions to the present-day southern African topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osei Tutu, A.; Webb, S. J.; Steinberger, B. M.; Rogozhina, I.

2017-12-01

The debate about the origin of the highlands in southern African has generated varying hypothesis, since the nominal processes for mountain building such as evidence of orogeny is not observed here at present-day. For example, some studies have suggested a pre-Paleozoic subduction under the southern Africa plate, might have caused the high topography, whiles other have proposed a large-scale buoyant flow coming from the mid-mantle over the African Large Low Share Velocity Province (LLSVP) as the source. A different school of thought is centered on a probable plume-lithosphere interaction in the early Miocene to late Pliocene. Using joint analysis of geodynamics and geophysical models with geological records; we seek to quantify both shallow and deep mantle density heterogeneities and viscosity structure to understand the tectonics of the southern Africa regional topography. We estimate uplift rates and change in lithosphere stress field for the past 200 Ma and compare with geological records considering first only shallow and deep contributions and their combined effect using a thermo-mechanical model with a free surface.

Global Cycling of Carbon Constrained by Partial Melting Experiments of Carbonated Mantle Peridotite and Eclogite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, R.; Hirschmann, M. M.; Withers, A. C.

2005-12-01

The mass of carbon stored in the mantle exceeds that in all other Earth's reservoirs combined1 and large fluxes of carbon are cycled into and out of the mantle via subduction and volcanic emission. Outgassing of CO2 from the mantle has a critical influence on Earth's climate for time scales of 108-109 yr1. The residence time for carbon in the mantle is thought to exceed the age of the Earth1,2, but it could be significantly less owing to pervasive deep melting beneath oceanic ridges. The chief flux of subducted carbon is via carbonate in altered ocean-floor basalts, which survives dehydration during subduction. Because solidi of carbonated eclogite remain hotter than average subduction geotherms at least up to transition zone3, significant subducted C is delivered to the deep Earth. In upwelling mantle, however, partial melting of carbonated eclogite releases calcio-dolomitic carbonatite melt at depths near ~400 km and metasomatically implants carbonate to surrounding peridotite. Thus, volcanic release of CO2 to basalt source regions is controlled by the solidus of carbonated peridotite. We conducted experiments with nominally anhydrous, carbonated garnet lherzolite (PERC: MixKLB-1+2.5 wt.% CO2) using Pt/C capsules in piston cylinder (3 GPa) and Walker-style multi-anvil presses (4 to 10 GPa) and between 1075-1500 °C. The stable near-solidus crystalline carbonate is dolomitess at 3 GPa and magnesitess from 4 to 10 GPa. Carbonate melt is stabilized at the solidus and crystalline carbonate disappears within 20-60°. The solidus increases from ≥1075 °C at 3 GPa to 1110-1140 °C at 4.1 GPa as the stable carbonate transforms from dolomitess to magnesitess. From 4.1 GPa, the solidus of PERC magnesite lherzolite increases to ~1500 °C at 10 GPa. In upwelling mantle the solidus of carbonated lherzolite is ~100-200 km shallower than that of eclogite+CO2, but beneath oceanic ridges, initial melting occurs as deep as 300-330 km. For peridotite with ~120-1200 ppm CO2, this initial melting yields 0.03-0.3% carbonatite melt. Extraction of such melts from the mantle above 300 km implies residence times of 1 to 4 Gyr for carbon and other highly incompatible elements in the convecting mantle. Such short residence times suggest that large fractions of mantle carbon must be recycled rather than primordial. Implied CO2 fluxes are 0.12-3.4 × 1015 g/yr, which matches or exceeds direct estimates for CO2 fluxes at ridges (0.04-0.66 × 1015 g/yr)1,4. However, not all of this deep extracted CO2 may reach ridges; some may instead be implanted into oceanic lithosphere, providing a widespread source for metasomatic fluids highly enriched in incompatible elements. 1Sleep, N. H. and Zahnle, K. 2001, JGR 106, 1373-1399. 2Zhang, Y. and Zindler, A. 1993, EPSL 117, 331-345. 3Dasgupta et al. 2004, EPSL 227, 73-85. 4Javoy, M. and Pineau, F. 1991, EPSL 107, 598-611.

The Elephants' Graveyard: Constraints from Mantle Plumes on the Fate of Subducted Slabs and Implications for the Style of Mantle Convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lassiter, J. C.

2007-12-01

The style of mantle convection (e.g., layered- vs. whole-mantle convection) is one of the most hotly contested questions in the Geological Sciences. Geochemical arguments for and against mantle layering have largely focused on mass-balance evidence for the existence of "hidden" geochemical reservoirs. However, the size and location of such reservoirs are largely unconstrained, and most geochemical arguments for mantle layering are consistent with a depleted mantle comprising most of the mantle mass and a comparatively small volume of enriched, hidden material either within D" or within seismically anomalous "piles" beneath southern Africa and the South Pacific. The mass flux associated with subduction of oceanic lithosphere is large and plate subduction is an efficient driver of convective mixing in the mantle. Therefore, the depth to which oceanic lithosphere descends into the mantle is effectively the depth of the upper mantle in any layered mantle model. Numerous geochemical studies provide convincing evidence that many mantle plumes contain material which at one point resided close to the Earth's surface (e.g., recycled oceanic crust ± sediments, possibly subduction-modified mantle wedge material). Fluid dynamic models further reveal that only the central cores of mantle plumes are involved in melt generation. The presence of recycled material in the sources of many ocean island basalts therefore cannot be explained by entrainment of this material during plume ascent, but requires that recycled material resides within or immediately above the thermo-chemical boundary layer(s) that generates mantle plumes. More recent Os- isotope studies of mantle xenoliths from OIB settings reveal the presence not only of recycled crust in mantle plumes, but also ancient melt-depleted harzburgite interpreted to represent ancient recycled oceanic lithosphere [1]. Thus, there is increasing evidence that subducted slabs accumulate in the boundary layer(s) that provide the source of mantle plumes, as suggested 25 years ago by Hofmann & White [2]. Determination of the depth of origin of mantle plumes would provide a 1st-order constraint on the depth of plate subduction and the volume of the "upper" mantle. Improved seismic techniques and deployment of OBS arrays may soon allow robust imaging of mantle plumes in the deep mantle, although preliminary results are controversial [3]. Detection of a conclusive geochemical signature of core/mantle interaction would also provide strong evidence for a deep origin of mantle plumes, although there is considerable debate as to what such a signature would entail. In summary, determination of the depth of origin of mantle plumes may provide the key to deciphering the fate of subducted slabs and the overall style of mantle convection. Although this problem remains unresolved after several decades of work, recent developments in both geophysics and geochemistry provide hope for a final resolution within the next 10 years. [1] M Bizimis, M Griselin, JC Lassiter, VJM Salters, G Sen, EPSL 257, 259-293, 2007. [2] AW Hofmann, WM White, EPSL 57, 421-436, 1982. [3] R Montelli, G Nolet, F Dahlens, G Masters, E Engdahl, S-H Hung, Science 303, 338-343, 2004.

Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd Isotopic Studies of Lunar Green and Orange Glasses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, C.-Y.; Nyquist, L. E.; Reese, Y.

2012-01-01

Lunar volcanic glassy beads have been considered as quenched basaltic magmas derived directly from deep lunar mantle during fire-fountaining eruptions [1]. Since these sub-mm size glassy melt droplets were cooled in a hot gaseous medium during free flight [2], they have not been subject to mineral fractionations. Thus, they represent primary magmas and are the best samples for the investigation of the lunar mantle. Previously, we presented preliminary Rb- Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic results for green and orange glassy samples from green glass clod 15426,63 and orange soil 74220,44, respectively [3]. Using these isotopic data, initial Sr-87/Sr-86 and Nd ratios for these pristine mare glass sources can be calculated from their respective crystallization ages previously determined by other age-dating techniques. These isotopic data were used to evaluate the mineralogy of the mantle sources. In this report, we analyzed additional glassy samples in order to further characterize isotopic signatures of their source regions. Also, we'll postulate a relationship between these two major mare basalt source mineralogies in the context of lunar magma ocean dynamics.

Experimental determination of dissolved CO2 content in nominally anhydrous andesitic melts at graphite/diamond saturation - Remobilization of deeply subducted reduced carbon via partial melts of MORB-like eclogite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eguchi, J.; Dasgupta, R.

2015-12-01

Experimental phase relations of carbonated lithologies [1] and geochemistry of deep diamonds [2] suggest that deep recycling of carbon has likely been efficient for a significant portion of Earth's history. Both carbonates and organic carbon subduct into the mantle, but with gradual decrease of fO2 with depth [3] most carbon in deep mantle rocks including eclogite could be diamond/graphite [4]. Previous studies investigated the transfer of CO2 from subducted eclogite to the ambient mantle by partial melting in the presence of carbonates, i.e., by generation of carbonate-rich melts [5]. However, the transfer of carbon from subducted eclogite to the mantle can also happen, perhaps more commonly, by extraction of silicate partial melt in the presence of reduced carbon; yet, CO2 solubility in eclogite-derived andesitic melt at graphite/diamond saturation remains unconstrained. CO2content of eclogite melts is also critical as geochemistry of many ocean island basalts suggest the presence of C and eclogite in their source regions [6]. In the present study we determine CO2 concentration in a model andesitic melt [7] at graphite/diamond saturation at conditions relevant for partial melting of eclogite in the convecting upper mantle. Piston cylinder and multi anvil experiments were conducted at 1-6 GPa and 1375-1550 °C using Pt/Gr double capsules. Oxygen fugacity was monitored with Pt-Fe sensors in the starting mix. Completed experiments at 1-3 GPa show that CO2 concentration increases with increasing P, T, and fO2 up to ~0.3 wt%. Results were used to develop empirical and thermodynamic models to predict CO2 concentration in partial melts of graphite saturated eclogite. This allowed us to quantify the extent to which CO2 can mobilize from eclogitic heterogeneities at graphite/diamond saturated conditions. With estimates of eclogite contribution to erupted basaltic lavas, the models developed here allow us to put constraints on the flux of CO2 to mantle source regions coming from subducted crust and investigate the possible role this process may play in the deep carbon cycle. [1] Dasgupta (2013) RiMG. [2] Shirey, et al. (2013) RiMG. [3] Frost & McCammon (2008) Ann Rev Earth Plan Sci. [4] Stagno, et al. (2015) CMP. [5] Kiseeva, et al. (2012) JPet. [6] Mallik & Dasgupta (2014) G3. [7] Spandler, et al. (2008) JPet.

Zircon evidence for incorporation of terrigenous sediments into the magma source of continental basalts.

PubMed

Xu, Zheng; Zheng, Yong-Fei; Zhao, Zi-Fu

2018-01-09

Crustal components may be incorporated into continental basalts by either shallow contamination or deep mixing. While the former proceeds at crustal depths with common preservation of refractory minerals, the latter occurs at mantle depths with rare survival of relict minerals. Discrimination between the two mechanisms has great bearing to subcontinental mantle geochemistry. Here we report the occurrence of relict zircons in Cenozoic continental basalts from eastern China. A combined study of zircon U-Pb ages and geochemistry indicates that detrital zircons were carried by terrigenous sediments into a subcontinental subduction zone, where the zircon were transferred by fluids into the magma sources of continental basalts. The basalts were sampled from three petrotectonic units with distinct differences in their magmatic and metamorphic ages, making the crustal contamination discernible. The terrigenous sediments were carried by the subducting oceanic crust into the asthenospheric mantle, producing both soluble and insoluble materials at the slab-mantle interface. These materials were served as metasomatic agents to react with the overlying mantle wedge peridotite, generating a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that contain the relict zircons. Therefore, the occurrence of relict zircons in continental basalts indicates that this refractory mineral can survive extreme temperature-pressure conditions in the asthenospheric mantle.

Mantle Attenuation Estimated from Regional and Teleseismic P-waves of Deep Earthquakes and Surface Explosions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichinose, G.; Woods, M.; Dwyer, J.

2014-03-01

We estimated the network-averaged mantle attenuation t*(total) of 0.5 s beneath the North Korea test site (NKTS) by use of P-wave spectra and normalized spectral stacks from the 25 May 2009 declared nuclear test (mb 4.5; IDC). This value was checked using P-waves from seven deep (580-600 km) earthquakes (4.8 < M w < 5.5) in the Jilin-Heilongjiang, China region that borders with Russia and North Korea. These earthquakes are 200-300 km from the NKTS, within 200 km of the Global Seismic Network seismic station in Mudanjiang, China (MDJ) and the International Monitoring System primary arrays at Ussuriysk, Russia (USRK) and Wonju, Republic of Korea (KSRS). With the deep earthquakes, we split the t*(total) ray path into two segments: a t*(u), that represents the attenuation of the up-going ray from the deep hypocenters to the local-regional receivers, and t*(d), that represents the attenuation along the down-going ray to teleseismic receivers. The sum of t*(u) and t*(d) should be equal to t*(total), because they both share coincident ray paths. We estimated the upper-mantle attenuation t*(u) of 0.1 s at stations MDJ, USRK, and KSRS from individual and stacks of normalized P-wave spectra. We then estimated the average lower-mantle attenuation t*(d) of 0.4 s using stacked teleseismic P-wave spectra. We finally estimated a network average t*(total) of 0.5 s from the stacked teleseismic P-wave spectra from the 2009 nuclear test, which confirms the equality with the sum of t*(u) and t*(d). We included constraints on seismic moment, depth, and radiation pattern by using results from a moment tensor analysis and corner frequencies from modeling of P-wave spectra recorded at local distances. We also avoided finite-faulting effects by excluding earthquakes with complex source time functions. We assumed ω2 source models for earthquakes and explosions. The mantle attenuation beneath the NKTS is clearly different when compared with the network-averaged t* of 0.75 s for the western US and is similar to values of approximately 0.5 s for the Semipalatinsk test site within the 0.5-2 Hz range.

Deep-tow geophysical survey above large exhumed mantle domains of the eastern Southwest Indian ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronner, A.; Munschy, M.; Sauter, D.; Carlut, J.; Searle, R.; Cannat, M.

2012-04-01

The recent discovery of a new type of seafloor, the "smooth seafloor", formed with no or very little volcanic activity along the easternmost part of the ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian ridge (SWIR) shows an unexpected complexity in processes of generation of the oceanic lithosphere. There, detachment faulting is thought to be a mechanism for efficient exhumation of deep-seated mantle rocks. We present here a deep-tow geological-geophysical survey over smooth seafloor at the eastern SWIR (62-64°N) combining multibeam bathymetric data, magnetic data, geology mapping from sidescan sonar (TOBI) images and results from dredge sampling. We introduce a new type of calibration approach for deep-tow fluxgate magnetometer. We show that magnetic data can be corrected from the magnetic effect of the vehicle with no recourse to its attitude (pitch, roll and heading) but only using the 3 components recorded by the magnetometer and an approximation of the scalar intensity of the Earth magnetic field. The collected dredge samples as well as the sidescan sonar images confirm the presence of large areas of exhumed mantle-derived peridodites surrounded by a few volcanic constructions. We investigate the possibility that magnetic anomalies are either caused by serpentinized peridotites and/or magmatic intrusions. We show that the magnetic signature of the smooth seafloor is clearly weaker than the surrounding volcanic areas. Moreover, the calculated magnetization of a source layer as well as the comparison between deep-tow and sea-surface magnetic data argue for strong East-West variability in the distribution of the magnetized sources. This variability may result from fluid-rock interactions along the detachment faults as well as from the occurrence of small sized and thin volcanic patches and thus questions the seafloor spreading origin of the corresponding magnetic anomalies. Finally, we provide magnetic arguments, as calculation of block rotation or spreading asymmetry in order to better constrain tectonic mechanisms that occur during the formation of this peculiar seafloor.

Deep-tow magnetic survey above large exhumed mantle domains of the eastern Southwest Indian ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronner, A.; Munschy, M.; Carlut, J. H.; Searle, R. C.; Sauter, D.; Cannat, M.

2011-12-01

The recent discovery of a new type of seafloor, the "smooth seafloor", formed with no or very little volcanic activity along the ultra-slow spreading Southwest Indian ridge (SWIR) shows an unexpected complexity in processes of generation of the oceanic lithosphere. There, detachment faulting is thought to be a mechanism for efficient exhumation of deep-seated mantle rocks. We present here a deep-tow geological-geophysical survey over smooth seafloor at the eastern SWIR (62-64°N) combining magnetic data, geology mapping from side-scan sonar images and results from dredge sampling. We introduce a new type of calibration approach for deep-tow fluxgate magnetometer. We show that magnetic data can be corrected from the magnetic effect of the vehicle with no recourse to its attitude (pitch, roll and heading) but only using the 3 components recorded by the magnetometer and an approximation of the scalar intensity of the Earth magnetic field. The collected dredge samples as well as the side-scan images confirm the presence of large areas of exhumed mantle-derived peridodites surrounded by a few volcanic constructions. This allows us to hypothesis that magnetic anomalies are caused by serpentinized peridotites or magmatic intrusions. We show that the magnetic signature of the smooth seafloor is clearly weaker than the surrounding volcanic areas. Moreover, the calculated magnetization of a source layer as well as the comparison between deep-tow and sea-surface magnetic data argue for strong East-West variability in the distribution of the magnetized sources. This variability may results from fluid-rocks interaction along the detachment faults as well as from the repartition of the volcanic material and thus questions the seafloor spreading origin of the corresponding magnetic anomalies. Finally, we provide magnetic arguments, as calculation of block rotation or spreading asymmetry in order to better constrain tectonic mechanisms that occur during the formation of this peculiar seafloor.

A Bayesian method to quantify azimuthal anisotropy model uncertainties: application to global azimuthal anisotropy in the upper mantle and transition zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, K.; Beghein, C.

2018-04-01

Seismic anisotropy is a powerful tool to constrain mantle deformation, but its existence in the deep upper mantle and topmost lower mantle is still uncertain. Recent results from higher mode Rayleigh waves have, however, revealed the presence of 1 per cent azimuthal anisotropy between 300 and 800 km depth, and changes in azimuthal anisotropy across the mantle transition zone boundaries. This has important consequences for our understanding of mantle convection patterns and deformation of deep mantle material. Here, we propose a Bayesian method to model depth variations in azimuthal anisotropy and to obtain quantitative uncertainties on the fast seismic direction and anisotropy amplitude from phase velocity dispersion maps. We applied this new method to existing global fundamental and higher mode Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps to assess the likelihood of azimuthal anisotropy in the deep upper mantle and to determine whether previously detected changes in anisotropy at the transition zone boundaries are robustly constrained by those data. Our results confirm that deep upper-mantle azimuthal anisotropy is favoured and well constrained by the higher mode data employed. The fast seismic directions are in agreement with our previously published model. The data favour a model characterized, on average, by changes in azimuthal anisotropy at the top and bottom of the transition zone. However, this change in fast axes is not a global feature as there are regions of the model where the azimuthal anisotropy direction is unlikely to change across depths in the deep upper mantle. We were, however, unable to detect any clear pattern or connection with surface tectonics. Future studies will be needed to further improve the lateral resolution of this type of model at transition zone depths.

The Chlorine Isotope Composition of Earth’s Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonifacie, M.; Jendrzejewski, N.; Agrinier, P.; Humler, E.; Coleman, M.; Javoy, M.

2008-03-01

Chlorine stable isotope compositions (δ37Cl) of 22 mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) correlate with Cl content. The high-δ37Cl, Cl-rich basalts are highly contaminated by Cl-rich materials (seawater, brines, or altered rocks). The low-δ37Cl, Cl-poor basalts approach the composition of uncontaminated, mantle-derived magmas. Thus, most or all oceanic lavas are contaminated to some extent during their emplacement. MORB-source mantle has δ37Cl ≤ 1.6 per mil (‰), which is significantly lower than that of surface reservoirs (~ 0‰). This isotopic difference between the surface and deep Earth results from net Cl isotopic fractionation (associated with removal of Cl from the mantle and its return by subduction over Earth history) and/or the addition (to external reservoirs) of a late volatile supply that is 37Cl-enriched.

Magma Ocean Depth and Oxygen Fugacity in the Early Earth--Implications for Biochemistry.

PubMed

Righter, Kevin

2015-09-01

A large class of elements, referred to as the siderophile (iron-loving) elements, in the Earth's mantle can be explained by an early deep magma ocean on the early Earth in which the mantle equilibrated with metallic liquid (core liquid). This stage would have affected the distribution of some of the classic volatile elements that are also essential ingredients for life and biochemistry - H, C, S, and N. Estimates are made of the H, C, S, and N contents of Earth's early mantle after core formation, considering the effects of variable temperature, pressure, oxygen fugacity, and composition on their partitioning. Assessment is made of whether additional, exogenous, sources are required to explain the observed mantle concentrations, and areas are identified where additional data and experimentation would lead to an improved understanding of this phase of Earth's history.

Geodynamic Implications of Himu Mantle In The Source of Tertiary Volcanics From The Veneto Region (south Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macera, P.; Gasperini, D.; Blichert-Toft; Bosch, D.; del Moro, A.; Dini, G.; Martin, S.; Piromallo, C.

DuringTertiary times extensive mafic volcanism took place in the South-Eastern Alps, along a half-graben structure bounded by the Schio-Vicenza main fault. This mag- matism gave rise to four main volcanic centers: Lessini, Berici, Euganei, and Maros- tica. The dominating rock types are alkali basalts, basanites and transitional basalts, with hawaiites, trachybasalts, tephrites, basaltic andesites, and differentiated rocks be- ing less common. Major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic data for the most primitive lavas from each volcanic center show the typical features of HIMU hotspot volcanism, variably diluted by a depleted asthenospheric mantle component (87Sr/86Sr48Ma = 0.70314-0.70321; eNd48Ma = +6.4 to +6.5; eHf48Ma = +6.4 to +8.1, 206Pb/204Pb48Ma = 18.786-19.574). Since the HIMU component is consid- ered to be of deep mantle origin, its presence in a tectonic environment dominated by subduction (the Alpine subduction of the European plate below the Adria plate) has significant geodynamic implications. Slab detachment and ensuing rise of deep man- tle material into the lithospheric gap is proposed to be a viable mechanism of hotspot magmatism in a subduction zone setting. Interaction between deep-seated plume ma- terial and shallow depleted asthenospheric mantle may account for the geochemical features of the Veneto volcanics, as well as those of the so-called enriched astheno- spheric reservoir (EAR) component. Ascending counterflow of deep mantle material through the lithospheric gap to the top of the subducting slab further may induce heat- ing of the overriding plate and trigger it to partially melt. Upwelling of the resulting mafic magmas and their subsequent underplating at the mantle-lower crust bound- ary would favor partial melting of the lower crust, thereby giving rise to the bimodal mafic-felsic magmatism that characterizes the whole Periadriatic province. According to this model, the HIMU-like magmatism of the Alpine foreland is therefore closely related to the calc-alkaline magmatism of the Periadriatic Lineament, and caused by the same mechanism of Tertiary Alpine convergence tectonics.

The deep Earth may not be cooling down

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrault, Denis; Monteux, Julien; Le Bars, Michael; Samuel, Henri

2016-06-01

The Earth is a thermal engine generating the fundamental processes of geomagnetic field, plate tectonics and volcanism. Large amounts of heat are permanently lost at the surface yielding the classic view of the deep Earth continuously cooling down. Contrary to this conventional depiction, we propose that the temperature profile in the deep Earth has remained almost constant for the last ∼4.3 billion years. The core-mantle boundary (CMB) has reached a temperature of ∼4400 K in probably less than 1 million years after the Moon-forming impact, regardless the initial core temperature. This temperature corresponds to an abrupt increase in mantle viscosity atop the CMB, when ∼60% of partial crystallization was achieved, accompanied with a major decrease in heat flow at the CMB. Then, the deep Earth underwent a very slow cooling until it reached ∼4100 K today. This temperature at, or just below, the mantle solidus is suggested by seismological evidence of ultra-low velocity zones in the D;-layer. Such a steady thermal state of the CMB temperature excludes thermal buoyancy from being the predominant mechanism to power the geodynamo over geological time. An alternative mechanism to sustain the geodynamo is mechanical forcing by tidal distortion and planetary precession. Motions in the outer core are generated by the conversion of gravitational and rotational energies of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. Mechanical forcing remains efficient to drive the geodynamo even for a sub-adiabatic temperature gradient in the outer core. Our thermal model of the deep Earth is compatible with an average CMB heat flow of 3.0 to 4.7 TW. Furthermore, the regime of core instabilities and/or secular changes in the astronomical forces could have supplied the lowermost mantle with a heat source of variable intensity through geological time. Episodic release of large amounts of heat could have remelted the lowermost mantle, thereby inducing the dramatic volcanic events that occurred during the Earth's history. In this scenario, because the Moon is a necessary ingredient to sustain the magnetic field, the habitability on Earth appears to require the existence of a large satellite.

Deep mantle structure as a reference frame for movements in and on the Earth

PubMed Central

Torsvik, Trond H.; van der Voo, Rob; Doubrovine, Pavel V.; Burke, Kevin; Steinberger, Bernhard; Ashwal, Lewis D.; Trønnes, Reidar G.; Webb, Susan J.; Bull, Abigail L.

2014-01-01

Earth’s residual geoid is dominated by a degree-2 mode, with elevated regions above large low shear-wave velocity provinces on the core–mantle boundary beneath Africa and the Pacific. The edges of these deep mantle bodies, when projected radially to the Earth’s surface, correlate with the reconstructed positions of large igneous provinces and kimberlites since Pangea formed about 320 million years ago. Using this surface-to-core–mantle boundary correlation to locate continents in longitude and a novel iterative approach for defining a paleomagnetic reference frame corrected for true polar wander, we have developed a model for absolute plate motion back to earliest Paleozoic time (540 Ma). For the Paleozoic, we have identified six phases of slow, oscillatory true polar wander during which the Earth’s axis of minimum moment of inertia was similar to that of Mesozoic times. The rates of Paleozoic true polar wander (<1°/My) are compatible with those in the Mesozoic, but absolute plate velocities are, on average, twice as high. Our reconstructions generate geologically plausible scenarios, with large igneous provinces and kimberlites sourced from the margins of the large low shear-wave velocity provinces, as in Mesozoic and Cenozoic times. This absolute kinematic model suggests that a degree-2 convection mode within the Earth’s mantle may have operated throughout the entire Phanerozoic. PMID:24889632

Deep mantle structure as a reference frame for movements in and on the Earth.

PubMed

Torsvik, Trond H; van der Voo, Rob; Doubrovine, Pavel V; Burke, Kevin; Steinberger, Bernhard; Ashwal, Lewis D; Trønnes, Reidar G; Webb, Susan J; Bull, Abigail L

2014-06-17

Earth's residual geoid is dominated by a degree-2 mode, with elevated regions above large low shear-wave velocity provinces on the core-mantle boundary beneath Africa and the Pacific. The edges of these deep mantle bodies, when projected radially to the Earth's surface, correlate with the reconstructed positions of large igneous provinces and kimberlites since Pangea formed about 320 million years ago. Using this surface-to-core-mantle boundary correlation to locate continents in longitude and a novel iterative approach for defining a paleomagnetic reference frame corrected for true polar wander, we have developed a model for absolute plate motion back to earliest Paleozoic time (540 Ma). For the Paleozoic, we have identified six phases of slow, oscillatory true polar wander during which the Earth's axis of minimum moment of inertia was similar to that of Mesozoic times. The rates of Paleozoic true polar wander (<1°/My) are compatible with those in the Mesozoic, but absolute plate velocities are, on average, twice as high. Our reconstructions generate geologically plausible scenarios, with large igneous provinces and kimberlites sourced from the margins of the large low shear-wave velocity provinces, as in Mesozoic and Cenozoic times. This absolute kinematic model suggests that a degree-2 convection mode within the Earth's mantle may have operated throughout the entire Phanerozoic.

Diamond formation in the deep lower mantle: a high-pressure reaction of MgCO3 and SiO2

PubMed Central

Maeda, Fumiya; Ohtani, Eiji; Kamada, Seiji; Sakamaki, Tatsuya; Hirao, Naohisa; Ohishi, Yasuo

2017-01-01

Diamond is an evidence for carbon existing in the deep Earth. Some diamonds are considered to have originated at various depth ranges from the mantle transition zone to the lower mantle. These diamonds are expected to carry significant information about the deep Earth. Here, we determined the phase relations in the MgCO3-SiO2 system up to 152 GPa and 3,100 K using a double sided laser-heated diamond anvil cell combined with in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. MgCO3 transforms from magnesite to the high-pressure polymorph of MgCO3, phase II, above 80 GPa. A reaction between MgCO3 phase II and SiO2 (CaCl2-type SiO2 or seifertite) to form diamond and MgSiO3 (bridgmanite or post-perovsktite) was identified in the deep lower mantle conditions. These observations suggested that the reaction of the MgCO3 phase II with SiO2 causes formation of super-deep diamond in cold slabs descending into the deep lower mantle. PMID:28084421

Preface: Deep Slab and Mantle Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suetsugu, Daisuke; Bina, Craig R.; Inoue, Toru; Wiens, Douglas A.

2010-11-01

We are pleased to publish this special issue of the journal Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors entitled "Deep Slab and Mantle Dynamics". This issue is an outgrowth of the international symposium "Deep Slab and Mantle Dynamics", which was held on February 25-27, 2009, in Kyoto, Japan. This symposium was organized by the "Stagnant Slab Project" (SSP) research group to present the results of the 5-year project and to facilitate intensive discussion with well-known international researchers in related fields. The SSP and the symposium were supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (16075101) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Japanese Government. In the symposium, key issues discussed by participants included: transportation of water into the deep mantle and its role in slab-related dynamics; observational and experimental constraints on deep slab properties and the slab environment; modeling of slab stagnation to constrain its mechanisms in comparison with observational and experimental data; observational, experimental and modeling constraints on the fate of stagnant slabs; eventual accumulation of stagnant slabs on the core-mantle boundary and its geodynamic implications. This special issue is a collection of papers presented in the symposium and other papers related to the subject of the symposium. The collected papers provide an overview of the wide range of multidisciplinary studies of mantle dynamics, particularly in the context of subduction, stagnation, and the fate of deep slabs.

Seismic Reflection Images of Deep Lithospheric Faults and Thin Crust at the Actively Deforming Indo-Australian Plate Boundary in the Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, S. C.; Carton, H.; Chauhan, A.; Dyment, J.; Cannat, M.; Hananto, N.; Hartoyo, D.; Tapponnier, P.; Davaille, A.

2007-12-01

Recently, we acquired deep seismic reflection data using a state-of-the-art technology of Schlumberger having a powerful source (10,000 cubic inch) and a 12 km long streamer along a 250 km long trench parallel line offshore Sumatra in the Indian Ocean deformation zone that provides seismic reflection image down to 40 km depth over the old oceanic lithosphere formed at Wharton spreading centre about 55-57 Ma ago. We observe deep penetrating faults that go down to 37 km depth (~24 km in the oceanic mantle), providing the first direct evidence for full lithospheric-scale deformation in an intra-plate oceanic domain. These faults dip NE and have dips between 25 and 40 degrees. The majority of faults are present in the mantle and are spaced at about 5 km, and do not seem cut through the Moho. We have also imaged active strike-slip fault zones that seem to be associated with the re-activation of ancient fracture zones, which is consistent with previous seismological and seafloor observations. The geometries of the deep penetrating faults neither seem to correspond to faulting associated with the plate bending at the subduction front nor with the re-activation of fracture zone that initiated about 7.5 Ma ago, and therefore, we suggest that these deep mantle faults were formed due to compressive stress at the beginning of the hard collision between India and Eurasia, soon after the cessation of seafloor spreading in the Wharton basin. We also find that the crust generated at the fast Wharton spreading centre 55-57 Ma ago is only 3.5-4.5 km thick, the thinnest crust ever observed in a fast spreading environment. We suggest that this extremely thin crust is due to 40-50°C lower than normal mantle temperature in this part of the Indian Ocean during its formation.

Development of diapiric structures in the upper mantle due to phase transitions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, M.; Yuen, D. A.; Zhao, W.; Honda, S.

1991-01-01

Solid-state phase transition in time-dependent mantle convection can induce diapiric flows in the upper mantle. When a deep mantle plume rises toward phase boundaries in the upper mantle, the changes in the local thermal buoyancy, local heat capacity, and latent heat associated with the phase change at a depth of 670 kilometers tend to pinch off the plume head from the feeding stem and form a diapir. This mechanism may explain episodic hot spot volcanism. The nature of the multiple phase boundaries at the boundary between the upper and lower mantle may control the fate of deep mantle plumes, allowing hot plumes to go through and retarding the tepid ones.

Lunar ferroan anorthosites and mare basalt sources - The mixed connection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryder, Graham

1991-01-01

Global overturn of a hot, gravitationally unstable lunar mantle immediately following the solidification of a magma ocean explains several characteristics of lunar petrology. Lunar mare basalt sources are inferred to be depleted in europium and alumina. These depletions are consensually attributed to complementary plagioclase floating from a magma ocean. However, in contrast to the mare basalt source parent magma, the ferroan anorthosite parent magma was more evolved by virtue of its lower Mg/Fe ratio and Ni abundances, although less evolved in its poverty of clinopyroxene constituents, flat rare earth pattern, and lower incompatible element abundances. The europium anomaly in mare sources is inferred to be present at 400 km depth, too deep to have been directly influenced by plagioclase crystallization. Massive overturning of the post-magma ocean mantle would have carried down clinopyroxene, ilmenite, and phases containing fractionated rare earths, europium anomalies, and some heat-producing radionuclides.

Re — Os isotopic constraints on the origin of volcanic rocks, Gorgona Island, Colombia: Os isotopic evidence for ancient heterogeneities in the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, R. J.; Echeverria, L. M.; Shirey, S. B.; Horan, M. F.

1991-04-01

The Re — Os isotopic systematics of komatiites and spatially associated basalts from Gorgona Island, Colombia, indicate that they were produced at 155±43 Ma. Subsequent episodes of volcanism produced basalts at 88.1±3.8 Ma and picritic and basaltic lavas at ca. 58 Ma. The age for the ultramafic rocks is important because it coincides with the late-Jurassic, early-Cretaceous disassembly of Pangea, when the North- and South-American plates began to pull apart. Deep-seated mantle upwelling possibly precipitated the break-up of these continental plates and caused a tear in the subducting slab west of Gorgona, providing a rare, late-Phanerozoic conduit for the komatiitic melts. Mantle sources for the komatiites were heterogeneous with respect to Os and Pb isotopic compositions, but had homogeneous Nd isotopic compositions (ɛNd+9±1). Initial 187Os/186Os normalized to carbonaceous chondrites at 155 Ma (γOs) ranged from 0 to +22, and model-initial μ values ranged from 8.17 to 8.39. The excess radiogenic Os, compared with an assumed bulk-mantle evolution similar to carbonaceous chondrites, was likely produced in portions of the mantle with long-term elevated Re concentrations. The Os, Pb and Nd isotopic compositions, together with major-element constraints, suggest that the sources of the komatiites were enriched more than 1 Ga ago by low (<20%) and variable amounts of a basalt or komatiite component. This component was added as either subducted oceanic crust or melt derived from greater depths in the mantle. These results suggest that the Re — Os isotope system may be a highly sensitive indicator of the presence of ancient subducted oceanic crust in mantle-source regions.

Re - Os isotopic constraints on the origin of volcanic rocks, Gorgona Island, Colombia: Os isotopic evidence for ancient heterogeneities in the mantle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walker, R.J.; Echeverria, L.M.; Shirey, S.B.; Horan, M.F.

1991-01-01

The Re - Os isotopic systematics of komatiites and spatially associated basalts from Gorgona Island, Colombia, indicate that they were produced at 155??43 Ma. Subsequent episodes of volcanism produced basalts at 88.1??3.8 Ma and picritic and basaltic lavas at ca. 58 Ma. The age for the ultramafic rocks is important because it coincides with the late-Jurassic, early-Cretaceous disassembly of Pangea, when the North- and South-American plates began to pull apart. Deep-seated mantle upwelling possibly precipitated the break-up of these continental plates and caused a tear in the subducting slab west of Gorgona, providing a rare, late-Phanerozoic conduit for the komatiitic melts. Mantle sources for the komatiites were heterogeneous with respect to Os and Pb isotopic compositions, but had homogeneous Nd isotopic compositions (??Nd+9??1). Initial 187Os/186Os normalized to carbonaceous chondrites at 155 Ma (??Os) ranged from 0 to +22, and model-initial ?? values ranged from 8.17 to 8.39. The excess radiogenic Os, compared with an assumed bulk-mantle evolution similar to carbonaceous chondrites, was likely produced in portions of the mantle with long-term elevated Re concentrations. The Os, Pb and Nd isotopic compositions, together with major-element constraints, suggest that the sources of the komatiites were enriched more than 1 Ga ago by low (<20%) and variable amounts of a basalt or komatiite component. This component was added as either subducted oceanic crust or melt derived from greater depths in the mantle. These results suggest that the Re - Os isotope system may be a highly sensitive indicator of the presence of ancient subducted oceanic crust in mantle-source regions. ?? 1991 Springer-Verlag.

Global Adjoint Tomography - Hotspots and Slabs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Y.; Lei, W.; Lefebvre, M. P.; Modrak, R. T.; Smith, J. A.; Orsvuran, R.; Bozdag, E.; Tromp, J.

2017-12-01

Plumes rise from the deep mantle due to thermal or/and chemical buoyancy, forming hotspots at the surface, and oceanic plates subduct underneath continents, piling up at discontinuities or sinking down to the core-mantle boundary. Despite these basic convection mechanisms, many questions remain about the origin of mantle plumes, slab subduction, their interaction with mantle convection, and their relationship with the large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) at the base of the mantle. Plume and slab morphology at depth provide further insight into these questions but imaging them in the mid and lower mantle is known to be very challenging due to a lack of data coverage and resolvability limits of conventional body-wave traveltime tomography. The deployment of regional dense arrays (e.g., USArray) and development of full waveform inversion techniques provide opportunities to resolve finer 3D details of mantle plumes and slabs. Harnessing the power of supercomputer ''Titan'' at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we employed a spectral-element method to accurately simulate seismograms in complex 3D Earth models and an adjoint method to obtain model updates. Bozdag et al. (2016) iteratively determined a transversely isotropic earth model (GLAD_M15) using 253 events. To achieve higher resolution and better coverage in the deep mantle, we expanded our database to 1,040 events; a 1/3 of them are deep earthquakes (>500 km). We reinverted source parameters using model GLAD_M15, recalculated synthetic seismograms, selected time windows that show good agreement between data and the synthetics, and made measurements within these windows. From the measurements, we further assess the overall quality of each event and station and exclude bad measurements using very conservative criteria. Thus far, we assimilated more than 10 million windows in three period bands from 17-250 s. As the model improves, we correct the centroid time and scalar moment of each event using its mean traveltime and amplitude anomalies and reselect windows after each iteration to include more measurements. So far, we have finished 5 iterations and found prominent fine-scale features of mantle plumes, especially in areas with sparse data coverage (e.g., Hoggar, Reunion). We expect to finish 4-5 more iterations and present the results of these iterations.

On the deep-mantle origin of the Deccan Traps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glišović, Petar; Forte, Alessandro M.

2017-02-01

The Deccan Traps in west-central India constitute one of Earth’s largest continental flood basalt provinces, whose eruption played a role in the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. The unknown mantle structure under the Indian Ocean at the start of the Cenozoic presents a challenge for connecting the event to a deep mantle origin. We used a back-and-forth iterative method for time-reversed convection modeling, which incorporates tomography-based, present-day mantle heterogeneity to reconstruct mantle structure at the start of the Cenozoic. We show a very low-density, deep-seated upwelling that ascends beneath the Réunion hot spot at the time of the Deccan eruptions. We found a second active upwelling below the Comores hot spot that likely contributed to the region of partial melt feeding the massive eruption.

A large mantle water source for the northern San Andreas Fault System: A ghost of subduction past

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirby, Stephen H.; Wang, Kelin; Brocher, Thomas M.

2014-01-01

Recent research indicates that the shallow mantle of the Cascadia subduction margin under near-coastal Pacific Northwest U.S. is cold and partially serpentinized, storing large quantities of water in this wedge-shaped region. Such a wedge probably formed to the south in California during an earlier period of subduction. We show by numerical modeling that after subduction ceased with the creation of the San Andreas Fault System (SAFS), the mantle wedge warmed, slowly releasing its water over a period of more than 25 Ma by serpentine dehydration into the crust above. This deep, long-term water source could facilitate fault slip in San Andreas System at low shear stresses by raising pore pressures in a broad region above the wedge. Moreover, the location and breadth of the water release from this model gives insights into the position and breadth of the SAFS. Such a mantle source of water also likely plays a role in the occurrence of Non-Volcanic Tremor (NVT) that has been reported along the SAFS in central California. This process of water release from mantle depths could also mobilize mantle serpentinite from the wedge above the dehydration front, permitting upward emplacement of serpentinite bodies by faulting or by diapiric ascent. Specimens of serpentinite collected from tectonically emplaced serpentinite blocks along the SAFS show mineralogical and structural evidence of high fluid pressures during ascent from depth. Serpentinite dehydration may also lead to tectonic mobility along other plate boundaries that succeed subduction, such as other continental transforms, collision zones, or along present-day subduction zones where spreading centers are subducting.

Between a rock and a hot place: the core-mantle boundary.

PubMed

Wookey, James; Dobson, David P

2008-12-28

The boundary between the rocky mantle and iron core, almost 2900 km below the surface, is physically the most significant in the Earth's interior. It may be the terminus for subducted surface material, the source of mantle plumes and a control on the Earth's magnetic field. Its properties also have profound significance for the thermochemical and dynamic evolution of the solid Earth. Evidence from seismology shows that D'' (the lowermost few hundred kilometres of the mantle) has a variety of anomalous features. Understanding the origin of these observations requires an understanding of the elastic and deformation properties of the deep Earth minerals. Core-mantle boundary pressures and temperatures are achievable in the laboratory using diamond anvil cell (DAC) apparatus. Such experiments have led to the recent discovery of a new phase, 'post-perovskite', which may explain many hitherto poorly understood properties of D''. Experimental work is also done using analogue minerals at lower pressures and temperatures; these circumvent some of the limits imposed by the small sample size allowed by the DAC. A considerable contribution also comes from theoretical methods that provide a wealth of otherwise unavailable information, as well as verification and refinement of experimental results. The future of the study of the lowermost mantle will involve the linking of the ever-improving seismic observations with predictions of material properties from theoretical and experimental mineral physics in a quantitative fashion, including simulations of the dynamics of the deep Earth. This has the potential to dispel much of the mystery that still surrounds this remote but important region.

Geochemical Constraints on Core-Mantle Interaction from Fe/Mn Ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humayun, M.; Qin, L.

2003-12-01

The greater density of liquid iron alloy, and its immiscibility with silicate, maintains the physical separation of the core from the mantle. There are no a priori reasons, however, why the Earth's mantle should be chemically isolated from the core. Osmium isotopic variations in mantle plumes have been interpreted in terms of interaction between outer core and the source regions of deep mantle plumes. If chemical transport occurs across the core-mantle boundary its mechanism remains to be established. The Os isotope evidence has also been interpreted as the signatures of subducted Mn-sediments, which are known to have relatively high Pt/Os. In the mantle, Fe occurs mainly as the divalent ferrous ion, and Mn occurs solely as a divalent ion, and both behave in a geochemically coherent manner because of similarity in ionic charge and radius. Thus, the Fe/Mn ratio is a planetary constant insensitive to processes of mantle differentiation by partial melting. Two processes may perturb the ambient mantle Fe/Mn of 60: a) the subduction of Mn-sediments should decrease the Fe/Mn ratio in plume sources, while b) chemical transport from the outer core may increase the Fe/Mn ratio. The differentiation of the liquid outer core to form the solid inner core may increase abundances of the light element constituents (FeS, FeO, etc.) to the point of exsolution from the core at the CMB. The exact rate of this process is determined by the rate of inner core growth. Two end-member models include 1) inner core formation mainly prior to 3.5 Ga with heat release dominated by radioactive sources, or 2) inner core formation occurring mainly in the last 1.5 Ga with heat release dominated by latent heat. This latter model would imply large fluxes of Fe into the sources of modern mantle plumes. Existing Fe/Mn data for Gorgona and Hawaiian samples place limits on both these processes. We describe a new procedure for the precise determination of the Fe/Mn ratio in magmatic rocks by ICP-MS. This high-resolution study of the Fe/Mn of mantle-derived samples offers a new set of chemical constraints on the rates of inner core differentiation and the viability of Os isotope interpretations.

Deep mantle cycling of oceanic crust: evidence from diamonds and their mineral inclusions.

PubMed

Walter, M J; Kohn, S C; Araujo, D; Bulanova, G P; Smith, C B; Gaillou, E; Wang, J; Steele, A; Shirey, S B

2011-10-07

A primary consequence of plate tectonics is that basaltic oceanic crust subducts with lithospheric slabs into the mantle. Seismological studies extend this process to the lower mantle, and geochemical observations indicate return of oceanic crust to the upper mantle in plumes. There has been no direct petrologic evidence, however, of the return of subducted oceanic crustal components from the lower mantle. We analyzed superdeep diamonds from Juina-5 kimberlite, Brazil, which host inclusions with compositions comprising the entire phase assemblage expected to crystallize from basalt under lower-mantle conditions. The inclusion mineralogies require exhumation from the lower to upper mantle. Because the diamond hosts have carbon isotope signatures consistent with surface-derived carbon, we conclude that the deep carbon cycle extends into the lower mantle.

Box Tomography: An efficient tomographic method for imaging localized structures in the deep Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masson, Yder; Romanowicz, Barbara

2017-04-01

The accurate imaging of localized geological structures inside the deep Earth is key to understand our planet and its history. Since the introduction of the Preliminary Reference Earth Model, many generations of global tomographic models have been developed and give us access to the 3D structure of the Earth's interior. The latest generation of global tomographic models has emerged with the development of accurate numerical wavefield computations in a 3D earth combined with access to enhanced HPC capabilities. These models have sharpened up mantle images and unveiled relatively small scale structures that were blurred out in previous generation models. Fingerlike structures have been found at the base of the oceanic asthenosphere, and vertically oriented broad low velocity plume conduits [1] extend throughout the lower mantle beneath those major hotspots that are located within the perimeter of the deep mantle large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs). While providing new insights into our understanding of mantle dynamics, the detailed morphology of these features requires further efforts to obtain higher resolution images. In recent years, we developed a theoretical framework [2][3] for the tomographic imaging of localised geological structures buried inside the Earth, where no seismic sources nor receivers are necessarily present. We call this "box tomography" [4]. The essential difference between box-tomography and standard tomographic methods is that the numerical modeling (i.e. the raytracing in travel time tomography and the wave propagation in waveform tomography or full waveform inversion) is completely confined within the small box-region imaged. Thus, box tomography is a lot more efficient than global tomography (i.e. where we invert for the velocity in the larger volume that encompasses all the sources and receivers), for imaging localised objects. We present 2D and 3D examples showing that box tomography can be employed for imaging structures present within the D'' region at the base of the mantle. Further, we show that box-tomography performs well even in the difficult situation where the velocity distribution in the mantle above the target structure is not known a-priori. REFERENCES [1] French, S. W. and B. Romanowicz (2015) Broad Plumes at the base of the mantle beneath major hotspots, Nature, 525, 95-99 [2] Masson, Y., Cupillard, P., Capdeville, Y., & Romanowicz, B. (2013). On the numerical implementation of time-reversal mirrors for tomographic imaging. Geophysical Journal International, ggt459. [3] Masson, Y., & Romanowicz, B. (2017). Fast computation of synthetic seismograms within a medium containing remote localized perturbations: a numerical solution to the scattering problem. Geophysical Journal International, 208(2), 674-692. [4] Masson, Y., & Romanowicz, B. (2017). Box Tomography: Localised imaging of remote targets buried in an unknown medium, a step forward for understanding key structures in the deep Earth. Geophysical Journal International, (under review).

Origin of short-period signals following P-diffracted waves: A case study of the 1994 Bolivian deep earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tono, Yoko; Yomogida, Kiyoshi

1997-10-01

Seismograms of the June 9, 1994, Bolivian deep earthquake recorded at epicentral distances from 100° to 122° show a train of signals with predominant frequencies between 1 and 2 Hz after the arrivals of short-period diffracted P-waves (P diff). We investigate the origin of these signals following P diff by analyzing a total of 20 records from the IRIS broad-band network and the short-period network of New Zealand. The arrivals of late signals continue for over 100 s, that is two times longer than the estimated source duration of this event. Subsequent aftershocks, which cause the following signals, are not expected from the long-period records. These results indicate that the long continuation of short-period signals is not due to the source complexities. The signals following P diff have small incident angles, and their spectra show peaks at about the same frequencies. These characteristics of the following signals exclude the possibility that their origin is shallow structure such as the heterogeneities beneath the stations or upper mantle. P diff propagates a long distance within the heterogeneous region near the core-mantle boundary. We conclude that the short-period signals following the main P diff are scattered waves caused by small-scale heterogeneities near the core-mantle boundary.

Plate and Plume Flux: Constraints for paleomagnetic reference frames and interpretation of deep mantle seismic heterogeneity. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunge, H.; Schuberth, B. S.; Shephard, G. E.; Müller, D.

2010-12-01

Plate and plume flow are dominant modes of mantle convection, as pointed out by Geoff Davies early on. Driven, respectively, from a cold upper and a hot lower thermal boundary layer these modes are now sufficiently well imaged by seismic tomographers to exploit the thermal boundary layer concept as an effective tool in exploring two long standing geodynamic problems. One relates to the choice of an absolute reference frame in plate tectonic reconstructions. Several absolute reference frames have been proposed over the last decade, including those based on hotspot tracks displaying age progression and assuming either fixity or motion, as well as palaeomagnetically-based reference frames, a subduction reference frame and hybrid versions. Each reference frame implies a particular history of the location of subduction zones through time and thus the evolution of mantle heterogeneity via mixing of subducted slab material in the mantle. Here we compare five alternative absolute plate motion models in terms of their consequences for deep mantle structure. Taking global paleo-plate boundaries and plate velocities back to 140 Ma derived from the new plate tectonic reconstruction software GPlates and assimilating them into vigorous 3-D spherical mantle circulation models, we infer geodynamic mantle heterogeneity and compare it to seismic tomography for each absolute rotation model. We also focus on the challenging problem of interpreting deep mantle seismic heterogeneity in terms of thermal and compositional variations. Using published thermodynamically self-consistent mantle mineralogy models in the pyrolite composition, we find strong plume flux from the CMB, with a high temperature contrast (on the order of 1000 K) across the lower thermal boundary layer is entirely sufficient to explain elastic heterogeneity in the deep mantle for a number of quantitative measures. A high excess temperatures of +1000--1500 K for plumes in the lowermost mantle is particularly important in understanding the strong seismic velocity reduction mapped by tomography in low-velocity bodies of the deep mantle, as this produces significant negative anomalies of shear wave velocity of up to -4%. We note, however, that our results do not account for the curious observation of seismic anti-correlation, which appears difficult to explain in any case. Our results provide important constraints for the integration of plate tectonics and mantle dynamics and their use in forward and inverse geodynamic mantle models.

Water cycling between ocean and mantle: Super-earths need not be waterworlds

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

Cowan, Nicolas B.; Abbot, Dorian S., E-mail: n-cowan@northwestern.edu

2014-01-20

Large terrestrial planets are expected to have muted topography and deep oceans, implying that most super-Earths should be entirely covered in water, so-called waterworlds. This is important because waterworlds lack a silicate weathering thermostat so their climate is predicted to be less stable than that of planets with exposed continents. In other words, the continuously habitable zone for waterworlds is much narrower than for Earth-like planets. A planet's water is partitioned, however, between a surface reservoir, the ocean, and an interior reservoir, the mantle. Plate tectonics transports water between these reservoirs on geological timescales. Degassing of melt at mid-ocean ridgesmore » and serpentinization of oceanic crust depend negatively and positively on seafloor pressure, respectively, providing a stabilizing feedback on long-term ocean volume. Motivated by Earth's approximately steady-state deep water cycle, we develop a two-box model of the hydrosphere and derive steady-state solutions to the water partitioning on terrestrial planets. Critically, hydrostatic seafloor pressure is proportional to surface gravity, so super-Earths with a deep water cycle will tend to store more water in the mantle. We conclude that a tectonically active terrestrial planet of any mass can maintain exposed continents if its water mass fraction is less than ∼0.2%, dramatically increasing the odds that super-Earths are habitable. The greatest source of uncertainty in our study is Earth's current mantle water inventory: the greater its value, the more robust planets are to inundation. Lastly, we discuss how future missions can test our hypothesis by mapping the oceans and continents of massive terrestrial planets.« less

40K-(40)Ar constraints on recycling continental crust into the mantle

PubMed

Coltice; Albarede; Gillet

2000-05-05

Extraction of potassium into magmas and outgassing of argon during melting constrain the relative amounts of potassium in the crust with respect to those of argon in the atmosphere. No more than 30% of the modern mass of the continents was subducted back into the mantle during Earth's history. It is estimated that 50 to 70% of the subducted sediments are reincorporated into the deep continental crust. A consequence of the limited exchange between the continental crust and the upper mantle is that the chemistry of the upper mantle is driven by exchange of material with the deep mantle.

On the deep-mantle origin of the Deccan Traps.

PubMed

Glišović, Petar; Forte, Alessandro M

2017-02-10

The Deccan Traps in west-central India constitute one of Earth's largest continental flood basalt provinces, whose eruption played a role in the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. The unknown mantle structure under the Indian Ocean at the start of the Cenozoic presents a challenge for connecting the event to a deep mantle origin. We used a back-and-forth iterative method for time-reversed convection modeling, which incorporates tomography-based, present-day mantle heterogeneity to reconstruct mantle structure at the start of the Cenozoic. We show a very low-density, deep-seated upwelling that ascends beneath the Réunion hot spot at the time of the Deccan eruptions. We found a second active upwelling below the Comores hot spot that likely contributed to the region of partial melt feeding the massive eruption. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

New Constraints on Upper Mantle Structure Underlying the Diamondiferous Central Slave Craton, Canada, from Teleseismic Body Wave Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esteve, C.; Schaeffer, A. J.; Audet, P.

2017-12-01

Over the past number of decades, the Slave Craton (Canada) has been extensively studied for its diamondiferous kimberlites. Not only are diamonds a valuable resource, but their kimberlitic host rocks provide an otherwise unique direct source of information on the deep upper mantle (and potentially transition zone). Many of the Canadian Diamond mines are located within the Slave Craton. As a result of the propensity for diamondiferous kimberlites, it is imperative to probe the deep mantle structure beneath the Slave Craton. This work is further motivated by the increase in high-quality broadband seismic data across the Northern Canadian Cordillera over the past decade. To this end we have generated a P and S body wave tomography model of the Slave Craton and its surroundings. Furthermore, tomographic inversion techniques are growing ever more capable of producing high resolution Earth models which capture detailed structure and dynamics across a range of scale lengths. Here, we present preliminary results on the structure of the upper mantle underlying the Slave Craton. These results are generated using data from eight different seismic networks such as the Canadian National Seismic Network (CNSN), Yukon Northwest Seismic Network (YNSN), older Portable Observatories for Lithospheric Analysis and Reseach Investigating Seismicity (POLARIS), Regional Alberta Observatory for Earthquake Studies Network (RV), USArray Transportable Array (TA), older Canadian Northwest Experiment (CANOE), Batholith Broadband (XY) and the Yukon Observatory (YO). This regional model brings new insights about the upper mantle structure beneath the Slave Craton, Canada.

Rapid Mantle Source Variations During the Latest Episode of Kilauea's Prolonged Pu'u O'o Eruption, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marske, J. P.; Garcia, M. O.; Pietruszka, A. J.; Norman, M. D.; Rhodes, J. M.

2006-12-01

Nearly 24 years of continuous geochemical monitoring of lavas from the current Pu'u O'o eruption allow us to probe the mantle processes beneath Kilauea Volcano in unparalleled detail. Here we present new measurements Pb, Sr, and Nd isotope ratios and major- and trace-element abundances for lavas from episode 55 (1997-2006), which marks the longest and most voluminous interval of this eruption. Pu'u O'o lavas erupted since 1985 display systematic decreases in their TiO2, K2O, P2O5 and CaO abundances (normalized to 10 wt. % MgO to correct for olivine control) due to changes in the parental magma composition. Incompatible element ratios (e.g., Ba/Nb and La/Y) also show overall temporal decreases. Earlier erupted Pu'u O'o lavas displayed the most significant decrease in incompatible element ratios with near constant SiO2 contents, and a gradual increase in 87Sr/86Sr ratios. However, episode 55 lavas record significant increases in MgO- normalized SiO2 contents and 87Sr/86Sr with nearly constant (e.g. Ba/Nb) or a slightly reversed (e.g., TiO2 and K2O) trends in incompatible element ratios and abundances. There is little variation of 206Pb/204Pb ratios in lavas (18.38-18.43) erupted since 1985. Neither a single mantle source composition nor a change in partial melting conditions alone can explain these observations. Based on the isotopic and chemical variability, we conclude that early Pu'u O'o lavas originated from two distinct mantle source components: (1) a long-term depleted component (with relatively low 87Sr/86Sr ratios) that originated within the deep source of the Hawaiian plume that characterizes the earlier part of the eruption (1985-1992), and (2) a recently depleted component (i.e. a component that was recently depleted by prior melting) with low abundances of incompatible elements became increasingly important from 1992-1997. More recently, Pu'u O'o has tapped greater proportions of a new (3) long-term less depleted component (with higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios than observed from 1985-1992) that originated within the deep source region of the plume. This third component lies within typical Pb, Sr and Nd isotopic space for Kilauea, but represents a new source composition for the Pu'u O'o eruption. The systematic geochemical evolution of Pu'u O'o lavas reflects changes in the proportions of the mantle source components tapped throughout the eruption. The rapid isotope variations (on a time scale of years) in the most recent lavas suggest the mantle source components are heterogeneous on an extremely small scale, relative to the size of Kilauea's melting region.

Diamond and moissanite in ophiolitic mantle rocks and podiform chromitites: A deep carbon source?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; Xu, X.; Wiedenbeck, M.; Trumbull, R. B.; Robinson, P. T.

2010-12-01

Diamonds are known from a variety of occurreces, mainly from mantle-derived kimberlites, meteorite impact craters, and continental deep subduction and collision zones. Recently, an unusual mineral group was discovered in the Luobusa ophiolitic chromitites from the Yarlung Zangbu suture, Tibet, which probably originated from a depth of over 300 km in the mantle. Minerals of deep origin include coesite apparently pseudomorphing stishovite, and diamond as individual grains or inclusions in OsIr alloy. To determine if such UHP and unusual minerals occur elsewhere, we collected about 1.5 t of chromitite from two orebodies in an ultramafic body in the Polar Urals. Thus far, more than 60 different mineral species have been separated from these ores. The most exciting discovery is the common occurrence of diamond, a typical UHP mineral in the Luobusa chromitites. These minerals are very similar in composition and structure to those reported from the Luobusa chromitites. So far diamond and/or moissanite have been discovered from many different ophiolitic ultramafic rocks, including in-situ grains in polished chromitite fragments. These discoveries demonstrate that the Luobusa ophiolite is not a unique diamond-bearing massif. Secondary ion mass spectrometric (SIMS) analysis shows that the ophiolite-hosted diamond has a distinctive 13C-depleted isotopic composition (δ13C from -18 to -28‰, n=70), compatible to the ophiolite-hosted moissanite (δ13C from -18 to -35‰, n=36), both are much lighter than the main carbon reservoir in the upper mantle (δ13C near -5‰). The compiled data from moissanite from kimberlites and other mantle settings share the characteristic of strongly 13C-depleted isotopic composition. This suggests that diamond and moissanite originates from a separate carbon reservoir in the mantle or that its formation involved strong isotopic fractionation. Subduction of biogenic carbonaceous material could potentially satisfy both the unusual isotopic and redox constraints on diamond and moissanite formation, but this material would need to stay chemically isolated from the upper mantle until it reached the high-T stability field of diamond and moissanite. The origin of diamond and moissanite in the mantle is still unsolved, but all evidence from the upper mantle indicates that they cannot have formed there, except under special and local redox conditions. We suggest, alternatively, that diamond and moissanite may have formed in the lower mantle, where the existence of 13C-depleted carbon is strongly suspected.

Deep water recycling through time

PubMed Central

Magni, Valentina; Bouilhol, Pierre; van Hunen, Jeroen

2014-01-01

We investigate the dehydration processes in subduction zones and their implications for the water cycle throughout Earth's history. We use a numerical tool that combines thermo-mechanical models with a thermodynamic database to examine slab dehydration for present-day and early Earth settings and its consequences for the deep water recycling. We investigate the reactions responsible for releasing water from the crust and the hydrated lithospheric mantle and how they change with subduction velocity (vs), slab age (a) and mantle temperature (Tm). Our results show that faster slabs dehydrate over a wide area: they start dehydrating shallower and they carry water deeper into the mantle. We parameterize the amount of water that can be carried deep into the mantle, W (×105 kg/m2), as a function of vs (cm/yr), a (Myrs), and Tm (°C):. We generally observe that a 1) 100°C increase in the mantle temperature, or 2) ∼15 Myr decrease of plate age, or 3) decrease in subduction velocity of ∼2 cm/yr all have the same effect on the amount of water retained in the slab at depth, corresponding to a decrease of ∼2.2×105 kg/m2 of H2O. We estimate that for present-day conditions ∼26% of the global influx water, or 7×108 Tg/Myr of H2O, is recycled into the mantle. Using a realistic distribution of subduction parameters, we illustrate that deep water recycling might still be possible in early Earth conditions, although its efficiency would generally decrease. Indeed, 0.5–3.7 × 108 Tg/Myr of H2O could still be recycled in the mantle at 2.8 Ga. Key Points Deep water recycling might be possible even in early Earth conditions We provide a scaling law to estimate the amount of H2O flux deep into the mantle Subduction velocity has a a major control on the crustal dehydration pattern PMID:26321881

Deep water recycling through time.

PubMed

Magni, Valentina; Bouilhol, Pierre; van Hunen, Jeroen

2014-11-01

We investigate the dehydration processes in subduction zones and their implications for the water cycle throughout Earth's history. We use a numerical tool that combines thermo-mechanical models with a thermodynamic database to examine slab dehydration for present-day and early Earth settings and its consequences for the deep water recycling. We investigate the reactions responsible for releasing water from the crust and the hydrated lithospheric mantle and how they change with subduction velocity ( v s ), slab age ( a ) and mantle temperature (T m ). Our results show that faster slabs dehydrate over a wide area: they start dehydrating shallower and they carry water deeper into the mantle. We parameterize the amount of water that can be carried deep into the mantle, W (×10 5 kg/m 2 ), as a function of v s (cm/yr), a (Myrs), and T m (°C):[Formula: see text]. We generally observe that a 1) 100°C increase in the mantle temperature, or 2) ∼15 Myr decrease of plate age, or 3) decrease in subduction velocity of ∼2 cm/yr all have the same effect on the amount of water retained in the slab at depth, corresponding to a decrease of ∼2.2×10 5 kg/m 2 of H 2 O. We estimate that for present-day conditions ∼26% of the global influx water, or 7×10 8 Tg/Myr of H 2 O, is recycled into the mantle. Using a realistic distribution of subduction parameters, we illustrate that deep water recycling might still be possible in early Earth conditions, although its efficiency would generally decrease. Indeed, 0.5-3.7 × 10 8 Tg/Myr of H 2 O could still be recycled in the mantle at 2.8 Ga. Deep water recycling might be possible even in early Earth conditions We provide a scaling law to estimate the amount of H 2 O flux deep into the mantle Subduction velocity has a a major control on the crustal dehydration pattern.

Tracking Crust-Mantle Recycling through Superdeep Diamonds and their Mineral Inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, Michael; Bulanova, Galina; Smith, Chris; Thomson, Andrew; Kohn, Simon; Burnham, Antony

2013-04-01

Sublithospheric, or 'superdeep' diamonds, originate in the deep upper mantle, transition zone, and at least as deep as the shallow lower mantle. When diamonds crystallize in the mantle from fluids or melts they occasionally entrap coexisting mineral phases. Because of their great physical resiliency, diamonds can potentially preserve information over long distance- and time-scales, revealing important information about the petrologic, tectonic and geodynamic environment in which the diamonds grew and were transported. Superdeep diamonds and their inclusions have proven especially powerful for probing processes related to subduction of slabs into the deep mantle [1-3]. In contrast to lithospheric diamonds that are effectively frozen-in geodynamically, mineral inclusions in superdeep diamonds often record hundreds of kilometers of uplift in the convecting mantle from their original depth of origin [3-5]. The phase equilibria of unmixing of original deep mantle phases such as Ca- and Mg-perovskite, NAL-phase, CF-phase, CAS-phase, and majorite provide a means to establish amounts of uplift. The few available age constraints indicate superdeep diamond growth from the Proterozoic to the Cretaceous, and further dating can potentially lead to constraining mantle upwelling rates [4]. Here we will provide several examples showing how superdeep diamonds and their inclusions record processes of subduction and slab foundering, and ultimately recycling of slab material from the transition zone and lower mantle into the shallow upper mantle. 1. Harte, B., Mineralogical Magazine, 2010. 74: p. 189-215. 2. Tappert, R., et al., Geology, 2005. 33: p. 565-568. 3. Walter, M.J., et al., Science, 2011. 333: p. 54-57. 4. Bulanova, G.P., et al., Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2010. 160: p. 489-510. 5. Harte, B. and N. Cayzer, Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, 2007.

Resolving the potential mantle reservoirs that influence volcanism in the West Antarctic Rift System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maletic, E. L.; Darrah, T.

2017-12-01

Lithospheric extension and magmatism are key characteristics of active continental rift zones and are often associated with long-lasting alkaline magmatic provinces. In these settings, a relationship between lithospheric extension and mantle plumes is often assumed for the forces leading to rift evolution and the existence of a plume is commonly inferred, but typically only extension is supported by geological evidence. A prime example of long-lasting magmatism associated with an extensive area of continental rifting is the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS), a 2000 km long zone of ongoing extension within the Antarctic plate. The WARS consists of high alkaline silica-undersaturated igneous rocks with enrichments in light rare earth elements (LREEs). The majority of previous geochemical work on WARS volcanism has focused on bulk classification, modal mineralogy, major element composition, trace element chemistry, and radiogenic isotopes (e.g., Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes), but very few studies have evaluated volatile composition of volcanics from this region. Previous explanations for WARS volcanism have hypothesized a plume beneath Marie Byrd Land, decompression melting of a fossilized plume head, decompression melting of a stratified mantle source, and mixing of recycled oceanic crust with one or more enriched mantle sources from the deep mantle, though researchers are yet to reach a consensus. Unlike trace elements and radiogenic isotopes which can be recycled between the crust and mantle and which are commonly controlled by degrees of partial melting and prior melt differentiation, noble gases are present in low concentrations and chemically inert, allowing them to serve as reliable tracers of volatile sources and subsurface processes. Here, we present preliminary noble gas isotope (e.g., 3He/4He, CO2/3He, CH4/3He, 40Ar/36Ar, 40Ar*/4He) data for a suite of lava samples from across the WARS. By coupling major and trace element chemistry with noble gas elemental and isotopic composition and other volatiles from a suite of volcanic rocks in the WARS, we can better constrain a magmatic source and provide geological evidence that could support or oppose the existence of a mantle plume, HIMU plume, or deconvolve mantle-lithosphere interactions.

Self-gravity, self-consistency, and self-organization in geodynamics and geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Don L.

The results of seismology and geochemistry for mantle structure are widely believed to be discordant, the former favoring whole-mantle convection and the latter favoring layered convection with a boundary near 650 km. However, a different view arises from recognizing effects usually ignored in the construction of these models, including physical plausibility and dimensionality. Self-compression and expansion affect material properties that are important in all aspects of mantle geochemistry and dynamics, including the interpretation of tomographic images. Pressure compresses a solid and changes physical properties that depend on volume and does so in a highly nonlinear way. Intrinsic, anelastic, compositional, and crystal structure effects control seismic velocities; temperature is not the only parameter, even though tomographic images are often treated as temperature maps. Shear velocity is not a good proxy for density, temperature, and composition or for other elastic constants. Scaling concepts are important in mantle dynamics, equations of state, and wherever it is necessary to extend laboratory experiments to the parameter range of the Earth's mantle. Simple volume-scaling relations that permit extrapolation of laboratory experiments, in a thermodynamically self-consistent way, to deep mantle conditions include the quasiharmonic approximation but not the Boussinesq formalisms. Whereas slabs, plates, and the upper thermal boundary layer of the mantle have characteristic thicknesses of hundreds of kilometers and lifetimes on the order of 100 million years, volume-scaling predicts values an order of magnitude higher for deep-mantle thermal boundary layers. This implies that deep-mantle features are sluggish and ancient. Irreversible chemical stratification is consistent with these results; plausible temperature variations in the deep mantle cause density variations that are smaller than the probable density contrasts across chemical interfaces created by accretional differentiation and magmatic processes. Deep-mantle features may be convectively isolated from upper-mantle processes. Plate tectonics and surface geochemical cycles appear to be entirely restricted to the upper ˜1,000 km. The 650-km discontinuity is mainly an isochemical phase change but major-element chemical boundaries may occur at other depths. Recycling laminates the upper mantle and also makes it statistically heterogeneous, in agreement with high-frequency scattering studies. In contrast to standard geochemical models and recent modifications, the deeper layers need not be accessible to surface volcanoes. There is no conflict between geophysical and geochemical data, but a physical basis for standard geochemical and geodynamic mantle models, including the two-layer and whole-mantle versions, and qualitative tomographic interpretations has been lacking.

Single-crystal structure determination of hydrous minerals and insights into a wet deep lower mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, L.; Yuan, H.; Meng, Y.; Popov, D.

2017-12-01

Water enters the Earth's interior through hydrated subducting slabs. How deep within the lower mantle (670-2900 km depth) can water be transported down and stored depends upon the availability of hydrous phases that is thermodynamically stable under the high P-T conditions and have a sufficiently high density to sink through the lower mantle. Phase H [MgSiH2O4] (1) and the δ-AlOOH (2) form solid solutions that are stable in the deep lower mantle (3), but the solid solution phase is 10% lighter than the corresponding lower mantle. Recent experimental discoveries of the pyrite (Py) structured FeO2 and FeOOH (4-6) suggest that these Fe-enriched phases can be transported to the deepest lower mantle owing to their high density. We have further discovered a very dense hydrous phase in (Fe,Al)OOH with a previously unknown hexagonal symmetry and this phase is stable relative to the Py-phase under extreme high P-T conditions in the deep lower mantle. Through in situ multigrain analysis (7) and single-crystal structure determination of the hydrous minerals at P-Tconditions of the deep lower mantle, we can obtain detailed structure information of the hydrous phases and therefore provide insights into the hydration mechanism in the deep lower mantle. These highly stable hydrous minerals extend the water cycle at least to the depth of 2900 km. 1. M. Nishi et al., Nature Geoscience 7, 224-227 (2014). 2. E. Ohtani, K. Litasov, A. Suzuki, T. Kondo, Geophysical Research Letters 28, 3991-3993 (2001). 3. I. Ohira et al., Earth and Planetary Science Letters 401, 12-17 (2014). 4. Q. Hu et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114, 1498-1501 (2017). 5. M. Nishi, Y. Kuwayama, J. Tsuchiya, T. Tsuchiya, Nature 547, 205-208 (2017). 6. Q. Hu et al., Nature 534, 241-244 (2016). 7. L. Zhang et al., American Mineralogist 101, 231-234 (2016).

Regional magnetic anomalies, crustal strength, and the location of the northern Cordilleran fold-and-thrust belt

USGS Publications Warehouse

Saltus, R.W.; Hudson, T.L.

2007-01-01

The northern Cordilleran fold-and-thrust belt in Canada and Alaska is at the boundary between the broad continental margin mobile belt and the stable North American craton. The fold-and-thrust belt is marked by several significant changes in geometry: cratonward extensions in the central Yukon Territory and northeastern Alaska are separated by marginward re-entrants. These geometric features of the Cordilleran mobile belt are controlled by relations between lithospheric strength and compressional tectonic forces developed along the continental margin. Regional magnetic anomalies indicate deep thermal and compositional characteristics that contribute to variations in crustal strength. Our detailed analysis of one such anomaly, the North Slope deep magnetic high, helps to explain the geometry of the fold-and-thrust front in northern Alaska. This large magnetic anomaly is inferred to reflect voluminous mafic magmatism in an old (Devonian?) extensional domain. The presence of massive amounts of malic material in the lower crust implies geochemical depletion of the underlying upper mantle, which serves to strengthen the lithosphere against thermal erosion by upper mantle convection. We infer that deep-source magnetic highs are an important indicator of strong lower crust and upper mantle. This stronger lithosphere forms buttresses that play an important role in the structural development of the northern Cordilleran fold-and-thrust belt. ?? 2007 The Geological Society of America.

Geochemistry of two contrasting deep fluids in the Sardinia microplate (western Mediterranean): Relationships with tectonics and heat sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paternoster, M.; Oggiano, G.; Sinisi, R.; Caracausi, A.; Mongelli, G.

2017-04-01

The Sardinia microplate in the western Mediterranean represents an ideal example for examining the relationship between fluid geochemistry, tectonic and heat sources in hydrothermal circuits. It consists of a portion of Variscan basement partly covered by sedimentary (mainly carbonate) and volcanic successions that record significant Permian to Pliocene geodynamic events within the southern European margin. The regional structure of the northern Sardinia is dominated by Tertiary ENE-WSW trending strike-slip and NNW-SSE trending normal faults, both capable of controlling deep and shallow fluid circulation. In this paper, results of a detailed geochemical investigation of waters and gases coming from a W-E trending section of central-north Sardinia are presented in order to explain the contrasting thermal and geochemical features of two - already known groups - of fluids. The Volcanic Logudoro Waters (VLW) is a group of cold to hypothermal Na-HCO3 waters characterised by high CO2 contents and mantle-derived He, that are localized in the volcanic-dominated Tertiary grabens. The He mantle signature within the VLW waters is associated with Plio-Pleistocene Quaternary volcanism where the outgassing of mantle-derived fluids is reasonably due recently active magma sources at depth. The currently active emission of mantle-derived gas linked to cold and hypothermal waters, provides evidence that the heat diffusion associated with the Plio-Pleistocene volcanism has already ended. In contrast, the Granite Variscan Basement Waters (GBW) group is characterised by hot-NaCl-rich waters, containing high concentrations of both dissolved N2 and radiogenic 4He. The high contribution of 4He produced by radiogenic decay of U and Th in the crust indicates a supply of radiogenic heat to the hydrothermal system localized within the granitic basement or in the tectonic contact between granite and Tertiary covers.

Os-186 and Os-187 Enrichments and High-He-3/He-4 sources in the Earth's Mantle: Evidence from Icelandic Picrites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandon, Alan D.; Graham, David W.; Waight, Tod; Gautason, Bjarni

2007-01-01

Picrites from the neovolcanic zones in Iceland display a range in Os-187/Os-188O from 0.1297 to 0.1381 ((gamma)Os = 0.0 to 6.5) and uniform Os-186/Os-188 of 0.1198375+/-32 (2 (sigma)). The value for Os-186/Os-188 is within uncertainty of the present-day value for the primitive upper mantle of 0.1198398+/-16. These Os isotope systematics are best explained by ancient recycled crust or melt enrichment in the mantle source region. If so, then the coupled enrichments displayed in Os-186/Os-188 and Os-187/Os-188 from lavas of other plume systems must result from an independent process, the most viable candidate at present remains core-mantle interaction. While some plumes with high He-3/He-4, such as Hawaii, appear to have been subjected to detectable addition of Os (and possibly He) from the outer core, others such as Iceland do not. A positive correlation between Os-187/Os-188 and He-3/He-4 from 9.6 to 19 RA in Iceland picrites is best modeled as mixtures of 500 Ma or older ancient recycled crust mixed with primitive mantle, creating a hybrid source region that subsequently mixes with the convecting MORB mantle during ascent and melting. This multistage mechanism to explain these isotope systematics is consistent with ancient recycled crust juxtaposed with more primitive, relatively He-rich mantle, in convective isolation from the upper mantle, most likely in the lowermost mantle. This is inconsistent with models that propose random mixing between heterogeneities in the convecting upper mantle as a mechanism to explain the observed isotopic variation in oceanic lavas or models that produce a high He-3/He-4 signature in melt depleted and strongly outgassed, He-poor mantle. Instead these systematics require a deep mantle source to explain the 3He/4He signature in Iceland lavas. The He-3/He-4 of lavas derived from the Iceland plume changed over time, from a maximum of 50 RA at 60 Ma, to approximately 25-27 RA at present. The changes are coupled with distinct compositional gaps between the different aged lavas when H-3/He-4 is plotted versus various geochemical parameters such as Nd-143/Nd-144 and La/Sm. These relationships can be interpreted as an increase in the proportion of ancient recycled crust in the upwelling plume over this time period.

Petrology and geochemistry of mafic magmatic rocks from the Sarve-Abad ophiolites (Kurdistan region, Iran): Evidence for interaction between MORB-type asthenosphere and OIB-type components in the southern Neo-Tethys Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saccani, Emilio; Allahyari, Khalil; Rahimzadeh, Bahman

2014-05-01

The Sarve-Abad (Sawlava) ophiolites crop out in the Main Zagros Thrust Zone and represent remnants of the Mesozoic southern Neo-Tethys Ocean that was located between the Arabian shield and Sanandaj-Sirjan continental block. They consist of several incomplete ophiolitic sequences including gabbroic bodies, a dyke complex, and pillow lava sequences. These rocks generally range from sub-alkaline to transitional character. Mineral chemistry and whole-rock geochemistry indicate that they have compositions akin to enriched-type mid-ocean ridge basalts (E-MORB) and plume-type MORB (P-MORB). Nonetheless, the different depletion degrees in heavy rare earth elements (HREE), which can be observed in both E-MORB like and P-MORB like rocks enable two main basic chemical types of rocks to be distinguished as Type-I and Type-II. Type-I rocks are strongly depleted in HREE (YbN < ~ 6), whereas Type-II rocks are moderately depleted in HREE (YbN > 9.0). Petrogenetic modeling shows that Type-I rocks originated from 7 to 16% polybaric partial melting of a MORB-type mantle source, which was significantly enriched by plume-type components. These rocks resulted from the mixing of variable fractions of melts generated in garnet-facies and the spinel-facies mantle. In contrast, Type-II rocks originated from 5 to 8% partial melting in the spinel-facies of a MORB-type source, which was moderately enriched by plume-type components. A possible tectono-magmatic model for the generation of the southern Neo-Tethys oceanic crust implies that the continental rift and subsequent oceanic spreading were associated with uprising of MORB-type asthenospheric mantle featuring plume-type component influences decreasing from deep to shallow mantle levels. These deep plume-type components were most likely inherited from Carboniferous mantle plume activity that was associated with the opening of Paleo-Tethys in the same area.

Helium as a tracer for fluids released from Juan de Fuca lithosphere beneath the Cascadia forearc

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCrory, Patricia A.; Constantz, James E.; Hunt, Andrew G.; Blair, James Luke

2016-01-01

The ratio between helium isotopes (3He/4He) provides an excellent geochemical tracer for investigating the sources of fluids sampled at the Earth's surface. 3He/4He values observed in 25 mineral springs and wells above the Cascadia forearc document a significant component of mantle-derived helium above Juan de Fuca lithosphere, as well as variability in 3He enrichment across the forearc. Sample sites arcward of the forearc mantle corner (FMC) generally yield significantly higher ratios (1.2-4.0 RA) than those seaward of the corner (0.03-0.7 RA). The highest ratios in the Cascadia forearc coincide with slab depths (40-45 km) where metamorphic dehydration of young oceanic lithosphere is expected to release significant fluid and where tectonic tremor occurs, whereas little fluid is expected to be released from the slab depths (25-30 km) beneath sites seaward of the corner.Tremor (considered a marker for high fluid pressure) and high RA values in the forearc are spatially correlated. The Cascadia tremor band is centered on its FMC, and we tentatively postulate that hydrated forearc mantle beneath Cascadia deflects a significant portion of slab-derived fluids updip along the subduction interface, to vent in the vicinity of its corner. Furthermore, high RA values within the tremor band just arcward of the FMC, suggest that the innermost mantle wedge is relatively permeable.Conceptual models require: (1) a deep fluid source as a medium to transport primordial 3He; (2) conduits through the lithosphere which serve to speed fluid ascent to the surface before significant dilution from radiogenic 4He can occur; and (3) near lithostatic fluid pressure to keep conduits open. Our spatial correlation between high RA values and tectonic tremor provides independent evidence that tremor is associated with deep fluids, and it further suggests that high pore pressures associated with tremor may serve to keep fractures open for 3He migration through ductile upper mantle and lower crust.

Coupling surface and mantle dynamics: A novel experimental approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiraly, Agnes; Faccenna, Claudio; Funiciello, Francesca; Sembroni, Andrea

2015-05-01

Recent modeling shows that surface processes, such as erosion and deposition, may drive the deformation of the Earth's surface, interfering with deeper crustal and mantle signals. To investigate the coupling between the surface and deep process, we designed a three-dimensional laboratory apparatus, to analyze the role of erosion and sedimentation, triggered by deep mantle instability. The setup is constituted and scaled down to natural gravity field using a thin viscous sheet model, with mantle and lithosphere simulated by Newtonian viscous glucose syrup and silicon putty, respectively. The surface process is simulated assuming a simple erosion law producing the downhill flow of a thin viscous material away from high topography. The deep mantle upwelling is triggered by the rise of a buoyant sphere. The results of these models along with the parametric analysis show how surface processes influence uplift velocity and topography signals.

Lunar Magma Ocean Crystallization: Constraints from Fractional Crystallization Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

2015-01-01

The currently accepted paradigm of lunar formation is that of accretion from the ejecta of a giant impact, followed by crystallization of a global scale magma ocean. This model accounts for the formation of the anorthosite highlands crust, which is globally distributed and old, and the formation of the younger mare basalts which are derived from a source region that has experienced plagioclase extraction. Several attempts at modelling the crystallization of such a lunar magma ocean (LMO) have been made, but our ever-increasing knowledge of the lunar samples and surface have raised as many questions as these models have answered. Geodynamic models of lunar accretion suggest that shortly following accretion the bulk of the lunar mass was hot, likely at least above the solidus]. Models of LMO crystallization that assume a deep magma ocean are therefore geodynamically favorable, but they have been difficult to reconcile with a thick plagioclase-rich crust. A refractory element enriched bulk composition, a shallow magma ocean, or a combination of the two have been suggested as a way to produce enough plagioclase to account for the assumed thickness of the crust. Recently however, geophysical data from the GRAIL mission have indicated that the lunar anorthositic crust is not as thick as was initially estimated, which allows for both a deeper magma ocean and a bulk composition more similar to the terrestrial upper mantle. We report on experimental simulations of the fractional crystallization of a deep (approximately 100km) LMO with a terrestrial upper mantle-like (LPUM) bulk composition. Our experimental results will help to define the composition of the lunar crust and mantle cumulates, and allow us to consider important questions such as source regions of the mare basalts and Mg-suite, the role of mantle overturn after magma ocean crystallization and the nature of KREEP

Signal restoration through deconvolution applied to deep mantle seismic probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefan, W.; Garnero, E.; Renaut, R. A.

2006-12-01

We present a method of signal restoration to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, sharpen seismic arrival onset, and act as an empirical source deconvolution of specific seismic arrivals. Observed time-series gi are modelled as a convolution of a simpler time-series fi, and an invariant point spread function (PSF) h that attempts to account for the earthquake source process. The method is used on the shear wave time window containing SKS and S, whereby using a Gaussian PSF produces more impulsive, narrower, signals in the wave train. The resulting restored time-series facilitates more accurate and objective relative traveltime estimation of the individual seismic arrivals. We demonstrate the accuracy of the reconstruction method on synthetic seismograms generated by the reflectivity method. Clean and sharp reconstructions are obtained with real data, even for signals with relatively high noise content. Reconstructed signals are simpler, more impulsive, and narrower, which allows highlighting of some details of arrivals that are not readily apparent in raw waveforms. In particular, phases nearly coincident in time can be separately identified after processing. This is demonstrated for two seismic wave pairs used to probe deep mantle and core-mantle boundary structure: (1) the Sab and Scd arrivals, which travel above and within, respectively, a 200-300-km-thick, higher than average shear wave velocity layer at the base of the mantle, observable in the 88-92 deg epicentral distance range and (2) SKS and SPdiff KS, which are core waves with the latter having short arcs of P-wave diffraction, and are nearly identical in timing near 108-110 deg in distance. A Java/Matlab algorithm was developed for the signal restoration, which can be downloaded from the authors web page, along with example data and synthetic seismograms.

Recycling Seamounts: Implications for Mantle Source Heterogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madrigal, P.; Gazel, E.

2016-12-01

Isolated seamounts formed away from plate boundaries and/or known hotspot tracks are widely distributed in the Earth's oceanic plates. Despite their pervasiveness, the origin and composition of the magmatic sources that create these seamounts are still unknown. Moreover, as the seamount provinces travel along with the oceanic plate towards subduction trenches these volcanic edifices become subducted materials that are later recycled into the mantle. Using radiogenic isotopes (Sr-Nd-Pb) from present-day non-plume ocean island basalts (OIB) sampled by drilling and dredging as well as by normal processes of accretion to subduction margins, we modeled the isotopic evolution of these enriched reservoirs to assess their role as discrete components contributing to upper mantle heterogeneity. Our evidence suggests that a highly enriched mantle reservoir can originate from OIB-type subducted material that gets incorporated and stirred throughout the upper mantle in a shorter time period ( 200 Ma-500 Ma) than other highly enriched components like ancient subducted oceanic crust (>1 Ga), thought to be the forming agent of the HIMU mantle reservoir endmember. Enriched signatures from intraplate volcanism can be described by mixing of a depleted component like DMM and an enriched reservoir like non-plume related seamounts. Our data suggests that the isotopic evolution in time of a seamount-province type of reservoir can acquire sufficiently enriched compositions to resemble some of the most enriched magmas on Earth. This "fast-forming" (between 200 and 500 Ma) enriched reservoir could also explain some of the enriched signatures commonly present in intraplate and EMORB magmas unrelated to deep mantle plume upwellings.

Reactive Transport of Slab-Derived Carbonatitic Melts in the Deep Upper Mantle and Generation of Kimberlites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, C.; Dasgupta, R.

2017-12-01

Kimberlite is a diamond-bearing CO2-rich ultramafic magma from the mantle at depths of >200 km, featured by enrichment of incompatible elements [1]. It has been considered significant for understanding mantle geochemistry and particularly for providing information of deep carbon cycle. Recent experimental studies suggested that partial melts of carbonated peridotites at high pressures and temperatures could resemble the MgO (>20 wt%) and enriched incompatible elements in kimberlites only when the source experienced refertilization with perhaps prior depletion (e.g., [2]). Although addition of CO2 and incompatible elements in the deep mantle is often linked to subducted components, partial melts directly from carbonated oceanic crusts do not have high enough MgO (e.g., ≤8.2 wt%; [3]). A crucial question is how slab-derived CO2-rich melt evolves in reaction with ambient mantle, which may provide a feasible mechanism for kimberlite generation. To investigate the fate of slab-derived carbonatitic melt in the deep ambient mantle, we have performed multi-anvil experiments at 7-10 GPa and 1400-1450 °C. The starting compositions were synthesized by mixing a fertile peridotite composition, KLB-1, with variable proportions (0-45 wt.%) of Ca-rich carbonatitic melt similar to those derived from a carbonated ocean crust at 13-21 GPa [3]. Experiments were performed in Pt, Pt/Gr, Au-Pd and Au-Pd/Gr capsules, and the experimental phases include olivine ± opx + cpx + majoritic garnet ± carbonated silicate melt. With the increase of melt-rock ratios, experimental melts become progressively enriched in CaO (13.0-23.1 wt%) and CO2 (14.2-38.7 wt%) but depleted in MgO (28.9-19.9 wt%), SiO2 (33.1-7.9 wt%), and Al2O3 (2.7-0.2 wt%). The net flux of melt increases with the increase of infiltrating carbonatitic melt proportion and with the decrease of pressure. Kimberlite melts were produced from experiments with 5-25 wt% infiltrating carbonatitic melts by dissolution of olivine and orthopyroxene and precipitation of clinopyroxene. Thus, a localized influx of slab-derived CO2-rich melts can enlarge the mantle porosity, enhance melt focusing, and initiate a channelized flow of kimberlite melts. [1] Becker & Le Roex (2006) J. Pet. 47: 673-703; [2] Brey et al. (2008) J. Pet. 49: 797-821; [3] Thomson et al. (2016) Nature 529: 76-79.

High-pressure orthorhombic ferromagnesite as a potential deep-mantle carbon carrier

DOE PAGES

Liu, Jin; Lin, Jung -Fu; Prakapenka, Vitali B.

2015-01-06

In this study, knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of candidate deep-carbon carriers such as ferromagnesite [(Mg,Fe)CO 3] at high pressure and temperature of the deep mantle is necessary for our understanding of deep-carbon storage as well as the global carbon cycle of the planet. Previous studies have reported very different scenarios for the (Mg,Fe)CO 3 system at deep-mantle conditions including the chemical dissociation to (Mg,Fe)O+CO 2, the occurrence of the tetrahedrally-coordinated carbonates based on CO 4 structural units, and various high-pressure phase transitions. Here we have studied the phase stability and compressional behavior of (Mg,Fe)CO 3 carbonates upmore » to relevant lower-mantle conditions of approximately 120 GPa and 2400 K. Our experimental results show that the rhombohedral siderite (Phase I) transforms to an orthorhombic phase (Phase II with Pmm2 space group) at approximately 50 GPa and 1400 K. The structural transition is likely driven by the spin transition of iron accompanied by a volume collapse in the Fe-rich (Mg,Fe)CO 3 phases; the spin transition stabilizes the high-pressure phase II at much lower pressure conditions than its Mg-rich counterpart. It is conceivable that the low-spin ferromagnesite phase II becomes a major deep-carbon carrier at the deeper parts of the lower mantle below 1900 km in depth.« less

Magma supply rate at kilauea volcano, 1952-1971.

PubMed

Swanson, D A

1972-01-14

The three longest Kilauea eruptions since 1952 produced lava at an overall constant rate of about 9 x 10(6) cubic meters per month (vesicle-free). This is considered to represent the rate of magma supply from a deep source, probably the mantle, because little or no summit deformation indicating high-level storage accompanied any of the three eruptions.

Early episodes of high-pressure core formation preserved in plume mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Colin R. M.; Bennett, Neil R.; Du, Zhixue; Cottrell, Elizabeth; Fei, Yingwei

2018-01-01

The decay of short-lived iodine (I) and plutonium (Pu) results in xenon (Xe) isotopic anomalies in the mantle that record Earth’s earliest stages of formation. Xe isotopic anomalies have been linked to degassing during accretion, but degassing alone cannot account for the co-occurrence of Xe and tungsten (W) isotopic heterogeneity in plume-derived basalts and their long-term preservation in the mantle. Here we describe measurements of I partitioning between liquid Fe alloys and liquid silicates at high pressure and temperature and propose that Xe isotopic anomalies found in modern plume rocks (that is, rocks with elevated 3He/4He ratios) result from I/Pu fractionations during early, high-pressure episodes of core formation. Our measurements demonstrate that I becomes progressively more siderophile as pressure increases, so that portions of mantle that experienced high-pressure core formation will have large I/Pu depletions not related to volatility. These portions of mantle could be the source of Xe and W anomalies observed in modern plume-derived basalts. Portions of mantle involved in early high-pressure core formation would also be rich in FeO, and hence denser than ambient mantle. This would aid the long-term preservation of these mantle portions, and potentially points to their modern manifestation within seismically slow, deep mantle reservoirs with high 3He/4He ratios.

Partial separation of halogens during the subduction of oceanic crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joachim, Bastian; Pawley, Alison; Lyon, Ian; Henkel, Torsten; Clay, Patricia L.; Ruzié, Lorraine; Burgess, Ray; Ballentine, Christopher J.

2014-05-01

Incompatible elements, such as halogens, have the potential to act as key tracers for volatile transport processes in Earth and planetary systems. The determination of halogen abundances and ratios in different mantle reservoirs gives us the ability to better understand volatile input mechanisms into the Earth's mantle through subduction of oceanic crust. Halogen partition coefficients were experimentally determined between forsterite, orthopyroxene and silicate melt at pressures ranging from 1.0 to 2.3 GPa and temperatures ranging from 1500-1600°C, thus representing partial melting conditions of the Earth's mantle. Combining our data with results of recent studies (Beyer et al. 2012; Dalou et al. 2012) shows that halogen partitioning between forsterite and melt increases by factors of about 1000 (fluorine) and 100 (chlorine) between 1300°C and 1600°C and does not show any pressure dependence. Chlorine partitioning between orthopyroxene and melt increases by a factor of about 1500 for a temperature increase of 100°C (anywhere between 1300°C and 1600°C), but decreases by a factor of about 1500 for a pressure increase of 1.0 GPa (anywhere between 1.0 GPa and 2.5 GPa). At similar P-T conditions, a comparable effect is observed for the fluorine partitioning behaviour, which increases by 500-fold for a temperature increase of 100°C and decreases with increasing pressure. Halogen abundances in mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB; F=3-15, Cl=0.5-14ppm) and ocean island basalts (OIB; F=35-65, Cl=21-55 ppm) source regions were estimated by combining our experimentally determined partition coefficients with natural halogen concentrations in oceanic basalts (e.g. Ruzié et al. 2012). The estimated chlorine OIB source mantle concentration is in almost perfect agreement with primitive mantle estimates (Palme and O'Neill 2003). If we expect an OIB source mantle slightly depleted in incompatible elements, this suggests that at least small amounts of chlorine are recycled deep into the mantle through subduction of oceanic crust, possibly via marine pore fluids (Sumino et al. 2010). The OIB source region is, however, significantly enriched in fluorine relative to the primitive mantle by a factor of 1.4-3.6, which indicates that significantly larger amounts of fluorine are transported deep into the Earth's mantle through subduction. An explanation for the partial separation of chlorine and fluorine during subduction is that the heavy halogens are more likely to escape from the subducting slab in hydrous fluids at an early subduction stage whereas significant amounts of fluorine are likely to remain in the slab, possibly incorporated in the lattice of hydrous amphibole or mica, or in anhydrous high-pressure phases of eclogite. The MORB source mantle is degassed in fluorine (17-88%) and chlorine (22-99%) relative to primitive mantle estimates. Preliminary data suggest that the bromine partitioning behaviour between forsterite and melt is roughly comparable to the behaviour of fluorine and chlorine. If true, this would imply that the Earth's upper mantle is presumably degassed of all halogens despite the more likely escape of heavy halogens from the slab at an early subduction stage, implying that these halogens are at least partly accumulating in the crust after leaving the slab. Beyer C, Klemme S, Wiedenbeck M, Stracke A, Vollmer C (2012) Earth Planet Sci. Lett. 337-338, pp. 1-9. Dalou C, Koga KT, Shimizu N, Boulon J, Devidal JL (2012) Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 163, pp. 591-609. Palme H, O'Neill HSTC (2003) Treatise Geochem. 2, pp. 1-38. Ruzié L, Burgess R, Hilton DR, Ballentine CJ (2012) AGU Fall Meeting 2012. V31A-2762 (abstr.). Sumino H, Burgess R, Mizukami T, Wallis SR, Holland G, Ballentine CJ (2010) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 294, pp. 163-172.

Numerical Mantle Convection Models With a Flexible Thermodynamic Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Berg, A. P.; Jacobs, M. H.; de Jong, B. H.

2001-12-01

Accurate material properties are needed for deep mantle (P,T) conditions in order to predict the longterm behavior of convection planetary mantles. Also the interpretation of seismological observations concerning the deep mantle in terms of mantle flow models calls for a consistent thermodynamical description of the basic physical parameters. We have interfaced a compressible convection code using the anelastic liquid approach based on finite element methods, to a database containing a full thermodynamic description of mantle silicates (Ita and King, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 15,939-15,940, 1994). The model is based on high resolution (P,T) tables of the relevant thermodynamic properties containing typically 50 million (P,T) table gridpoints to obtain resolution in (P,T) space of 1 K and an equivalent of 1 km. The resulting model is completely flexible such that numerical mantle convection experiments can be performed for any mantle composition for which the thermodynamic database is available. We present results of experiments for 2D cartesian models using a data base for magnesium-iron silicate in a pyrolitic composition (Stixrude and Bukowinski, Geoph.Monogr.Ser., 74, 131-142, 1993) and a recent thermodynamical model for magnesium silicate for the complete mantle (P,T) range, (Jacobs and Oonk, Phys. Chem. Mineral, 269, inpress 2001). Preliminary results of bulksound velocity distribution derived in a consistent way from the convection results and the thermodynamic database show a `realistic' mantle profile with bulkvelocity variations decreasing from several percent in the upper mantle to less than a percent in the deep lower mantle.

Experimental investigation of the stability of Fe-rich carbonates in the lower mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulard, E.; Menguy, N.; Auzende, A.; Benzerara, K.; Bureau, H.; Antonangeli, D.; Corgne, A.; Morard, G.; Siebert, J.; Perrillat, J.; Guyot, F. J.; Fiquet, G.

2011-12-01

Carbonates are the main C-bearing minerals that are transported deep in the Earth's mantle via subduction of the oceanic lithosphere [1]. The fate of carbonates at mantle conditions plays a key role in the deep carbon cycle. Decarbonation, melting or reduction of carbonates will affect the extent and the way carbon is recycled into the deep Earth. To clarify the fate of carbonates in the deep mantle, high-pressure high-temperature experiments were carried out up to 105 GPa and 2850 K on oxide assemblages of (Mg,Fe)O + CO2. The presence of Fe(II) in starting materials induces redox reactions from which Fe(II) is oxidized and a part of the carbon is reduced. This leads to an assemblage of magnetite, diamonds, and carbonates or, pressure depending, their newly discovered Fe(III)-bearing high-pressure polymorphs based on a silicate-like chemistry with tetrahedrally coordinated carbon [2]. Our results show the possibility for carbon to be recycled in the lowermost mantle and provide evidence of a possible coexistence of reduced and oxidized carbon at lower mantle conditions. [1] Sleep, N. H., and K. Zahnle (2001) J. Geophys. Res.-Planets 106(E1), 1373-1399. [2] Boulard et al. (2011) PNAS, 108, 5184-5187.

Dehydration of δ-AlOOH in the lower mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piet, H.; Shim, S. H.; Tappan, J.; Leinenweber, K. D.; Greenberg, E.; Prakapenka, V. B.

2017-12-01

Hydrous phase δ-AlOOH is an important candidate for water transport and storage in the Earth's deep mantle [1]. Knowing the conditions, under which it is stable and dehydrated, is therefore important for understanding the water transportation to the deep mantle or even to the core. A few experimental studies [1, 2] have shown that δ-AlOOH may be stable in cold descending slabs while it is dehydrated into a mixture of corundum and water under normal mantle conditions, up to 25 GPa. A subsequent study [3] reported the stability of δ-AlOOH in cold descending slabs to the core-mantle boundary conditions (2300 K at 135 GPa). However, the dehydration of δ-AlOOH has not bee directly observed in the experiments conducted at pressures above 25 GPa. We have synthesized δ-AlOOH from diaspore and Al(OH)3 in multi-anvil press at ASU. The sample was mixed with Au for coupling with near IR laser beams and loaded in diamond-anvil cells. We performed the laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments at the 13IDD beamline of the Advanced Photon Source and ASU. At APS, we measured X-ray diffraction patterns at in situ high pressure and temperature. We observed the appearance of the corundum diffraction lines at 1700-2000 K and 55-90 GPa, indicating the dehydration of δ-AlOOH to Al2O3+ H2O. We found that the transition occurs over a broad range of temperature (500 K). We also observed that the dehydration of δ-AlOOH was accompanied by sudden change in laser coupling, most likely due to the release of fluids. The property change also helps us to determine the dehydration at ASU without in situ XRD. Our new experimental results indicate that δ-AlOOH would be stable in most subducting slabs in the deep mantle. However, because the dehydration occurs very close to the temperatures expected for the lower mantle, its stability is uncertain in the normal mantle. [1] Ohtani et al. 2001, Stability field of new hydrous phase, delta-AlOOH, Geophysical Research Letters 28, 3991-3993. [2] Sano et al. 2004, In situ XRD of dehydration of AlSiO3OH and d-AlOOH, JPCS 65, 1547-1554. [3] Sano et al. 2008, Aluminous hydrous mineral d-AlOOH as a carrier of hydrogen into the core-mantle boundary, Geophysical Research Letters 35, L03303.

Record of Cyclical Massive Upwellings from the Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province in the Mesozoic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gazel, E.; Madrigal, P.; Flores, K. E.; Bizimis, M.; Jicha, B. R.

2016-12-01

Global tomography and numerical models suggest that mantle plume occurrences are closely linked to the margins of the large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs). In these locations the ascent of material from the core-mantle boundary connects the deep Earth with surface processes through mantle plume activity, forming large igneous provinces (LIPs) and some of the modern hotspot volcanoes. Petrological and geodynamic evidence suggest a link between the formation of oceanic plateaus and the interactions of mantle plumes and mid-ocean ridges (MOR). Therefore, it is possible to trace the potential interactions between MORs and deep mantle plume upwellings by referencing the tectonic and magmatic evolution of the Pacific Plate in time to the current location of the LLSVP, considering the long-lived ( 500 Ma) existence of these thermochemical anomalies. We identified episodic upwellings of the Pacific LLSVP during the Mesozoic separated by 10 to 20 Ma, by reconstructing the kinematic evolution of the Pacific Plate in the last 170 Ma. The fact that the bulk emplacement of LIPs ( 120-80 Ma) in the Pacific coincides with the timing of the Cretaceous Normal Superchron, that can be related to fluctuations of mantle-core heat fluxes further supports the hypothesis of deep mantle origin for LIPs. The potential cyclicity of LIP emplacement could be tied to core heat fluctuations interacting with the lower mantle, the rheology contrast of material crossing the transition zone (either upwelling hot material or downgoing dense slabs as mantle avalanches), the rate of entrainment of recycled materials, or a combination of the processes mentioned. Recognizing patterns and possible cycles is crucial to the link between deep processes and life as these pulses impacted the marine biota resulting in episodes of anoxia and mass extinctions shortly after their eruption.

Mid-Holocene change in types of degassing volcanoes, using indium in Antarctic ice as a tracer of volcanic source type

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hinkley, T.; Matsumoto, A.

2007-01-01

Proportions of trace metals in Antarctic ice samples indicate that the type of volcanoes that dominated atmospheric emissions changed at about the middle of the Holocene from relatively mafic, deep source volcanoes to more silicic, shallower-source volcanoes. We base this inference on the strong contrast in the abundances of the trace metal indium (In), relative to other trace metals present in ice, deposited at different times in the past, and on contrasting In abundances in modern emissions of volcanoes of different types. Indium is more abundant in the emissions of deep-source mafic volcanoes than in more felsic, shallower-source volcanoes. Earlier workers have shown, on the basis of petrologic and some meteoritic evidence, that In may be partitioned to the interiors (stony mantles) of differentiated planets, or enriched in the liquids of partly crystallized mafic melts.

Primordial helium entrained by the hottest mantle plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, M. G.; Konter, J. G.; Becker, T. W.

2017-02-01

Helium isotopes provide an important tool for tracing early-Earth, primordial reservoirs that have survived in the planet’s interior. Volcanic hotspot lavas, like those erupted at Hawaii and Iceland, can host rare, high 3He/4He isotopic ratios (up to 50 times the present atmospheric ratio, Ra) compared to the lower 3He/4He ratios identified in mid-ocean-ridge basalts that form by melting the upper mantle (about 8Ra; ref. 5). A long-standing hypothesis maintains that the high-3He/4He domain resides in the deep mantle, beneath the upper mantle sampled by mid-ocean-ridge basalts, and that buoyantly upwelling plumes from the deep mantle transport high-3He/4He material to the shallow mantle beneath plume-fed hotspots. One problem with this hypothesis is that, while some hotspots have 3He/4He values ranging from low to high, other hotspots exhibit only low 3He/4He ratios. Here we show that, among hotspots suggested to overlie mantle plumes, those with the highest maximum 3He/4He ratios have high hotspot buoyancy fluxes and overlie regions with seismic low-velocity anomalies in the upper mantle, unlike plume-fed hotspots with only low maximum 3He/4He ratios. We interpret the relationships between 3He/4He values, hotspot buoyancy flux, and upper-mantle shear wave velocity to mean that hot plumes—which exhibit seismic low-velocity anomalies at depths of 200 kilometres—are more buoyant and entrain both high-3He/4He and low-3He/4He material. In contrast, cooler, less buoyant plumes do not entrain this high-3He/4He material. This can be explained if the high-3He/4He domain is denser than low-3He/4He mantle components hosted in plumes, and if high-3He/4He material is entrained from the deep mantle only by the hottest, most buoyant plumes. Such a dense, deep-mantle high-3He/4He domain could remain isolated from the convecting mantle, which may help to explain the preservation of early Hadean (>4.5 billion years ago) geochemical anomalies in lavas sampling this reservoir.

Re-Os isotope and platinum group elements of a FOcal ZOne mantle source, Louisville Seamounts Chain, Pacific ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejada, Maria Luisa G.; Hanyu, Takeshi; Ishikawa, Akira; Senda, Ryoko; Suzuki, Katsuhiko; Fitton, Godfrey; Williams, Rebecca

2015-02-01

The Louisville Seamount Chain (LSC) is, besides the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain, one of the longest-lived hotspot traces. We report here the first Re-Os isotope and platinum group element (PGE) data for Canopus, Rigil, and Burton Guyots along the chain, which were drilled during IODP Expedition 330. The LSC basalts possess (187Os/188Os)i = 0.1245-0.1314 that are remarkably homogeneous and do not vary with age. A Re-Os isochron age of 64.9 ± 3.2 Ma was obtained for Burton seamount (the youngest of the three seamounts drilled), consistent with 40Ar-39Ar data. Isochron-derived initial 187Os/188Os ratio of 0.1272 ± 0.0008, together with data for olivines (0.1271-0.1275), are within the estimated primitive mantle values. This (187Os/188Os)i range is similar to those of Rarotonga (0.124-0.139) and Samoan shield (0.1276-0.1313) basalts and lower than those of Cook-Austral (0.136-0.155) and Hawaiian shield (0.1283-0.1578) basalts, suggesting little or no recycled component in the LSC mantle source. The PGE data of LSC basalts are distinct from those of oceanic lower crust. Variation in PGE patterns can be largely explained by different low degrees of melting under sulfide-saturated conditions of the same relatively fertile mantle source, consistent with their primitive mantle-like Os and primordial Ne isotope signatures. The PGE patterns and the low 187Os/188Os composition of LSC basalts contrast with those of Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) tholeiites. We conclude that the Re-Os isotope and PGE composition of LSC basalts reflect a relatively pure deep-sourced common mantle sampled by some ocean island basalts but is not discernible in the composition of OJP tholeiites.

Experimental constraints on the fate of subducted upper continental crust beyond the "depth of no return"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Wu, Y.; WANG, C.; Jin, Z.

2015-12-01

Large-scale oceanic/continental subduction introduces a range of crustal materials into the Earth's mantle. These subducted material will be gravitationally trapped in the deep mantle when they have been transported to a depth of greater than ~250-300 km ("depth of no return"). However, little is known about the fate of these trapped continental material. Here, we conduct experimental study on a natural continental rock which compositionally similar to the average upper continental crust (UCC) over a pressure and temperature range of 9-16 GPa and 1300-1800 oC to constraint the fate of these trapped continental materials. The experimental results demonstrate that subducted UCC produces ~20-30 wt% K-rich melt (>55 wt% SiO2) in the upper mantle (9-13 GPa). The melting residue is mainly composed of coesite/stishovite + clinopyroxene + kyanite. In contrast, partial melting of subducted UCC in the MTZ produces ~10 wt% K-rich melt (<50 wt% SiO2), together with stishovite, clinopyroxene, K-Hollandite, garnet and CAS-phase as the residue phases. The melting residue phases achieve densities greater than the surrounding mantle, which provides a driving force for descending across the 410 km seismic discontinuity into the MTZ. However, this density relationship is reversed at the base of MTZ, leaving the descended residues being accumulated above the 660 km seismic discontinuity and may contribute to the stagnated "second continent". On the other hand, the melt is ~0.3-0.7 g/cm3 less dense than the surrounding mantle and provides a buoyancy force for the ascending of melt to shallow depth. The ascending melt preserves a significant portion of the bulk-rock REEs and LILEs. Thus, chemical reaction between the melt and the surrounding mantle would leads to a variably metasomatised mantle. Re-melting of the metasomatised mantle may contribute to the origin of the "enriched mantle sources" (EM-sources). Therefore, through subduction, stagnation, partial melting and melt segregation of continental crust may create EM-sources and"second continent" at shallow depth and the base of the MTZ respectively, which may contribute to the observed geochemical/geophysical heterogeneity in Earth's interior.

Plume-related mantle source of super-large rare metal deposits from the Lovozero and Khibina massifs on the Kola Peninsula, Eastern part of Baltic Shield: Sr, Nd and Hf isotope systematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogarko, L. N.; Lahaye, Y.; Brey, G. P.

2010-03-01

The two world’s largest complexes of highly alkaline nepheline syenites and related rare metal loparite and eudialyte deposits, the Khibina and Lovozero massifs, occur in the central part of the Kola Peninsula. We measured for the first time in situ the trace element concentrations and the Sr, Nd and Hf isotope ratios by LA-ICP-MS (laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer) in loparite, eudialyte an in some other pegmatitic minerals. The results are in aggreement with the whole rock Sr and Nd isotope which suggests the formation of these superlarge rare metal deposits in a magmatic closed system. The initial Hf, Sr, Nd isotope ratios are similar to the isotopic signatures of OIB indicating depleted mantle as a source. This leads to the suggestion that the origin of these gigantic alkaline intrusions is connected to a deep seated mantle source—possibly to a lower mantle plume. The required combination of a depleted mantle and high rare metal enrichment in the source can be explained by the input of incompatible elements by metasomatising melts/fluids into the zones of alkaline magma generation shortly before the partial melting event (to avoid ingrowth of radiogenic isotopes). The minerals belovite and pyrochlore from the pegmatites are abnormally high in 87Sr /86Sr ratios. This may be explained by closed system isotope evolution as a result of a significant increase in Rb/Sr during the evolution of the peralkaline magma.

Deep-Earth reactor: nuclear fission, helium, and the geomagnetic field.

PubMed

Hollenbach, D F; Herndon, J M

2001-09-25

Geomagnetic field reversals and changes in intensity are understandable from an energy standpoint as natural consequences of intermittent and/or variable nuclear fission chain reactions deep within the Earth. Moreover, deep-Earth production of helium, having (3)He/(4)He ratios within the range observed from deep-mantle sources, is demonstrated to be a consequence of nuclear fission. Numerical simulations of a planetary-scale geo-reactor were made by using the SCALE sequence of codes. The results clearly demonstrate that such a geo-reactor (i) would function as a fast-neutron fuel breeder reactor; (ii) could, under appropriate conditions, operate over the entire period of geologic time; and (iii) would function in such a manner as to yield variable and/or intermittent output power.

Heterogeneous source components of intraplate basalts from NE China induced by the ongoing Pacific slab subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huan; Xia, Qun-Ke; Ingrin, Jannick; Deloule, Etienne; Bi, Yao

2017-02-01

The subduction of oceanic slabs is widely accepted to be a main reason for chemical heterogeneities in the mantle. However, determining the contributions of slabs in areas that have experienced multiple subduction events is often difficult due to possible overlapping imprints. Understanding the temporal and spatial variations of source components for widespread intraplate small volume basalts in eastern China may be a basis for investigating the influence of the subducted Pacific slab, which has long been postulated but never confirmed. For this purpose, we investigated the Chaihe-aershan volcanic field (including more than 35 small-volume Quaternary basaltic volcanoes) in NE China and measured the oxygen isotopes and water content of clinopyroxene (cpx) phenocrysts using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The water content of magma was then estimated based on the partition coefficient of H2O between cpx and the basaltic melt. The δ18O of cpx phenocrysts (4.28‰ to 8.57‰) and H2O content of magmas (0.19 wt.%-2.70 wt.%) show large variations, reflecting the compositional heterogeneity of the mantle source. The δ18O values and H2O content within individual samples also display considerable variation, suggesting the mixing of magmas and that the magma mixing occurred shortly before the eruption. The relation between the δ18O values of cpx phenocrysts and the H2O/Ce ratio, Ba/Th ratio and Eu anomaly of whole rocks demonstrates the contributions of three components to the mantle source (hydrothermally altered upper oceanic crust and marine sediments, altered lower gabbroic oceanic crust, and ambient mantle). The proportions of these three components have varied widely over time (∼1.37 Ma to ∼0.25 Ma). The Pacific slab is constantly subducted under eastern Asia and continuously transports recycled materials to the deep mantle. The temporal heterogeneity of the source components may be caused by ongoing Pacific slab subduction. Combined with other basalt localities in eastern China (Shuangliao basalts, Taihang basalts and Shangdong basalts), the contributions of recycled oceanic components in their mantle source are heterogeneous. This spatial heterogeneity of mantle sources may be induced by variable alterations and dehydration during the recycling process of the Pacific slab. Our results show that the source components of Cenozoic intraplate small-volume basalts in eastern China are temporally and spatially heterogeneous, which is likely induced by the ongoing subduction of the Pacific slab. This demonstrates that integrating the temporal variations in geochemical characteristics and tectonic history of a study region can identify the subducted oceanic plate that induced enriched components in the mantle source of intraplate basalts.

Investigating melting induced mantle heterogeneities in plate driven mantle convection models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, M.; Davies, H.; Panton, J.

2017-12-01

Observations from geochemistry and seismology continue to suggest a range of complex heterogeneity in Earth's mantle. In the deep mantle, two large low velocity provinces (LLVPs) have been regularly observed in seismic studies, with their longevity, composition and density compared to the surrounding mantle debated. The cause of these observed LLVPs is equally uncertain, with previous studies advocating either thermal or thermo-chemical causes. There is also evidence that these structures could provide chemically distinct reservoirs within the mantle, with recent studies also suggesting there may be additional reservoirs in the mantle, such as bridgmanite-enriched ancient mantle structures (BEAMS). One way to test these hypotheses is using computational models of the mantle, with models that capture the full 3D system being both complex and computationally expensive. Here we present results from our global mantle model TERRA. Using our model, we can track compositional variations in the convecting mantle that are generated by self-consistent, evolving melting zones. Alongside the melting, we track trace elements and other volatiles which can be partitioned during melting events, and expelled and recycled at the surface. Utilising plate reconstruction models as a boundary condition, the models generate the tectonic features observed at Earth's surface, while also organising the lower mantle into recognisable degree-two structures. This results in our models generating basaltic `oceanic' crusts which are then brought into the mantle at tectonic boundaries, providing additional chemical heterogeneity in the mantle volume. Finally, by utilising thermodynamic lookup tables to convert the final outputs from the model to seismic structures, together with resolution filters for global tomography models, we are able to make direct comparisons between our results and observations. By varying the parameters of the model, we investigate a range of current hypotheses for heterogeneity in the mantle. Our work attempts to reconcile the many proposed current ideas for the deep mantle, giving additional insight from modelling on the latest observations from other Deep Earth disciplines.

Gas geochemistry of the Valles caldera region, New Mexico and comparisons with gases at Yellowstone, Long Valley and other geothermal systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goff, F.; Janik, C.J.

2002-01-01

Noncondensible gases from hot springs, fumaroles, and deep wells within the Valles caldera geothermal system (210-300??C) consist of roughly 98.5 mo1% CO2, 0.5 mol% H2S, and 1 mol% other components. 3He/4He ratios indicate a deep magmatic source (R/Ra up to 6) whereas ??13C-CO2 values (-3 to -5???) do not discriminate between a mantle/magmatic source and a source from subjacent, hydrothermally altered Paleozoic carbonate rocks. Regional gases from sites within a 50-km radius beyond Valles caldera are relatively enriched in CO2 and He, but depleted in H2S compared to Valles gases. Regional gases have R/Ra values ???1.2 due to more interaction with the crust and/or less contribution from the mantle. Carbon sources for regional CO2 are varied. During 1982-1998, repeat analyses of gases from intracaldera sites at Sulphur Springs showed relatively constant CH4, H2, and H2S contents. The only exception was gas from Footbath Spring (1987-1993), which experienced increases in these three components during drilling and testing of scientific wells VC-2a and VC-2b. Present-day Valles gases contain substantially less N2 than fluid inclusion gases trapped in deep, early-stage, post-caldera vein minerals. This suggests that the long-lived Valles hydrothermal system (ca. 1 Myr) has depleted subsurface Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of nitrogen. When compared with gases from many other geothermal systems, Valles caldera gases are relatively enriched in He but depleted in CH4, N2 and Ar. In this respect, Valles gases resemble end-member hydrothermal and magmatic gases discharged at hot spots (Galapagos, Kilauea, and Yellowstone). Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Using the heterogeneity distribution in Earth's mantle to study structure and flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rost, S.; Frost, D. A.; Bentham, H. L.

2016-12-01

The Earth's interior contains heterogeneities on many scale-lengths ranging from continent sized structures such as Large-Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) to grain-sized anomalies resolved using geochemistry. Sources of heterogeneity in Earth's mantle are for example the recycling of crustal material through the subduction process as well as partial melting and compositional variations. The subduction and recycling of oceanic crust throughout Earth's history leads to strong heterogeneities in the mantle that can be detected using seismology and geochemistry. Current models of mantle convection show that the subducted crustal material can be long-lived and is transported passively throughout the mantle by convective flows. Settling and entrainment is dependent on the density structure of the heterogeneity. Imaging heterogeneities throughout the mantle therefore allows imaging mantle flow especially in areas of inhibited flow due to e.g. viscosity changes or changes in composition or dynamics. The short-period seismic wavefield is dominated by scattered seismic energy partly originating from scattering at small-scale heterogeneities in Earth's mantle. Using specific raypath configurations we are able to sample different depths throughout Earth's mantle for the existence and properties of heterogeneities. These scattering probes show distinct variations in energy content with frequency indicating dominant heterogeneity length-scales in the mantle. We detect changes in heterogeneity structure both in lateral and radial directions. The radial heterogeneity structure requires changes in mantle structure at depths of 1000 km and 1800 to 2000 km that could indicate a change in viscosity structure in the mid mantle partly changing the flow of subducted crustal material into the deep mantle. Lateral changes in heterogeneity structure close to the core mantle boundary indicate lateral transport inhibited by the compositional anomalies of the LLSVPs.

Dehydrogenation of goethite in Earth’s deep lower mantle

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

Hu, Qingyang; Kim, Duck Young; Liu, Jin

2017-01-31

The cycling of hydrogen influences the structure, composition, and stratification of Earth’s interior. Our recent discovery of pyrite-structured iron peroxide (designated as the P phase) and the formation of the P phase from dehydrogenation of goethite FeO 2H implies the separation of the oxygen and hydrogen cycles in the deep lower mantle beneath 1,800 km. Here we further characterize the residual hydrogen, x, in the P-phase FeO 2Hx. Using a combination of theoretical simulations and high-pressure–temperature experiments, we calibrated the x dependence of molar volume of the P phase. Within the current range of experimental conditions, we observed a compositionalmore » range of P phase of 0.39 < x < 0.81, corresponding to 19–61% dehydrogenation. Increasing temperature and heating time will help release hydrogen and lower x, suggesting that dehydrogenation could be approaching completion at the high-temperature conditions of the lower mantle over extended geological time. Our observations indicate a fundamental change in the mode of hydrogen release from dehydration in the upper mantle to dehydrogenation in the deep lower mantle, thus differentiating the deep hydrogen and hydrous cycles.« less

New Hafnium Isotope and Trace Element Constraints on the Role of a Plume in Genesis of the Eastern Snake River Plain Basalts, Idaho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, R. D.; Reid, M. R.; Blichert-Toft, J.

2009-12-01

Bimodal volcanism associated with the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP)-Yellowstone Plateau province has persisted since approximately 16 Ma. A time-transgressive track of rhyolitic eruptions which young progressively to the east and parallel the motion of the North American plate are overlain by younger basalts with no age progression. Interpretations for the origin of these basalts range from a thermo-chemical mantle plume to incipient melting of the shallow upper mantle, and remain controversial. The enigmatic ESRP basalts are characterized by high 3He/4He, diagnostic of a plume source, but also by lithophile radiogenic isotope signatures that are more enriched than expected for plume-derived OIBs. These features could possibly be caused by isotopic decoupling associated with shallow melting of a hybridized upper mantle, or derivation from an atypical mantle plume, or both by way of mixing. New Hf isotope and trace element data further constrain potential sources for the ESRP basalts. Their Hf isotopic signatures (ɛHf = +0.1 to -5.8) are moderately enriched and consistently fall above or in the upper part of the field of OIBs, with similar Nd isotope signatures (ɛNd = -2.0 to -5.8), indicating a source with high time-integrated Lu/Hf compared with Sm/Nd. The isotopic compositions of the basalts lie between those of Archean SCML and a more depleted end-member source, suggestive of contributions from at least two sources. The grouping of isotopic characteristics is compact compared to other regional volcanism, implying that the hybridization process is highly reproducible within the ESRP. Minor localized differences in isotopic composition may signify local variations in the relative proportions of the end-members. Trace element patterns also support genesis of the ESRP basalts from an enriched source. Our data detect evidence of deeper contributions derived from the garnet-stability field, and a greater affinity of the trace element signatures to plume sources than to sources in the mantle lithosphere. The Hf isotope and trace element characteristics of the ESRP basalts thus support a model of derivation from a deep mantle plume with additional melt contributions and isotopic overprinting from SCML.

Early onset of magma ocean crystallization revealed by coupled 146,147Sm-142,143Nd systematics of Nulliak ultramafics (3.78 Ga, Labrador)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morino, P.; Caro, G.; Reisberg, L. C.

2015-12-01

Early onset of magma ocean crystallization revealed by coupled 146,147Sm-142,143Nd systematics of Nulliak ultramafics (3.78 Ga, Labrador) Precillia Morino1, Guillaume Caro1, Laurie Reisberg 1 1CRPG-CNRS, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France Coupled 146,147Sm-142,143Nd systematics provides constraints on the timing of magma ocean crystallization on Mars, the Moon and Vesta. Estimates for the Earth's mantle, however, are less accurate owing to the sparsity of Eoarchean mantle-derived rocks with undisturbed 147Sm-143Nd systematics. This study attempts to establish a coherent 142,143Nd dataset for the Eoarchean mantle using well-preserved ultramafic rocks from the Nulliak assemblage (Labrador). Samples include meta-dunites, -pyroxenites and -peridotites exhibiting only minor serpentinization and limited element mobility. The presence of "Barberton type" komatiitic compositions (low Al/Ti, HREE depletion) is suggestive of a deep mantle source. 146,147Sm-142,143Nd and 187Re-187Os analyses yield a crystallization age of 3.78±0.09 Ga with ɛ143Ndi=1.5±0.2 and ɛ142Nd=8.6±2 ppm. This 142,143Nd signature yields a model age of mantle differentiation of 4.43±0.05 Ga (assuming a BSE with chondritic Sm/Nd and ɛ142Nd=0). Superchondritic Sm/Nd compositions for the BSE would translate into older model ages. Irrespective of the choice of primitive mantle composition, Nulliak ultramafics provide differentiation ages 100 Ma older than those estimated from Akilia tonalites but remarkably similar to that estimated from the 2.7 Ga Theo's flow (Abitibi). If Nulliak ultramafics originated from deep melting of a hot plume, their model age could reflect the early onset of magma ocean crystallization in the lowermost mantle.

a Steady Thermal State for the Earth's Interior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrault, D.; Monteux, J.; Le Bars, M.; Samuel, H.

2015-12-01

Large amounts of heat are permanently lost at the surface yielding the classic view of the Earth continuously cooling down. Contrary to this conventional depiction, we propose that the temperature profile in the deep Earth has remained almost constant for the last ~3 billion years (Ga) or more. The core-mantle boundary (CMB) temperature reached the mantle solidus of 4100 (+/-300) K after complete crystallization of the magma ocean not more than 1 Ga after the Moon-forming impact. The CMB remains at a similar temperature today; seismological evidences of ultra-low velocity zones suggest partial melting in the D"-layer and, therefore, a current temperature at, or just below, the mantle solidus. Such a steady thermal state of the CMB temperature excludes thermal buoyancy and compositional convection from being the predominant mechanisms to power the geodynamo over geological time. An alternative mechanism to produce motion in the outer core is mechanical forcing by tidal distortion and planetary precession. The conversion of gravitational and rotational energies of the Earth-Moon-Sun system to core motions could have supplied the lowermost mantle with a variable intensity heat source through geological time, due to the regime of core instabilities and/or changes in the astronomical forces. This variable heat source could explain the dramatic volcanic events that occurred in the Earth's history.

Revised crustal architecture of the southeastern Carpathian foreland from active and passive seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enciu, Dana M.; Knapp, Camelia C.; Knapp, James H.

2009-08-01

Integration of active and passive source seismic data is employed in order to study the nature of the relationships between crustal seismicity and geologic structures in the southeastern (SE) Carpathian foreland of Romania and the possible connection with the Vrancea Seismogenic Zone (VSZ) of intermediate-depth seismicity, one of the most active earthquake-prone areas in Europe. Crustal epicenters and focal mechanisms are correlated with four deep industry seismic profiles, the reprocessed Danube and Carpathian Integrated Action on Process in the Lithosphere and Neotectonics (DACIA PLAN) profile and the Deep Reflection Acquisition Constraining Unusual Lithospheric Activity II and III (DRACULA) profiles in order to understand the link between neotectonic foreland deformation and Vrancea mantle seismicity. Projection of crustal foreland hypocenters onto deep seismic profiles identifies several active crustal faults in the SE Carpathian foreland and suggests a mechanical coupling between the mantle located VSZ and the overlying foreland crust. The coupled associated deformation appears to take place on the Trotus Fault, the Sinaia Fault, and the newly detected Ialomita Fault. Seismic reflection imaging reveals the absence of west dipping reflectors in the crystalline crust and a slightly east dipping to horizontal Moho in the proximity of the Vrancea area. These findings argue against previously purported mechanisms to generate mantle seismicity in the VSZ including oceanic lithosphere subduction in place and oceanic slab break off, furthermore suggesting that the Vrancea seismogenic body is undetached from the overlying crust in the foreland.

Hadean silicate differentiation revealed by anomalous 142Nd in the Réunion hotspot source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, B. J.; Carlson, R.; Day, J. M.; Horan, M.

2017-12-01

Geochemical and geophysical data show that volcanic hotspots can tap ancient domains sequestered in Earth's deep mantle. Evidence from stable and long-lived radiogenic isotope systems has demonstrated that many of these domains result from tectonic and differentiation processes that occurred more than two billion years ago. Recent advances in the analysis of short-lived radiogenic isotopes have further shown that some hotspot sources preserve evidence for metal-silicate differentiation occurring within the first one percent of Earth's history. Despite these discoveries, efforts to detect variability in the lithophile 146Sm-142Nd (t1/2 = 103 Ma) system in Phanerozoic hotspot lavas have not yet detected significant global variation. We report 142Nd/144Nd ratios in Réunion Island basalts that are statistically distinct from the terrestrial Nd standard ranging to both higher and lower 142Nd/144Nd. Variations in 142Nd/144Nd, which total nearly 15 ppm on Réunion, are correlated with 3He/4He among both anomalous and non-anomalous samples. Such behavior implies that there were analogous changes in Sm/Nd and (U+Th)/3He that occurred during a Hadean silicate differentiation event and were not completely overprinted by the depleted mantle. Variations in the 142Nd-143Nd compositions of Réunion basalts can be explained by a single Hadean melting event producing enriched and depleted domains that partially re-mixed after 146Sm was no longer extant. Assuming differentiation occurred at pressures where perovskite is stable, anomalies of the magnitude observed in Réunion basalts require melting of at least 50% across a wide depth range, and up to 90% for melting at pressures near those of the deepest mantle. Models with best fits to Nd isotope data suggest this differentiation occurred around 4.40 Ga and mixing occurred after 4 Ga. This two-stage differentiation process nearly erased the ancient, anomalous 142Nd composition of the Réunion source and produced the relatively invariant 143Nd signature that is a hallmark of Réunion hotspot lavas. Given growing evidence that the Réunion hotspot source represents an unusually ancient, primitive mantle domain, these new data argue that Réunion is a critical source of information regarding the formation and preservation of ancient heterogeneities in Earth's deep interior.

Flow in the Deep Mantle from Seisimc Anisotropy: Progress and Prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, M. D.

2017-12-01

Observations of seismic anisotropy, or the directional dependence of seismic wavespeeds, provide one some of the most direct constraints on the pattern of flow in the Earth's mantle. In particular, as our understanding of crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of olivine aggregates under a range of deformation conditions has improved, our ability to exploit observations of upper mantle anisotropy has led to fundamental discoveries about the patterns of flow in the upper mantle and the drivers of that flow. It has been a challenge, however, to develop a similar framework for understanding flow in the deep mantle (transition zone, uppermost lower mantle, and lowermost mantle), even though there is convincing observational evidence for seismic anisotropy at these depths. Recent progress on the observational front has allowed for an increasingly detailed view of mid-mantle anisotropy (transition zone and uppermost lower mantle), particularly in subduction systems, which may eventually lead to a better understanding of mid-mantle deformation and the dynamics of slab interaction with the surrounding mid-mantle. New approaches to the observation and modeling of lowermost mantle anisotropy, in combination with constraints from mineral physics, are progressing towards interpretive frameworks that allow for the discrimination of different mantle flow geometries in different regions of D". In particular, observational strategies that involve the use of multiple types of body wave phases sampled over a range of propagation azimuths enable detailed forward modeling approaches that can discriminate between different mechanisms for D" anisotropy (e.g., CPO of post-perovskite, bridgmanite, or ferropericlase, or shape preferred orientation of partial melt) and identify plausible anisotropic orientations. We have recently begun to move towards a full waveform modeling approach in this work, which allows for a more accurate simulation for seismic wave propagation. Ongoing improvements in seismic observational strategies, experimental and computational mineral physics, and geodynamic modeling approaches are leading to new avenues for understanding flow in the deep mantle through the study of seismic anisotropy.

Hydrous parental magmas of Early to Middle Permian gabbroic intrusions in western Inner Mongolia, North China: New constraints on deep-Earth fluid cycling in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, Chong-Jin; Wang, Xuan-Ce; Xu, Bei; Luo, Zhi-Wen; Liu, Yi-Zhi

2017-08-01

The role of fluids in the formation of the Permian-aged Xigedan and Mandula gabbroic intrusions in western Inner Mongolia was significant to the evolution of the Xing'an Mongolia Orogenic Belt (XMOB), and the active northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) U-Pb zircon geochronology establishes that the Xigedan gabbroic intrusion in the northern NCC was emplaced at 266 Ma, and is therefore slightly younger than the ca 280 Ma Mandula gabbroic intrusion in the XMOB. Along with their felsic counterparts, the mafic igneous intrusions record extensive bimodal magmatism along the northern NCC and in the XMOB during the Early to Middle Permian. The Mandula gabbroic rocks have low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7040-0.7043) and positive εNd(t) (+6.2 to +7.3) and εHf(t) values (+13.4 to +14.5), resembling to those of contemporaneous Mandula basalts. These features, together with the presence of amphibole and the enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g., Rb, Ba, U and Sr) and depletion of Nb-Ta suggest that the parental magmas of the Mandula mafic igneous rocks were derived from a depleted mantle source metasomatized by water-rich fluids. In contrast, the Xigedan gabbroic rocks are characterised by high 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7078-0.7080) and zircon δ18O values (5.84-6.61‰), but low εNd(t) (-9.3 to -10.2) and εHf(t) values (-8.76 to -8.54), indicative of a long-term enriched subcontinental lithosphere mantle source that was metasomatized by recycled, high δ18O crustal materials prior to partial melting. The high water contents (4.6-6.9 wt%) and arc-like geochemical signature (enrichment of fluid-mobile elements and depletion of Nb-Ta) of the parental magmas of the Xigedan gabbroic rocks further establish the existence of a mantle hydration event caused by fluid/melts released from hydrated recycled oceanic crust. Incompatible element modelling shows that 5-10% partial melting of an enriched mantle source by adding respectively 0.5% and 2% sediment melts and fluids, could have produced the parental magmas of the Xigedan gabbroic rocks. A range of geological evidence establishes an intracontinental origin for Late Paleozoic mafic igneous rocks along the northern NCC and in the XMOB, rather than a subduction-related setting. We therefore propose a deep-Earth water cycling process to account for mantle hydration and subsequent Late Paleozoic magmatism, supporting a geodynamic link between deep-Earth water cycling, and intracontinental magmatism and lithospheric extension.

The effects of magmatic redistribution of heat producing elements on the lunar mantle evolution inferred from numerical models that start from various initial states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogawa, Masaki

2018-02-01

To discuss how redistribution of heat producing elements (HPEs) by magmatism affects the lunar mantle evolution depending on the initial condition, I present two-dimensional numerical models of magmatism in convecting mantle internally heated by incompatible HPEs. Mantle convection occurs beneath a stagnant lithosphere that inhibits recycling of the HPE-enriched crustal materials to the mantle. Magmatism is modeled by a permeable flow of magma generated by decompression melting through matrix. Migrating magma transports heat, mass, and HPEs. When the deep mantle is initially hot with the temperature TD around 1800 K at its base, magmatism starts from the beginning of the calculated history to extract HPEs from the mantle. The mantle is monotonously cooled, and magmatism ceases within 2 Gyr, accordingly. When the deep mantle is initially colder with TD around 1100 K, HPEs stay in the deep mantle for a longer time to let the planet be first heated up and then cooled only slightly. If, in addition, there is an HPE-enriched domain in the shallow mantle at the beginning of the calculation, magma continues ascending to the surface through the domain for more than 3 Gyr. The low TD models fit in with the thermal and magmatic history of the Moon inferred from spacecraft observations, although it is not clear if the models are consistent with the current understanding of the origin of the Moon and its magnetic field. Redistribution of HPEs by magmatism is a crucial factor that must be taken into account in future studies of the evolution of the Moon.

Understanding the geodynamic setting of São Miguel, Azores: A peculiar bit of mantle in the Central Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, M.; Houlie, N.; Khan, A.; Lithgow-Bertelloni, C. R.

2012-12-01

The Azores Plateau and Archipelago in the Central Atlantic Ocean has traditionally been considered as the surface expression of a deep mantle plume or hotspot that has interacted with a mid-ocean ridge. It is geodynamically associated with the triple junction between the North American, African and Eurasian plates. (Yang et al., 2006) used finite frequency seismic tomography to demonstrate the presence of a zone of low P-wave velocities (peak magnitude -1.5%) in the uppermost 200km of the mantle beneath the plateau. The tomographic model is consistent with SW deflection of a mantle plume by regional upper mantle shear flow driven by absolute plate motions. The volcanic island of Sao Miguel is located within the Terceira Rift, believed to represent the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates; magmatic activity has been characterised by abundant basaltic eruptions in the past 30,000 years. The basalts are distinctive within the spectrum of global ocean island basalts for their wide range in isotopic composition, particularly in 87Sr/86Sr. Their Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions show systematic variations from west to east across the island which can be interpreted in terms of melting of a two-component mantle source. The low melting point (enriched) component in the source has been attributed to recycled ancient (~3 Ga) oceanic crust(Elliott et al., 2007). Using the thermo-barometry approach of (Lee et al., 2009) we demonstrate that the pressure and temperature of magma generation below Sao Miguel increase from west (2 GPa, 1425 °C) to east (3.8 GPa, 1575 °C), consistent with partial melting along a mantle geotherm with a potential temperature of ~ 1500 °C. This is consistent with the magnitude of the thermal anomaly beneath the Azores Plateau (ΔT ~ 150-200 °C) inferred on the basis of the seismic tomography study. The site of primary magma generation extends from the base of the local lithosphere (~ 50 km) to ~ 125 km depth. To understand the geodynamic setting of the Sao Miguel magmatism we combine GPS data and mantle convection models with our interpretation of the geochemistry of the basalts. We demonstrate strong south-westerly and downward flow in the asthenospheric mantle above the Transition Zone (410 km seismic discontinuity), consistent with a zone of upper mantle shearing below the base of the lithosphere. The maximum flow velocity is broadly consistent with the depth of magma generation. The advection of the mantle with respect to the oceanic plate "moves" an isotopically distinct mantle source component beneath the active volcanoes of Sao Miguel and carries its previous melting residues to the south-west. We discuss the nature of this mantle source and its contribution to the mantle velocity anomalies determined by seismic tomography. This study opens-up new perspectives for seismic tomography and potentially new connections between the fields of geophysics and geochemistry in oceanic domains.

Early Earth differentiation [rapid communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, Michael J.; Trønnes, Reidar G.

2004-09-01

The birth and infancy of Earth was a time of profound differentiation involving massive internal reorganization into core, mantle and proto-crust, all within a few hundred million years of solar system formation ( t0). Physical and isotopic evidence indicate that the formation of iron-rich cores generally occurred very early in planetesimals, the building blocks of proto-Earth, within about 3 million years of t0. The final stages of terrestrial planetary accretion involved violent and tremendously energetic giant impacts among core-segregated Mercury- to Mars-sized objects and planetary embryos. As a consequence of impact heating, the early Earth was at times partially or wholly molten, increasing the likelihood for high-pressure and high-temperature equilibration among core- and mantle-forming materials. The Earth's silicate mantle harmoniously possesses abundance levels of the siderophile elements Ni and Co that can be reconciled by equilibration between iron alloy and silicate at conditions comparable to those expected for a deep magma ocean. Solidification of a deep magma ocean possibly involved crystal-melt segregation at high pressures, but subsequent convective stirring of the mantle could have largely erased nascent layering. However, primitive upper mantle rocks apparently have some nonchondritic major and trace element refractory lithophile element ratios that can be plausibly linked to early mantle differentiation of ultra-high-pressure mantle phases. The geochemical effects of crystal fractionation in a deep magma ocean are partly constrained by high-pressure experimentation. Comparison between compositional models for the primitive convecting mantle and bulk silicate Earth generally allows, and possibly favors, 10-15% total fractionation of a deep mantle assemblage comprised predominantly of Mg-perovskite and with minor but geochemically important amounts of Ca-perovskite and ferropericlase. Long-term isolation of such a crystal pile is generally consistent with isotopic constraints for time-integrated Sm/Nd and Lu/Hf ratios in the modern upper mantle and might account for the characteristics of some mantle isotope reservoirs. Although much remains to be learned about the earliest formative period in the Earth's development, a convergence of theoretical, physical, isotopic and geochemical arguments is beginning to yield a self-consistent portrait of the infant Earth.

Lu-Hf isotope constraints on plume-lithosphere interaction during emplacement of the Bushveld Large Igneous Province at 2.06 Ga: Implications for the structure and evolution of the Kaapvaal Craton's lithospheric mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zirakparvar, N. A.; Mathez, E. A.; Rajesh, H.; Vervoort, J. D.; Choe, S.

2016-12-01

The Bushveld Large Igneous Province (B-LIP) comprises a diverse array of >30 magma bodies that intruded the Kaapvaal Craton at 2.06 Ga. In this talk we use zircon and bulk-rock Lu-Hf isotope data to show that the B-LIP formed in response to the arrival of a plume(s) from the deep mantle. New zircon Hf isotope compositions for four B-LIP bodies yield intrusion-specific average ɛHf (2.06 Ga) values that range from -20.7 ± 2.8 to -2.7 ± 2.8, largely consistent with literature zircon data for other B-LIP intrusions. Bulk-rock solution ɛHf (2.06 Ga) values for a variety of B-LIP intrusions range from -2.1 ± 0.2 to -10.6 ± 0.2. Because the most radiogenic Hf isotope compositions across the entire B-LIP are nearly primordial with an ɛHf (2.06 Ga) close to 0, it is likely that the heat source of the B-LIP was a plume(s) from deep mantle. The Hf isotope data further suggests that individual intrusions in the B-LIP can be grouped into four categories based on their ultimate sources: 1) melts generated in subduction and plume modified continental lithospheric mantle; 2) melts generated by melting of a mafic-ultramafic reservoir composed of older ( 2.7 Ga) plume-related material trapped in the Kaapvaal lithosphere; 3) melts generated in the mid- to upper crust; and 4) melts generated from the 2.06 Ga mantle plume itself. The presence of 2.7 Ga mafic-ultramafic material in the Kaapvaal lithosphere may have acted to strengthen the lithosphere so that it was able to resist being dispered by the arrival of the B-LIP plume at 2.06 Ga. Because the B-LIP extends into a 2.7 Ga aged suture zone between the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe cratons, it is also possible to understand the role of the lithospheric mantle in producing the Lu-Hf signatures observed in the various B-LIP intrusions as a function of two different types of the continental lithosphere: The very old lithosphere comprising the Kaapvaal Craton and the somewhat younger lithosphere comprising the suture zone. A basic observation is that the Hf isotope signature of the plume source is only directly expressed in B-LIP bodies that intruded the suture zone, providing further evidence that the craton was already underlain by thick lithospheric mantle at the time of B-LIP magmatism.

Implications of a reducing and warm (not hot) Archaean ambient mantle for ancient element cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulbach, Sonja

2016-04-01

There is considerable uncertainty regarding the oxygen partial pressure (fO2) and potential temperature (TP) of the ambient convecting mantle throughout Earth's history. Rare Archaean eclogite suites have elemental and isotopic compositions indicative of formation of crustal protoliths in oceanic spreading ridges, hence unaffected by continental sources. These include some eclogite xenoliths derived from cratonic mantle lithosphere and orogenic eclogites marking the exhumation of oceanic crust at Pacific-type margins. Their compositions may retain a memory of the thermal and redox state of the Archaean convecting mantle sources that gave rise to their low-pressure protoliths. Archaean eclogites have TiO2-REE relationships consistent with fractional crystallisation of olivine±plagioclase and cpx during formation of picritic protoliths from a melt that separated from a garnet-free peridotite source, implying intersection of the solidus at ≤2.5 to 3.0 GPa [1]. Low melt fractions (<0.25) inferred from samples with the least fractionated (lowest TiO2) protoliths further argue against deep intersection of the mantle solidus. This suggests a moderately elevated TP ~ 1420-1470 degrees C (lower than some estimates for the ambient convecting mantle at that time [2]), which would support an early onset of plate tectonics [3] and emergence of continents [4], heralding a transition to modern chemical cycles. Moderate TP further indicates that deep recycling of carbon and water, though reduced compared to today, may have been possible in the Archaean [5,6]. Carefully screened eclogites have V/Sc (reflecting the redox state of the ambient mantle during protolith formation [7]) corresponding to ΔFMQ corrected to 1 GPa as low as -1.7 at 3 Ga [1]. Such low oxygen fugacities have consequences for the location of the peridotite solidus and for the types of melts generated during redox melting [5,8]. They also modulate the redox state of volatiles liberated at oceanic spreading ridges [7] in the Archaean, with implications for the composition and oxygenation of the palaeo-atmosphere. Subsequent subduction of such reducing oceanic crust must have also affected the cycling of volatile elements (soluble instead of molecular species [9]) and of redox-sensitive ore-forming metals [10] during metamorphic dehydration and melting reactions. [1] Aulbach&Viljoen (2015) Earth Planet Sci Lett 431; [2] Herzberg et al. (2010) Earth Planet Sci Lett 292; [3] Sizova et al. (2010) Lithos 116; [4] Rey&Coltice (2008) Geology 36; [5] Dasgupta (2013) RIMG 75; [6] Magni et al. (2014) G3 15; [7] Li&Lee (2004) EPSL 228; [8] Stagno et al. (2013) Nature 493; [9] Sverjensky et al. (2014) Nat Geosci 7; [10] Evans & Tomkins (2011) Earth Planet Sci Lett 308.

A deep crustal fluid channel into the San Andreas Fault system near Parkfield, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Becken, M.; Ritter, O.; Park, S.K.; Bedrosian, P.A.; Weckmann, U.; Weber, M.

2008-01-01

Magnetotelluric (MT) data from 66 sites along a 45-km-long profile across the San Andreas Fault (SAF) were inverted to obtain the 2-D electrical resistivity structure of the crust near the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD). The most intriguing feature of the resistivity model is a steeply dipping upper crustal high-conductivity zone flanking the seismically defined SAF to the NE, that widens into the lower crust and appears to be connected to a broad conductivity anomaly in the upper mantle. Hypothesis tests of the inversion model suggest that upper and lower crustal and upper-mantle anomalies may be interconnected. We speculate that the high conductivities are caused by fluids and may represent a deep-rooted channel for crustal and/or mantle fluid ascent. Based on the chemical analysis of well waters, it was previously suggested that fluids can enter the brittle regime of the SAF system from the lower crust and mantle. At high pressures, these fluids can contribute to fault-weakening at seismogenic depths. These geochemical studies predicted the existence of a deep fluid source and a permeable pathway through the crust. Our resistivity model images a conductive pathway, which penetrates the entire crust, in agreement with the geochemical interpretation. However, the resistivity model also shows that the upper crustal branch of the high-conductivity zone is located NE of the seismically defined SAF, suggesting that the SAF does not itself act as a major fluid pathway. This interpretation is supported by both, the location of the upper crustal high-conductivity zone and recent studies within the SAFOD main hole, which indicate that pore pressures within the core of the SAF zone are not anomalously high, that mantle-derived fluids are minor constituents to the fault-zone fluid composition and that both the volume of mantle fluids and the fluid pressure increase to the NE of the SAF. We further infer from the MT model that the resistive Salinian block basement to the SW of the SAFOD represents an isolated body, being 5-8km wide and reaching to depths >7km, in agreement with aeromagnetic data. This body is separated from a massive block of Salinian crust farther to the SW. The NE terminus of resistive Salinian crust has a spatial relationship with a near-vertical zone of increased seismic reflectivity ???15km SW of the SAF and likely represents a deep-reaching fault zone. ?? 2008 The Authors Journal compilation ?? 2008 RAS.

U-Series Disequilibria across the New Southern Ocean Mantle Province, Australian-Antarctic Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, S. R.; Sims, K. W. W.; Park, S. H.; Langmuir, C. H.; Lin, J.; Kim, S. S.; Blichert-Toft, J.; Michael, P. J.; Choi, H.; Yang, Y. S.

2017-12-01

Mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) provide a unique window into the temporal and spatial scales of mantle evolution. Long-lived radiogenic isotopes in MORB have demonstrated that the mantle contains many different chemical components or "flavors". U-series disequilibria in MORB have further shown that different chemical components/lithologies in the mantle contribute differently to mantle melting processes beneath mid-ocean ridges. Recent Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb isotopic analyses from newly collected basalts along the Australian-Antarctic Ridge (AAR) have revealed that a large distinct mantle province exists between the Australian-Antarctic Discordance and the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, extending from West Antarctica and Marie Byrd Land to New Zealand and Eastern Australia (Park et al., submitted). This southern mantle province is located between the Indian-type mantle and the Pacific-type mantle domains. U-series measurements in the Southeast Indian Ridge and East Pacific Rise provinces show distinct signatures suggestive of differences in melting processes and source lithology. To examine whether the AAR mantle province also exhibits different U-series systematics we have measured U-Th-Ra disequilibria data on 38 basalts from the AAR sampled along 500 km of ridge axis from two segments that cross the newly discovered Southern Ocean Mantle province. We compare the data to those from nearby ridge segments show that the AAR possesses unique U-series disequilibria, and are thus undergoing distinct mantle melting dynamics relative to the adjacent Pacific and Indian ridges. (230Th)/(238U) excesses in zero-age basalts (i.e., those with (226Ra)/(230Th) > 1.0) range from 1.3 to 1.7, while (226Ra)/(230Th) ranges from 1.0 to 2.3. (226Ra)/(230Th) and (230Th)/(238U) are negatively correlated, consistent with the model of mixing between deep and shallow melts. The AAR data show higher values of disequilibria compared to the Indian and Pacific Ridges, which can be explained by either lower melting rates and porosities, or a higher gt/cpx ratio in their mantle source. That both long-lived radiogenic isotopes and U-series disequilibria are distinct in these three adjacent mantle provinces suggests that lithological differences are strongly influencing the melting process beneath each of these mid-ocean ridges.

Deep-Earth reactor: Nuclear fission, helium, and the geomagnetic field

PubMed Central

Hollenbach, D. F.; Herndon, J. M.

2001-01-01

Geomagnetic field reversals and changes in intensity are understandable from an energy standpoint as natural consequences of intermittent and/or variable nuclear fission chain reactions deep within the Earth. Moreover, deep-Earth production of helium, having 3He/4He ratios within the range observed from deep-mantle sources, is demonstrated to be a consequence of nuclear fission. Numerical simulations of a planetary-scale geo-reactor were made by using the SCALE sequence of codes. The results clearly demonstrate that such a geo-reactor (i) would function as a fast-neutron fuel breeder reactor; (ii) could, under appropriate conditions, operate over the entire period of geologic time; and (iii) would function in such a manner as to yield variable and/or intermittent output power. PMID:11562483

Carbon-saturated monosulfide melting in the shallow mantle: solubility and effect on solidus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhou; Lentsch, Nathan; Hirschmann, Marc M.

2015-12-01

We present high-pressure experiments from 0.8 to 7.95 GPa to determine the effect of carbon on the solidus of mantle monosulfide. The graphite-saturated solidus of monosulfide (Fe0.69Ni0.23Cu0.01S1.00) is described by a Simon and Glatzel (Z Anorg Allg Chem 178:309-316, 1929) equation T (°C) = 969.0[ P (GPa)/5.92 + 1]0.39 (1 ≤ P ≤ 8) and is 80 ± 25 °C below the melting temperature found for carbon-free conditions. A series of comparison experiments using different capsule configurations and preparations document that the observed solidus-lowering is owing to graphite saturation and not an artifact of different capsules or hydrogen contamination. Concentrations of carbon in quenched graphite-saturated monosulfide melt measured by electron microprobe are 0.1-0.3 wt% in monosulfide melt and below the detection limit (<0.2 wt%) in crystalline monosulfide solid solution. Although there is only a small amount of carbon dissolved in monosulfide melts, the substantial effect on monosulfide solidus temperature means that the carbon-saturated monosulfide (Fe0.69Ni0.23Cu0.01S1.00) solidus intersects continental mantle geotherms inferred from diamond inclusion geobarometry at 6-7 GPa ( 200 km), whereas carbon-free monosulfide (Fe0.69Ni0.23Cu0.01S1.00) solidus does not. The composition investigated (Fe0.69Ni0.23Cu0.01S1.00) has a comparatively low metal/sulfur (M/S) ratio and low Ni/(Fe + Ni), but sulfides with higher (M/S) and with greater Ni/(Fe + Ni) should melt at lower temperatures and these should have a broader melt stability field in the diamond formation environment and in the continental lithosphere. Low carbon solubility in monosulfide melt excludes the possibility that diamonds are crystallized from sulfide melt. Although monosulfide melt can store no more than 2 ppm C in a bulk mantle with 225 ppm S, melts with higher M/S could be a primary host of carbon in the deeper part of the upper mantle. For example, the storage capacity of C in sulfide melts in the deep upper mantle ( 400 km) for a depleted mantle domain (MORB source, 120 ± 30 ppm S) is estimated to be 57 ±_{30}^{63} ppm, and so all the C could be in a sulfide melt. In an enriched (OIB source, 225 ± 25 ppm S) mantle domain, the C stored in sulfide melt in the deep upper mantle is estimated to be 86 ±_{44}^{92} ppm, which would amount to about half the available carbon.

Contrasting melt equilibration conditions across Anatolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, Mary; Delph, Jonathan; Schleiffarth, W. Kirk; Cosca, Michael

2017-04-01

The widespread mafic volcanism, elevated crustal temperatures, and plateau-type topography in Central Anatolia, Turkey, could collectively be the result of lithospheric delamination, mantle upwelling, and tectonic escape in response to Arabian-Anatolian plate collision. We used the results from basalt geochemistry and a passive-source broadband seismic experiment obtained as part of an international collaborative effort (Continental Dynamics - Central Anatolia Tectonics) to investigate the crust-mantle structure and melting conditions associated with the Quaternary Hasandag Monogenic Cluster (HMC) south and west of Hasandag volcano. The HMC is unusually mafic, not only for Central Anatolia but globally, enabling meaningful comparisons between geochemical and seismic interpretations of mantle conditions. HMC basalts are characterized by orogenic signatures that could have originated (1) in mantle wedge that, after stagnating because of collision, was remobilized south and upward as a result of rollback of the African slab or, alternatively (2) by piecemeal foundering of residual mantle lithosphere into convecting upper mantle, producing small-scale convection and associated decompression melting. Melt equilibration conditions for the HMC are hot (TP ˜1335-1250˚ C, assuming 1-4 wt.% H2O) and shallow (P = 1.1 to 1.6 GPa), approaching those for MORB. Shear wave velocities are relatively constant at ˜4.1 km/s between the Moho and a depth of ˜45-50 km (˜1.4 GPa; Fig. 6), below which Vs increases with increasing depth. We infer that a melt-perfused mantle lid could be locally present between 40 and 55 km. In contrast to Central Anatolia, estimated equilibration conditions for Western Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia (east of the Inner Tauride Suture) mantle melts are hotter (by ≥60˚ C) and deeper (mostly by 0.6-1.0 GPa). They also have chemical signatures that, unlike Central Anatolia, are similar to those of intraplate basalts. These differences are likely related to the presence of a fragmenting, if quite deep, Cyprus slab beneath Central Anatolia, in contrast to absence of the Arabian slab beneath Eastern Anatolia since at least 10 Ma, and flow of deep-seated asthenosphere through a tear in the African plate under Western Anatolia. .

Evidence for postglacial signatures in gravity gradients: A clue in lower mantle viscosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Métivier, Laurent; Caron, Lambert; Greff-Lefftz, Marianne; Pajot-Métivier, Gwendoline; Fleitout, Luce; Rouby, Hélène

2016-10-01

The Earth's surface was depressed under the weight of ice during the last glaciations. Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) induces the slow recession of the trough that is left after deglaciation and is responsible for a contemporary uplift rate of more than 1 cm/yr around Hudson Bay. The present-day residual depression, an indicator of still-ongoing GIA, is difficult to identify in the observed topography, which is predominantly sensitive to crustal heterogeneities. According to the most widespread GIA models, which feature a viscosity of 2- 3 ×1021 Pa s on top of the lower mantle, the trough is approximately 100 m deep and cannot explain the observed gravity anomalies across North America. These large anomalies are therefore usually attributed to subcontinental density heterogeneities in the tectosphere or to slab downwelling in the deep mantle. Here, we use observed gravity gradients (GG) to show that the uncompensated GIA trough is four times larger than expected and that it is the main source of the North American static gravity signal. We search for the contribution to these GGs from mantle mass anomalies, which are deduced from seismic tomography and are mechanically coupled to the global mantle flow. This contribution is found to be small over Laurentia, and at least 82% of the GGs are caused by GIA. Such a contribution from GIA in these GG observations implies a viscosity that is greater than 1022 Pa s in the lower mantle. Our conclusions are a plea for GIA models with a highly viscous lower mantle, which confirm inferences from mantle dynamic models. Any change in GIA modelling has important paleoclimatological and environmental implications, encouraging scientists to re-evaluate the past ice history at a global scale. These implications, in turn, affect the contribution of bedrock uplift to the contemporaneous mass balance over Antarctica and Greenland and thus the present-day ice-melting rate as deduced from the GRACE space mission. Additionally, studies of the thermo-chemical structure of the lithosphere/crust under North America that exploit gravity or geodetic data should be corrected for a GIA model, which is not the case today.

The role of thermal effect on mantle seismic anomalies from observations of GIA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, P.; Wang, H. S.; Steffen, H.

2012-04-01

Recent advance in seismic tomography reveals the structure inside the mantle. An outstanding issue is the role of thermal versus non-thermal (e.g. compositional, partial melting) contribution to seismic velocity anomalies. Here we use observations of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA), e.g. global relative sea level data, GRACE observations (with recent hydrology contributions removed) and GPS crustal uplift rates in combination with 3D GIA models to address this issue. Both ICE-4G and ICE-5G models are tested, but ICE-4G gives much better overall fit to these observations. Also, several 1-D background viscosity profiles, with different viscosity contrast at 670 km depth have also been tested and the one that gives consistent results is model RF3 which has a moderate viscosity increase across 670 km. Lateral mantle viscosity variation is inferred from Ekstrom & Dziewonski's S20A seismic tomography model using a scaling law that includes both the effect of anharmonicity and anelasticity. Thermal contribution to seismic tomography appears as the beta factor in the scaling law. The values of beta in the upper mantle, shallow part of the lower mantle and the deep part of the lower mantle are allowed to be different and the solution space of the beta values is searched to find the best combination that gives the best fit to the GIA observations simultaneously. The result of our best model (RF3 with lateral heterogeneity) shows that thermal effect increases from about 65% in the upper mantle to 80% in the shallow part of the lower mantle and to about 100% in the deep lower mantle above the D" layer. This is consistent with temperature excess in the lower mantle from high core heating. However, the uncertainty increases from < 1% in the upper mantle to 20% in the shallow lower mantle and is not very well constrained in the deep lower mantle.

The tungsten isotopic composition of the Earth's mantle before the terminal bombardment.

PubMed

Willbold, Matthias; Elliott, Tim; Moorbath, Stephen

2011-09-07

Many precious, 'iron-loving' metals, such as gold, are surprisingly abundant in the accessible parts of the Earth, given the efficiency with which core formation should have removed them to the planet's deep interior. One explanation of their over-abundance is a 'late veneer'--a flux of meteorites added to the Earth after core formation as a 'terminal' bombardment that culminated in the cratering of the Moon. Some 3.8 billion-year-old rocks from Isua, Greenland, are derived from sources that retain an isotopic memory of events pre-dating this cataclysmic meteorite shower. These Isua samples thus provide a window on the composition of the Earth before such a late veneer and allow a direct test of its importance in modifying the composition of the planet. Using high-precision (less than 6 parts per million, 2 standard deviations) tungsten isotope analyses of these rocks, here we show that they have a isotopic tungsten ratio (182)W/(184)W that is significantly higher (about 13 parts per million) than modern terrestrial samples. This finding is in good agreement with the expected influence of a late veneer. We also show that alternative interpretations, such as partial remixing of a deep-mantle reservoir formed in the Hadean eon (more than four billion years ago) or core-mantle interaction, do not explain the W isotope data well. The decrease in mantle (182)W/(184)W occurs during the Archean eon (about four to three billion years ago), potentially on the same timescale as a notable decrease in (142)Nd/(144)Nd (refs 3 and 6). We speculate that both observations can be explained if late meteorite bombardment triggered the onset of the current style of mantle convection.

Carbonate stability in the reduced lower mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorfman, Susannah M.; Badro, James; Nabiei, Farhang; Prakapenka, Vitali B.; Cantoni, Marco; Gillet, Philippe

2018-05-01

Carbonate minerals are important hosts of carbon in the crust and mantle with a key role in the transport and storage of carbon in Earth's deep interior over the history of the planet. Whether subducted carbonates efficiently melt and break down due to interactions with reduced phases or are preserved to great depths and ultimately reach the core-mantle boundary remains controversial. In this study, experiments in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) on layered samples of dolomite (Mg, Ca)CO3 and iron at pressure and temperature conditions reaching those of the deep lower mantle show that carbon-iron redox interactions destabilize the MgCO3 component, producing a mixture of diamond, Fe7C3, and (Mg, Fe)O. However, CaCO3 is preserved, supporting its relative stability in carbonate-rich lithologies under reducing lower mantle conditions. These results constrain the thermodynamic stability of redox-driven breakdown of carbonates and demonstrate progress towards multiphase mantle petrology in the LHDAC at conditions of the lowermost mantle.

Carbonate stability in the reduced lower mantle

DOE PAGES

Dorfman, Susannah M.; Badro, James; Nabiei, Farhang; ...

2018-05-01

Carbonate minerals are important hosts of carbon in the crust and mantle with a key role in the transport and storage of carbon in Earth’s deep interior over the history of the planet. Whether subducted carbonates efficiently melt and break down due to interactions with reduced phases or are preserved to great depths and ultimately reach the core-mantle boundary remains controversial. In this study, experiments in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) on layered samples of dolomite (Mg,Ca)CO3 and iron at pressure and temperature conditions reaching those of the deep lower mantle show that carbon-iron redox interactions destabilize the MgCO3more » component, producing a mixture of diamond, Fe7C3, and (Mg,Fe)O. However, CaCO3 is preserved, supporting its relative stability in carbonate-rich lithologies under reducing lower mantle conditions. These results constrain the thermodynamic stability of redox-driven breakdown of carbonates and demonstrate progress towards multiphase mantle petrology in the LHDAC at conditions of the lowermost mantle.« less

Xe isotopic constraints on cycling of deep Earth volatiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parai, R.; Mukhopadhyay, S.

2017-12-01

The modern deep Earth volatile budget reflects primordial volatiles delivered during accretion, radiogenic ingrowth of volatile species (e.g., 40Ar produced by 40K decay), outgassing in association with mantle processing, and regassing via subduction. The noble gases are unique volatile tracers in that they are chemically inert, but are thought to be trapped within hydrous alteration phases in downwelling lithologies. Noble gases thus provide a tracer of volatile transport between the deep Earth and surface reservoirs. Constraints on the fluxes of noble gases between deep Earth and surface reservoirs over time can accordingly be used to provide insight into temperature conditions at subduction zones, limits on volatile cycling, and the evolving distribution of major volatile species in terrestrial reservoirs over time. Xe isotope systematics in mantle-derived rocks show that 80-90% of the mantle Xe budget is derived from recycling of atmospheric Xe, indicating that atmospheric Xe is retained in subducting slabs beyond depths of magma generation in subduction zones over Earth history. We present an integrated model of Xe cycling between the mantle and atmosphere in association with mantle processing over Earth history. We test a wide variety of outgassing and regassing rates and take the evolution of the atmospheric Xe isotopic composition [e.g., 1] into account. Models in which the deep Earth transitions from a net outgassing to net regassing regime best satisfy Xe isotopic constraints from mantle-derived rocks [2-6]. [1] Avice et al., 2017; Nature Communications, 8; [2] Mukhopadhyay, 2012, Nature 486, 101-104; [3] Parai et al., 2012, EPSL 359-360, 227-239; [4] Parai and Mukhopadhay, 2015, G-cubed 16, 719-735; [5] Peto et al., 2013, EPSL 369-370, 13-23; [6] Tucker et al., 2012, EPSL 355-356, 244-254.

Europium and strontium anomalies in the MORB source mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Ming; McDonough, William F.; Ash, Richard D.

2017-01-01

Lower crustal recycling depletes the continental crust of Eu and Sr and returns Eu and Sr enriched materials into the mantle (e.g., Tang et al., 2015, Geology). To test the hypothesis that the MORB source mantle balances the Eu and Sr deficits in the continental crust, we carried out high precision Eu/Eu∗ and Sr/Sr∗ measurement for 72 MORB glasses with MgO >8.5% from the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic mid-ocean ridges. MORB glasses with MgO ⩾ 9 wt.% have a mean Eu/Eu∗ of 1.025 ± 0.025 (2 σm, n = 46) and Sr/Sr∗ of 1.242 ± 0.093 (2 σm, n = 41) and these ratios are positively correlated. These samples show both positive and negative Eu and Sr anomalies, with no correlations between Eu/Eu∗ vs. MgO or Sr/Sr∗ vs. MgO, suggesting that the anomalies are not produced by plagioclase fractionation at MgO >9 wt.% and, thus, other processes must be responsible for generating the anomalies. We term these MORB samples primitive MORBs, as they record the melt Eu/Eu∗ and Sr/Sr∗ before plagioclase fractionation. Consequently, the mean oceanic crust, including cumulates, has a bulk Eu/Eu∗ of ∼1 and 20% Sr excess. Considering that divalent Sr and Eu(II) diffuse faster than trivalent Pr, Nd, Sm, and Gd, we evaluated this kinetic effect on Sm-Eu-Gd and Pr-Sr-Nd fractionations during spinel peridotite partial melting in the MORB source mantle. Our modeling shows that the correlated Eu and Sr anomalies seen in primitive MORBs may result from disequilibrium mantle melting. Melt fractions produced during early- and late-stage melting may carry positive and negative Eu and Sr anomalies, respectively, that overlap with the ranges documented in primitive MORBs. Because the net effect of disequilibrium melting is to produce partial melts with bulk positive Eu and Sr anomalies, the MORB source mantle must have Eu/Eu∗ < 1.025 ± 0.025 (2 σm) and Sr/Sr∗ < 1.242 ± 0.093 (2 σm). Although we cannot rule out the possibility that recycled lower continental crustal materials, which have positive Eu and Sr anomalies, are partially mixed into the upper mantle (i.e., MORB source region), a significant amount of this crustal component must have been sequestered into the deep mantle, as supported by the negative 206Pb/204Pb-Eu/Eu∗ and 206Pb/204Pb-Sr/Sr∗ correlations in ocean island basalts.

Seismic images of the transition zone: is Hawaiian volcanism produced by a secondary plume from the top of the lower mantle?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Q.; van der Hilst, R. D.; Shim, S.; De Hoop, M. V.

2011-12-01

The Hawaiian hotspot is often attributed to hot material rising from depth in the mantle, but efforts to detect a thermal plume seismically have been inconclusive. Most tomographic models reveal anomalously low wavespeeds beneath Hawaii, but the depth extent of this structure is not well known. S or P data used in traveltime inversions are associated with steep rays to distant sources, which degrades depth resolution, and surface wave dispersion does not have sufficient sensitivity at the depths of interest. To investigate pertinent thermal anomalies we mapped depth variations of upper mantle discontinuities using precursors of the surface-reflected SS wave. Instead of stacking the data over geographical bins, which leads to averaging of topography and hence loss of spatial resolution, we used a generalized Radon transform (GRT) to detect and map localized elasticity contrasts in the transition zone (Cao et al., PEPI, 2010). We apply the GRT to produce 3D image volumes beneath a large area of the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii and the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain (Cao et al., Science, 2011). The 3D image volumes reveal laterally continuous interfaces near 410 and 660 km depths, that is, the traditional boundaries of the transition zone, but also suggest (perhaps intermittent) scatter horizons near 300-350, 520-550, and 800-1000 km depth. The upper mantle appears generally hot beneath Hawaii, but the most conspicuous topographic (and probably thermal) anomalies are found west of Hawaii. The GRT images reveal a 800 km wide uplift of the 660 discontinuity just west of Hawaii, but there is no evidence for a corresponding localized depression of the 410 discontinuity. This expression of the 410 and 660 km topographies is consistent with some existed geodynamical modeling results, in which a deep-rooted mantle plume impinging on the transition zone, creating a broad pond of hot material underneath endothermic phase change at 660 km depth, and with secondary plumes stemming from this hot pool of materials and rising in the upper mantle to create the present-day hotspot at Earth's surface. West of the upwarp that we interpret as the elevated post-spinel the main interface deepens to nearly 700 km depth. Given this position, it is unlikely that this deep structure is due to low temperatures. Instead, it would be consistent with slightly elevated temperatures (compared to transition temperature of post-spinel) and transitions in the garnet phase. This interpretation, if correct, implies that the area of ponded hot material is at least 2,000 km wide. The presence of an 800- to 2,000-kilometer-wide thermal anomaly deep in the transition zone west of Hawaii suggests that hot material does not rise from the lower mantle through a narrow vertical plume but accumulates near the base of the transition zone before being entrained in flow toward Hawaii and, perhaps, other islands. This implies that geochemical trends in Hawaiian lavas cannot constrain lower mantle domains directly. This type of flow may be a better explanation of bathymetric features in the Pacific (including other seamount chains) than the canonical deep mantle plumes.

Processes of deep terrestrial mantles and cores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeanloz, Raymond

1991-01-01

Ultrahigh pressure experiments are currently focused on revealing processes occurring deep inside planets. This is in addition to the traditional emphasis on the constitution of planetary interiors, such as the identification of the high pressure perovskite phase of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 as the predominant mineral inside the Earth, and probably Venus. For example, experiments show that the mechanism of geochemical differentiation, separation of partial melts, differs fundamentally in the lower mantles of Earth and Venus than at near surface conditions. In addition to structural transformations, changes in chemical bonding caused by pressure can also be significant for planetary interiors. Measurements of AC and DC electrical conductivity can be obtained at ultrahigh pressures and temperatures, to greater than 80 GPa and 3000 K simultaneously, using the laser heated diamond cell. Anhydrous lower mantle assemblages (perovskite + or - oxide phases) exhibit an electrical conductivity that depends strongly on Fe content. Contrary to traditional assumptions, temperature affects the conductivity of lower mantle assemblages relatively little. The Earth's deep focus seismicity can be explained by the recycling of water into the mantle.

Lower Mantle S-wave Velocity Model under the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, P.; Grand, S. P.

2016-12-01

Deep mantle plumes created by thermal instabilities at the core-mantle boundary has been an explanation for intraplate volcanism since the 1970's. Recently, broad slow velocity conduits in the lower mantle underneath some hotspots have been observed (French and Romanowicz, 2015), however the direct detection of a classical thin mantle plume using seismic tomography has remained elusive. Herein, we present a seismic tomography technique designed to image a deep mantle plume under the Yellowstone Hotspot located in the western United States utilizing SKS and SKKS waves in conjunction with finite frequency tomography. Synthetic resolution tests show the technique can resolve a 235 km diameter lower mantle plume with a 1.5% Gaussian velocity perturbation even if a realistic amount of random noise is added to the data. The Yellowstone Hotspot presents a unique opportunity to image a thin plume because it is the only hotspot with a purported deep origin that has a large enough aperture and density of seismometers to accurately sample the lower mantle at the length scales required to image a plume. Previous regional tomography studies largely based on S wave data have imaged a cylindrically shaped slow anomaly extending down to 900km under the hotspot, however they could not resolve it any deeper (Schmandt et al., 2010; Obrebski et al., 2010).To test if the anomaly extends deeper, we measured and inverted over 40,000 SKS and SKKS waves' travel times in two frequency bands recorded at 2400+ stations deployed during 2006-2012. Our preliminary model shows narrow slow velocity anomalies in the lower mantle with no fast anomalies. The slow anomalies are offset from the Yellowstone hotspot and may be diapirs rising from the base of the mantle.

Anisotropy and tectonic deformation in the Ordos basin revealed by an active source seismic experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jun, W. S.; Wang, F.; Xu, T.

2016-12-01

With the purpose of exploring the Ordos block, western North China Craton, two controlled-source deep seismic transects were conducted across this region. The first one is a 650 km long profile oriented N-S; the second is 1530 km and is oriented E-W. The upper mantle P wave-velocity derived from these profiles features a 0.25 km/s difference between them. Being the E-W higher that the N-S. The results obtained from both seismic profiles indicate that the upper mantle beneath the Ordos block presents seismic anisotropy in terms of discrepancy in Pn-wave velocity, such as the apparent seismic velocities observed along the two reference profiles demonstrate. This result is consistent with SKS-wave splitting measurements in the interior of the Ordos block. This indicates that the compressive stress state in Ordos during the Mesozoic became an extensional stress state in the Cenozoic. The high-velocity anomaly in the uppermost mantle under the west-east profile suggests that the lithospheric mantle is still not water-rich. Unlike what happened in the NCC to east of the Taihang Mountains, where the lithosphere experienced its thinning and destruction since the Mesozoic, the lithosphere in the interior of Ordos has suffered less deformation and remained tectonically stable. Keywords: wide-angle seismic profiling, Pn phase, high-velocity anomaly, upper mantle anisotropy, Ordos block, North China Craton. ReferencesChen L., 2009. Lithospheric structure variations between the eastern and central North China Craton from S- and P-receiver function migration. Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 173, 216-227. Gao S., Rudnick R.L., Xu W.L., et al., 2008. Recycling deep cratonic lithosphere and generation of intraplate magmatism in the North China Craton. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 270, 41-53. Xu T., Zhang Z.J., Gao E.G., et al., 2010. Segmentally iterative ray tracing in complex 2D and 3D heterogeneous block models. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 100, 841-850. Zhu R.X., Zheng T.Y., 2009. Destruction geodynamics of the North China Craton and its Paleoproterozoic plate tectonics. Chinese Sci. Bull. 54(14), 1950-1961 (in Chinese).

Mantle ingredients for making the fingerprint of Etna alkaline magmas: implications for shallow partial melting within the complex geodynamic framework of Eastern Sicily

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viccaro, Marco; Zuccarello, Francesco

2017-09-01

Mantle ingredients responsible for the signature of Etnean Na- and K-alkaline magmas and their relationships with short-term geochemical changes of the erupted volcanic rocks have been constrained through a partial melting model that considers major, trace elements and water contents in the produced liquids. Characteristics of the Etnean source for alkaline magmas have been supposed similar to those of the mantle accessible at a regional scale, namely below the Hyblean Plateau. The assumption that the Etnean mantle resembles the one beneath the Hyblean Plateau is justified by the large geochemical affinities of the Etnean hawaiites/K-trachybasalts and the Hyblean hawaiites/alkali basalts for what concerns both trace elements and isotope systematics. We have modeled partial melting of a composite source constituted by two rock types, inferred by lithological and geochemical features of the Hyblean xenoliths: 1) a spinel lherzolite bearing metasomatic, hydrous phases and 2) a garnet pyroxenite in form of veins intruded into the spinel lherzolite. The partial melting modeling has been applied to each rock type and the resulting primary liquids have been then mixed in various proportions. These compositions have been compared with some Etnean alkaline magmas of the post ∼60 ka activity, which were firstly re-equilibrated to mantle conditions through mass balance calculations. Our results put into evidence that concentrations of major and trace elements along with the water obtained from the modeling are remarkably comparable with those of Etnean melts re-equilibrated at primary conditions. Different proportions of the spinel lherzolite with variable modal contents of metasomatic phases and of the garnet pyroxenite can therefore account for the signature of a large spectrum of Etnean alkaline magmas and for their geochemical variability through time, emphasizing the crucial role played by compositional small-scale heterogeneity of the source. These heterogeneities are able to produce magmas with variable compositions and volatile contents, which can then undergo distinct histories of ascent and evolution, leading to the wide range of eruptive styles observed at Mt. Etna volcano. Being partial melting confined in the spinel facies of the mantle, our model implies that the source of Mt. Etna magmas might be rather shallow (<2 GPa; i.e., lesser than ca. 60 km), excluding the presence of deep, plume-like mantle structures responsible for magma generation. Partial melting should occur consequently as a response of mantle decompression within the framework of regional tectonics affecting the Eastern Sicily, which could be triggered by extensional tectonics and/or subduction-induced mantle upwelling.

Terrestrial magma ocean and core segregation in the earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohtani, Eiji; Yurimoto, Naoyoshi

1992-01-01

According to the recent theories of formation of the earth, the outer layer of the proto-earth was molten and the terrestrial magma ocean was formed when its radius exceeded 3000 km. Core formation should have started in this magma ocean stage, since segregation of metallic iron occurs effectively by melting of the proto-earth. Therefore, interactions between magma, mantle minerals, and metallic iron in the magma ocean stage controlled the geochemistry of the mantle and core. We have studied the partitioning behaviors of elements into the silicate melt, high pressure minerals, and metallic iron under the deep upper mantle and lower mantle conditions. We employed the multi-anvil apparatus for preparing the equilibrating samples in the ranges from 16 to 27 GPa and 1700-2400 C. Both the electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) and the Secondary Ion Mass spectrometer (SIMS) were used for analyzing the run products. We obtained the partition coefficients of various trace elements between majorite, Mg-perovskite, and liquid, and magnesiowustite, Mg-perovskite, and metallic iron. The examples of the partition coefficients of some key elements are summarized in figures, together with the previous data. We may be able to assess the origin of the mantle abundances of the elements such as transition metals by using the partitioning data obtained above. The mantle abundances of some transition metals expected by the core-mantle equilibrium under the lower mantle conditions cannot explain the observed abundance of some elements such as Mn and Ge in the mantle. Estimations of the densities of the ultrabasic magma Mg-perovskite at high pressure suggest existence of a density crossover in the deep lower mantle; flotation of Mg-perovskite occurs in the deep magma ocean under the lower mantle conditions. The observed depletion of some transition metals such as V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni in the mantle may be explained by the two stage process, the core-mantle equilibrium under the lower mantle conditions in the first stage, and subsequent downwards separation of the ultrabasic liquid (and magnesiowustite) and flotation of Mg-perovskite in the lower mantle.

Refertilization of the Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle and its link to the formation of Metallogenic Provinces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tassara, C. S.; González-Jiménez, J. M.; Reich, M.; Morata, D.; Barra, F.; Gregoire, M.; Saunders, J. E.; Cannatelli, C.

2017-12-01

Refertilisation of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle is a key process controlling the noble metal budget of the mantle, and recent views point to anomalously enriched mantle sources as a critical factor in the formation of noble metal (e.g., Au) provinces at a lithospheric scale. Here we test this hypothesis by studying peridotite xenoliths from the mantle beneath the Deseado Massif auriferous province in southern Patagonia, Argentina. Extensive Neogene back-arc plateau magmatism composed of alkaline basalts ( 3.5 Ma) has brought to the surface deep-seated mantle xenoliths from beneath the crust that host the Au mineralization. In the studied xenolith samples we found gold particles enclosed within primary olivine and pyroxene, and embedded in a highly alkaline interstitial glass or sulphides. Detailed inspection of the sulphide hosts using FESEM reveals abundant native Au nanoparticles, which are consistent with the high Au (up to 6 ppm) obtained by LA-ICP-MS analysis of these sulphides. It is relevant to note that these sulphides also contain significant amounts of Ag (up to 163 ppm). Different generations of sulphides were identified on the basis of their chondrite-normalized PGE patterns, and they can be systematically associated with different events of melt depletion and metasomatism in the mantle. Noticeably, Cu-Pd-Pt-Au rich sulfides are associated with clinopyroxene showing typical carbonatite markers (i.e., large LREE/HREE, Zr and Hf negative anomalies) and accessory minerals such as carbonates and apatite. Still, clinopyroxene commonly has high Ti contents suggesting that a "basaltic" component was also present during the metasomatism. These results suggest that overprinting of events of melt depletion and metasomatism lead to the formation of several generations of sulfides. We propose that the Cu-Pd-Pt-Au rich sulfides may be associated with carbonated silicate melts in the mantle. Our results point to 1) a link between an enriched source of gold (and silver) in the mantle and the formation of the Deseado Massif auriferous province; and 2) carbonated silicate melt metasomatism as an important factor in the PPGE + Au refertilisation of the mantle.

Platinum group elements in a 3.5 Ga nickel-iron occurrence - Possible evidence of a deep mantle origin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tredoux, Marian; Hart, Rodger J.; Lindsay, Nicholas M.; De Wit, Maarten J.; Armstrong, Richard A.

1989-01-01

This paper reports the results of new field observations and the geochemical analyses for the area of the Bon Accord (BA) (the Kaapvaal craton, South Africa) Ni-Fe deposit, with particular consideration given to the trace element, platinum-group element, and isotopic (Pb, Nd, and Os) compositions. On the basis of these data, an interpretation of BA is suggested, according to which the BA deposit is a siderophile-rich heterogeneity remaining in the deep mantle after a process of incomplete core formation. The implications of such a model for the study of core-mantle segregation and the geochemistry of the lowermost mantle are discussed.

Transition Element Abundances in MORB Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, S.; Humayun, M.; Salters, V. J.; Fields, D.; Jefferson, G.; Perfit, M. R.

2012-12-01

The mineralogy of the mantle sources of basalts is an important, but hard to constrain parameter, especially with the basalts as chemical probes of major element mantle composition. Geophysical models imply that the deep mantle may have significant variations in Fe and Si relative to the ambient mantle sampled by MORB. Some petrological models of sub-ridge melting involve both pyroxenite and peridotite, implying that basalts preferentially sample a pyroxenite endmember. The First-Row Transition Elements (FRTE), Ga and Ge are compatible to moderately incompatible during partial melting, and are sensitive to mineralogical variability in the mantle and thus can provide constraints on mantle source mineralogy for MORB. We have analyzed major elements, FRTE, Ga and Ge on 231 basaltic glasses from the Middle Atlantic Ridge (MAR between -23°S to 36.44°N), 30 Mid-Cayman Rise basaltic glasses, 12 glasses from the Siqueiros Fracture Zone (EPR), 9 glasses from the Blanco Trough, Juan de Fuca ridge, and Galapagos Spreading Centers (EPR), and 4 Indian Ocean MORB. Large spots (150 μm) were precisely (±1%) analyzed by a New Wave UP193FX excimer (193 nm) laser ablation system coupled to a high-resolution ICP-MS at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory using a high ablation rate (50 Hz) to yield blank contributions <1% for all elements, particularly Ge. The data demonstrate that the Ge/Si (6.96 x 10E-6 ± 3%, 1σ) and Fe/Mn (55 ± 2%) ratios for MORB are insensitive to fractional crystallization within the MgO range 6%-10%. MORB have Zn/Fe (9.9 x 10E-4 ± 7%), Ga/Sc (0.37-0.50), Ga/Al (2.2 x 10E-4 ± 11%) ratios, with the variations mostly due to the effects of fractional crystallization. Recent experimental determination of FRTE, Ga and Ge partition coefficients provide a framework within which to interpret these data [1]. Using these new partition coefficients, we have modeled the sensitivity of each element to mineralogical variations in the mantle source. Olivine primarily controls the partitioning of Fe, Zn, Ga and Ge; garnet dominates the Sc abundance; spinel exerts exceptionally strong control over Ga and Zn, and cannot be neglected as a source mineral for these elements. MORB FRTE, Ga and Ge abundances are consistent with partial melting of a spinel peridotite source (<1% garnet) similar to that estimated for DMM, although the abundances of many of these elements need to be better constrained in the model sources. [1] Davis et al. GCA (submitted)

Source and movement of helium in the eastern Morongo groundwater Basin: The influence of regional tectonics on crustal and mantle helium fluxes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kulongoski, J.T.; Hilton, David R.; Izbicki, J.A.

2005-01-01

We assess the role of fracturing and seismicity on fluid-driven mass transport of helium using groundwaters from the eastern Morongo Basin (EMB), California, USA. The EMB, located ???200 km east of Los Angeles, lies within a tectonically active region known as the Eastern California Shear Zone that exhibits both strike-slip and extensional deformation. Helium concentrations from 27 groundwaters range from 0.97 to 253.7 ?? 10-7 cm3 STP g-1 H2O, with corresponding 3He/4He ratios falling between 1.0 and 0.26 RA (where RA is the 3He/4He ratio of air). All groundwaters had helium isotope ratios significantly higher than the crustal production value of ???0.02 RA. Dissolved helium concentrations were resolved into components associated with solubility equilibration, air entrainment, in situ production within the aquifer, and extraneous fluxes (both crustal and mantle derived). All samples contained a mantle helium-3 (3Hem) flux in the range of 4.5 to 1351 ?? 10-14 cm3 STP 3He cm-2 yr-1 and a crustal flux (J0) between 0.03 and 300 ?? 10-7 cm3 STP 4He cm-2 yr-1. Groundwaters from the eastern part of the basin contained significantly higher 3Hem and deep crustal helium-4 (4Hedc) concentrations than other areas, suggesting a localized source for these components. 4Hedc and 3Hem are strongly correlated, and are associated with faults in the basin. A shallow thermal anomaly in a >3,000 m deep graben in the eastern basin suggests upflow of fluids through active faults associated with extensional tectonics. Regional tectonics appears to drive large scale crustal fluid transport, whereas episodic hydrofracturing provides an effective mechanism for mantle-crust volatile transport identified by variability in the magnitude of degassing fluxes (3Hem and J0) across the basin. Copyright ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd.

Plume magmatism and crustal growth at 2.9 to 3.0 Ga in the Steep Rock and Lumby Lake area, Western Superior Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomlinson, K. Y.; Hughes, D. J.; Thurston, P. C.; Hall, R. P.

1999-01-01

The greenstone belts of the western Superior Province are predominantly 2.78 to 2.69 Ga and provide evidence of oceanic and arc volcanism during the accretionary phase of development of the Superior Province. There is also scattered evidence of Meso-Archean crust (predominantly 2.9 to 3.0 Ga) within the western Superior Province. The Meso-Archean greenstone belts commonly contain platformal sediments and unconformably overlie granitoid basement. The platformal sediments occur associated with komatiitic and tholeiitic volcanic rocks that suggest a history of magmatism associated with rifting during the Meso-Archean. The central Wabigoon Subprovince is a key area of Meso-Archean crust and in its southern portion comprises the Steep Rock, Finlayson and Lumby Lake greenstone belts. The Steep Rock greenstone belt unconformably overlies 3 Ga continental basement and contains platformal sediments succeeded by komatiitic and tholeiitic volcanic rocks. The Lumby Lake greenstone belt contains thick sequences of mafic volcanics, a number of komatiite horizons, and thin platformal sedimentary units. The two belts are joined by the predominantly mafic volcanic Finlayson greenstone belt. The volcanics throughout these three greenstone belts may be correlated to some extent and a range of basaltic and komatiite types is present. Al-undepleted komatiites present in the Lumby Lake greenstone belt have an Al 2O 3/TiO 2 ratio ranging from 14 to 27 and (Gd/Yb) N from 0.7 to 1.3. These are divided into basaltic komatiites with generally unfractionated mantle-normalised multi-element profiles, and spinifex-textured high-Mg basalts with slightly light REE enriched multi-element profiles and small negative Nb and Ta anomalies. The unfractionated basaltic komatiites represent high degree partial melts of the upper mantle whereas the spinifex-textured high-Mg basalts represent evolutionary products of the komatiite liquids following olivine and chromite fractionation and crustal contamination. Al-depleted komatiites are present in both the Lumby Lake and Steep Rock belts and have Al 2O 3/TiO 2 ratio ranges from 2.5 to 5. These display strong enrichment in the light REE and Nb and strong depletion in the heavy REE and Y ((Gd/Yb) N=2-4). They represent a deep mantle plume source generated from a high degree of partial melting in the majorite garnet stability field. The basaltic flows in all three greenstone belts are predominantly slightly light REE depleted and represent a slightly depleted upper mantle source. Basalts spatially associated with the unfractionated basaltic komatiites and the slightly light REE enriched spinifex-textured high-Mg basalts are also slightly enriched in light REE and have negative Nb and Ta anomalies. These basalts represent evolved products of the primitive basaltic komatiites and enriched spinifex-textured high-Mg basalts after further crustal contamination and olivine and clinopyroxene fractionation. The geochemical stratigraphy in the Lumby Lake belt is consistent with an ascending mantle plume model. The light REE depleted basalts were derived from upper mantle melted by an ascending mantle plume. These are overlain by the unfractionated basaltic komatiites and their evolutionary products which represent hotter plume head material derived from a mixture of plume mantle and entrained depleted upper mantle. In turn, these are overlain by strongly light REE and HFSE enriched komatiites that represent a deep plume source that has not been mixed with depleted mantle and are, therefore, likely to have been derived from a plume core or tail. Volcanism was protracted in these three greenstone belts lasting ca. 70 Ma and combined stratigraphic evidence from the Lumby Lake and Steep Rock belts suggests that more than one plume may have ascended and tapped the same mantle sources, over time, within the area. Plume magmatism and rifting of continental platforms thus appears to have been an important feature of crustal development in the Meso-Archean.

Multiple mantle upwellings in the transition zone beneath the northern East-African Rift system from relative P-wave travel-time tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Civiero, Chiara; Hammond, James O. S.; Goes, Saskia; Fishwick, Stewart; Ahmed, Abdulhakim; Ayele, Atalay; Doubre, Cecile; Goitom, Berhe; Keir, Derek; Kendall, J.-Michael; Leroy, Sylvie; Ogubazghi, Ghebrebrhan; Rümpker, Georg; Stuart, Graham W.

2015-09-01

Mantle plumes and consequent plate extension have been invoked as the likely cause of East African Rift volcanism. However, the nature of mantle upwelling is debated, with proposed configurations ranging from a single broad plume connected to the large low-shear-velocity province beneath Southern Africa, the so-called African Superplume, to multiple lower-mantle sources along the rift. We present a new P-wave travel-time tomography model below the northern East-African, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden rifts and surrounding areas. Data are from stations that span an area from Madagascar to Saudi Arabia. The aperture of the integrated data set allows us to image structures of ˜100 km length-scale down to depths of 700-800 km beneath the study region. Our images provide evidence of two clusters of low-velocity structures consisting of features with diameter of 100-200 km that extend through the transition zone, the first beneath Afar and a second just west of the Main Ethiopian Rift, a region with off-rift volcanism. Considering seismic sensitivity to temperature, we interpret these features as upwellings with excess temperatures of 100 ± 50 K. The scale of the upwellings is smaller than expected for lower mantle plume sources. This, together with the change in pattern of the low-velocity anomalies across the base of the transition zone, suggests that ponding or flow of deep-plume material below the transition zone may be spawning these upper mantle upwellings. This article was corrected on 28 SEP 2015. See the end of the full text for details.

Melting curve of compressed barium carbonate from in situ ionic conductivity measurements: Implications for the melting behavior of alkaline earth carbonates in Earth's deep carbon cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, J.; Li, J.; Zhu, F.; Li, Z.; Farawi, R.

2017-12-01

The whereabouts of subducted carbonates place a major constraint on the Earth's deep carbon cycle, but the fraction of carbon retained in the slab and transported into the deep mantle, compared to that released from the slab and recycled to the surface, is still under debate. Knowledge of the stability of carbonated mantle rocks is pivotal for assessing the ability of slabs to carry carbonates into the deep mantle. Determination and systematic comparison of the melting curves of alkali and alkaline earth carbonates at high pressure can help construct thermodynamic models to predict the melting behavior of complex carbonated mantle rocks. Among alkaline earth carbonates, the melting behavior of barium carbonate (BaCO3) has not been adequately understood. The reported melting point of BaCO3at 1 bar differ by nearly 800 °C and constraints on the melting curve of BaCO3 at high pressure are not available. In this study, the melting temperatures of BaCO3 were determined up to 11 GPa from in situ ionic conductivity measurements using the multi-anvil apparatus at the University of Michigan. The solid-liquid boundary at high pressure was detected on the basis of a steep rise in conductivity through the sample upon melting. The melting point of BaCO3 was found to drop from 1797 °C at 3.3 GPa to 1600 °C at 5.5 GPa and then rise with pressure to 2180 °C at 11 GPa. The observed melting depression point at 5.5 GPa corresponds to the phase transition of BaCO3 from the aragonite structure (Pmcn) to post-aragonite structure (Pmmn) at 6.3 GPa, 877 °C and 8.0 GPa, 727 °C, determined from synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements using laser-heated DAC experiments at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. These results are also compared with ex situ falling marker experiments, and the three methods together place tight constraints on the melting curve of BaCO3 and elucidates the effect of structural phase transitions on its melting behavior.

Double-Sided Laser Heating in Radial Diffraction Geometry for Diamond Anvil Cell Deformation Experiments at Simultaneous High Pressures and Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyagi, L. M.; Kunz, M.; Couper, S.; Lin, F.; Yan, J.; Doran, A.; MacDowell, A. A.

2017-12-01

The rheology of rocks and minerals in the Earth's deep interior plays a primary role in controlling large scale geodynamic processes such as mantle convection and slab subduction. Plastic deformation resulting from these processes can lead to texture development and associated seismic anisotropy. If a detailed understanding of the link between deformation and seismic anisotropy is established, observations of seismic anisotropy can be used to understand the dynamic state in the deep Earth. However, performing deformation experiments at lower mantle pressure and temperature conditions are extremely challenging. Thus most deformation studies have been performed either at room temperature and high pressure or at reduced pressures and high temperature. Only a few extraordinary efforts have attained pressures and temperatures relevant to lower mantle. Therefore our ability to interpret observations of lower mantle seismic anisotropy in terms of mantle flow models remains limited. In order to expand the pressure and temperature range available for deformation of deep Earth relevant mineral phases, we have developed a laser heating system for in-situ double-sided heating in radial diffraction geometry at beamline 12.2.2 of the Advanced Light Source of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This allows texture and lattice strain measurements to be recorded at simultaneous high pressures and temperatures in the diamond anvil cell. This new system is integrated into the newly built axial laser heating system to allow for rapid and reliable transitioning between double-sided laser heating in axial and radial geometries. Transitioning to radial geometry is accomplished by redirecting the laser and imaging paths from 0° and 180° to 90° and 270°. To redirect the 90° path, a motorized periscope mirror pair with an objective lens can be inserted into the downstream axial beam path. The 270° redirection is accomplished by removing the upstream axial objective lens and manually installing a small assembly carrying 2 infrared mirrors and an objective lens. Using this system we have performed two pilot studies recording texture and lattice strain development during deformation of FeO up to 1300 K and 45 GPa and bridgmanite up to 1600 K and 80 GPa.

The deep structure of Venusian plateau highlands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grimm, Robert E.

1994-01-01

Magellan gravity data confirm that several of the large, tectonically deformed, plateau-like highlands on venus are shallowly compensated, most likely by crustal thickness variations. Apparent depths of isostatic compensation, computed in the spatial domain, range from 30 to 50 km for Alpha, Tellus, Ovda, and Thetis Regiones. Using a two-layer model for isostatic compensation, Alpha, Tellus, and Ovda are best represented as nearly completely compensated in crust that is regionally 20-40 km thick around these highlands, with little contribution from deeper mantle sources. In contrast to these three areas, a stronger regional gravity high associated with Thetis requires a significant upper mantle component to compensation. This is evident in the spectral admittance as a pronounced deep, long-wavelength anomaly. In the two-layer isostatic model, a broad, deeply compensated upland underlies a shallowly compensated central block of Thetis. If this deep component is interpreted as a thermal anomaly, the loci of maximum upwelling agree well with sites of recent extension. The plateau highlands are thus physiographically and isostatically equivalent to terrestrial continents, though probably not compositionally. They also share the record of a long tectonic history. The large regional gravity anomaly of Thetis indicates that active mantle proceses continue even beneath some areas (tessera) thought to be a relic of a former geological regime. The excellent agreement of modeled crustal thicknesses around Alpha, Tellus, and Ovda Regiones suggests that 20-40 km is a representative global value for the plains. Such a crust is thicker than previously estimated and about twice as thick as the expected thickness of crust produced at venusian spreading centers

Metal-silicate partitioning of U: Implications for the heat budget of the core and evidence for reduced U in the mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chidester, Bethany A.; Rahman, Zia; Righter, Kevin; Campbell, Andrew J.

2017-02-01

Earth's core might require an internal heat source, such as radioactive decay, to explain the presence of the magnetic field through geologic time. To investigate whether U would be an important heat source in the core, we performed metal-silicate partitioning experiments of U at P-T (up to 67 GPa and 5400 K) conditions more relevant to a magma ocean scenario than has previously been reported. This study finds the partitioning of U to be strongly dependent on ƒO2, temperature, the S content of the metal and the SiO2 content of the silicate during core-mantle differentiation. Differentiation at mean conditions of 42-58 GPa and 3900-4200 K would put 1.4-3.5 ppb U (2-8 wt% S) in the core, amounting to a maximum of 1.4 (+1/-0.7) TW of heat 4.5 billion years ago. This is likely not enough heat to mitigate early widespread mantle melting. It was also found that U likely exists in the 2+ oxidation state in silicate melts in the deep Earth, a state which has not been previously observed in nature.

Fe-Ni-Cu-C-S phase relations at high pressures and temperatures - The role of sulfur in carbon storage and diamond stability at mid- to deep-upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuno, Kyusei; Dasgupta, Rajdeep

2015-02-01

Constraining the stable form of carbon in the deep mantle is important because carbon has key influence on mantle processes such as partial melting and element mobility, thereby affecting the efficiency of carbon exchange between the endogenic and exogenic reservoirs. In the reduced, mid- to deep-upper mantle, the chief host of deep carbon is expected to be graphite/diamond but in the presence of Fe-Ni alloy melt in the reduced mantle and owing to high solubility of carbon in such alloy phase, diamond may become unstable. To investigate the nature of stable, C-bearing phases in the reduced, mid- to deep-upper mantle, here we have performed experiments to examine the effect of sulfur on the phase relations of the Ni-rich portion of Fe-Ni ± Cu-C-S system, and carbon solubility in the Fe-Ni solid and Fe-Ni-S liquid alloys at 6-8 GPa and 800-1400 °C using a multianvil press. Low-temperature experiments for six starting mixes (Ni/(Fe + Ni) ∼ 0.61, 8-16 wt.% S) contain C-bearing, solid Fe-Ni alloy + Fe-Ni-C-S alloy melt + metastable graphite, and the solid alloy-out boundary is constrained, at 1150-1200 °C at 6 GPa and 900-1000 °C at 8 GPa for S-poor starting mix, and at 1000-1050 °C at 6 GPa and 900-1000 °C at 8 GPa for the S-rich starting mix. The carbon solubility in the liquid alloy significantly diminishes from 2.1 to 0.8 wt.% with sulfur in the melt increasing from 8 to 24 wt.%, irrespective of temperature. We also observed a slight decrease of carbon solubility in the liquid alloy with increasing pressure when alloy liquid contains >∼18 wt.% S, and with decreasing Ni/(Fe + Ni) ratio from 0.65 to ∼0.53. Based on our results, diamond, coexisting with Ni-rich sulfide liquid alloy is expected to be stable in the reduced, alloy-bearing oceanic mantle with C content as low as 20 to 5 ppm for mantle S varying between 100 and 200 ppm. Deep, reduced root of cratonic mantle, on the other hand, is expected to have C distributed among solid alloy, liquid alloy, and diamond for low-S (≤100 ppm S) domains and between liquid alloy and diamond in high-S (≥150 ppm S) domains. Our findings can explain the observation of Ni-rich sulfide and/or Fe-Ni alloy inclusions in diamond and suggest that diamond stability in the alloy-bearing, reduced mantle does not necessarily require excess C supply from recycled, crustal lithologies. Our prediction of diamond stability in the background, depleted upper mantle, owing to the interaction with mantle sulfides, is also consistent with the carbon isotopic composition of peridotitic diamond (δ13C of - 5 ± 1 ‰), which suggests no significant input from recycled carbon.

Acquisition and Early Losses of Rare Gases from the Deep Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porcelli, D.; Cassen, P.; Woolum, D.; Wasserburg, G. J.

1998-01-01

Direct observations show that the deep Earth contains rare gases of solar composition distinct from those in the atmosphere. We examine the implications of mantle rare gas characteristics on acquisition of rare gases from the solar nebula and subsequent losses due to a large impact. Deep mantle rare gas concentrations and isotopic compositions can be obtained from a model of transport and distribution of mantle rare gases. This model assumes the lower mantle closed early, while the upper mantle is open to subduction from the atmosphere and mass transfer from the lower mantle. Constraints are derived that can be incorporated into models for terrestrial volatile acquisition: (1) Calculated lower-mantle Xe-isotopic ratios indicate that the fraction of radiogenic Xe produced by I-129 and Pu-244 during the first about 10(exp 8) yr was lost, a conclusion also drawn for atmospheric Xe. Thus, either the Earth was made from materials that had lost >99% of rare gases about (0.7-2) x 10(exp 8) yr after the solar system formed, or gases were then lost from the fully formed Earth. (2) Concentrations of 3He and 20Ne in the lower mantle were established after these losses. (3) Neon-isotopic data indicates that mantle Ne has solar composition. The model allows for solar Ar/Ne and Xe/Ne in the lower mantle if a dominant fraction of upper mantle Ar and Xe are subduction-derived. If Earth formed in the presence of the solar nebula, it could have been melted by accretional energy and the blanketing effect of a massive, nebula-derived atmosphere. Gases from this atmosphere would have been sequestered within the molten Earth by dissolution at the surface and downward mixing. It was found that too much Ne would be dissolved in the Earth unless the atmosphere began to escape when the Earth was only partially assembled. Here we consider conditions required to initially dissolve sufficient rare gases to account for the present lower mantle concentrations after subsequent losses at 10(exp 8) yr. It is assumed that equilibration of the atmosphere with a thoroughly molten mantle was rapid, so that initial abundances of gases retained in any mantle layer reflected surface conditions when the layer solidified. For subsequent gas loss of 99.5% and typical solubility coefficients, a total pressure of 100 atm was required for an atmosphere of solar composition. Calculations of the pressure at the base of a primordial atmosphere indicate that this value might be exceeded by an order of magnitude or more for an atmosphere supported by accretional energy. Surface temperatures of about 4000 K would have been produced, probably high enough to melt the deep mantle. Initial distributions of retained rare gases would then be determined by the history of surface pressure and temperature during mantle cooling and solidification, i.e., the coupled cooling of Earth and atmosphere. The Earth's thermal state was determined by its surface temperature and the efficiency of convection in the molten mantle, estimated to be sufficient to maintain an adiabatic gradient. Because the melting curve is steeper than the adiabat, solidification of the mantle proceeded outward from the interior. Incorporation of atmospheric gases in the mantle therefore occurred over a range in surface temperature of a few thousand degrees Kelvin. The thermal state of the atmosphere was controlled by total luminosity of the Earth (energy) released by accreting planetesimals and the cooling Earth), nebular temperature and pressure, and atmospheric opacity. The energy released by accretion declined with time as did nebular pressure. Analytical solutions for an idealized (constant opacity radiative atmosphere show that declining energy sources under constant nebular conditions result in slowly diminishing surface temperature but dramatically increasing surface pressure. For such an atmosphere with declining nebular pressure but constant total luminosity, surface pressure decreases gradually with decreasing temperaure. A decline in accretion luminosity might be compensated by energy released as the mantle cools for about 10(exp 5) year, after which luminosity must decline. The total complement of dissolved rare gases will depend on the particular evolutionary path determined by the declining accretional luminosity, the Earth thermal history, removal of the nebula, and opacity variations of the atmosphere. Models for these coupled evolutionary histories for Earth's acquisition of nebular-derived noble gases are in progress. The later losses required at about 10(exp 8) yr (depleting the interior concentrations of the sequestered solar gases by a factor of > 100) were presumably related to the major impact in which the Moon formed.

Melt focusing and geochemical evolution at mid-ocean ridges: simulations of reactive two-phase flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, T.; Katz, R. F.; Hirschmann, M. M.

2017-12-01

The geochemical character of MORB and related off-axis volcanic products reflects the signature of chemical reservoirs in the mantle, the processes of melt transport from source to surface, or both. Focusing of partial melt to the ridge axis controls the proportion of deep, volatile- and incompatible-rich melts that contribute to MORB formation. However, the effect of volatiles, including CO2 and H2O, on melt segregation and focusing remains poorly understood. We investigate this transport using 2-D numerical simulations of reactive two-phase flow. The phases are solid mantle and liquid magma. Major elements and volatiles are represented by a system with 4 or 6 pseudo-components. This captures accepted features of mantle melting with volatiles. The fluid-dynamical model is McKenzie's formulation [1], while melting and reactive transport use the R_DMC method [2,3]. Trace element transport is computed for 5 idealized elements between highly incompatible and compatible behavior. Our results indicate that volatiles cause channelized melt transport, which leads to fluctuations in volume and composition of melt focused to the axis. The volatile-induced expansion of the melting regime at depth, however, has no influence on melt focusing. Up to 50% of deep, volatile-rich melts are not focused to the axis, but are emplaced along the oceanic LAB. There, crystallization of accumulated melt leads to enrichment of volatiles and incompatibles in the deep lithosphere. This has implications for volatile recycling by subduction, seismic properties of the oceanic LAB, and potential sources for seamount volcanism. Results from a suite of simulations, constrained by catalogued observational data [4,5,6], enable prediction of global MORB and volatile output and systematic variations of major, volatile and trace element concentrations as a function of mantle conditions and dynamic properties. REFERENCES[1] McKenzie (1984), doi:10.1093/petrology/25.3.713.[2] Rudge, Bercovici & Spiegelman (2011), doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04870.x.[3] Keller & Katz (2016), doi:10.1093/petrology/egw030.[4] Dalton, Langmuir & Gale (2014), doi:10.1126/science.1249466.[5] Gale, Langmuir & Dalton (2014), doi:10.1093/petrology/egu017.[6] White et al. (2001), doi:10.1093/petrology/42.6.1171.

Primitive helium isotopic compositions associated with Miocene lavas from Northwest Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, M. G.; Reinhard, A.; Blichert-Toft, J.; Price, A. A.; Kurz, M. D.; Halldorsson, S. A.

2016-12-01

Elevated 3He/4He ratios identified in hotspots globally are associated with an early-formed, less degassed mantle reservoir that resides in the deep mantle, but the origin and mechanism for the long-term preservation of this mantle domain are not well understood. The highest known terrestrial mantle-derived 3He/4He ratios (49.5 Ra) have been measured in 62 million year old lavas from Baffin Island and West Greenland, associated with the proto-Iceland plume [1]. Mid-Miocene lavas from northwest Iceland have 3He/4He ratios of up to 37 Ra [2]. Thus, the Iceland plume has tapped a high-3He/4He mantle source over much of the Cenozoic. This is important, as 182W [3] and 129Xe [4] data indicate that the high 3He/4He domain sampled by the Iceland plume formed in the early Hadean. We report new 3He/4He measurements on magmatic olivine in mid-Miocene lavas from Northwest Iceland. Fusion experiments indicate that the new, high 3He/4He ratios do not have a cosmogenic 3He contribution. New Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb isotopic data place important constraints on the isotopic composition of the highest 3He/4He mantle domain sampled by mid-Miocene Iceland lavas. An important question is whether the highest 3He/4He lavas from Iceland have Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic compositions that overlap with those found in the high-3He/4He lavas from Baffin Island. If not, it will be important to understand the mechanism responsible for the offset in Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic compositions, and whether this also explains the lower maximum 3He/4He in mid-Miocene Icelandic lavas relative to their counterparts in Baffin Island. The new data will have implications for the preservation of primitive reservoirs in the deep mantle. [1] Stuart et al., Nature, v. 424, 2003. [2] Hilton et al., Earth Planet Sci. Lett., v. 173, 1999. [3] Rizo et al., Science, v. 352, 2016. [4] Mukhopadhyay, Nature, v. 486, 2012.

Spin and valence dependence of iron partitioning in Earth’s deep mantle

PubMed Central

Piet, Hélène; Badro, James; Nabiei, Farhang; Dennenwaldt, Teresa; Shim, Sang-Heon; Cantoni, Marco; Hébert, Cécile; Gillet, Philippe

2016-01-01

We performed laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments combined with state-of-the-art electron microanalysis (focused ion beam and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy) to study the distribution and valence of iron in Earth’s lower mantle as a function of depth and composition. Our data reconcile the apparently discrepant existing dataset, by clarifying the effects of spin (high/low) and valence (ferrous/ferric) states on iron partitioning in the deep mantle. In aluminum-bearing compositions relevant to Earth’s mantle, iron concentration in silicates drops above 70 GPa before increasing up to 110 GPa with a minimum at 85 GPa; it then dramatically drops in the postperovskite stability field above 116 GPa. This compositional variation should strengthen the lowermost mantle between 1,800 km depth and 2,000 km depth, and weaken it between 2,000 km depth and the D” layer. The succession of layers could dynamically decouple the mantle above 2,000 km from the lowermost mantle, and provide a rheological basis for the stabilization and nonentrainment of large low-shear-velocity provinces below that depth. PMID:27647917

Multiple seismic reflectors in Earth’s lowermost mantle

PubMed Central

Shang, Xuefeng; Shim, Sang-Heon; de Hoop, Maarten; van der Hilst, Robert

2014-01-01

The modern view of Earth’s lowermost mantle considers a D″ region of enhanced (seismologically inferred) heterogeneity bounded by the core–mantle boundary and an interface some 150–300 km above it, with the latter often attributed to the postperovskite phase transition (in MgSiO3). Seismic exploration of Earth’s deep interior suggests, however, that this view needs modification. So-called ScS and SKKS waves, which probe the lowermost mantle from above and below, respectively, reveal multiple reflectors beneath Central America and East Asia, two areas known for subduction of oceanic plates deep into Earth’s mantle. This observation is inconsistent with expectations from a thermal response of a single isochemical postperovskite transition, but some of the newly observed structures can be explained with postperovskite transitions in differentiated slab materials. Our results imply that the lowermost mantle is more complex than hitherto thought and that interfaces and compositional heterogeneity occur beyond the D″ region sensu stricto. PMID:24550266

Minerals as mantle fingerprints: Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf in clinopyroxene and He in olivine distinguish an unusual ancient mantle lithosphere beneath the East African Rift System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, W. R.; Shirey, S. B.; Graham, D. W.

2011-12-01

The East African Rift System is a complex region that holds keys to understanding the fundamental geodynamics of continental break-up. In this region, the volcanic record preserves over 30 Myrs of geochemical variability associated with the interplay between shallow and deep asthenospheric sources, continental lithospheric mantle, and continental crust. One fundamental question that is still subject to debate concerns the relationship between the lithospheric mantle and the voluminous flood basalt province that erupted at ~30 Ma in Ethiopia and Yemen. Whole-rock Re-Os isotopic data demonstrate the high-Ti (HT2) flood basalts (187Os/188Ost = 0.1247-0.1329) and peridotite xenoliths (187Os/188Ost = 0.1235-0.1377) from NW Ethiopia have similar isotopic compositions. However, Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic signatures from peridotite clinopyroxene grains are different from those of the flood basalts. The peridotite clinopyroxene separates bear isotopic affinities to anciently depleted mantle (87Sr/86Sr = 0.7019-0.7029; ɛNd = 12.6-18.5; ɛHf = 13.8-27.6) - more depleted than the MORB source - rather than to the OIB-like 30 Ma flood basalts (87Sr/86Sr ~ 0.704; ɛNd = 4.7-6.7; ɛHf = 12.1-13.5). Peridotite clinopyroxenes display two groups of 206Pb/204Pb compositions: the higher 206Pb/204Pb group (18.7-19.3) is compositionally similar to the flood basalts (206Pb/204Pb = 18.97-19.02) whereas the lower 206Pb/204Pb group (17.1-17.9) overlaps with depleted mantle. This suggests that the Pb isotope systematics in some of the peridotites have been metasomatically perturbed. Helium isotopes were analyzed by crushing olivine separated from the peridotites and the flood basalts. Olivine in the peridotites has low He concentrations (0.78-4.7 ncc/g) and low 3He/4He (4.6-6.6 RA), demonstrating that they cannot be the petrogenetic precursor to the high 3He/4He (>12 RA) flood basalts. Notably, these peridotites have 3He/4He signatures consistent with a lithospheric mantle source. Therefore, although the flood basalts and lithospheric mantle bear some isotopic similarities, the basalts were not derived from this portion of the lithospheric mantle, nor are the peridotites crystalline cumulates derived from asthenosphere -derived magmas. The isotopic variations in these peridotites demonstrate that the Afro-Arabian lithosphere contains anciently depleted mantle, created during or prior to the late Proterozoic Pan-African orogeny.

Volcanism by melt-driven Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities and possible consequences of melting for admittance ratios on Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tackley, P. J.; Stevenson, D. J.; Scott, D. R.

1992-01-01

A large number of volcanic features exist on Venus, ranging from tens of thousands of small domes to large shields and coronae. It is difficult to reconcile all these with an explanation involving deep mantle plumes, since a number of separate arguments lead to the conclusion that deep mantle plumes reaching the base of the lithosphere must exceed a certain size. In addition, the fraction of basal heating in Venus' mantle may be significantly lower than in Earth's mantle reducing the number of strong plumes from the core-mantle boundary. In three-dimensional convection simulations with mainly internal heating, weak, distributed upwellings are usually observed. We present an alternative mechanism for such volcanism, originally proposed for the Earth and for Venus, involving Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities driven by melt buoyancy, occurring spontaneously in partially or incipiently molten regions.

Bending-related faulting and mantle serpentinization at the Middle America trench.

PubMed

Ranero, C R; Morgan, J Phipps; McIntosh, K; Reichert, C

2003-09-25

The dehydration of subducting oceanic crust and upper mantle has been inferred both to promote the partial melting leading to arc magmatism and to induce intraslab intermediate-depth earthquakes, at depths of 50-300 km. Yet there is still no consensus about how slab hydration occurs or where and how much chemically bound water is stored within the crust and mantle of the incoming plate. Here we document that bending-related faulting of the incoming plate at the Middle America trench creates a pervasive tectonic fabric that cuts across the crust, penetrating deep into the mantle. Faulting is active across the entire ocean trench slope, promoting hydration of the cold crust and upper mantle surrounding these deep active faults. The along-strike length and depth of penetration of these faults are also similar to the dimensions of the rupture area of intermediate-depth earthquakes.

Upper Mantle Anisotropy Under Fast Spreading Mid-ocean Ridges: 2-D Whole Mantle Convection Model With Subduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, C.; Zhou, Y.; King, S. D.

2008-12-01

Analyses of seismic anisotropy caused by spatial alignments of anisotropic minerals (e.g., olivine) have been widely used to infer mantle flow directions in the upper mantle. Deep seismic anisotropy beneath fast spreading mid-ocean ridges (e.g., East Pacific Rise) has been recently observed at depths of 200-300 km and even down to the transition zone, with polarization changes in radial anisotropy from VSH < VSV (shallow) to VSH < VSV (deep). We investigate the origin of the observed deep seismic anisotropy and polarization changes beneath the EPR in 2-D Cartesian numerical models using both kinematically (prescribed velocity) and dynamically (negative buoyancy) driven ridge spreading. Because subduction is thought to be an important controlling factor in the style of ridge spreading and mantle convection, we consider a subduction zone developing at the prescribed weak zone. A whole mantle domain expressed by a one by four box (2890 by 11560 km) is used to minimize the boundary effects on the subducting slab. For the upper mantle rheology, we consider composite viscosity of diffusion and dislocation creep for dry olivine to evaluate the effects of lateral variation of mantle viscosity and the rheological changes from dislocation to diffusion creep under the mid-ocean ridge. For the lower mantle rheology, we use diffusion creep for dry olivine by increasing grain size to match relevant lower mantle viscosity. We also consider the 660 km phase transition with density and viscosity jump as well as Clapeyron slope. Anisotropy is evaluated using finite-strain ellipses based on the assumption that a-axes of olivine crystals are parallel to the major axes of the finite-strain ellipses. Our preliminary results show 1) in general, the development of VSH < VSV anisotropy is confined only in a narrow region under the ridge axis at depths of 200- 300 km; 2) strong VSH > VSV anisotropy can be found in the 'asthenosphere' beneath the entire spreading oceanic lithosphere; and 3) the dominate creep mechanism changes from dislocation creep to diffusion creep at depths of 300-400 km; indicating a more isotropic lower upper mantle. We conclude that our geodynamical modeling in a passive ridge spreading system does not produce the deep seismic anisotropy recently observed beneath the EPR. However, we do not consider partial melting, dynamic recrystallization and anisotropic viscosity which would change seismic interpretation and mantle flow, and thus further study is required.

Mantle Sulfur Cycle: A Case for Non-Steady State ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartigny, Pierre; Labidi, Jabrane

2016-04-01

Data published over the last 5 years show that the early inference that mantle is isotopically homogeneous is no more valid. Instead, new generation data on lavas range over a significant 34S/32S variability of up to 5‰ with δ 34S values often correlated to Sr- and Nd-isotope compositions. This new set of data also reveals the Earth's mantle to have a sub-chondritic 34S/32S ratio, by about ˜ 1‰. We will present at the conference our published and unpublished data on samples characterizing the different mantle components (i.e. EM1, EM2, HIMU and LOMU). All illustrate 34S-enrichments compared to MORB with Δ 33S and Δ 36S values indistinguishable from CDT or chondrites at the 0.03‰ level. These data are consistent with the recycling of subducted components carrying sulfur with Δ 33S and Δ 36S-values close to zero. Archean rocks commonly display Δ 33S and Δ 36S values deviating from zero by 1 to 10 ‰. The lack of variations for Δ 33S and Δ 36S values in present day lava argue against the sampling of any subducted protolith of Archean age in their mantle source. Instead, our data are consistent with the occurrence of Proterozoic subducted sulfur in the source of the EM1, EM2, LOMU and HIMU endmember at the St-Helena island. This is in agreement with the age of those components early derived through the use of the Pb isotope systematic. Currently, the negative δ 34S-values of the depleted mantle seem to be associated with mostly positive values of enriched components. This would be inconsistent with the concept a steady state of sulfur. Assuming that the overall observations of recycled sulfur are not biased, the origin of such a non-steady state remains unclear. It could be related to the relatively compatible behavior of sulfur during partial melting, as the residue of present-day melting can be shown to always contain significant amounts of sulfide (50{%} of what is observed in a fertile source). This typical behavior likely prevents an efficient extraction of mantle S over time, hence inhibiting quantitative mixing between surface and mantle S. This also allows the preservation of any primitive signature of the deep sulfur cycle to be potentially recorded.

182W and HSE constraints from 2.7 Ga komatiites on the heterogeneous nature of the Archean mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puchtel, Igor S.; Blichert-Toft, Janne; Touboul, Mathieu; Walker, Richard J.

2018-05-01

While the isotopically heterogeneous nature of the terrestrial mantle has long been established, the origin, scale, and longevity of the heterogeneities for different elements and isotopic systems are still debated. Here, we report Nd, Hf, W, and Os isotopic and highly siderophile element (HSE) abundance data for the Boston Creek komatiitic basalt lava flow (BCF) in the 2.7 Ga Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada. This lava flow is characterized by strong depletions in Al and heavy rare earth elements (REE), enrichments in light REE, and initial ε143Nd = +2.5 ± 0.2 and intial ε176Hf = +4.2 ± 0.9 indicative of derivation from a deep mantle source with time-integrated suprachondritic Sm/Nd and Lu/Hf ratios. The data plot on the terrestrial Nd-Hf array suggesting minimal involvement of early magma ocean processes in the fractionation of lithophile trace elements in the mantle source. This conclusion is supported by a mean μ142Nd = -3.8 ± 2.8 that is unresolvable from terrestrial standards. By contrast, the BCF exhibits a positive 182W anomaly (μ182W = +11.7 ± 4.5), yet is characterized by chondritic initial γ187Os = +0.1 ± 0.3 and low inferred source HSE abundances (35 ± 5% of those estimated for the present-day Bulk Silicate Earth, BSE). Collectively, these characteristics are unique among Archean komatiite systems studied so far. The deficit in the HSE, coupled with the chondritic Os isotopic composition, but a positive 182W anomaly, are best explained by derivation of the parental BCF magma from a mantle domain characterized by a predominance of HSE-deficient, differentiated late accreted material. According to the model presented here, the mantle domain that gave rise to the BCF received only ∼35% of the present-day HSE complement in the BSE before becoming isolated from the rest of the convecting mantle until the time of komatiite emplacement at 2.72 Ga. These new data provide strong evidence for a highly heterogeneous Archean mantle in terms of absolute HSE abundances and W isotopic composition, and also indicate slow mixing, on a timescale of at least 1.8 billion years. Additionally, the data are consistent with a stagnant-lid plate tectonic regime in the Hadean and Archean, prior to the onset of modern-style plate tectonics.

Using mineral geochemistry to decipher slab, mantle, and crustal inputs to the generation of high-Mg andesites from Mount Baker and Glacier Peak, northern Cascade arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sas, M.; DeBari, S. M.; Clynne, M. A.; Rusk, B. G.

2015-12-01

A fundamental question in geology is whether subducting plates get hot enough to generate melt that contributes to magmatic output in volcanic arcs. Because the subducting plate beneath the Cascade arc is relatively young and hot, slab melt generation is considered possible. To better understand the role of slab melt in north Cascades magmas, this study focused on petrogenesis of high-Mg andesites (HMA) and basaltic andesites (HMBA) from Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak, Washington. HMA have unusually high Mg# relative to their SiO2 contents, as well as elevated La/Yb and Dy/Yb ratios that are interpreted to result from separation of melt from a garnet-bearing residuum. Debate centers on the garnet's origin as it could be present in mineral assemblages from the subducting slab, deep mantle, thick lower crust, or basalt fractionated at high pressure. Whole rock analyses were combined with major, minor, and trace element analyses to understand the origin of these HMA. In the Tarn Plateau (Mt. Baker) flow unit (51.8-54.0 wt.% SiO2, Mg# 68-70) Mg#s correlate positively with high La/Yb in clinopyroxene equilibrium liquids, suggesting an origin similar to that of Aleutian adakites, where slab-derived melts interact with the overlying mantle to become Mg-rich and subsequently mix with mantle-derived basalts. The source for high La/Yb in the Glacier Creek (Mt. Baker) flow unit (58.3-58.7 wt.% SiO2, Mg# 63-64) is more ambiguous. High whole rock Sr/P imply origin from a mantle that was hydrated by an enriched slab component (fluid ± melt). In the Lightning Creek (Glacier Peak) flow unit (54.8-57.9 SiO2, Mg# 69-72) Cr and Mg contents in Cr-spinel and olivine pairs suggest a depleted mantle source, and high whole rock Sr/P indicate hydration-induced mantle melting. Hence Lightning Creek is interpreted have originated from a refractory mantle source that interacted with a hydrous slab component (fluid ± melt). Our results indicate that in addition to slab-derived fluids, slab-derived melts also have an important role in the production of HMA in the north Cascade arc.

Geothermic analysis of high temperature hydrothermal activities area in Western plateau of Sichuan province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.

2016-12-01

There is a high temperature hydrothermal activity area in the western plateau of Sichuan. More than 200 hot springs points have been found in the region, including 11 hot spring water temperature above local boiling point. Most of these distribute along Jinshajjiang fracture, Dege-Xiangcheng fracture, Ganzi-Litang fracture as well as Xianshuihe fracture, and form three high-temperature hydrothermal activity strips in the NW-SE direction. Using gravity, magnetic, seismic and helium isotope data, this paper analyzed the crust-mantle heat flow structure, crustal heat source distribution and water heating system. The results show that the geothermal activity mainly controlled by the "hot" crust. The ratio of crustal heat flow and surface heat flow is higher than 60%. In the high temperature hydrothermal activities area, there is lower S wave velocity zone with Vs<3.2 km/s in 15 30 km depth in middle and lower crust. Basing on the S wave velocity inversion temperature of crust-mantle, it has been found that there is a high temperature layer with 850 1000 ° in 20 40 km depth. It is the main heat source of high temperature hydrothermal activity area of western Sichuan. Our argument is that atmospheric precipitation, surface water infiltrated along the fault fracture into the crustal deep, heating by crustal hot source, and circulation to surface become high temperature hot water. Geothermal water mainly reserve in the Triassic strata of the containing water good carbonate rocks, and in the intrusive granite which is along the fault zone. The thermal energy of Surface heat thermal activities mainly comes from the high-temperature hot source which is located in the middle and lower crust. Being in the deep crustal fracture, the groundwater infiltrated to the deep crust and absorbed heat, then, quickly got back to the surface and formed high hot springs.

Mantle dynamics in super-Earths: Post-perovskite rheology and self-regulation of viscosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tackley, P. J.; Ammann, M.; Brodholt, J. P.; Dobson, D. P.; Valencia, D.

2013-07-01

The discovery of extra-solar "super-Earth" planets with sizes up to twice that of Earth has prompted interest in their possible lithosphere and mantle dynamics and evolution. Simple scalings suggest that super-Earths are more likely than an equivalent Earth-sized planet to be undergoing plate tectonics. Generally, viscosity and thermal conductivity increase with pressure while thermal expansivity decreases, resulting in lower convective vigour in the deep mantle, which, if extralopated to the largest super-Earths might, according to conventional thinking, result in no convection in their deep mantles due to the very low effective Rayleigh number. Here we evaluate this. First, as the mantle of a super-Earth is made mostly of post-perovskite we here extend the density functional theory (DFT) calculations of post-perovskite activation enthalpy of to a pressure of 1 TPa, for both slowest diffusion (upper-bound rheology) and fastest diffusion (lower-bound rheology) directions. Along a 1600 K adiabat the upper-bound rheology would lead to a post-perovskite layer of a very high (˜1030 Pa s) but relatively uniform viscosity, whereas the lower-bound rheology leads to a post-perovskite viscosity increase of ˜7 orders of magnitude with depth; in both cases the deep mantle viscosity would be too high for convection. Second, we use these DFT-calculated values in statistically steady-state numerical simulations of mantle convection and lithosphere dynamics of planets with up to ten Earth masses. The models assume a compressible mantle including depth-dependence of material properties and plastic yielding induced plate-like lithospheric behaviour. Results confirm the likelihood of plate tectonics for planets with Earth-like surface conditions (temperature and water) and show a self-regulation of deep mantle temperature. The deep mantle is not adiabatic; instead feedback between internal heating, temperature and viscosity regulates the temperature such that the viscosity has the value needed to facilitate convective loss of the radiogenic heat, which results in a very hot perovskite layer for the upper-bound rheology, a super-adiabatic perovskite layer for the lower-bound rheology, and an azimuthally-averaged viscosity of no more than 1026 Pa s. Convection in large super-Earths is characterised by large upwellings (even with zero basal heating) and small, time-dependent downwellings, which for large super-Earths merge into broad downwellings. In the context of planetary evolution, if, as is likely, a super-Earth was extremely hot/molten after its formation, it is thus likely that even after billions of years its deep interior is still extremely hot and possibly substantially molten with a "super basal magma ocean" - a larger version of the proposal of Labrosse et al. (Labrosse, S., Hernlund, J.W., Coltice, N. [2007]. Nature 450, 866-869), although this depends on presently unknown melt-solid density contrast and solidus.

A Geologic Model for Eridania Basin on Ancient Mars

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-06

This diagram illustrates an interpretation for the origin of some deposits in the Eridania basin of southern Mars as resulting from seafloor hydrothermal activity more than 3 billion years ago. The ground level depicted is an exaggerated topography of a transect about 280 miles (450 kilometers) long. Blue portions of the diagram depict water-depth estimates and the possibility of ice covering the ancient sea. Thick, clay-rich deposits (green) formed through hydrothermal alteration of volcanic materials in deep water, by this model. Notations indicate deep-water reactions of iron and magnesium ions with silicates, sulfides and carbonates. Deep-seated structural discontinuities could have facilitated the ascent of magma from a mantle source. Chloride deposits formed from evaporation of seawater at higher elevations in the basin. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22060

First observations of Mercury's plasma mantle by MESSENGER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiBraccio, Gina A.; Slavin, James A.; Raines, Jim M.; Gershman, Daniel J.; Tracy, Patrick J.; Boardsen, Scott A.; Zurbuchen, Thomas H.; Anderson, Brian J.; Korth, Haje; McNutt, Ralph L.; Solomon, Sean C.

2015-11-01

We present the first observations of Mercury's plasma mantle, a primary region for solar wind entry into the planetary magnetosphere, located in the high-latitude magnetotail. MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) observations from two orbits on 10 November 2012 have been analyzed. The main plasma mantle features are (1) a steady decrease in proton density as MESSENGER moved deeper into the magnetotail; (2) frequent flux transfer events throughout the magnetosheath and into the magnetotail, suggesting that these events are the primary source for solar wind plasma injection; (3) a diamagnetic depression, due to the presence of plasma, as pressure balance is maintained; and (4) a clear proton velocity dispersion, resulting from lower-energy protons being transported deep into the magnetosphere as higher-energy protons escape downtail. From these velocity dispersions we infer cross-magnetosphere electric potentials of 23 kV and 29 kV, consistent with estimates determined from measurements of magnetopause reconnection rate and tail loading and unloading events.

Bernard J. Wood Receives 2013 Harry H. Hess Medal: Citation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofmann, Albrecht W.

2014-01-01

As Harry Hess recognized over 50 years ago, mantle melting is the fundamental motor for planetary evolution and differentiation. Melting generates the major divisions of crust mantle and core. The distribution of chemical elements between solids, melts, and gaseous phases is fundamental to understanding these differentiation processes. Bernie Wood, together with Jon Blundy, has combined experimental petrology and physicochemical theory to revolutionize the understanding of the distribution of trace elements between melts and solids in the Earth. Knowledge of these distribution laws allows the reconstruction of the source compositions of the melts (deep in Earth's interior) from their abundances in volcanic rocks. Bernie's theoretical treatment relates the elastic strain of the lattice caused by the substitution of a trace element in a crystal to the ionic radius and charge of this element. This theory, and its experimental calibrations, brought order to a literature of badly scattered, rather chaotic experimental data that allowed no satisfactory quantitative modeling of melting processes in the mantle.

The pyrite-type high-pressure form of FeOOH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishi, Masayuki; Kuwayama, Yasuhiro; Tsuchiya, Jun; Tsuchiya, Taku

2017-07-01

Water transported into Earth’s interior by subduction strongly influences dynamics such as volcanism and plate tectonics. Several recent studies have reported hydrous minerals to be stable at pressure and temperature conditions representative of Earth’s deep interior, implying that surface water may be transported as far as the core-mantle boundary. However, the hydrous mineral goethite, α-FeOOH, was recently reported to decompose under the conditions of the middle region of the lower mantle to form FeO2 and release H2, suggesting the upward migration of hydrogen and large fluctuations in the oxygen distribution within the Earth system. Here we report the stability of FeOOH phases at the pressure and temperature conditions of the deep lower mantle, based on first-principles calculations and in situ X-ray diffraction experiments. In contrast to previous work suggesting the dehydrogenation of FeOOH into FeO2 in the middle of the lower mantle, we report the formation of a new FeOOH phase with the pyrite-type framework of FeO6 octahedra, which is much denser than the surrounding mantle and is stable at the conditions of the base of the mantle. Pyrite-type FeOOH may stabilize as a solid solution with other hydrous minerals in deeply subducted slabs, and could form in subducted banded iron formations. Deep-seated pyrite-type FeOOH eventually dissociates into Fe2O3 and releases H2O when subducted slabs are heated at the base of the mantle. This process may cause the incorporation of hydrogen into the outer core by the formation of iron hydride, FeHx, in the reducing environment of the core-mantle boundary.

The 2016 Case for Mantle Plumes and a Plume-Fed Asthenosphere (Augustus Love Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Jason P.

2016-04-01

The process of science always returns to weighing evidence and arguments for and against a given hypothesis. As hypotheses can only be falsified, never universally proved, doubt and skepticism remain essential elements of the scientific method. In the past decade, even the hypothesis that mantle plumes exist as upwelling currents in the convecting mantle has been subject to intense scrutiny; from geochemists and geochronologists concerned that idealized plume models could not fit many details of their observations, and from seismologists concerned that mantle plumes can sometimes not be 'seen' in their increasingly high-resolution tomographic images of the mantle. In the place of mantle plumes, various locally specific and largely non-predictive hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origins of non-plate boundary volcanism at Hawaii, Samoa, etc. In my opinion, this debate has now passed from what was initially an extremely useful restorative from simply 'believing' in the idealized conventional mantle plume/hotspot scenario to becoming an active impediment to our community's ability to better understand the dynamics of the solid Earth. Having no working hypothesis at all is usually worse for making progress than having an imperfect and incomplete but partially correct one. There continues to be strong arguments and strong emerging evidence for deep mantle plumes. Furthermore, deep thermal plumes should exist in a mantle that is heated at its base, and the existence of Earth's (convective) geodynamo clearly indicates that heat flows from the core to heat the mantle's base. Here I review recent seismic evidence by French, Romanowicz, and coworkers that I feel lends strong new observational support for the existence of deep mantle plumes. I also review recent evidence consistent with the idea that secular core cooling replenishes half the mantle's heat loss through its top surface, e.g. that the present-day mantle is strongly bottom heated. Causes for discrepancies between idealized plume/hotspot models and geochronological observations will also be briefly discussed. A further consequence of the existence of strong deep mantle plumes is that hot plume material should preferentially pond at the base of the lithosphere, draining towards and concentrating beneath the regions where the lithosphere is thinnest, and asthenosphere is being actively consumed to make new tectonic plates - mid-ocean ridges. This plume-fed asthenosphere hypothesis makes predictions for the structure of asthenosphere flow and anisotropy, patterns of continental edge-volcanism linked to lateral plume drainage at continental margins, patterns of cratonic uplift and subsidence linked to passage from hotter plume-influenced to cooler non-plume-influenced regions of the upper mantle, and variable non-volcanic versus volcanic modes of continental extension linked to rifting above '~1425K cool normal mantle' versus 'warm plume-fed asthenosphere' regions of upper mantle. These will be briefly discussed. My take-home message is that "Mantle Plumes are almost certainly real". You can safely bet they will be part of any successful paradigm for the structure of mantle convection. While more risky, I would also recommend betting on the potential reality of the paradigm of a plume-fed asthenosphere. This is still a largely unexplored subfield of mantle convection. Current observations remain very imperfect, but seem more consistent with a plume-fed asthenosphere than with alternatives, and computational and geochemical advances are making good, falsifiable tests increasingly feasible. Make one!

Hydrogen-bearing iron peroxide and its implications to the deep Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, J.; Hu, Q.; Kim, D. Y.; Wu, Z.; Wang, W.; Alp, E. E.; Yang, L.; Xiao, Y.; Meng, Y.; Chow, P.; Greenberg, E.; Prakapenka, V. B.; Mao, H. K.; Mao, W. L.

2017-12-01

Hydrous materials subducted into the deep mantle may play a significant role in the geophysical and geochemical processes of the lower mantle through geological time, but their roles have not become clear yet in the region. Hydrogen-bearing iron peroxide (FeO2Hx) was recently discovered to form through dehydrogenation of goethite (e.g., FeOOH) and the reaction between hematite (Fe2O3) and water under deep lower mantle conditions. We conducted synchrotron Mössbauer, X-ray absorption, and X-ray emission spectroscopy measurements to investigate the electronic spin and valence states of iron in hydrogen-bearing iron peroxide (FeO2Hx) in-situ at high pressures. Combined with theoretical calculations and other high-pressure experiments (i.e., nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction coupled with laser-heated diamond-anvil cell techniques), we find that the intriguing properties of FeO2Hx could shed light on the origin of a number of the observed geochemical and geophysical anomalies in the deep Earth.

Evolution of the earliest mantle caused by the magmatism-mantle upwelling feedback: Implications for the Moon and the Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogawa, M.

2017-12-01

The two most important agents that cause mantle evolution are magmatism and mantle convection. My earlier 2D numerical models of a coupled magmatism-mantle convection system show that these two agents strongly couple each other, when the Rayleigh number Ra is sufficiently high: magmatism induced by a mantle upwelling flow boosts the upwelling flow itself. The mantle convection enhanced by this positive feedback (the magmatism-mantle upwelling, or MMU, feedback) causes vigorous magmatism and, at the same time, strongly stirs the mantle. I explored how the MMU feedback influences the evolution of the earliest mantle that contains the magma ocean, based on a numerical model where the mantle is hot and its topmost 1/3 is partially molten at the beginning of the calculation: The evolution drastically changes its style, as Ra exceeds the threshold for onset of the MMU feedback, around 107. At Ra < 107, basaltic materials generated by the initial widespread magmatism accumulate in the deep mantle to form a layer; the basaltic layer is colder than the overlying shallow mantle. At Ra > 107, however, the mantle remains compositionally more homogeneous in spite of the widespread magmatism, and the deep mantle remains hotter than the shallow mantle, because of the strong convective stirring caused by the feedback. The threshold value suggests that the mantle of a planet larger than Mars evolves in a way substantially different from that in the Moon does. Indeed, in my earlier models, magmatism makes the early mantle compositionally stratified in the Moon, but the effects of strong convective stirring overwhelms that of magmatism to keep the mantle compositionally rather homogeneous in Venus and the Earth. The MMU feedback is likely to be a key to understanding why vestiges of the magma ocean are so scarce in the Earth.

Deep mantle roots and continental hypsometry: implications for whole-Earth elemental cycling, long-term climate, and the Cambrian explosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, C. T.

2016-12-01

Most of Earth's continents today are above sea level, but the presence of thick packages of ancient sediments on top of the stable cores of continents indicates that continents must have been submerged at least once in their past. Elevations of continents are controlled by the interplay between crustal thickness, mantle root thickness and the temperature of the ambient convecting mantle. The history of a continent begins with mountain building through magmatic or tectonic crustal thickening, during which exhumation of deep-seated igneous and metamorphic rocks are highest. Mountain building is followed by a long interval of subsidence as a result of continued, but decreasing erosion and thermal relaxation, the latter in the form of a growing thermal boundary layer. Subsidence is manifest first as a boring interval in which no sedimentary record is preserved, followed by continent-scale submergence wherein sediments are deposited directly on deep-seated igneous/metamorphic basement, generating a major disconformity. The terminal resting elevation of a mature continent, however, is defined by the temperature of the ambient convecting mantle: below sea level when the mantle is hot and above sea level when the mantle is cold. Using thermobarometric constraints on secular cooling of Earth's mantle, our results suggest that Earth, for most of its history, must have been a water world, with regions of land confined to narrow orogenic belts and oceans characterized by deep basins and shallow continental seas, the latter serving as repositories of sediments and key redox-sensitive biological nutrients, such as phosphorous. Cooling of the Earth led to the gradual and irreversible rise of the continents, culminating in rapid emergence, through fits and starts and possible instabilities in climate, between 500-1000 Ma. Such emergence fundamentally altered marine biogeochemical cycling, continental weathering and the global hydrologic cycle, defining the backdrop for the Cambrian explosion, the largest biological diversification event in Earth's history.

Circumventing shallow air contamination in Mid Ocean Ridge Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukhopadhyay, Sujoy; Parai, Rita; Tucker, Jonathan; Middleton, Jennifer; Langmuir, Charles

2016-04-01

Noble gases in mantle-derived basalts provide a rich portrait of mantle degassing and surface-interior volatile exchange. However, the ubiquity of shallow-level air contamination frequently obscures the mantle noble gas signal. In a majority of samples, shallow air contamination dominates the noble gas budget. As a result, reconstructing the variability in heavy noble gas mantle source compositions and inferring the history of deep recycling of atmospheric noble gases is difficult. For example, in the gas-rich popping rock 2ΠD43, 129Xe/130Xe ratios reach 7.7±0.23 in individual step-crushes, but the bulk composition of the sample is close to air (129Xe/130Xe of 6.7). Here, we present results from experiments designed to elucidate the source of shallow air contamination in MORBs. Step-crushes were carried out to measure He, Ne, Ar and Xe isotopic compositions on two aliquots of a depleted popping glass that was dredged from between the Kane and Atlantis Fracture Zones of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in May 2012. One aliquot was sealed in ultrapure N2 after dredge retrieval, while the other aliquot was left exposed to air for 3.5 years. The bulk 20Ne/22Ne and 129Xe/130Xe ratios measured in the aliquot bottled in ultrapure N2 are 12.3 and 7.6, respectively, and are nearly identical to the estimated mantle source values. On the other hand, step crushes in the aliquot left exposed to air for several years show Ne isotopic compositions that are shifted towards air, with a bulk 20Ne/22Ne of 11.5; the bulk 129Xe/130Xe, however, was close to 7.6. These results indicate that lighter noble gases exchange more efficiently between the bubbles trapped in basalt glass and air, suggesting a diffusive or kinetic mechanism for the incorporation of the shallow air contamination. Importantly, in Ne-Ar or Ar-Xe space, step-crushes from the bottled aliquot display a trend that can be easily fit with a simple two-component hyperbolic mixing between mantle and atmosphere noble gases. Step-crushes in the aliquot left exposed to air display significantly more scatter, which makes it difficult to fit a two-component mixing hyperbola and obtain the mantle source value for this aliquot. In summary, our simple and inexpensive experiment demonstrates that at least in some samples, significant air contamination is added after dredge retrieval from the ocean floor. Bottling samples in ultrapure N2 upon dredge retrieval can largely eliminate this component of shallow-level air contamination. As a result, the number of step crushes required to characterize a sample decreases and estimating the mantle source compositions of the basalts becomes significantly easier, which in turn leads to more refined estimates of mantle degassing and regassing rates.

How did the Lunar Magma Ocean crystallize?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davenport, J.; Neal, C. R.

2012-12-01

It is generally accepted that the lunar crust and at least the uppermost (500 km) mantle was formed by crystallization of a magma ocean. How the magma ocean cooled and crystallized is still under debate. Parameters such as bulk composition, lunar magma ocean (LMO) crystallization method (fractional vs. equilibrium), depth of the LMO, and time for LMO solidification (effects of tidal heating mechanisms, insulating crustal lid, etc.) are still under debate. Neal (2001, JGR 106, 27865-27885) argues for the presence of garnet in the deep lunar mantle via compositional differences between low- and high-Ti mare basalts and volcanic glasses. Neal (2001) suggests that these compositional differences are due to the presence of garnet in the source regions of certain volcanic glass bead groups. As Neal (2001, JGR 106, 27865-27885) points out, determining if there is garnet in the lunar mantle is important in determining if the LMO was a "whole-Moon" event or if it was limited to certain areas. In the latter case, garnet would have been preserved in the lunar mantle and would have been used in the source material for some of the volcanic glasses. High-pressure experimental work concludes that with the right T-P conditions (2.5-4.5 GPa and 1675-1800° C) there could be a garnet-bearing pyroxene rich protolith at ~500 km depth. This also has significant implications for the bulk Al2O3 composition of the initial bulk Moon. If the LMO was not global, the volcanic glass beads that show evidence of garnet in their sources were formed from the deep, primitive lunar mantle, it begs the questions how was the non-LMO regions of the Moon formed and what was it's bulk composition? To try to answer these questions, it is necessary to thoroughly model the evolution of the LMO and then use that work to model the sources and formation of mare basalts, the volcanic glass beads, and other regions in question. To begin to answer these questions, we developed a scenario we have termed reverse LMO modeling. Geochemical compositions such as KREEP, ur-KREEP and FAN will be run backwards through various LMO models that have been proposed in the literature. The concentration of the initial bulk Moon, according to the concentrations of the particular type of rock being used, can be modeled by taking this from 0 percent liquid (PCL; a completely solidified Moon) to 100 PCL. Using the KREEP composition reported by Warren and Wasson (1979, Rev. of Geophysics and Space Physics 17, 73-88), Warren (1988, Proc. 18th LPSC, 233-241) and Warren (1989, LPI Tech. Report 89, 149-153), the Mg numbers (Mg#) for the bulk initial Moon were calculated yielding 0.87, 0.76, and 0.86 respectively. The major element compositions of calculated bulk Moon compositions have elevated Al2O3, FeO, and TiO2, consistent with the presence of garnet in the lunar mantle as well as generating high-Ti basalts. Using these data we can model the petrogenesis of the low- and high-Ti mare basalt and volcanic glass source regions. Furthermore, using remote sensing and the calculated source data we can compare the modeled concentrations of these rocks to where these ranges of concentrations fall on the Moon's surfaces, so that we can constrain the areas where the presence of a magma ocean on the Moon was possible.

On the development of the calc-alkaline and tholeiitic magma series: A deep crustal cumulate perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Emily J.; Shimizu, Kei; Bybee, Grant M.; Erdman, Monica E.

2018-01-01

Two distinct igneous differentiation trends - the tholeiitic and calc-alkaline - give rise to Earth's oceanic and continental crust, respectively. Mantle melting at mid-ocean ridges produces dry magmas that differentiate at low-pressure conditions, resulting in early plagioclase saturation, late oxide precipitation, and Fe-enrichment in mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs). In contrast, magmas formed above subduction zones are Fe-depleted, have elevated water contents and are more oxidized relative to MORBs. It is widely thought that subduction of hydrothermally altered, oxidized oceanic crust at convergent margins oxidizes the mantle source of arc magmas, resulting in erupted lavas that inherit this oxidized signature. Yet, because our understanding of the calc-alkaline and tholeiitic trends largely comes from studies of erupted melts, the signals from shallow crustal contamination by potentially oxidized, Si-rich, Fe-poor materials, which may also generate calc-alkaline rocks, are obscured. Here, we use deep crustal cumulates to "see through" the effects of shallow crustal processes. We find that the tholeiitic and calc-alkaline trends are indeed reflected in Fe-poor mid-ocean ridge cumulates and Fe-rich arc cumulates, respectively. A key finding is that with increasing crustal thickness, arc cumulates become more Fe-enriched. We propose that the thickness of the overlying crustal column modulates the melting degree of the mantle wedge (lower F beneath thick arcs and vice versa) and thus water and Fe3+ contents in primary melts, which subsequently controls the onset and extent of oxide fractionation. Deep crustal cumulates beneath thick, mature continental arcs are the most Fe-enriched, and therefore may be the "missing" Fe-rich reservoir required to balance the Fe-depleted upper continental crust.

Geochemical characterisation of gases along the dead sea rift: Evidences of mantle-co2 degassing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inguaggiato, C.; Censi, P.; D'Alessandro, W.; Zuddas, P.

2016-06-01

The Dead Sea Transform (DST) fault system, where a lateral displacement between the African and Arabian plates occurs, is characterised by anomalous heat flux in the Israeli area close to the border with Syria and Jordan. The concentration of He and CO2, and isotopic composition of He and total dissolved inorganic carbon were studied in cold and thermal waters collected along the DST, in order to investigate the source of volatiles and their relationship with the tectonic framework of the DST. The waters with higher temperature (up to 57.2 °C) are characterised by higher amounts of CO2 and helium (up to 55.72 and 1.91 ∗ 10- 2 cc l- 1, respectively). Helium isotopic data (R/Ra from 0.11 to 2.14) and 4He/20Ne ratios (0.41-106.86) show the presence of deep-deriving fluids consisting of a variable mixture of mantle and crust end-members, with the former reaching up to 35%. Carbon isotope signature of total dissolved carbon from hot waters falls within the range of magmatic values, suggesting the delivery of deep-seated CO2. The geographical distribution of helium isotopic data and isotopic carbon (CO2) values coupled with (CO2/3He ratios) indicate a larger contribution of mantle-derived fluids affecting the northern part of the investigated area, where the waters reach the highest temperature. These evidences suggest the occurrence of a favourable tectonic framework, including a Moho discontinuity up-rise and/or the presence of a deep fault system coupled with the recent magmatic activity recognised in the northern part of Israel.

Mantle plume capture, anchoring, and outflow during Galápagos plume-ridge interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, S. A.; Geist, D. J.; Richards, M. A.

2015-05-01

Compositions of basalts erupted between the main zone of Galápagos plume upwelling and adjacent Galápagos Spreading Center (GSC) provide important constraints on dynamic processes involved in transfer of deep-mantle-sourced material to mid-ocean ridges. We examine recent basalts from central and northeast Galápagos including some that have less radiogenic Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions than plume-influenced basalts (E-MORB) from the nearby ridge. We show that the location of E-MORB, greatest crustal thickness, and elevated topography on the GSC correlates with a confined zone of low-velocity, high-temperature mantle connecting the plume stem and ridge at depths of ˜100 km. At this site on the ridge, plume-driven upwelling involving deep melting of partially dehydrated, recycled ancient oceanic crust, plus plate-limited shallow melting of anhydrous peridotite, generate E-MORB and larger amounts of melt than elsewhere on the GSC. The first-order control on plume stem to ridge flow is rheological rather than gravitational, and strongly influenced by flow regimes initiated when the plume was on axis (>5 Ma). During subsequent northeast ridge migration material upwelling in the plume stem appears to have remained "anchored" to a contact point on the GSC. This deep, confined NE plume stem-to-ridge flow occurs via a network of melt channels, embedded within the normal spreading and advection of plume material beneath the Nazca plate, and coincides with locations of historic volcanism. Our observations require a more dynamically complex model than proposed by most studies, which rely on radial solid-state outflow of heterogeneous plume material to the ridge.

Supercontinents, Plate Tectonics, Large Igneous Provinces and Deep Mantle Heterogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torsvik, T. H.; Steinberger, B.; Burke, K.; Smethurst, M. A.

2008-12-01

The formation and break-up of supercontinents is a spectacular demonstration of the Earth's dynamic nature. Pangea, the best-documented supercontinent, formed at the end of the Palaeozoic era (320 Ma) and its dispersal, starting in the Early Jurassic (190 Ma), was preceded by and associated with widespread volcanic activity, much of which produced Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs), but whether any of the heat or material involved in the generation of LIP rocks comes from greater depths has remained controversial. Two antipodal Large Low Shear wave Velocity Provinces with centre of mass somewhat south of the equator (African and Pacific LLSVPs), isolated within the faster parts of the deep mantle dominate all global shear- wave tomography models. We have tested eight global models and two D" models: They all show that deep- plume sourced hotspots and most reconstructed LIPs for the last 300 million years project radially downwards to the core-mantle-boundary near the edges of the LLSVPs showing that the plumes that made those hotspots and LIPS came only from those plume generation zones. This is a robust result because it is observed in multiple reference frames, i.e. fixed/moving hotspot and palaeomagnetic frames, and in the latter case whether the effect of True Polar Wander (TPW) is considered or not. Our observations show that the LLSVPs must have remained essentially stable in their present position for the last 300 million years. LIPs have erupted since the Archean and may all have been derived from the margins of LLSVPs but whether the African and Pacific LLSVPs have remained the same throughout Earth's history is less certain although analogous structures on Mars do indicate long-term stability on that planet. Deep mantle heterogeneities and the geoid have remained very stable for the last 300 million years, and the possibility is therefore open for speculating on links to Pangea assembly. In a numerical model, Zhong et al. (2007, EPSL) argued that Pangea assembled above a major down-welling, and calculated that, following the assembly, a sub-Pangea upwelling developed relatively fast (within~50 Myr) as mantle return flow in response to circum-Pangea subduction. Collision of Gondwana and Laurussia took place during the destruction of the Rheic Ocean and parts of the Palaeotethys and bulk Pangea assembled at ca. 320 Ma. However, most of the Rheic Ocean had gone much earlier (ca. 370 Ma) and it may therefore be more appropriate in terms of mantle modelling to place "supercontinent formation" in Devonian times. In that case a large-scale thermal upwelling under Africa, and the presumed chemically distinct African LLSVP beneath it, would have existed as early as 320 Ma, so that a plume head from its edge could have impinged upon the lithosphere at the time determined for the oldest LIP we have reconstructed. In such a model, the African LLSVP should not have existed before Devonian times, because convection would have been dominated by a degree-1 mode with only one upwelling, presumably above the Pacific LLSVP. The situation becomes more obscure further back in time; TPW may have been larger during degree-1 convection, so that reconstructions in the palaeomagnetic frame are not necessarily in relation to the deep mantle. There may again have been two LLSVPs during dispersal of the previous supercontinent (Rodinia), in which case a second LLSVP may again have been approximately antipodal to the one beneath the Pacific.

Constraining LLSVP Buoyancy With Tidal Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, H. C. P.; Mitrovica, J. X.; Davis, J. L.; Tromp, J.; Yang, H. Y.; Al-Attar, D.

2017-12-01

Using a global GPS data set of high precision measurements of the Earth's body tide, we perform a tomographic inversion to constrain the integrated buoyancy of the Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) at the base of the mantle. As a consequence of the long-wavelength and low frequency nature of the Earth's body tide, these observations are particularly sensitivity to LLSVP buoyancy, a property of Earth's mantle that remains a source of ongoing debate. Using a probabilistic approach we find that the data are best fit when the bottom two thirds ( 700 km) of the LLSVPs have an integrated excess density of 0.60%. The detailed distribution of this buoyancy, for example whether it primarily resides in a thin layer at the base of the mantle, will require further testing and the augmentation of the inversions to include independent data sets (e.g., seismic observations). In any case, our inference of excess density requires the preservation of chemical heterogeneity associated with the enrichment of high-density chemical components, possibly linked to subducted oceanic plates and/or primordial material, in the deep mantle. This conclusion has important implications for the stability of these structures and, in turn, the history and ongoing evolution of the Earth system.

Transfer Rates of Magma From Planetary Mantles to the Surface.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, L.; Head, J. W.; Parfitt, E. A.

2008-12-01

We discuss the speed at which magma can be transferred to a planetary surface from the deep interior. Current literature describes a combination of slow percolation of melt in the mantle where convection-driven pressure-release melting is occurring, concentration of melt by source region deformation, initiation and growth of magma-filled brittle fractures (dikes) providing wider pathways for melt movement, additional growth and interconnection of dikes with decreasing depth, rise of magma to storage zones (reservoirs) located at levels of neutral buoyancy at the base of or within the crust, and transfer from the storage zones in dikes to feed eruptions or intrusions. We do not take issue with these mechanisms but think that their relative importance in various circumstances is poorly appreciated. On Earth, preservation of diamonds in kimberlites implies very rapid (hours) transfer of melts from depths of 100-300 km, and there is strong geochemical evidence that magmas at mid-ocean ridges reach shallow depths faster than is possible by percolation alone. On the Moon, the petrology of pyroclasts involved in dark-mantle-forming eruptions implies rapid (again probably hours) magma transfer from depths of up to 400 km. The ureilite meteorites, samples of the mantle of a disrupted asteroid 200 km in diameter, have compositions only consistent with the rapid (months) extraction of mafic melt from the mantle. All of these examples imply that brittle fractures (dikes) can sometimes be initiated at depths where mantle rheology would normally be expected to be plastic rather than elastic, and that melt can be fed into these dikes extremely efficiently. Further evidence for this is provided by the giant radial dike swarms observed on Earth, Mars and Venus. The dikes observed (on Earth) and inferred from the presence of radiating graben systems (Mars) and radiating fracture and graben systems (Venus) are so voluminous that they can only be understood if they are fed from extremely large magma reservoirs, probably located at the base of the crust, that are supplied from the mantle (i.e. buffered) while the dikes are being emplaced, again implying extremely efficient melt extraction from mantle source regions.

Chemical trends in ocean islands explained by plume–slab interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dannberg, Juliane; Gassmöller, Rene

2018-04-01

Earth's surface shows many features, of which the genesis can be understood only through their connection with processes in Earth's deep interior. Recent studies indicate that spatial geochemical patterns at oceanic islands correspond to structures in the lowermost mantle inferred from seismic tomographic models. This suggests that hot, buoyant upwellings can carry chemical heterogeneities from the deep lower mantle toward the surface, providing a window to the composition of the lowermost mantle. The exact nature of this link between surface and deep Earth remains debated and poorly understood. Using computational models, we show that subducted slabs interacting with dense thermochemical piles can trigger the ascent of hot plumes that inherit chemical gradients present in the lowermost mantle. We identify two key factors controlling this process: (i) If slabs induce strong lower-mantle flow toward the edges of these piles where plumes rise, the pile-facing side of the plume preferentially samples material originating from the pile, and bilaterally asymmetric chemical zoning develops. (ii) The composition of the melt produced reflects this bilateral zoning if the overlying plate moves roughly perpendicular to the chemical gradient in the plume conduit. Our results explain some of the observed geochemical trends of oceanic islands and provide insights into how these trends may originate.

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. 

Where do arc magmas differentiate? A seismic and geochemical search for active, deep crustal MASH zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pu, X.; Delph, J. R.; Shimizu, K.; Rasmussen, D. J.; Ratschbacher, B. C.

2017-12-01

Deep zones of mixing, assimilation, storage, and homogenization (MASH) are thought to be one of the primary locations where primitive arc magmas stall, interact with crustal material, and differentiate. Support for deep crustal MASH zones is found in exposed crustal sections, where mafic-ultramafic lithologies occur in the lower crust. However, geophysical observations of active deep MASH zones are rare, and their ubiquity is difficult to assess solely based on geochemistry. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we investigate the role of deep crustal processing by investigating two contrasting arcs: the Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ) of the Andes, characterized by thick crust ( 60 km) and large volume silicic eruptions that extend into the back arc, and the Cascadia arc, characterized by thinner crust ( 40 km) and less evolved eruptions. In the southern Puna region of the CVZ, shear-wave velocities in the uppermost mantle are slow ( 3.9 km/s) compared to the minimum expected shear velocity for melt-free mantle lithosphere ( 4.2 km/s). This is consistent with the presence of a melt-bearing MASH zone near the crust-mantle transition. Sr isotopes indicate the magmas interacted with continental crust, and elevated Dy/Yb ratios suggest this process occurred in the garnet stability field (> 1 GPa). Major element signatures (e.g., ASI vs. SiO2) also suggest contribution from partial melting of the lower crust. The signature of lower crustal differentiation (high Dy/Yb) is also observed in the nearby ignimbrites from Cerro Galan, despite the presence of a large slow velocity body at depths too shallow for garnet stability, suggesting that the geochemical signatures of deep MASH zones may be retained regardless of whether magmas stall at shallower depths. Similarly elevated Dy/Yb ratios and slow shear-wave velocities in the upper mantle are common in the CVZ, implying deep MASH zones are pervasive there. A similar approach is applied to Cascadia, where seismic and geochemical signatures of lower crustal processing are weaker than those in the CVZ. The strongest evidence for a deep MASH zone is found at Rainier, where upper mantle velocities are slow and slightly elevated Dy/Yb ratios in evolved melts indicate differentiation in the presence of garnet. Our results suggest deep MASH zones are more common in the CVZ than Cascadia.

Evidence for {100}<011> slip in ferropericlase in Earth's lower mantle from high-pressure/high-temperature experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Immoor, J.; Marquardt, H.; Miyagi, L.; Lin, F.; Speziale, S.; Merkel, S.; Buchen, J.; Kurnosov, A.; Liermann, H.-P.

2018-05-01

Seismic anisotropy in Earth's lowermost mantle, resulting from Crystallographic Preferred Orientation (CPO) of elastically anisotropic minerals, is among the most promising observables to map mantle flow patterns. A quantitative interpretation, however, is hampered by the limited understanding of CPO development in lower mantle minerals at simultaneously high pressures and temperatures. Here, we experimentally determine CPO formation in ferropericlase, one of the elastically most anisotropic deep mantle phases, at pressures of the lower mantle and temperatures of up to 1400 K using a novel experimental setup. Our data reveal a significant contribution of slip on {100} to ferropericlase CPO in the deep lower mantle, contradicting previous inferences based on experimental work at lower mantle pressures but room temperature. We use our results along with a geodynamic model to show that deformed ferropericlase produces strong shear wave anisotropy in the lowermost mantle, where horizontally polarized shear waves are faster than vertically polarized shear waves, consistent with seismic observations. We find that ferropericlase alone can produce the observed seismic shear wave splitting in D″ in regions of downwelling, which may be further enhanced by post-perovskite. Our model further shows that the interplay between ferropericlase (causing VSH > VSV) and bridgmanite (causing VSV > VSH) CPO can produce a more complex anisotropy patterns as observed in regions of upwelling at the margin of the African Large Low Shear Velocity Province.

Implications of a reservoir model for the evolution of deep carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellogg, L. H.; Weisfeiler, M.; Turcotte, D. L.

2016-12-01

We consider a reservoir model for the evolution of carbon in Earth's deep interior. We begin with the assumption that the mantle reservoir that interacts with the surface is well mixed. We hypothesize that the loss of carbon from the mantle reservoir occurs primarily at mid-ocean ridges and we take the flux of carbon to be 36 ± 24 GtC yr-1 (Dasgupta and Hirschmann, 2010). We infer that the mass concentration of carbon is 5.3 ± 1.8 × 10-5. Assuming that the mass of the mantle reservoir is 4.043×1024 kg, the mass of carbon in that reservoir is 2.1±0.7×108 GtC. We further hypothesize that the addition of carbon to the mantle reservoir occurs primarily at subduction zones and take the flux of carbon to be 36 ± 12 GtC yr-1 (Dasgupta and Hirschmann, 2010). Thus within estimated uncertainties there is a steady state balance between the fluxes into and out of the mantle reservoir. A basic question is where this carbon came from. The present mass of carbon in the atmosphere of Venus is 1.28 × 108 GtC, which scales to be equivalent to 1.57 × 108 GtC in the Earth's atmosphere. This is much greater than the current mass of cabron in Earth's atmosphere but is close to the mass of carbon in the mantle reservoir given above. One explanation for the loss of carbon from Earth's atmosphere to its mantle has been given by Sleep and Zahnle (2001), who suggest that after the moon-forming giant impact at about 4.4 Ga, the carbon in the Earth's atmosphere was transferred into the mantle reservoir. We further suggest that the volcanic flux of carbon out of the mantle was responsible for the carbon concentrations in the surficial reservoirs today. In this scenario, carbon accumulated in the deep ocean until the carbon flux into the mantle due to subduction balanced the carbon flux out of the mantle due to volcanism.

Origin of primitive ocean island basalts by crustal gabbro assimilation and multiple recharge of plume-derived melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisova, Anastassia Y.; Bohrson, Wendy A.; Grégoire, Michel

2017-07-01

Chemical Geodynamics relies on a paradigm that the isotopic composition of ocean island basalt (OIB) represents equilibrium with its primary mantle sources. However, the discovery of huge isotopic heterogeneity within olivine-hosted melt inclusions in primitive basalts from Kerguelen, Iceland, Hawaii and South Pacific Polynesia islands implies open-system behavior of OIBs, where during magma residence and transport, basaltic melts are contaminated by surrounding lithosphere. To constrain the processes of crustal assimilation by OIBs, we employed the Magma Chamber Simulator (MCS), an energy-constrained thermodynamic model of recharge, assimilation and fractional crystallization. For a case study of the 21-19 Ma basaltic series, the most primitive series ever found among the Kerguelen OIBs, we performed sixty-seven simulations in the pressure range from 0.2 to 1.0 GPa using compositions of olivine-hosted melt inclusions as parental magmas, and metagabbro xenoliths from the Kerguelen Archipelago as wallrock. MCS modeling requires that the assimilant is anatectic crustal melts (P2O5 ≤ 0.4 wt.% contents) derived from the Kerguelen oceanic metagabbro wallrock. To best fit the phenocryst assemblage observed in the investigated basaltic series, recharge of relatively large masses of hydrous primitive basaltic melts (H2O = 2-3 wt%; MgO = 7-10 wt.%) into a middle crustal chamber at 0.2 to 0.3 GPa is required. Our results thus highlight the important impact that crustal gabbro assimilation and mantle recharge can have on the geochemistry of mantle-derived olivine-phyric OIBs. The importance of crustal assimilation affecting primitive plume-derived basaltic melts underscores that isotopic and chemical equilibrium between ocean island basalts and associated deep plume mantle source(s) may be the exception rather than the rule.

Mantle structure: The message from scattered seismic waves (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helffrich, G. R.; Kaneshima, S.

2009-12-01

When Francis Birch named the Transition Zone, the deep mantle became a dull place. It was homogeneous material simply becoming denser as pressure increased with depth. No more respect was accorded to it by geochemists than by geophysicists. For geochemists, the deep mantle was simply a dark box in which chemical components were held until needed for delicate flavoring of various sorts of rock cocktails. It deserves more respect. Though it may be dregs, the part of the mantle in contact with the core is rich in seismologically annoying structural detail. This might be written off as an observational quirk due to a mendacious Earth or investigative incompetence, except that more of the lower mantle is grudgingly revealing structure as well. The structural details are fine-scale, at characteristic sizes of around one to one hundred kilometers. The details are emerging from studies of scattered seismic waves. These are unscheduled arrivals in the timetable following an earthquake. They don't arise in a uniform or even a layered Earth. Rather, they originate from the wave field's interactions with sub-wavelength roughness in Earth structure. A lot of data is needed to be sure those arrivals are real and repeatable, but networks of hundreds of seismometers such as the ones in existence in Asia, Europe and North America can provide or have provided the necessary redundancy for confident detection. The results of studies of S-to-P and P-to-P scattering to date show that some lower mantle heterogeneity is associated with present subduction. Some is also found at sites of past subduction, but it is difficult to generalize to all heterogeneity. Scattering strength varies with depth: the shallowest lower mantle is rougher than the deeper parts. The peak scattering strength is around 1600 km deep in the mantle, followed by a slow decline. The roughness clusters, too, with individual groups separated by around 100 km. Individual clusters appear to have particular fabrics that influence their scattering characteristics. Because the km- to 100 km-length scales are present in oceanic plates in their layer thicknesses and plate thickness, these features strongly suggest that the scattered waves emanate from solid material injected into the lower mantle by subduction. They also suggest that the deep mantle is not strongly layered in viscosity or density because scattering strength depth profiles do not change abruptly. A real puzzle is the material identity of the heterogeneity. Seismic wavespeeds must change by more than 5% within a kilometer. Clearly, this is no thermal signal, but compositional differences that extreme in mantle mineralogies require extreme variations in silica or a very broad pressure-dependent phase transition to change properties that significantly. Only about 2% of the lower mantle volume has been explored to date. Much of the mantle away from subduction zones will never be visible. Different methods will be needed to see all of the mantle's structure details, even using scattering.

Mantle plumes and hotspot geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, M. G.; Becker, T. W.; Konter, J.

2017-12-01

Ever improving global seismic models, together with expanding databases of mantle derived hotspot lavas, herald advances that relate the geochemistry of hotspots with low seismic shear-wave velocity conduits (plumes) in the mantle. Early efforts linked hotspot geochemistry with deep mantle large low velocity provinces (LLVPs) [1]. More recently, Konter and Becker (2012) [2] observed that the proportion of the C mantle component (inferred from Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes) in hotspot lavas shows an inverse relationship with seismic S-wave velocity anomalies in the shallow mantle (200 km) beneath each hotspot. They proposed that these correlations should also be made based on 3He/4He. Thus, we compare 3He/4He versus seismic S-wave velocity anomalies at 200 km depth. We find that plume-fed hotspots with the highest maximum 3He/4He (i.e., which host more of the C component) have higher hotspot buoyancy fluxes and overlie regions of lower seismic S-wave velocity (interpreted to relate to hotter mantle temperatures) at 200 km depth than hotspots that have only low 3He/4He [3]. This result complements recent work that shows an inverse relationship between maximum 3He/4He and seismic S-wave velocity anomalies in the mantle beneath the western USA [4]. The relationship between 3He/4He, shallow mantle seismic S-wave velocity anomalies, and buoyancy flux is most easily explained by a model where hotter plumes are more buoyant and entrain more of a deep, dense high 3He/4He reservoir than cooler plumes that underlie low 3He/4He hotspots. If the high 3He/4He domain is denser than other mantle components, it will be entrained only by the hottest, most buoyant plumes [3]. Such a deep, dense reservoir is ideally suited to preserving early-formed Hadean domains sampled in modern plume-fed hotspots. An important question is whether, like 3He/4He, seismic S-wave velocity anomalies in the mantle are associated with distinct heavy radiogenic isotopic compositions. C signatures are related to hot mantle upwellings, but are geochemically enriched (EM) and HIMU mantle signatures observed in oceanic hotspots associated with such upwellings? We will present new constraints on this and similar problems. [1] Castillo (1988) Nature 336. [2] Konter and Becker (2012) G-cubed 13. [3] Jackson et al. (2017), Nature 542. [4] Crossey et al. (2016), EPSL 435.

Major, Trace, and Volatile (CO2, H2O, S, F, and Cl) Elements from 1000+ Hawaiian Olivine-hosted Melt Inclusions Reveal the Dynamics of Crustal Recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marske, J. P.; Hauri, E. H.; Trusdell, F.; Garcia, M. O.; Pietruszka, A. J.

2015-12-01

Global cycling of volatile elements (H2O, CO2, F, S, Cl) via subduction to deep mantle followed by entrainment and melting within ascending mantle plumes is an enigmatic process that controls key aspects of hot spot volcanism (i.e. melting rate, magma supply, degassing, eruptive style). Variations in radiogenic isotope ratios (e.g.187Os/188Os) at hot spots such as Hawaii reveal magmatic processes within deep-seated mantle plumes (e.g. mantle heterogeneity, lithology, and melt transport). Shield-stage lavas from Hawaii likely originate from a mixed plume source containing peridotite and recycled oceanic crust (pyroxenite) based on variations of radiogenic isotopes. Hawaiian lavas display correlations among isotopes, major and trace elements [1] that might be expected to have an expression in the volatile elements. To investigate this link, we present Os isotopic ratios (n=51), and major, trace, and volatile elements from 1003 olivine-hosted melt inclusions (MI) and their host minerals from tephra from Koolau, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, Kilauea, and Loihi volcanoes. The data show a strong correlation between MI volatile contents and incompatible trace element ratios (La/Yb) with Os isotopes of the same host olivines and reveal large-scale volatile heterogeneity and zonation exists within the Hawaiian plume. 'Loa' chain lavas, which are thought to originate from greater proportions of recycled oceanic crust/pyroxenite, have MIs with lower H2O, S, F, and Cl contents compared to 'Kea' chain lavas that were derived from more peridotite-rich sources. The depletion of volatile elements in the 'Loa' volcano MIs can be explained if they tapped an ancient dehydrated oceanic crust component within the Hawaiian plume. Higher extents of melting beneath 'Loa' volcanoes can also explain these depletions. The presence of dehydrated recycled mafic material in the plume source suggests that subduction effectively devolatilizes part of the oceanic crust. These results are similar to the observed shifts in H2O/Ce ratios near the Easter and Samoan hotspots [2,3]. Thus, it appears that multiple hotspots may record relative H2O depletions and possibly other volatiles. [1] Hauri et al. 1996, Nature 382, 415-419. [2] Dixon et al. 2002, Nature 420:385-89 [3] Workman et al. 2006, EPSL 241:932-51.

An overview of monogenetic carbonatitic magmatism from Uganda, Italy, China and Spain: Volcanologic and geochemical features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoppa, Francesco; Schiazza, Mariangela

2013-01-01

We address general features of carbonatite monogenetic volcanic fields located in continental settings which are peculiar being associated with kamafugites or melilite-bearing leucitites. Instructive examples are the Toro Ankole in Uganda, West Qinling in China, and Campo de Calatrava in Spain and the Intra-mountain Ultra-alkaline Province (IUP) of Italy. Maars are the typical volcanic forms, occurring in isolation or in clusters along fault systems. Concentric-shelled juvenile lapilli and bombs, having a upper-mantle peridotite kernel, are unique to this type of volcanism. These pyroclasts are interpreted as the result of deep-seated fragmentation of magma having a high carbon dioxide-water (CO2/H2O) ratio. The presence of discrete, large peridotitic nodules implies a high-velocity propagation of magma, while the associated large CO2 emission suggests a high proportion of juvenile CO2. Magma fragmentation is inferred to occur as a consequence of explosive CO2 exsolution at the upper mantle level (diatresis) followed by immiscibility. Based on field evidence, carbonatitic maar formation could be due to violent CO2 expansion and does not require phreatomagmatic phenomena. Extrusive carbonatites and associated rocks represent very primitive melts having a distinct High Field Strength Elements (HFSE) distribution, the source of which is related to enriched mantle. Carbonated peridotite is a stable paragenesis at depths of 400-600 km; thus, primary carbonatitic silicate magma can be produced at these depths as a consequence of rising deeper melt/fluids that are trapped at the transition zone. In our opinion, carbonatitic carbon is linked to the primary process of deep-mantle differentiation and Earth's core degassing.

Can the composition and structure of the lower ocean crust and upper mantle be known without deep ocean drilling?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dick, H.; Natland, J.

2003-04-01

No. With few exceptions, lower ocean crust sampled by dredge or submersible in tectonic windows such as Atlantis Bank in the Indian Ocean or the MARK area on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are not representative of the ocean crust. They represent tectonic mixing of rocks from the mantle and crust on large faults that also localize late magmatic intrusion. Where this can be sorted out, the in-situ crustal sections may generally represent a sub-horizontal cross-section through the lower crust and mantle and not a vertical one. The gabbroic rocks exposed represent largely high-level intrusions, highly hybridized by late melt flow along deep faults, or highly evolved gabbro at the distal ends of larger intrusions emplaced into the mantle near transforms. Oceanic gabbros have average compositions that lie outside the range of primary MORB compositions, and rarely are equivalent to spatially associated MORB either as a parent to, or as a residue of their crystallization. Oceanic gabbros sampled from these complexes generally are very coarse-grained, and are unlike those seen in nearly all ophiolites and layered intrusions. In addition, there are few exposures of gabbro and lower ocean crust and mantle in Pacific tectonic windows, though there the possibility of more representative sections is greater due to their exposure in propagating rifts. Limited samples of the mantle from near the midpoints of ocean ridge segments at slow-spreading rifts are from anomalous crustal environments such as ultra-slow spreading ridges or failed rifts. These include abundant dunites, as opposed to samples from fracture zones, which contain only about 1% dunite. While this indicates focused mantle flow towards the midpoint of a ridge, it also shows that fracture zone peridotites are not fully representative of the oceanic upper mantle. Major classes of rocks common in ophiolites, such as fine to medium grained layered primitive olivine gabbros, troctolites, wherlites and dunites, sheeted dikes, and epidosites are rarely or even not exposed. Models of lower ocean crust stratigraphy drawn from deep sea sampling, certainly from slow spreading ridges, do not match those for major intact ophiolites. Thus the ophiolite hypothesis remains unconfirmed for the lower ocean crust and shallow mantle, and it is nearly impossible to accurately identify the ocean ridge environment of any one ophiolite. The one deep drill hole that exists in lower ocean crust, 1.5 km Hole 735B, has a bulk composition too fractionated to mass balance MORB back to a primary mantle melt composition. Thus, a large mass of primitive cumulates is missing and could be situated in the crust below the base of the hole or in the underlying mantle. This is an unresolved question that is critical to understanding the evolution of the most common magma on earth: MORB. Since lower ocean crust and mantle represent a major portion of the crust and the exchange of mass, heat and volatiles from the earth's interior to its exterior this leaves a major hole in our understanding of the global geochemical and tectonic cycle which can only be filled by deep drilling.

Origin and evolution of the deep thermochemical structure beneath Eurasia.

PubMed

Flament, N; Williams, S; Müller, R D; Gurnis, M; Bower, D J

2017-01-18

A unique structure in the Earth's lowermost mantle, the Perm Anomaly, was recently identified beneath Eurasia. It seismologically resembles the large low-shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) under Africa and the Pacific, but is much smaller. This challenges the current understanding of the evolution of the plate-mantle system in which plumes rise from the edges of the two LLSVPs, spatially fixed in time. New models of mantle flow over the last 230 million years reproduce the present-day structure of the lower mantle, and show a Perm-like anomaly. The anomaly formed in isolation within a closed subduction network ∼22,000 km in circumference prior to 150 million years ago before migrating ∼1,500 km westward at an average rate of 1 cm year -1 , indicating a greater mobility of deep mantle structures than previously recognized. We hypothesize that the mobile Perm Anomaly could be linked to the Emeishan volcanics, in contrast to the previously proposed Siberian Traps.

The Xenon record of Earth's early differentiaiton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peto, M. K.; Mukhopadhyay, S.; Kelley, K. A.

2011-12-01

Xenon isotopes in mantle derived rocks provide information on the early differentiation of the silicate mantle of our planet. {131,132 134,136}Xe isotopes are produced by the spontaneous fission of two different elements: the now extinct radionuclide 244Pu, and the long-lived 238U. These two parent nuclides, however, yield rather different proportion of fissiogenic Xenon isotopes. Hence, the proportion of Pu- to U-derived fission xenon is indicative of the degree and rate of outgassing of a mantle reservoir. Recent data obtained from Iceland in our lab confirm that the Xenon isotopic composition of the plume source(s) is characterized by lower 136Xe/130Xe ratios than the MORB source and the Iceland plume is more enriched in the Pu-derived Xenon component. These features are interpreted as reflecting different degrees of outgassing and appear not to be the result of preferential recycling of Xenon to the deep mantle. To further investigate how representative the Icelandic measurements might be of other mantle plumes, we measured noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Xe) in gas-rich basalt glasses from the Rochambeau Ridge (RR) in the Northern Lau Basin. Recent work suggests the presence of a "Samoan-like" OIB source in the northern Lau Basin and our measurements were performed on samples with plume-like 3He/4He ratios (15-28 RA) [1]. The Xenon isotopic measurements indicate that the maximum measured 136Xe/130Xe ratios in the Rochambeau samples are similar to Iceland. In particular, for one of the gas rich samples we were able to obtain 77 different isotopic measurements through step-crushing. Preliminary investigation of this sample suggests higher Pu- to U-derived fission Xenon than in MORBs. To quantitatively evaluate the degree and rate of outgassing of the plume and MORB reservoirs, particularly during the first few hundred million years of Earth's history, we have modified a geochemical reservoir model that was previously developed to investigate mantle overturn and mixing from He, Ar and lithophile isotopes [2]. We will present the results from this geochemical reservoirs model, which is constrained by our high precision dataset from the Rochambeau Rift (Northern Lau Basin) and Iceland along with the Xenon dataset from popping rock [3]. [1] Lupton et al., GRL, 2009. [2] Gonnermann and Mukhopadhyay, Nature, 2009. [3] Kunz et al., Science, 1998.

Sutures, Sinkers, Shear zones and Sills: Cryptic Targets and Explicit Strategies for EARTHSCOPE FlexArray in the East

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, L. D.

2006-05-01

Given the 3D framework represented by EarthScope's USArray as it scans eastward, the strategic challenge falls to defining cost-effective deployments of FlexArray to address specific lithospheric targets. Previous deep geophysical surveys (e.g. COCORP, USGS, GLIMPCE, et al.) provide guidance not only in framing the geological issues involved, but in designing field experiments that overcome the limitations of previous work. Opportunities highlighted by these precursor studies include: a) Collisional sutures (e.g. Brunswick Anomaly/Suwannee terrane) which lie buried beneath overthrust terranes/ younger sedimentary covers. Signal penetration in previous controlled source surveys has been insufficient. High resolution passive surveys designed to map intralithospheric detachments, Moho, and mantle subduction scars is needed to validate the extrapolations of the existing upper crustal information; b) Intracratonic basins and domes (e.g. Michigan Basin, Adirondack Dome) are perhaps the greatest geological mystery hosted in the east. Previous geophysical studies have lacked the resolution or penetration needed to identify the buoyancy drivers presumed to be responsible for such structures. It is likely that these drivers lie in the upper mantle and will require detailed velocity imaging to recognized. c) Distributed shear fabrics are a defining characteristic of the deep crust in many deformation zones (e.g. Grenville Front). Detailed mapping of crustal anisotropy associated with such shear zones should help delineate ductile flow directions associated with the orogenies that accreted the eastern U.S. 3 component, 3D active+passive surveys are needed to obtain definitive remote measures of such vector characteristics in the deep crust. d) Extensive reflectors in the central U.S. may mark important buried Precambrian basins and/or sill complexes. If the latter, the magmatic roots of those systems remain unrecognized, as does their volumetric contribution to crustal growth. 3C expanding spreads to resolve lithology in the upper crust, coupled with passive imaging of potential mantle sources, are needed to evaluate the role of these sequences in mid Proterozoic continental evolution. Effective experiments must build upon existing data, be strategic in the selection of the various FlexArray tools available, and link operationally with the Bigfoot deployments in an appropriately staged fashion.

Sensitivity of climate and atmospheric CO2 to deep-ocean and shallow-ocean carbonate burial

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volk, Tyler

1989-01-01

A model of the carbonate-silicate geochemical cycle is presented that distinguishes carbonate masses produced by shallow-ocean and deep-ocean carbonate burial and shows that reasonable increases in deep-ocean burial could produce substantial warmings over a few hundred million years. The model includes exchanges between crust and mantle; transients from burial shifts are found to be sensitive to the fraction of nondegassed carbonates subducted into the mantle. Without the habitation of the open ocean by plankton such as foraminifera and coccolithophores, today's climate would be substantially colder.

HIMU-type Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalts Incorporate a Primitive Component

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, J.; Mukhopadhyay, S.; Schilling, J. E.

2011-12-01

Samples from 5°N to 7°S along the MAR axis span a range of compositions from depleted MORB (La/SmN ~0.5, 206Pb/204Pb ~18) to very enriched MORB (La/SmN ~3, 206Pb/204Pb ~20). The measured 206Pb/204Pb in the enriched samples are among the highest measured MORB values and are thought to represent a HIMU type mantle (high μ where μ is the U/Pb ratio). Therefore, the enriched samples provide a unique opportunity to characterize the heavy noble gas composition of the HIMU mantle. If HIMU mantle is related to recycled crust, then the noble gas measurements can also provide insights into recycling of atmospheric noble gases back into the mantle. Additionally, the depleted equatorial samples provide an opportunity to characterize the Ar and Xe composition of the N-MORB source for comparison to the 14°N E-MORB popping rock. Finally, the large variations in lithophile isotopes over a geographically short distance affords the opportunity to study the nature of coupling between the noble gases and lithophile tracers, and understand the origin of the heterogeneities in the MORB source. Stepwise crushing and rare gas analysis (He, Ne, Ar, Xe) was undertaken for both enriched and depleted samples. Many of the crushing steps yielded 20Ne/22Ne > 12, and good correlations between Ne, Ar, and Xe isotopes allow for mantle source compositions of Ar and Xe to be determined by extrapolating the measured values to a mantle 20Ne/22Ne of 12.5. The highest measured values of Ar and Xe in a depleted N-MORB are comparable to measured values of the E-MORB popping rock (40Ar/36Ar ~28,000, 129Xe/130Xe ~7.7). When extrapolated to a mantle 20Ne/22Ne of 12.5, the depleted MORB sample indicates a 40Ar/36Ar of ~43,000 (higher than popping rock) and 129Xe/130Xe of ~7.8. Enriched MORB samples from this suite, thought to represent the HIMU mantle, have the same He and Ne characteristics as HIMU basalts from the Cook and Austral Islands; more radiogenic He than MORBs is accompanied by less nucleogenic Ne than MORBs. Additionally, the enriched MORB samples also constrain the HIMU mantle 40Ar/36Ar to ~20,000 and 129Xe/130Xe ~7.3-7.5, significantly lower than the depleted MORBs. Like the HIMU basalts from the Cook and Austral Islands, a less degassed reservoir than the MORB source must be invoked to explain the He and Ne systematics in the HIMU-type MORBs. If HIMU represents recycled crust, then it must have entrained or been entrained by a less degassed mantle from the deep interior. This less degassed reservoir would also explain the good correspondence between low 21Ne/22Ne, low 40Ar/36Ar and low 129Xe/130Xe in the HIMU-type samples. While we cannot rule out recycling of atmospheric noble gases to explain the low 40Ar/36Ar and 129Xe/130Xe, involvement of a source less degassed in He and Ne would also be accompanied by a less degassed Ar and Xe isotopic signature. Therefore the simplest explanation of the covariation between the noble gases and lithophile isotopes involves a mixture of a less processed and hence more primitive component, a degassed recycled component, and depleted MORB mantle beneath the equatorial Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Generation, ascent and eruption of magma on the Moon: New insights into source depths, magma supply, intrusions and effusive/explosive eruptions (Part 1: Theory)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Lionel; Head, James W.

2017-02-01

We model the ascent and eruption of lunar mare basalt magmas with new data on crustal thickness and density (GRAIL), magma properties, and surface topography, morphology and structure (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter). GRAIL recently measured the broad spatial variation of the bulk density structure of the crust of the Moon. Comparing this with the densities of lunar basaltic and picritic magmas shows that essentially all lunar magmas were negatively buoyant everywhere within the lunar crust. Thus positive excess pressures must have been present in melts at or below the crust-mantle interface to enable them to erupt. The source of such excess pressures is clear: melt in any region experiencing partial melting or containing accumulated melt, behaves as though an excess pressure is present at the top of the melt column if the melt is positively buoyant relative to the host rocks and forms a continuously interconnected network. The latter means that, in partial melt regions, probably at least a few percent melting must have taken place. Petrologic evidence suggests that both mare basalts and picritic glasses may have been derived from polybaric melting of source rocks in regions extending vertically for at least a few tens of km. This is not surprising: the vertical extent of a region containing inter-connected partial melt produced by pressure-release melting is approximately inversely proportional to the acceleration due to gravity. Translating the ∼25 km vertical extent of melting in a rising mantle diapir on Earth to the Moon then implies that melting could have taken place over a vertical extent of up to 150 km. If convection were absent, melting could have occurred throughout any region in which heat from radioisotope decay was accumulating; in the extreme this could have been most of the mantle. The maximum excess pressure that can be reached in a magma body depends on its environment. If melt percolates upward from a partial melt zone and accumulates as a magma reservoir, either at the density trap at the base of the crust or at the rheological trap at the base of the elastic lithosphere, the excess pressure at the top of the magma body will exert an elastic stress on the overlying rocks. This will eventually cause them to fail in tension when the excess pressure has risen to close to twice the tensile strength of the host rocks, perhaps up to ∼10 MPa, allowing a dike to propagate upward from this point. If partial melting occurs in a large region deep in the mantle, however, connections between melt pockets and veins may not occur until a finite amount, probably a few percent, of melting has occurred. When interconnection does occur, the excess pressure at the top of the partial melt zone will rise abruptly to a high value, again initiating a brittle fracture, i.e. a dike. That sudden excess pressure is proportional to the vertical extent of the melt zone, the difference in density between the host rocks and the melt, and the acceleration due to gravity, and could readily be ∼100 MPa, vastly greater than the value needed to initiate a dike. We therefore explored excess pressures in the range ∼10 to ∼100 MPa. If eruptions take place through dikes extending upward from the base of the crust, the mantle magma pressure at the point where the dike is initiated must exceed the pressure due to the weight of the magmatic liquid column. This means that on the nearside the excess pressure must be at least ∼19 ± 9 MPa and on the farside must be ∼29 ± 15 MPa. If the top of the magma body feeding an erupting dike is a little way below the base of the crust, slightly smaller excess pressures are needed because the magma is positively buoyant in the part of the dike within the upper mantle. Even the smallest of these excess pressures is greater than the ∼10 MPa likely maximum value in a magma reservoir at the base of the crust or elastic lithosphere, but the values are easily met by the excess pressures in extensive partial melt zones deeper within the mantle. Thus magma accumulations at the base of the crust would have been able to intrude dikes part-way through the crust, but not able to feed eruptions to the surface; in order to be erupted, magma must have been extracted from deeper mantle sources, consistent with petrologic evidence. Buoyant dikes growing upward from deep mantle sources of partial melt can disconnect from their source regions and travel through the mantle as isolated bodies of melt that encounter and penetrate the crust-mantle density boundary. They adjust their lengths and internal pressure excesses so that the stress intensity at the lower tip is zero. The potential total vertical extent of the resulting melt body depends on the vertical extent of the source region from which it grew. For small source extents, the upper tip of the resulting dike crossing the crust-mantle boundary cannot reach the surface anywhere on the Moon and therefore can only form a dike intrusion; for larger source extents, the dike can reach the surface and erupt on the nearside but still cannot reach the surface on the farside; for even larger source extents, eruptions could occur on both the nearside and the farside. The paucity of farside eruptions therefore implies a restricted range of vertical extents of partial melt source region sizes, between ∼16 and ∼36 km. When eruptions can occur, the available pressure in excess of what is needed to support a static magma column to the surface gives the pressure gradient driving magma flow. The resulting typical turbulent magma rise speeds are ∼10 to a few tens of m s-1, dike widths are of order 100 m, and eruption rates from 1 to 10 km long fissure vents are of order 105 to 106 m3 s-1. Volume fluxes in lunar eruptions derived from lava flow thicknesses and surface slopes or rille lengths and depths are found to be of order 105 to 106 m3 s-1 for volume-limited lava flows and >104 to 105 m3 s-1 for sinuous rilles, with dikes widths of ∼50 m. The lower end of the volume flux range for sinuous rilles corresponds to magma rise speeds approaching the limit set by the fact that excessive cooling would occur during flow up a 30 km long dike kept open by a very low excess pressure. These eruptions were thus probably fed by partial melt zones deep in the mantle. Longer eruption durations, rather than any subtle topographic slope effects, appear to be the key to the ability of these flows to erode sinuous rille channels. We conclude that: (1) essentially all lunar magmas were negatively buoyant everywhere within the crust; (2) positive excess pressures of at least 20-30 MPa must have been present in mantle melts at or below the crust-mantle interface to drive magmas to the surface; (3) such pressures are easily produced in zones of partial melting by pressure-release during mantle convection or simple heat accumulation from radioisotopes; (4) magma volume fluxes available from dikes forming at the tops of partial melt zones are consistent with the 105 to 106 m3 s-1 volume fluxes implied by earlier analyses of surface flows; (5) eruptions producing thermally-eroded sinuous rille channels involved somewhat smaller volume fluxes of magma where the supply rate may be limited by the rate of extraction of melt percolating through partial melt zones.

Upper mantle diapers, lower crustal magmatic underplating, and lithospheric dismemberment of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau regions, Nevada and Utah; implications from deep MT resistivity surveying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wannamaker, P. E.; Doerner, W. M.; Hasterok, D. P.

2005-12-01

In the rifted Basin and Range province of the southwestern U.S., a common faulting model for extensional basins based e.g. on reflection seismology data shows dominant displacement along master faults roughly coincident with the main topographic scarp. On the other hand, complementary data such as drilling, earthquake focal mechanisms, volcanic occurrences, and trace indicators such as helium isotopes suggest that there are alternative geometries of crustal scale faulting and material transport from the deep crust and upper mantle in this province. Recent magnetotelluric (MT) profiling results reveal families of structures commonly dominated by high-angle conductors interpreted to reflect crustal scale fault zones. Based mainly on cross cutting relationships, these faults appear to be late Cenozoic in age and are of low resistivity due to fluids or alteration (including possible graphitization). In the Ruby Mtns area of north-central Nevada, high angle faults along the margins of the core complex connect from near surface to a regional lower crustal conductor interpreted to contain high-temperature fluids and perhaps melts. Such faults may exemplify the high angle normal faults upon which the major earthquakes of the Great Basin appear to nucleate. A larger-scale transect centered on Dixie Valley shows major conductive crustal-scale structures connecting to conductive lower crust below Dixie Valley, the Black Rock desert in NW Nevada, and in east-central Nevada in the Monitor-Diamond Valley area. In the Great Basin-Colorado Plateau transition of Utah, the main structures revealed are a series of nested low-angle detachment structures underlying the incipient development of several rift grabens. All these major fault zones appear to overlie regions of particularly conductive lower crust interpreted to be caused by recent basaltic underplating. In the GB-CP transition, long period data show two, low-resistivity upper mantle diapirs underlying the concentrated conductive lower crust and nested faults, and these are advanced as melt source regions for the underplating. MT, with its wide frequency bandwidth, allows views of nearly a complete melting and emplacement process, from mantle source region, through lower crustal intrusion, to brittle regime deformational response.

The origin of alkaline magmas in an intraplate setting near a subduction zone: the Ngatutura Basalts, North Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, R. M.; Utting, A. J.; Gibson, I. L.

1990-01-01

The Ngatutura Basalts are one of a series of Pliocene-Quaternary alkalic basalt volcanic fields in North Island, New Zealand. They are situated in an intraplate tectonic setting behind the currently active Taupo Volcanic Zone, and 300 km above the subducting slab. The volcanic field consists of 16 small-volume monogenetic volcanic centres composed mainly of eroded scoria cones and lava flows, that occupy an extensional tectonic environment characterized by NE-striking block faulting. In some cases the faults have controlled the localization of volcanic vents. The lavas have restricted compositions, ranging from hawaiites to nepheline hawaiites, and are characterized by enriched LILE, LREE, and HFS elements, with particularly high Nb and Ta, low Ba/Nb, and high Zr/Y and Ce N/Yb N ratios. Nepheline hawaiites are slightly more differentiated than hawaiites and have higher Ce N/Yb N ratios. Petrogenetic modelling suggests that the range in composition was mainly controlled by fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, and minor plagioclase and titanomagnetite, which is consistent with the modal phenocryst abundances. Fractionation is explained by side-wall crystallization and flowage differentiation during rapid ascent, rather than gravitative settling in a magma chamber. Ngatutura magmas were probably derived from an enriched garnet lherzolite source within the low-velocity mantle. The process of source enrichment is speculative but our preferred model calls on metasomatizing fluids in the low-velocity zone. There is no geochemical evidence for any influence of the subducted slab on their composition, even though they overlie the Pacific plate subduction zone. This implies that the extent of subduction-related contamination in the mantle wedge is not pervasive, but is confined to a limited region overlying the subducted slab. Also, the "deep mantle plume" responsible for alkalic magmatism must have originated above the slab, because it seems unlikely that such a plume could have occurred at a deeper level and penetrate the slab without some evidence. This therefore limits the depth of origin of these "deep mantle plumes" to less than 300 km.

Partition Coefficients at High Pressure and Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Righter, K.; Drake, M. J.

2003-12-01

Differentiation of terrestrial planets includes separation of a metallic core and possible later fractionation of mineral phases within either a solid or molten mantle (Figure 1). Lithophile and siderophile elements can be used to understand these two different physical processes, and ascertain whether they operated in the early Earth. The distribution of elements in planets can be understood by measuring the partition coefficient, D (ratio of concentrations of an element in different phases (minerals, metals, or melts)). (14K)Figure 1. Schematic cross-section through the Earth, showing: (a) an early magma ocean stage and (b) a later cool and differentiated stage. The siderophile elements (iron-loving) encompass over 30 elements and are defined as those elements for which D(metal/silicate)>1, and are useful for deciphering the details of core formation. This group of elements is commonly broken up into several subclasses, including the slightly siderophile elements (1104). Because these three groups encompass a wide range of partition coefficient values, they can be very useful in trying to determine the conditions under which metal may have equilibrated with the mantle (or a magma ocean). Because metal and silicate may equilibrate by several different mechanisms, such as at the base of a deep magma ocean, or as metal droplets descend through a molten mantle, partition coefficients can potentially shed light on which mechanism may be most important, thus linking the physics and chemistry of core formation. In this chapter, we summarize metal/silicate partitioning of siderophile elements and show how they may be used to understand planetary core formation.Once a planet is differentiated into core and mantle, a mantle will cool during convection, and can start in either a molten or solid state, depending upon the initial thermal conditions. If hot enough, minerals will crystallize from a molten mantle, and become entrained in the convecting melt, or eventually settle out at the bottom. The entrainment and settling process has been studied in detail (e.g., Tonks and Melosh, 1990), and is a potential mechanism for differentiation between the deep and shallow parts of Earth's mantle. The lithophile elements, those elements that have D(metal/silicate) <1, fall into many different subclasses and all hold information about the deep mineral structure of the mantle. Rare-earth elements (REEs) have proven to be useful: europium anomalies have helped elucidate the role of plagioclase in lunar crust formation (e.g., Schnetzler and Philpotts, 1971; Weill et al., 1974), and LREE/HREE depletion and enrichment are indicators of partial melting in the presence of garnet in the mantle. High-field-strength elements (HFSEs) - niobium, zirconium, tantalum, and hafnium - are all refractory and hence more resilient to fractionation processes such as volatility or condensation. They also have an affinity for ilmenite and rutile, and can explain differences between lunar and martian samples as well as features of Earth's continental crust ( Taylor and McLennan, 1985). Alkaline-earth and alkaline elements include rubidium, strontium, barium, potassium, caesium, and calcium, some of which are involved in radioactive decay couples, e.g., Rb-Sr and K-Ar. The latter is important in understanding the contribution of radioactive decay to planetary heat production, and potential deep sources of radiogenic argon (see Chapter 2.06). Rubidium and potassium are further useful as tracers of hydrous phases such as mica and amphibole. Possible fractionation of any of these elements from chondritic abundances (see Chapter 2.01) can be assessed with the knowledge of partition coefficients. In this chapter we summarize our understanding of mineral/melt fractionation of minor and trace elements at high pressures and temperatures and discuss the implications for mantle differentiation.

Geochemistry of Groundwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapelle, F. H.

2003-12-01

Differentiation of terrestrial planets includes separation of a metallic core and possible later fractionation of mineral phases within either a solid or molten mantle (Figure 1). Lithophile and siderophile elements can be used to understand these two different physical processes, and ascertain whether they operated in the early Earth. The distribution of elements in planets can be understood by measuring the partition coefficient, D (ratio of concentrations of an element in different phases (minerals, metals, or melts)). (14K)Figure 1. Schematic cross-section through the Earth, showing: (a) an early magma ocean stage and (b) a later cool and differentiated stage. The siderophile elements (iron-loving) encompass over 30 elements and are defined as those elements for which D(metal/silicate)>1, and are useful for deciphering the details of core formation. This group of elements is commonly broken up into several subclasses, including the slightly siderophile elements (1104). Because these three groups encompass a wide range of partition coefficient values, they can be very useful in trying to determine the conditions under which metal may have equilibrated with the mantle (or a magma ocean). Because metal and silicate may equilibrate by several different mechanisms, such as at the base of a deep magma ocean, or as metal droplets descend through a molten mantle, partition coefficients can potentially shed light on which mechanism may be most important, thus linking the physics and chemistry of core formation. In this chapter, we summarize metal/silicate partitioning of siderophile elements and show how they may be used to understand planetary core formation.Once a planet is differentiated into core and mantle, a mantle will cool during convection, and can start in either a molten or solid state, depending upon the initial thermal conditions. If hot enough, minerals will crystallize from a molten mantle, and become entrained in the convecting melt, or eventually settle out at the bottom. The entrainment and settling process has been studied in detail (e.g., Tonks and Melosh, 1990), and is a potential mechanism for differentiation between the deep and shallow parts of Earth's mantle. The lithophile elements, those elements that have D(metal/silicate) <1, fall into many different subclasses and all hold information about the deep mineral structure of the mantle. Rare-earth elements (REEs) have proven to be useful: europium anomalies have helped elucidate the role of plagioclase in lunar crust formation (e.g., Schnetzler and Philpotts, 1971; Weill et al., 1974), and LREE/HREE depletion and enrichment are indicators of partial melting in the presence of garnet in the mantle. High-field-strength elements (HFSEs) - niobium, zirconium, tantalum, and hafnium - are all refractory and hence more resilient to fractionation processes such as volatility or condensation. They also have an affinity for ilmenite and rutile, and can explain differences between lunar and martian samples as well as features of Earth's continental crust ( Taylor and McLennan, 1985). Alkaline-earth and alkaline elements include rubidium, strontium, barium, potassium, caesium, and calcium, some of which are involved in radioactive decay couples, e.g., Rb-Sr and K-Ar. The latter is important in understanding the contribution of radioactive decay to planetary heat production, and potential deep sources of radiogenic argon (see Chapter 2.06). Rubidium and potassium are further useful as tracers of hydrous phases such as mica and amphibole. Possible fractionation of any of these elements from chondritic abundances (see Chapter 2.01) can be assessed with the knowledge of partition coefficients. In this chapter we summarize our understanding of mineral/melt fractionation of minor and trace elements at high pressures and temperatures and discuss the implications for mantle differentiation.

Spin Transition in the Lower Mantle: Deep Learning and Pattern Recognition of Superplumes from the Mid-mantle and Mid-mantle Slab Stagnation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuen, D. A.; Shahnas, M. H.; De Hoop, M. V.; Pysklywec, R.

2016-12-01

The broad, slow seismic anomalies under Africa and Pacific cannot be explained without ambiguity. There is no well-established theory to explain the fast structures prevalent globally in seismic tomographic images that are commonly accepted to be the remnants of fossil slabs at different depths in the mantle. The spin transition from high spin to low spin in iron in ferropericlase and perovskite, two major constituents of the lower mantle can significantly impact their physical properties. We employ high resolution 2D-axisymmetric and 3D-spherical control volume models to reconcile the influence of the spin transition-induced anomalies in density, thermal expansivity, and bulk modulus in ferropericlase and perovskite on mantle dynamics. The model results reveal that the spin transition effects increase the mixing in the lower regions of mantle. Depending on the changes of bulk modulus associated with the spin transition, these effects may also cause both stagnation of slabs and rising plumes at mid-mantle depths ( 1600 km). The stagnation may be followed by downward or upward penetration of cold or hot mantle material, respectively, through an avalanche process. The size of these mid-mantle plumes reaches 1500 km across with a radial velocity reaching 20 cm/yr near the seismic transition zone and plume heads exceeding 2500 km across. We will employ a deep-learning algorithm to formulate this challenge as a classification problem where modelling/computation aids in the learning stage for detecting the particular patterns.The parameters based on which the convection models are developed are poorly constrained. There are uncertainties in initial conditions, heterogeneities and boundary conditions in the simulations, which are nonlinear. Thus it is difficult to reconstruct the past configuration over long time scales. In order to extract information and better understand the parameters in mantle convection, we employ deep learning algorithm to search for different patterns of developed in the ensemble of thousands of time-dependent mantle convection runs involving a history on the order of hundred million years. This new and disruptive strategy used in Big Data is necessary because no human mind can recall the details of thousands of runs and makes sense of them.

Circulation of carbon dioxide in the mantle: multiscale modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morra, G.; Yuen, D. A.; Lee, S.

2012-12-01

Much speculation has been put forward on the quantity and nature of carbon reservoirs in the deep Earth, because of its involvement in the evolution of life at the surface and inside planetary interiors. Carbon penetrates into the Earth's mantle mostly during subduction of oceanic crust, which contains carbonate deposits [1], however the form that it assumes at lower mantle depths is scarcely understood [2], hampering our ability to estimate the amount of carbon in the entire mantle by orders of magnitude. We present simulations of spontaneous degassing of supercritical CO2 using in-house developed novel implementations of the Fast-Multipole Boundary Element Method suitable for modeling two-phase flow (here mantle mineral and free CO2 fluid) through disordered materials such as porous rocks. Because the mutual interaction of droplets immersed either in a fluid or a solid matrix and their weakening effect to the host rock alters the strength of the mantle rocks, at the large scale the fluid phases in the mantle may control the creeping of mantle rocks [3]. In particular our study focuses on the percolation of supercritical CO2, estimated through the solution of the Laplace equation in a porous system, stochastically generated through a series of random Karhunen-Loeve decomposition. The model outcome is employed to extract the transmissivity of supercritical fluids in the mantle from the lowest scale up to the mantle scale and in combination with the creeping flow of the convecting mantle. The emerging scenarios on the global carbon cycle are finally discussed. [1] Boulard, E., et al., New host for carbon in the deep Earth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011. 108(13): p. 5184-5187. [2] Walter, M.J., et al., Deep Mantle Cycling of Oceanic Crust: Evidence from Diamonds and Their Mineral Inclusions. Science, 2011. 334(6052): p. 54-57. [3] Morra, G., et al., Ascent of Bubbles in Magma Conduits Using Boundary Elements and Particles. Procedia Computer Science, 2011.; Boundary Element solution of a flow through a porous. Left boxes represent the the matrix associated with the integrals. The flow enters below and emerges at the top, the amount of flow is identical. The flow is spread in the porous and is viscousless (Laplace equation).

Mantle transition zone structure beneath India and Western China from migration of PP and SS precursors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lessing, Stephan; Thomas, Christine; Rost, Sebastian; Cobden, Laura; Dobson, David P.

2014-04-01

We investigate the seismic structure of the upper-mantle and mantle transition zone beneath India and Western China using PP and SS underside reflections off seismic discontinuities, which arrive as precursors to the PP and SS arrival. We use high-resolution array seismic techniques to identify precursory energy and to map lateral variations of discontinuity depths. We find deep reflections off the 410 km discontinuity (P410P and S410S) beneath Tibet, Western China and India at depths of 410-440 km and elevated underside reflections of the 410 km discontinuity at 370-390 km depth beneath the Tien Shan region and Eastern Himalayas. These reflections likely correspond to the olivine to wadsleyite phase transition. The 410 km discontinuity appears to deepen in Central and Northern Tibet. We also find reflections off the 660 km discontinuity beneath Northern China at depths between 660 and 700 km (P660P and S660S) which could be attributed to the mineral transformation of ringwoodite to magnesiowuestite and perovskite. These observations could be consistent with the presence of cold material in the middle and lower part of the mantle transition zone in this region. We also find a deeper reflector between 700 and 740 km depth beneath Tibet which cannot be explained by a depressed 660 km discontinuity. This structure could, however, be explained by the segregation of oceanic crust and the formation of a neutrally buoyant garnet-rich layer beneath the mantle transition zone, due to subduction of oceanic crust of the Tethys Ocean. For several combinations of sources and receivers we do not detect arrivals of P660P and S660S although similar combinations of sources and receivers give well-developed P660P and S660S arrivals. Our thermodynamic modelling of seismic structure for a range of compositions and mantle geotherms shows that non-observations of P660P and S660S arrivals could be caused by the dependence of underside reflection coefficients on the incidence angle of the incoming seismic waves. Apart from reflections off the 410 and 660 km discontinuities, we observe intermittent reflectors at 300 and 520 km depth. The discontinuity structure of the study region likely reflects lateral thermal and chemical variations in the upper-mantle and mantle transition zone connected to past and present subduction and mantle convection processes.

Geochemical Evidence Against Pyroxenites in the Sources of Hawaiian Volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humayun, M.; Yang, S.; Clague, D. A.

2017-12-01

Hawaiian lavas exhibit high Fe/Mn ratios, and other elemental and isotopic characteristics, that have been argued to be evidence for chemical interactions at the core-mantle boundary. Alternatively, the enrichment in silica relative to 3 GPa melts of garnet peridotite, and the high Fe/Mn, has been argued to represent the contributions of garnet pyroxenite melts generated beneath a thick lithosphere. Here, we present a set of new elemental ratios designed to effectively discriminate partial melts of peridotite from pyroxenite in mantle sources. A set of 200 Hawaiian volcanic glasses from 7 volcanoes were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS for the abundances of 63 elements, with an emphasis on obtaining precise Ge/Si ratios. From experimental partitioning, silica-rich partial melts of MORB-like garnet pyroxenite are expected to have low Ge/Si ratios relative to their sources due to the retention of Ge in the residue by both garnet and pyroxene. In contrast, partial melts of peridotite are expected to have high Ge/Si ratios relative to mantle peridotites due to the incompatibility of Ge in olivine. We observed that Ge abundances in subaerial Hawaiian volcanoes are correlated with indicators of volcanic degassing, including S, Re and As. Subaerial and submarine lavas exhibit a correlation between Ge/Si ratio and S content that indicates that all Hawaiian lavas share the same pre-eruptive Ge/Si ratio. Submarine glasses with the least evidence of degassing exhibit a constant Ge/Si ratio over the range of SiO2 (44-52 %) observed in Hawaiian volcanics. Surprisingly, MORB glasses exhibit more variation in Ge/Si ratio than the pre-eruptive Ge/Si of Hawaiian glasses, implying the presence of 0-12% recycled crust in the MORB source. The constant Ge/Si ratio of Hawaiian glasses implies that pyroxenite melting did not enrich Hawaiian lavas in silica. Processes that could yield Si-rich melts without changing the Ge/Si ratio may involve melt-lithosphere interaction or bridgmanite/ferropericlase fractionation in the deep mantle.

Magma-magma interaction in the mantle beneath eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Gang; Chen, Li-Hui; Yu, Xun; Liu, Jian-Qiang; Xu, Xi-Sheng; Erdmann, Saskia

2017-04-01

In addition to magma-rock and rock-rock reaction, magma-magma interaction at mantle depth has recently been proposed as an alternative mechanism to produce the compositional diversity of intraplate basalts. However, up to now no compelling geochemical evidence supports this novel hypothesis. Here we present geochemistry for the Longhai basalts from Fujian Province, southeastern China, which demonstrates the interaction between two types of magma at mantle depth. At Longhai, the basalts form two groups, low-Ti basalts (TiO2/MgO < 0.25) and high-Ti basalts (TiO2/MgO > 0.25). Calculated primary compositions of the low-Ti basalts have compositions close to L + Opx + Cpx + Grt cotectic, and they also have low CaO contents (7.1-8.1 wt %), suggesting a mainly pyroxenite source. Correlations of Ti/Gd and Zr/Hf with the Sm/Yb ratios, however, record binary mixing between the pyroxenite-derived melt and a second, subordinate source-derived melt. Melts from this second source component have low Ti/Gd and high Zr/Hf and Ca/Al ratios, thus likely representing a carbonated component. The Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb isotopic compositions of the high-Ti basalts are close to the low-Ti basalts. The Sm/Yb ratio of the high-Ti basalts, however, is markedly elevated and characterized by crossing rare earth element patterns at Ho, suggesting that they have source components comparable to the low-Ti basalts, but that they have experienced garnet and clinopyroxene fractionation. We posit that mingling of SiO2-saturated tholeiitic magma with SiO2-undersaturated alkaline magma might trigger such fractionation. Therefore, the model of magma-magma interaction and associated deep evolution of magma in the mantle is proposed to explain the formation of Longhai basalts. It may, moreover, serve as a conceptual model for the formation of tholeiitic to alkaline intraplate basalts worldwide.

Nickel and helium evidence for melt above the core-mantle boundary.

PubMed

Herzberg, Claude; Asimow, Paul D; Ionov, Dmitri A; Vidito, Chris; Jackson, Matthew G; Geist, Dennis

2013-01-17

High (3)He/(4)He ratios in some basalts have generally been interpreted as originating in an incompletely degassed lower-mantle source. This helium source may have been isolated at the core-mantle boundary region since Earth's accretion. Alternatively, it may have taken part in whole-mantle convection and crust production over the age of the Earth; if so, it is now either a primitive refugium at the core-mantle boundary or is distributed throughout the lower mantle. Here we constrain the problem using lavas from Baffin Island, West Greenland, the Ontong Java Plateau, Isla Gorgona and Fernandina (Galapagos). Olivine phenocryst compositions show that these lavas originated from a peridotite source that was about 20 per cent higher in nickel content than in the modern mid-ocean-ridge basalt source. Where data are available, these lavas also have high (3)He/(4)He. We propose that a less-degassed nickel-rich source formed by core-mantle interaction during the crystallization of a melt-rich layer or basal magma ocean, and that this source continues to be sampled by mantle plumes. The spatial distribution of this source may be constrained by nickel partitioning experiments at the pressures of the core-mantle boundary.

Crystal chemistry of hydrous phases in the Al2O3-Fe2O3-H2O system: implications for water cycle in the deep lower mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, L.

2016-12-01

Hydrous minerals play an important role in the transportation and storage of water in the Earth's interior. Recently a pyrite-structured iron oxide (FeO2) (P-phase) was found stable at 76 GPa and 1800 K [1] and this discovery has brought new insights into the H2-O2 cycles in the deep mantle. In this study, we perform in situ synchrotron X-ray experiments in the Al2O3-Fe2O3-H2O system in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (DAC) at P-T conditions in the deep lower mantle. The new results added more complexity to the H2-O2/H2O cycles in the deep lower mantle. The symmetry and unit-cell parameters of each phase in the run products were determined using the multigrain approach [2]. On the other hand, the d-H solid solution AlOOH-MgSiO2(OH)2 is the stable hydrous phase coexisting with bridgmanite or post-perovskite under equilibrium P-T conditions to the deepest lower mantle [3]. The detailed crystal chemistry of the newly found hydrous phases and its relations to the d-H phase have been investigated using both first-principles calculations and experiments, providing new understanding to the hydration mechanism and water storage in the deep mantle. It is worth mentioning that recent development in high pressure multigrain method has realized separation of each individual phase in a multiphase assemblage and even allowed in situ crystal structure determination of a minor phase in the assemblage contained in a DAC [4]. [1] Q. Hu, D. Y. Kim, W. Yang, L. Yang, Y. Meng, L. Zhang, and H. K. Mao, Nature 534, 241 (2016). [2] H. O. Sørensen et al., Zeitschrift für Kristallographie 227, 63 (2012). [3] I. Ohira, E. Ohtani, T. Sakai, M. Miyahara, N. Hirao, Y. Ohishi, and M. Nishijima, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 401, 12 (2014). [4] L. Zhang, D. Popov, Y. Meng, J. Wang, C. Ji, B. Li, and H.-k. Mao, American Mineralogist 101, 231 (2016).

From Purgatory to Paradise: The Volatile Life of Hawaiian Magma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marske, J. P.; Hauri, E. H.; Trusdell, F.; Garcia, M. O.; Pietruszka, A. J.

2014-12-01

Variations in radiogenic isotope ratios and magmatic volatile abundances (e.g., CO2 or H2O) in Hawaiian lavas reveal key processes within a deep-seated mantle plume (e.g., mantle heterogeneity, source lithology, partial melting, and magma degassing). Shield-stage Hawaiian lavas likely originate from a mixed plume source containing peridotite and recycled oceanic crust (pyroxenite) based on variations of radiogenic isotopes (e.g., 206Pb/204Pb). The mantle source region may also be heterogeneous with respect to volatile contents, yet the link between pre-eruptive volatile budgets and mantle source lithology in the Hawaiian plume is poorly constrained due to shallow magmatic degassing and mixing. Here, we use a novel approach to investigate this link using Os isotopic ratios, and major, trace, and volatile elements in olivines and mineral-hosted melt inclusions (MIs) from 34 samples from Koolau, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, Kilauea, and Loihi. These samples reveal a strong correlation between volatile contents in olivine-hosted MIs and Os isotopes of the same olivines, in which lavas that originated from greater proportions of recycled oceanic crust/pyroxenite (i.e. 'Loa' chain volcanoes: Koolau, Mauna Loa, Loihi) have MIs with the lower H2O, F, and Cl contents than 'Kea' chain volcanoes (i.e. Kilauea) that contain greater amounts of peridotite in the source region. No correlation is observed with CO2 or S. The depletion of fluid-mobile elements (H2O, F, and Cl) in 'Loa' chain volcanoes indicates ancient dehydrated oceanic crust is a plume component that controls much of the compositional variation of Hawaiian Volcanoes. The presence of dehydrated recycled mafic material in the plume source suggests that subduction effectively devolatilizes the mafic part of the oceanic crust. These results are similar to the observed shifts in H2O/Ce ratios near the Easter and Samoan hotspots [1,2]. Thus, it appears that multiple hotspots may record relative H2O depletions and possibly other volatiles. [1] Dixon et al. 2002, Nature 420:385-89 [2] Workman et al. 2006, EPSL 241:932-51

Upper-mantle origin of the Yellowstone hotspot

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christiansen, R.L.; Foulger, G.R.; Evans, J.R.

2002-01-01

Fundamental features of the geology and tectonic setting of the northeast-propagating Yellowstone hotspot are not explained by a simple deep-mantle plume hypothesis and, within that framework, must be attributed to coincidence or be explained by auxiliary hypotheses. These features include the persistence of basaltic magmatism along the hotspot track, the origin of the hotspot during a regional middle Miocene tectonic reorganization, a similar and coeval zone of northwestward magmatic propagation, the occurrence of both zones of magmatic propagation along a first-order tectonic boundary, and control of the hotspot track by preexisting structures. Seismic imaging provides no evidence for, and several contraindications of, a vertically extensive plume-like structure beneath Yellowstone or a broad trailing plume head beneath the eastern Snake River Plain. The high helium isotope ratios observed at Yellowstone and other hotspots are commonly assumed to arise from the lower mantle, but upper-mantle processes can explain the observations. The available evidence thus renders an upper-mantle origin for the Yellowstone system the preferred model; there is no evidence that the system extends deeper than ???200 km, and some evidence that it does not. A model whereby the Yellowstone system reflects feedback between upper-mantle convection and regional lithospheric tectonics is able to explain the observations better than a deep-mantle plume hypothesis.

Anomalies of rupture velocity in deep earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, M.; Yagi, Y.

2010-12-01

Explaining deep seismicity is a long-standing challenge in earth science. Deeper than 300 km, the occurrence rate of earthquakes with depth remains at a low level until ~530 km depth, then rises until ~600 km, finally terminate near 700 km. Given the difficulty of estimating fracture properties and observing the stress field in the mantle transition zone (410-660 km), the seismic source processes of deep earthquakes are the most important information for understanding the distribution of deep seismicity. However, in a compilation of seismic source models of deep earthquakes, the source parameters for individual deep earthquakes are quite varied [Frohlich, 2006]. Rupture velocities for deep earthquakes estimated using seismic waveforms range from 0.3 to 0.9Vs, where Vs is the shear wave velocity, a considerably wider range than the velocities for shallow earthquakes. The uncertainty of seismic source models prevents us from determining the main characteristics of the rupture process and understanding the physical mechanisms of deep earthquakes. Recently, the back projection method has been used to derive a detailed and stable seismic source image from dense seismic network observations [e.g., Ishii et al., 2005; Walker et al., 2005]. Using this method, we can obtain an image of the seismic source process from the observed data without a priori constraints or discarding parameters. We applied the back projection method to teleseismic P-waveforms of 24 large, deep earthquakes (moment magnitude Mw ≥ 7.0, depth ≥ 300 km) recorded since 1994 by the Data Management Center of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS-DMC) and reported in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) catalog, and constructed seismic source models of deep earthquakes. By imaging the seismic rupture process for a set of recent deep earthquakes, we found that the rupture velocities are less than about 0.6Vs except in the depth range of 530 to 600 km. This is consistent with the depth variation of deep seismicity: it peaks between about 530 and 600 km, where the fast rupture earthquakes (greater than 0.7Vs) are observed. Similarly, aftershock productivity is particularly low from 300 to 550 km depth and increases markedly at depth greater than 550 km [e.g., Persh and Houston, 2004]. We propose that large fracture surface energy (Gc) value for deep earthquakes generally prevent the acceleration of dynamic rupture propagation and generation of earthquakes between 300 and 700 km depth, whereas small Gc value in the exceptional depth range promote dynamic rupture propagation and explain the seismicity peak near 600 km.

Searching for Seismic Signatures of a Plume Source at the Base of the Mantle Below the Galapagos Island Hotspot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanacore, E.; Niu, F.

2007-12-01

This study analyzes SKS and SKKS waveforms recorded on the BOLIVAR array in Venezuela and the BANJO array in South America from earthquake sources located in Tonga and Alaska regions to characterize the lower mantle beneath the Galapagos Islands. The data analysis applies two independent methods, residual differential SKKS-SKS travel times and anisotropy measurements, to examine the historically unsampled region. The residual differential travel time observations were performed using 21 earthquakes from the Tonga trench with magnitudes greater than 5.5 Mw that were recorded on the Bolivar array. Only data that was deemed to have a high SNR for both the SKS and SKKS phases were retained for analysis. Significant positive values of differential travel time that indicate low velocity along the SKKS raypaths are detected east of ~\\m270° longitude. The anisotropy data set consists of 31 intermediate and deep focus earthquakes from the Tonga and Aleutian trenches recorded on the BOLIVAR and BANJO arrays respectively. The anisotropy fast axis angle and time lag of the two phases are calculated using the 1-layer cross-convolution method of Menke and Levin (2003) with a maximum time lag window of 3 seconds. We retain results with an amplitude normalized squared L2 norm value of 0.6 or less for analysis. Because the raypaths of the SKS and SKKS phases are similar in the upper mantle and sample different regions of the lower mantle, we attribute inconsistencies between the two anisotropy to difference of the mantle structure near the CMB. We define significant difference in the azimuth of the fast axis as any difference between the SKSac and SKKSac measurements greater than 15 degrees. The dataset is dominated by inconsistent fast axis azimuth measurements between the SKSac and SKKSac phases, but does not isolate a single geographic region. Comparison of the splitting time measurements yields that inconsistency between the two phases is more significant, greater than 0.5 s, in the Northeast portion of the sampled region bounded to the south and west at approximately \\m-3°S and \\m267° longitude. While the residual differential travel times and the anisotropy measurements do not conclusively show that there is a mantle plume source at the base of the mantle in this region, the data does indicate there the lower mantle beneath the Galapagos Islands has significant structure meriting further study.

Insights from fumarole gas geochemistry on the origin of hydrothermal fluids on the Yellowstone Plateau

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chiodini, Giovanni; Caliro, Stefano; Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Evans, William C.; Bergfeld, D.; Tassi, Franco; Tedesco, Dario

2012-01-01

The chemistry of Yellowstone fumarole gases shows the existence of two component waters, type MC, influenced by the addition of deep mantle fluid, and type CC, influenced by crustal interactions (CC). MC is high in 3He/4He (22 Ra) and low in 4He/40Ar (~1), reflecting input of deep mantle components. The other water is characterized by 4He concentrations 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than air-saturated meteoric water (ASW). These high He concentrations originate through circulation in Pleistocene volcanic rocks, as well as outgassing of Tertiary and older (including Archean) basement, some of which could be particularly rich in uranium, a major 4He source. Consideration of CO2-CH4-CO-H2O-H2 gas equilibrium reactions indicates equilibration temperatures from 170 °C to 310 °C. The estimated temperatures highly correlate with noble-gas variations, suggesting that the two waters differ in temperature. Type CC is ~170 °C whereas the MC is hotter, at 340 °C. This result is similar to models proposed by previous studies of thermal water chemistry. However, instead of mixing the deep hot component simply with cold, meteoric waters we argue that addition of a 4He-rich component, equilibrated at temperatures around 170 °C, is necessary to explain the range in fumarole gas chemistry.

Dismantling the Deep Earth: Geochemical Constraints from Hotspot Lavas for the Origin and Lengthscales of Mantle Heterogeneity

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

inclusions fi-rm a recently discovered high ’He/ 4 H the ielt source but that is not detectable in whole basalt from Samoa [25]. Our strategy is to...can compare: canl be inferred fi-om the neat-uniforma ratios obtained thlem to similarly corrected Samoan whole-rock lavas oit) ielt inclusijons from...Rb correction. Although the number,ftlataluintsis limited, the data are consistent 3.2. Major and frace element characteristics /i mwlt with Ielt

Constraining the Material that Formed the Moon: The Origin of Lunar V, CR, and MN Depletions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chabot, N. L.; Agee, C. B.

2002-01-01

The mantles of the Earth and Moon are similarly depleted in V, Cr, and Mn relative to chondritic values. Core formation deep within the Earth was suggested by as the origin of the depletions. Following Earth's core formation, the Moon was proposed to have inherited its mantle from the depleted mantle of the Earth by a giant impact event. This theory implied the Moon was primarily composed of material from the Earth's mantle. Recent systematic metal-silicate experiments of V, Cr, and Mn evaluated the behavior of these elements during different core formation scenarios. The study found that the V, Cr, and Mn depletions in the Earth could indeed be explained by core formation. The conditions of core formation necessary to deplete V, Cr, and Mn in the Earth's mantle were consistent with the deep magma ocean proposed to account for the Earth's mantle abundances of Ni and Co. Using the parameterizations of for the metal-silicate partition coefficients (D) of V, Cr, and Mn, we investigate here the conditions needed to match the depletions in the silicate Moon and determine if such conditions could have been present on the giant impactor.

Deep-focus earthquakes and recycling of water into the earth's mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meade, Charles; Jeanloz, Raymond

1991-01-01

For more than 50 years, observations of earthquakes to depths of 100 to 650 kilometers inside earth have been enigmatic: at these depths, rocks are expected to deform by ductile flow rather than brittle fracturing or frictional sliding on fault surfaces. Laboratory experiments and detailed calculations of the pressures and temperatures in seismically active subduction zones indicate that this deep-focus seismicity could originate from dehydration and high-pressure structural instabilities occurring in the hydrated part of the lithosphere that sinks into the upper mantle. Thus, seismologists may be mapping the recirculation of water from the oceans back into the deep interior of the planet.

Iron-carbonate interaction at Earth's core-mantle boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorfman, S. M.; Badro, J.; Nabiei, F.; Prakapenka, V.; Gillet, P.

2015-12-01

Carbon storage and flux in the deep Earth are moderated by oxygen fugacity and interactions with iron-bearing phases. The amount of carbon stored in Earth's mantle versus the core depends on carbon-iron chemistry at the core-mantle boundary. Oxidized carbonates subducted from Earth's surface to the lowermost mantle may encounter reduced Fe0 metal from disproportionation of Fe2+ in lower mantle silicates or mixing with the core. To understand the fate of carbonates in the lowermost mantle, we have performed experiments on sandwiches of single-crystal (Ca0.6Mg0.4)CO3 dolomite and Fe foil in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell at lower mantle conditions of 49-110 GPa and 1800-2500 K. Syntheses were conducted with in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction to identify phase assemblages. After quench to ambient conditions, samples were sectioned with a focused Ga+ ion beam for composition analysis with transmission electron microscopy. At the centers of the heated spots, iron melted and reacted completely with the carbonate to form magnesiowüstite, iron carbide, diamond, magnesium-rich carbonate and calcium carbonate. In samples heated at 49 and 64 GPa, the two carbonates exhibit a eutectoid texture. In the sample heated at 110 GPa, the carbonates form rounded ~150-nm-diameter grains with a higher modal proportion of interspersed diamonds. The presence of reduced iron in the deep lower mantle and core-mantle boundary region will promote the formation of diamonds in carbonate-bearing subducted slabs. The complete reaction of metallic iron to oxides and carbides in the presence of mantle carbonate supports the formation of these phases at the Earth's core-mantle boundary and in ultra-low velocity zones.

New High Pressure Phase of CaCO3: Implication for the Deep Diamond Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Z.; Li, X.; Zhang, Z.; Lin, J. F.; Ni, H.; Prakapenka, V.

2017-12-01

Surface carbon can be transported to the Earth's deep interior through sinking subduction slabs. Carbonates, including CaCO3, MgCO3 and MgCa(CO3)2, are important carbon carriers for the deep carbon cycle. Experimental studies on the phase stability of carbonates with coexisting mantle minerals at relevant pressure and temperature conditions are thus important for understanding the deep carbon cycle. In particular, recent petrological studies have revealed the evidence for the transportation of CaCO3 to the depth at least of the top lower mantle by analyzing the diamond inclusions. Yet the phase stability of CaCO3 at relevant pressure and temperature conditions of the top lower mantle is still unclear. Previous single-crystal study has shown that CaCO3 transforms from the CaCO3-III structure to CaCO3-VI at 15 GPa and 300 K. The CaCO3-VI is stable at least up to 40 GPa at 300 K. At high temperatures, CaCO3 in the aragonite structure will directly transform into the post-aragonite structure at 40 GPa. However, a recent theoretical study predicted a new phase of CaCO3 with a space group of P21/c between 32 and 48 GPa which is different from previous experimental results. In this study, we have investigated the phase stability of CaCO3 at high pressure-temperature conditions using synchrotron X-ray diffraction in laser-heated diamond anvil cells. We report the discovery of a new phase of CaCO3 at relevant pressure-temperature conditions of the top lower mantle which is consistent with previous theoretical predictions. This new phase is an important carrier for the transportation of carbon to the Earth's lower mantle and crucial for growing deep diamonds in the region.

The Generation of Barriers to Melt Ascent in the Martian Lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schools, Joe W.; Montési, Laurent G. J.

2018-01-01

Planetary mantles can be regarded as an aggregate of two phases: a solid, porous matrix and a liquid melt. Melt travels rapidly upward through the matrix due to its buoyancy. When this melt enters the colder lithosphere, it begins to crystallize. If crystallization happens at a high rate, the newly formed crystals can clog the pore space, reducing its permeability to essentially zero. This zone of zero permeability is the permeability barrier. We use the MELTS family of thermodynamic calculators to determine melt compositions and the crystallization sequence of ascending melt throughout Martian history and simulate the formation of permeability barriers. At lower strain rates (10-17-10-15 s-1) permeability barriers form deep in the lithosphere, possibly contributing to the formation of localized volcanic edifices on the Martian surface once fracturing or thermal erosion enables melt to traverse the lithosphere. Higher strain rates (10-13 s-1) yield shallower permeability barriers, perhaps producing extensive lava flows. Permeability barrier formation is investigated using an anhydrous mantle source or mantle sources that include up to 1,000 ppm H2O. Introducing even small amounts of water (25 ppm H2O) reduces mantle viscosity in a manner similar to increasing the strain rate and results in a shallower barrier than in the anhydrous case. Large amounts of water (1,000 ppm H2O) yield very shallow weak barriers or no barriers at all. The depth of the permeability barrier has evolved through time, likely resulting in a progression in the style of surface volcanism from widespread flows to massive, singular volcanoes.

Quantifying mantle structure and dynamics using plume tracing in seismic tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Farrell, K. A.; Eakin, C. M.; Jackson, M. G.; Jones, T. D.; Lekic, V.; Lithgow-Bertelloni, C. R.

2017-12-01

Directly linking deep mantle processes with surface features and dynamics is a complex problem. Hotspot volcanism gives us surface observables of mantle signatures, but the depth and source of the mantle plumes feeding these hotspots are highly debated. To address these issues, it is necessary to consider the entire journey of a plume through the mantle. By analyzing the behavior of mantle plumes we can constrain the vigor of mantle convection, the net rotation of the mantle and the role of thermal versus chemical anomalies as well as the bulk physical properties such as the viscosity profile. To do this, we developed a new algorithm to trace plume-like features in shear-wave (Vs) seismic tomography models based on picking local minima in the velocity and searching for continuous features with depth. We applied this method to recent tomographic models and find 60+ continuous plume conduits that are > 750 km long. Approximately a third of these can be associated with known hotspots at the surface. We analyze the morphology of these continuous conduits and infer large scale mantle flow patterns and properties. We find the largest lateral deflections in the conduits occur near the base of the lower mantle and in the upper mantle (near the thermal boundary layers). The preferred orientation of the plume deflections show large variability at all depths and indicate no net mantle rotation. Plate by plate analysis shows little agreement in deflection below particular plates, indicating these deflected features might be long lived and not caused by plate shearing. Changes in the gradient of plume deflection are inferred to correspond with viscosity contrasts in the mantle and found below the transition zone as well as at 1000 km depth. From this inferred viscosity structure, we explore the dynamics of a plume through these viscosity jumps. We also retrieve the Vs profiles for the conduits and compare with the velocity profiles predicted for different mantle adiabat temperatures. We are able to constrain the average temperature anomaly of the conduits to be around 150 K. We use these thermal anomalies in conjunction with our measured plume tilts/deflections to further explore the dynamics of plume conduits in the lower mantle and transition zone.

The role and conditions of second-stage mantle melting in the generation of low-Ti tholeiites and boninites: the case of the Manihiki Plateau and the Troodos ophiolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golowin, Roman; Portnyagin, Maxim; Hoernle, Kaj; Sobolev, Alexander; Kuzmin, Dimitry; Werner, Reinhard

2017-12-01

High-Mg, low-Ti volcanic rocks from the Manihiki Plateau in the Western Pacific share many geochemical characteristics with subduction-related boninites such as high-Ca boninites from the Troodos ophiolite on Cyprus, which are believed to originate by hydrous re-melting of previously depleted mantle. In this paper we compare the Manihiki rocks and Troodos boninites using a new dataset on the major and trace element composition of whole rocks and glasses from these locations, and new high-precision, electron microprobe analyses of olivine and Cr-spinel in these rocks. Our results show that both low-Ti Manihiki rocks and Troodos boninites could originate by re-melting of a previously depleted lherzolite mantle source (20-25% of total melting with 8-10% melting during the first stage), as indicated by strong depletion of magmas in more to less incompatible elements (Sm/Yb < 0.8, Zr/Y < 2, Ti/V < 12) and high-Cr-spinel compositions (Cr# > 0.5). In comparison with Troodos boninites, the low-Ti Manihiki magmas had distinctively lower H2O contents (< 0.2 vs. > 2 wt% in boninites), 100 °C higher liquidus temperatures at a given olivine Fo-number, lower fO2 (ΔQFM < + 0.2 vs. ΔQFM > + 0.2) and originated from deeper and hotter mantle (1.4-1.7 GPa, 1440 °C vs. 0.8-1.0 GPa, 1300 °C for Troodos boninites). The data provide new evidence that re-melting of residual upper mantle is not only restricted to subduction zones, where it occurs under hydrous conditions, but can also take place due to interaction of previously depleted upper mantle with mantle plumes from the deep and hotter Earth interior.

Toward a coherent model for the melting behavior of the deep Earth's mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrault, D.; Bolfan-Casanova, N.; Bouhifd, M. A.; Boujibar, A.; Garbarino, G.; Manthilake, G.; Mezouar, M.; Monteux, J.; Parisiades, P.; Pesce, G.

2017-04-01

Knowledge of melting properties is critical to predict the nature and the fate of melts produced in the deep mantle. Early in the Earth's history, melting properties controlled the magma ocean crystallization, which potentially induced chemical segregation in distinct reservoirs. Today, partial melting most probably occurs in the lowermost mantle as well as at mid upper-mantle depths, which control important aspects of mantle dynamics, including some types of volcanism. Unfortunately, despite major experimental and theoretical efforts, major controversies remain about several aspects of mantle melting. For example, the liquidus of the mantle was reported (for peridotitic or chondritic-type composition) with a temperature difference of ∼1000 K at high mantle depths. Also, the Fe partitioning coefficient (DFeBg/melt) between bridgmanite (Bg, the major lower mantle mineral) and a melt was reported between ∼0.1 and ∼0.5, for a mantle depth of ∼2000 km. Until now, these uncertainties had prevented the construction of a coherent picture of the melting behavior of the deep mantle. In this article, we perform a critical review of previous works and develop a coherent, semi-quantitative, model. We first address the melting curve of Bg with the help of original experimental measurements, which yields a constraint on the volume change upon melting (ΔVm). Secondly, we apply a basic thermodynamical approach to discuss the melting behavior of mineralogical assemblages made of fractions of Bg, CaSiO3-perovskite and (Mg,Fe)O-ferropericlase. Our analysis yields quantitative constraints on the SiO2-content in the pseudo-eutectic melt and the degree of partial melting (F) as a function of pressure, temperature and mantle composition; For examples, we find that F could be more than 40% at the solidus temperature, except if the presence of volatile elements induces incipient melting. We then discuss the melt buoyancy in a partial molten lower mantle as a function of pressure, F and DFeBg/melt. In the lower mantle, density inversions (i.e. sinking melts) appear to be restricted to low F values and highest mantle pressures. The coherent melting model has direct geophysical implications: (i) in the early Earth, the magma ocean crystallization could not occur for a core temperature higher than ∼5400 K at the core-mantle boundary (CMB). This temperature corresponds to the melting of pure Bg at 135 GPa. For a mantle composition more realistic than pure Bg, the right CMB temperature for magma ocean crystallization could have been as low as ∼4400 K. (ii) There are converging arguments for the formation of a relatively homogeneous mantle after magma ocean crystallization. In particular, we predict the bulk crystallization of a relatively large mantle fraction, when the temperature becomes lower than the pseudo-eutectic temperature. Some chemical segregation could still be possible as a result of some Bg segregation in the lowermost mantle during the first stage of the magma ocean crystallization, and due to a much later descent of very low F, Fe-enriched, melts toward the CMB. (iii) The descent of such melts could still take place today. There formation should to be related to incipient mantle melting due to the presence of volatile elements. Even though, these melts can only be denser than the mantle (at high mantle depths) if the controversial value of DFeBg/melt is indeed as low as suggested by some experimental studies. This type of melts could contribute to produce ultra-low seismic velocity anomalies in the lowermost mantle.

Super-deep diamond genesis at Redox conditions of slab-mantle boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, J.; Chen, B.; Wu, X.

2017-12-01

Diamond genesis is an intriguing issue for diamond resources and the deep carbon cycle of the Earth's interiors. Super-deep diamonds, representing only 6% of the global diamond population, often host inclusions with phase assemblages requiring a sublithospheric origin (>300 km). Being the windows for probing the deep Earth, super-deep diamonds with their distinctive micro-inclusions not only record a history of oceanic lithosphere subduction and upward transport at a depth of >250 km to even 1000 km, but indicate their genesis pertinent to mantle-carbonate melts in a Fe0-bufferred reduced condition. Our pilot experiments have evidenced the formation of diamonds from MgCO3-Fe0 system in a diamond anvil cell device at 25 GPa and 1800 K. Detailed experimental investigations of redox mechanism of MgCO3-Fe0 and CaCO3-Fe0 coupling have been conducted using multi-anvil apparatus. The conditions are set along the oceanic lithosphere subduction paths in the pressure-temperature range of 10-24 GPa and 1200-2000 K, covering the formation region of most super-deep diamonds. The clear reaction zones strongly support the redox reaction between carbonatitic slab and Fe0-bearing metals under mantle conditions. Our study has experimentally documented the possibility of super-deep diamond genesis at redox conditions of carbonateitic slab and Fe0-bearings. The kinetics of diamond formation as a function of pressure-temperature conditions are also discussed.

Identifying regions of strong scattering at the core-mantle boundary from analysis of PKKP precursor energy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rost, S.; Earle, P.S.

2010-01-01

We detect seismic scattering from the core-mantle boundary related to the phase PKKP (PK. KP) in data from small aperture seismic arrays in India and Canada. The detection of these scattered waves in data from small aperture arrays is new and allows a better characterization of the fine-scale structure of the deep Earth especially in the southern hemisphere. Their slowness vector is determined from array processing allowing location of the heterogeneities at the core-mantle boundary using back-projection techniques through 1D Earth models. We identify strong scattering at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) beneath the Caribbean, Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula as well as beneath southern Africa. An analysis of the scattering regions relative to sources and receivers indicates that these regions represent areas of increased scattering likely due to increased heterogeneities close to the CMB. The 1. Hz array data used in this study is most sensitive to heterogeneity with scale lengths of about 10. km. Given the small size of the scatterers, a chemical origin of the heterogeneities is likely. By comparing the location of the fine-scale heterogeneity to geodynamical models and tomographic images, we identify different scattering mechanisms in regions related to subduction (Caribbean and Patagonia) and dense thermo chemical piles (Southern Africa). ?? 2010 Elsevier B.V.

On gravity from SST, geoid from Seasat, and plate age and fracture zones in the Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marsh, B. D.; Marsh, J. G.; Williamson, R. G. (Principal Investigator)

1984-01-01

A composite map produced by combining 90 passes of SST data show good agreement with conventional GEM models. The SEASAT altimeter data were deduced and found to agree with both the SST and GEM fields. The maps are dominated (especially in the east) by a pattern of roughly east-west anomalies with a transverse wavelength of about 2000 km. Comparison with regional bathymetric data shows a remarkedly close correlation with plate age. Most anomalies in the east half of the Pacific could be partly caused by regional differences in plate age. The amplitude of these geoid or gravity anomalies caused by age differences should decrease with absolute plate age, and large anomalies (approximately 3 m) over old, smooth sea floor may indicate a further deeper source within or perhaps below the lithosphere. The possible plume size and ascent velocity necessary to supply deep mantle material to the upper mantle without complete thermal equilibration was considered. A plume emanating from a buoyant layer 100 km thick and 10,000 times less viscous than the surrounding mantle should have a diameter of about 400 km and must ascend at about 10 cm/yr to arrive still anomalously hot in the uppermost mantle.

A New Carbonate Chemistry in the Earth's Lower Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulard, E.; Gloter, A.; Corgne, A.; Antonangeli, D.; Auzende, A.; Perrillat, J.; Guyot, F. J.; Fiquet, G.

2010-12-01

The global geochemical carbon cycle involves exchange between the Earth’s mantle and the surface. Carbon (C) is recycled into the mantle via subduction and released to the atmosphere via volcanic outgassing. Carbonates are the main C-bearing minerals that are transported deep in the Earth’s mantle via subduction of the oceanic lithosphere [1]. The way C is recycled and its contribution to the lower mantle reservoir is however largely unknown [ e.g 2, 3]. In this respect, it is important to assess if carbonates can be preserved in the deep mantle, or if decarbonatation, melting or reduction play a role in the deep carbon cycle. To clarify the fate of carbonates in the deep mantle, we carried out high-pressure and high-temperature experiments up to 105 GPa and 2850 K. Natural Fe-Mg carbonates or oxide mixtures of (Mg,Fe)O + CO2 were loaded into laser heated diamond anvil cells. In situ characterizations were done by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) using synchrotron radiation at the high-pressure beamline ID27 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. A focused ion beam technique was then used to prepare the recovered samples for electron energy loss spectroscopy in a dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope (EELS-STEM) and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM). In situ XRD clearly shows the transformation of the initial carbonate phase into a new Mg-Fe high pressure carbonate phase at lower mantle conditions. We also provide direct evidence for recombination of CO2 with (Mg,Fe)O to form this new carbonate structure. In addition, subsequent EELS-STEM and STXM spectroscopies carried out on recovered samples yields C K-edge and stoechiometry characteristic to this new carbonate structure. This new high pressure phase concentrates a large amount of Fe(III), as a result of redox reactions within the siderite-rich carbonate. The oxidation of iron is balanced by partial reduction of carbon into CO groups and/or diamond. These reactions may provide an explanation for the coexistence of oxidized and reduced C species observed on natural samples [4, 5], but also a new diamond formation mechanism at lower mantle conditions. [1] Sleep, N. H., and K. Zahnle (2001) J. Geophys. Res.-Planets 106(E1), 1373-1399. [2] Javoy, M. (1997) Geophys. Res. Lett. 24(2), 177-180. [3] Lecuyer et al. (2000) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 181(1-2), 33-40. [4] Brenker et al. (2007) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 260(1-2), 1-9. [5] Stachel et al. (2000) Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 140(1), 16-27.

Dynamic melting in plume heads: the formation of Gorgona komatiites and basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arndt, Nicholas T.; Kerr, Andrew C.; Tarney, John

1997-01-01

The small Pacific island of Gorgona, off the coast of Colombia, is well known for its spectacular spinifex-textured komatiites. These high-Mg liquids, which have been linked to a late Cretaceous deep mantle plume, are part of a volcanic series with a wide range of trace-element compositions, from moderately enriched basalts ( La/SmN ˜ 1.5) to extremely depleted ultramafic tuffs and picrites ( La/SmN ˜ 0.2). Neither fractional crystallization, nor partial melting of a homogeneous mantle source, can account for this large variation: the source must have been chemically heterogeneous. Low 143Nd/144Nd in the more enriched basalts indicates some initial source heterogeneity but most of the variation in magma compositions is believed to result from dynamic melting during the ascent of a plume. Modelling of major- and trace-element compositions suggests that ultramafic magmas formed at ˜ 60-100 km depth, and that the melt extraction that gave rise to their depleted sources started at still greater depths. The ultra-depleted lavas represent magmas derived directly from the hottest, most depleted parts of the plume; the more abundant moderately depleted basalts are interpreted as the products of pooling of liquids from throughout the melting region.

Formation and Elimination of Transform Faults on the Reykjanes Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Fernando; Hey, Richard

2017-04-01

The Reykjanes Ridge is a type-setting for examining processes that form and eliminate transform faults because it has undergone these events systematically within the Iceland gradient in hot-spot influence. A Paleogene change in plate motion led to the abrupt segmentation of the originally linear axis into a stair-step ridge-transform configuration. Its subsequent evolution diachronously and systematically eliminated the just-formed offsets re-establishing the original linear geometry of the ridge over the mantle, although now spreading obliquely. During segmented stages accreted crust was thinner and during unsegmented stages southward pointing V-shaped crustal ridges formed. Although mantle plume effects have been invoked to explain the changes in segmentation and crustal features, we propose that plate boundary processes can account for these changes [Martinez & Hey, EPSL, 2017]. Fragmentation of the axis was a mechanical effect of an abrupt change in plate opening direction, as observed in other areas, and did not require mantle plume temperature changes. Reassembly of the fragmented axis to its original linear configuration was controlled by a deep damp melting regime that persisted in a linear configuration following the abrupt change in opening direction. Whereas the shallow and stronger mantle of the dry melting regime broke up into a segmented plate boundary, the persistent deep linear damp melting regime guided reassembly of the ridge axis back to its original configuration by inducing asymmetric spreading of individual ridge segments. Effects of segmentation on mantle upwelling explain crustal thickness changes between segmented and unsegmented phases of spreading without mantle temperature changes. Buoyant upwelling instabilities propagate along the long linear deep melting regime driven by regional gradients in mantle properties away from Iceland. Once segmentation is eliminated, these propagating upwelling instabilities lead to crustal thickness variations forming the V-shaped ridges on the Reykjanes Ridge flanks, without requiring actual rapid radial mantle plume flow or temperature variations. Our study indicates that the Reykjanes Ridge can be used to study how plate boundary processes within a regional gradient in mantle properties lead to a range of effects on lithospheric segmentation, melt production and crustal accretion.

Sudden deep gas eruption nearby Rome's airport of Fiumicino

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciotoli, Giancarlo; Etiope, Giuseppe; Florindo, Fabio; Marra, Fabrizio; Ruggiero, Livio; Sauer, Peter E.

2013-11-01

24 August 2013 a sudden gas eruption from the ground occurred in the Tiber river delta, nearby Rome's international airport of Fiumicino. We assessed that this gas, analogous to other minor vents in the area, is dominantly composed of deep, partially mantle-derived CO2, as in the geothermal gas of the surrounding Roman Comagmatic Province. Increased amounts of thermogenic CH4 are likely sourced from Meso-Cenozoic petroleum systems, overlying the deep magmatic fluids. We hypothesize that the intersection of NE-SW and N-S fault systems, which at regional scale controls the location of the Roman volcanic edifices, favors gas uprising through the impermeable Pliocene and deltaic Holocene covers. Pressurized gas may temporarily be stored below these covers or within shallower sandy, permeable layers. The eruption, regardless the triggering cause—natural or man-made, reveals the potential hazard of gas-charged sediments in the delta, even at distances far from the volcanic edifices.

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.

Dissipation in the deep interiors of Ganymede and Europa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussmann, Hauke; Shoji, Daigo; Steinbruegge, Gregor; Stark, Alexander; Sohl, Frank

2017-04-01

Jupiter's satellites are subject to strong tidal forces which result in variations of the gravitational potential and deformations of the satellites' surfaces on the diurnal tidal cycle. Tidal flexing in the deep interiors can be a significant heat source for the satellites' thermal-orbital evolution. Whereas typical structure models of Europa consist of a core, a silicate mantle, an ocean and an outer ice-I shell [1], pressures inside Ganymede are sufficient for high-pressure ice phases to occur between the silicate mantle and the ocean [2]. With current data it is unknown whether the deep interiors (i.e., Europa's silicate shell and Ganymede's silicate mantle and/or high-pressure ice layer) are dissipative. Other possibilities would be that the dissipation rates are in general very low (unlikely at least for Europa due to recent observations) or that dissipative processes are mainly occurring in the ice-I shell and/or ocean. Thus, for evaluations of the heating state of these satellites, it is important to measure the magnitude of the interior dissipation. However, observation of the interior layers such as high-pressure ice layers is more challenging than that of the surface ice-I layer. Here we suggest a method to constrain the dissipation states of the deep interiors of Ganymede and Europa by altimetry and gravity measurements from an orbiting or multi-flyby spacecraft. Tidal variations are generally described by the Love numbers k2 and h2 for the tide-induced potential variation due to internal mass redistribution and the radial surface displacement, respectively. The phase-lags of these complex numbers contain information about the rheological and dissipative states of the satellites. For the satellites we assume a decoupling of the outer ice-shell from the deep interior by a liquid subsurface water ocean. We show that, in this case, the phase-lag difference between the lags of k2 and h2 can provide information on the rheological and thermal state of the deep interiors if the viscosities of the deeper layers are small (the phase-lag difference is almost independent of the dissipation in the surface layer). In case of Ganymede, phase-lag differences can reach values of a few degrees for high-pressure ice viscosities of 1e13-1e14 Pa s (around the lower boundary at its melting temperature) and would indicate a highly dissipative state of the deep interior. In this case, in contrast to the phase lags itself, the phase-lag difference is dominated by dissipation in the high-pressure ice layer rather than dissipation within the ice-I shell. These phase lags would be detectable from spacecraft in orbit around the satellite [3]. For Europa the phase-lag difference could reach values exceeding 20 deg if the silicate mantle contains melt and phase-lag measurements could help distinguish between (1) a hot dissipative (melt-containing) silicate mantle which would in thermal equilibrium correspond to a very thin outer ice-I shell and (2) a cold deep interior implying that dissipation would mainly occur in a thick (several tens of km) outer ice-I shell. These measurements are highly relevant for ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) and NASA's Europa Multiple Flyby Mission, both targeted for the Jupiter system. References: [1] Schubert, G., F. Sohl and H. Hussmann 2009. Interior of Europa. In: Europa, (R.T. Pappalardo, W.B. McKinnon, K. Khurana, Eds.), University of Arizona Press, pp. 353 - 368. [2] Schubert G., J. D. Anderson, T. Spohn, and W. B. McKinnon 2004. Interior composition, structure, and dynamics of the Galilean satellites. In: F. Bagenal, T. E. Dowling, and W. B. McKinnon (eds.) Jupiter. The Planet, Satellites, and Magnetosphere, pp. 281-306. Cambridge University Press. [3] Hussmann, H., D. Shoji, G. Steinbrügge, A. Stark, F. Sohl 2016. Constraints on dissipation in the deep interiors of Ganymede and Europa from tidal phase-lags. Cel. Mech. Dyn. Astr. 126, 131 - 144.

Mantle transition zone structure and upper mantle S velocity variations beneath Ethiopia: Evidence for a broad, deep-seated thermal anomaly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benoit, Margaret H.; Nyblade, Andrew A.; Owens, Thomas J.; Stuart, Graham

2006-11-01

Ethiopia has been subjected to widespread Cenozoic volcanism, rifting, and uplift associated with the Afar hot spot. The hot spot tectonism has been attributed to one or more thermal upwellings in the mantle, for example, starting thermal plumes and superplumes. We investigate the origin of the hot spot by imaging the S wave velocity structure of the upper mantle beneath Ethiopia using travel time tomography and by examining relief on transition zone discontinuities using receiver function stacks. The tomographic images reveal an elongated low-velocity region that is wide (>500 km) and extends deep into the upper mantle (>400 km). The anomaly is aligned with the Afar Depression and Main Ethiopian Rift in the uppermost mantle, but its center shifts westward with depth. The 410 km discontinuity is not well imaged, but the 660 km discontinuity is shallower than normal by ˜20-30 km beneath most of Ethiopia, but it is at a normal depth beneath Djibouti and the northwestern edge of the Ethiopian Plateau. The tomographic results combined with a shallow 660 km discontinuity indicate that upper mantle temperatures are elevated by ˜300 K and that the thermal anomaly is broad (>500 km wide) and extends to depths ≥660 km. The dimensions of the thermal anomaly are not consistent with a starting thermal plume but are consistent with a flux of excess heat coming from the lower mantle. Such a broad thermal upwelling could be part of the African Superplume found in the lower mantle beneath southern Africa.

Magma emplacement in 3D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorczyk, W.; Vogt, K.

2017-12-01

Magma intrusion is a major material transfer process in Earth's continental crust. Yet, the mechanical behavior of the intruding magma and its host are a matter of debate. In this study, we present a series of numerical thermo-mechanical experiments on mafic magma emplacement in 3D.In our model, we place the magmatic source region (40 km diameter) at the base of the mantle lithosphere and connect it to the crust by a 3 km wide channel, which may have evolved at early stages of magmatism during rapid ascent of hot magmatic fluids/melts. Our results demonstrate continental crustal response due to magma intrusion. We observe change in intrusion geometries between dikes, cone-sheets, sills, plutons, ponds, funnels, finger-shaped and stock-like intrusions as well as injection time. The rheology and temperature of the host-rock are the main controlling factors in the transition between these different modes of intrusion. Viscous deformation in the warm and deep crust favours host rock displacement and magma pools along the crust-mantle boundary forming deep-seated plutons or magma ponds in the lower to middle-crust. Brittle deformation in the cool and shallow crust induces cone-shaped fractures in the host rock and enables emplacement of finger- or stock-like intrusions at shallow or intermediate depth. A combination of viscous and brittle deformation forms funnel-shaped intrusions in the middle-crust. Low-density source magma results in T-shaped intrusions in cross-section with magma sheets at the surface.

Hydrogen Isotopic Systematics of Nominally Anhydrous Phases in Martian Meteorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, Kera

Hydrogen isotope compositions of the martian atmosphere and crustal materials can provide unique insights into the hydrological and geological evolution of Mars. While the present-day deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio (D/H) of the Mars atmosphere is well constrained (~6 times that of terrestrial ocean water), that of its deep silicate interior (specifically, the mantle) is less so. In fact, the hydrogen isotope composition of the primordial martian mantle is of great interest since it has implications for the origin and abundance of water on that planet. Martian meteorites could provide key constraints in this regard, since they crystallized from melts originating from the martian mantle and contain phases that potentially record the evolution of the H 2O content and isotopic composition of the interior of the planet over time. Examined here are the hydrogen isotopic compositions of Nominally Anhydrous Phases (NAPs) in eight martian meteorites (five shergottites and three nakhlites) using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). This study presents a total of 113 individual analyses of H2O contents and hydrogen isotopic compositions of NAPs in the shergottites Zagami, Los Angeles, QUE 94201, SaU 005, and Tissint, and the nakhlites Nakhla, Lafayette, and Yamato 000593. The hydrogen isotopic variation between and within meteorites may be due to one or more processes including: interaction with the martian atmosphere, magmatic degassing, subsolidus alteration (including shock), and/or terrestrial contamination. Taking into consideration the effects of these processes, the hydrogen isotope composition of the martian mantle may be similar to that of the Earth. Additionally, this study calculated upper limits on the H2O contents of the shergottite and nakhlite parent melts based on the measured minimum H2O abundances in their maskelynites and pyroxenes, respectively. These calculations, along with some petrogenetic assumptions based on previous studies, were subsequently used to infer the H2O contents of the mantle source reservoirs of the depleted shergottites (200-700 ppm) and the nakhlites (10-100 ppm). This suggests that mantle source of the nakhlites is systematically drier than that of the depleted shergottites, and the upper mantle of Mars may have preserved significant heterogeneity in its H2O content. Additionally, this range of H2O contents is not dissimilar to the range observed for the Earth's upper mantle.

Considering bioactivity in modelling continental growth and the Earth's evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höning, D.; Spohn, T.

2013-09-01

The complexity of planetary evolution increases with the number of interacting reservoirs. On Earth, even the biosphere is speculated to interact with the interior. It has been argued (e.g., Rosing et al. 2006; Sleep et al, 2012) that the formation of continents could be a consequence of bioactivity harvesting solar energy through photosynthesis to help build the continents and that the mantle should carry a chemical biosignature. Through plate tectonics, the surface biosphere can impact deep subduction zone processes and the interior of the Earth. Subducted sediments are particularly important, because they influence the Earth's interior in several ways, and in turn are strongly influenced by the Earth's biosphere. In our model, we use the assumption that a thick sedimentary layer of low permeability on top of the subducting oceanic crust, caused by a biologically enhanced weathering rate, can suppress shallow dewatering. This in turn leads to greater vailability of water in the source region of andesitic partial melt, resulting in an enhanced rate of continental production and regassing rate into the mantle. Our model includes (i) mantle convection, (ii) continental erosion and production, and (iii) mantle water degassing at mid-ocean ridges and regassing at subduction zones. The mantle viscosity of our model depends on (i) the mantle water concentration and (ii) the mantle temperature, whose time dependency is given by radioactive decay of isotopes in the Earth's mantle. Boundary layer theory yields the speed of convection and the water outgassing rate of the Earth's mantle. Our results indicate that present day values of continental surface area and water content of the Earth's mantle represent an attractor in a phase plane spanned by both parameters. We show that the biologic enhancement of the continental erosion rate is important for the system to reach this fixed point. An abiotic Earth tends to reach an alternative stable fixed point with a smaller continental surface area and dryer mantle. The origin and evolution of life on Earth might be responsible for the rise of continents 3.5 billion years ago.

Origin and Constraints on Ilmenite-rich Partial Melt in the Lunar Lower Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallik, A.; Fuqua, H.; Bremner, P. M.; Panovska, S.; Diamond, M. R.; Lock, S. J.; Nishikawa, Y.; Jiménez-Pérez, H.; Shahar, A.; Panero, W. R.; Lognonne, P. H.; Faul, U.

2015-12-01

Existence of a partially molten layer at the lunar core-mantle boundary has been proposed to explain the lack of observed far-side deep moonquakes, the observation of reflected seismic phases from deep moonquakes, and the dissipation of tidal energy within the lunar interior [1,2]. However, subsequent models explored the possibility that dissipation due to elevated temperatures alone can explain the observed dissipation factor (Q) and tidal love numbers [3]. Using thermo-chemical and dynamic modeling (including models of the early lunar mantle convection), we explore the hypothesis that an ilmenite-rich layer forms below crustal anorthosite during lunar magma ocean crystallization and may sink to the base of the mantle to create a partial melt layer at the lunar core-mantle boundary. Self-consistent physical parameters (including gravity, pressure, density, VP and Vs) are forward calculated for a well-mixed mantle with uniform bulk composition versus a mantle with preserved mineralogical stratigraphy from lunar magma ocean crystallization. These parameters are compared against observed mass, moment of inertia, real and imaginary parts of the Love numbers, and seismic travel times to further limit the acceptable models for the Moon. We have performed a multi-step grid search with over twenty thousand forward calculations varying thicknesses of chemically/mineralogically distinct layers within the Moon to evaluate if a partially molten layer at the base of the lunar mantle is well-constrained by the observed data. Furthermore, dynamic mantle modeling was employed on the best-fit model versions to determine the survivability of a partially molten layer at the core-mantle boundary. This work was originally initiated at the CIDER 2014 program. [1] Weber et al. (2011). Science 331(6015), 309-12. [2] Khan et al. (2014). JGR 119. [3] Nimmo et al. (2012). JGR 117, 1-11.

Mantle wedge exhumation beneath the Dora-Maira (U)HP dome unravelled by local earthquake tomography (Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solarino, Stefano; Malusà, Marco G.; Eva, Elena; Guillot, Stéphane; Paul, Anne; Schwartz, Stéphane; Zhao, Liang; Aubert, Coralie; Dumont, Thierry; Pondrelli, Silvia; Salimbeni, Simone; Wang, Qingchen; Xu, Xiaobing; Zheng, Tianyu; Zhu, Rixiang

2018-01-01

In continental subduction zones, the behaviour of the mantle wedge during exhumation of (ultra)high-pressure [(U)HP] rocks provides a key to distinguish among competing exhumation mechanisms. However, in spite of the relevant implications for understanding orogenic evolution, a high-resolution image of the mantle wedge beneath the Western Alps is still lacking. In order to fill this gap, we perform a detailed analysis of the velocity structure of the Alpine belt beneath the Dora-Maira (U)HP dome, based on local earthquake tomography independently validated by receiver function analysis. Our results point to a composite structure of the mantle wedge above the subducted European lithosphere. We found that the Dora-Maira (U)HP dome lays directly above partly serpentinized peridotites (Vp 7.5 km/s; Vp/Vs = 1.70-1.72), documented from 10 km depth down to the top of the eclogitized lower crust of the European plate. These serpentinized peridotites, possibly formed by fluid release from the subducting European slab to the Alpine mantle wedge, are juxtaposed against dry mantle peridotites of the Adriatic upper plate along an active fault rooted in the lithospheric mantle. We propose that serpentinized mantle-wedge peridotites were exhumed at shallow crustal levels during late Eocene transtensional tectonics, also triggering the rapid exhumation of (U)HP rocks, and were subsequently indented under the Alpine metamorphic wedge in the early Oligocene. Our findings suggest that mantle-wedge exhumation may represent a major feature of the deep structure of exhumed continental subduction zones. The deep orogenic levels here imaged by seismic tomography may be exposed today in older (U)HP belts, where mantle-wedge serpentinites are commonly associated with coesite-bearing continental metamorphic rocks.

Mantle transition zone-derived EM1 component beneath NE China: Geochemical evidence from Cenozoic potassic basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao-Jun; Chen, Li-Hui; Hofmann, Albrecht W.; Mao, Fu-Gen; Liu, Jian-Qiang; Zhong, Yuan; Xie, Lie-Wen; Yang, Yue-Heng

2017-05-01

The isotopic characteristics of the sub-oceanic mantle are well established, but in continental regions these properties are usually obscured, and therefore controversial, because of the potential effects of crustal contamination together with lithospheric mantle metasomatism and melting. The so-called EM1 (Enriched Mantle-1) signature, characterized by low 206Pb/204Pb and 143Nd/144Nd ratios, is particularly problematic in this respect because EM1-type OIB sources are commonly attributed to recycled crust and/or lithospheric mantle. In this paper we show that a suite of Cenozoic potassic basalts from NE China displays many previously unrecognized correlations between chemical and isotopic parameters, which tightly constrain the isotopic characteristics of an extreme EM1-type mantle source located in the asthenosphere. Its radiogenic isotopes are similar to, but even more extreme than, those of the oceanic endmember composition represented by the Pitcairn hotspot, namely 206Pb/204Pb ≤ 16.5, 143Nd/144Nd ≤ 0.5123 (or εNd ≤ - 6.4), 176Hf/177Hf ≤ 0.2825 (or εHf ≤ - 10.1). These characteristics require a source of recycled crustal material of Precambrian age (∼2.2 Ga). An important new constraint is the Mg isotopic composition of δ26 Mg (≤ - 0.6 ‰), which is lower than normal mantle (δ26 Mg = - 0.25 ± 0.07 ‰) and lower crustal values (δ26 Mg = - 0.29 ± 0.15 ‰), but consistent with sedimentary carbonate (δ26 Mg = - 5.57 ‰ to - 0.38 ‰). The endmember EM1 source produced high-SiO2 melts with low MgO, CaO/Al2O3 and δ26 Mg values, exceptionally high K/U ≅ 50,000, Ba/Th ≅ 400, low U/Pb ≅ 0.06, and positive Zr and Hf anomalies. The chemical and isotopic parameters of this potassic basalt suite form binary mixing arrays, one end point of which is the inferred asthenospheric EM1 reservoir, whereas the other is a more ordinary, depleted mantle component, which is also sampled by local lithospheric mantle xenoliths. These binary arrays include well-developed correlations between Sr, Nd, Hf, Pb and Mg isotopes, negative correlations of 206Pb/204Pb with K2 O, K/U, Hf/Hf*, positive correlations of δ26 Mg with MgO, and 143Nd/144Nd with Fe2OT3 and U/Pb. We propose that the EM1 reservoir contains recycled ancient carbonate-bearing sediments, subducted into the mantle transition zone, where K, Rb, Ba and Pb are sequestered by K-hollandite as suggested by Murphy et al. (2002) for the Gaussberg lamproites. Loss of small amounts of carbonate melt extracted Th, U and some of the LREE, while retaining K, Rb, Ba, Pb, Zr and Hf in the residue, thereby generating the observed trace element anomalies. In Cenozoic time, this deep EM1 reservoir ascended into the shallow asthenosphere and underwent low-degree partial melting, at pressures below the stability field of K-hollandite, thereby releasing K, Rb and Ba into the melt. The partial melts ascended through subcontinental lithosphere and were progressively modified by interaction with the lithospheric mantle, thus accounting for the linear chemical and isotopic trends noted above. This interaction imposed a progressively more depleted character on the erupted melt, both in terms of isotopic composition and trace element enrichment.

Density-Pressure Profiles of Fe-Bearing MgSiO3 Liquid: Effects of Valence and Spin States, and Implications for the Chemical Evolution of the Lower Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karki, Bijaya B.; Ghosh, Dipta B.; Maharjan, Charitra; Karato, Shun-ichiro; Park, Jeffrey

2018-05-01

Density is a key property controlling the chemical state of Earth's interior. Our knowledge about the density of relevant melt compositions is currently poor at deep-mantle conditions. Here we report results from first-principles molecular-dynamics simulations of Fe-bearing MgSiO3 liquids considering different valence and spin states of iron over the whole mantle pressure conditions. Our simulations predict the high-spin to low-spin transition in both ferrous and ferric iron in the silicate liquid to occur gradually at pressures around 100 GPa. The calculated iron-induced changes in the melt density (about 8% increase for 25% iron content) are primarily due to the difference in atomic mass between Mg and Fe, with smaller contributions (<2%) from the valence and spin states. A comparison of the predicted density of mixtures of (Mg,Fe)(Si,Fe)O3 and (Mg,Fe)O liquids with the mantle density indicates that the density contrast between the melt and residual-solid depends strongly on pressure (depth): in the shallow lower mantle (depths < 1,000 km), the melt is lighter than the solids, whereas in the deep lower mantle (e.g., the D″ layer), the melt density exceeds the mantle density when iron content is relatively high and/or melt is enriched with Fe-rich ferropericlase.

Volatile transfer and recycling at convergent margins: Mass-balance and insights from high-P/T metamorphic rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bebout, Gray E.

The efficiency with which volatiles are deeply subducted is governed by devolatilization histories and the geometries and mechanisms of fluid transport deep in subduction zones. Metamorphism along the forearc slab-mantle interface may prevent the deep subduction of many volatile components (e.g., H2O, Cs, B, N, perhaps As, Sb, and U) and result in their transport in fluids toward shallower reservoirs. The release, by devolatilization, and transport of such components toward the seafloor or into the forearc mantle wedge, could in part explain the imbalances between the estimated amounts of subducted volatiles and the amounts returned to Earth's surface. The proportion of the initially subducted volatile component that is retained in rocks subducted to depths greater than those beneath magmatic arcs (>100 km) is largely unknown, complicating assessments of deep mantle volatile budgets. Isotopic and trace element data and volatile contents for the Catalina Schist, the Franciscan Complex, and eclogite-facies complexes in the Alps (and elsewhere) provide insight into the nature and magnitude of fluid production and transport deep in subduction zones and into the possible effects of metamorphism on the compositions of subducting rocks. Compatibilities of the compositions of the subduction-related rocks and fluids with the isotopic and trace element compositions of various mantle-derived materials (igneous rocks, xenoliths, serpentinite seamounts) indicate the potential to trace the recycling of rock and fluid reservoirs chemically and isotopically fractionated during subduction-zone metamorphism.

Nitrogen isotope geochemistry as a volatile tracer of the deep mantle: insights from Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prade, K. C.; Fischer, T. P.; Sharp, Z. D.; Hilton, D. R.; Gronvold, K.; Fueri, E.; Halldorsson, S.; Barry, P. H.

2009-12-01

Nitrogen isotope geochemistry can be used to identify sedimentary input (δ15N=+8‰) in volcanic arc systems, but its use as an indicator of deep mantle volatile contributions is limited. Consequently, we target the neovolcanic zones of Iceland where He isotope work has revealed a distinct region of elevated 3He/4He ratios (>20RA, where RA=air 3He/4He) correlated to the presumed location of the plume in central Iceland (Breddam et al., 2000). In contrast, the rift zones are characterized by intermediate (10-20RA; Western Rift Zone) and MORB-like (8RA; Northern Rift Zone) 3He/4He ratios indicating these regions sample plume He increasingly dominated by MORB-like He. One principal objective is to investigate the relationship between nitrogen and helium isotope systematics throughout Iceland in order to apply nitrogen isotopes to non-arc volcanic systems and constrain the relative contributions of volatiles from the deep and shallow (MORB) mantle. A predominantly positive δ15N may imply a surface-derived N component in the source of deep mantle volatiles (Marty and Dauphas, 2003) whereas shallow mantle is characterized by δ15N=-5±3‰. We report data obtained using geothermal gas and water samples collected in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Samples show variations in gas content, notably CO2, N2 and H2. Some samples contain no CO2, while others have values ranging from 122 to 997 mmol/mol dry gas. All samples contain N2, with values ranging from 2 to 987 mmol/mol dry gas. Most samples had insignificant amounts of H2 but some had large quantities up to 690 mmol/mol dry gas. The δ15N and 3He/4He ratios range from -7.2‰ to +3.4‰ and 2.2RA to 26.4RA, respectively and show no linear correlation. For example, Krafla had a MORB-like 3He/4He of 8.9RA and δ15N=-2.4‰, and Theistareykir with 8.6RA has δ15N=+1.3‰. Additionally, there was no systematic variation in δ15N along the rift zones in contrast to He. The only distinctly positive δ15N value (3.4‰) is in the SISZ, where the highest 3He/4He ratios are found. Almost all negative δ15N were measured in the ERZ (as low as -5.2‰), and WRZ (-5.6‰). Extremely high 3He/4He ratios (up to 37RA) are also prominent in the northwest peninsula of Iceland, a region with no recent volcanism (Hilton et al., 1999). In this region the gas chemistry and N isotopes are dominated by air-like signatures, consistent with extensive mixing of any mantle component and the atmosphere. The relationship between 3He/4He vs. δ15N data can be explained by mixing of MORB-like values (8RA and δ15N=-5‰), air (1RA and δ15N=0‰) and a component with high 3He/4He ratios and positive δ15N. Therefore, our results are consistent with the presence of surface-derived nitrogen in the relatively undegassed mantle beneath Iceland. References: Breddam, K. et al. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 176 (2000) 45-55.; Hilton, D.R. et al. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 173 (1999) 53-60.; Marty, B. & Dauphas, N. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 206 (2003) 397-410.

Absolute plate motions relative to deep mantle plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shimin; Yu, Hongzheng; Zhang, Qiong; Zhao, Yonghong

2018-05-01

Advances in whole waveform seismic tomography have revealed the presence of broad mantle plumes rooted at the base of the Earth's mantle beneath major hotspots. Hotspot tracks associated with these deep mantle plumes provide ideal constraints for inverting absolute plate motions as well as testing the fixed hotspot hypothesis. In this paper, 27 observed hotspot trends associated with 24 deep mantle plumes are used together with the MORVEL model for relative plate motions to determine an absolute plate motion model, in terms of a maximum likelihood optimization for angular data fitting, combined with an outlier data detection procedure based on statistical tests. The obtained T25M model fits 25 observed trends of globally distributed hotspot tracks to the statistically required level, while the other two hotspot trend data (Comores on Somalia and Iceland on Eurasia) are identified as outliers, which are significantly incompatible with other data. For most hotspots with rate data available, T25M predicts plate velocities significantly lower than the observed rates of hotspot volcanic migration, which cannot be fully explained by biased errors in observed rate data. Instead, the apparent hotspot motions derived by subtracting the observed hotspot migration velocities from the T25M plate velocities exhibit a combined pattern of being opposite to plate velocities and moving towards mid-ocean ridges. The newly estimated net rotation of the lithosphere is statistically compatible with three recent estimates, but differs significantly from 30 of 33 prior estimates.

Foundations of Nuclear Geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herndon, J. M.; Hollenbach, D. F.

2002-05-01

Herndon suggested that the inner core of the Earth consists, not of partially crystallized iron metal, but of nickel silicide. He has shown by fundamental mass ratios that i) the Earth as a whole, especially the inner 82%, has a state of oxidation like primitive enstatite chondrites, and ii) the lower mantle and core are similar in composition to the Abee enstatite chondrite. By analogy with Abee data, CaS and MgS precipitates from the core are expected to collect at the core-mantle boundary and, significantly, a major fraction of the actinides are expected to precipitate from the core and to collect at the center of the Earth. Herndon demonstrated the feasibility of a nuclear fission reactor at the center of the Earth as the energy source for the geomagnetic field and described a natural mechanism that would lead to variations in energy production and thus variations in the geomagnetic field. Hollenbach and Herndon produced numerical simulations of the operation of the geo-reactor over the lifetime of the Earth using the state-of-the-art, validated, industry standard SCALE code package developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The results clearly demonstrate that such a geo-reactor would i) function as a fast-neutron breeder reactor; ii) under appropriate conditions, operate over the entire period of geologic time; iii) function in such a manner as to yield variable and/or intermittent output; iv) generate energy at levels in the range generally accepted by the geophysics community; and, v) produce He-3 and He-4 in ratios that are in the range observed from deep-mantle sources. Deep-source He-3, the authors submit, is evidence of in-core sustained nuclear fission, rather than the out-gassing of primordial He-3; which in turn is evidence of large amounts of uranium residing in the Earth's core; which in turn is evidence that the core has a state of oxidation like the corresponding matter in primitive enstatite chondrites. The factors affecting He-3/He-4 ratios, their causes and implications, will be discussed in the presentation. Also, the current state of investigations into additional deep-Earth nuclear fission signatures will be presented. References: J. M. Herndon, Proc. R. Roc. London, Ser. A, 368 (1979) 495; J. Geomagn. Geoelectr. 45 (1993) 423; Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 445 (1994) 453; Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (USA) 93 (1996) 646. Hollenbach, D. F. and J. M. Herndon, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (USA) 98 (2001) 11085.

Mantle Recycling of Crustal Materials through Study of Ultrahigh-Pressure Minerals in Collisional Orogens, Ophiolites, and Xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou, J. G.; Tsujimori, T.; Yang, J.; Zhang, R. Y.; Ernst, W. G.

2014-12-01

Newly recognized ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) mineral occurrences including diamonds in ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) felsic granulites of orogenic belts, in chromitites associated with ophiolitic complexes, and in mafic/ultramafic xenoliths suggest the recycling of crustal materials through profound subduction, mantle upwelling, and return to the Earth's surface. Recycling is supported by unambiguously crust-derived mineral inclusions in deep-seated zircons, chromites, and diamonds from collision-type orogens, from eclogitic xenoliths, and from ultramafic bodies of several Alpine-Himalayan and Polar Ural ophiolites; some such phases contain low-atomic number elements typified by crustal isotopic signatures. Ophiolite-type diamonds in placer deposits and as inclusions in chromitites together with numerous highly reduced minerals and alloys appear to have formed near the mantle transition zone. In addition to ringwoodite and stishovite, a wide variety of nanometric minerals have been identified as inclusions employing state-of-the-art analysis. Reconstitution of now-exsolved precursor UHP phases and recognition of subtle decompression microstructures produced during exhumation reflect earlier UHP conditions. Some podiform chromitites and associated peridotites contain rare minerals of undoubted crustal origin, including Zrn, corundum, Fls, Grt, Ky, Sil, Qtz, and Rtl; the zircons possess much older U-Pb ages than the formation age of the host ophiolites. These UHP mineral-bearing chromitites had a deep-seated evolution prior to extensional mantle upwelling and its partial melting at shallow depths to form the overlying ophiolite complexes. These new findings plus stable isotopic and inclusion characteristics of diamonds provide compelling evidence for profound underflow of both oceanic and continental lithosphere, recycling of biogenic carbon into the lower mantle, and ascent to the Earth's surface through deep mantle ascent.

Testing Lithospheric versus Deep-Mantle Dynamics on Post-100 Ma Evolution of Western U.S. using Landscape Evolution Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C.; Liu, L.

2017-12-01

Driving mechanisms of the topographic evolution of central-western North America from the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (WIS) to its present-day high elevation remain ellusive. Quantifying the effects of lithospheric deformation versus deep-mantle induced topography on the landscape evolution of the region is a key to better constraining the history of North American tectonics and mantle dynamics. One way to tackle this problem is through running landscape evolution simulation coupled with uplift histories characteristic to these tectonic processes. We then use available surface observations, e.g., sedimentation records, land erosion, and drainage evolution, to infer the likely lithospheric and mantle processes that formed the WIS, the subsequent Laramide orogeny, and the present-day high topography of central-western North America. In practice, we use BadLands to simulate the evolution of surface process. To validate a given uplift history, we quantitatively compare model predictions with onshore and offshore stratigraphy data from the literature. Furthermore, critical forcings of landscape evolution, such as climate, lithology and sea level, will also be examined to better attest the effects of different uplift scenarios. Preliminary results demonstrate that only with geographically migratory subsidence, as predicted by an inverse mantle convection model, can we re-produce large scale tilted strata and shifting sediment deposition observed in the WIS basins. Ongoing work will also look into styles of Cenozoic uplift events that ended the WIS and produced the landscape features today. Eventually, we hope to place new constraints on the evolution and properties of lithospheric and deep-mantle dynamics of North American and to locate the best-fit scenario of its coresponding surface evolution since 100 Ma.

Iron-titanium oxyhydroxides which transport water into the deep upper mantle and mantle transition zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsukage, K. N.; Nishihara, Y.

2015-12-01

We experimentally discovered a new hydrous phase in the system FeOOH-TiO2 at pressures of 10-16 GPa and temperatures of 1000-1600°C which corresponds to conditions of the deep upper mantle and the Earth's mantle transition zone. Seven different compositions in the FeOOH-TiO2 system having molar ratios of x = Ti/(Fe + Ti) = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.375, 0.5, 0.75 that were prepared by mixing reagent grade a-FeOOH (goethite) and TiO2 (anatase) powders were used as starting materials. High-pressure and high-temperature experiments were carried out using Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus (Orange-1000 at Ehime University and SPI-1000 at Tokyo Institute of Technology). In this system, we identified two stable iron-titanium oxyhydroxide phases whose estimated composition is expressed by (FeH)1 - xTixO2 . One is the Fe-rich solid solution (x < 0.23) with e-FeOOH type crystal structure (e-phase, orthorhombic, P21nm) that was described by the previous studies (e.g., Suzuki 2010), and the other is the more Ti-rich solid solution (x > 0.35) with a-PbO2 type structure (a-phase, orthorhombic, Pbcn). The a-phase is stable up to 1500ºC for a composition of x = 0.5 and at least to 1600ºC for x = 0.75. Our result means that this phase is stable at average mantle temperature in the Earth's mantle transition zone. The Iron-titanium-rich hydrous phases was possible to stable in basalt + H2O system (e.g., Hashimoto and Matsukage 2013). Therefore our findings suggest that water transport in the Earth's deep interior is probably much more efficient than had been previously thought.

Sources and mobility of carbonate melts beneath cratons, with implications for deep carbon cycling, metasomatism and rift initiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tappe, Sebastian; Romer, Rolf L.; Stracke, Andreas; Steenfelt, Agnete; Smart, Katie A.; Muehlenbachs, Karlis; Torsvik, Trond H.

2017-05-01

Kimberlite and carbonatite magmas that intrude cratonic lithosphere are among the deepest probes of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Their co-existence on thick continental shields is commonly attributed to continuous partial melting sequences of carbonated peridotite at >150 km depths, possibly as deep as the mantle transition zone. At Tikiusaaq on the North Atlantic craton in West Greenland, approximately 160 Ma old ultrafresh kimberlite dykes and carbonatite sheets provide a rare opportunity to study the origin and evolution of carbonate-rich melts beneath cratons. Although their Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-Li isotopic compositions suggest a common convecting upper mantle source that includes depleted and recycled oceanic crust components (e.g., negative ΔεHf coupled with > + 5 ‰ δ7Li), incompatible trace element modelling identifies only the kimberlites as near-primary low-degree partial melts (0.05-3%) of carbonated peridotite. In contrast, the trace element systematics of the carbonatites are difficult to reproduce by partial melting of carbonated peridotite, and the heavy carbon isotopic signatures (-3.6 to - 2.4 ‰ δ13C for carbonatites versus -5.7 to - 3.6 ‰ δ13C for kimberlites) require open-system fractionation at magmatic temperatures. Given that the oxidation state of Earth's mantle at >150 km depth is too reduced to enable larger volumes of 'pure' carbonate melt to migrate, it is reasonable to speculate that percolating near-solidus melts of carbonated peridotite must be silicate-dominated with only dilute carbonate contents, similar to the Tikiusaaq kimberlite compositions (e.g., 16-33 wt.% SiO2). This concept is supported by our findings from the North Atlantic craton where kimberlite and other deeply derived carbonated silicate melts, such as aillikites, exsolve their carbonate components within the shallow lithosphere en route to the Earth's surface, thereby producing carbonatite magmas. The relative abundances of trace elements of such highly differentiated 'cratonic carbonatites' have only little in common with those of metasomatic agents that act on the deeper lithosphere. Consequently, carbonatite trace element systematics should only be used with caution when constraining carbon mobility and metasomatism at mantle depths. Regardless of the exact nature of carbonate-bearing melts within the mantle lithosphere, they play an important role in enrichment processes, thereby decreasing the stability of buoyant cratons and promoting rift initiation - as exemplified by the Mesozoic-Cenozoic breakup of the North Atlantic craton.

Imaging 3D crustal and upper mantle structures of the Northeast China using local and teleseismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, J.

2017-12-01

Northeast China is located in the composite part of Paleo Asia ocean and Pacific ocean Domain, it undergone multi-stage tectonism and has complicated geological structure. In this region, two major geologic and geophysical boundaries are distinct, the NNE-trending North South Gravity Lineament (NSGL) and Tanlu fault. With respect to North China Craton (NCC), Northeast China is more closely adjacent to the subduction zone of Pacific slab. Along the eastern boundary of Northeast China, the subducting Pacific plate approaches depths of 600 km, many deep earthquakes occurred here. This region becomes an ideal place to investigate deep structure related to deep subduction, deep earthquakes as well as intraplate volcanism. In this study, we determined high-resolution three dimensional P- and S-wave velocity models of the crust and upper mantle to 800 km depth by jointly inverting arrival times from local events and relative residuals from teleseismic events. Our results show that main velocity anomalies exhibited block feature and are generally oriented in NE to NNE direction, which is consistent with regional tectonic direction. The NSGL is characterized by a high-velocity (high-V) anomaly belt with a width of approximately 100 km, and the high-V anomaly extents to the bottom of upper mantle or mantle transition zone. The songliao basin, which is located between NSGL and Tanlu fault tectonic boundaries, obvious low-velocity anomaly extends to about depth of 200 km(. Under the Great Xing'an Range on the west side of NSGL, the low velocity extend to the lithosphere. Our results also show that most of deep earthquakes all occurred in deep subduction zone with high-velocity anomaly. Further, we also observed that extensive low velocity exists above deep-earthquakes zones, this result suggests that deep subduction of the Pacific slab maybe affect overlying lithosphere, resulting in the state of molten, semi-molten or high water.This research is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (91114204) and National Key R&D Plan (2017YFC0601406)

Heterogeneous distribution of water in the mantle transition zone beneath United States inferred from seismic observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Pavlis, G. L.; Li, M.

2017-12-01

The amount of water in the Earth's deep mantle is critical for the evolution of the solid Earth and the atmosphere. Mineral physics studies have revealed that Wadsleyite and Ringwoodite in the mantle transition zone could store several times the volume of water in the ocean. However, the water content and its distribution in the transition zone remain enigmatic due to lack of direct observations. Here we use seismic data from the full deployment of the Earthscope Transportable Array to produce 3D image of P to S scattering of the mantle transition zone beneath the United States. We compute the image volume from 141,080 pairs of high quality receiver functions defined by the Earthscope Automated Receiver Survey, reprocessed by the generalized iterative deconvolution method and imaged by the plane wave migration method. We find that the transition zone is filled with previously unrecognized small-scale heterogeneities that produce pervasive, negative polarity P to S conversions. Seismic synthetic modeling using a point source simulation method suggests two possible structures for these objects: 1) a set of randomly distributed blobs of slight difference in size, and 2) near vertical diapir structures from small scale convections. Combining with geodynamic simulations, we interpret the observation as compositional heterogeneity from small-scale, low-velocity bodies that are water enriched. Our results indicate there is a heterogeneous distribution of water through the entire mantle transition zone beneath the contiguous United States.

Multi-Scale Lower Mantle Structure and Dynamics (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garnero, E. J.; McNamara, A. K.; Zhao, C.; Thorne, M. S.

2010-12-01

Seismically imaged heterogeneity in the lowermost mantle ranges from large scale (1000+ km), exemplified by the two nearly antipodal large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) illuminated by seismic tomography, to very short scales, such as isolated ultra-low velocity zones (ULVZs), 10’s of km thick or less. Intermediate scale phenomena include D″ reflectors attributed to the perovskite to post-perovskite phase transition and possibly a deeper back-transformation, lowermost mantle anisotropy plausibly related to mantle flow, and vertical extensions of the LLSVPs that have been explained as plume upwelling (both super and regular plumes). Well over a dozen studies document seismically sharp boundaries between LLSVP and surrounding mantle material, which, combined with the inference of elevated LLSVP density, suggest LLSVPs are chemically distinct, and hence are sometimes called “piles”. Studies documenting LLSVP low velocities extending up into the lower mantle, such as beneath Africa, refer to the low velocities as a superplume. While there is not necessarily consensus on whether or not LLSVP material is stable at the CMB versus periodically entrained in large plume upwellings, as well as primordial or not, the dynamical behavior of LLSVPs have important implications on a wide range of phenomena. For example, dense ULVZs (partially molten or not) migrate to LLSVP edges. If LLSVPs merge and bifurcate over time, as suggested in the Pacific, strong temporal variations in plume and ULVZ signatures should result (e.g., bigger plumes and ULVZs in a merging event), and be detectable. High-resolution seismology may shed light on important LLSVP and ULVZ morphological features, such as the geographical distribution and properties of ULVZs, the steepness of LLSVP sides, and the nature of the top of LLSVPs (e.g., sharpness), though these (and other) aspects of deep mantle phenomena are not well-constrained at present, especially in a global context. Despite these things that we don’t know, strides in numerical and laboratory geodynamical experiments, combined with continued advancement in our understanding of deep mantle mineralogy from mineral physics and geochemistry, help to narrow the model space of possibilities that accommodate findings from all of the disciplines. In this somewhat seismocentric review of deep mantle structure, we will explore the feasibility of various dynamical scenarios consistent our current understanding and constraints of lower mantle phenomena.

Facilitating atmosphere oxidation through mantle convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, K. K. M.; Gu, T.; Creasy, N.; Li, M.; McCammon, C. A.; Girard, J.

2017-12-01

Earth's mantle connects the surface with the deep interior through convection, and the evolution of its redox state will affect the distribution of siderophile elements, recycling of refractory isotopes, and the oxidation state of the atmosphere through volcanic outgassing. While the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere, i.e., the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) occurred 2.4 billion years ago (Ga), multiple lines of evidence point to oxygen production in the atmosphere well before 2.4 Ga. In contrast to the fluctuations of atmospheric oxygen, vanadium in Archean mantle lithosphere suggests that the mantle redox state has been constant for 3.5 Ga. Indeed, the connection between the redox state of the deep Earth and the atmosphere is enigmatic as is the effect of redox state on mantle dynamics. Here we show a redox-induced density contrast affects mantle convection and may potentially cause the oxidation of the upper mantle. We compressed two synthetic enstatite chondritic samples with identical bulk compositions but formed under different oxygen fugacities (fO2) to lower mantle pressures and temperatures and find Al2O3 forms its own phase separate from the dominant bridgmanite phase in the more reduced composition, in contrast to a more Al-rich, bridgmanite-dominated assemblage for a more oxidized starting composition. As a result, the reduced material is 1-1.5% denser than the oxidized material. Subsequent experiments on other plausible mantle compositions, which differ only in redox state of the starting glass materials, show similar results: distinct mineral assemblages and density contrasts up to 4%. Our geodynamic simulations suggest that such a density contrast causes a rapid ascent and accumulation of oxidized material in the upper mantle, with descent of the denser reduced material to the core-mantle boundary. The resulting heterogeneous redox conditions in Earth's interior may have contributed to the large low-shear velocity provinces in the lower mantle and the rise of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere.

Tidal tomography constrains Earth's deep-mantle buoyancy.

PubMed

Lau, Harriet C P; Mitrovica, Jerry X; Davis, James L; Tromp, Jeroen; Yang, Hsin-Ying; Al-Attar, David

2017-11-15

Earth's body tide-also known as the solid Earth tide, the displacement of the solid Earth's surface caused by gravitational forces from the Moon and the Sun-is sensitive to the density of the two Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) beneath Africa and the Pacific. These massive regions extend approximately 1,000 kilometres upward from the base of the mantle and their buoyancy remains actively debated within the geophysical community. Here we use tidal tomography to constrain Earth's deep-mantle buoyancy derived from Global Positioning System (GPS)-based measurements of semi-diurnal body tide deformation. Using a probabilistic approach, we show that across the bottom two-thirds of the two LLSVPs the mean density is about 0.5 per cent higher than the average mantle density across this depth range (that is, its mean buoyancy is minus 0.5 per cent), although this anomaly may be concentrated towards the very base of the mantle. We conclude that the buoyancy of these structures is dominated by the enrichment of high-density chemical components, probably related to subducted oceanic plates or primordial material associated with Earth's formation. Because the dynamics of the mantle is driven by density variations, our result has important dynamical implications for the stability of the LLSVPs and the long-term evolution of the Earth system.

Structure and dynamics of Earth's lower mantle.

PubMed

Garnero, Edward J; McNamara, Allen K

2008-05-02

Processes within the lowest several hundred kilometers of Earth's rocky mantle play a critical role in the evolution of the planet. Understanding Earth's lower mantle requires putting recent seismic and mineral physics discoveries into a self-consistent, geodynamically feasible context. Two nearly antipodal large low-shear-velocity provinces in the deep mantle likely represent chemically distinct and denser material. High-resolution seismological studies have revealed laterally varying seismic velocity discontinuities in the deepest few hundred kilometers, consistent with a phase transition from perovskite to post-perovskite. In the deepest tens of kilometers of the mantle, isolated pockets of ultralow seismic velocities may denote Earth's deepest magma chamber.

Water and hydrogen are immiscible in Earth's mantle.

PubMed

Bali, Enikő; Audétat, Andreas; Keppler, Hans

2013-03-14

In the deep, chemically reducing parts of Earth's mantle, hydrous fluids contain significant amounts of molecular hydrogen (H2). Thermodynamic models of fluids in Earth's mantle so far have always assumed that molecular hydrogen and water are completely miscible. Here we show experimental evidence that water and hydrogen can coexist as two separate, immiscible phases. Immiscibility between water and hydrogen may be the cause of the formation of enigmatic, ultra-reducing domains in the mantle that contain moissanite (SiC) and other phases indicative of extremely reducing conditions. Moreover, the immiscibility between water and hydrogen may provide a mechanism for the rapid oxidation of Earth's upper mantle immediately following core formation.

187Os-enriched domain in an Archean mantle plume: evidence from 2.8 Ga komatiites of the Kostomuksha greenstone belt, NW Baltic Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puchtel, Igor S.; Brügmann, Gerhard E.; Hofmann, Albrecht W.

2001-04-01

The Re-Os data on Archean komatiites from the Kostomuksha greenstone belt in the Baltic Shield are presented. This greenstone belt has been previously interpreted to represent a former oceanic plateau formed by the emplacement of an ancient plume head [Puchtel et al., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 155 (1998) 57-74]. Samples of flowtop breccia, spinifex-textured and cumulate komatiites and a chromite separate, all collected from the core of a 300 m deep diamond drill hole, yielded a Re-Os isochron with an age of 2795±40 Ma and an initial 187Os/188Os of 0.1117±0.0011 (γ187Os=+3.6±1.0). The high positive γ187Os(T) implies that the komatiites were derived from a mantle source with a time-integrated suprachondritic Re/Os ratio. Recycling of oceanic lithosphere to produce the enriched 187Os isotope signature is considered unlikely, as 15-25% crustal component is required to be incorporated into the plume source as early as 3.5-4.3 Ga. Such a substantial proportion of mafic material in the source would likely destroy the major and trace element characteristics of the komatiites. Our tentative interpretation is that the 187Os-enrichment in the Kostomuksha plume represents an outer core signature. If confirmed by the ongoing Pt-Os isotope studies, the results would provide evidence for the existence of whole-mantle convection in the late Archean, and might place constraints on the timing of core differentiation in the early Earth.

Elastic and anelastic structure of the lowermost mantle beneath the Western Pacific using waveform inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, K.; Deschamps, F.; Fuji, N.

2015-12-01

We investigate quasi-2D elastic and anelastic structure of the lowermost mantle beneath the Western Pacific by inverting S and ScS waveforms. The transverse component data were obtained from F-net for 32 deep sources beneath Tonga and Fiji, filtered between 12.5 and 200 s. We observe a regional variation of S and ScS arrival times and amplitude ratio, according to which we divide our region of interest into four sub-regions and perform 1D waveform inversion for S-wave velocity and Qμ value simultaneously. We find S-shaped structure of S-wave velocity beneath the whole region with sub-regional variation of S-wave velocity peak depths, which can explain regional difference in travel times. Qμ structure varies with sub-regions as well, but the physical interpretation has not yet done.

Topography: dusting for the fingerprints of mantle dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faccenna, C.; Becker, T. W.

2016-12-01

The surface of the Earth is an ever-changing expression of the dynamic processes occurring deep in the mantle and at and above its surface, but our ability to "read" landscapes in terms of their underlying tectonic or climatic forcing is rudimentary. During the last decade, particular attention has been drawn to the deep, convection-related component of topography, induced by the stress produced at the base of the lithosphere by mantle flow, and its relevance compared to the (iso)static component. Despite much progress, several issues, including the magnitude and rate of this dynamic component, remain open. Here, we use key sites from convergent margins (e.g., the Apennines) and from intraplate settings (e.g., Ethiopia) to estimate the amplitude and rate of topography change and to disentangle the dynamic from the static component. On the base of those and other examples, we introduce the concept of a Topographic Fingerprint: any combination of mantle, crustal and surface processes that will result in a distinctive, thus predictable, topographic expression.

Terrestrial aftermath of the Moon-forming impact.

PubMed

Sleep, Norman H; Zahnle, Kevin J; Lupu, Roxana E

2014-09-13

Much of the Earth's mantle was melted in the Moon-forming impact. Gases that were not partially soluble in the melt, such as water and CO2, formed a thick, deep atmosphere surrounding the post-impact Earth. This atmosphere was opaque to thermal radiation, allowing heat to escape to space only at the runaway greenhouse threshold of approximately 100 W m(-2). The duration of this runaway greenhouse stage was limited to approximately 10 Myr by the internal energy and tidal heating, ending with a partially crystalline uppermost mantle and a solid deep mantle. At this point, the crust was able to cool efficiently and solidified at the surface. After the condensation of the water ocean, approximately 100 bar of CO2 remained in the atmosphere, creating a solar-heated greenhouse, while the surface cooled to approximately 500 K. Almost all this CO2 had to be sequestered by subduction into the mantle by 3.8 Ga, when the geological record indicates the presence of life and hence a habitable environment. The deep CO2 sequestration into the mantle could be explained by a rapid subduction of the old oceanic crust, such that the top of the crust would remain cold and retain its CO2. Kinematically, these episodes would be required to have both fast subduction (and hence seafloor spreading) and old crust. Hadean oceanic crust that formed from hot mantle would have been thicker than modern crust, and therefore only old crust underlain by cool mantle lithosphere could subduct. Once subduction started, the basaltic crust would turn into dense eclogite, increasing the rate of subduction. The rapid subduction would stop when the young partially frozen crust from the rapidly spreading ridge entered the subduction zone. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Magma-derived CO2 emissions in the Tengchong volcanic field, SE Tibet: Implications for deep carbon cycle at intra-continent subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Maoliang; Guo, Zhengfu; Sano, Yuji; Zhang, Lihong; Sun, Yutao; Cheng, Zhihui; Yang, Tsanyao Frank

2016-09-01

Active volcanoes at oceanic subduction zone have long been regard as important pathways for deep carbon degassed from Earth's interior, whereas those at continental subduction zone remain poorly constrained. Large-scale active volcanoes, together with significant modern hydrothermal activities, are widely distributed in the Tengchong volcanic field (TVF) on convergent boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates. They provide an important opportunity for studying deep carbon cycle at the ongoing intra-continent subduction zone. Soil microseepage survey based on accumulation chamber method reveals an average soil CO2 flux of ca. 280 g m-2 d-1 in wet season for the Rehai geothermal park (RGP). Combined with average soil CO2 flux in dry season (ca. 875 g m-2 d-1), total soil CO2 output of the RGP and adjacent region (ca. 3 km2) would be about 6.30 × 105 t a-1. Additionally, we conclude that total flux of outgassing CO2 from the TVF would range in (4.48-7.05) × 106 t a-1, if CO2 fluxes from hot springs and soil in literature are taken into account. Both hot spring and soil gases from the TVF exhibit enrichment in CO2 (>85%) and remarkable contribution from mantle components, as indicated by their elevated 3He/4He ratios (1.85-5.30 RA) and δ13C-CO2 values (-9.00‰ to -2.07‰). He-C isotope coupling model suggests involvement of recycled organic metasediments and limestones from subducted Indian continental lithosphere in formation of the enriched mantle wedge (EMW), which has been recognized as source region of the TVF parental magmas. Contamination by crustal limestone is the first-order control on variations in He-CO2 systematics of volatiles released by the EMW-derived melts. Depleted mantle and recycled crustal materials from subducted Indian continental lithosphere contribute about 45-85% of the total carbon inventory, while the rest carbon (about 15-55%) is accounted by limestones in continental crust. As indicated by origin and evolution of the TVF volatiles, mantle-derived magmas at continental subduction zone can act as important triggers for liberation of carbon stored in crustal carbonate rocks, which has the potential to be a complement to volatile recycling mechanism at subduction zones. Variations in He-Nd-Sr isotopes of magmas and volatiles from different types of plate boundaries suggest higher amounts of recycled materials for mantle wedge enrichment of continental subduction zone relative to that of oceanic subduction zone.

Discriminating assimilants and decoupling deep- vs. shallow-level crystal records at Mount Adams using 238U-230Th disequilibria and Os isotopes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jicha, B.R.; Johnson, C.M.; Hildreth, W.; Beard, B.L.; Hart, G.L.; Shirey, S.B.; Singer, B.S.

2009-01-01

A suite of 23 basaltic to dacitic lavas erupted over the last 350??kyr from the Mount Adams volcanic field has been analyzed for U-Th isotope compositions to evaluate the roles of mantle versus crustal components during magma genesis. All of the lavas have (230Th/238U) > 1 and span a large range in (230Th/232Th) ratios, and most basalts have higher (230Th/232Th) ratios than andesites and dacites. Several of the lavas contain antecrysts (crystals of pre-existing material), yet internal U-Th mineral isochrons from six of seven lavas are indistinguishable from their eruption ages. This indicates a relatively brief period of time between crystal growth and eruption for most of the phenocrysts (olivine, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, magnetite) prior to eruption. One isochron gave a crystallization age that is ~ 20-25??ka older than its corresponding eruptive age, and is interpreted to reflect mixing of older and juvenile crystals or a protracted period of magma storage in the crust. Much of the eruptive volume since 350??ka consists of lavas that have small to moderate 230Th excesses (2-16%), which are likely inherited from melting of a garnet-bearing intraplate ("OIB-like") mantle source. Following melt generation and subsequent migration through the upper mantle, most Mt. Adams magmas interacted with young, mafic lower crust, as indicated by 187Os/188Os ratios that are substantially more radiogenic than the mantle or those expected via mixing of subducted material and the mantle wedge. Moreover, Os-Th isotope variations suggest that unusually large 230Th excesses (25-48%) and high 187Os/188Os ratios in some peripheral lavas reflect assimilation of small degree partial melts of pre-Quaternary basement that had residual garnet or Al-rich clinopyroxene. Despite the isotopic evidence for lower crustal assimilation, these processes are not generally recorded in the erupted phenocrysts, indicating that the crystal record of the deep-level 'cryptic' processes has been decoupled from shallow-level crystallization. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V.

Redox state of recycled crustal lithologies in the convective upper mantle constrained using oceanic basalt CO2-trace element systematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eguchi, J.; Dasgupta, R.

2017-12-01

Investigating the redox state of the convective upper mantle remains challenging as there is no way of retrieving samples from this part of the planet. Current views of mantle redox are based on Fe3+/∑Fe of minerals in mantle xenoliths and thermodynamic calculations of fO2 [1]. However, deep xenoliths are only recoverable from continental lithospheric mantle, which may have different fO2s than the convective oceanic upper mantle [1]. To gain insight on the fO2 of the deep parts of the oceanic upper mantle, we probe CO2-trace element systematics of basalts that have been argued to receive contributions from subducted crustal lithologies that typically melt deeper than peridotite. Because CO2 contents of silicate melts at graphite saturation vary with fO2 [2], we suggest CO2-trace element systematics of oceanic basalts which sample deep heterogeneities may provide clues about the fO2 of the convecting mantle containing embedded heterogeneities. We developed a new model to predict CO2 contents in nominally anhydrous silicate melts from graphite- to fluid-saturation over a range of P (0.05- 5 GPa), T (950-1600 °C), and composition (foidite-rhyolite). We use the model to calculate CO2 content as a function of fO2 for partial melts of lithologies that vary in composition from rhyolitic sediment melt to silica-poor basaltic melt of pyroxenites. We then use modeled CO2 contents in mixing calculations with partial melts of depleted mantle to constrain the fO2 required for partial melts of heterogeneities to deliver sufficient CO2 to explain CO2-trace element systematics of natural basalts. As an example, Pitcairn basalts, which show evidence of a subducted crustal component [3] require mixing of 40% of partial melts of a garnet pyroxenite at ΔFMQ -1.75 at 3 GPa. Mixing with a more silicic composition such as partial melts of a MORB-eclogite cannot deliver enough CO2 at graphite saturation, so in this scenario fO2 must be above the EMOG/D buffer at 4 GPa. Results suggest convecting upper mantle may be more oxidized than continental lithospheric mantle, and fO2 profiles of continental lithospheric mantle may not be applicable to convective upper mantle.[1] Frost, D, McCammon, C. 2008. An Rev E & P Sci. (36) p.389-420; [2] Holloway, J, et al. 1992. Eu J. Min. (4) p. 105-114; [3] Woodhead, J, Devey C. 1993. EPSL. (116) p. 81-99.

Can a fractionally crystallized magma ocean explain the thermo-chemical evolution of Mars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plesa, A.-C.; Tosi, N.; Breuer, D.

2014-10-01

The impact heat accumulated during the late stage of planetary accretion can melt a significant part or even the entire mantle of a terrestrial body, giving rise to a global magma ocean. The subsequent cooling of the interior causes the magma ocean to freeze from the core-mantle boundary (CMB) to the surface due to the steeper slope of the mantle adiabat compared to the slope of the solidus. Assuming fractional crystallization of the magma ocean, dense cumulates are produced close to the surface, largely due to iron enrichment in the evolving magma ocean liquid. A gravitationally unstable mantle thus forms, which is prone to overturn. We investigate the cumulate overturn and its influence on the thermal evolution of Mars using mantle convection simulations in 2D cylindrical geometry. We present a suite of simulations using different initial conditions and a strongly temperature-dependent viscosity. We assume that all radiogenic heat sources have been enriched during the freezing-phase of the magma ocean in the uppermost 50 km and that the initial steam-atmosphere created by the degassing of the freezing magma ocean was rapidly lost, implying that the surface temperature is set to present-day values. In this case, a stagnant lid quickly forms on top of the convective interior preventing the uppermost dense cumulates to sink, even when allowing for a plastic yielding mechanism. Below this dense stagnant lid, the mantle chemical gradient settles to a stable configuration. The convection pattern is dominated by small-scale structures, which are difficult to reconcile with the large-scale volcanic features observed over Mars' surface and partial melting ceases in less than 900 Ma. Assuming that the stagnant lid can break because of additional mechanisms and allowing the uppermost dense layer to overturn, a stable density gradient is obtained, with the densest material and the entire amount of heat sources lying above the CMB. This stratification leads to a strong overheating of the lowermost mantle, whose temperature increases to values that exceed the liquidus. The iron-rich melt would most likely remain trapped in the lower part of the mantle. The upper mantle in that scenario cools rapidly and only shows partial melting during the first billion year of evolution. Therefore a fractionated global and deep magma ocean is difficult to reconcile with observations. Different scenarios assuming, for instance, a hemispherical or shallow magma ocean, or a crystallization sequence resulting in a lower density gradient than that implied by pure fractional crystallization will have to be considered.

Geochemistry of oceanic carbonatites compared with continental carbonatites: mantle recycling of oceanic crustal carbonate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoernle, Kaj; Tilton, George; Le Bas, Mike; Duggen, Svend; Garbe-Schönberg, Dieter

Major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-O-C isotopic compositions are presented for carbonatites from the Cape Verde (Brava, Fogo, Sáo Tiago, Maio and Sáo Vicente) and Canary (Fuerteventura) Islands. Carbonatites show pronounced enrichment in Ba, Th, REE, Sr and Pb in comparison to most silicate volcanic rocks and relative depletion in Ti, Zr, Hf, K and Rb. Calcio (calcitic)-carbonatites have primary (mantle-like) stable isotopic compositions and radiogenic isotopic compositions similar to HIMU-type ocean island basalts. Cape Verde carbonatites, however, have more radiogenic Pb isotope ratios (e.g. 206Pb/204Pb=19.3-20.4) than reported for silicate volcanic rocks from these islands (18.7-19.9 Gerlach et al. 1988; Kokfelt 1998). We interpret calcio-carbonatites to be derived from the melting of recycled carbonated oceanic crust (eclogite) with a recycling age of 1.6 Ga. Because of the degree of recrystallization, replacement of calcite by secondary dolomite and elevated ∂13C and ∂18O, the major and trace element compositions of the magnesio (dolomitic)-carbonatites are likely to reflect secondary processes. Compared with Cape Verde calcio-carbonatites, the less radiogenic Nd and Pb isotopic ratios and the negative Δ7/4 of the magnesio-carbonatites (also observed in silicate volcanic rocks from the Canary and Cape Verde Islands) cannot be explained through secondary processes or through the assimilation of Cape Verde crust. These isotopic characteristics require the involvement of a mantle component that has thus far only been found in the Smoky Butte lamproites from Montana, which are believed to be derived from subcontinental lithospheric sources. Continental carbonatites show much greater variation in radiogenic isotopic composition than oceanic carbonatites, requiring a HIMU-like component similar to that observed in the oceanic carbonatites and enriched components. We interpret the enriched components to be Phanerozoic through Proterozoic marine carbonate (e.g. limestone) recycled through shallow, subcontinental-lithospheric-mantle and deep, lower-mantle sources.

Geochemistry of oceanic carbonatites compared with continental carbonatites: mantle recycling of oceanic crustal carbonate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoernle, Kaj; Tilton, George; Le Bas, Mike; Duggen, Svend; Garbe-Schönberg, Dieter

2001-11-01

Major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-O-C isotopic compositions are presented for carbonatites from the Cape Verde (Brava, Fogo, Sáo Tiago, Maio and Sáo Vicente) and Canary (Fuerteventura) Islands. Carbonatites show pronounced enrichment in Ba, Th, REE, Sr and Pb in comparison to most silicate volcanic rocks and relative depletion in Ti, Zr, Hf, K and Rb. Calcio (calcitic)-carbonatites have primary (mantle-like) stable isotopic compositions and radiogenic isotopic compositions similar to HIMU-type ocean island basalts. Cape Verde carbonatites, however, have more radiogenic Pb isotope ratios (e.g. 206Pb/204Pb=19.3-20.4) than reported for silicate volcanic rocks from these islands (18.7-19.9 Gerlach et al. 1988; Kokfelt 1998). We interpret calcio-carbonatites to be derived from the melting of recycled carbonated oceanic crust (eclogite) with a recycling age of 1.6 Ga. Because of the degree of recrystallization, replacement of calcite by secondary dolomite and elevated ∂13C and ∂18O, the major and trace element compositions of the magnesio (dolomitic)-carbonatites are likely to reflect secondary processes. Compared with Cape Verde calcio-carbonatites, the less radiogenic Nd and Pb isotopic ratios and the negative Δ7/4 of the magnesio-carbonatites (also observed in silicate volcanic rocks from the Canary and Cape Verde Islands) cannot be explained through secondary processes or through the assimilation of Cape Verde crust. These isotopic characteristics require the involvement of a mantle component that has thus far only been found in the Smoky Butte lamproites from Montana, which are believed to be derived from subcontinental lithospheric sources. Continental carbonatites show much greater variation in radiogenic isotopic composition than oceanic carbonatites, requiring a HIMU-like component similar to that observed in the oceanic carbonatites and enriched components. We interpret the enriched components to be Phanerozoic through Proterozoic marine carbonate (e.g. limestone) recycled through shallow, subcontinental-lithospheric-mantle and deep, lower-mantle sources.

Big mantle wedge, anisotropy, slabs and earthquakes beneath the Japan Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Dapeng

2017-09-01

The Japan Sea is a part of the western Pacific trench-arc-backarc system and has a complex bathymetry and intense seismic activities in the crust and upper mantle. Local seismic tomography revealed strong lateral heterogeneities in the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the eastern margin of the Japan Sea, which was determined using P and S wave arrival times of suboceanic earthquakes relocated precisely with sP depth phases. Ambient-noise tomography revealed a thin crust and a thin lithosphere beneath the Japan Sea and significant low-velocity (low-V) anomalies in the shallow mantle beneath the western and eastern margins of the Japan Sea. Observations with ocean-bottom seismometers and electromagnetometers revealed low-V and high-conductivity anomalies at depths of 200-300 km in the big mantle wedge (BMW) above the subducting Pacific slab, and the anomalies are connected with the low-V zone in the normal mantle wedge beneath NE Japan, suggesting that both shallow and deep slab dehydrations occur and contribute to the arc and back-arc magmatism. The Pacific slab has a simple geometry beneath the Japan Sea, and earthquakes occur actively in the slab down to a depth of ∼600 km beneath the NE Asian margin. Teleseismic P and S wave tomography has revealed that the Philippine Sea plate has subducted aseismically down to the mantle transition zone (MTZ, 410-660 km) depths beneath the southern Japan Sea and the Tsushima Strait, and a slab window is revealed within the aseismic Philippine Sea slab. Seismic anisotropy tomography revealed a NW-SE fast-velocity direction in the BMW, which reflects corner flows induced by the fast deep subduction of the Pacific slab. Large deep earthquakes (M > 7.0; depth > 500 km) occur frequently beneath the Japan Sea western margin, which may be related to the formation of the Changbai and Ulleung intraplate volcanoes. A metastable olivine wedge is revealed within the cold core of the Pacific slab at the MTZ depth, which may be related to the deep seismicity. However, many of these results are still preliminary, due to the lack of seismic stations in the Japan Sea. The key to resolving these critical geoscientific issues is seismic instrumentation in the Japan Sea, for which international cooperation of geoscience communities in the East Asian countries is necessary.

An analytic model of axisymmetric mantle plume due to thermal and chemical diffusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Mian; Chase, Clement G.

1990-01-01

An analytic model of axisymmetric mantle plumes driven by either thermal diffusion or combined diffusion of both heat and chemical species from a point source is presented. The governing equations are solved numerically in cylindrical coordinates for a Newtonian fluid with constant viscosity. Instead of starting from an assumed plume source, constraints on the source parameters, such as the depth of the source regions and the total heat input from the plume sources, are deduced using the geophysical characteristics of mantle plumes inferred from modelling of hotspot swells. The Hawaiian hotspot and the Bermuda hotspot are used as examples. Narrow mantle plumes are expected for likely mantle viscosities. The temperature anomaly and the size of thermal plumes underneath the lithosphere can be sensitive indicators of plume depth. The Hawaiian plume is likely to originate at a much greater depth than the Bermuda plume. One suggestive result puts the Hawaiian plume source at a depth near the core-mantle boundary and the source of the Bermuda plume in the upper mantle, close to the 700 km discontinuity. The total thermal energy input by the source region to the Hawaiian plume is about 5 x 10(10) watts. The corresponding diameter of the source region is about 100 to 150 km. Chemical diffusion from the same source does not affect the thermal structure of the plume.

Rayleigh-wave phase-velocity maps and three-dimensional shear velocity structure of the western US from local non-plane surface wave tomography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pollitz, F.F.; Snoke, J. Arthur

2010-01-01

We utilize two-and-three-quarter years of vertical-component recordings made by the Transportable Array (TA) component of Earthscope to constrain three-dimensional (3-D) seismic shear wave velocity structure in the upper 200 km of the western United States. Single-taper spectral estimation is used to compile measurements of complex spectral amplitudes from 44 317 seismograms generated by 123 teleseismic events. In the first step employed to determine the Rayleigh-wave phase-velocity structure, we implement a new tomographic method, which is simpler and more robust than scattering-based methods (e.g. multi-plane surface wave tomography). The TA is effectively implemented as a large number of local arrays by defining a horizontal Gaussian smoothing distance that weights observations near a given target point. The complex spectral-amplitude measurements are interpreted with the spherical Helmholtz equation using local observations about a succession of target points, resulting in Rayleigh-wave phase-velocity maps at periods over the range of 18–125 s. The derived maps depend on the form of local fits to the Helmholtz equation, which generally involve the nonplane-wave solutions of Friederich et al. In a second step, the phase-velocity maps are used to derive 3-D shear velocity structure. The 3-D velocity images confirm details witnessed in prior body-wave and surface-wave studies and reveal new structures, including a deep (>100 km deep) high-velocity lineament, of width ∼200 km, stretching from the southern Great Valley to northern Utah that may be a relic of plate subduction or, alternatively, either a remnant of the Mojave Precambrian Province or a mantle downwelling. Mantle seismic velocity is highly correlated with heat flow, Holocene volcanism, elastic plate thickness and seismicity. This suggests that shallow mantle structure provides the heat source for associated magmatism, as well as thinning of the thermal lithosphere, leading to relatively high stress concentration. Our images also confirm the presence of high-velocity mantle at 100 km depth beneath areas of suspected mantle delamination (southern Sierra Nevada; Grande Ronde uplift), low velocity mantle underlying active rift zones, and high velocity mantle associated with the subducting Juan de Fuca plate. Structure established during the Proterozoic appears to exert a lasting influence on subsequent volcanism and tectonism up to the Present.

Petrogenesis and tectonic association of rift-related basic Panjal dykes from the northern Indian plate, North-Western Pakistan: evidence of high-Ti basalts analogous to dykes from Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sajid, Muhammad; Andersen, Jens; Arif, Mohammad

2017-10-01

Rift related magmatism during Permian time in the northern margin of Indian plate is represented by basic dykes in several Himalayan terranes including north western Pakistan. The field relations, mineralogy and whole rock geochemistry of these basic dykes reveal significant textural, mineralogical and chemical variation between two major types (a) dolerite and (b) amphibolite. Intra-plate tectonic settings for both rock types have been interpreted on the basis of low Zr/Nb ratios (< 10), K/Ba ratios (20-40) and Hf-Ta-Th and FeO-MgO-Al2O3 discrimination diagrams. The compositional zoning in plagioclase and clinopyroxene, variation in olivine compositions and major elements oxide trends indicate a vital role of fractional crystallization in the evolution of dolerites, which also show depletion in rare earth elements (REEs) and other incompatible elements compared to the amphibolites. The equilibrium partial melting models from primitive mantle using Dy/Yb, La/Yb, Sm/Yb and La/Sm ratios show that amphibolite formed by smaller degrees (< 5%) of partial melting than the dolerites (< 10%). The trace elements ratios suggest the origination of dolerites from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle with some crustal contamination. This is consistent with a petrogenetic relationship with Panjal trap magmatism, reported from Kashmir and other parts of north western India. The amphibolites, in contrast, show affinity towards Ocean Island basalts (OIB) with a relatively deep asthenospheric mantle source and minimal crustal contribution and are geochemically similar to the High-Ti mafic dykes of southern Qiangtang, Tibet. These similarities combined with Permian tectonic restoration of Gondwana indicate the coeval origin for both dykes from distinct mantle source during continental rifting related to formation of the Neotethys Ocean.

Noble gas isotopes and halogens in volatile-rich inclusions in diamonds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burgess, Raymond; Turner, Grenville

1994-01-01

Application of the (40)Ar-(39)Ar method and noble gas studies to diamonds has increased our understanding of their age relationships to the host kimberlite or lamproite, and of the source and composition of volatile-rich fluids in the upper mantle. The properties of diamond (inert, high mechanical strength and low gas diffusivities) means they are especially useful samples for studying gases trapped deep within the earth (less than 150 km) as they are unlikely to have undergone loss or exchange of entrapped material since formation. Volatile-rich fluids (H2O-CO2) are important agents for metasomatic processes in the upper mantle, and the noble gases and halogens preferentially partition into this phase leading to a strong geochemical coherence between these groups of elements. The abundances of the halogens in the major reservoirs of the Earth shows a marked progression from chlorine, concentrated in the oceans, through to iodine which, through its affinity to organic material, is concentrated mainly in sediments. Abundances in the upper mantle are low. This is particularly true for iodine which is of special interest in view of its potential significance as an indicator of sediment recycling and by way of its link to (129)Xe amomalies in the mantle through the low extinct isotope (129)I. Extensions of the (40)Ar-(39)Ar technique enable measurements of halogens and other elements (K, Ca, Ba, U) by production of noble gas isotopes from these species during neutron irradiation. Samples analyzed in this way include 15 coated stones from an unknown source in Zaire, 3 boarts from the Jwaneng and 1 boart from the Orapa kimberlites, both in Botswana.

Petrogenesis and tectonic association of rift-related basic Panjal dykes from the northern Indian plate, North-Western Pakistan: evidence of high-Ti basalts analogous to dykes from Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sajid, Muhammad; Andersen, Jens; Arif, Mohammad

2018-06-01

Rift related magmatism during Permian time in the northern margin of Indian plate is represented by basic dykes in several Himalayan terranes including north western Pakistan. The field relations, mineralogy and whole rock geochemistry of these basic dykes reveal significant textural, mineralogical and chemical variation between two major types (a) dolerite and (b) amphibolite. Intra-plate tectonic settings for both rock types have been interpreted on the basis of low Zr/Nb ratios (< 10), K/Ba ratios (20-40) and Hf-Ta-Th and FeO-MgO-Al2O3 discrimination diagrams. The compositional zoning in plagioclase and clinopyroxene, variation in olivine compositions and major elements oxide trends indicate a vital role of fractional crystallization in the evolution of dolerites, which also show depletion in rare earth elements (REEs) and other incompatible elements compared to the amphibolites. The equilibrium partial melting models from primitive mantle using Dy/Yb, La/Yb, Sm/Yb and La/Sm ratios show that amphibolite formed by smaller degrees (< 5%) of partial melting than the dolerites (< 10%). The trace elements ratios suggest the origination of dolerites from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle with some crustal contamination. This is consistent with a petrogenetic relationship with Panjal trap magmatism, reported from Kashmir and other parts of north western India. The amphibolites, in contrast, show affinity towards Ocean Island basalts (OIB) with a relatively deep asthenospheric mantle source and minimal crustal contribution and are geochemically similar to the High-Ti mafic dykes of southern Qiangtang, Tibet. These similarities combined with Permian tectonic restoration of Gondwana indicate the coeval origin for both dykes from distinct mantle source during continental rifting related to formation of the Neotethys Ocean.

Origins of ultralow velocity zones through slab-derived metallic melt

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

Liu, Jiachao; Li, Jie; Hrubiak, Rostislav

2016-05-03

Understanding the ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs) places constraints on the chemical composition and thermal structure of deep Earth and provides critical information on the dynamics of large-scale mantle convection, but their origin has remained enigmatic for decades. Recent studies suggest that metallic iron and carbon are produced in subducted slabs when they sink beyond a depth of 250 km. Here we show that the eutectic melting curve of the iron-carbon system crosses the current geotherm near Earth’s core-mantle boundary, suggesting that dense metallic melt may form in the lowermost mantle. If concentrated into isolated patches, such melt could produce themore » seismically observed density and velocity features of ULVZs. Depending on the wetting behavior of the metallic melt, the resultant ULVZs may be short-lived domains that are replenished or regenerated through subduction, or long-lasting regions containing both metallic and silicate melts. Slab-derived metallic melt may produce another type of ULVZ that escapes core sequestration by reacting with the mantle to form iron-rich post-bridgmanite or ferropericlase. The hypotheses connect peculiar features near Earth’s core-mantle boundary to subduction of the oceanic lithosphere through the deep carbon cycle.« less

Tectonic slicing of subducting oceanic crust along plate interfaces: Numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruh, J. B.; Le Pourhiet, L.; Agard, Ph.; Burov, E.; Gerya, T.

2015-10-01

Multikilometer-sized slivers of high-pressure low-temperature metamorphic oceanic crust and mantle are observed in many mountain belts. These blueschist and eclogite units were detached from the descending plate during subduction. Large-scale thermo-mechanical numerical models based on finite difference marker-in-cell staggered grid technique are implemented to investigate slicing processes that lead to the detachment of oceanic slivers and their exhumation before the onset of the continental collision phase. In particular, we investigate the role of the serpentinized subcrustal slab mantle in the mechanisms of shallow and deep crustal slicing. Results show that spatially homogeneous serpentinization of the sub-Moho slab mantle leads to complete accretion of oceanic crust within the accretionary wedge. Spatially discontinuous serpentinization of the slab mantle in form of unconnected patches can lead to shallow slicing of the oceanic crust below the accretionary wedge and to its deep slicing at mantle depths depending on the patch length, slab angle, convergence velocity and continental geothermal gradient. P-T paths obtained in this study are compared to natural examples of shallow slicing of the Crescent Terrane below Vancouver Island and deeply sliced crust of the Lago Superiore and Saas-Zermatt units in the Western Alps.

Origins of ultralow velocity zones through slab-derived metallic melt

PubMed Central

Liu, Jiachao; Li, Jie; Smith, Jesse S.

2016-01-01

Understanding the ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs) places constraints on the chemical composition and thermal structure of deep Earth and provides critical information on the dynamics of large-scale mantle convection, but their origin has remained enigmatic for decades. Recent studies suggest that metallic iron and carbon are produced in subducted slabs when they sink beyond a depth of 250 km. Here we show that the eutectic melting curve of the iron−carbon system crosses the current geotherm near Earth’s core−mantle boundary, suggesting that dense metallic melt may form in the lowermost mantle. If concentrated into isolated patches, such melt could produce the seismically observed density and velocity features of ULVZs. Depending on the wetting behavior of the metallic melt, the resultant ULVZs may be short-lived domains that are replenished or regenerated through subduction, or long-lasting regions containing both metallic and silicate melts. Slab-derived metallic melt may produce another type of ULVZ that escapes core sequestration by reacting with the mantle to form iron-rich postbridgmanite or ferropericlase. The hypotheses connect peculiar features near Earth's core−mantle boundary to subduction of the oceanic lithosphere through the deep carbon cycle. PMID:27143719

Mantle circulation models with variational data assimilation: Inferring past mantle flow and structure from plate motion histories and seismic tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunge, Hans-Peter

2002-08-01

Earth's mantle overturns itself about once every 200 Million years (myrs). Prima facie evidence for this overturn is the motion of tectonic plates at the surface of the Earth driving the geologic activity of our planet. Supporting evidence also comes from seismic tomograms of the Earth's interior that reveal the convective currents in remarkable clarity. Much has been learned about the physics of solid state mantle convection over the past two decades aided primarily by sophisticated computer simulations. Such simulations are reaching the threshold of fully resolving the convective system globally. In this talk we will review recent progress in mantle dynamics studies. We will then turn our attention to the fundamental question of whether it is possible to explicitly reconstruct mantle flow back in time. This is a classic problem of history matching, amenable to control theory and data assimilation. The technical advances that make such approach feasible are dramatically increasing compute resources, represented for example through Beowulf clusters, and new observational initiatives, represented for example through the US-Array effort that should lead to an order-of-magnitude improvement in our ability to resolve Earth structure seismically below North America. In fact, new observational constraints on deep Earth structure illustrate the growing importance of of improving our data assimilation skills in deep Earth models. We will explore data assimilation through high resolution global adjoint models of mantle circulation and conclude that it is feasible to reconstruct mantle flow back in time for at least the past 100 myrs.

Stability of Fe-Ni hydride after the reaction between Fe-Ni alloy and hydrous phase (δ-AlOOH) up to 1.2 Mbar: Possibility of H contribution to the core density deficit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terasaki, Hidenori; Ohtani, Eiji; Sakai, Takeshi; Kamada, Seiji; Asanuma, Hidetoshi; Shibazaki, Yuki; Hirao, Naohisa; Sata, Nagayoshi; Ohishi, Yasuo; Sakamaki, Tatsuya; Suzuki, Akio; Funakoshi, Ken-ichi

2012-03-01

The hydrous mineral, δ-AlOOH, is stable up to at least the core-mantle boundary, and therefore has been proposed as a water carrier to the Earth's deep mantle. If δ-AlOOH is transported down to the core-mantle boundary by a subducting slab or the mantle convection, then the reaction between the iron alloy core and δ-AlOOH is important in the deep water/hydrogen cycle in the Earth. Here we conducted an in situ X-ray diffraction study to determine the behavior of hydrogen between Fe-Ni alloys and δ-AlOOH up to near the core-mantle boundary conditions. The obtained diffraction spectra show that fcc/dhcp Fe-Ni hydride is stable over a wide pressure range of 19-121 GPa at high temperatures. Although the temperature of formation of Fe-Ni hydride tends to increase up to 1950 K with increasing pressure to 121 GPa, this reaction temperature is well below the mantle geotherm. δ-AlOOH was confirmed to coexist stably with perovskite, suggesting that δ-AlOOH can be a major hydrous phase in the lower mantle. Therefore, when δ-AlOOH contacts with the core at the core-mantle boundary, the hydrogen is likely to dissolve into the Earth's core. Based on the present results, the amount of hydrogen to explain the core density deficit is estimated to be 1.0-2.0 wt.%.

Seismic Observations of the Mid-Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, A.; Helmberger, D. V.; Sun, D.; Li, D.; Jackson, J. M.

2015-12-01

Seismic data from earthquakes originating in the Fiji-Tonga region exhibits waveform complexity of a number of phases which may be attributed to various structures along ray paths to stations of USArray, including anomalous structures at the core-mantle boundary. The data shows variation in multipathing, that is, the presence of secondary arrivals following the S phase at diffracted distances (Sdiff) which suggests that the waveform complexity is due to structures at the eastern edge of the mid-Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP). This study examines data from earthquake events while the Transportable Array portion of USArray was situated in the midwest United States, reinforcing previous studies that indicate late arrivals occurring as long as 26 seconds after the primary arrivals (To et al., 2011). Using earth flattening transformations and finite difference methods, simulations of tapered wedge structures of low velocity material allow for wave energy trapping, producing the observed waveform complexity and delayed arrivals at large distances, with such structures having characteristic properties of, for example, a height of 70 km, in-plane extent more than 1000 km, and shear wave velocity drop of 3% at the top to 15% at the bottom relative to PREM. Differential arrival times for SH and SV components suggest anisotropy and possible wave propagation through downgoing slabs beneath the source region. The arrivals of the SPdKS phase further support the presence of an ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZ) within a two-humped LLSVP. Some systematic delays in arrival times of multiple phases for distances less than 102º are accounted for and attributed to the presence of a mantle slab underneath the continental United States. Comparisons to seismic data from earthquakes originating from other locations further constrain depths of the deep mantle structures. Possible explanations include iron-enrichment of deep mantle phases.

Upper Mantle of the Central Part of the Russian Platform by Receiver Function Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goev, Andrey; Kosarev, Grigoriy; Sanina, Irina; Riznichenko, Oksana

2017-04-01

The study of the upper mantle of the Russian Platform (RP) with seismic methods remains limited due to the lack of broadband seismic stations. Existing velocity models have been obtained by using the P-wave travel-times from seismic events interpreted as explosions recorded at the NORSAR array in 1974-75 years. Another source of information is deep seismic sounding data from long-range profiles (exceeding 3000 km) such as QUARTZ, RUBIN-1 and GLOBUS and peaceful nuclear explosions (PNE) as sources. However, the data with the maximum distances larger than 1500 km have been acquired on the RP and only in the northern part. Being useful, these velocity models have low spatial resolution. This study analyzes and integrates all the existing RP upper mantle velocity models with the main focus on the central region. We discuss the completeness of the RP area of the LITHO 1.0 model. Based on results of our analysis, we conclude that it is necessary to get up-to-date velocity models of the upper mantle using broadband stations located at the central part of the RP using Vp/Vs ratio data and anisotropy parameters for robust estimation of the mantle boundaries. By applying the joint inversion of receiver-function (RF) data, travel-time residuals and dispersion curves of surface waves we get new models reaching 300 km depth at the locations of broadband seismic stations at the central part of the RP. We used IRIS stations OBN, ARU along with MHV and mobile array NOV. For each station we attempt to determine thickness of the lithosphere and to locate LVL, LAB, Lehman and Hales boundaries as well as the discontinuities in the transition zones at the depth of 410 and 660 km. Also we investigate the necessity of using short-period and broadband RF separately for more robust estimation of the velocity model of the upper mantle. This publication is based on work supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), project 15-05-04938 and by the leading scientific school NS-3345.2014.5

Noble gas as tracers for CO2 deep input in petroleum reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pujol, Magali; Stuart, Finlay; Gilfillan, Stuart; Montel, François; Masini, Emmanuel

2016-04-01

The sub-salt hydrocarbon reservoirs in the deep offshore part of the Atlantic Ocean passive margins are a new key target for frontier oil and gas exploration. Type I source rocks locally rich in TOC (Total Organic Carbon) combined with an important secondary connected porosity of carbonate reservoirs overlain by an impermeable salt layer gives rise to reservoirs with high petroleum potential. However, some target structures have been found to be mainly filled with CO2 rich fluids. δ13C of the CO2 is generally between -9 and -4 permil, compatible with a deep source (metamorphic or mantle). Understanding the origin of the CO2 and the relative timing of its input into reservoir layers in regard to the geodynamic context appears to be a key issue for CO2 risk evaluation. The inertness and ubiquity of noble gases in crustal fluids make them powerful tools to trace the origin and migration of mixed fluids (Ballentine and Burnard 2002). The isotopic signature of He, Ne and Ar and the elemental pattern (He to Xe) of reservoir fluid from pressurized bottom hole samples provide an insight into fluid source influences at each reservoir depth. Three main end-members can be mixed into reservoir fluids (e.g. Gilfillan et al., 2008): atmospheric signature due to aquifer recharge, radiogenic component from organic fluid ± metamorphic influence, and mantle input. Their relative fractionation provides insights into the nature of fluid transport (Burnard et al., 2012)and its relative migration timing. In the studied offshore passive margin reservoirs, from both sides of South Atlantic margin, a strong MORB-like magmatic CO2 influence is clear. Hence, CO2 charge must have occurred during or after lithospheric break-up. CO2 charge(s) history appears to be complex, and in some cases requires several inputs to generate the observed noble gas pattern. Combining the knowledge obtained from noble gas (origin, relative timing, number of charges) with organic geochemical and thermodynamic understanding of the fluid, in regards with the geodynamical context, helps us to unravel the complex fluid history of these deep environments. Ballentine C.J. and Burnard P.G. (2002). Rev. Mineral. Geochem., vol. 47, pp 481-538. Burnard P et al. (2012) EPSL 341, pp 68-78. Gilfillan, S.M.V. et al. (2008) GCA, vol. 72, pp 1174-1198.

Fluid geochemistry of a deep-seated geothermal resource in the Puna plateau (Jujuy Province, Argentina)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peralta Arnold, Y.; Cabassi, J.; Tassi, F.; Caffe, P. J.; Vaselli, O.

2017-05-01

This study focused on the geochemical and isotopic features of thermal fluids discharged from five zones located in the high altitude Puna plateau (Jujuy Province between S 22°20‧-23°20‧ and W 66°-67°), i.e. Granada, Vilama, Pairique, Coranzulí and Olaroz. Partially mature waters with a Na+-Cl- composition were recognized in all the investigated zones, suggesting that a deep hydrothermal reservoir hosted within the Paleozoic crystalline basement represents the main hydrothermal fluid source. The hydrothermal reservoirs are mainly recharged by meteoric water, although based on the δ18O-H2O and δD-H2O values, some contribution of andesitic water cannot be completely ruled out. Regional S-oriented faulting systems, which generated a horst and graben tectonics, and NE-, NW- and WE-oriented transverse structures, likely act as preferentially uprising pathways for the deep-originated fluids, as also supported by the Rc/Ra values (up to 1.39) indicating the occurrence of significant amounts of mantle He (up to 16%). Carbon dioxide, the most abundant compound in the gas phase associated with the thermal waters, mostly originated from a crustal source, although the occurrence of CO2 from a mantle source, contaminated by organic-rich material due to the subduction process, is also possible. Relatively small and cold Na+-HCO3--type aquifers were produced by the interaction between meteoric water and Cretaceous, Palaeogene to Miocene sediments. Dissolution of evaporitic surficial deposits strongly affected the chemistry of the thermal springs in the peripheral zones of the study area. Geothermometry in the Na-K-Ca-Mg system suggested equilibrium temperatures up to 200 °C for the deep aquifer, whereas lower temperatures (from 105 to 155 °C) were inferred by applying the H2 geothermometer, likely due to re-equilibrium processes during the thermal fluid uprising within relatively shallow Na-HCO3 aquifers. The great depth of the geothermal resource (possibly > 5000 m b.g.l.) is likely preventing further studies aimed to evaluate possible exploitation, although the occurrence of Li- and Ba-rich deposits associated may attract financial investments, giving a pulse for the development of this remote region.

Chlorine and fluorine partition coefficients and abundances in sub-arc mantle xenoliths (Kamchatka, Russia): Implications for melt generation and volatile recycling processes in subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bénard, A.; Koga, K. T.; Shimizu, N.; Kendrick, M. A.; Ionov, D. A.; Nebel, O.; Arculus, R. J.

2017-02-01

We report chlorine (Cl) and fluorine (F) abundances in minerals, interstitial glasses, and melt inclusions in 12 andesite-hosted, spinel harzburgite xenoliths and crosscutting pyroxenite veins exhumed from the sub-arc lithospheric mantle beneath Avacha volcano in the Kamchatka Arc (NE Russia). The data are used to calculate equilibrium mineral-melt partition coefficients (D mineral / melt) for Cl and F relevant to subduction-zone processes and unravel the history of volatile depletion and enrichment mechanisms in an arc setting. Chlorine is ∼100 times more incompatible in pyroxenes (DClmineral/melt = 0.005-0.008 [±0.002-0.003]) than F (DFmineral/melt = 0.50-0.57 [±0.21-0.24]), which indicates that partial melting of mantle sources leads to strong depletions in Cl relative to F in the residues. The data set in this study suggests a strong control of melt composition on DCl,Fpyroxene/melt, in particular H2O contents and Al/(Al + Si), which is in line with recent experiments. Fluorine is compatible in Ca-amphibole in the 'wet' sub-arc mantle (DFamphibole/melt = 3.5-3.7 [±1.5]) but not Cl (DClamphibole/melt = 0.03-0.05 [±0.01-0.03]), indicating that amphibole may fractionate F from Cl in the mantle wedge. The inter-mineral partition coefficients for Cl and F in this study are consistent amongst different harzburgite samples, whether they contain glass or not. In particular, disseminated amphibole hosts much of the Cl and F bulk rock budgets of spinel harzburgites (DClamphibole/pyroxene up to 14 and DFamphibole/pyroxene up to 40). Chlorine and fluorine are variably enriched (up to 1500 ppm Cl and 750 ppm F) in the parental arc picrite and boninite melts of primitive pyroxenite veins (and related melt inclusions) crosscutting spinel harzburgites. Based on the data in this study, the main inferences on the behaviour of Cl and F during melting and metasomatic processes in the sub-arc mantle are as follow: (i) Melting models show that most depleted mantle protoliths of intra-oceanic arc sources can have extremely low Cl/F (0.002-0.007) before being overprinted by subduction-derived components. (ii) Chlorine has a higher percolation distance in the mantle than F. Even for small fluid or melt volumes, Cl and F signatures of partial melting are overprinted by those of pervasive percolation, which increases Cl/F in percolating agents and bulk peridotites during chromatographic interaction and/or amphibole-forming metasomatic reactions. These processes ultimately control the bulk Cl and F compositions of the residual mantle lithosphere beneath arcs, and likely in other tectonic settings. (iii) Fluxed melting models suggest that Cl enrichment in arc picrite and boninite melts in this study, and in many arc melt inclusions reported in the literature, could be related to the infiltration of high Cl/F fluids derived from subducted serpentinite or altered crust in mantle wedge sources. However, these high Cl/F signatures should be re-evaluated with new models in light of the possible overprint of pervasive percolation effects in the mantle. The breakdown of amphibole (and/or mica) in the deep metasomatised mantle at higher pressure and temperature conditions than in the slab may explain, at least in part, the positive correlations between F abundances and Cl/F in primitive arc melt inclusions and slab depth.

Shear wave splitting hints at dynamical features of mantle convection: a global study of homogeneously processed source and receiver side upper mantle anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walpole, J.; Wookey, J. M.; Masters, G.; Kendall, J. M.

2013-12-01

The asthenosphere is embroiled in the process of mantle convection. Its viscous properties allow it to flow around sinking slabs and deep cratonic roots as it is displaced by intruding material and dragged around by the moving layer above. As the asthenosphere flows it develops a crystalline fabric with anisotropic crystals preferentially aligned in the direction of flow. Meanwhile, the lithosphere above deforms as it is squeezed and stretched by underlying tectonic processes, enabling anisotropic fabrics to develop and become fossilised in the rigid rock and to persist over vast spans of geological time. As a shear wave passes through an anisotropic medium it splits into two orthogonally polarised quasi shear waves that propagate at different velocities (this phenomenon is known as shear wave splitting). By analysing the polarisation and the delay time of many split waves that have passed through a region it is possible to constrain the anisotropy of the medium in that region. This anisotropy is the key to revealing the deformation history of the deep Earth. In this study we present measurements of shear wave splitting recorded on S, SKS, and SKKS waves from earthquakes recorded at stations from the IRIS DMC catalogue (1976-2010). We have used a cluster analysis phase picking technique [1] to pick hundreds of thousands of high signal to noise waveforms on long period data. These picks are used to feed the broadband data into an automated processing workflow that recovers shear wave splitting parameters [2,3]. The workflow includes a new method for making source and receiver corrections, whereby the stacked error surfaces are used as input to correction rather than a single set of parameters, this propagates uncertainty information into the final measurement. Using SKS, SKKS, and source corrected S, we recover good measurements of anisotropy beneath 1,569 stations. Using receiver corrected S we recover good measurements of anisotropy beneath 470 events. We compare our results to a large compilation of previous regional studies and find good agreement. Our results are compared with upper mantle anisotropy recovered from surface waves, and other seismic observables such as wave speed tomography. The comparison with tomography beneath the USA is particularly interesting; here we observe the vivid toroidal swirl beneath Nevada branching off along the Snake River Plateau in excellent agreement with tomographic images at 150 km depth. We compare our results to absolute plate motion vectors to see how well drag from the plate can explain the development of anisotropic fabric; and to a more sophisticated asthenospheric flow model which takes into account the effect of mantle density heterogeneities [4]. Finally, we investigate patterns in the source side anisotropy, globally we detect a fabric with a fast shear wave polarisation parallel to the strike of subducting slabs, however, in several regions interesting deviations are found. [1] Houser et al. (2008) Geophys. J. Int. (2008) 174, 195-212. [2] Teanby et al. (2004). Bulletin Of The Seismological Society Of America, 94(2), 453-463. [3] Wuestefeld et al. (2010). Geophysical Prospecting, 58(5), 753-771. [4] Conrad & Behn (2010). Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 11.

Tectonics, Deep-Seated Structure and Recent Geodynamics of the Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amanatashvili, I.; Adamia, Sh.; Lursmanashvili, N.; Sadradze, N.; Meskhia, V.; Koulakov, I.; Zabelina, I.; Jakovlev, A.

2012-04-01

The tectonics and deep-seated structure of the Caucasus are determined by its position between the still converging Eurasian and Africa-Arabian plates, within a wide zone of continental collision. The region in the Late Proterozoic - Early Cenozoic belonged to the Tethys Ocean and its Eurasian and Africa-Arabian margins. During Oligocene-Middle Miocene and Late Miocene-Quaternary time as a result of collision back-arc basins were inverted to form fold-thrust mountain belts and the Transcaucasian intermontane lowlands. The Caucasus is divided into platform and fold-thrust units, and forelands superimposed mainly on the rigid platform zones. The youngest structural units composed of Neogene-Quaternary continental volcanic formations of the Armenian and Javakheti highlands and extinct volcanoes of the Great Caucasus. As a result of detailed geophysical study of the gravity, magnetic, seismic, and thermal fields, the main features of the deep crustal structure of the Caucasus have been determined. Knowledge on the deep lithospheric structure of the Caucasus region is based on surface geology and deep and super deep drilling data combined with gravity, seismic, heat flow, and magnetic investigations. Close correlation between the geology and its deep-seated structures appears in the peculiarities of spatial distribution of gravitational, thermal and magnetic fields, particularly generally expressed in orientation of regional anomalies that is in good agreement with general tectonic structures. In this study we present two tomographic models derived for the region based on two different tomographic approaches. In the first case, we use the travel time data on regional seismicity recorded by networks located in Caucasus. The tomographic inversion is based on the LOTOS code which enables simultaneous determination of P and S velocity distributions and source locations. The obtained model covers the crustal and uppermost mantle depths. The second model, which is constructed for the upper mantle down to 700 km depth, is based on the data from the global ISC catalogue. We use travel times corresponding to rays which travel, at least partly, through the study volume. These data include rays from events in the study area recorded by worldwide stations, as well as teleseismic data recorded at regional stations. The computed seismic models reveal some deep traces of recent tectonic processes in the Caucasus: • For the 5, 15, 25 and 60-km-depth, there appears a clear coincidence between anomalous low velocities of P and S-waves with the fold-thrust mountainous belts of the Great and Lesser Caucasus, and also connection of high-velocity anomalies with the Trasncaucasian forelands. • Lowest-velocity anomalies are characteristic of the areas of Neogene-Quaternary volcanism of the Great and Lesser Caucasus. Areas with the lowest velocities of P- and S-waves coincide with the mountainous-folded belts, whereas the areas of high-velocity predominantly coincide with the platformal structures and forelands, as well as with basins of the Black and Caspian Seas. • Clear spatial correlation of the areas of lowest values of P- and S-velocities with the areas of Neogene-Quaternary volcanism occurs up to the depth of 150-200km that evidences location of magma sources within the crust - upper mantle - asthenosphere. • Tomographic data unambiguously confirm spatial unity of the main structures of the Caucasus and its basement, the location of the structures in situ in Late Cenozoic and connection of the volcanic constructions with their roots - magma chambers.

Plate Tectonic Cycling and Whole Mantle Convection Modulate Earth's 3He/22Ne Ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dygert, N. J.; Jackson, C.; Hesse, M. A.; Tremblay, M. M.; Shuster, D. L.; Gu, J.

2016-12-01

3He and 22Ne are not produced in the mantle or fractionated by partial melting, and neither isotope is recycled back into the mantle by subduction of oceanic basalt or sediment. Thus, it is a surprise that large 3He/22Ne variations exist within the mantle and that the mantle has a net elevated 3He/22Ne ratio compared to volatile-rich planetary precursor materials. Depleted subcontinental lithospheric mantle and mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) mantle have distinctly higher 3He/22Ne compared to ocean island basalt (OIB) sources ( 4-12.5 vs. 2.5-4.5, respectively) [1,2]. The low 3He/22Ne of OIBs approaches chondritic ( 1) and solar nebula values ( 1.5). The high 3He/22Ne of the MORB mantle is not similar to solar sources or any known family of meteorites, requiring a mechanism for fractionating He from Ne in the mantle and suggesting isolation of distinct mantle reservoirs throughout geologic time. We model the formation of a MORB source with elevated and variable 3He/22Ne though diffusive exchange between dunite channel-hosted basaltic liquids and harzburgite wallrock beneath mid-ocean ridges. Over timescales relevant to mantle upwelling beneath spreading centers, He may diffuse tens to hundreds of meters into wallrock while Ne is relatively immobile, producing a regassed, depleted mantle lithosphere with elevated 3He/22Ne. Subduction of high 3He/22Ne mantle would generate a MORB source with high 3He/22Ne. Regassed, high 3He/22Ne mantle lithosphere has He concentrations 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than undegassed mantle. To preserve the large volumes of high 3He/22Ne mantle required by the MORB source, mixing between subducted and undegassed mantle reservoirs must have been limited throughout geologic time. Using the new 3He/22Ne constraints, we ran a model similar to [3] to quantify mantle mixing timescales, finding they are on the order of Gyr assuming physically reasonable seafloor spreading rates, and that Earth's convecting mantle has lost >99% of its primordial volatile elements. Most significantly, mantle convection is not and cannot have been layered for most of geologic time. [1] Graham (2002), RiMG 74, 247-317. [2] Jalowitzki et al. (2016), EPSL 450, 263-273. [3] Gonnermann & Mukhopadhyay (2009), Nature, 560-563.

Scattering - a probe to Earth's small scale structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rost, S.; Earle, P.

2009-05-01

Much of the short-period teleseismic wavefield shows strong evidence for scattered waves in extended codas trailing the main arrivals predicted by ray theory. This energy mainly originates from high-frequency body waves interacting with fine-scale volumetric heterogeneities in the Earth. Studies of this energy revealed much of what we know about Earth's structure at scale lengths around 10 km throughout the Earth from crust to core. From these data we can gain important information about the mineral-physical and geochemical constitution of the Earth that is inaccessible to many other seismic imaging techniques. Previous studies used scattered energy related to PKP, PKiKP, and Pdiff to identify and map the small-scale structure of the mantle and core. We will present observations related to the core phases PKKP and P'P' to study fine-scale mantle heterogeneities. These phases are maximum travel-time phases with respect to perturbations at their reflection points. This allows observation of the scattered energy as precursors to the main phase avoiding common problems with traditional coda phases which arrive after the main pulse. The precursory arrival of the scattered energy allows the separation between deep Earth and crustal contributions to the scattered wavefield for certain source-receiver configurations. Using the information from these scattered phases we identify regions of the mantle that shows increased scattering potential likely linked to larger scale mantle structure identified in seismic tomography and geodynamical models.

Visualizing Earth's Core-Mantle Interactions using Nanoscale X-ray Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, W. L.; Wang, J.; Yang, W.; Hayter, J.; Pianetta, P.; Zhang, L.; Fei, Y.; Mao, H.; Hustoft, J. W.; Kohlstedt, D. L.

2010-12-01

Early-stage, core-mantle differentiation and core formation represent a pivotal geological event which defined the major geochemical signatures. However current hypotheses of the potential mechanism for core-mantle separation and interaction need more experimental input which has been awaiting technological breakthroughs. Nanoscale x-ray computed tomography (nanoXCT) within a laser-heated diamond anvil cell has exciting potential as a powerful 3D petrographic probe for non-destructive, nanoscale (<40nm) resolution of multiple minerals and amorphous phases (including melts) which are synthesized under the high pressure-temperature conditions found deep within the Earth and planetary interiors. Results from high pressure-temperature experiments which illustrate the potential for this technique will be presented. By extending measurements of the texture, shape, porosity, tortuosity, dihedral angle, and other characteristics of molten Fe-rich alloys in relation to silicates and oxides, along with the fracture systems of rocks under deformation by high pressure-temperature conditions, potential mechanisms of core formation can be tested. NanoXCT can also be used to investigate grain shape, intergrowth, orientation, and foliation -- as well as mineral chemistry and crystallography at core-mantle boundary conditions -- to understand whether shape-preferred orientation is a primary source of the observed seismic anisotropy in Earth’s D” layer and to determine the textures and shapes of the melt pockets and channels which would form putative partial melt which may exist in ultralow velocity zones.

Imaging the deep structures of the convergent plates along the Ecuadorian subduction zone through receiver function analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galve, A.; Charvis, P.; Regnier, M. M.; Font, Y.; Nocquet, J. M.; Segovia, M.

2017-12-01

The Ecuadorian subduction zone was affected by several large M>7.5 earthquakes. While we have low resolution on the 1942, 1958 earthquakes rupture zones extension, the 2016 Pedernales earthquake, that occurs at the same location than the 1942 earthquake, give strong constraints on the deep limit of the seismogenic zone. This downdip limit is caused by the onset of plasticity at a critical temperature (> 350-450 °C for crustal materials, or serpentinized mantle wedge, and eventually > 700 °C for dry mantle). However we still don't know exactly where is the upper plate Moho and therefore what controls the downdip limit of Ecuadorian large earthquakes seismogenic zone. For several years Géoazur and IG-EPN have maintained permanent and temporary networks (ADN and JUAN projects) along the margin to register the subduction zone seismological activity. Although Ecuador is not a good place to perform receiver function due to its position with respect to the worldwide teleseismic sources, the very long time deployment compensate this issue. We performed a frequency dependent receiver function analysis to derive (1) the thickness of the downgoing plate, (2) the interplate depth and (3) the upper plate Moho. These constraints give the frame to interpretation on the seismogenic zone of the 2016 Pedernales earthquake.

Mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic characteristics of alkaline mafic igneous rocks from Punta delle Pietre Nere (Gargano, Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzeo, F. C.; Arienzo, I.; Aulinas, M.; Casalini, M.; Di Renzo, V.; D'Antonio, M.

2018-05-01

The Punta delle Pietre Nere (Gargano, Southern Italy) igneous body is constituted by gabbroic and syenitic rocks with lamprophyric affinity of different age (58 and 62 Ma, respectively). The chemical composition of the minerals clearly indicates that there is no genetic relationship between the two lithotypes, in agreement with their significant age difference. The chemical (trace elements) and Sr-Nd-Pb-isotopic composition of these rocks highlights an "anorogenic" geochemical affinity derived from mixed DMM-HIMU-EM mantle reservoirs, similarly to other Paleogene-Oligocene magmatic provinces in the Circum-Mediterranean Area. In past literature, these features were interpreted as evidences for enriched asthenospheric mantle plume upwelling from deep regions beneath the Western Europe. Here we suggest that the HIMU-like composition of Punta delle Pietre Nere rocks is related to a lithospheric mantle source bearing amphibole-rich veins, resulting from crystallization of melts within the amphibole stability field in presence of H2O, as shown by several experimental works. Our results suggests partial melting at 70-90 km depth, which corresponds to the spinel-garnet transition (2.5-3.5 GPa) close to the amphibole stability limit ( 90-110 km and 2.5-3.5 GPa).

Deep Mantle Origin for the DUPAL Anomaly?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingle, S.; Weis, D.

2002-12-01

Twenty years after the discovery of the Dupal Anomaly, its origin remains a geochemical and geophysical enigma. This anomaly is associated with the Southern Hemisphere oceanic mantle and is recognized by basalts with geochemical characteristics such as low 206Pb/204Pb and high 87Sr/86Sr. Both mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and ocean island basalts (OIB) are affected, despite originating from melting at different depths and of different mantle sources. We compile geochemical data for both MORB and OIB from the three major oceans to help constrain the physical distribution and chemical composition of the Dupal Anomaly. There is a clear decrease in 206Pb/204Pb and an increase in 87Sr/86Sr with more southerly latitude for Indian MORB and OIB; these correlations are less obvious in the Atlantic and non-existent in the Pacific. The average* 143Nd/144Nd for Pacific and Atlantic OIB is 0.5129, but is lower for Indian OIB (0.5128). Interestingly, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian OIB all have 176Hf/177Hf averages of 0.2830. Indian MORB also record this phenomenon of low Nd with normal Hf isotopic compositions (Chauvel and Blichert-Toft, EPSL, 2001). Hf isotopes appear, therefore, to be a valid isotopic proxy for measuring the presence and magnitude of the Dupal Anomaly at specific locations. Wen (EPSL, 2001) reported a low-velocity layer at the D'' boundary beneath the Indian Ocean from which the Dupal Anomaly may originate. This hypothesis may be consistent with our compilations demonstrating that the long-lived Dupal Anomaly does not appear to be either mixing efficiently into the upper mantle or spreading to other ocean basins through time. We suggest that the Dupal source could be continually tapped by upwelling Indian Ocean mantle plumes. Plumes would then emplace pockets of Dupal material into the upper mantle and other ascending plumes might further disperse this material into the shallow asthenosphere. This could explain both the presence of the Dupal signature in MORB and OIB and the geochemical similarities between some Indian Ocean mantle plumes, such as Kerguelen, and the Dupal signature. * To avoid sampling biases, data for each ocean island (or group) are averaged and these values are used to calculate the average for each ocean.

Isotopic evidence for the infiltration of mantle and metamorphic CO2-H2O fluids from below in faulted rocks from the San Andreas Fault System

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

Pili, E.; Kennedy, B.M.; Conrad, M.E.

To characterize the origin of the fluids involved in the San Andreas Fault (SAF) system, we carried out an isotope study of exhumed faulted rocks from deformation zones, vein fillings and their hosts and the fluid inclusions associated with these materials. Samples were collected from segments along the SAF system selected to provide a depth profile from upper to lower crust. In all, 75 samples from various structures and lithologies from 13 localities were analyzed for noble gas, carbon, and oxygen isotope compositions. Fluid inclusions exhibit helium isotope ratios ({sup 3}He/{sup 4}He) of 0.1-2.5 times the ratio in air, indicatingmore » that past fluids percolating through the SAF system contained mantle helium contributions of at least 35%, similar to what has been measured in present-day ground waters associated with the fault (Kennedy et al., 1997). Calcite is the predominant vein mineral and is a common accessory mineral in deformation zones. A systematic variation of C- and O-isotope compositions of carbonates from veins, deformation zones and their hosts suggests percolation by external fluids of similar compositions and origin with the amount of fluid infiltration increasing from host rocks to vein to deformation zones. The isotopic trend observed for carbonates in veins and deformation zones follows that shown by carbonates in host limestones, marbles, and other host rocks, increasing with increasing contribution of deep metamorphic crustal volatiles. At each crustal level, the composition of the infiltrating fluids is thus buffered by deeper metamorphic sources. A negative correlation between calcite {delta}{sup 13}C and fluid inclusion {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He is consistent with a mantle origin for a fraction of the infiltrating CO{sub 2}. Noble gas and stable isotope systematics show consistent evidence for the involvement of mantle-derived fluids combined with infiltration of deep metamorphic H{sub 2}O and CO{sub 2} in faulting, supporting the involvement of deep fluids percolating through and perhaps weakening the fault zone. There is no clear evidence for a significant contribution from meteoric water, except for overprinting related to late weathering.« less

Linking magma transport structures at Kīlauea volcano

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wech, Aaron G.; Thelen, Weston A.

2015-01-01

Identifying magma pathways is important for understanding and interpreting volcanic signals. At Kīlauea volcano, seismicity illuminates subsurface plumbing, but the broad spectrum of seismic phenomena hampers event identification. Discrete, long-period events (LPs) dominate the shallow (5-10 km) plumbing, and deep (40+ km) tremor has been observed offshore. However, our inability to routinely identify these events limits their utility in tracking ascending magma. Using envelope cross-correlation, we systematically catalog non-earthquake seismicity between 2008-2014. We find the LPs and deep tremor are spatially distinct, separated by the 15-25 km deep, horizontal mantle fault zone (MFZ). Our search corroborates previous observations, but we find broader-band (0.5-20 Hz) tremor comprising collocated earthquakes and reinterpret the deep tremor as earthquake swarms in a volume surrounding and responding to magma intruding from the mantle plume beneath the MFZ. We propose the overlying MFZ promotes lateral magma transport, linking this deep intrusion with Kīlauea’s shallow magma plumbing.

Implications for plastic flow in the deep mantle from modelling dislocations in MgSiO3 minerals.

PubMed

Carrez, Philippe; Ferré, Denise; Cordier, Patrick

2007-03-01

The dynamics of the Earth's interior is largely controlled by mantle convection, which transports radiogenic and primordial heat towards the surface. Slow stirring of the deep mantle is achieved in the solid state through high-temperature creep of rocks, which are dominated by the mineral MgSiO3 perovskite. Transformation of MgSiO3 to a 'post-perovskite' phase may explain the peculiarities of the lowermost mantle, such as the observed seismic anisotropy, but the mechanical properties of these mineralogical phases are largely unknown. Plastic flow of solids involves the motion of a large number of crystal defects, named dislocations. A quantitative description of flow in the Earth's mantle requires information about dislocations in high-pressure minerals and their behaviour under stress. This property is currently out of reach of direct atomistic simulations using either empirical interatomic potentials or ab initio calculations. Here we report an alternative to direct atomistic simulations based on the framework of the Peierls-Nabarro model. Dislocation core models are proposed for MgSiO3 perovskite (at 100 GPa) and post-perovskite (at 120 GPa). We show that in perovskite, plastic deformation is strongly influenced by the orthorhombic distortions of the unit cell. In silicate post-perovskite, large dislocations are relaxed through core dissociation, with implications for the mechanical properties and seismic anisotropy of the lowermost mantle.

Deep and persistent melt layer in the Archaean mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrault, Denis; Pesce, Giacomo; Manthilake, Geeth; Monteux, Julien; Bolfan-Casanova, Nathalie; Chantel, Julien; Novella, Davide; Guignot, Nicolas; King, Andrew; Itié, Jean-Paul; Hennet, Louis

2018-02-01

The transition from the Archaean to the Proterozoic eon ended a period of great instability at the Earth's surface. The origin of this transition could be a change in the dynamic regime of the Earth's interior. Here we use laboratory experiments to investigate the solidus of samples representative of the Archaean upper mantle. Our two complementary in situ measurements of the melting curve reveal a solidus that is 200-250 K lower than previously reported at depths higher than about 100 km. Such a lower solidus temperature makes partial melting today easier than previously thought, particularly in the presence of volatiles (H2O and CO2). A lower solidus could also account for the early high production of melts such as komatiites. For an Archaean mantle that was 200-300 K hotter than today, significant melting is expected at depths from 100-150 km to more than 400 km. Thus, a persistent layer of melt may have existed in the Archaean upper mantle. This shell of molten material may have progressively disappeared because of secular cooling of the mantle. Crystallization would have increased the upper mantle viscosity and could have enhanced mechanical coupling between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere. Such a change might explain the transition from surface dynamics dominated by a stagnant lid on the early Earth to modern-like plate tectonics with deep slab subduction.

By Permission of the Mantle: Modern and Ancient Deep Earth Volatile Cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirschmann, M. M.

2011-12-01

The principle volatile elements, H and C, are of surpassing importance to processes and conditions in the interiors and the surfaces of terrestrial planets, affecting everything from mantle dynamics and large scale geochemical differentiation to climate and habitability. The storage of these volatiles in planetary interiors, their inventory in the near-surface environment and exchange between the interiors and the exosphere are governed by petrologic processes. Were it not for the effective incompatibility of these components in mantle lithologies, there might be no oceans, no habitable climate, and no biosphere on the surface. Consequently, deep Earth volatile cycles represent one of the best examples of how petrology influences nearly all other aspects of Earth science. The exosphere of the modern Earth has a high H/C ratio compared to that of the interior sampled by oceanic basalts. A potential explanation for this is that C is subducted to the deep mantle more efficiently than H, such that the exosphere C reservoir shrinks through geologic time. Unfortunately this hypothesis conflicts with the sedimentary record, which suggests that carbonate storage on the continents has increased rather than decreased with time. It also may not be applicable to the first 3 Ga of Earth history, when hotter typical subduction geotherms greatly reduced the efficiency of C subduction. An important question regarding deep Earth volatile cycles is the inventory of H and C in the interior and the exosphere that descend from Earth's earliest differentiation processes. Originally, much of Earth's volatile inventory was presumably present as a thick atmosphere, in part because volatiles were probably delivered late in the accretion history and owing to both the efficiency of impact degassing and of volatile release from early magma ocean(s). Early mantle H2O may descend from the magma ocean, in which portions of a steam atmosphere are dissolved in the magma and then precipitated with nominally anhydrous minerals. In contrast, low magmatic solubility of C-bearing species would suggest that the early mantle was depleted in carbon. Thus, the earliest Earth could have been characterized by an exosphere with low H/C and a mantle with high H/C - the reverse of the modern case. An alternative hypothesis is that significant C was sequestered in the early mantle as a reduced phase- diamond, carbide, or alloy - precipitated during magma ocean solidification. Despite low solubility in magmas, early atmospheric carbon may have been incorporated into solidifying mantle if C solubility diminished with increasing magma ocean depth. Volatile solubilities in magmas typically increase with increasing pressure, but the opposite could be true for C if conditions were more reducing at depth and more oxidizing near the surface. Such conditions would allow operation of a carbon pump, transporting early atmospheric carbon to the solidifying mantle. If such a process operated, then the modern mantle/exosphere H/C fractionation is likely a remnant of this early process. If not, some other explanation for Earth's distribution of H and C must be sought.

Implications of magma transfer between multiple reservoirs on eruption cycling.

PubMed

Elsworth, Derek; Mattioli, Glen; Taron, Joshua; Voight, Barry; Herd, Richard

2008-10-10

Volcanic eruptions are episodic despite being supplied by melt at a nearly constant rate. We used histories of magma efflux and surface deformation to geodetically image magma transfer within the deep crustal plumbing of the Soufrière Hills volcano on Montserrat, West Indies. For three cycles of effusion followed by discrete pauses, supply of the system from the deep crust and mantle was continuous. During periods of reinitiated high surface efflux, magma rose quickly and synchronously from a deflating mid-crustal reservoir (at about 12 kilometers) augmented from depth. During repose, the lower reservoir refilled from the deep supply, with only minor discharge transiting the upper chamber to surface. These observations are consistent with a model involving the continuous supply of magma from the deep crust and mantle into a voluminous and compliant mid-crustal reservoir, episodically valved below a shallow reservoir (at about 6 kilometers).

Implication of Broadband Dispersion Measurements in Constraining Upper Mantle Velocity Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuponiyi, A.; Kao, H.; Cassidy, J. F.; Darbyshire, F. A.; Dosso, S. E.; Gosselin, J. M.; Spence, G.

2017-12-01

Dispersion measurements from earthquake (EQ) data are traditionally inverted to obtain 1-D shear-wave velocity models, which provide information on deep earth structures. However, in many cases, EQ-derived dispersion measurements lack short-period information, which theoretically should provide details of shallow structures. We show that in at least some cases short-period information, such as can be obtained from ambient seismic noise (ASN) processing, must be combined with EQ dispersion measurements to properly constrain deeper (e.g. upper-mantle) structures. To verify this, synthetic dispersion data are generated using hypothetical velocity models under four scenarios: EQ only (with and without deep low-velocity layers) and combined EQ and ASN data (with and without deep low-velocity layers). The now "broadband" dispersion data are inverted using a trans-dimensional Bayesian framework with the aim of recovering the initial velocity models and assessing uncertainties. Our results show that the deep low-velocity layer could only be recovered from the inversion of the combined ASN-EQ dispersion measurements. Given this result, we proceed to describe a method for obtaining reliable broadband dispersion measurements from both ASN and EQ and show examples for real data. The implication of this study in the characterization of lithospheric and upper mantle structures, such as the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB), is also discussed.

Simultaneous Quantification of Temperature, Pyroxenite Abundance, and Upwelling Rates in the Iceland Mantle Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, E.; Lesher, C. E.

2014-12-01

The compositions and volumes of basalts erupted at the earth's surface are a function of mantle temperature, mantle composition, and the rate at which the mantle upwells through the melting zone. Thus, basaltic magmatism has long been used to probe the thermal and physiochemical state of the earth's mantle. Great insight has been gained into the mantle beneath the global spreading ridge system, where the mantle source is assumed to be homogeneous peridotite that upwells passively [1]. However, it is now recognized that many basalt source regions are lithologically heterogeneous (i.e. containing recycled lithospheric material ranging from harzburgite to pyroxenite) and upwell at rates in excess of those governed by plate separation. To account for these complexities, we have developed a forward melting model for lithologically heterogeneous mantle that incorporates thermodynamically and experimentally constrained melting functions for a range of peridotite and pyroxenite lithologies. The model is unique because it quantifies mantle upwelling rates based on the net buoyancy of the source, thus providing a means for linking basalt compositions/volumes to mantle flow while accounting for source heterogeneity. We apply the model to investigate the mantle properties governing magmatism along different rift segments in Iceland, where lithologic heterogeneity and variable upwelling rates have been inferred through geochemical means [2,3]. Using constraints from seismically determined crustal thicknesses and recent estimates of the proportion of pyroxenite-derived melt contributing to Icelandic basalt compositions [4,5], we show that mantle sources beneath Iceland have excess potential temperatures >85 °C, contain <7% pyroxenite, and maximum upwelling rates ~14 times the passive rate. Our modeling highlights the dominant role of elevated mantle temperature and enhanced upwelling for high productivity magmatism in Iceland, and a subordinate role for mantle heterogeneity, which is required to account for much of the observed chemical and isotopic diversity. [1] Langmuir et al, 1992, AGU Geophys. Mono. Ser. 71 [2] Chauvel & Hemond, 2000, G-cubed, v 1 [3] Kokfelt et al, 2003, EPSL, v 214 [4] Sobolev et al, 2007, Science, v 316 [5] Shorttle et al, 2014, EPSL, v 395

High Sr/Y rocks are not all adakites!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moyen, Jean-François

2010-05-01

The name of "adakite" is used to describe a far too large group of rocks, whose sole common feature is high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios. Defining adakites only by this criterion is misleading, as the definition of this group of rocks does include many other criteria, including major elements. In itself, high (or commonly moderate!) Sr/Y ratios can be achieved via different processes: melting of a high Sr/Y (and La/Yb) source; deep melting, with abundant residual garnet; fractional crystallization or AFC; or interactions of felsic melts with the mantle, causing selective enrichment in LREE and Sr over HREE. A database of the compositions of "adakitic" rocks - including "high silica" and "low silica" adakites, "continental" adakites and Archaean adakites—was assembled. Geochemical modeling of the potential processes is used to interpret it, and reveals that (1) the genesis of high-silica adakites requires high pressure evolution (be it by melting or fractionation), in equilibrium with large amounts of garnet; (2) low-silica adakites are explained by garnet-present melting of an adakite-metasomatized mantle, i.e at depths greater than 2.5 GPa; (3) "Continental" adakites is a term encompassing a huge range of rocks, with a corresponding diversity of petrogenetic processes, and most of them are different from both low- and high- silica adakites; in fact in many cases it is a complete misnomer and the rocks studied are high-K calc-alkaline granitoids or even S-type granites; (4) Archaean adakites show a bimodal composition range, with some very high Sr/Y examples (similar to part of the TTG suite) reflecting deep melting (> 2.0 GPa) of a basaltic source with a relatively high Sr/Y, while lower Sr/Y rocks formed by shallower (1.0 GPa) melting of similar sources. Comparison with the Archaean TTG suite highlights the heterogeneity of the TTGs, whose composition spreads the whole combined range of HSA and Archaean adakites, pointing to a diversity of sources and processes contributing to the "TTG suite".

Characterization of the in situ magnetic architecture of oceanic crust (Hess Deep) using near-source vector magnetic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tominaga, Masako; Tivey, Maurice A.; MacLeod, Christopher J.; Morris, Antony; Lissenberg, C. Johan; Shillington, Donna J.; Ferrini, Vicki

2016-06-01

Marine magnetic anomalies are a powerful tool for detecting geomagnetic polarity reversals, lithological boundaries, topographic contrasts, and alteration fronts in the oceanic lithosphere. Our aim here is to detect lithological contacts in fast-spreading lower crust and shallow mantle by characterizing magnetic anomalies and investigating their origins. We conducted a high-resolution, near-bottom, vector magnetic survey of crust exposed in the Hess Deep "tectonic window" using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Isis during RRS James Cook cruise JC21 in 2008. Hess Deep is located at the western tip of the propagating rift of the Cocos-Nazca plate boundary near the East Pacific Rise (EPR) (2°15'N, 101°30'W). ROV Isis collected high-resolution bathymetry and near-bottom magnetic data as well as seafloor samples to determine the in situ lithostratigraphy and internal structure of a section of EPR lower crust and mantle exposed on the steep (~20°dipping) south facing slope just north of the Hess Deep nadir. Ten magnetic profiles were collected up the slope using a three-axis fluxgate magnetometer mounted on ROV Isis. We develop and extend the vertical magnetic profile (VMP) approach of Tivey (1996) by incorporating, for the first time, a three-dimensional vector analysis, leading to what we here termed as "vector vertical magnetic profiling" approach. We calculate the source magnetization distribution, the deviation from two dimensionality, and the strike of magnetic boundaries using both the total field Fourier-transform inversion approach and a modified differential vector magnetic analysis. Overall, coherent, long-wavelength total field anomalies are present with a strong magnetization contrast between the upper and lower parts of the slope. The total field anomalies indicate a coherently magnetized source at depth. The upper part of the slope is weakly magnetized and magnetic structure follows the underlying slope morphology, including a "bench" and lobe-shaped steps, imaged by microbathymetry. The lower part of the slope is strongly magnetized, with a gradual reduction in amplitude from east to west across the slope. Surface morphology and recent drilling results indicate that the slope has been affected by mass wasting, but the observation of internally coherent magnetization distributions within the upper and lower slopes suggest that the disturbance is surficial. We attribute the spatial differences in magnetization distribution to the combination of changes in in situ lithology and depth to the source. These survey lines document the first magnetic profiles that capture the gabbro-ultramafic and possibly dike-gabbro boundaries in fast-spreading lower crust.

Water circulation and global mantle dynamics: Insight from numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakagawa, Takashi; Nakakuki, Tomoeki; Iwamori, Hikaru

2015-05-01

We investigate water circulation and its dynamical effects on global-scale mantle dynamics in numerical thermochemical mantle convection simulations. Both dehydration-hydration processes and dehydration melting are included. We also assume the rheological properties of hydrous minerals and density reduction caused by hydrous minerals. Heat transfer due to mantle convection seems to be enhanced more effectively than water cycling in the mantle convection system when reasonable water dependence of viscosity is assumed, due to effective slab dehydration at shallow depths. Water still affects significantly the global dynamics by weakening the near-surface oceanic crust and lithosphere, enhancing the activity of surface plate motion compared to dry mantle case. As a result, including hydrous minerals, the more viscous mantle is expected with several orders of magnitude compared to the dry mantle. The average water content in the whole mantle is regulated by the dehydration-hydration process. The large-scale thermochemical anomalies, as is observed in the deep mantle, is found when a large density contrast between basaltic material and ambient mantle is assumed (4-5%), comparable to mineral physics measurements. Through this study, the effects of hydrous minerals in mantle dynamics are very important for interpreting the observational constraints on mantle convection.

The role of water in the petrogenesis of Marina trough magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolper, Edward; Newman, Sally

1994-02-01

Most variations in composition among primitive basalts from the Mariana back-arc trough can be explained by melting mixtures of an N-type mid-ocean ridge basalt (NMORB) mantle source and an H2O rich component, provided the degree of melting is positively and approximately linearly correlated with the proportion of the H2O-rich component in the mixture. We conclude that the degrees of melting by which Mariana trough magmas are generated increase from magmas similar to NMORB, through more H2O-enriched basalts, to 'arc-like' basalts, and that this increase is due to the lowering of the solidus of mantle peridotite that accompanies addition of the H2O-rich component. The H2O-rich component is likely to be ultimately derived from fluid from a subducting slab, but we propose that by the time fluids reach the source regions of Mariana trough basalts, they have interacted with sufficient mantle material that for all but the most incompatible of elements (with respect to fluid-mantle interaction), they are in equilibrium with the mantle. In contrast, fluids added to the source regions of Mariana island-arc magmas have typically interacted with less mantle and thus retain the signature of slab-derived fluids to varying degrees for all but the most compatible elements. Primitive Mariana arc basalts can be generated by melting mixtures of such incompletely exchanged slab-derived fluids and sources similar to NMORB-type mantle sources, but the degrees of melting are typically higher than those of Mariana trough NMORB and the sources have been variably depleted relative to the back-arc sources by previous melt extraction. This depletion may be related to earlier extraction of back-arc basin magmas or may evolve by repeated fluxing of the sources as fluid is continually added to them in the regions of arc magma generation. If fluid with partitioning behavior relative to the solid mantle similar to that deduced for the H2O-rich component involved in the generation of Mariana trough basalts were extracted from primitive mantle, the residual mantle would have many of the minor and trace element characteristics of typical oceanic upper mantle; primitive mantle enriched in such fluid would be a satisfactory source for the continental crust in terms of its trace and minor element chemical composition.

Did clockwise rotation of Antarctica cause the break-up of Gondwanaland? An investigation in the 'deep-keeled cratons' frame for global dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osmaston, M. F.

2012-04-01

Introduction. The 'deep-keeled cratons' frame for global dynamics is the result of seeking Earth-behaviour answers to the following outside-the-box proposition:- "If cratons have tectospheric keels that reach or approach the 660 km discontinuity, AND the 660 level is an effective barrier to mantle circulation, then obviously (i) when two cratons separate, the upper mantle to put under the nascent ocean must arrive by a circuitous route and, conversely, (ii) if they approach one another, the mantle volume that was in between them must get extruded sideways." Surprisingly it has turned out [1 - 4] that Earth dynamical behaviour for at least the past 150 Ma provides persuasive affirmation of both these expectations and that there is a rational petrological explanation for the otherwise-unexpected immobility of subcratonic material to such depths [5 - 7]. Clockwise rotation of Antarctica? This contribution greatly amplifies my original plate dynamical arguments for suggesting [8] that such rotation is ongoing. Convection is unsuited to causing rotation about a pole within the plate so, as noted then, a gearwheel-like linkage to Africa at the SWIR would provide its clearly CCW (Biscay-Caucasus) relationship to the Mediterranean belt for the past 100 Ma, also seen in its separation from South America. Gearwheel-like linkage of motion requires the presence of some kind of E-W restraint further north. In that case it was the N Africa/Arabia involvement in the Alpide belt, but the earlier opening of the central Atlantic by the eastward motion of Africa, suggests its rigid Gondwanan attachment to Antarctica rotation at that time, with little constraint in the north. Further east, the seafloor data show that Australia-Antarctica separation involved no such opposite rotational linkage, so, with no E-W mechanical constraint in the north by Indonesia, they must have rotated together, as is recorded by Australia's eastward motion to generate the Mesozoic seafloor at its western side. Moving east again, the sigmoidal fracture-zone pattern between W Antarctica and Tonga Trench seems consistent with a gearwheel-linked relative rotation of the Pacific plate by about 35o CCW since about 120 Ma, so about half that (clockwise) by Antarctica. The triangular Cocos plate is then in the position where the two gearwheels separate. Further north, the dextral slip on the San Andreas Fault and the opening of the Gorda Ridge are broadly consistent with such rotation. Note that with our two-layer mantle all reference to 'absolute', lower mantle-related, positions is inappropriate. Our sole concern now is with relative motions of plates. Driving torque on the cratonic keel of East Antarctica. I maintain here my suggestion [8] that this keel, in actual contact with the lower mantle at its boundary, is picking up an electromagnetically generated torque, transmitted up from the polar zone of the CMB through the higher viscosity lower mantle. The reality of the rotation now invites more attention to this mechanism. The involvement of the cratonic keel is supported, as noted [8], by the apparent absence of rotational effects in the Arctic, where there is no keel in the polar position, although a similar CMB coupling to the lower mantle seems likely. The involvement of geomagnetism is supported by the sharp changes in central Pacific fracture zone orientation and the onset of the Ontong Java magmatism, correlating with the start and end of the Cretaceous long normal geochron [8, 9]. Such a change is also seen at M0 time in the Weddell Sea. Presumably the speed of Antarctica rotation was affected. Gondwanaland break-up. In view of these abundant tectonic effects attributable to Antarctica rotation, I propose that this was what broke up Gondwanaland, not a plume, as no such things are recognized in this thick-plate, two-layer mantle, version of the Earth-function paradigm. In this version, magmas with apparently lower mantle chemical signatures can be sourced within the upper mantle [10] and flood basalts can be generated by splitting cratons [11]. So the ~176 Ma age of the Ferrar Dolerite in Antarctica is a record of one of those splits. Gaps in the PalaeoPacific rim. If we restore Australia both westward to before the spreading at its western side and southward to its position against Antarctica, the Pacific rim was a fair approximation to a great circle, so it covered a hemisphere. Spreading of the other oceans, initiated by Gondwanaland break-up, must have been at the expense of the size of the Pacific, so it must formerly have covered much more than a hemisphere, and had a periphery correspondingly rather shorter than a great circle. Thus we have the surprising result that reducing the area of the Pacific actually required that its rim be made longer, by making gaps between the previously defining cratonic keels. A further result was that now-excess upper mantle material from below the Pacific had to flow through those gaps to put beneath the widening 'new' oceans. For all four of the obvious gaps - Caribbean, Scotia, Australia-Antarctica, Bering - there is evidence to support the presence of that outflow, and in two of the cases there is evidence that motions to open the gaps began very soon after Gondwana began to break up. Subduction and a two-layer mantle? In another contribution at this meeting (GD5.1) I explain that, in the thick-plate frame adopted here, subduction is neither a motivating player (for break-up purposes) in plate dynamics nor does it breach significantly our 2-layer mantle picture. The underlying reason is that oceanic 'tectosphere' is actually thicker for the same reason [5 - 7] as that of cratons, giving it ex-LVZ heat content which transforms the subduction picture. Three Conclusions. (1) The thick-plate, 2-layer mantle version of the earth-function paradigm [1 - 7] is alive and well. (2) The break-up of Gondwanaland was caused by Antarctica's clockwise rotation. (3) Such rotation is now to be considered a major agent in plate motion dynamics for the period during which East Antarctica, or any other sufficiently deep-keeled craton previously, was located at one of the Earth's poles. [1] Osmaston M. F. (2006) Global tectonic actions emanating from Arctic opening in the circumstances of a two-layer mantle and a thick-plate paradigm involving deep cratonic tectospheres: the Eurekan (Eocene) compressive motion of Greenland and other examples. In Proc. ICAM IV, 2003 (ed. R. Scott & D. Thurston). OCS Study MMS 2006-003, p.105-124: Also at: http://www.mms.gov/alaska/icam. [2] Osmaston M. (2005) Interrelationships between large-scale plate motions as indicators of mantle structure: new constraints on mantle modelling and compositional layout. In 3rd Workshop on "Earth's mantle composition, structure and phase transitions" St Malo, France. http://deep.earth.free.fr/participants.php. [3] Osmaston M. F. (2007) Cratonic keels and a two-layer mantle tested: mantle expulsion during Arabia-Russia closure linked to westward enlargement of the Black Sea, formation of the Western Alps and subduction of the Tyrrhenian (not the Ionian) Sea. XXIV IUGG, Session JSS 011, Abstr #2105 http://www.iugg2007perugia.it/webbook/. [4] Osmaston M. F. (2009) Deep cratonic keels and a 2-layer mantle? Tectonic basis for some far-reaching new insights on the dynamical properties of the Earth's mantle: example motions from Mediterranean, Atlantic-Arctic and India. Geophys. Res. Abstr. 11, EGU2009-6359 (Solicited). [5] Karato S. (1986) Does partial melting reduce the creep strength of the upper mantle? Nature 319, 309-310. [6] Hirth G. & Kohlstedt D. L. (1996) Water in the oceanic upper mantle: implication for rheology, melt extraction, and the evolution of the lithosphere. EPSL 144, 93-108. [7] Osmaston M. F. (2010) On the actual variety of plate dynamical mechanisms and how mantle evolution affected them through time, from core formation to the Indian collision. Geophys. Res. Abstr. 12, EGU2010-6101. [8] Osmaston M. F. (2003) What drives plate tectonics? Slab pull, ridge push or geomagnetic torque from the CMB? A new look at the old players vis-a-vis an exciting new one. In XXIII IUGG 2003, B129, Abstr no 016795-2. [9] Atwater T., Sclater J., Sandwell D., Severinghaus J., & Marlow M. S. (1993) Fracture zone traces across the North Pacific Cretaceous quiet zone and their tectonic implications. In The Mesozoic Pacific: geology, tectonics and volcanism, (ed. Pringle, Sager, Sliter, & Stein) AGU Geophys. Monogr. 77, 137-154. [10] Osmaston M. F. (2000) An upper mantle source for plumes and Dupal; result of processes and history that have shaped the Earth's interior from core to crust. Goldschmidt 2000, J. Conf. Abstr. 5 (2), 763. [11] Osmaston M. F. (2008) Extra-thick plates: basis for a single model of mantle magmagenesis, all the way from MORB to kimberlite. Goldschmidt 2008. Geochim.Cosmochim. Acta 72(12S), A711.

Noble gas composition of Indian carbonatites (Amba Dongar, Siriwasan): Implications on mantle source compositions and late-stage hydrothermal processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopp, Jens; Viladkar, Shrinivas G.

2018-06-01

Within a stepwise crushing study we determined the noble gas composition of several calcite separates, one aegirine and one pyrochlore-aegirine separate of the carbonatite ring dyke complex of Amba Dongar and carbonatite sill complex of Siriwasan, India. Both carbonatites are related to the waning stages of volcanic activity of the Deccan Igneous Province ca. 65 Ma ago. Major observations are a clear radiogenic 4He* and nucleogenic 21Ne* imprint related to in situ production from U and Th in mineral impurities, most likely minute apatite grains, or late incorporation of crustal fluids. However, in first crushing steps of most calcites from Amba Dongar a well-resolvable mantle neon signal is observed, with lowest air-corrected mantle 21Ne/22Ne-compositions equivalent to the Réunion hotspot mantle source. In case of the aegirine separate from Siriwasan we found a neon composition similar to the Loihi hotspot mantle source. This transition from a mantle plume signal in first crushing step to a more nucleogenic signature with progressive crushing indicates the presence of an external (crustal) or in situ nucleogenic component unrelated and superposed to the initial mantle neon component whose composition is best approximated by results of first crushing step(s). This contradicts previous models of a lithospheric mantle source of the carbonatitic magmas from Amba Dongar containing recycled crustal components which base on nucleogenic neon compositions. Instead, the mantle source of both investigated carbonatite complexes is related to a primitive mantle plume source that we tentatively ascribe to the postulated Deccan mantle plume. If, as is commonly suggested, the present location of the Deccan mantle plume source is below Réunion Island, the currently observed more nucleogenic neon isotopic composition of the Réunion hotspot might be obliterated by significant upper mantle contributions. In addition, compared with other carbonatite complexes worldwide a rather significant contribution of atmospheric noble gases is observed. This is documented in cut-off 20Ne/22Ne-ratios of ca. 10.2 (Amba Dongar) and 10.45 (Siriwasan) and cut-off 40Ar/36Ar-ratios of about 1500. This atmospheric component had been added at shallow levels during the emplacement process or later during hydrothermal alteration. However, understanding the late-stage interaction between atmospheric gases and magmatic mantle fluids still requires further investigation.

Deep-Earth Equilibration between Molten Iron and Solid Silicates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brennan, M.; Zurkowski, C. C.; Chidester, B.; Campbell, A.

2017-12-01

Elemental partitioning between iron-rich metals and silicate minerals influences the properties of Earth's deep interior, and is ultimately responsible for the nature of the core-mantle boundary. These interactions between molten iron and solid silicates were influential during planetary accretion, and persist today between the mantle and liquid outer core. Here we report the results of diamond anvil cell experiments at lower mantle conditions (40 GPa, >2500 K) aimed at examining systems containing a mixture of metals (iron or Fe-16Si alloy) and silicates (peridotite). The experiments were conducted at pressure-temperature conditions above the metallic liquidus but below the silicate solidus, and the recovered samples were analyzed by FIB/SEM with EDS to record the compositions of the coexisting phases. Each sample formed a three-phase equilibrium between bridgmanite, Fe-rich metallic melt, and an oxide. In one experiment, using pure Fe, the quenched metal contained 6 weight percent O, and the coexisting oxide was ferropericlase. The second experiment, using Fe-Si alloy, was highly reducing; its metal contained 10 wt% Si, and the coexisting mineral was stishovite. The distinct mineralogies of the two experiments derived from their different starting metals. These results imply that metallic composition is an important factor in determining the products of mixed phase iron-silicate reactions. The properties of deep-Earth interfaces such as the core-mantle boundary could be strongly affected by their metallic components.

Upper mantle and crustal structure of southwestern Scandinavia: Results of the TopoScandiaDeep project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köhler, A.; Balling, N.; Ebbing, J.; England, R.; Frassetto, A.; Gradmann, S.; Jacobsen, B. H.; Kvarven, T.; Maupin, V.; Medhus, A. Bondo; Mjelde, R.; Ritter, J.; Schweizer, J.; Stratford, W.; Thybo, H.; Wawerzinek, B.; Weidle, C.

2012-04-01

The origin of the Scandinavian mountains, located far away from any presently active plate margin, is still not well understood. In particular, it is not clear if the mountains are sustained isostatically either by crustal thickening or by light upper mantle material. Within the TopoScandiaDeep project (a collaborative research project within the ESF TOPO-EUROPE programme), we therefore analyse recently collected passive seismological and active seismic data in the southern Scandes and surrounding regions. We infer crustal and upper mantle (velocity) structures and relate them to results of gravity and temperature-composition modelling. The Moho under the high topography of southern Norway appears from controlled source seismic refraction and Receiver Functions as relatively shallow (<= 45 km) compared to the deeper conversion (>55 km) imaged beneath the low topography in Sweden and elsewhere in the Baltic Shield area outside Norway. The Receiver Function modeling as well as the active seismic results suggest that the differences in the observed Moho response may represent the transition between tectonically reworked Moho under southern Norway and an intact, cratonic crust-mantle boundary beneath the Baltic Shield. Furthermore, the 410km-discontinuity and the LAB is imaged, the latter one suggesting a lithospheric thickening in NE direction. Upper mantle P-wave and S-wave velocities in southern Sweden and southern Norway east of the Oslo Graben are correspondingly relatively high while lower velocities are observed in the southwestern part of Norway and northern Denmark. The lateral velocity gradient, interpreted as the southwestern boundary of thick Baltic Shield lithosphere, is remarkably sharp. Differences in upper mantle velocities are found at depths of 100-400 km and amount to ± 2-3%. S-to-P wave conversions, interpreted to originate from the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, are preliminary estimated to 90-120 km depth. Inversion of Rayleigh and Love surface wave phase velocity dispersion curves from observations of ambient noise and earthquakes yield another independent model of the crust and upper mantle structure below southern Norway. Inverted crustal velocities and Moho depths are consistent with the results of seismic refraction and receiver functions. Additionally, indications for radial crustal anisotropy of up to about 3% are found. The inferred upper mantle S-wave velocities show that the lithosphere under southern Norway has characteristics usually found under continental platforms and changes towards a cratonic-like velocity structure in the East, in agreement with the body wave tomography. All in all, these separate investigations give a very consistent and stable picture of the crust and upper mantle configuration. Integrated geophysical modeling of the results shows that a lateral transition from thinner, warmer lithosphere under southern Norway towards thicker, colder lithosphere under Sweden results in a density distribution that significantly adds to the isostatic support of Norway's high topography.

Compositional Variation of Terrestrial Mantle Apatites and Implications for the Halogen and Water Budgets of the Terrestrial Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roden, M.; Patino Douce, A. E.; Chaumba, J. B.; Fleisher, C.; Yogodzinski, G. M.

2011-12-01

Apatite in ultramafic xenoliths from various tectonic enviroments including arc (Kamchatka), plume (Hawaii), and intraplate (Lunar Crater, Nunivak, Colorado Plateau) were analyzed by electron microprobe with the aim of characterizing the Cl and F contents, and from these measured compositions to infer the nature of fluids/melts that the apatites equilibrated with. The impetus for the study derived from the generalization of O'Reilly and Griffin (1) that mantle-derived metasomatic apatites tend to be Cl-rich and mantle-derived igneous apatites tend to be F-rich. Our work largely corroborates their generalization with Cl- and/or H2O-rich compositions characterizing the apatites from Nunivak and Kamchatka while apatites from igneous or Group II xenoliths tend to be Cl-poor and be either nearly pure fluorapatite or a mix of hydroxylapatite and fluorapatite. We attribute the Cl-rich nature of the Kamchatka apatites to formation from Cl-rich fluids generated from subducted lithosphere; however the Nunivak occurrence is far removed from subducted lithosphere and may reflect a deep seated source for Cl as also indicated by brine inclusions in diamonds, Cl-rich apatites in carbonate-bearing xenoliths and a Cl-rich signature in some plumes such as Iceland, Azores and Samoa. One curious aspect of mantle-derived apatite compositions is that xenoliths with evidence of carbonatitic metasomatism commonly have Cl-rich apatites while apatites from carbonatites are invariably Cl-poor - perhaps reflecting loss of Cl in fluids evolved from the carbonatitic magma. Apatites from Group II xenoliths at Hawaii are solid solutions between fluorapatite and hydroxylapatite and show no evidence for deep-seated Cl at Hawaii. Samples of the terrestrial mantle are almost uniformly characterized by mineral assemblages with a single Ca-rich phosphate phase but the mantles of Mars, Vesta and the Moon have two Ca-rich phosphates, apatite and volatile-poor merrillite - apatite compositions existing with merrillite are typically Cl- and F-rich in the case of Mars but F-rich in the case of the Moon and Vesta (2-4). In a single reported example of terrestrial mantle xenoliths containing apatite and and a similar volatile-poor Ca-phosphate, whitlockite, the apatite contained significant Cl and H2O but was F-rich and similar to some lunar apatites. Our thermodynamic analysis of apatite-merrillite equilibria suggests that high phosphorous chemical potentials combined with high halogen and low water fugacities are required for the coexistence of a volatile-poor Ca-phosphate with apatite, and point out the relatively unique and typically water-rich nature of the upper mantle of the Earth compared to other differentiated planetary bodies. References 1. S. O'Reilly & W. Griffin, 2000, Lithos 53: 217. 2. A. Patiño Douce et al., 2011, Chem Geol. in press 3. F. McCubbin et al. 2009, LPSC abs 2246 4. A. Sarafian et al. 2011, Meteor. Soc. Abs 5023

Investigating Different Patterns of Slab Deformation in the Lower Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.; McNamara, A. K.

2017-12-01

The geometry of slabs within the upper mantle have been relatively well-imaged by tomography and regional seismic studies; however, the style of slab deformation in the lower mantle remains poorly understood. Although tomography models reveal that the lower mantle beneath paleo-subduction regions are faster-than-average, the resolution is not high enough to resolve how slabs are actually deforming there. Slabs have long been hypothesized as viscous, tabular sheets that subduct at the surface, descend through the mantle, and impinge on the core-mantle boundary (CMB). Geodynamical studies have shown a wide range of possible deformational behaviors, ranging from stiff, buckling slabs to more-ductile masses of accumulating slab material undergoing pure shear. Of particular interest is how rheology and 3D spherical geometry control the shape and deformational style of slabs as they descend deeper into the mantle. We performed high resolution 3D spherical calculations to explore slab deformation in deep mantle as a function of slab strength. In our model, kinematic velocity boundary conditions are imposed on the surface to simulate a moving plate which guides the formation of a subducting slab. In addition, a viscosity jump at the transition zone is applied. We find that although a slab subducts as a large tabular sheet from the surface, it doesn't always maintain such geometry. Instead, it typically breaks apart into a few smaller and narrower sheets which can even turn into cylindrical-shaped downwelling after subducting into deep mantle. Since seismic anisotropy is hypothesized to originate from crystal preferred orientation (CPO) in a slab when it impinges on the CMB and is predicted with significant help of time-dependent deformation information from the geodynamic models, our findings on lower mantle slab deformation patterns may enhance the understanding towards the cause of characteristic patterns of predicted seismic anisotropy.

Deep global cycling of carbon constrained by the solidus of anhydrous, carbonated eclogite under upper mantle conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, Rajdeep; Hirschmann, Marc M.; Withers, Anthony C.

2004-10-01

We present partial melting experiments that constrain the near solidus phase relations of carbonated eclogite from 2 to 8.5 GPa. The starting material was prepared by adding 5 wt.% CO 2 in the form of a mixture of Fe-Mg-Ca-Na-K carbonates to an eclogite from Salt Lake crater, Oahu, Hawaii and is a reasonable approximation of carbonated oceanic crust from which siliceous hydrous fluids have been extracted during subduction. Melt-present versus melt-absent conditions are distinguished based on textural criteria. Garnet and clinopyroxene appear in all the experiments. Between 2 and 3 GPa, the subsolidus assemblage also includes ilmenite±calcio-dolomite ss±CO 2, whereas above the solidus (1050-1075 °C at 3 GPa) calcio-dolomitic liquid appears. From 3 to 4.5 GPa, dolomite ss is stable at the solidus and the near-solidus melt becomes increasingly dolomitic. The appearance of dolomite above 3 GPa is accompanied by a negative Clapeyron slope of the solidus, with a minimum located between 995 and 1025 °C at ca. 4 GPa. Above 4 GPa, the solidus rises with increasing pressure to 1245±35 °C at 8.5 GPa and magnesite becomes the subsolidus carbonate. Dolomitic melt coexists with magnesite+garnet+cpx+rutile along the solidus from 5 to 8.5 GPa. Comparison of our results to other recent experimental studies [T. Hammouda, High-pressure melting of carbonated eclogite and experimental constraints on carbon recycling and storage in the mantle, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 214 (2003) 357-368; G.M. Yaxley, G.P. Brey, Phase relations of carbonate-bearing eclogite assemblages from 2.5 to 5.5 GPa: implications for petrogenesis of carbonatites, Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 146 (2004) 606-619] shows that carbonate minerals are preserved in anhydrous or slightly hydrous carbonated eclogite to temperatures >1100 and >1200 °C at 5 and 9 GPa, respectively. Thus, deep subduction of carbonate is expected along any plausible subduction geotherm. If extrapolated to higher pressures, the carbonated eclogite solidus is likely to intersect the oceanic geotherm at a depth close to 400 km. Carbonated eclogite bodies entering the convecting upper mantle will thus release carbonate melt near the top of the mantle transition zone and may account for anomalously slow seismic velocities at depths of 280-400 km. Upon release, this small volume, highly reactive melt could be an effective agent of deep mantle metasomatism. Comparison of the carbonated eclogite solidus with that of peridotite-CO 2 shows a shallower solidus-geotherm intersection for the latter. This implies that carbonated peridotite is a more likely proximal source of magmatic carbon in oceanic provinces. However, carbonated eclogite is a potential source of continental carbonatites, as its solidus crosses the continental shield geotherm at ca. 4 GPa. Transfer of eclogite-derived carbonate melt to peridotite may account for the geochemical characteristics of some oceanic island basalts (OIBs) and their association with high CaO and CO 2.

Mercury's Low-Degree Geoid and Topography from Insolation-Driven Elastic Deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tosi, N.; Cadek, O.; Padovan, S.; Wieczorek, M. A.

2014-12-01

Because of Mercury's high eccentricity, nearly zero obliquity, and 3:2 spin-orbit resonance, the planet's surface is characterized by an average insolation pattern resulting in longitudinal and latitudinal temperature variations that can be expressed in terms of the (2,0), (2,2) and (4,0) harmonics [Vasavada et al., 1999]. We show that the temperature anomalies that propagate from the surface into the deep mantle can be used to interpret the above harmonics of the geoid and topography spectra in terms of the elastic response of the lithosphere and mantle. Using 3D numerical simulations of thermal evolution constrained by MESSENGER observations [Tosi et al., 2013], we first demonstrate that mantle convection either ceased in the past or, at most, is very weak at present, implying that the mantle is in a conductive or nearly-conductive state. As a consequence, the power spectra of the geoid and topography due to present-day mantle convection only are orders of magnitude smaller than the observed ones. We assume therefore that present-day heat transport in the mantle occurs primarily via thermal conduction and numerically solve the diffusion equation in a 3D spherical shell with variable surface temperature and internal heat sources partitioned between the mantle and a crust of variable thickness according to different enrichment factors. We obtain a set of temperature distributions that are employed to calculate the deformation of a compressible elastic layer overlying a quasi-hydrostatic mantle in which shear stresses are assumed to be relaxed and deformation solely induced by thermal and mechanical compressibility. The surface displacements calculated with this model are then compared against the observed topography, while the internal density anomalies and the displacements of the surface and core-mantle boundary are used to calculate Mercury's geoid. We thoroughly explore the parameter space by varying the thickness of the boundary between the elastic and quasi-hydrostatic layers, the lithosphere's elastic parameters and the coefficient of thermal expansion. Our model can reproduce more than 90% of the observed low-degree geoid and topography thereby allowing us to constrain the effective thickness of Mercury's elastic lithosphere.

Habitability constraints on water-rich exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noack, Lena; Höning, Dennis; Rivoldini, Attilio; Heistracher, Clemens; Zimov, Nastasia; Journaux, Baptiste; Lammer, Helmut; Van Hoolst, Tim; Hendrik Bredehöft, Jan

2016-04-01

This research addresses the characterization, modelling, thermal evolution and possible habitability of water-rich exoplanets. Water is necessary for the origin and survival of life as we know it. In the search for habitable worlds, water-rich planets therefore seem obvious candidates. The water layer on such planets could be hundreds of kilometers deep. Depending on the temperature profile and the pressure gradient, it is likely that at great depths a significant part of the water layer is solid high pressure ice. Whether the solid ice layer extends to the bottom of the water layer, or if a shallow lower ocean forms above the silicate mantle, depends amongst others on the thermal state of the planet. We therefore model the thermal evolution of water-rich planets with a 1D parameterized model. Depth-dependent profiles for thermodynamic properties as well as pressure and gravity are obtained by solving the Poisson equation for the gravity and the hydrostatic pressure equation for pre-defined mass and composition (in terms of iron, silicates and water) [1]. For density, equations of state are applied. For the simulation of the thermal evolution of water-rich planets, several parameters (as initial temperatures or layer thicknesses) are unknown. We therefore employ a quantitatve study with more than 20'000 simulations, where we investigated which parameters have the largest influence on the appearance of a lower ocean, i.e. the possible melting of high-pressure ice by heat flowing out of the silicate mantle [2]. We find that the surface temperature has the largest influence on the thickness of water layers, for which a lower ocean can still form between the high-pressure ice layer and the silicate mantle. For higher surface temperatures, not only entirely liquid oceans are possible for deeper water shells, also a liquid ocean can form under high-pressure ice layers of hundreds of kilometer thickness (for a 1 Earth-mass planet). Deeper down, the lower ocean can still appear episodically at the water-mantle boundary (WMB). We also investigated the main paramters influencing the existence of volcanic activity and silicate crust formation. Under deep water layers, the high pressure from the overlying water layer can inhibit melting in the mantle. The main parameters influencing the maximal water layer depth, for which melting is still possible, are indeed the parameters influencing the mantle energy budget, which are the amount of radioactive heat sources and the initial upper mantle temperature. Plate tectonics also has a strong influence on the existence of volcanism. Crustal parameters (initial thickness or heat sources enrichment factor) as well as the ice rheology (i.e. the isolating effect of the ice shell on the mantle) have only a small influence on melting processes in the interior and the formation of crust. [1] L. Noack, A. Rivoldini and T. Van Hoolst 2015: CHIC - Coupling Habitability, Interior and Crust: A new Code for Modeling the Thermal Evolution of Planets and Moons. INFOCOMP 2015, ISSN 2308-3484, ISBN 978-1-61208-416-9, pp. 84-90, IARIA, 2015. [2] L. Noack, D. Höning, A. Rivoldini, C. Heistracher, N. Zimov, B. Journaux, H. Lammer, T. Van Hoolst and J.H. Bredehöft: Water-rich planets: how habitable is a water layer deeper than on Earth? Submitted to Icarus.

Asteroidal impacts and the origin of terrestrial and lunar volatiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albarede, Francis; Ballhaus, Chris; Blichert-Toft, Janne; Lee, Cin-Ty; Marty, Bernard; Moynier, Frédéric; Yin, Qing-Zhu

2013-01-01

Asteroids impacting the Earth partly volatilize, partly melt (O'Keefe, J.D., Ahrens, T.J. [1977]. Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf. 8, 3357-3374). While metal rapidly segregates out of the melt and sinks into the core, the vaporized material orbits the Earth and eventually rains back onto its surface. The content of the mantle in siderophile elements and their chondritic relative abundances hence is accounted for, not by the impactors themselves, as in the original late-veneer model (Chou, C.L. [1978]. Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf. 9, 219-230; Morgan, J.W. et al. [1981]. Tectonophysics 75, 47-67), but by the vapor resulting from impacts. The impactor's non-siderophile volatiles, notably hydrogen, are added to the mantle and hydrosphere. The addition of late veneer may have lasted for 130 Ma after isolation of the Solar System and probably longer, i.e., well beyond the giant lunar impact. Constraints from the stable isotopes of oxygen and other elements suggest that, contrary to evidence from highly siderophile elements, ˜4% of CI chondrites accreted to the Earth. The amount of water added in this way during the waning stages of accretion, and now dissolved in the deep mantle or used to oxidize Fe in the mantle and the core, may correspond to 10-25 times the mass of the present-day ocean. The Moon is at least 100 times more depleted than the Earth in volatile elements with the exception of some isolated domains, such as the mantle source of 74220 pyroclastic glasses, which appear to contain significantly higher concentrations of water and other volatiles.

Dynamical effects on the core-mantle boundary from depth-dependent thermodynamical properties of the lower mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Shuxia; Yuen, David A.

1988-01-01

A common assumption in modeling dynamical processes in the lower mantle is that both the thermal expansivity and thermal conductivity are reasonably constant. Recent work from seismic equation of state leads to substantially higher values for the thermal conductivity and much lower thermal expansivity values in the deep mantle. The dynamical consequences of incorporating depth-dependent thermodynamic properties on the thermal-mechanical state of the lower mantle are examined with the spherical-shell mean-field equations. It is found that the thermal structure of the seismically resolved anomalous zone at the base of the mantle is strongly influenced by these variable properties and, in particular, that the convective distortion of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) is reduced with the decreasing thermal expansivity. Such a reduction of the dynamically induced topography from pure thermal convection would suggest that some other dynamical mechanism must be operating at the CMB.

Origin and Role of Recycled Crust in Flood Basalt Magmatism: Case Study of the Central East Greenland Rifted Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, E.; Lesher, C. E.

2015-12-01

Continental flood basalts (CFB) are extreme manifestations of mantle melting derived from chemically/isotopically heterogeneous mantle. Much of this heterogeneity comes from lithospheric material recycled into the convecting mantle by a range of mechanisms (e.g. subduction, delamination). The abundance and petrogenetic origins of these lithologies thus provide important constraints on the geodynamical origins of CFB magmatism, and the timescales of lithospheric recycling in the mantle. Basalt geochemistry has long been used to constrain the compositions and mean ages of recycled lithologies in the mantle. Typically, this work assumes the isotopic compositions of the basalts are the same as their mantle source(s). However, because basalts are mixtures of melts derived from different sources (having different fusibilities) generated over ranges of P and T, their isotopic compositions only indirectly represent the isotopic compositions of their mantle sources[1]. Thus, relating basalts compositions to mantle source compositions requires information about the melting process itself. To investigate the nature of lithologic source heterogeneity while accounting for the effects of melting during CFB magmatism, we utilize the REEBOX PRO forward melting model[2], which simulates adiabatic decompression melting in lithologically heterogeneous mantle. We apply the model to constrain the origins and abundance of mantle heterogeneity associated with Paleogene flood basalts erupted during the rift-to-drift transition of Pangea breakup along the Central East Greenland rifted margin of the North Atlantic igneous province. We show that these basalts were derived by melting of a hot, lithologically heterogeneous source containing depleted, subduction-modified lithospheric mantle, and <10% recycled oceanic crust. The Paleozoic mean age we calculate for this recycled crust is consistent with an origin in the region's prior subduction history, and with estimates for the mean age of recycled crust in the modern Iceland plume[3]. These results suggest that this lithospheric material was not recycled into the lower mantle before becoming entrained in the Iceland plume. [1] Rudge et al. (2013). GCA, 114, p112-143; [2] Brown & Lesher (2014). Nat. Geo., 7, p820-824; [3] Thirlwall et al. (2004). GCA, 68, p361-386

Mantle helium along the Newport-Inglewood fault zone, Los Angeles basin, California: A leaking paleo-subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boles, J. R.; Garven, G.; Camacho, H.; Lupton, J. E.

2015-07-01

Mantle helium is a significant component of the helium gas from deep oil wells along the Newport-Inglewood fault zone (NIFZ) in the Los Angeles (LA) basin. Helium isotope ratios are as high as 5.3 Ra (Ra = 3He/4He ratio of air) indicating 66% mantle contribution (assuming R/Ra = 8 for mantle), and most values are higher than 1.0 Ra. Other samples from basin margin faults and from within the basin have much lower values (R/Ra < 1.0). The 3He enrichment inversely correlates with CO2, a potential magmatic carrier gas. The δ13C of the CO2 in the 3He rich samples is between 0 and -10‰, suggesting a mantle influence. The strong mantle helium signal along the NIFZ is surprising considering that the fault is currently in a transpressional rather than extensional stress regime, lacks either recent magma emplacement or high geothermal gradients, and is modeled as truncated by a proposed major, potentially seismically active, décollement beneath the LA basin. Our results demonstrate that the NIFZ is a deep-seated fault directly or indirectly connected with the mantle. Based on a 1-D model, we calculate a maximum Darcy flow rate q ˜ 2.2 cm/yr and a fault permeability k ˜ 6 × 10-17 m2 (60 microdarcys), but the flow rates are too low to create a geothermal anomaly. The mantle leakage may be a result of the NIFZ being a former Mesozoic subduction zone in spite of being located 70 km west of the current plate boundary at the San Andreas fault.

Geochemical characteristics of the La Réunion mantle plume source inferred from olivine-hosted melt inclusions from the adventive cones of Piton de la Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valer, Marina; Schiano, Pierre; Bachèlery, Patrick

2017-09-01

Major and trace element compositions were obtained for bulk rocks and melt inclusions hosted in olivine crystals (Fo > 85) from the adventive cones of the Piton de La Fournaise volcano (La Réunion Island). Ratios of highly incompatible trace elements for these magmas are used to identify the nature of the La Réunion mantle plume source. Although adventive cone lavas display unusual major element compositions compared to the historical lavas of the volcano (e.g., lower CaO/Al2O3), trace element data suggest that the magmas emitted by the adventive cones originate from a common chemical source. This source may correspond to either a homogeneous mixed source of different mantle components or a near-primitive less-differentiated mantle source. The melt inclusions display ratios of highly incompatible elements (e.g., Th/La, Nb/La) which are similar to primitive mantle values, and lower Nb/U ratios compared to most oceanic basalts. These results and previous isotopic and trace element data suggest that La Réunion plume samples a source which is intermediate between a primitive-like mantle domain and a slightly depleted one almost unaffected by the recycling processes. This source could have originated from early depletion of the primitive mantle. Assuming a depletion 4.45 Gyr ago, 10% melting of this slightly depleted source could explain the enriched trace element concentrations of the melt inclusions.

Modelling the Impact of Life on Continental Growth - Mechanisms and Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höning, D.; Spohn, T.

2013-12-01

The complexity of planetary evolution increases with the number of interacting reservoirs. On Earth, even the biosphere is speculated to interact with the interior. It has been argued (e.g., Rosing et al. 2006; Sleep et al, 2012) that the formation of continents could be a consequence of bioactivity harvesting solar energy through photosynthesis to help build the continents and that the mantle should carry a chemical biosignature. Through plate tectonics, the surface biosphere can impact deep subduction zone processes and the interior of the Earth. Subducted sediments are particularly important, because they influence the Earth's interior in several ways, and in turn are strongly influenced by the Earth's biosphere. In our model, we use the assumption that a thick sedimentary layer of low permeability on top of the subducting oceanic crust, caused by a biologically enhanced weathering rate, can suppress shallow dewatering. This in turn leads to greater availability of water in the source region of andesitic partial melt, resulting in an enhanced rate of continental production and regassing rate into the mantle. Our model includes (i) mantle convection, (ii) continental erosion and production, and (iii) mantle water degassing at mid-ocean ridges and regassing at subduction zones. The mantle viscosity of our model depends on (i) the mantle water concentration and (ii) the mantle temperature, whose time dependency is given by radioactive decay of isotopes in the Earth's mantle. Boundary layer theory yields the speed of convection and the water outgassing rate of the Earth's mantle. Our results indicate that present day values of continental surface area and water content of the Earth's mantle represent an attractor in a phase plane spanned by both parameters. We show that the biologic enhancement of the continental erosion rate is important for the system to reach this fixed point. An abiotic Earth tends to reach an alternative stable fixed point with a smaller continental surface area and dryer mantle. The origin and evolution of life on Earth might be responsible for the rise of continents 3.5 billion years ago. References: [1] N. H. Sleep et al., Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 40, 277-300, 2012 [2] M. T. Rosing et al., Paleo3 232, 90-113, 2006

Imprints of Geodynamic Processes on the Paleoclimate Record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Austermann, Jacqueline

In this thesis I investigate how solid Earth deformation associated with glacial isostatic adjustment and mantle convection impacted ice age climate. In particular, I discard approximations that treat the Earth's internal properties as radially symmetric and demonstrate that lateral variations in viscosity and density within the Earth's mantle play an important role in understanding and interpreting surface observations. At the beginning of this thesis, I turn my attention to the Last Glacial Maximum, 21 kyr ago. Estimates of the globally averaged sea level low stand, or equivalently maximum (excess) ice volume, have been a source of contention, ranging from -120 m to -135 m. These bounding values were obtained by correcting local sea level records from Barbados and northern Australia, respectively, for deformation due to glacial isostatic adjustment using 1-D viscoelastic Earth models. I demonstrate that including laterally varying mantle structure, and particularly the presence of a high viscosity slab consistent with seismic imaging and the tectonic history of the Caribbean region, leads to a significant reinterpretation of the Barbados sea level record. The revised analysis places the sea level low stand at close to -130 m, bringing it into accord with the inferred value from northern Australia within their relative uncertainties. In the following three chapters I explore the effects of dynamic topography on sea level records during past warm periods. Dynamic topography is supported by viscous flow and buoyancy variations in the Earth's mantle and lithosphere. I begin by developing a theoretical framework for computing gravitationally self-consistent sea level changes driven by dynamic topography and then combine this framework with models of mantle convective flow to investigate two important time periods in the geologic past. First, I examine the Last Interglacial (LIG) period, approximately 125 kyrs ago, which is considered to be a recent analogue for our warming world. I show that changes in dynamic topography since the LIG are on the order of a few meters, making them a non negligible source of uncertainty in estimates of excess melting during this time period. Second, I turn to the mid-Pliocene warm period (MPWP), ca. 3 Ma ago, which is a more ancient analogue for climate of the near future since temperatures were elevated, on average by 2ºC. Dynamic topography has been shown to significantly deform the elevation of shoreline markers of mid-Pliocene age, particularly along the U.S. Atlantic coastal plain. It has also profoundly altered bedrock topography within the Antarctic over the last 3 Myr. I couple my dynamic topography calculations to an Antarctic Ice Sheet model to explore this previously unrecognized connection and find that changes in topography associated with mantle flow have a significant effect on ice sheet retreat in the marine-based Wilkes basin, suggesting levels of ancient instability that are consistent with offshore geological records from the region. This finding indicates that the degree to which the mid-Pliocene can be regarded as an analogue for future climate is complicated by large-scale dynamic changes in the solid Earth. In the final section of this thesis, I move to the surface record of large igneous provinces (LIPs) - which are often cited as mantle flow induced drivers of critical events in Earth's ancient climate - and examine whether the location of LIPs carries information about the stability of large-scale structures in the deep mantle that have been imaged by seismic tomography. In particular, I investigate the spatial correlation between LIPs, which are the surface expression of deep sourced mantle plumes, and large low shear wave velocity provinces (LLSVPs) at the core mantle boundary. A correlation between LIPs and margins of LLSVPs has been used to argue that LLSVPs are thermochemical piles that have been stationary over time scales exceeding many hundreds of millions of years. My statistical analysis indicates that there is a statistically significant correlation between LIPs and the overall geographic extent of LLSVPs, and this admits the possibility that LLSVPs may be more transient, thermally dominated structures. I conclude that given the limited record of LIPs, one cannot distinguish between the two hypotheses that they are correlated with the edges or the areal extent of the LLSVPs.

Quantitative Restoration of the Evolution of Mantle Structures Using Data Assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail-Zadeh, A.; Schubert, G.; Tsepelev, I.

2008-12-01

Rapid progress in imaging deep Earth structures and in studies of physical and chemical properties of mantle rocks facilitates research in assimilation of data related to mantle dynamics. We present a quantitative approach to assimilation of geophysical and geodetic data, which allows for incorporating observations and unknown initial conditions for mantle temperature and flow into a three-dimensional dynamic model in order to determine the initial conditions in the geological past. Once the conditions are determined the evolution of mantle structures can be restore backward in time. We apply data assimilation techniques to model the evolution of mantle plumes and lithospheric slabs. We show that the geometry of the mantle structures changes with time diminishing the degree of surface curvature of the structures, because the heat conduction smoothes the complex thermal surfaces of mantle bodies with time. Present seismic tomography images of mantle structures do not allow definition of the sharp shapes of these structures. Assimilation of mantle temperature and flow to the geological past instead provides a quantitative tool to restore thermal shapes of prominent structures in the past from their diffusive shapes at present.

Elasticity of Deep-Earth Materials at High P and T: Implication for Earths Lower Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bass, Jay; Sinogeikin, S. V.; Mattern, Estelle; Jackson, J. M.; Matas, J.; Wang, J.; Ricard, Y.

2005-03-01

Brillouin spectroscopy allows measurements of sound velocities and elasticity on phases of geophysical interest at high Pressures and Temperatures. This technique was used to measure the properties of numerous important phases of Earths deep interior. Emphasis is now on measurements at elevated P-T conditions, and measurements on dense polycrystals. Measurements to 60 GPa were made using diamond anvil cells. High temperature is achieved by electrical resistance and laser heating. Excellent results are obtained for polycrystalline samples of dense oxides such as silicate spinels, and (Mg,Al)(Si,Al)O3 --perovskites. A wide range of materials can now be characterized. These and other results were used to infer Earths average lower mantle composition and thermal structure by comparing mineral properties at lower mantle P-T conditions to global Earth models. A formal inversion procedure was used. Inversions of density and bulk sound velocity do not provide robust compositional and thermal models. Including shear properties in the inversions is important to obtain unique solutions. We discuss the range of models consistent with present lab results, and data needed to further refine lower mantle models.

Constraints on fluid origins and migration velocities along the Marmara Main Fault (Sea of Marmara, Turkey) using helium isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnard, P.; Bourlange, S.; Henry, P.; Geli, L.; Tryon, M. D.; Natal'in, B.; Sengör, A. M. C.; Özeren, M. S.; Çagatay, M. N.

2012-08-01

Fluids venting from the submarine portion of the Marmara Main Fault (part of the North Anatolian Fault system, Turkey) were sampled in Ti bottles deployed by submersible. The fluids consist of mixtures of fault derived gases, fault related cold seep fluids, and ambient seawater; these components can readily be distinguished using the isotopes of He and the He/Ne ratios. 3He/4He ratios range between 0.03±0.1 and 4.9±0.4 Ra, indicating that both crustal and mantle derived sources of helium are sampled by the fault. The dominant gas in all the samples analyzed is methane with the abundance of CO2 below detection (≤2%) in the mantle rich (high 3He/4He) fluids. This is in contrast to nearly all mantle derived fluids where the C species are dominated by CO2. While high CH4/CO2 ratios may reflect organic or inorganic reactions within the crust which reduce mantle derived CO2 to methane, this is not a priori necessary: we show that simple dilution of mantle fluids with methane produced within local sediments could result in the high 3He/4He, methane rich gases currently emanating from the fault. This observation is supported by an anticorrelation between 3He/4He and C/3He, which is consistent with addition of C and 4He simultaneously to the fluids. The highest 3He/4He ratios were found in the Tekirdag Basin, at the foot of the escarpment bordering the Western Sea of Marmara, where seismic data are consistent with the presence of a fault network at depth which could provide conduits permitting deep-seated fluids to rise to the surface. The lack of recent volcanism, or any evidence of underlying magmatism in the area, along with low temperature fluids, strongly suggests that the 3He-rich helium in these fluids was derived from the mantle itself with the Marmara Main Fault providing a high permeability conduit from the mantle to the surface. Assuming that the mantle source to the fluids originally had a 3He/4He ratio of 6 Ra, the minimum fluid velocities (considering only vertical transport and no mixing with parentless 4He) implied by the high 3He/4He ratios are of the order of 1-100 mm yr-1.

Super-reducing conditions in ancient and modern volcanic systems: sources and behaviour of carbon-rich fluids in the lithospheric mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, William L.; Huang, Jin-Xiang; Thomassot, Emilie; Gain, Sarah E. M.; Toledo, Vered; O'Reilly, Suzanne Y.

2018-05-01

Oxygen fugacity (ƒO2) is a key parameter of Earth's mantle, because it controls the speciation of the fluids migrating at depth; a major question is whether the sublithospheric mantle is metal-saturated, keeping ƒO2 near the Iron-Wustite (IW) buffer reaction. Cretaceous basaltic pyroclastic rocks on Mt. Carmel, Israel erupted in an intraplate environment with a thin, hot lithosphere. They contain abundant aggregates of hopper-shaped crystals of Ti-rich corundum, which have trapped melts with phenocryst assemblages (Ti2O3, SiC, TiC, silicides, native V) requiring extremely low ƒO2. These assemblages are interpreted to reflect interaction between basaltic melts and mantle-derived fluids dominated by CH4 + H2. Similar highly reduced assemblages are found associated with volcanism in a range of tectonic situations including subduction zones, major continental collisions, intraplate settings, craton margins and the cratons sampled by kimberlites. This distribution, and the worldwide similarity of δ13C in mantle-derived SiC and associated diamonds, suggest a widespread process, involving similar sources and independent of tectonic setting. We suggest that the common factor is the ascent of abiotic (CH4 + H2) fluids from the sublithospheric mantle; this would imply that much of the mantle is metal-saturated, consistent with observations of metallic inclusions in sublithospheric diamonds (e.g. Smith et al. 2016). Such fluids, perhaps carried in rapidly ascending deep-seated magmas, could penetrate high up into a depleted cratonic root, establishing the observed trend of decreasing ƒO2 with depth (e.g. Yaxley et al. in Lithos 140:142-151, 2012). However, repeated metasomatism (associated with the intrusion of silicate melts) will raise the FeO content near the base of the craton over time, developing a carapace of oxidizing material that would prevent the rise of CH4-rich fluids into higher levels of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Oxidation of these fluids would release CO2 and H2O to drive metasomatism and low-degree melting both in the carapace and higher in the SCLM. This model can explain the genesis of cratonic diamonds from both reduced and oxidized fluids, the existence of SiC as inclusions in diamonds, and the abundance of SiC in some kimberlites. It should encourage further study of the fine fractions of heavy-mineral concentrates from all types of explosive volcanism.

Redox variations in Mauna Kea lavas, the oxygen fugacity of the Hawaiian plume, and the role of volcanic gases in Earth’s oxygenation

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

Brounce, Maryjo; Stolper, Edward; Eiler, John

The behavior of C, H, and S in the solid Earth depends on their oxidation states, which are related to oxygen fugacity (fO2). Volcanic degassing is a source of these elements to Earth’s surface; therefore, variations in mantle fO2 may influence the fO2 at Earth’s surface. However, degassing can impact magmatic fO2 before or during eruption, potentially obscuring relationships between the fO2 of the solid Earth and of emitted gases and their impact on surface fO2. We show that low-pressure degassing resulted in reduction of the fO2 of Mauna Kea magmas by more than an order of magnitude. The leastmore » degassed magmas from Mauna Kea are more oxidized than midocean ridge basalt (MORB) magmas, suggesting that the upper mantle sources of Hawaiian magmas have higher fO2 than MORB sources. One explanation for this difference is recycling of material from the oxidized surface to the deep mantle, which is then returned to the surface as a component of buoyant plumes. It has been proposed that a decreasing pressure of volcanic eruptions led to the oxygenation of the atmosphere. Extension of our findings via modeling of degassing trends suggests that a decrease in eruption pressure would not produce this effect. If degassing of basalts were responsible for the rise in oxygen, it requires that Archean magmas had at least two orders of magnitude lower fO2 than modern magmas. Estimates of fO2 of Archean magmas are not this low, arguing for alternative explanations for the oxygenation of the atmosphere.« less

Redox variations in Mauna Kea lavas, the oxygen fugacity of the Hawaiian plume, and the role of volcanic gases in Earth's oxygenation.

PubMed

Brounce, Maryjo; Stolper, Edward; Eiler, John

2017-08-22

The behavior of C, H, and S in the solid Earth depends on their oxidation states, which are related to oxygen fugacity ( f O 2 ). Volcanic degassing is a source of these elements to Earth's surface; therefore, variations in mantle f O 2 may influence the f O 2 at Earth's surface. However, degassing can impact magmatic f O 2 before or during eruption, potentially obscuring relationships between the f O 2 of the solid Earth and of emitted gases and their impact on surface f O 2 We show that low-pressure degassing resulted in reduction of the f O 2 of Mauna Kea magmas by more than an order of magnitude. The least degassed magmas from Mauna Kea are more oxidized than midocean ridge basalt (MORB) magmas, suggesting that the upper mantle sources of Hawaiian magmas have higher f O 2 than MORB sources. One explanation for this difference is recycling of material from the oxidized surface to the deep mantle, which is then returned to the surface as a component of buoyant plumes. It has been proposed that a decreasing pressure of volcanic eruptions led to the oxygenation of the atmosphere. Extension of our findings via modeling of degassing trends suggests that a decrease in eruption pressure would not produce this effect. If degassing of basalts were responsible for the rise in oxygen, it requires that Archean magmas had at least two orders of magnitude lower f O 2 than modern magmas. Estimates of f O 2 of Archean magmas are not this low, arguing for alternative explanations for the oxygenation of the atmosphere.

Redox variations in Mauna Kea lavas, the oxygen fugacity of the Hawaiian plume, and the role of volcanic gases in Earth’s oxygenation

PubMed Central

Stolper, Edward; Eiler, John

2017-01-01

The behavior of C, H, and S in the solid Earth depends on their oxidation states, which are related to oxygen fugacity (fO2). Volcanic degassing is a source of these elements to Earth’s surface; therefore, variations in mantle fO2 may influence the fO2 at Earth’s surface. However, degassing can impact magmatic fO2 before or during eruption, potentially obscuring relationships between the fO2 of the solid Earth and of emitted gases and their impact on surface fO2. We show that low-pressure degassing resulted in reduction of the fO2 of Mauna Kea magmas by more than an order of magnitude. The least degassed magmas from Mauna Kea are more oxidized than midocean ridge basalt (MORB) magmas, suggesting that the upper mantle sources of Hawaiian magmas have higher fO2 than MORB sources. One explanation for this difference is recycling of material from the oxidized surface to the deep mantle, which is then returned to the surface as a component of buoyant plumes. It has been proposed that a decreasing pressure of volcanic eruptions led to the oxygenation of the atmosphere. Extension of our findings via modeling of degassing trends suggests that a decrease in eruption pressure would not produce this effect. If degassing of basalts were responsible for the rise in oxygen, it requires that Archean magmas had at least two orders of magnitude lower fO2 than modern magmas. Estimates of fO2 of Archean magmas are not this low, arguing for alternative explanations for the oxygenation of the atmosphere. PMID:28784788

Redox variations in Mauna Kea lavas, the oxygen fugacity of the Hawaiian plume, and the role of volcanic gases in Earth's oxygenation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brounce, Maryjo; Stolper, Edward; Eiler, John

2017-08-01

The behavior of C, H, and S in the solid Earth depends on their oxidation states, which are related to oxygen fugacity (fO2). Volcanic degassing is a source of these elements to Earth’s surface; therefore, variations in mantle fO2 may influence the fO2 at Earth’s surface. However, degassing can impact magmatic fO2 before or during eruption, potentially obscuring relationships between the fO2 of the solid Earth and of emitted gases and their impact on surface fO2. We show that low-pressure degassing resulted in reduction of the fO2 of Mauna Kea magmas by more than an order of magnitude. The least degassed magmas from Mauna Kea are more oxidized than midocean ridge basalt (MORB) magmas, suggesting that the upper mantle sources of Hawaiian magmas have higher fO2 than MORB sources. One explanation for this difference is recycling of material from the oxidized surface to the deep mantle, which is then returned to the surface as a component of buoyant plumes. It has been proposed that a decreasing pressure of volcanic eruptions led to the oxygenation of the atmosphere. Extension of our findings via modeling of degassing trends suggests that a decrease in eruption pressure would not produce this effect. If degassing of basalts were responsible for the rise in oxygen, it requires that Archean magmas had at least two orders of magnitude lower fO2 than modern magmas. Estimates of fO2 of Archean magmas are not this low, arguing for alternative explanations for the oxygenation of the atmosphere.

Very high-pressure orogenic garnet peridotites

PubMed Central

Liou, J. G.; Zhang, R. Y.; Ernst, W. G.

2007-01-01

Mantle-derived garnet peridotites are a minor component in many very high-pressure metamorphic terranes that formed during continental subduction and collision. Some of these mantle rocks contain trace amounts of zircon and micrometer-sized inclusions. The constituent minerals exhibit pre- and postsubduction microstructures, including polymorphic transformation and mineral exsolution. Experimental, mineralogical, petrochemical, and geochronological characterizations using novel techniques with high spatial, temporal, and energy resolutions are resulting in unexpected discoveries of new phases, providing better constraints on deep mantle processes. PMID:17519341

Petrology and geochemistry of the Tasse mantle xenoliths of the Canadian Cordillera: A record of Archean to Quaternary mantle growth, metasomatism, removal, and melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polat, Ali; Frei, Robert; Longstaffe, Fred J.; Thorkelson, Derek J.; Friedman, Eyal

2018-07-01

Mantle xenoliths hosted by the Quaternary Tasse alkaline basalts in the Canadian Cordillera, southeastern British Columbia, are mostly spinel lherzolite originating from subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The xenoliths contain abundant feldspar veins, melt pockets and spongy clinopyroxene, recording extensive alkaline metasomatism and partial melting. Feldspar occurs as veins and interstitial crystal in melt pockets. Melt pockets occur mainly at triple junctions, along grain boundaries, and consist mainly of olivine, cpx, opx and spinel surrounded by interstitial feldspar. The Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic compositions of the xenoliths indicate that their sources are characterized by variable mixtures of depleted MORB mantle and EM1 and EM2 mantle components. Large variations in εNd values (-8.2 to +9.6) and Nd depleted mantle model ages (TDM = 66 to 3380 Ma) are consistent with multiple sources and melt extraction events, and long-term (>3300 Ma) isolation of some source regions from the convecting mantle. Samples with Archean and Paleoproterozoic Nd model ages are interpreted as either have been derived from relict Laurentian mantle pieces beneath the Cordillera or have been eroded from the root of the Laurentian craton to the east and transported to the base of the Cordilleran lithosphere by edge-driven convection currents. The oxygen isotope compositions of the xenoliths (average δ18O = +5.1 ± 0.5‰) are similar to those of depleted mantle. The average δ18O values of olivine (+5.0 ± 0.2‰), opx (+5.9 ± 0.6‰), cpx (+6.0 ± 0.6‰) and spinel (+4.5 ± 0.2‰) are similar to mantle values. Large fractionations for olivine-opx, olivine-cpx and opx-cpx pairs, however, reflect disequilibrium stemming from metasomatism and partial melting. Whole-rock trace element, Nd, Sr, Pb and O isotope compositions of the xenoliths and host alkaline basalts indicate different mantle sources for these two suites of rocks. The xenoliths were derived from shallow lithospheric sources, whereas the alkaline basalts originated from a deeper asthenospheric mantle source.

Muonium in Stishovite: Implications for the Possible Existence of Neutral Atomic Hydrogen in the Earth's Deep Mantle

PubMed Central

Funamori, Nobumasa; Kojima, Kenji M.; Wakabayashi, Daisuke; Sato, Tomoko; Taniguchi, Takashi; Nishiyama, Norimasa; Irifune, Tetsuo; Tomono, Dai; Matsuzaki, Teiichiro; Miyazaki, Masanori; Hiraishi, Masatoshi; Koda, Akihiro; Kadono, Ryosuke

2015-01-01

Hydrogen in the Earth's deep interior has been thought to exist as a hydroxyl group in high-pressure minerals. We present Muon Spin Rotation experiments on SiO2 stishovite, which is an archetypal high-pressure mineral. Positive muon (which can be considered as a light isotope of proton) implanted in stishovite was found to capture electron to form muonium (corresponding to neutral hydrogen). The hyperfine-coupling parameter and the relaxation rate of spin polarization of muonium in stishovite were measured to be very large, suggesting that muonium is squeezed in small and anisotropic interstitial voids without binding to silicon or oxygen. These results imply that hydrogen may also exist in the form of neutral atomic hydrogen in the deep mantle. PMID:25675890

Muonium in Stishovite: Implications for the Possible Existence of Neutral Atomic Hydrogen in the Earth's Deep Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funamori, Nobumasa; Kojima, Kenji M.; Wakabayashi, Daisuke; Sato, Tomoko; Taniguchi, Takashi; Nishiyama, Norimasa; Irifune, Tetsuo; Tomono, Dai; Matsuzaki, Teiichiro; Miyazaki, Masanori; Hiraishi, Masatoshi; Koda, Akihiro; Kadono, Ryosuke

2015-02-01

Hydrogen in the Earth's deep interior has been thought to exist as a hydroxyl group in high-pressure minerals. We present Muon Spin Rotation experiments on SiO2 stishovite, which is an archetypal high-pressure mineral. Positive muon (which can be considered as a light isotope of proton) implanted in stishovite was found to capture electron to form muonium (corresponding to neutral hydrogen). The hyperfine-coupling parameter and the relaxation rate of spin polarization of muonium in stishovite were measured to be very large, suggesting that muonium is squeezed in small and anisotropic interstitial voids without binding to silicon or oxygen. These results imply that hydrogen may also exist in the form of neutral atomic hydrogen in the deep mantle.

A wet, heterogeneous lunar interior: Lower mantle and core dynamo evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, A. J.; Zuber, M. T.; Weiss, B. P.; Tikoo, S. M.

2014-05-01

While recent analyses of lunar samples indicate the Moon had a core dynamo from at least 4.2-3.56 Ga, mantle convection models of the Moon yield inadequate heat flux at the core-mantle boundary to sustain thermal core convection for such a long time. Past investigations of lunar dynamos have focused on a generally homogeneous, relatively dry Moon, while an initial compositionally stratified mantle is the expected consequence of a postaccretionary lunar magma ocean. Furthermore, recent re-examination of Apollo samples and geophysical data suggests that the Moon contains at least some regions with high water content. Using a finite element model, we investigate the possible consequences of a heterogeneously wet, compositionally stratified interior for the evolution of the Moon. We find that a postoverturn model of mantle cumulates could result in a core heat flux sufficiently high to sustain a dynamo through 2.5 Ga and a maximum surface, dipolar magnetic field strength of less than 1 μT for a 350-km core and near ˜2 μT for a 450-km core. We find that if water was transported or retained preferentially in the deep interior, it would have played a significant role in transporting heat out of the deep interior and reducing the lower mantle temperature. Thus, water, if enriched in the lower mantle, could have influenced core dynamo timing by over 1.0 Gyr and enhanced the vigor of a lunar core dynamo. Our results demonstrate the plausibility of a convective lunar core dynamo even beyond the period currently indicated by the Apollo samples.

Perovskite in Earth’s deep interior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirose, Kei; Sinmyo, Ryosuke; Hernlund, John

2017-11-01

Silicate perovskite-type phases are the most abundant constituent inside our planet and are the predominant minerals in Earth’s lower mantle more than 660 kilometers below the surface. Magnesium-rich perovskite is a major lower mantle phase and undergoes a phase transition to post-perovskite near the bottom of the mantle. Calcium-rich perovskite is proportionally minor but may host numerous trace elements that record chemical differentiation events. The properties of mantle perovskites are the key to understanding the dynamic evolution of Earth, as they strongly influence the transport properties of lower mantle rocks. Perovskites are expected to be an important constituent of rocky planets larger than Mars and thus play a major role in modulating the evolution of terrestrial planets throughout the universe.

Electromagnetic studies of global geodynamic processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarits, Pascal

1994-03-01

The deep electromagnetic sounding (DES) technique is one of the few geophysical methods, along with seismology, gravity, heat flow, which may be use to probe the structure of the Earth's mantle directly. The interpretation of the DESs may provide electrical conductivity profiles down to the upper part of the lower mantle. The electrical conductivity is extremely sensitive to most of the thermodynamic processes we believe are acting in the Earth's mantle (temperature increases, partial melting, phase transition and to a lesser extent pressure). Therefore, in principle, results from DES along with laboratory measurements could be used to constrain models of these processes. The DES technique is reviewed in the light of recent results obtained in a variety of domains: data acquisition and analysis, global induction modeling and data inversion and interpretation. The mechanisms and the importance of surface distortions of the DES data are reviewed and techniques to model them are discussed. The recent results in terms of the conductivity distribution in the mantle from local and global DES are presented and a tentative synthesis is proposed. The geodynamic interpretations of the deep conductivity structures are reviewed. The existence of mantle lateral heterogeneities in conductivity at all scales and depths for which electromagnetic data are available is now well documented. A comparison with global results from seismology is presented.

Ice cap melting and low viscosity crustal root explain narrow geodetic uplift of the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chery, Jean; Genti, Manon; Vernant, Philippe

2016-04-01

More than 10 years of geodetic measurements demonstrate an uplift rate of 1-3 mm/yr of the high topography region of the Western Alps. By contrast, no significant horizontal motion has been detected. Three uplift mechanisms have been proposed so far: (1) the isostatic response to denudation. However this process is responsible for only a fraction of the observed uplift and (2) the rebound induced by the Wurmian ice cap melting. This process leads to a broader uplifting region than the one evidenced by geodetic observations. (3) a deep source motion associated with slab motion or some deep isostatic unbalance. Using a numerical model accounting for crustal and mantle rheology of the Alps and its foreland, we model the response to Wurmian ice cap melting. We show that a crustal viscosity contrast between the foreland and the central part of the Alps, the later being weaker with a viscosity of 1021 Pa.s, is needed to produce a narrow uplift. The vertical rates are enhanced if the strong uppermost mantle beneath the Moho is interrupted across the Alps, therefore allowing a weak vertical rheological anomaly thanks to the continuity between the low viscosity parts of the crust and mantle. References: Champagnac, J.-D., F. Schlunegger, K. Norton, F. von Blanckenburg, L. M. Abbühl, and M. Schwab (2009), Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps, Tectonophysics, 474(1-2), 236-249. Vernant, P., F. Hivert, J. Chéry, P. Steer, R. Cattin, and A. Rigo (2013), Erosion-induced isostatic rebound triggers extension in low convergent mountain ranges, geology, 41(4), 467-470.

Incipient rifting accompanied by the release of subcontinental lithospheric mantle volatiles in the Magadi and Natron basin, East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hyunwoo; Fischer, Tobias P.; Muirhead, James D.; Ebinger, Cynthia J.; Kattenhorn, Simon A.; Sharp, Zachary D.; Kianji, Gladys; Takahata, Naoto; Sano, Yuji

2017-10-01

Geochemical investigations of volatiles in hydrothermal systems are used to understand heat sources and subsurface processes occurring at volcanic-tectonic settings. This study reports new results of gas chemistry and isotopes (O, H, N, C, and He) of thermal spring samples (T = 36.8-83.5 °C; pH = 8.5-10.3) from the Magadi and Natron basin (MNB) in the East African Rift (EAR). Although a number of thermal springs are shown to ascend along normal faults and feed into major lakes (Magadi, Little Magadi, and Natron), volatile sources and fluxes of these fluids are poorly constrained. CO2 is the most abundant phase (up to 996.325 mmol/mol), and the N2-He-Ar abundances show a mixture of dissolved gases from deep (mantle-derived) and shallow (air/air saturated water) sources. The H2-Ar-CH4-CO2 geothermometers indicate that equilibrium temperatures range from 100 to 150 °C. δ18O (- 4.4 to - 0.2‰) and δD (- 28.9 to - 3.9‰) values of the MNB thermal waters still lie slightly to the right of the local meteoric water lines, reflecting minor evaporation. Each mixing relationship of N2 (δ15N = - 1.5 to 0.4‰; N2/3He = 3.92 × 106-1.33 × 109, except for an anomalous biogenic sample (δ15N = 5.9‰)) and CO2 (δ13C = - 5.7 to 1.6‰; CO2/3He = 7.24 × 108-1.81 × 1011) suggests that the predominant mantle component of the MNB volatiles is Subcontinental Lithospheric Mantle (SCLM). However, N2 is mostly atmospheric, and minor CO2 is contributed by the limestone end-member. 3He/4He ratios (0.64-4.00 Ra) also indicate a contribution of SCLM (R/Ra = 6.1 ± 0.9), with radiogenic 4He derived from a crustal source (R/Ra = 0.02). The MNB 4He flux rates (3.64 × 1011 to 3.34 × 1014 atoms/m2 s) are significantly greater than the reported mean of global continental flux values (4.18 × 1010 atoms/m2 s), implying that magma intrusions could supply mantle 4He, and related heating and fracturing release crustal 4He from the Tanzanian craton and Mozambique belt. Total flux values (mol/yr) of 3He, N2, and CO2 are 8.18, 4.07 × 107, and 5.31 × 109, which are 1.28%, 2.04%, and 0.24% of global fluxes, respectively. Our results suggest that the primary source of magmatic volatiles in the MNB is SCLM, with additional crustal contributions, which is different from the KRV volatiles that have more asthenospheric mantle components. Volatiles from SCLM in magmas stall in the crust to heat and fracture country rock, with accompanying crustal volatile release. These volatile signatures reveal that MORB-type mantle replaces a relatively small volume of SCLM during incipient rifting (< 10 Ma) in the EAR.

Origins of hydrocarbon gas seeping out from offshore mud volcanoes in the Nile delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prinzhofer, Alain; Deville, Eric

2013-04-01

This paper discusses the origin of gas seepages (free gas or dissolved gas in ground water or brine) sampled with the Nautile submarine during the Nautinil cruise at the seafloor of the deep water area of the Nile turbiditic system on different mud volcanoes and brine pools. Generally, the gas is wet and includes C1, C2, C3, iC4, nC4, CO2. These gas samples show no evidence of biodegradation which is not the case of the gas present in the deep hydrocarbon accumulations at depth. It indicates that the gas expelled by the mud volcanoes is not issued from direct leakages from deep gas fields. The collected gas samples mainly have a thermogenic origin and show different maturities. Some samples show very high maturities indicating that these seepages are sourced from great depths, below the Messinian salt. Moreover, the different chemical compositions of the gas samples reflect not only differences in maturity but also the fact that the gas finds its origin in different deep source rocks. Carbon dioxide has an organic signature and cannot result from carbonate decomposition or mantle fluids. The crustal-derived radiogenic isotopes show that the analyzed gas samples have suffered a fractionation processes after the production of the radiogenic isotopes, due either to oil occurrence at depth interacting with the flux of gas, and/or fractionation during the fluid migration.

The magnetospheric disturbance ring current as a source for probing the deep earth electrical conductivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Campbell, W.H.

1990-01-01

Two current rings have been observed in the equatorial plane of the earth at times of high geomagnetic activity. An eastward current exists between about 2 and 3.5 earth radii (Re) distant, and a larger, more variable companion current exists between about 4 and 9 Re. These current regions are loaded during geomagnetic substorms. They decay, almost exponentially, after the cessation of the particle influx that attends the solar wind disturbance. This review focuses upon characteristics needed for intelligent use of the ring current as a source for induction probing of the earth's mantle. Considerable difficulties are found with the assumption that Dst is a ring-current index. ?? 1990 Birkha??user Verlag.

Stability of Carbonated Eclogite in the Upper Mantle: Experimental Solidus from 2 to 9 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, R.; Withers, A. C.; Hirschmann, M. M.

2003-12-01

Carbonates are pervasive alteration products of the oceanic crust and likely survive subduction-related dehydration and/or melting. Thus, significant quantities of carbonated refractory eclogite are probably delivered to the deeper mantle. The melting behavior of such recycled carbonate influences the fate of recycled carbon, determines the possible sources and depths of carbonated metasomatic melts in the mantle, and delimits the conditions under which carbonated eclogite may act as a source of carbonatite and other types of magmatic CO2. We present partial melting experiments of carbonated eclogite that constrain the solidus and near solidus phase relations from 2 to 9 GPa. To simulate the near-isochemical nature of ocean floor carbonation, the starting material was prepared by adding 5 wt.% CO2 in the form of a mixture of Fe-Mg-Ca-Na-K carbonates to a bimineralic eclogite from Salt Lake crater, Oahu, Hawaii. The starting composition is a reasonable approximation of carbonated oceanic crust from which siliceous hydrous fluid has been extracted by subduction. We find that melt-present versus melt-absent conditions can be distinguished based on textural criteria. Garnet and cpx appear in all the experiments. Between 2 and 3 GPa, the subsolidus assemblage also includes calcite-dolomitess + ilmenite, whereas above the solidus (950-975 ° C at 2 GPa and 1050-1075 ° C at 3 GPa) calcio-dolomitic liquid appears. From 3 to 4.5 GPa, dolomitess becomes stable at the solidus and the near solidus melt becomes increasingly dolomitic. Appearance of dolomite above 3 GPa is accompanied by a negative Clapeyron slope of the solidus, with the cusp located between 995 and 1025 ° C at ca. 4 GPa. Above 4-4.5 GPa, the solidus again rises with increasing pressure to ca. 1245 ° C at 9 GPa and magnesite becomes the subsolidus carbonate. Dolomitic melt coexists with magnesite + garnet + cpx + rutile between 5 and 9 GPa. If extrapolated to higher pressures, the carbonated eclogite solidus intersects the oceanic geotherm deeper than 400 km. Thus, eclogite cannot host carbonates in the asthenosphere. Carbonated eclogite bodies entering the convecting upper mantle would release carbonate melt in the mantle transition zone. Upon release, this small volume, highly reactive melt could be an effective agent of deep mantle metasomatism. Comparison of our eclogite-CO2 solidus with that of peridotite-CO2 shows a shallower solidus-geotherm intersection for the latter. This implies that carbonated peridotite is a more likely proximal source of magmatic carbon in oceanic provinces. However, carbonated eclogite is a potential source of continental carbonatites, as its solidus crosses the continental shield geotherm at ca. 4 GPa.

Deep intrusions, lateral magma transport and related uplift at ocean island volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klügel, Andreas; Longpré, Marc-Antoine; García-Cañada, Laura; Stix, John

2015-12-01

Oceanic intraplate volcanoes grow by accumulation of erupted material as well as by coeval or discrete magmatic intrusions. Dykes and other intrusive bodies within volcanic edifices are comparatively well studied, but intrusive processes deep beneath the volcanoes remain elusive. Although there is geological evidence for deep magmatic intrusions contributing to volcano growth through uplift, this has rarely been demonstrated by real-time monitoring. Here we use geophysical and petrological data from El Hierro, Canary Islands, to show that intrusions from the mantle and subhorizontal transport of magma within the oceanic crust result in rapid endogenous island growth. Seismicity and ground deformation associated with a submarine eruption in 2011-2012 reveal deep subhorizontal intrusive sheets (sills), which have caused island-scale uplift of tens of centimetres. The pre-eruptive intrusions migrated 15-20 km laterally within the lower oceanic crust, opening pathways that were subsequently used by the erupted magmas to ascend from the mantle to the surface. During six post-eruptive episodes between 2012 and 2014, further sill intrusions into the lower crust and upper mantle have caused magma to migrate up to 20 km laterally, resulting in magma accumulation exceeding that of the pre-eruptive phase. A comparison of geobarometric data for the 2011-2012 El Hierro eruption with data for other Atlantic intraplate volcanoes shows similar bimodal pressure distributions, suggesting that eruptive phases are commonly accompanied by deep intrusions of sills and lateral magma transport. These processes add significant material to the oceanic crust, cause uplift, and are thus fundamentally important for the growth and evolution of volcanic islands. We suggest that the development of such a magma accumulation zone in the lower oceanic crust begins early during volcano evolution, and is a consequence of increasing size and complexity of the mantle reservoir system, and potentially the lithospheric stresses imposed by increasing edifice load.

Seismic structure and lithospheric rheology from deep crustal xenoliths, central Montana, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahan, K. H.; Schulte-Pelkum, V.; Blackburn, T. J.; Bowring, S. A.; Dudas, F. O.

2012-10-01

Improved resolution of lower crustal structure, composition, and physical properties enhances our understanding and ability to model tectonic processes. The cratonic core of Montana and Wyoming, USA, contains some of the most enigmatic lower crust known in North America, with a high seismic velocity layer contributing to as much as half of the crustal column. Petrological and physical property data for xenoliths in Eocene volcanic rocks from central Montana provide new insight into the nature of the lower crust in this region. Inherent heterogeneity in xenoliths derived from depths below ˜30 km support a composite origin for the deep layer. Possible intralayer velocity steps may complicate the seismic definition of the crust/mantle boundary and interpretations of crustal thickness, particularly when metasomatized upper mantle is considered. Mafic mineral-dominant crustal xenoliths and published descriptions of mica-bearing peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths suggest a strong lower crust overlying a potentially weaker upper mantle.

Seismic characteristics of central Brazil crust and upper mantle: A deep seismic refraction study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soares, J.E.; Berrocal, J.; Fuck, R.A.; Mooney, W.D.; Ventura, D.B.R.

2006-01-01

A two-dimensional model of the Brazilian central crust and upper mantle was obtained from the traveltime interpretation of deep seismic refraction data from the Porangatu and Cavalcante lines, each approximately 300 km long. When the lines were deployed, they overlapped by 50 km, forming an E-W transect approximately 530 km long across the Tocantins Province and western Sa??o Francisco Craton. The Tocantins Province formed during the Neoproterozoic when the Sa??o Francisco, the Paranapanema, and the Amazon cratons collided, following the subduction of the former Goia??s ocean basin. Average crustal VP and VP/VS ratios, Moho topography, and lateral discontinuities within crustal layers suggest that the crust beneath central Brazil can be associated with major geological domains recognized at the surface. The Moho is an irregular interface, between 36 and 44 km deep, that shows evidences of first-order tectonic structures. The 8.05 and 8.23 km s-1 P wave velocities identify the upper mantle beneath the Porangatu and Cavalcante lines, respectively. The observed seismic features allow for the identification of (1) the crust has largely felsic composition in the studied region, (2) the absence of the mafic-ultramafic root beneath the Goia??s magmatic arc, and (3) block tectonics in the foreland fold-and-thrust belt of the northern Brasi??lia Belt during the Neoproterozoic. Seismic data also suggested that the Bouguer gravimetric discontinuities are mainly compensated by differences in mass distribution within the lithospheric mantle. Finally, the Goia??s-Tocantins seismic belt can be interpreted as a natural seismic alignment related to the Neoproterozoic mantle domain. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

Lattice thermal conductivity of silicate glasses at high pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Y. Y.; Hsieh, W. P.

2016-12-01

Knowledge of the thermodynamic and transport properties of magma holds the key to understanding the thermal evolution and chemical differentiation of Earth. The discovery of the remnant of a deep magma ocean above the core mantle boundary (CMB) from seismic observations suggest that the CMB heat flux would strongly depend on the thermal conductivity, including lattice (klat) and radiative (krad) components, of dense silicate melts and major constituent minerals around the region. Recent measurements on the krad of dense silicate glasses and lower-mantle minerals show that krad of dense silicate glasses could be significantly smaller than krad of the surrounding solid mantle phases, and therefore the dense silicate melts would act as a thermal insulator in deep lower mantle. This conclusion, however, remains uncertain due to the lack of direct measurements on the lattice thermal conductivity of silicate melts under relevant pressure-temperature conditions. Besides the CMB, magmas exist in different circumstances beneath the surface of the Earth. Chemical compositions of silicate melts vary with geological and geodynamic settings of the melts and have strong influences on their thermal properties. In order to have a better view of heat transport within the Earth, it is important to study compositional and pressure dependences of thermal properties of silicate melts. Here we report experimental results on lattice thermal conductivities of silicate glasses with basaltic and rhyolitic compositions up to Earth's lower mantle pressures using time-domain thermoreflectance coupled with diamond-anvil cell techniques. This study not only provides new data for the thermal conductivity of silicate melts in the Earth's deep interior, but is crucial for further understanding of the evolution of Earth's complex internal structure.

Geology is the Key to Explain Igneous Activity in the Mediterranean Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lustrino, M.

2014-12-01

Igneous activity in tectonically complex areas can be interpreted in many different ways, producing completely different petrogenetic models. Processes such as oceanic and continental subduction, lithospheric delamination, changes in subduction polarity, slab break-off and mantle plumes have all been advocated as causes for changes in plate boundaries and magma production, including rate and temporal distribution, in the circum-Mediterranean area. This region thus provides a natural laboratory to investigate a range of geodynamic and magmatic processes. Although many petrologic and tectonic models have been proposed, a number of highly controversial questions still remain. No consensus has yet been reached about the capacity of plate-tectonic processes to explain the origin and style of the magmatism. Similarly, there is still not consensus on the ability of geochemical and petrological arguments to reveal the geodynamic evolution of the area. The wide range of chemical and mineralogical magma compositions produced within and around the Mediterranean, from carbonatites to strongly silica-undersaturated silico-carbonatites and melilitites to strongly silica-oversaturated rhyolites, complicate models and usually require a large number of unconstrained assumptions. Can the calcalkaline-sodic alkaline transition be related to any common petrogenetic point? Is igneous activity plate-tectonic- (top-down) or deep-mantle-controlled (bottom-up)? Do the rare carbonatites and carbonate-rich igneous rocks derive from the deep mantle or a normal, CO2-bearing upper mantle? Do ultrapotassic compositions require continental subduction? Understanding chemically complex magmas emplaced in tectonically complex areas require open minds, and avoiding dogma and assumptions. Studying the geology and shallow dynamics, not speculating about the deep lower mantle, is the key to understanding the igneous activity.

Source, evolution and emplacement of Permian Tarim Basalts: Evidence from U-Pb dating, Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotope systematics and whole rock geochemistry of basalts from the Keping area, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dayu; Zhou, Taofa; Yuan, Feng; Jowitt, Simon M.; Fan, Yu; Liu, Shuai

2012-04-01

Permian basalts distribute at least 250,000 km2, and underlie the southwest Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, northwest China. This vast accumulation of basalt is the main part of the Tarim Large Igneous Province (LIP). The basaltic units in the Lower Permian Kupukuziman and Kaipaizileike Formations in the Keping area, Tarim Basin; were the best exposure of the Permian basalt sequence in the basin. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon from the basal basaltic unit in the section gives an age of 291.9 ± 2.2 Ma (MSWD = 0.30, n = 17); this age, combined with previously published geochronological data, indicates that the basalts in the Tarim Basin were emplaced between 292 Ma and 272 Ma, with about 90% of the basalts being emplaced between 292 and 287 Ma. Basalts from the Keping area have high FeOT (10.8-18.6 wt.%), low Mg#s (0.26-0.60), and exhibit primitive mantle normalized patterns with positive Pb, P and Ti but negative Zr, Y and Ta anomalies. The basalts from both formations have similar 206Pb/204Pb (18.192-18.934), 207Pb/204Pb (15.555-15.598) and 208Pb/204Pb (38.643-38.793) ratios. The basalts also have high ɛSr(t) (45.7-62.1), low ɛNd(t) (-3.6 to -2.2) and low zircon ɛHf(t) (-4.84 to -0.65) values. These characteristics are typical of alkali basalts and suggest that the basalts within the Tarim Basin were derived from an OIB-type mantle source and interacted with enriched mantle (EMI-type) before emplacement. Rare earth element systematics indicate that the parental melts for the basalts were high-degree partial melts derived from garnet lherzolite mantle at the base of the lithosphere. Prior to emplacement, the Tarim Permian Basalts (TPB) underwent fractional crystallization and assimilated crustal material; the basalts were finally emplaced during crustal extension in an intra-plate setting. The wide distribution, deep source and high degree partial melting of the TPB was consistent with a mantle plume origin. The TPB and other coeval igneous rocks in the Tarim Basin constitute a Permian LIP formed by a mantle plume in a similar fashion to the plume-related Emeishan LIP in southwest China.

Deformation of phase D and Earth's deep water cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, A.; Skelton, R.; Nowacki, A.

2016-12-01

The stability of dense hydrous magnesium silicates such as phase D in subducting slabs provide a potential path for hydrogen transport from the Earth's surface environment into the lower mantle. Recent analysis of source-side shear wave splitting for rays from deep earthquakes around slabs detected a signal of anisotropy that could be attributed to the deformation of phase D [Nowacki et al. 2015; Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 16, 764-784]. If this is the case these observations could provide an estimate of the hydrogen flux into the lower mantle at depths beyond shallow recycling through the volcanic arc. However, the processes leading to the deformation of phase D and the generation of seismic anisotropy are not well known and this is a barrier to progress. Here we present initial results of simulations designed to reveal how easily different dislocations move in phase D during deformation and lead to the generation of seismic anisotropy measured by shear wave splitting. In particular, we use atomic scale simulations to calculate the energies of generalised stacking faults in phase D, which are used to parameterise Peierls-Nabarro models of dislocation structures and Peierls stresses at pressures up to 60 GPa. We then use results from these calculations as parameters for models of texture development in polycrystalline aggregates during deformation using the visco-plastic self-consistent approach. In combination with measurement of the distribution of seismic anisotropy around subducting slabs, and an analysis of the strain pattern expected as slabs pass through the transition zone, these results could constrain an important part of Earth's deep water cycle.

Geochemical Overview of the East African Rift System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furman, T.

2003-12-01

Mafic volcanics of the East African Rift System (EARS) record a protracted history of continental extension that is linked to mantle plume activity. The modern EARS traverses two post-Miocene topographic domes separated by a region of polyphase extension in northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. Basaltic magmatism commenced ˜45 Ma in this highly extended region, while the onset of plume-related activity took place ˜30 Ma with eruption of flood basalts in central Ethiopia. A spatial and temporal synthesis of EARS volcanic geochemistry shows progressive lithospheric removal (by erosion and melting) as the degree of rifting increases, with basalts in the most highly extended areas recording melting of depleted asthenosphere. Plume contributions are indicated locally in the northern half of the EARS, but are absent from the southern half. The geochemical signatures are compatible with a physical model in which the entire EARS is fed by a discontinuous plume emanating from the core-mantle boundary as the South African Superswell. Quaternary basaltic lavas erupted in the Afar triangle, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden define the geochemical signature attributed to the Afar plume (87Sr/86Sr 0.7034-0.7037, 143Nd/144Nd 0.5129-0.5130; La/Nb 0.6-0.9; Nb/U 40-50). These suites commonly record mixing with ambient upper mantle having less radiogenic isotopes but generally overlapping incompatible trace element abundances. Within the Ethiopian dome both lithospheric and sub-lithoshperic contributions can be documented clearly; lithospheric contributions are manifest in more radiogenic isotope values (87Sr/86Sr up to 0.7050) and distinctive trace element abundances (e.g., La/Nb <2.0, Nb/U > 10). The degree of lithospheric contribution is lowest within the active Main Ethiopian Rift and increases towards the southern margin of the dome. The estimated depth of melting (65-75 km) is consistent with geophysical observations of lithospheric thickness. In regions of prolonged volcanism the lithospheric contributions and estimated melting depths decrease through time, corresponding to a higher degree of rifting. In the Kenyan dome, including the western rift, the degree of extension is low and lithospheric melting is the dominant source for basaltic magmatism. Mafic lavas from these regions have generally lower MgO but higher contents of alkalis, P2O5 and many incompatible trace elements than are observed in the Ethiopian Rift. High values of 87Sr/86Sr, 207Pb/204Pb and Zr/Hf relative to other parts of the EARS indicate melting of metasomatized lithosphere. Melting in this area occurs at depths up to 100+ km, consistent with the thick crustal section observed seismically. Between the topographic domes, basalts from the Turkana region record melting at shallow levels ( ˜35 km) consistent with seismic evidence for nearly complete rifting of the crustal section. The geochemistry of these lavas is dominated by asthenospheric source materials, with only minor lithospheric involvement. Temporal evolution of EARS geochemistry reflects progressive rifting of the thick craton. This change is manifest within lavas that are interpreted as plume-derived, as Tb/Yb values decrease from 30 Ma through the present. The modern thermal anomaly associated with Afar volcanism does not appear to extend below the shallow mantle, but may reflect a large blob of deep mantle material that became stuck to Africa 30 Ma and has contributed to regional volcanism ever since. Relative contributions from this deep mantle source, shallow asthenosphere and lithosphere are controlled by the extent of rifting and cannot be predicted solely on the basis of surface topography.

Three Dimensional Viscoelastic Postseismic Deformation of the 2013 Mw8.3 Okhotsk Deep-Focus Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Y.; Burgmann, R.; Shestakov, N.; Titkov, N. N.; Serovetnikov, S.; Prytkov, A.; Vasilenko, N. F.; Wang, K.

2016-12-01

The upper mantle rheology at depths within a few hundred kilometers has been well studied through shallow great megathrust earthquakes. However, understanding of the mantle rheology at greater depths, such as in the vicinity of the transition zone, has been limited by the lack of direct or indirect measurements. The largest well-recorded deep earthquake with magnitude Mw 8.3 occurred within the subducting Pacific plate at 600 km depth beneath the Okhotsk Sea on May 24, 2013. Twenty-seven continuous GPS stations in this region recorded coseismic displacements of up to 15 mm in the horizontal direction and up to 20 mm in the vertical direction. Within three years after the earthquake seventeen continuous GPS stations underwent transient westward motion of up to 8 mm/yr and vertical motion of up to 10 mm/yr. The geodetically delineated postseismic crustal deformation thus provides a unique opportunity to study the three dimensional heterogeneity of the mantle rheology and properties of the subducting slab at great depths. We have developed three-dimensional viscoelastic finite element models of the 2013 Okhotsk earthquake to explore these questions. Our initial model includes an elastic lithosphere including the subducting slab, a viscoelastic continental upper mantle and a viscoelastic oceanic upper mantle. We assume that the upper mantle is characterized by a bi-viscous Burgers rheology. For simplicity, we assume that the transient Kelvin viscosity is one order of magnitude lower than that of the steady-state Maxwell viscosity. Our preliminary models indicate that the viscosity of the upper mantle beneath the transition zone has to be at least one order of magnitude lower than that of the upper mantle at shallower depths. A viscoelastic subducting slab at depths >400 km with viscosities of 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than that of the mantle wedge provides a better fit to the observed surface velocities.

Reversal Frequency, Core-Mantle Conditions, and the SCOR-field Hypothesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, K. A.

2009-12-01

One of the most intriguing results from paleomagnetic data spanning the past 108 yr comes from the work of McFadden et al. (1991) who found that the variation in the rate of polarity reversal is apparently tied to the temporal variation in the harmonic content of the full-polarity field. Their finding indicates that it is the relative importance of the two dynamo families--i.e. the Primary Family (PF), the field antisymmetric about the equator, and the Secondary Family (SF), the field symmetric about the equator--that largely determines reversal frequency. More specifically, McFadden et al. found that as the relative significance of the SF increases, as is observed during the Cenozoic, so too does reversal rate. Such a finding is reminiscent of the seminal work of Allan Cox who some forty years ago proposed that interactions with the non-dipole field may provide the trigger for reversal of the axial dipole (AD) field. Hence, new questions arise: Do the two dynamo family fields interact in this manner, and, if so, how can such an interaction physically occur in the fluid core? Gaussian coefficient terms comprising the PF and SF have degree and order (n + m) that sum to an odd and even number, respectively. The most significant field term in the PF is by far that of the axial dipole (g10). The entire SF, starting with the equatorial dipole terms (g11 and h11) and the axial quadrupole (g20), are constituents of the non-axial dipole (NAD) field. By way of both paleomagnetic transition and geomagnetic data Hoffman and Singer (2008) recently proposed (1) that field sources exist within the shallow core (SCOR-field) associated with fluid motions affected by long-lived core-mantle boundary conditions; (2) that these SCOR-field sources are largely separated from, i.e. in “poor communication” with, deep field convection roll-generated sources; and (3) that the deep sources are largely responsible for the AD field, leaving the SCOR-field to be the primary source for the NAD-field. This SCOR-field would almost exclusively contain the observed SF field, while the AD-field sources deeper within the core would be most responsible for the observed PF field. If so, the McFadden et al. result may be explained as follows: That the observed increasing significance of the SF field during the Cenozoic is the result of intensifying interactions between shallow core SCOR-field sources and deep core AD-field sources. This then suggests a progressive enhancement in the variability of physical conditions along the CMB which may indicate an accelerating influx of descended lithospheric plates and/or increasing number of plume roots during the Cenozoic.

Eutectic melting temperature of the lowermost Earth's mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrault, D.; Lo Nigro, G.; Bolfan-Casanova, N.; Bouhifd, M.; Garbarino, G.; Mezouar, M.

2009-12-01

Partial melting of the Earth's deep mantle probably occurred at different stages of its formation as a consequence of meteoritic impacts and seismology suggests that it even continues today at the core-mantle boundary. Melts are important because they dominate the chemical evolution of the different Earth's reservoirs and more generally the dynamics of the whole planet. Unfortunately, the most critical parameter, that is the temperature profile inside the deep Earth, remains poorly constrained accross the planet history. Experimental investigations of the melting properties of materials representative of the deep Earth at relevant P-T conditions can provide anchor points to refine past and present temperature profiles and consequently determine the degree of melting at the different geological periods. Previous works report melting relations in the uppermost lower mantle region, using the multi-anvil press [1,2]. On the other hand, the pyrolite solidus was determined up to 65 GPa using optical observations in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) [3]. Finally, the melting temperature of (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 olivine is documented at core-mantle boundary (CMB) conditions by shock wave experiments [4]. Solely based on these reports, experimental data remain too sparse to draw a definite melting curve for the lower mantle in the relevant 25-135 GPa pressure range. We reinvestigated melting properties of lower mantle materials by means of in-situ angle dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements in the LH-DAC at the ESRF [5]. Experiments were performed in an extended P-T range for two starting materials: forsterite and a glass with chondrite composition. In both cases, the aim was to determine the onset of melting, and thus the eutectic melting temperatures as a function of pressure. Melting was evidenced from drastic changes of diffraction peak shape on the image plate, major changes in diffraction intensities in the integrated pattern, disappearance of diffraction rings, and changes in the relation between sample-temperature and laser-power. In this work, we show that temperatures higher than 4000 K are necessary for melting mean mantle at the 135 GPa pressure found at the core mantle boundary (CMB). Such temperature is much higher than that from estimated actual geotherms. Therefore, melting at the CMB can only occur if (i) pyrolitic mantle resides for a very long time in contact with the outer core, (ii) the mantle composition is severely affected by additional elements depressing the solidus such as water or (iii) the temperature gradient in the D" region is amazingly steep. Other implications for the temperature state and the lower mantle properties will be presented. References (1) Ito et al., Phys. Earth Planet. Int., 143-144, 397-406, 2004 (2) Ohtani et al., Phys. Earth Planet. Int., 100, 97-114, 1997 (3) Zerr et al., Science, 281, 243-246, 1998 (4) Holland and Ahrens, Science, 275, 1623-1625, 1997 (5) Schultz et al., High Press. Res., 25, 1, 71-83, 2005.

Plumes do not Exist: Plate Circulation is Confined to Upper Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, W. B.

2002-12-01

Plumes from deep mantle are widely conjectured to define an absolute reference frame, inaugurate rifting, drive plates, and profoundly modify oceans and continents. Mantle properties and composition are assumed to be whatever enables plumes. Nevertheless, purported critical evidence for plume speculation is false, and all data are better interpreted without plumes. Plume fantasies are made ever more complex and ad hoc to evade contradictory data, and have no predictive value because plumes do not exist. All plume conjecture derives from Hawaii and the guess that the Emperor-Hawaii inflection records a 60-degree change in Pacific plate direction at 45 Ma. Paleomagnetic latitudes and smooth Pacific spreading patterns disprove any such change. Rationales for other fixed plumes collapse when tested, and hypotheses of jumping, splitting, and gyrating plumes are specious. Thermal and physical properties of Hawaiian lithosphere falsify plume predictions. Purported tomographic support elsewhere represents artifacts and misleading presentations. Asthenosphere is everywhere near solidus temperature, so melt needs a tensional setting for egress but not local heat. Gradational and inconsistent contrasts between MORB and OIB are as required by depth-varying melt generation and behavior in contrasted settings and do not indicate systematically unlike sources. MORB melts rise, with minimal reaction, through hot asthenosphere, whereas OIB melts react with cool lithosphere, and lose mass, by crystallizing refractories and retaining and assimilating fusibles. The unfractionated lower mantle of plume conjecture is contrary to cosmologic and thermodynamic data, for mantle below 660 km is more refractory than that above. Subduction, due to density inversion by top-down cooling that forms oceanic lithosphere, drives plate tectonics and upper-mantle circulation. It organizes plate motions and lithosphere stress, which controls plate boundaries and volcanic chains. Hinge rollback is the key to kinematics. Arcs advance and collide, fast-spreading Pacific shrinks, etc. A fore-arc basin atop an overriding plate shows that hinge and non-shortening plate front there track together: velocities of rollback and advance are equal. Convergence velocity commonly also equals rollback velocity but often is greater. Slabs sinking broadside push upper mantle back under incoming plates and force rapid Pacific spreading, whereas overriding plates flow forward with retreating hinges. Backarc basins open behind island arcs migrating with hinges. Slabs settle on uncrossable 660-km discontinuity. (Contrary tomographic claims reflect sampling and smearing artifacts, notably due to along-slab raypaths.) Plates advance over sunken slabs and mantle displaced rearward by them, and ridges spread where advancing plates pull away. Ridges migrate over asthenosphere, producing geophysical and bathymetric asymmetry, and tap fresh asthenosphere into which slab material is recycled upward. Sluggish deep-mantle circulation is decoupled from rapid upper-mantle circulation, so plate motions can be referenced to semistable lower mantle. Global plate motions make kinematic sense if Antarctica, almost ringed by departing ridges and varying little in Cenozoic paleomagnetic position, is stationary: hinges roll back, ridges migrate, and directions and velocities of plate rotations accord with subduction, including sliding and crowding of oceanic lithosphere toward free edges, as the dominant drive. (The invalid hotspot and no-net-rotation frames minimize motions of hinges and ridges, and their plate motions lack kinematic sense.) Northern Eurasia also is almost stationary, Africa rotates very slowly counterclockwise toward Aegean and Zagros, Pacific plate races toward surface-exit subduction systems, etc.

4.6 micron absorption features due to solid phase CO and cyano group molecules toward compact infrared sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lacy, J. H.; Baas, F.; Allamandola, L. J.; Van De Bult, C. E. P.; Persson, S. E.; Mcgregor, P. J.; Lonsdale, C. J.; Geballe, T. R.

1984-01-01

Spectra obtained at a resolving power of 840, for seven protostellar sources in the region of the 4.67-micron fundamental vibrational band of CO, indicate that the deep absorption feature in W33A near 4.61 microns consists of three features which are seen in other sources, but with varying relative strength. UV-irradiation laboratory experiments with 'dirty ice' temperature cycling allow the identification of two of the features cited with solid CO and CO complexed to other molecules. Cyano group-containing molecules have a lower vapor pressure than CO, and can therefore survive in much warmer environments. The formation and location of the CO- and CN-bearing grain mantles and sources of UV irradiation in cold molecular clouds are discussed. Plausible UV light sources can produce the observed cyano group features, but only under conditions in which local heat sources do not cause evaporation of the CO molecules prior to their photoprocessing.

In situ determination of crystal structure and chemistry of minerals at Earth's deep lower mantle conditions

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

Yuan, Hongsheng; Zhang, Li

Recent advances in experimental techniques and data processing allow in situ determination of mineral crystal structure and chemistry up to Mbar pressures in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (DAC), providing the fundamental information of the mineralogical constitution of our Earth's interior. This work highlights several recent breakthroughs in the field of high-pressure mineral crystallography, including the stability of bridgmanite, the single-crystal structure studies of post-perovskite and H-phase as well as the identification of hydrous minerals and iron oxides in the deep lower mantle. The future development of high-pressure crystallography is also discussed.

Mantle Subduction and Uplift of Intracontinental Mountains: A Case Study from the Chinese Tianshan Mountains within Eurasia.

PubMed

Li, Jinyi; Zhang, Jin; Zhao, Xixi; Jiang, Mei; Li, Yaping; Zhu, Zhixin; Feng, Qianwen; Wang, Lijia; Sun, Guihua; Liu, Jianfeng; Yang, Tiannan

2016-06-29

The driving mechanism that is responsible for the uplift of intracontinental mountains has puzzled geologists for decades. This study addresses this issue by using receiver function images across the Chinese Tianshan Mountains and available data from both deep seismic profiles and surface structural deformation. The near-surface structural deformation shows that the Tianshan crust experienced strong shortening during the Cenozoic. The receiver function image across the Tianshan Mountains reveals that the lithosphere of the Junggar Basin to the north became uncoupled along the Moho, and the mantle below the Moho subducted southwards beneath the northern part of the Tianshan Mountains, thereby thickening the overlying crust. Similar deep structures, however, are not observed under the Tarim Basin and the adjacent southern Tianshan Mountains. This difference in the deep structures correlates with geomorphological features in the region. Thus, a new model of mantle subduction, herein termed M-type subduction, is proposed for the mountain-building processes in intracontinental compressional settings. The available geomorphological, geological and seismic data in the literatures show that this model is probably suitable for other high, linear mountains within the continent.

Mantle Subduction and Uplift of Intracontinental Mountains: A Case Study from the Chinese Tianshan Mountains within Eurasia

PubMed Central

Li, Jinyi; Zhang, Jin; Zhao, Xixi; Jiang, Mei; Li, Yaping; Zhu, Zhixin; Feng, Qianwen; Wang, Lijia; Sun, Guihua; Liu, Jianfeng; Yang, Tiannan

2016-01-01

The driving mechanism that is responsible for the uplift of intracontinental mountains has puzzled geologists for decades. This study addresses this issue by using receiver function images across the Chinese Tianshan Mountains and available data from both deep seismic profiles and surface structural deformation. The near-surface structural deformation shows that the Tianshan crust experienced strong shortening during the Cenozoic. The receiver function image across the Tianshan Mountains reveals that the lithosphere of the Junggar Basin to the north became uncoupled along the Moho, and the mantle below the Moho subducted southwards beneath the northern part of the Tianshan Mountains, thereby thickening the overlying crust. Similar deep structures, however, are not observed under the Tarim Basin and the adjacent southern Tianshan Mountains. This difference in the deep structures correlates with geomorphological features in the region. Thus, a new model of mantle subduction, herein termed M-type subduction, is proposed for the mountain-building processes in intracontinental compressional settings. The available geomorphological, geological and seismic data in the literatures show that this model is probably suitable for other high, linear mountains within the continent. PMID:27353861

Geodynamics of kimberlites on a cooling Earth: Clues to plate tectonic evolution and deep volatile cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tappe, Sebastian; Smart, Katie; Torsvik, Trond; Massuyeau, Malcolm; de Wit, Mike

2018-02-01

Kimberlite magmatism has occurred in cratonic regions on every continent. The global age distribution suggests that this form of mantle melting has been more prominent after 1.2 Ga, and notably between 250-50 Ma, than during early Earth history before 2 Ga (i.e., the Paleoproterozoic and Archean). Although preservation bias has been discussed as a possible reason for the skewed kimberlite age distribution, new treatment of an updated global database suggests that the apparent secular evolution of kimberlite and related CO2-rich ultramafic magmatism is genuine and probably coupled to lowering temperatures of Earth's upper mantle through time. Incipient melting near the CO2- and H2O-bearing peridotite solidus at >200 km depth (1100-1400 °C) is the petrologically most feasible process that can produce high-MgO carbonated silicate melts with enriched trace element concentrations akin to kimberlites. These conditions occur within the convecting asthenospheric mantle directly beneath thick continental lithosphere. In this transient upper mantle source region, variable CHO volatile mixtures control melting of peridotite in the absence of heat anomalies so that low-degree carbonated silicate melts may be permanently present at ambient mantle temperatures below 1400 °C. However, extraction of low-volume melts to Earth's surface requires tectonic triggers. Abrupt changes in the speed and direction of plate motions, such as typified by the dynamics of supercontinent cycles, can be effective in the creation of lithospheric pathways aiding kimberlite magma ascent. Provided that CO2- and H2O-fluxed deep cratonic keels, which formed parts of larger drifting tectonic plates, existed by 3 Ga or even before, kimberlite volcanism could have been frequent during the Archean. However, we argue that frequent kimberlite magmatism had to await establishment of an incipient melting regime beneath the maturing continents, which only became significant after secular mantle cooling to below 1400 °C during post-Archean times, probably sometime shortly after 2 Ga. At around this time kimberlites replace komatiites as the hallmark mantle-derived magmatic feature of continental shields worldwide. The remarkable Mesozoic-Cenozoic 'kimberlite bloom' between 250-50 Ma may represent the ideal circumstance under which the relatively cool and volatile-fluxed cratonic roots of the Pangea supercontinent underwent significant tectonic disturbance. This created more than 60% of world's known kimberlites in a combination of redox- and decompression-related low-degree partial melting. Less than 2% of world's known kimberlites formed after 50 Ma, and the tectonic settings of rare 'young' kimberlites from eastern Africa and western North America demonstrate that far-field stresses on cratonic lithosphere enforced by either continental rifting or cold subduction play a crucial role in enabling kimberlite magma transfer to Earth's surface.

High seismic attenuation at a mid-ocean ridge reveals the distribution of deep melt.

PubMed

Eilon, Zachary C; Abers, Geoffrey A

2017-05-01

At most mid-ocean ridges, a wide region of decompression melting must be reconciled with a narrow neovolcanic zone and the establishment of full oceanic crustal thickness close to the rift axis. Two competing paradigms have been proposed to explain melt focusing: narrow mantle upwelling due to dynamic effects related to in situ melt or wide mantle upwelling with lateral melt transport in inclined channels. Measurements of seismic attenuation provide a tool for identifying and characterizing the presence of melt and thermal heterogeneity in the upper mantle. We use a unique data set of teleseismic body waves recorded on the Cascadia Initiative's Amphibious Array to simultaneously measure seismic attenuation and velocity across an entire oceanic microplate. We observe maximal differential attenuation and the largest delays ([Formula: see text] s and δ T S ~ 2 s) in a narrow zone <50 km from the Juan de Fuca and Gorda ridge axes, with values that are not consistent with laboratory estimates of temperature or water effects. The implied seismic quality factor ( Q s ≤ 25) is among the lowest observed worldwide. Models harnessing experimentally derived anelastic scaling relationships require a 150-km-deep subridge region containing up to 2% in situ melt. The low viscosity and low density associated with this deep, narrow melt column provide the conditions for dynamic mantle upwelling, explaining a suite of geophysical observations at ridges, including electrical conductivity and shear velocity anomalies.

Earth's Fiercely Cooling Core - 24 TW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Jason P.; Vannucchi, Paola

2014-05-01

Earth's mantle and core are convecting planetary heat engines. The mantle convects to lose heat from slow cooling, internal radioactivity, and core heatflow across its base. Its convection generates plate tectonics, volcanism, and the loss of ~35 TW of mantle heat through Earth's surface. The core convects to lose heat from slow cooling, small amounts of internal radioactivity, and the freezing-induced growth of a compositionally denser inner core. Core convection produces the geodynamo generating Earth's geomagnetic field. The geodynamo was thought to be powered by ~4 TW of heatloss across the core-mantle boundary, a rate sustainable (cf. Gubbins et al., 2003; Nimmo, 2007) by freezing a compositionally denser inner core over the ~3 Ga that Earth is known to have had a strong geomagnetic field (cf. Tarduno, 2007). However, recent determinations of the outer core's thermal conductivity(Pozzo et al., 2012; Gomi et al., 2013) indicate that >15 TW of power should conduct down its adiabat. Conducted power is unavailable to drive thermal convection, implying that the geodynamo needs a long-lived >17 TW power source. Core cooling was thought too weak for this, based on estimates for the Clapeyron Slope for high-pressure freezing of an idealized pure-iron core. Here we show that the ~500-1000 kg/m3 seismically-inferred jump in density between the liquid outer core and solid inner core allows us to directly infer the core-freezing Clapeyron Slope for the outer core's actual composition which contains ~8±2% lighter elements (S,Si,O,Al, H,…) mixed into a Fe-Ni alloy. A PREM-like 600 kg/m3 - based Clapeyron Slope implies there has been ~774K of core cooling during the freezing and growth of the inner core, releasing ~24 TW of power during the past ~3 Ga. If so, core cooling can easily power Earth's long-lived geodynamo. Another major implication of ~24 TW heatflow across the core-mantle boundary is that the present-day mantle is strongly 'bottom-heated', and diapiric mantle plumes should dominate deep mantle upwelling.

The Robustness of Tomographically Imaged Broad Plumes in the Deep Mantle: Constraints on Mantle Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanowicz, B. A.; Jiménez-Pérez, H.; Adourian, S.; Karaoglu, H.; French, S.

2016-12-01

Existing global 3D shear wave velocity models of the earth's mantle generally rely on simple ray theoretical assumptions regarding seismic wave propagation through a heterogeneous medium, and/or consider a limited number of seismic observables, such as surface wave dispersion and/or travel times of body waves (such as P or S) that are well separated on seismograms. While these assumptions are appropriate for resolving long wavelength structure, as evidenced from the good agreement at low degrees between models published in the last 10 years, it is well established that the assumption of ray theory limits the resolution of smaller scale low velocity structures. We recently developed a global radially anisotropic shear wave velocity model (SEMUCB_WM1, French and Romanowicz, 2014, 2015) based on time domain full waveform inversion of 3-component seismograms, including surface waves and overtones down to 60s period, as well as body waveforms down to 30s. At each iteration, the forward wavefield is calculated using the Spectral Element Method (SEM), which ensures the accurate computation of the misfit function. Inversion is performed using a fast converging Gauss-Newton formalism. The use of information from the entire seismogram, weighted according to energy arrivals, provides a unique illumination of the deep mantle, compensating for the uneven distribution of sources and stations. The most striking features of this model are the broad, vertically oriented plume-like conduits that extend from the core-mantle boundary to at least 1000 km depth in the vicinity of some 20 major hotspots located over the large low shear velocity provinces under the Pacific and Africa. We here present the results of various tests aimed at evaluating the robustness of these features. These include starting from a different initial model, to evaluate the effects of non-linearity in the inversion, as well as synthetic tests aimed at evaluating the recovery of plumes located in the middle of the Pacific ocean. We argue that the plumes can be better resolved than in models developed using classical approaches, due to the particular combination of theory and dataset. We discuss the geodynamical consequences of their attributes, which contrast with those of purely thermal plumes in a medium with simple temperature and pressure dependent rheology.

A strongly negative shear velocity gradient and lateral variability in the lowermost mantle beneath the Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritsema, Jeroen; Garnero, Edward; Lay, Thorne

1997-01-01

A new approach for constraining the seismic shear velocity structure above the core-mantle boundary is introduced, whereby SH-SKS differential travel times, amplitude ratios of SV/SKS, and Sdiff waveshapes are simultaneously modeled. This procedure is applied to the lower mantle beneath the central Pacific using da.ta from numerous deep-focus southwest Pacific earthquakes recorded in North America. We analyze 90 broadband and 248 digitized analog recordings for this source-receiver geometry. SH-SKS times are highly variable and up to 10 s larger than standard reference model predictions, indicating the presence of laterally varying low shear velocities in the study area. The travel times, however, do not constrain the depth extent or velocity gradient of the low-velocity region. SV/SKS amplitude ratios and SH waveforms are sensitive to the radial shear velocity profile, and when analyzed simultaneously with SH-SKS times, rnveal up to 3% shear velocity reductions restricted to the lowermost 190±50 km of the mantle. Our preferred model for the central-eastern Pacific region (Ml) has a strong negative gradient (with 0.5% reduction in velocity relative to the preliminary reference Earth model (PREM) at 2700 km depth and 3% reduction at 2891 km depth) and slight velocity reductions from 2000 to 2700 km depth (0-0.5% lower than PREM). Significant small-scale (100-500 km) shear velocity heterogeneity (0.5%-1%) is required to explain scatter in the differential times and amplitude ratios.

Marine Carbonate Component in the Mantle Beneath the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau: Evidence From Magnesium and Calcium Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Fang; Li, Xin; Wang, Guiqin; Liu, Yufei; Zhu, Hongli; Kang, Jinting; Huang, Fang; Sun, Weidong; Xia, Xiaoping; Zhang, Zhaofeng

2017-12-01

Tracing and identifying recycled carbonates is a key issue to reconstruct the deep carbon cycle. To better understand carbonate subduction and recycling beneath the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, high-K cal-alkaline volcanic rocks including trachy-basalts and trachy-andesites from Tengchong were studied using Mg and Ca isotopes. The low δ26Mg (-0.31 ± 0.03‰ to -0.38 ± 0.03‰) and δ44/40Ca (0.67 ± 0.07‰ to 0.80 ± 0.04‰) values of these volcanic rocks compared to those of the mantle (-0.25 ± 0.07‰ and 0.94 ± 0.05‰, respectively) indicate the incorporation of isotopically light materials into the mantle source, which may be carbonate-bearing sediments with low δ26Mg and δ44/40Ca values. In addition, no correlations of δ26Mg and δ44/40Ca with either SiO2 contents or trace element abundance ratios (e.g., Sm/Yb and Ba/Y) were observed, suggesting that limited Mg and Ca isotopic fractionation occurred during cal-alkaline magmatic differentiation. A binary mixing model using Mg-Ca isotopes shows that 5-8% carbonates dominated primarily by dolostone were recycled back into the mantle. Since Tengchong volcanism is still active and probably related to ongoing plate tectonic movement, we propose that the recycled carbonates are derived from oceanic crust related to the ongoing subduction of the Indian plate.

Majorite-Garnet Partitioning of the Highly Siderophile Elements: New Results and Application to Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Danielson, L. R.; Righter, K.; Waeselmann, N.; Humayun, M.

2015-01-01

HSE and Os isotopes are used to constrain processes such as accretion, mantle evolution, crustal recycling, and core-mantle mixing, and to constrain the timing and depth of differentiation of Mars. Although showed that the HSE contents of the martian mantle could have been established by metal-silicate equilibrium in early Mars, the role of a cooling magma ocean and associated crystallization in further fractionating the HSEs is unclear. Garnet is thought to have played an important role in controlling trace element concentrations in the martian mantle reservoirs. However, testing these models, including Os isotopes, has been hindered by a dearth of partitioning data for the HSE in deep mantle phases - majorite, wadsleyite, ringwoodite, akimotoite - that may be present in the martian mantle. We examine the partitioning behavior of HSEs between majorite garnet (gt), olivine (oliv), and silicate liquid (melt).

Earth Evolution and Dynamics (Arthur Holmes Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torsvik, Trond H.

2016-04-01

While physicists are fantasizing about a unified theory that can explain just about everything from subatomic particles (quantum mechanics) to the origin of the Universe (general relativity), Darwin already in 1858 elegantly unified the biological sciences with one grand vision. In the Earth Sciences, the description of the movement and deformation of the Earth's outer layer has evolved from Continental Drift (1912) into Sea-Floor Spreading (1962) and then to the paradigm of Plate Tectonics in the mid-to-late 1960s. Plate Tectonics has been extremely successful in providing a framework for understanding deformation and volcanism at plate boundaries, allowed us to understand how continent motions through time are a natural result of heat escaping from Earth's deep interior, and has granted us the means to conduct earthquake and volcanic hazard assessments and hydrocarbon exploration, which have proven indispensable for modern society. Plate Tectonics is as fundamentally unifying to the Earth Sciences as Darwin's Theory of Evolution is to the Life Sciences, but it is an incomplete theory that lacks a clear explanation of how plate tectonics, mantle convection and mantle plumes interact. Over the past decade, however, we have provided compelling evidence that plumes rise from explicit plume generation zones at the margins of two equatorial and antipodal large low shear-wave velocity provinces (Tuzo and Jason). These thermochemical provinces on the core-mantle boundary have been stable for at least the last 300 million years, possibly the last 540 million years, and their edges are the dominant sources of the plumes that generate large igneous provinces, hotspots and kimberlites. Linking surface and lithospheric processes to the mantle is extremely challenging and is only now becoming feasible due to breakthroughs in the estimation of ancient longitudes before the Cretaceous, greatly improved seismic tomography, recent advances in mineral physics, and new developments in our understanding of the dynamics of true polar wander. Dramatic improvements in computational capacity and numerical methods that efficiently model mantle flow while incorporating surface tectonics, plumes, and subduction, have emerged to facilitate further study - We are now capitalizing on these recent advances so as to generate a new Earth model that links plate tectonics with shallow and deep mantle convection through time, and which includes elements such as deeply subducted slabs and stable thermochemical piles with plumes that rise from their edges. It is still unclear, though, why lower mantle structures similar to today would have existed since the Early Phanerozoic (540 Ma), and perhaps for much longer time. Could large-scale upwellings act as an anchor for mantle structure that also controls where downward flow and subduction occurs? Or could it be that subduction keeps itself in place? These are open questions, and at the moment we do not even know with certainty whether Tuzo and Jason were spatially stable for much longer than 300 Myr; we can only state that their stability before Pangea formed is consistent with palaeomagnetic and geological data, but is not necessarily required.

Deep Structure of Northern Apennines Subduction Orogen (Italy) as Revealed by a Joint Interpretation of Passive and Active Seismic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piana Agostinetti, Nicola; Faccenna, Claudio

2018-05-01

The Apennines is a well-studied orogeny formed by the accretion of continental slivers during the subduction of the Adriatic plate, but its deep structure is still a topic of controversy. Here we illuminated the deep structure of the Northern Apennines belt by combining results from the analysis of active seismic (CROP03) and receiver function data. The result from combining these two approaches provides a new robust view of the structure of the deep crust/upper mantle, from the back-arc region to the Adriatic subduction zone. Our analysis confirms the shallow Moho depth beneath the back-arc region and defines the top of the downgoing plate, showing that the two plates separate at depth about 40 km closer to the trench than reported in previous reconstructions. This spatial relationship has profound implications for the geometry of the shallow subduction zone and of the mantle wedge, by the amount of crustal material consumed at trench.

Striations, duration, migration and tidal response in deep tremor.

PubMed

Ide, Satoshi

2010-07-15

Deep tremor in subduction zones is thought to be caused by small repeating shear slip events on the plate interface with significant slow components. It occurs at a depth of about 30 kilometres and provides valuable information on deep plate motion and shallow stress accumulation on the fault plane of megathrust earthquakes. Tremor has been suggested to repeat at a regular interval, migrate at various velocities and be modulated by tidal stress. Here I show that some time-invariant interface property controls tremor behaviour, using precise location of tremor sources with event duration in western Shikoku in the Nankai subduction zone, Japan. In areas where tremor duration is short, tremor is more strongly affected by tidal stress and migration is inhibited. Where tremor lasts longer, diffusive migration occurs with a constant diffusivity of 10(4) m(2) s(-1). The control property may be the ratio of brittle to ductile areas, perhaps determined by the influence of mantle wedge serpentinization on the plate interface. The spatial variation of the controlling property seems to be characterized by striations in tremor source distribution, which follows either the current or previous plate subduction directions. This suggests that the striations and corresponding interface properties are formed through the subduction of inhomogeneous structure, such as seamounts, for periods as long as ten million years.

A Partial Late Veneer for the Source of 3.8 Ga Isua Rocks: Evidence from Highly Siderophile Elements and 182W

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dale, C.; Kruijer, T.; Burton, K. W.; Kleine, T.; Moorbath, S.

2015-12-01

Highly siderophile elements (HSE) were strongly sequestered into metallic planetary cores, leaving silicate mantles almost devoid of HSE. Late accretion partially replenished HSE in planetary mantles soon after core formation had ceased [1], which for Earth probably postdated the giant Moon-forming impact. Ancient isolated domains in Earth's mantle - such as the source of 3.8 Ga Isua basalts - might represent mantle isolated from late accreted material, as suggested based on their small 182W excesses compared to Earth's present-day mantle [2]. However, such 182W excesses may also represent signatures of early differentiation in Earth's mantle, which have been preserved through the giant impact [3]. To assess the origin of 182W anomalies and the 182W composition of the pre-late veneer mantle, we determined HSE abundances and 182W compositions of a suite of mafic to ultramafic rocks from Isua. Our data show that the Isua source mantle had HSE abundances at ~60% of the present-day mantle, inconsistent with isolation from the late veneer. For the same samples we obtained a 13±4 ppm 182W excess over the modern terrestrial mantle, in excellent agreement with previous data [2]. Using a range of possible late veneer compositions and taking into account the recently revised 182W value for the Moon [4], we calculate that the Isua mantle source, containing 60% late veneer, would have a 182W value of 9±4 ppm, in very good agreement with the measured value for Isua. The combined HSE-W data, therefore, are consistent with only partial addition of the late veneer to the Isua mantle source, and with the interpretation that the 27±4 ppm 182W excess of the Moon represents the 182W composition of the pre-late veneer Earth's mantle [4]. [1] Dale et al. (2012) Science 336, 72. [2] Willbold et al. (2011) Nature 477, 195. [3] Touboul et al. (2012) Science 335, 1065-1069. [4] Kruijer et al. (2015) Nature 7548, 534

Teleseismic P-wave Tomography and Mantle Dynamics beneath Eastern Tibet: Insight into Tengchong Volcano and Large Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, J., Sr.; Zhao, D.

2016-12-01

We determined a new 3-D P-wave velocity model of the upper mantle beneath eastern Tibet using 112,613 high-quality arrival-time data collected from teleseismic seismograms recorded by a new portable seismic array in Yunnan and permanent networks in southwestern China. Our results provide new insights into the mantle structure and dynamics of eastern Tibet. High-velocity (high-V) anomalies are revealed down to 200 km depth under the Sichuan basin and the Ordos and Alashan blocks. Low-velocity (low-V) anomalies are imaged in the upper mantle under the Kunlun-Qilian and Qinling fold zones, and the Songpan-Ganzi, Qiangtang, Lhasa and Chuan-Dian diamond blocks, suggesting that eastward moving low-V materials are extruded to eastern China after the obstruction by the Sichuan basin, and the Ordos and Alashan blocks. Furthermore, the extent and thickness of these low-V anomalies are correlated with the surface topography, suggesting that the uplift of eastern Tibet could be partially related to these low-V materials having a higher temperature and strong positive buoyancy. In the mantle transition zone (MTZ), broad high-V anomalies are visible from the Burma arc northward to the Kunlun fault and eastward to the Xiaojiang fault, and they are connected upward with the Wadati-Benioff seismic zone. These results suggest that the subducted Indian slab has traveled horizontally for a long distance after it descended into the MTZ, and return corner flow and deep slab dehydration have contributed to forming the low-V anomalies in the big mantle wedge. Our results shed new light on the deep origin of Tengchong volcano and large crustal earthquakes as well as the mantle dynamics of the eastern Tibetan plateau.

Abnormal Elasticity of Single-Crystal Magnesiosiderite across the Spin Transition in Earth's Lower Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, S.; Yang, J.; Lin, J. F.

2016-12-01

Carbon can be transported into deep Earth's interior via subduction of carbonated oceanic crust, hosted as Mg-Fe bearing carbonates. The existence of stable carbonate can significantly affect our understanding on geochemical and geophysical properties of the planet. Early studies have shown that iron spin-pairing transition could occur in the iron-enriched carbonates, generally called magnesiosiderite, under lower mantle conditions. The pressure-induced spin state change is accompanied by a sudden volume collaps. However, the effects of the spin-pairing transition on single-crystal elasticity of magnesiosiderite under high pressure conditions are still unclear. Understanding the elasticity of single-crystal magnesiosiderite at relevant lower mantle conditions plays an important role in better understanding the seismic signatures in the carbon-enriched region, and to constrain carbon storage and recycling in the mantle. In order to solve all individual elastic constants (C11, C22, C33, C44, C55, C66, C12, C23, and C13) of magnesiosiderite at high pressures via Christoffel's equations, we employed Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) to measure shear wave (Vs) and compressional wave velocities (Vp) as a function of the azimuthal angle under lower mantle pressures, accompanied by Impulsive Stimulate Light Scattering (ISS) to measure the Vp when pressures are too high to measure it by BLS. A general thermoelastic modelling was developed to fit the elastic softening within the spin transition. We will further discuss the effects of pressures, as well as iron spin states, on the single-crystal elasticity and seismic parameters (Vp and Vs anisotropy AVp, AVs, etc) at lower mantle conditions. These results could provide clues in explaining regional seismic heterogeneities in deep mantle.

Radiative conductivity and abundance of post-perovskite in the lowermost mantle

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

Lobanov, Sergey S.; Holtgrewe, Nicholas; Lin, Jung-Fu

Thermal conductivity of the lowermost mantle governs the heat flow out of the core energizing planetary-scale geological processes. Yet, there are no direct experimental measurements of thermal conductivity at relevant pressure–temperature conditions of Earth's core–mantle boundary. Here we determine the radiative conductivity of post-perovskite at near core–mantle boundary conditions by optical absorption measurements in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Our results show that the radiative conductivity of Mg0.9Fe0.1SiO3 post-perovskite (~1.1 W/m/K) is almost two times smaller than that of bridgmanite (~2.0 W/m/K) at the base of the mantle. By combining this result with the present-day core–mantle heat flow and availablemore » estimations on the lattice thermal conductivity we conclude that post-perovskite is at least as abundant as bridgmanite in the lowermost mantle which has profound implications for the dynamics of the deep Earth.« less

Radiative conductivity and abundance of post-perovskite in the lowermost mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobanov, Sergey S.; Holtgrewe, Nicholas; Lin, Jung-Fu; Goncharov, Alexander F.

2017-12-01

Thermal conductivity of the lowermost mantle governs the heat flow out of the core energizing planetary-scale geological processes. Yet, there are no direct experimental measurements of thermal conductivity at relevant pressure-temperature conditions of Earth's core-mantle boundary. Here we determine the radiative conductivity of post-perovskite at near core-mantle boundary conditions by optical absorption measurements in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Our results show that the radiative conductivity of Mg0.9Fe0.1SiO3 post-perovskite (∼1.1 W/m/K) is almost two times smaller than that of bridgmanite (∼2.0 W/m/K) at the base of the mantle. By combining this result with the present-day core-mantle heat flow and available estimations on the lattice thermal conductivity we conclude that post-perovskite is at least as abundant as bridgmanite in the lowermost mantle which has profound implications for the dynamics of the deep Earth.

Mix or un-mix? Trace element segregation from a heterogeneous mantle, simulated.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, R. F.; Keller, T.; Warren, J. M.; Manley, G.

2016-12-01

Incompatible trace-element concentrations vary in mid-ocean ridge lavas and melt inclusions by an order of magnitude or more, even in samples from the same location. This variability has been attributed to channelised melt flow [Spiegelman & Kelemen, 2003], which brings enriched, low-degree melts to the surface in relative isolation from depleted inter-channel melts. We re-examine this hypothesis using a new melting-column model that incorporates mantle volatiles [Keller & Katz 2016]. Volatiles cause a deeper onset of channelisation: their corrosivity is maximum at the base of the silicate melting regime. We consider how source heterogeneity and melt transport shape trace-element concentrations in basaltic lavas. We use both equilibrium and non-equilibrium formulations [Spiegelman 1996]. In particular, we evaluate the effect of melt transport on probability distributions of trace element concentration, comparing the inflow distribution in the mantle with the outflow distribution in the magma. Which features of melt transport preserve, erase or overprint input correlations between elements? To address this we consider various hypotheses about mantle heterogeneity, allowing for spatial structure in major components, volatiles and trace elements. Of interest are the roles of wavelength, amplitude, and correlation of heterogeneity fields. To investigate how different modes of melt transport affect input distributions, we compare melting models that produce either shallow or deep channelisation, or none at all.References:Keller & Katz (2016). The Role of Volatiles in Reactive Melt Transport in the Asthenosphere. Journal of Petrology, http://doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egw030. Spiegelman (1996). Geochemical consequences of melt transport in 2-D: The sensitivity of trace elements to mantle dynamics. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 139, 115-132. Spiegelman & Kelemen (2003). Extreme chemical variability as a consequence of channelized melt transport. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, http://doi.org/10.1029/2002GC000336

Compressible magma/mantle dynamics: 3-D, adaptive simulations in ASPECT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dannberg, Juliane; Heister, Timo

2016-12-01

Melt generation and migration are an important link between surface processes and the thermal and chemical evolution of the Earth's interior. However, their vastly different timescales make it difficult to study mantle convection and melt migration in a unified framework, especially for 3-D global models. And although experiments suggest an increase in melt volume of up to 20 per cent from the depth of melt generation to the surface, previous computations have neglected the individual compressibilities of the solid and the fluid phase. Here, we describe our extension of the finite element mantle convection code ASPECT that adds melt generation and migration. We use the original compressible formulation of the McKenzie equations, augmented by an equation for the conservation of energy. Applying adaptive mesh refinement to this type of problems is particularly advantageous, as the resolution can be increased in areas where melt is present and viscosity gradients are high, whereas a lower resolution is sufficient in regions without melt. Together with a high-performance, massively parallel implementation, this allows for high-resolution, 3-D, compressible, global mantle convection simulations coupled with melt migration. We evaluate the functionality and potential of this method using a series of benchmarks and model setups, compare results of the compressible and incompressible formulation, and show the effectiveness of adaptive mesh refinement when applied to melt migration. Our model of magma dynamics provides a framework for modelling processes on different scales and investigating links between processes occurring in the deep mantle and melt generation and migration. This approach could prove particularly useful applied to modelling the generation of komatiites or other melts originating in greater depths. The implementation is available in the Open Source ASPECT repository.

Electromagnetic imaging the of the Pacific-North American plate boundary in central California, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheelock, B. D.; Constable, S.; Key, K. W.

2010-12-01

The continental margin of central California lies adjacent to a segment of the San Andreas fault (SAF) that exhibits a transition between locked behavior south of the town of Cholame, and freely slipping (creeping) behavior north of the town of Parkfield. Recent reports of non-volcanic tremor (NVT) near the town of Cholame represent the first observation of NVT in a strike-slip environment. Dense clusters of tremor episodes located at the northern limit of the locked section of the SAF were found to originate within the ductile lower crust at depths between 15 and 30~km, and have been interpreted as evidence of high pore fluid pressure. An excess of fluids in this region is likely given its history of subduction, which transports large quantities of water into the forearc crust and mantle. We present a study that uses deep electromagnetic imaging methods to estimate the abundance and distribution of pore fluids at depths associated with non-volcanic tremor. This study extends a previously collected terrestrial profile of magnetotelluric (MT) data (Becken et al. 2008, Geophysical Journal International) into the offshore environment. We deployed 21 seafloor instruments that collected controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) and MT data in a line extending from the coast near Morro Bay, across the continental shelf, and out onto the Pacific plate. The marine MT data results in apparent resistivity and phase estimates at periods between 1~s and 20,000~s, sufficient for probing the upper 100~km of regional conductivity. A significant coast effect, marked by asymptotic behavior in the TE mode of the MT responses, is observed at the deep water sites. This necessitates accurate bathymetry modeling when inverting. The CSEM transmitter was towed by all receivers broadcasting a compact broadband binary waveform with a 0.25~Hz fundamental frequency. The controlled-source signal is observed above the noisefloor at source-receiver offsets up to 6~km, which provides constraints on the conductivity structure of the upper 3~km of the crust. By extending the preceding line of terrestrial MT measurements to the west, we are able to constrain any differences in crust and mantle conductivity associated with the transition across the continental boundary. Furthermore, we address whether the deeply-sourced fluids migrating into the root of the SAF identified in Becken et al. (2008) are related to the fossil subduction zone. Inversion of this combined data set aims to detect the source region of these deep fluids, put constraints on their abundance, and further reveal any pathways by which they may reach the San Andreas fault.

Geochemical and tectonic implications on plate-interface evolution achieved from high-pressure ultramafic rocks in mélange settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannaò, E.; Agostini, S.; Scambelluri, M.; Tonarini, S.

2014-12-01

Geochemical studies of fluid-mobile elements (FME) joined with B, Sr and Pb isotopic analyses of high-pressure mélanges terranes help constraining tectonic processes and mass transfer during accretion of slab and suprasubduction mantle in plate-interface domains. Here we focus on ultramafic rocks from two plate interface settings: (I) metasediment-dominated mélange (Cima di Gagnone, CdG, Adula Unit), where eclogite-facies de-serpentinized garnet peridotite and chlorite harzburgite lenses are embedded in paraschist; (II) dominated by high-pressure serpentinite (Erro-Tobbio, ET, and Voltri Units, VU, Ligurian Alps). CdG metaperidotite shows low [B], negative δ 11B and high Sr and Pb isotopic ratios. As, Sb loss from metasediment and gain by garnet and chlorite metaperidotite points to exchange between the two systems. Presence of As and Sb in eclogite-facies peridotite minerals and preferential low-T mobility of such elements suggest that exchange was during early subduction burial and prior to eclogitization. Based on high [B], positive δ11B, oxygen and hydrogen isotope, the ET serpentinties were recently interpreted as supra-subduction mantle flushed by slab fluids (Scambelluri & Tonarini, 2012, Geology, 40, 907-910). Their 206Pb/204Pb and 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios range between 18.300-18.514 and 0.7048-0.7060, respectively. Compared with ET rocks, VU serpentinites have higher As, Sb (up to 1.3 and 0.39 ppm, respectively) and are enriched in radiogenic Sr (up to 0.7105 87Sr/86Sr). This signature reflects interaction with fluids that exchanged with sedimentary rocks, either in outer rise environments or during accretion atop the slab. In the above cases, the serpentinized mantle rocks fingerprint interaction with fluids from different sources, indicating a timing of accretion to plate interface domains. We provide evidence that serpentinized mantle slices of different size and provenance (slab or wedge) accreted to plate interface domains since early subduction stages. They also represent FME and radiogenic isotope sources for arcs and for deep mantle refertilization.

The Late Jurassic Panjeh submarine volcano in the northern Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, northwest Iran: Mantle plume or active margin?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizi, Hossein; Lucci, Federico; Stern, Robert J.; Hasannejad, Shima; Asahara, Yoshihiro

2018-05-01

The tectonic setting in which Jurassic igneous rocks of the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (SaSZ) of Iran formed is controversial. SaSZ igneous rocks are mainly intrusive granodiorite to gabbroic bodies, which intrude Early to Middle Jurassic metamorphic basement; Jurassic volcanic rocks are rare. Here, we report the age and petrology of volcanic rocks from the Panjeh basaltic-andesitic rocks complex in the northern SaSZ, southwest of Ghorveh city. The Panjeh magmatic complex consists of pillowed and massive basalts, andesites and microdioritic dykes and is associated with intrusive gabbros; the overall sequence and relations with surrounding sediments indicate that this is an unusually well preserved submarine volcanic complex. Igneous rocks belong to a metaluminous sub-alkaline, medium-K to high-K calc-alkaline mafic suite characterized by moderate Al2O3 (13.7-17.6 wt%) and variable Fe2O3 (6.0-12.6 wt%) and MgO (0.9-11.1 wt%) contents. Zircon U-Pb ages (145-149 Ma) define a Late Jurassic (Tithonian) age for magma crystallization and emplacement. Whole rock compositions are enriched in Th, U and light rare earth elements (LREEs) and are slightly depleted in Nb, Ta and Ti. The initial ratios of 87Sr/86Sr (0.7039-0.7076) and εNd(t) values (-1.8 to +4.3) lie along the mantle array in the field of ocean island basalts and subcontinental metasomatized mantle. Immobile trace element (Ti, V, Zr, Y, Nb, Yb, Th and Co) behavior suggests that the mantle source was enriched by fluids released from a subducting slab (i.e. deep-crustal recycling) with some contribution from continental crust for andesitic rocks. Based the chemical composition of Panjeh mafic and intermediate rocks in combination with data for other gabbroic to dioritic bodies in the Ghorveh area we offer two interpretations for these (and other Jurassic igneous rocks of the SaSZ) as reflecting melts from a) subduction-modified OIB-type source above a Neo-Tethys subduction zone or b) plume or rift tectonics involving upwelling metasomatized mantle (mostly reflecting the 550 Ma Cadomian crust-forming event).

Mantle source volumes and the origin of the mid-Tertiary ignimbrite flare-up in the southern Rocky Mountains, western U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farmer, G. Lang; Bailley, Treasure; Elkins-Tanton, Linda T.

2008-04-01

Voluminous intermediate to silicic composition volcanic rocks were generated throughout the southern Rocky Mountains, western U.S., during the mid-Tertiary "ignimbrite flare-up", principally at the San Juan and Mogollon-Datil volcanic fields. At both volcanic centers, radiogenic isotope data have been interpreted as evidence that 50% or more of the volcanic rocks (by mass) were derived from mantle-derived, mafic parental magmas, but no consensus exists as to whether melting was largely of lithospheric or sub-lithospheric mantle. Recent xenolith studies, however, have revealed that thick (> 100 km), fertile, and hydrated continental lithosphere was present beneath at least portions of the southern Rocky Mountains during the mid-Tertiary. The presence of such thick mantle lithosphere, combined with an apparent lack of syn-magmatic extension, leaves conductive heating of lithospheric mantle as a plausible method of generating the mafic magmas that fueled the ignimbrite flare-up in this inland region. To further assess this possibility, we estimated the minimum volume of mantle needed to generate the mafic magmas parental to the preserved mid-Tertiary igneous rocks. Conservative estimates of the mantle source volumes that supplied the Mogollon-Datil and San Juan volcanic fields are ˜ 2 M km 3 and ˜ 7 M km 3, respectively. These volumes could have comprised only lithospheric mantle if at least the lower ˜ 20 km of the mantle lithosphere beneath the entire southern Rocky Mountains region underwent partial melting during the mid-Tertiary and if the resulting mafic magmas were drawn laterally for distances of up to ˜ 300 km into each center. Such widespread melting of lithospheric mantle requires that the lithospheric mantle have been uniformly fertile and primed for melting in the mid-Tertiary, a possibility if the lithospheric mantle had experienced widespread hydration and refrigeration during early Tertiary low angle subduction. Exposure of the mantle lithosphere to hot, upwelling sub-lithospheric mantle during mid-Tertiary slab roll back could have then triggered the mantle melting. While a plausible source for mid-Tertiary basaltic magmas in the southern Rocky Mountains, lithospheric mantle could not have been the sole source for mafic magmas generated to the south in that portion of the ignimbrite flare-up now preserved in the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico. The large mantle source volumes (> 45 M km 3) required to fuel the voluminous silicic ignimbrites deposited in this region (> 400 K km 3) are too large to have been accommodated within the lithospheric mantle alone, implying that melting in sub-lithospheric mantle must have played a significant role in generating this mid-Tertiary magmatic event.

Geochemistry of continental subduction-zone fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yong-Fei; Hermann, Joerg

2014-12-01

The composition of continental subduction-zone fluids varies dramatically from dilute aqueous solutions at subsolidus conditions to hydrous silicate melts at supersolidus conditions, with variable concentrations of fluid-mobile incompatible trace elements. At ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic conditions, supercritical fluids may occur with variable compositions. The water component of these fluids primarily derives from structural hydroxyl and molecular water in hydrous and nominally anhydrous minerals at UHP conditions. While the breakdown of hydrous minerals is the predominant water source for fluid activity in the subduction factory, water released from nominally anhydrous minerals provides an additional water source. These different sources of water may accumulate to induce partial melting of UHP metamorphic rocks on and above their wet solidii. Silica is the dominant solute in the deep fluids, followed by aluminum and alkalis. Trace element abundances are low in metamorphic fluids at subsolidus conditions, but become significantly elevated in anatectic melts at supersolidus conditions. The compositions of dissolved and residual minerals are a function of pressure-temperature and whole-rock composition, which exert a strong control on the trace element signature of liberated fluids. The trace element patterns of migmatic leucosomes in UHP rocks and multiphase solid inclusions in UHP minerals exhibit strong enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and moderate enrichment of light rare earth elements (LREE) but depletion of high field strength elements (HFSE) and heavy rare earth elements (HREE), demonstrating their crystallization from anatectic melts of crustal protoliths. Interaction of the anatectic melts with the mantle wedge peridotite leads to modal metasomatism with the generation of new mineral phases as well as cryptic metasomatism that is only manifested by the enrichment of fluid-mobile incompatible trace elements in orogenic peridotites. Partial melting of the metasomatic mantle domains gives rise to a variety of mafic igneous rocks in collisional orogens and their adjacent active continental margins. The study of such metasomatic processes and products is of great importance to understanding of the mass transfer at the slab-mantle interface in subduction channels. Therefore, the property and behavior of subduction-zone fluids are a key for understanding of the crust-mantle interaction at convergent plate margins.

The mantle source of island arc magmatism during early subduction: Evidence from Hf isotopes in rutile from the Jijal Complex (Kohistan arc, Pakistan)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ewing, Tanya A.; Müntener, Othmar

2018-05-01

The Cretaceous-Paleogene Kohistan arc complex, northern Pakistan, is renowned as one of the most complete sections through a preserved paleo-island arc. The Jijal Complex represents a fragment of the plutonic roots of the Kohistan arc, formed during its early intraoceanic history. We present the first Hf isotope determinations for the Jijal Complex, made on rutile from garnet gabbros. These lithologies are zircon-free, but contain rutile that formed as an early phase. Recent developments in analytical capabilities coupled with a careful analytical and data reduction protocol allow the accurate determination of Hf isotope composition for rutile with <30 ppm Hf for the first time. Rutile from the analysed samples contains 5-35 ppm Hf, with sample averages of 13-17 ppm. Rutile from five samples from the Jijal Complex mafic section, sampling 2 km of former crustal thickness, gave indistinguishable Hf isotope compositions with εHf(i) ranging from 11.4 ± 3.2 to 20.1 ± 5.7. These values are within error of or only slightly more enriched than modern depleted mantle. The analysed samples record variable degrees of interaction with late-stage melt segregations, which produced symplectitic overprints on the main mineral assemblage as well as pegmatitic segregations of hydrous minerals. The indistinguishable εHf(i) across this range of lithologies demonstrates the robust preservation of the Hf isotope composition of rutile. The Hf isotope data, combined with previously published Nd isotope data for the Jijal Complex garnet gabbros, favour derivation from an inherently enriched, Indian Ocean type mantle. This implies a smaller contribution from subducted sediments than if the source was a normal (Pacific-type) depleted mantle. The Jijal Complex thus had only a limited recycled continental crustal component in its source, and represents a largely juvenile addition of new continental crust during the early phases of intraoceanic magmatism. The ability to determine the Hf isotope composition of rutile with low Hf contents is an important development for zircon-free mafic lithologies. This study highlights the potential of Hf isotope analysis of rutile to characterise the most juvenile deep arc crust cumulates worldwide.

Water transportation ability of flat-lying slabs in the mantle transition zone and implications for craton destruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhensheng; Kusky, Timothy M.; Capitanio, Fabio A.

2018-01-01

Water transported by deep subduction to the mantle transition zone (MTZ) that is eventually released and migrates upwards is invoked as a likely cause for hydroweakening and cratonic lithosphere destruction. The destruction of the North China Craton (NCC) during the Mesozoic has been proposed to be related to hydroweakening. However, the source of water related to large-scale craton destruction in the NCC is poorly constrained. Some suggest that the water was mainly released from a flat-lying (or stagnating) slab in the MTZ, whereas others posit that most water was released from a previously existing strongly hydrous MTZ then perturbed by the stagnating subduction in the MTZ layer. In this study, we use numerical modeling to evaluate the water carrying ability of flat-lying slabs in the MTZ with different slab ages and water contents to simulate its maximum value and discuss its potential role on large-scale hydroweakening and craton destruction. Our results reveal that a single flat-lying slab in the MTZ cannot provide enough water for large-scale cratonic lithosphere hydroweakening and thinning. Water estimates invoked for craton destruction as experienced by the NCC can only be the result of long-term piling of multiple slabs in the MTZ or penetrating deeper into the lower mantle.

Surface wave tomography of the European crust and upper mantle from ambient seismic noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LU, Y.; Stehly, L.; Paul, A.

2017-12-01

We present a high-resolution 3-D Shear wave velocity model of the European crust and upper mantle derived from ambient seismic noise tomography. In this study, we collect 4 years of continuous vertical-component seismic recordings from 1293 broadband stations across Europe (10W-35E, 30N-75N). We analyze group velocity dispersion from 5s to 150s for cross-correlations of more than 0.8 million virtual source-receiver pairs. 2-D group velocity maps are estimated using adaptive parameterization to accommodate the strong heterogeneity of path coverage. 3-D velocity model is obtained by merging 1-D models inverted at each pixel through a two-step data-driven inversion algorithm: a non-linear Bayesian Monte Carlo inversion, followed by a linearized inversion. Resulting S-wave velocity model and Moho depth are compared with previous geophysical studies: 1) The crustal model and Moho depth show striking agreement with active seismic imaging results. Moreover, it even provides new valuable information such as a strong difference of the European Moho along two seismic profiles in the Western Alps (Cifalps and ECORS-CROP). 2) The upper mantle model displays strong similarities with published models even at 150km deep, which is usually imaged using earthquake records.

Oceanic crust in the mid-mantle beneath Central-West Pacific subduction zones: Evidence from S-to-P converted waveforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, X.

2015-12-01

The fate of subducted slabs is enigmatic, yet intriguing. We analyze seismic arrivals at ~20-50 s after the direct P wave in an array in northeast China (NECESSArray) recordings of four deep earthquakes occurring beneath the west-central Pacific subduction zones (from the eastern Indonesia to Tonga region). We employ the array analyzing techniques of 4th root vespagram and beam-form analysis to constrain the slowness and back azimuth of later arrivals. Our analyses reveal that these arrivals have a slightly lower slowness value than the direct P wave and the back azimuth deviates slightly from the great-circle direction. Along with calculation of one-dimensional synthetic seismograms, we conclude that the later arrival is corresponding to an energy of S-to-P converted at a scatterer below the sources. Total five scatterers are detected at depths varying from ~700 to 1110 km in the study region. The past subducted oceanic crust most likely accounts for the seismic scatterers trapped in the mid-mantle beneath the west-central subduction zones. Our observation in turn reflects that oceanic crust at least partly separated from subducted oceanic lithosphere and may be trapped substantially in the mid-mantle surrounding subduction zones, in particular in the western Pacific subduction zones.

The origin of volatiles in the Earth's mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hier-Majumder, Saswata; Hirschmann, Marc M.

2017-08-01

The Earth's deep interior contains significant reservoirs of volatiles such as H, C, and N. Due to the incompatible nature of these volatile species, it has been difficult to reconcile their storage in the residual mantle immediately following crystallization of the terrestrial magma ocean (MO). As the magma ocean freezes, it is commonly assumed that very small amounts of melt are retained in the residual mantle, limiting the trapped volatile concentration in the primordial mantle. In this article, we show that inefficient melt drainage out of the freezing front can retain large amounts of volatiles hosted in the trapped melt in the residual mantle while creating a thick early atmosphere. Using a two-phase flow model, we demonstrate that compaction within the moving freezing front is inefficient over time scales characteristic of magma ocean solidification. We employ a scaling relation between the trapped melt fraction, the rate of compaction, and the rate of freezing in our magma ocean evolution model. For cosmochemically plausible fractions of volatiles delivered during the later stages of accretion, our calculations suggest that up to 77% of total H2O and 12% of CO2 could have been trapped in the mantle during magma ocean crystallization. The assumption of a constant trapped melt fraction underestimates the mass of volatiles in the residual mantle by more than an order of magnitude.